University of Kentucky
AC-4: Graduate Program

Faculty and student research in the Department of Geography focuses on interrelated thematic clusters. The clusters facilitate collaborative scholarship though they typically do not function as formal research teams. The clusters tend to work as loose and overlapping intellectual communities that can incorporate working groups, reading groups, and collaborative projects, and they give a sense of the breadth of the research conducted in the department. Current research clusters are: Biogeomorphology Biogeography and Landscape Ecology Critical Mapping and GISCultural and Social Geographies Development Studies Economic Geography Geomorphology Political Ecology Political Geography Social Theory Urban Geography

The manufacturing sector is an engine for economic growth and an important contributor to the country’s economic competitiveness, particularly because growth in the manufacturing sector drives additional activity in other sectors. In the Department of Mechanical Engineering, manufacturing research is focused not only on developing product, process and system technologies to reduce costs, increase revenue and promote economic growth but also on developing more sustainable technologies in these areas. Some examples of on-going research efforts include the development of advanced and more sustainable manufacturing processes (e.g.: machining, brazing, welding, etc.), developing predictive modeling tools for total lifecycle-based product designs to reduce material/energy consumption, developing tools and practices to improve performance at the manufacturing systems and supply chain levels. A number of automotive and aerospace manufacturers as well as their suppliers and many other manufacturing companies are located within a 100 mile radius from the university. With proximity to industry and through strong collaborations with the UK Institute for Sustainable Manufacturing (ISM), Institute for Research and Technology Development (IR4TD) and Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK), our program is well positioned to advance manufacturing research in the Bluegrass and beyond.

The goal of the graduate certificate program in global health is to provide a general foundation in the understanding of global health issues and the complex some basic tools in health assessment methods to measure their impact. Given the widespread globalized multiplicity of factors that affect them, and to provide some basic tools in health assessment methods to measure their impact. Given the widespread globalized nature of our world today, there is an increasing need for understanding the impact of globalization on health, both in terms of health patterns common across regions, and in terms of how what were once considered focal, limited local issues can transcend national and continental borders. The program is designed to prepare students for the increasing demand for international, interdisciplinary skills in the areas of public health prevention, health care and other health-related disciplines.

The Stream and Watershed Science Graduate Certificate provides students with an understanding of the complex physical, biological and social systems involved in stream and watershed related issues. The certificate has an interdisciplinary focus and is administered by faculty in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering with an advisory committee consisting of faculty representatives from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Engineering; the Center for Applied Energy Research; the Gatton College of Business and Economics; and the Graduate School.