Benne Holwerda
University of Louisville, KY·Astronomy & Astrophysics
Many talented students at rural Kentucky universities, often the first in their families to attend college, have few chances to do real astronomy research. They face financial pressure, the unwritten rules of academic life, sometimes called the hidden curriculum, and little exposure to basic research tools.
- Fields
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Education Research
Physics
- Topics
astronomy
astrophysics
undergraduate research
- Grants
- 1 known grant, last ended Sep 2026
What they work on
- Build a sustainable statewide partnership linking rural-serving Kentucky colleges with astrophysics research groups at Northern Kentucky University and the University of Louisville.
- Provide personal mentoring and financial and academic support that helps rural and first-generation Kentucky undergraduates complete a first research project, a first professional presentation and a first paper.
- Expand shared resources of the Kentucky Area Astronomical Society, such as summer online courses and the Kentucky Area Meeting, to connect students with the national astronomy community.
More about the research
Kentucky has some of the poorest counties in the continental U.S., and many students from these areas attend its state schools.
Why it matters
OAKS could open astronomy research careers to rural, minority and first-generation students in some of the poorest parts of Kentucky. Mentoring, funding and early research experience aim to lower barriers that keep these students out of science, and the program may offer a model for other states with dispersed, small physics departments.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
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University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC·Education Research
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Sheridan McNeil
North Dakota State University, ND·Education Research
Connect researchers spread across North Dakota through interdisciplinary research networks linking universities, regional colleges, and tribal colleges.
Roberto Flores
Christopher Newport University, VA·Education Research
Identify best practices from successful model institutions for building and sustaining partnerships between primarily undergraduate institutions and industry.
The school
University of Louisville: 15 labs on PI Pages, $225M a year on research, 159 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
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