The Kentucky-Tennessee section of the American Water Works Association awarded George Fordjour, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Civil Engineering, with the Dr. Rengao Song Water Research Scholarship at the Water Professionals Conference in Lexington on July 21.
Louisville Water Manager of Advanced Metering Infrastructure Scott Clark served on the committee that selected Fordjour from a pool of premium applicants for the $10,000 award. Clark said he demonstrated exceptional promise as a water science and technology researcher whose work directly addresses practical challenges facing drinking water utilities.
“His combination of academic achievement, field-based research experience, publication record, and clear focus on improving water quality, public health protection, and utility resilience makes him a highly deserving recipient of this scholarship,” Clark shared.
Fordjour's research centers on understanding the relationships among water loss, chlorine residuals and disinfection byproduct formation in rural Appalachian water systems. It is also focused on developing artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to help utilities make smarter decisions about where to invest in their infrastructure.
“Both projects are based on data from real Kentucky utilities, including Louisville Water Company, and aim to assist systems of all sizes, from large, well-funded utilities to small, rural communities in Eastern Kentucky that face daily challenges with aging infrastructure, high water loss, and limited budgets,” Fordjour said.
For Fordjour, helping provide and maintain access to clean water is a profound mission.
“I grew up in Ghana, where I saw firsthand how access to safe, reliable drinking water influences community well-being and public health. That experience is what inspired me to pursue this field and keeps me committed to research beyond academics. I want my work to help utilities protect the people they serve, especially in small and rural communities where the need is greatest, and resources are limited,” Fordjour said.
The annual scholarship created in 2021 honors Dr. Song, a Louisville Water retiree, for his commitment to excellence in water quality, while supporting a student that embodies his same spirit and aspirations.
“Winning this scholarship is especially meaningful because of who it honors. Dr. Rengao Song dedicated his career to advancing drinking water science and technology in service of public health, and that is exactly the kind of researcher I am working to become,” Fordjour said. “Knowing that this award carries his legacy makes it more than a financial recognition. It is an encouragement to stay committed to research that is rigorous, field-informed, and directly useful to the communities and utilities it serves.”
Fordjour also extended his gratitude to his advisor, Lindell Ormsbee, Ph.D, who was in attendance when he received the award, along with the Kentucky Water Research Institute.
