TEK announces 2026-27 Faculty Fellows cohort

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 4, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Office of Transdisciplinary Educational approaches to advance Kentucky (TEK) has announced the TEK Faculty Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year. A critical mission of TEK is the development of new transdisciplinary courses and the reimagining of existing courses to emphasize one or more essential career skills.  

Transformative solutions to society’s most complex challenges require more than one perspective or disciplinary approach. A transdisciplinary approach unites experts and students from across disciplines to tackle real-world problems through collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. TEK challenges faculty and students to engage with complex issues by leveraging faculty and employer expertise. In the process, students gain durable, transferable skills that are important for any career, including the ability to consider multiple points of view, reflect on growth, communicate effectively and collaborate in teams. TEK is part of a university-wide initiative to advance the 10 Essential Skills graduates need to thrive. 

“Now more than ever, we perceive the value of immersing students in learning experiences that engage complex, authentic issues and foreground the development of durable, professional skills,” said Trey Conatser, Ph.D., assistant provost for teaching and learning and director of the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. “The TEK Faculty Fellows program, now in its fourth year, offers the unique opportunity for teacher-scholars to work similarly in a transdisciplinary setting to address how we can design curricula and facilitate learning in ways that thread this needle.” 

TEK Faculty Fellows participate in learning communities that offer structured support for the design of new undergraduate courses or the adaptation of current courses by embedding transdisciplinary skill development. New courses created as part of the TEK Faculty Fellows program involve faculty in team teaching across disciplinary boundaries, focusing on a critical issue or problem alongside community partners to support students’ understanding of how multiple disciplines and approaches can solve local and global problems. Existing courses clearly emphasize the employability skills that transdisciplinary work requires, including collaboration and communication among stakeholders with different perspectives and lived experiences.  

“The TEK Faculty Fellows program has strengthened my ability to design learning experiences for UK students that build their capacity and confidence for real-world, collaborative problem-solving. My assignments now illuminate exactly how the process of engaging in these learning experiences enhances students’ workforce skills,” said former TEK Faculty Fellow Cory Curl, Ph.D., senior lecturer and director of undergraduate studies in the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration. “I have found that students enjoy tackling important challenges together. Giving them a transparent roadmap to do so has made an enormous difference in setting them up for success today and into the future.” 

“We knew the TEK Faculty Fellows program would help us build a course that transcends disciplinary boundaries, but what has exceeded my expectations is the learning community that has emerged around it,” said Molly Blasing, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures - Russian Studies.  

Blasing is co-teaching a course titled “Frontiers for Global Security: Russia, Ukraine, the Arctic and Deep Space” alongside Karen Petrone, Ph.D., professor in the Department of History. 

“Our learners are active-duty military personnel, cybersecurity students, future educators, world language learners, archival researchers and even a former NASA attorney,” Blasing said. “We are all learning from one another as we tackle questions about war, climate change, technology and the future of human society.” 

After soliciting applications in the 2026 spring semester, TEK has announced the fourth cohort of TEK Faculty Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year: 

• Ray Archer, Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Arryn Blaine, Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy 

• Nikki Brown, History, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Heather Campbell-Speltz, Hispanic Studies, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Marc Cormier, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, College of Education 

• Alex Elswick, Human Environmental Sciences, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment 

• Andrea Friedrich, Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Layne Gaynor, Biology, College of Arts and Sciences 

• David Hague, Counseling Psychology, College of Education 

• Danielle Herrig, Biology, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Jennifer Hootman, UK Libraries 

• Aubrey Jones, College of Social Work 

• Yeonjung Kang, Retailing and Tourism Management, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment 

• Matthew Kim, Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Carlyn Kimiecik, College of Social Work 

• Cassidy Leibold, Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Adrian Magendzo, Lewis Honors College 

• Nicole McKenna, Criminal Justice, College of Social Work 

• Peter Mirabito, Biology, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Ali Moradi, Mining Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering 

• Nari Senanayake, Geography, College of Arts and Sciences 

• Jessalyn Vallade, Information Science, College of Communication and Information