Say Yes
By Kendall Curlee
As a standout high school student in Bryant, Arkansas, Ben Hood thought about leaving the state to attend college. But after coming to the University of Arkansas to interview for a fellowship, he realized that “Arkansas was providing a really special opportunity … to do a tremendous amount and go in a lot of different directions.” Hood was selected for the first group of Bodenhamer Fellows in 1998 and made good on the opportunity to explore academically.
“The fellowship allowed me to say yes to a lot of opportunities that might have been out of reach due to resources,” he recalled.
Hood traveled to Kruger National Park in South Africa to view an eclipse, supported operations at La Selva biological research preserve in Costa Rica, worked for NASA in California, and interned in Washington, D.C., for then-U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder of Central Arkansas. “Travel makes a huge impact on kids from Arkansas,” he said. “And most of those internships were unpaid. If I was worried about finances, I couldn’t have done them.”
Photo: Russell Cothren
After completing dual degrees in computer engineering and physics, both summa cum laude, in ’02 and a Ph.D. in astrophysics at the University of St. Andrews in ’06, Hood dove into the world of tech startups. His current company, WattBuy, a clean energy platform that helps homeowners choose more sustainable, affordable energy options, has raised $16 million in venture capital funding and grown to 30 employees.
His first hire was Mason Hollis (B.S.C.S., magna cum laude, ’17), whom he met when Hollis and other incoming Bodenhamer fellows traveled to Washington, D.C. Hollis majored in computer science, interned at WattBuy and started his own company while at the U of A, making him the perfect candidate, Hood said. “We were at a point that we needed to build more things, and Mason had walked through fire at Amazon, and he had this excitement about startups and building a company, which was exactly what we needed.” Bodenhamer Fellow and computer science junior Anshuman Nandy is currently working on machine learning and artificial intelligence as a WattBuy intern, and Hood is scouting for more talent: “Mason and I are always looking for smart students, and we’re at the point that we don’t just need engineers — we have opportunities in business development, sales and marketing.”
Hood’s support for U of A students extends beyond mentoring and internships. This year he made a generous gift to the Honors College to support current students. “From the beginning it was clear that the gift that Dr. Bodenhamer was giving us students was not just to make our lives a little easier, but was to make the world better, to make Arkansas better and push us forward. So I’ve always thought when I get to a place where I can contribute, I want to give back to the university that gave me so much.” He encourages other alumni thinking about giving “to try to say yes, even if the numbers are small, because it pays back so much more. It keeps you connected to the alma mater.”