Purdue doctoral student named U.S. Kauffman Global Scholar
November 16, 2012
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Landon Young |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University doctoral student and aspiring entrepreneur Landon Young has been selected as a 2013 U.S. Kauffman Global Scholar, a program led by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Young, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in interdisciplinary ecological sciences and engineering, will participate in the Kansas City, Mo.-based program, which runs from January through mid-June. Purdue announced his Kauffman appointment on Friday (Nov. 16) in connection with Global Entrepreneurship Week activities on campus.
"As a Kauffman Global Scholar, I will be transformed into a more effective entrepreneur, a strategic decision-maker and global businessperson," said Young, of Mitchell, Ind.
"I will discover new ways to engage the global market place and achieve entrepreneurial goals more quickly using my expanded network of colleagues. By fully extracting the benefits of the Kauffman Global Scholars Program, I will be prepared to empower individuals and induce social change through innovation."
Young has already been involved in startup companies from the ground floor. He is CEO of World Help Solutions Inc., a company seeking to provide efficient and effective solutions to elevate the quality of life in Third World countries through asset-based design and the implementation of systems, technologies and social programs.
In addition, he is working with a wind turbine startup, Dualpower Turbines LLC. Other areas of interest include appropriate technology, entrepreneurial education and outreach, transdisciplinary team building and ecological design.
Young received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Purdue, along with completing the university's Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program. He was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which provides three years of funding to any doctoral program in the country, and the Chappelle Fellowship at Purdue.
As a 2013 Kauffman Global Scholar, Young is one of 10 students who will study, exchange ideas and work with entrepreneurial experts. Through the program, the scholars:
* Meet and engage with leading scholars and thinkers, policy leaders, researchers and business founders. Building on their existing expertise, they will have the opportunity to further develop their skills in the direction of entrepreneurship and the creation of innovative businesses.
* Learn from fellow aspiring entrepreneurs from other countries who likewise aim to build companies with global vision and reach. They will learn to think systematically about entrepreneurship and the variables that may lead to the success of their ventures.
* Visit leading universities to exchange ideas with faculty, students, and those engaged in innovative, entrepreneurial work.
* Experience a three-month entrepreneurship internship at an innovative company, and understand the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship.
During its first five years, the Global Scholars Program has hosted students sponsored by governments and organizations from six countries representing at least 12 nationalities. The 2012 scholars are from the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the United States.
Writer: Phillip Fiorini, 765-496-3133, pfiorini@purdue.edu
Source: Landon Young, 812-276-3558, lgyoung@purdue.edu
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