The Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET)—chartered in 1995 as a conduit to bring U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant funds to East Tennessee following the downsizing of federal facilities in Oak Ridge—has endowed two scholarships for the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee aimed at leaving a legacy on the community that CROET served for three decades.
The Lawrence T. Young Scholarship and two CROET Scholarships will be awarded annually to undergraduate nuclear engineering students in the Tickle College of Engineering. Young was the founding president and chief operating officer of CROET and served more than 26 years in the role.
Preference will be given to students from Oak Ridge High School, the lone high school located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. If no graduates of Oak Ridge High are available, applicants from the counties of Knox, Union, Campbell, Scott, Morgan, Roane, or Loudon are eligible.
The inaugural CROET Scholars this year are freshmen Cyril Meredith and Zachary Ibanez. The LT Young Scholarship recipient is freshman Austin Byrd.
“It means a lot to me to be awarded this scholarship and fills me with satisfaction to know that my efforts are being seen,” said Meredith, an Oak Ridge High graduate. “This scholarship will provide me with lots of assistance in my first year. Not only will it assist me financially, but it also motivates me to keep working towards my goals.”
CROET helped transform K-25 uranium enrichment property in Oak Ridge into an industrial center with new job-producing industries. The organization was successful in leasing and selling property to private sector entities. In recent years, location announcements have centered around a nuclear renaissance initiative, including Kairos Power’s HERMES demonstration reactor.
During his tenure at CROET, Young also served as chief manager of subsidiary operations: Heritage Center, LLC; Horizon Center, LLC; Halcyon, LLC; and the CROET Greenways Foundation.
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (rpotkey@utk.edu)