April 16, 2021 By Hillary Tune

Jonathan Habashey to Become One of the First SIS Undergraduate Majors to Graduate

Jonathan Habashey was one of the first students to join the undergraduate information sciences major program when it started in fall 2019, and now he will be one of the first to graduate from it.

Habashey likes talking to people and understanding how they think, but he also likes technology. He started out interested in computer science, but wasn’t very interested in the coding aspect of it – that’s when he found out about the new information sciences major.

“I was told that information sciences is more on the people side, and I’m more of a people person so I … Read more “Jonathan Habashey to Become One of the First SIS Undergraduate Majors to Graduate”

April 8, 2021 By Hillary Tune

MSIS Student Charlie Mix is Putting Conservation on the Map

Charlie Mix and Nyssa Hunt look at the "Cradle of Southern Appalachia" map. - Photo by Angela Foster, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Charlie Mix and Nyssa Hunt look at the “Cradle of Southern Appalachia” map. – Photo by Angela Foster, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Information is delivered in many forms, and for MSIS student Charlie Mix, maps are his deliverable of choice. Mix earned a bachelor’s degree in geography and went on to work for the National Park Service and for land trust and watershed conservancies before landing at Interdisciplinary Geospatial Technology Lab at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, five years ago.

Two years into his career at the IGT Lab, Mix was bumped up into the position of GIS director, which … Read more “MSIS Student Charlie Mix is Putting Conservation on the Map”

April 1, 2021 By Hillary Tune

Stephanie Walker to be One of the First Undergraduate Students to Earn Her Bachelor’s Degree in the New SIS Major This Spring

While Stephanie Walker is excited to be on the verge of graduating from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with her undergraduate major in information sciences, the senior said it is also a bittersweet moment.

“I look back and almost wish I could have discovered information sciences sooner. I just feel like I spent a good portion of time here at the university studying majors I didn’t particularly enjoy, so I only had one and a half years to really explore information sciences. At times, I wish my undergraduate education wasn’t ending so soon, but nonetheless I’m excited for what the … Read more “Stephanie Walker to be One of the First Undergraduate Students to Earn Her Bachelor’s Degree in the New SIS Major This Spring”

March 31, 2021 By Hillary Tune

SIS Graduate Program Takes Top Spot in SEC, 10th Overall Nationally

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s School of Information Sciences was ranked as 10^thin library and information sciences programs in the 2022 US News and World Report graduate school rankings report released March 30, 2021. The new rankings also mean that the SIS library and information sciences program now takes the top slot – number one – in Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools.

Additionally, the SIS school library media program was ranked overall as 13^thand the digital librarianship program as 14^thin the rankings.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as one of the top 10 programs … Read more “SIS Graduate Program Takes Top Spot in SEC, 10th Overall Nationally”

March 24, 2021 By Hillary Tune

MSIS Student Claire Jordan to Conduct Fellowship Research on Misuse of Scientific Information

Being in the MSIS program and part of the Collaborative Analysis Liaison Librarians cohort has opened up an entire new world of possibilities within the realm of information sciences for student Claire Jordan.

“I thought I had a niche, specific focus, and then I learned about the CALL program and then I got here and all the opportunities opened up, and it’s so much more diverse than I realized,” she said.

One such opportunity Jordan has received is the Research Experience for Master’s Students at the University of Michigan – an intensive summer program that pairs students with faculty mentors … Read more “MSIS Student Claire Jordan to Conduct Fellowship Research on Misuse of Scientific Information”

March 18, 2021 By Hillary Tune

MSIS Alum and CICS Assistant Director Amy Forrester on Her Interdisciplinary Career

Amy Forrester

What do marine biology, sustainability, marine policy and management, data repositories, commercial information management, project management, information sciences, and publishing all have in common? These are all fields MSIS alumna Amy Forrester (’16) has worked in throughout her career. It’s fitting that she stepped into the role of assistant director of the Center of Information and Communication (CICs) at the College of Communication and Information (CCI) this past year, where she’s found the perfect fit for her varied experience and expertise.

“I have content expertise to talk about all the pieces to be involved, so it’s not just being a … Read more “MSIS Alum and CICS Assistant Director Amy Forrester on Her Interdisciplinary Career”

March 11, 2021 By Hillary Tune

MSIS Alum and Current CCI PhD Student Joseph Winberry (’19) Awarded Marva Rudolph Scholarship

When he was growing up, Joseph Winberry (’19) spent a lot of time around his grandparents and their friends in a retirement community – he found himself drawn to older people, and it stuck. It was just a fluke, he said, that he eventually was hired for a job at the Knoxville-Knox County Office on Aging (OOA). But that coincidence brought him full circle to serve a population he had grown up around.

While he was working at the OOA, Winberry began realizing that aging isn’t a one-note experience.

“It really helped me realize the inequities and injustices that older … Read more “MSIS Alum and Current CCI PhD Student Joseph Winberry (’19) Awarded Marva Rudolph Scholarship”

March 4, 2021 By Hillary Tune

Student Spotlight: Jesse Morris Uses Environmental Science Background and Information Science Skills at Her ‘Dream Job’

Featured Student: Jesse Morris

Location: Knoxville, Tennessee

Education/Career Background

I got my undergraduate degree in life sciences and environmental studies from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. After I graduated I did a couple of random things – I did some pharmaceutical research and was a GIS technician – and then I fell into being an environmental scientist for about 10 years.

Why information sciences?

I got to a point in my career where I knew I wanted to go further in my education and I was weighing my options.The obvious path was a master’s in ecology and to lean … Read more “Student Spotlight: Jesse Morris Uses Environmental Science Background and Information Science Skills at Her ‘Dream Job’”

February 26, 2021 By Hillary Tune

Alumna Rachel Gammons Finds Her Calling in Academic Libraries and Information Literacy

When Rachel Gammons (MSIS ’12) had to teach her first synchronous class online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she pulled herself back to a few years ago when she was in the MSIS program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, so she could extract the parts of her experience that made her feel connected to faculty and other students in virtual classrooms.

“I want it to feel like a real, holistic and complete learning experience for them. You definitely have more perspective as an online teacher if you have been an online student,” Gammons said.

Coming Full Circle

Announcements

February 18, 2021 By Hillary Tune

Alum Anna Galyon on Working at One of the ‘Coolest Places in the World’ – ORNL’s Library

Even the most skilled and advanced researchers in the world need to be able to access other information to support their work. So, when researchers at Oak Ridge National Lab need a journal article or technical manuscript, they know where to go: the ORNL library.

The library was established in 1943, with a history dating back to around the same time as the inception of the Manhattan Project, said Anna Galyon (MSIS ’09), the library’s manager and a School of Information Sciences alumna.

“I think I work in one of the coolest places in the world. The lab does cutting … Read more “Alum Anna Galyon on Working at One of the ‘Coolest Places in the World’ – ORNL’s Library”