At the core of Scott Sikes’ work, both research and professional, is observing and analyzing what people can do when they work together to make their communities and the world a better place. His dissertation, In Our Very Blood: The Use of Social media in the 2018 West Virginia Teachers Strike, follows that same thread. It was awarded the 2022 College of Communication and Information Outstanding Dissertation Award.

“My dissertation was ostensibly about the labor movement, the use of information, and an event of collective action around a labor strike. It’s about the larger questions of how we live … Read more “PhD Alum Scott Sikes’ Earns 2022 CCI Outstanding Dissertation Award”

“I was talking to some of my mentors and supervisors about graduate programs, and one of them, Commander Valerie Boyd, said, ‘You can definitely go, you have what it takes.’ That was the confidence boost I needed, to hear. When a senior officer of … Read more “Chad Lanctot on What it is Like Being a Veteran and a Student”

For my undergraduate degree I studied painting and sculpture at Hampshire College. After graduation, I didn’t have plans and went on a road trip with a friend to California. I thought I would be here temporarily but I have stayed in the Bay Area ever since.

For the first decade or so I made art and worked part time in offices for architects, artists, and writers, and I ended … Read more “Student Spotlight: Kristina Larsen Becomes Rare Map Librarian After One Semester in MSIS”

If you want to deepen you understanding of today’s “digital youth” information needs, behaviors, formal and informal learning, and use of digital information technologies—check out our Youth Informatics Graduate Certificate! This online, 12-hour program is open to anyone with master’s degree or who is currently enrolled in a graduate program. Learn more about the certificate and how to apply here, or RSVP for our May 6 webinar, which will be held via Zoom from 6-7 p.m. (EST). Participants will receive Zoom details upon registration confirmation.

Bonnie Carroll may have recently retired from Information International Associates (IIA), the information and scientific data management company she founded decades ago in Oak Ridge, but the long-time supporter of the College of Communication and Information is not yet done with data or with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She was recently honored by CCI for her various contributions to the college over the years, with her latest achievement being the work she did to bring the World Data System (WDS) to the university and to Tennessee.

“Bonnie has had an incredible commitment to UT, an incredible commitment to the … Read more “Bonnie Carroll Honored for Long-Time Support of CCI and SIS”

Kelsey Badger came into the School of Information Sciences master’s program with the honor of being accepted into the Collaborative Analysis Liaison Librarians (CALL) program, and she will continue that tradition of excellence with the honor of being named a University of Tennessee, Knoxville Volunteer of Distinction: Extraordinary Professional Promise. She’s also already accepted a position at the Ohio State University as a research data librarian, which she will start after she graduates from SIS this May.

SIS Clinical Associate Professor Carolyn Hank nominated Badger for the award, stating that she has exceptional work ethic and outstanding academic … Read more “MSIS Student Kelsey Badger Named Volunteer of Distinction: Extraordinary Professional Promise”

“What my research is really aiming to do is to provide fundamental knowledge to library and information professionals about blockchain technology and NFTs. We want to shed a light on how this technology can provide an opportunity for music collections in … Read more “Student Elisha Jewell and Assistant Professor of Practice Joy Marie Doan Research How NFTs Can Benefit Libraries”

I worked at two other positions in the library, shelving books … Read more “Student Spotlight: Amy Snyder Lands Fellowship with Library of Congress”

Connecting students with possibilities for their future is truly a passion for Bukky Abdul, career coach for the College of Communication & Information at the Center for Career Development.

“I love working with students to help develop themselves, and after my master’s program, I knew I wanted to do career coaching full time. This is the perfect position for me, I love it here,” Abdul said.

In her role, Abdul provides a variety of services and support to students throughout their college experience to assist with job placement once they graduate. These include organizing and ensuring students are aware … Read more “Career Coach Bukky Abdul is Here to Help Undergraduate Students Find Career Success”

Makayla Lerner is the first undergraduate School of Information Sciences student to complete a practicum, and just this last week she won first place in the College of Communication and Information’s 44^th Annual Research Symposium’s Research Poster Kaleidoscope contest. The research she presented in her poster stemmed from the practicum and undergraduate research assistantship work she has been doing with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s Extension programs.

Lerner has participated in three projects with UTIA that all have a focus on broadband internet in rural communities—hence the title of her poster, which aggregated research from all three … Read more “BSIS Student Makayla Lerner Wins CCI Poster Competition with Research on Rural Communities Adopting Broadband”