UK’s SWAP series highlights research shaping Appalachia’s future

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies program is once again highlighting the research and creative scholarship of students and faculty through the annual Sharing Work on Appalachia in Progress (SWAP) series.

SWAP encourages collaboration across disciplines, fostering dialogue between researchers, students and community members. By featuring ongoing projects, the series highlights the breadth of inquiry taking place at UK and its continued commitment to understanding and supporting Appalachia.

This year’s SWAP series will feature presentations running from Fall 2025 through Spring ’26, spotlighting recipients of the James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia and the UK Appalachian Center Eller & Billings Student Research Award, as well as other scholars conducting meaningful work across the region.

The series provides a space for emerging and established researchers to present their ongoing projects, exchange ideas, build connections and engage in dialogue about life in Appalachia.

Kicking off the SWAP season

The Fall 2025 SWAP lineup includes four presentations, with sessions beginning Monday, Nov. 18, and continuing through Sunday, Dec. 2, at the UK Appalachian Center. Each session will feature two presenters, with research spanning fields that include sociology, social work, rural medicine and anthropology.

All sessions take place 12:30-2 p.m. at the UK Appalachian Center, 624 Maxwelton Court. Registration includes a free lunch. 

Nov. 18 presentations include:

• Megan Hall, Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences — “Interlocking Disasters: A Western North Carolina Case Study”
• Daniel Hayes, Rural Physician Leadership Program, College of Medicine — “Development and Validation of a Low-Cost 3-D-Printed Two-Point Discrimination Tool”

Dec. 2 presentations include:

• Holden Dillman, College of Social Work — “We Are Here: National and Appalachian Perspectives on Mental Health Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth”
• Jimmy Robinson, Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences — “In the Greenhouse: An Analysis of Scale, Technology, and Rationality in Agriculture”

The remaining SWAP presentations will take place during the Spring 2026 semester and will feature the following presenters (dates to be determined):

• Nicole Marks, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences — “And the Creek Don't Rise: Disasters, Climate, and Resiliency in Appalachia”
• Ricardo P. D'Amato, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences — “Uneven Water. The Pollution and Solutions of Water in Appalachian Kentucky”
• Morgan Gilbert, Department of Arts Administration, College of Fine Arts — “Berea College's 'Fireside Industries' as a Model for Contemporary Rural Remote Work”
• Zachary Hackworth, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment — “Tuning a Generalized Ray-Tracing Forest Light Simulator for Kentucky Forests”

For the latest updates and schedule, visit https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/sharing-work-appalachia-progress-swap.

Recognizing the trailblazers of Appalachian research

The James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia is named for the late James S. Brown, UK professor and pioneering sociologist whose ethnographic and demographic work helped establish Appalachian studies as a field. This award supports graduate students whose research deepens understanding of the social, cultural and environmental dimensions of Appalachian life. The Brown Award provides funding for essential research costs like data collection, archival work, interviews and travel within the region.

This year’s Brown Award winners include:

• Riccardo P. D’Amato, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences — “Uneven Water: The Pollution and Solutions of Water in Appalachian Kentucky”
• Holden Dillman, College of Social Work — “We Are Here: National and Appalachian Perspectives on Mental Health Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth”
• Megan Hall, Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences — “Interlocking Disasters: A Western North Carolina Case Study”
• Nicole Marks, Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences — “And the Creek Don’t Rise: Disasters, Climate, and Resiliency in Appalachia”
• Jimmy Robinson, Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences — “In the Greenhouse: An Analysis of Scale, Technology, and Rationality in Agriculture”

Created by the UK Appalachian Center and the Appalachian Studies Program, the Eller & Billings Student Research Award promotes interdisciplinary student research focused on Appalachia’s people, places and futures. Named in honor of historian Ronald D. Eller and sociologist Dwight B. Billings, the award provides support for both undergraduate and graduate students pursuing original research, community projects or creative work connected to the region.

This year’s Eller & Billings Award winners include:

• Morgan Gilbert, Department of Arts Administration, College of Fine Arts — “Berea College’s ‘Fireside Industries’ as a Model for Contemporary Rural Remote Work”
• Zachary Hackworth, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment  — “Tuning a Generalized Ray-Tracing Forest Light Simulator for Kentucky Forests”
• Daniel Hayes, Rural Physician Leadership Program, College of Medicine — “Development and Validation of a Low-Cost 3-D-Printed Two-Point Discrimination Tool”

For more information, visit https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/.