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A&S student selected as Sustainability Summer Research Fellow

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

Photo of a student
Muhammad Indra

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 25, 2023) — Five University of Kentucky students have been selected for the Sustainability Summer Research Fellowship program, a high-impact learning experience that contributes to the students’ academic growth as well as sustainability-focused research initiatives at UK and in the community.

As a learning institution, UK engages in sustainable practices by collaborating with faculty, staff and students across all colleges and departments. The Sustainability Research Fellowship is a collaborative program coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Research and sponsored by the UK Student Sustainability Council (SSC) and UK Sustainability. The fellowship’s goal is to support and promote sustainability-related undergraduate research endeavors. The program launched in 2014 and has since supported 48 undergraduates.

Among them is Muhammad Indra, a junior environmental and sustainability studies major. His mentor is Betsy Beymer-Farris in the College of Arts and Sciences. His project is: “Sustainability Solutions to the Plastic Pile-Up in Bali, Indonesia..”

Students selected as Sustainability Research Fellows received a $5,000 stipend to support their research endeavors during the Summer 2023 term. Fellows engage in a research project under the guidance of a mentor. They will present their research at the Summer Research Symposium on Aug. 28, 2023, Sustainability Showcase on Oct. 4, 2023, and the Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars in April 2024.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $501 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.