🌎 Resumen en español · traducción automática
La Universidad de Kentucky ha otorgado tres Rapid Response Grants 2026 a equipos de investigación para abordar desafíos comunitarios en Kentucky, incluyendo proyectos sobre madera sostenible, resiliencia comunitaria en Apalacia Central y preservación de cementerios. Los premios apoyan investigaciones enfocadas en la comunidad que buscan traducir hallazgos científicos en soluciones prácticas e inmediatas, con participación de investigadores de disciplinas diversas como ingeniería, trabajo social y derecho. El Sustainable Futures Design Lab de UK Innovate promueve un enfoque interdisciplinario para resolver desafíos complejos que requieren colaboración entre múltiples especialidades.
Traducción y resumen generados por IA a partir del artículo en inglés. Puede contener errores; consulte el texto original.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky’s Sustainable Futures Design Lab, a founding focus area of UK Innovate’s TRUST Hub, has selected three research teams to receive 2026 Rapid Response Grants designed to address pressing challenges across Kentucky communities.
The awards support community-engaged research projects that respond to emerging needs and help accelerate solutions with potential for long-term impact. According to Serenity Wright, Ed.D., senior executive director for innovation, community health and societal impact at UK Innovate, the grants empower researchers to engage stakeholders early and translate research into practical solutions.
The three award winners represent a range of disciplines and approaches. Jeff Seay, Ph.D., from the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, is developing a sustainable thermally modified lumber product for regional economic and environmental resilience. Carlyn Kimiecik, Ph.D., from the College of Social Work, is creating a community-based resilience model in Central Appalachia that incorporates youth sport and disaster response. Zach Bray, J.D., from the J. David Rosenberg College of Law, is working to address challenges of Appalachian cemetery preservation.
Rebekah Radtke, co-director of the Sustainable Futures Design Lab and associate professor in the College of Design, emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of the work. “Community challenges are complex, and it takes all of us — engineers, social workers, legal scholars and many others — working together to respond to them,” Radtke said.
The Sustainable Futures Design Lab is a collective of UK researchers dedicated to socially responsible design that drives meaningful impact in Kentucky and beyond. The grants are designed to help researchers quickly pursue time-sensitive opportunities while building partnerships, gathering preliminary data and developing innovative approaches that can lead to larger research initiatives.
Sources
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from University of Kentucky News, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://uknow.uky.edu/research/rapid-response-grants-2026-awardees-advance-community-focused-research.
