KAEE 50th Annual Conference: Full Schedule

8:00am EST

Connecting Community, Environment and Science Learning Through the KY Atlas of Phenomena

Thursday November 12, 2026 8:00am - 10:30am EST

Coldstream 5 Room

Speakers

Amanda Prewitt

Thursday November 12, 2026 8:00am - 10:30am EST
Coldstream 5 Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

8:00am EST

Earth Force or Climate Workshop

Thursday November 12, 2026 8:00am - 10:30am EST

Coldstream 4 Room

Speakers

Milan Bush is a community educator, wellness advocate, and cultural organizer who believes real change happens through partnership, not rescue. A group fitness instructor, environmental educator, and nonformal education practitioner, Milan collaborates with people of all ages to strengthen... Read More →

Thursday November 12, 2026 8:00am - 10:30am EST
Coldstream 4 Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

9:30am EST

Utilizing Digital Mapping to Enhance your Program

Thursday November 12, 2026 9:30am - 10:45am EST

Bourbon Room

Have you ever needed a specific type of map but can't find one that fits your needs? Dive into an introductory session on the wonders of digital mapping and how you can create your very own maps for all of your needs. Digital mapping can provide a wonderful resource for a multitude of needs, not just navigation. In this session, you will learn basic map terminology to get started, what types of data we can display, and follow along as we create a map as a class. Primary software used for this session will be QGIS (free) and ArcGIS Online (paid). Feel free to bring your own device if you would like to follow along. You do NOT need any prior experience to join this session!

Speakers

Hannah Wells

Education Coordinator and Director of the Kentucky Children’s Garden, The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky

Hannah Wells is the Education Coordinator at The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky in Lexington. She primarily works in the Kentucky Children's Garden, which serves children aged 0-10 and their families. Here, she manages the garden space and funding as well as provides... Read More →

Thursday November 12, 2026 9:30am - 10:45am EST
Bourbon Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

1:45pm EST

Developing and Implementing Environmentally Focused High School Career Programming

Thursday November 12, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST

Clark Room

YLEX Works, a career and life readiness program for high school juniors and seniors, was developed in 2025, soft-launched in January 2026, and officially launched in August 2026. This program functions in partnership with Fayette County tech school, The HILL, and centers education, exposure, and praxis. Students enrolled in this program attend weekly in-class career preparation lessons, regular field trips and job shadowing on city environmental job sites, and participate in summer internships and senior year co-ops. This session will begin with a program overview and flow into strategies for developing similar programming in your community. We will address curriculum and program development, time commitments, needed partnerships, funding, and target audiences.

Speakers

Katherine Collins

Workforce Development Coordinator, Lexington Fayette Urban County Government/KAEE

Currently serving as the Workforce Development Coordinator for Lexington Environmental Services, Katherine brings a over a decade of education, outreach, and program planning experience for learners and job seekers of all ages, with specific emphasis on late high school and early... Read More →

Thursday November 12, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST
Clark Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

1:45pm EST

Let’s Get Physical: Using models to support Project WET

Thursday November 12, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST

Coldstream 4 Room

Speakers

Haileigh Arnold

319(h) Technical Advisor, KDOW

Hi there! I help run the 319(h) grant program with the Kentucky Division of Water and can answer questions you may have about it. I am also the Integrated and Alternative Plans coordinator, which is the fancy title for being the point of contact for those who are wanting to use hazard... Read More →

Eileen Miller

Thursday November 12, 2026 1:45pm - 2:30pm EST
Coldstream 4 Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

2:45pm EST

Bright Spot Presentations | Citizen Science

Thursday November 12, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm EST

Bourbon Room

Thursday November 12, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm EST
Bourbon Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

2:45pm EST

Bright Spot Presentations | Early Childhood

Thursday November 12, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm EST

Coldstream 5 Room

Thursday November 12, 2026 2:45pm - 4:15pm EST
Coldstream 5 Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

4:30pm EST

Bugs are Buddies: Helping Kids Learn to Love Insects

Thursday November 12, 2026 4:30pm - 5:15pm EST

Coldstream 4 Room

If you-I mean, your STUDENTS-scream whenever a crawling creature appears, you may need this class. Attendees will learn hands-on, engaging techniques and activities to help kids (and adults!) realize that bugs are actually superheroes, not tiny monsters!

Speakers

Ginny Butsch

Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Services

Ginny spent 15 years working in educational theatre before finding her way to University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Services. After several years serving as a 4-H program assistant in Campbell County, she was promoted to 4-H agent earlier this year. In her county, Ginny leads... Read More →

Thursday November 12, 2026 4:30pm - 5:15pm EST
Coldstream 4 Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

4:30pm EST

Discover the Kentucky River Watershed Through History Science, Art, Culture, Conservation, Recreation and Education

Thursday November 12, 2026 4:30pm - 5:15pm EST

Clark Room

We will present an overview of the Lesson Plan -Tool Kit, with a hands on project.

Speakers

Pat A Banks

Director, Kentucky Riverkeeper

Pat Banks artist and director of Kentucky Riverkeeper

Thursday November 12, 2026 4:30pm - 5:15pm EST
Clark Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

8:00am EST

Enchanting Environmental Education through Lord of the Rings

Friday November 13, 2026 8:00am - 8:45am EST

Coldstream 4 Room

In this interactive session, participants will explore undergraduate students’ reflections from "The Ecology of Middle-earth," an honors seminar linking ecocritical readings of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, reflective writing, and outdoor service-learning. Presenters will share the course structure, key assignments, and student reflections illustrating how the class sought to help learners navigate eco-anxiety and environmental grief while fostering hope, agency, and environmental responsibility through engagement in fantasy literature and ecological restoration work. The session will highlight how students connected their time in “Faerie”—that is, Tolkien’s fantasy realms— to their experiences planting trees at a surface mine reclamation site in Eastern Kentucky and other service learning projects. Through reflective discussion and hands-on activities, participants will consider the possibilities and challenges involved in “enchanting” environmental education through fantasy storytelling traditions while exploring how these approaches might translate to their own educational settings and communities.

Speakers

Kenton Sena

Senior Lecturer, University of Kentucky

Dr. Kenton Sena is a Senior Lecturer in the Lewis Honors College, where he teaches HON 140 and Honors courses in ecology and the environment. He received recognition as one of the 2023 Great Teacher award winners from the University of Kentucky Alumni Association. He earned a B.A. in biology (with a minor in literature) from Asbury University, and an M.S. in forestry and a Ph.D. in integrated plant and soil sciences from the University of Kentucky. His research involves forest res... Read More →

Jill Abney

Associate Director, Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, University of Kentucky

Dr. Jill Abney is the associate director of the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching where she directs CELT’s Teaching Innovation Institute and serves as the associate director of the UK-JHF Holocaust Education Initiative. She also teaches courses for UK’s department... Read More →

Madeline Aulisio Miller

Senior Faculty/Instructional Consultant, Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, University of Kentucky

Dr. Madeline Aulisio Miller is a senior faculty/instructional consultant at CELT and previously earned her Doctor of Public Health in 2020 from UK’s College of Public Health with a research emphasis on health professions education. Prior to joining CELT, Dr. Aulisio Miller was an... Read More →

Laura Carter-Stone

Senior Faculty/Instructional Consultant, Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, University of Kentucky

Dr. Laura Carter-Stone joined CELT after earning her PhD in Teaching, Learning, and Diversity from Vanderbilt University. As a Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities Environments Fellow during her time at Vanderbilt, she collaborated with interdisciplinary teams on a variety... Read More →

Friday November 13, 2026 8:00am - 8:45am EST
Coldstream 4 Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

10:00am EST

Cleaning Water the Wild Way

Friday November 13, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EST

Clark Room

Learn about Clay Hill Memorial Forest and how it relies on natural processes to filter wastewater the wild way! Located in Campbellsville, Kentucky, Clay Hill Memorial Forest is a 300-acre property owned by Campbellsville University. The site includes facilities for environmental education, scientific research, and over 5 miles of trails that are open to the public. One of the most unique aspects of the site is the constructed wetland, which supports the wastewater filtration needs of the two main buildings as well as other water needs around the site. Join the Clay Hill Memorial Forest team for a discussion of the site as a whole, this unique wetland, the programming involving it, and how the wetland is used to educate and inform visitors about water management and the value of both constructed and natural wetland ecosystems.

Speakers

Dr. Kerri Adkins

Undergraduate Chair (SOE) and Assistant Professor, Campbellsville University

Dr. Kerri Adkins currently serves as the Chair of the Undergraduate Program and as an Assistant Professor at Campbellsville University. Prior to these roles, she taught biology, chemistry, AP biology, AP chemistry, AP environmental science, forensic science, and physical science for... Read More →

Jana Wollesen

Biology Instructor, Campbellsville University/Environmental Educator at Clay Hill Memorial Forest

Jana is an Instructor of Biology at Campbellsville University and the Environmental Educator at Clay Hill Memorial Forest. She received her MS in Biology from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville in 2023. She worked in outdoor education through the Oregon Museum of Science... Read More →

Novalee Hunt

Undergraduate Environmental Assistant At Clay Hill, Campbellsville University/ Clay Hill Memorial Forest

Novalee is an undergraduate Environmental Education Assistant at Clay Hill Memorial Forest. She is also a student at Campbellsville University majoring in Elementary Education. She helps in the care of the animal ambassadors of CHMF including snakes, turtles, and salamanders. She... Read More →

Friday November 13, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EST
Clark Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

10:00am EST

Clearer Skies Ahead: Making the Link Between Cars and Clean Air

Friday November 13, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EST

Coldstream 4 Room

With gas prices soaring, there’s never been a better time to train tomorrow’s drivers to make smart choices – choices that not only save fuel and money but protect the air we breathe. Join the Division for Air Quality’s Roberta Burnes for an experiential activity that will put fuel economy, carpooling, and riding the bus in perspective…literally!

Speakers

Roberta Burnes

Environmental Scientist Advisor, Kentucky Division for Air Quality

You already have this from my other proposal.

Friday November 13, 2026 10:00am - 10:45am EST
Coldstream 4 Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

11:00am EST

Climate-Smart EE: Designing and Delivering Curriculum in a Time of Change

Friday November 13, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am EST

Clark Room

As Kentucky’s climate continues to change, environmental educators are increasingly challenged to adapt curriculum and program design to create learning experiences that are flexible, relevant, and responsive. This session will explore practical strategies for designing, refining, and delivering climate-smart environmental education (EE) curriculum that connects learners to real-world issues while remaining adaptable to the needs of local communities. Participants will explore ways to integrate local climate impacts, place-based learning, resilience, and creative learner engagement strategies into their programs.

Speakers

Katherine Bullock

Extension Educator, University of Kentucky Dept of Forestry & Natural Resources Extension

Katherine serves as an Extension Educator at the University of Kentucky’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment in the Department of Forestry & Natural Resources. She and the soil and water quality extension team work to translate university research on soil... Read More →

Friday November 13, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am EST
Clark Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

11:00am EST

From Stakeholders to Stewards: Building a Superintendent’s Advisory Council to Drive District Sustainability

Friday November 13, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am EST

Coldstream 4 Room

Fayette County Public Schools is committed to building an ethos of social, economic, and ecological sustainability and regeneration by teaching our students, staff and families to understand themselves in an ecological context and to be aware of their relationship to our natural world. To that end a 5-yr Sustainability Action Plan outlines goals in six priority areas: District Leadership, School Leadership, Facility & Campus Operations, Solid Waste, Instructional Alignment and Outdoor Learning.
But a Plan is only a plan until community ownership provides momentum and collective action. To that end, FCPS launched a Superintendent’s Advisory Council on Sustainability (SACS) made up of six Working Groups. Each Working Group is made up of representatives from each of the following stakeholder cohorts: student, parent, community partner, teacher, elected official, operations leader and district leader. Informed and led by students’ lived experiences in our classrooms and on our campuses, each Working Group develops recommendations presented at an annual Student Sustainability Symposium.
Learn from FCPS’s mistakes and lessons-learned and apply a SACS framework replicable in district.

Speakers

Tresine Tatum Logsdon

Energy & Sustainability Coordinator, Fayette County Public Schools

Tresine Logsdon is the Energy & Sustainability Curriculum Specialist for Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS), where she drives student-driven sustainability innovation across the district. In this role, Tresine works closely with students, teachers, principals, community partners... Read More →

Friday November 13, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am EST
Coldstream 4 Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

11:00am EST

The Practice and Benefits of Nature Journaling

Friday November 13, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am EST

Fayette Room

This session will discuss ways to incorporate the practice of nature journaling into your daily life and highlight the benefits this can have on your mental and emotional health. The presenter will share how she has incorporated nature journaling in an online environmental education course and how this has impacted her students. During the session participants will have an opportunity to go outside and practice nature journaling themselves.

Speakers

Kim Yates

Associate Professor, Northern Kentucky University

Kim Yates is an associate professor at Northern Kentucky University. She teaches in the College of Education with a focus on science methods for preservice teachers and environmental education. She also serves as Director for NKU's Center for Environmental Education. In her role as... Read More →

Friday November 13, 2026 11:00am - 11:45am EST
Fayette Room 1801 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

Education in Practice

8:00am EST

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11:00am EST

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