School of Information Sciences

Student Spotlight: From Music to Cataloging, Nick Floyd Finds Inspiration in IS

by

Student Spotlight features one our current School of Information Sciences master’s students. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, careers, locations and academics, and we want to highlight who they are and why they chose the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Information Sciences master’s program.

MSIS student spotlight Nick FloydFeatured student: Nick Floyd

Location: Nashville

Education: Bachelor’s of music from Belmont University, Nashville

Current job: I work with a music company called Naxos, we deal with every aspect of the music industry, largely classical. I specifically work in licensing and library services. We have a subscription service that public libraries, universities and performing arts organizations subscribe to. It’s an educational, electronic resource. We basically have a music software that has educational resources as well as streaming music.

Why SIS?

I was a music major in Nashville, as an undergrad. I was fortunate to find this job almost five years ago and this job took me to library conferences, like the American Library Association, the Music Library Association, and after a while I noticed how much fun was being had by the attendees.

Learn About a Lecturer: SIS Alum Ashley Maynor Dives into the Nontraditional World of Digital Humanities

by

Ashley Maynor with service dog CardamomLecturer: Ashley Maynor (’13)

Location: New York City, NY

Academic Background: I was a college scholar, which is part of the “design your own major” program for undergraduates at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I mostly focused on French literature and cultural studies but took courses across many curricula—from anthropology to cinema studies to international relations! I also have an MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University and an MSIS from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Student Spotlight: Josh Borycz Finds Purpose in Scientific Data Management

by

MSIS student Josh Borycz in BrazilStudent Spotlight features one our current School of Information Sciences Master students. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, careers, locations and academics, and we want to highlight who they are and why they chose the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Information Sciences master’s program.

Featured student: Joshua Borycz

Location: Knoxville, TN

Education: Bachelor of science in chemistry and mathematics from Hope College in Holland, Mich.; master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota; and PhD in chemistry from the University of Minnesota.

Student Food Insecurity Addressed by New SIS Food Box Program

by

Books, tuition, housing, utilities – these all add up for college students, and recent studies show that about a third of students find themselves choosing between necessities. Often, this means making food a low priority, resulting in food insecurity. When someone suffers from food insecurity, it means they don’t know where their next meal is […]

Alum John Wilkin wins Hugh C. Atkins Memorial Award

by

SIS Alum John Wilkin (’86) was recently honored with the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award for his outstanding accomplishments as an academic librarian. He is the Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Dean of Libraries and University Librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The award is jointly sponsored by the Association of College […]

SIS & CCI Townhall Bridges the Gap

by

Rachel Fleming-May, Diane Kelly, Dean Michael Wirth, Joseph Winberry and Hannah Brandon at the Town Hall

A dean, a school director, and a graduate studies director walk into a room—it’s not the beginning of a bar joke, but rather the events that unfolded on the evening of Feb. 5, 2019 in Patrick Auditorium. Michael Wirth, dean of the College of Communication and Information, Diane Kelly, director of the School of Information Sciences, and Rachel Fleming-May, director of SIS Graduate Studies, came together to participate in a joint CCI/SIS Townhall event with students in attendance via Zoom and in person.

Alum Dorothy Ogdon Takes Libraries Into the Future with Technology Resources, Services

by

Virtual reality, 3D-printing, models of brains and bones – these are just a few of the things that Dorothy Ogdon (’07) is dealing with on a regular basis. And she’s a librarian. Of course, she’s not your typical librarian. Currently she is the emerging technologies librarian at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. It’s a new […]

New SIS Exit Requirements Focus on Program Effectiveness

by

In 2018, The Graduate School at the University of Tennessee eliminated its requirement that master’s students complete a capstone project or examination in order to graduate, allowing individual graduate programs to decide what – if any – exit requirements they’d ask master’s students to complete.  As a result, SIS faculty voted to eliminate the MSIS […]

Student Spotlight: First-generation Student Sarah Gonzalez Speaks About Her Love of Data

by

Sarah Gonzalez, MSIS studentStudent Spotlight: Student Spotlight features one of our current School of Information Sciences Master students. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, careers, locations, and academics, and we want to highlight who they are and why they chose the University of Tennessee, Knoxville SIS program.

Featured student: Sarah Gonzalez

Location: Knoxville, Tennessee

Current job: Sponsored programs coordinator at the University of Tennessee’s Office of Research and Engagement.

Past job(s): Has worked at UT for more than 15 years, in positions including: accounting specialist at the College of Social Work; assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Diversity; administrative services assistant at the Haslam College of Business.

Student Spotlight: How Sophie Howard Found Her Way to SIS and Archives

by

Featured student: Sophie Howard Location: Birmingham, Alabama Current job: Appraisal archivist at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, in Montgomery, Ala. Family: My mother and father have always encouraged me to find a career and life that makes me happy, and I feel they have encouraged me throughout this process because they can see […]