Founded by Kentuckian Chris Fischer, OCEARCH has developed and adopted cutting-edge strategies that focus on pragmatic, forward-thinking sea conservation. And through his leadership, he has been able to disrupt the field of oceanic research by presenting data-backed solutions to real-world problems.
Read MoreAnd while this could be an unnerving development for many who have already felt the consequences of massive economic transformations in the past 50 years, Dr. Daniela Rus, Director Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, predicts that Kentucky is uniquely poised to integrate the use of robotics seamlessly and equitably.
Read MoreKentucky’s state motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” might as well be about the bourbon industry and this story is the first peek we’ll give you behind the curtain of how the biggest names in bourbon are working together for the spirit of The Commonwealth.
Read MoreBecause so much of CEDAR’s programming had to do with how coal as an industry needed to be supported, its gradual but now overpowering absence necessitated a shift in focus and in practice. So with a pretty substantial name change and a totally new concentration, CEDAR would begin to support students and educators in ways that would impact their communities directly.
Read MoreCanopy Founder Scott Koloms closed the program with a big declaration. Their mission was to make Kentucky rank first on a brand new kind of list instead of continuing to rank towards the bottom of those old lists. Canopy was created to make Kentucky the leader of the nationally growing Better Business Movement.
Read MoreAs our culture and economy continue to become more connected digitally, thought leaders in Appalachia have identified an opportunity to help an economy reliant on coal transition into a more technologically resilient future. From this model, Rusty Justice and Lynn Parish started Bit Source in 2014, an organization responsible for upskilling and reskilling former coal miners to make custom software and applications for clients across the globe.
Read MoreOriginally contracted by Logan Aluminum to work in their IT department temporarily, Vijay Kamineni has steadily advanced the ranks, earning titles like Development Team Leader and Business Transformation Leader. He now heads the company as a Chief Innovation and Technology Leader. And as he’s ascended to lead the company forward in its digital future, his focus has remained the same: to seek out and identify ways that new technologies can improve processes for both the worker and the work.
Read MoreTraveling to Boston or Austin or San Francisco to brag about all the smart people Kentucky has produced in the last 40 years isn’t going to change the way the world sees us. Working together to build a new economy for the Commonwealth will.
Read MoreIt was never a hard decision for Rusty Justice when the coal industry began to show serious signs of sliding. Rather than obsess on the end of an economic, regional and cultural identity, he looked to the future. Always an entrepreneur, he soon found opportunity in a workforce that was highly skilled, disciplined and capable of adapting to new technologies.
Read MoreTruly collaborative efforts must be forward-looking, cross-region, and cross-sector. They must foster, facilitate, and act as a catalyst for developing a culture and capacity for resilient, deliberate innovation. And they must be about designing futures in which all of us can see ourselves. (It’s understandably hard to be excited about a future you don’t see as available to you.) These futures should not merely be open to--rather, I’d argue we’d all benefit when they are significantly driven by--initiatives from voices and communities too often left out of that discussion--innovative efforts/voices from rural communities, communities of color, refugee populations, LGBTQ perspectives, and other groups who have too often not been given equal opportunity to dream what the future might be.
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