Our Crowdfunding Groups
We started the scholarship in 2007, the week Brian died in an accident at age 42, and asked friends and family to donate to the scholarship fund instead of sending flowers. Brian enjoyed helping others learn and mentored many people at Number Six Software and around the tech world, so it seemed fitting to establish a scholarship for students in his memory. We chose to create the scholarship at his alma mater, The University of Maryland, in the Department of Computer Science, which conducts cutting-edge research. Almost 100 individual donors have contributed a total of over $25,000 which allowed us to endow the scholarship in Brian's name.
With more money, we can give a larger annual scholarship to a very deserving student! Our 50 Days of Giving campaign is an effort to raise $17,000 before Brian's 50th birthday in February, which will raise the endowment total to $50,000.
The scholarship is awarded annually, in perpetuity, which means it will be around long after you and I are here. The scholarship's annual amount is based on a figure that is approximately 5 percent of the interest on the principal in the account. The first year the scholarship was awarded, it was based on $25,000 of principal, so the student scholarship recipient received around $1,250. The second year, with a principal of over $30,000, the student scholarship recipient received around $1,500. With the additional $17,000 we raise during this campaign, the principal will be $50,000 and the annual student scholarship recipient will receive $2,500!
The scholarship is awarded to an outstanding University of Maryland computer science major, who displays a passion for computer science, and another academic discipline or extracurricular activity, in addition to an interest in an emerging software engineering discipline. We look for well-rounded applicants who have a life and are not just computer geeks. Because Brian was a Renaissance man, we like to award the scholarship to similarly multifaceted individuals! You can meet our latest scholarship recipient by watching the video above.
We are grateful for any amount you can donate. Consider this your 50th birthday present to Brian! The donation levels have nicknames based on the vehicles Brian owned over the years, from his entry-level Nissan to his "Chairman of the Board" Maserati. (The ultimate level, Ferrari, was the car he planned to buy when he sold Number Six Software.)
Yes! If you would like to make a monthly, quarterly or annual contribution to the fund, please contact Megan Carnell (mcarnell@umd.edu).
Please share this campaign with your friends and family members via social media and/or email. Be sure to visit the 'Remembering Brian Lyons' page that we have started on Facebook and share a photo and/or a memory of Brian. Thank you for reaching deep into your pockets -- the deserving students at the University of Maryland will forever be in your debt! ~Tamara Lyons
Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents. Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.