Kyle Heffernan Receives Sustainability Fellowship

Product Design student Kyle Heffernan was chosen to receive a Sustainability Summer Research Fellowship from UK’s Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) and Student Sustainability Council. He will receive $5,000 to perform his undergraduate research and creative work.

Sustainability Summer Research Fellowships are funded by the Environmental Stewardship Fee and seek to promote projects that will make a significant contribution to the student’s academic growth, while concomitantly contributing to sustainability-focused research initiatives at the University of Kentucky and within the community at large.

“For my project, I endeavor to create a receptacle for scrap material within the College of Design’s fabrication lab and studios,” said Heffernan. “As a fabrication assistant for the Office of Design Technology, I’ve observed significant amounts of material be thrown out which could have been repurposed. What currently exists is a simple bin that stores multiple materials, but this has proven to be disorganized and not easily accessible for students.”

Not only would an improved solution to this problem help students save money on materials, he believes, but it also expands the opportunity for students to integrate unique leftover materials into their projects.

“This in turn creates a variety of new design opportunities for students to explore, while also increasing the College’s inventory of resources. I plan on working in the fabrication lab over the Summer with my mentor to craft and assemble the final design for use throughout the College,” he said.