UK EDC News | February 2026 | | |
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Artificial intelligence (AI) programs, partnerships and possibilities will take center stage during a campus AI showcase on Thursday, Feb. 26. The event — UK x Microsoft: CATS AI in Action — is free and open to all faculty, staff and students as well as community members. It will feature officials from both Microsoft and the University of Kentucky in a day of exploration and discovery at the Gatton Student Center.
UK x Microsoft: CATS AI in Action will begin at 10 a.m. with a speaking program in Ballroom A at the Gatton Student Center. The event will then shift to interaction and hands-on AI activities with engagement zones located around the Gatton Student Center Social Staircase. In those engagement zones, AI innovators from across UK will explain how they have been using AI in education, research, operations, health care and media and creative arts.
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What does it mean to design with artificial intelligence without surrendering authorship, intuition or humanity?
That question anchored a recent architecture studio led by Jesse Voigt, instructor in the University of Kentucky College of Design. The course examined how emerging technologies are reshaping architectural practice, while reinforcing the fundamental roles of narrative, research and human judgment in design.
In this joint undergraduate and graduate studio, students were asked to reimagine a vacant warehouse at 1801 Edison Drive as a future cultural hub for Lexington. Rather than using AI as a shortcut or image generator, the studio positioned it as a conceptual “client,” prompting students to interrogate its assumptions, navigate its limitations and ultimately define their own roles as designers.
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Economic Engagement Update
| | Walsh Construction, University of Kentucky Accepting Applications for Pre-Apprenticeship Program | | |
Walsh Construction, in partnership with the University of Kentucky, is accepting applications for the second cohort of its pre-apprenticeship program. Applications are due March 1 for the eight-week program, which runs from April 14 through June 9. The initiative is designed to introduce participants to careers in the skilled trades through hands-on learning and industry exposure.
Offered in connection with the UK Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building project, the program provides job-readiness training, technical skill development and a direct pathway to registered apprenticeship opportunities. Participants will gain firsthand experience in the construction industry while preparing for stable, in-demand careers in the trades.
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University of Kentucky researchers have secured a $7.2 million grant from the NIH’s Justice Community Overdose Innovation Network to advance overdose prevention efforts for women reentering rural Kentucky communities after incarceration. The funding supports Phase II of the Kentucky Women’s Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network, building on earlier efforts to connect women to treatment prior to release.
The five-year clinical trial will enroll 300 women across three Appalachian jails and evaluate combinations of recovery coaching, support person engagement and contingency management. Researchers will follow participants for one year after release to measure overdose risk, treatment engagement and overall outcomes.
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OneUK welcomed three corporate partners to campus this month for a series of “OneUK Visit Days” aimed at deepening relationships with the University of Kentucky.
Representatives from Catalent visited Feb. 10, followed by Fischer Homes on Feb. 11 and Valvoline Global on Feb. 12. Each partner spent the day on campus engaging with UK faculty, staff and students through classroom visits and strategic meetings.
The visit days reflect OneUK’s commitment to fostering sustained, strategic collaboration between the university and leading employers. By bringing partners to campus for immersive engagement, the initiative strengthens relationships, enhances classroom experiences and expands career-connected opportunities for UK talent.
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What We’re Reading, Watching & Listening To
A monthly peek into the media inspiring EDC members — and how it’s shaping their work.
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La Dualidad, Rufino Tamayo’s 1964 mural at the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City.
Type: Visual art / mural
Shared by: Melissa Bond, Special Projects Coordinator, Blueprint Kentucky
Summary/How it has shaped Melissa's work:
I saw La Dualidad in person this year, and it stuck with me because it rewards deep attention. From a distance it looks simple; so many visitors walked right past it. But the longer you look, the more you notice in the color, tension, shapes, and symbolism. As you stare, you start to swear the figures are moving in front of you. Its made me think so much about community work: helping people see assets, patterns, and connections that don’t show up in a quick skim of a report or slide deck. It also reminds me how much local expertise and interpretation matters. I never would have studied it closely it without a passionate, knowledgeable guide to ask me the right questions to unlock its deeper meaning.
Final Takeaway:
Our best work lives in the tension and overlap: tradition and change, structure and creativity, data and lived experience.
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Central Kentucky Job Club:
Crafting a Resume that
Stands Out
March 10, 2026 - 9:00 AM
Presented by Keana Webber, Associated Vice President of HR and Learning Development, University of Kentucky Federal Credit Union
In a competitive job market, your resume has only seconds to make an impression—so how do you ensure it rises to the top? In this dynamic 60-minute session, attendees will learn practical, insider-driven strategies to transform an ordinary resume into a powerful personal branding tool.
| | The news featured here does not exclusively represent the work of the EDC, but rather highlights the contributions of various collaborators. We are honored to showcase the remarkable achievements taking place across the University of Kentucky. | | | |
The EDC Mission:
To proactively grow economic
prosperity in the Commonwealth by focusing on the areas of Talent, Innovation, Place, Partnership, and Economic Engagement.
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