# UK geographer honored for innovative teaching on global migration **Published:** 2026-06-15T15:09:15.000Z **Source:** [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/2026-outstanding-teaching-awards-edgar-garcia-velozo) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/uk-geographer-honored-for-innovative-teaching-on-global-migration LEXINGTON, Ky. — [Edgar Garcia-Velozo, a University of Kentucky Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography, has been honored with the 2026 Outstanding Teaching Award](https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/2026-outstanding-teaching-awards-edgar-garcia-velozo), joining nine other faculty members and graduate teaching assistants recognized for exceptional dedication to student learning. Garcia-Velozo, who specializes in international forced migration, borders and diasporas, has distinguished himself through creative, project-based instruction in his fourth year of teaching at UK. [He has served as primary instructor for the course "Cities of the World,"](https://geography.as.uky.edu/users/ega270) a UK Core class, four times — a remarkable achievement for a graduate student in his early years at the university. The geographer describes his pedagogical approach as centered on student autonomy. "I want my students to develop the skills to critically analyze a wide range of sources and engage with evidence in creative ways to organize ideas and forge their own arguments," he said. In a recent iteration of his Cities of the World course, Garcia-Velozo allowed students to design their own final exams, resulting in inventive projects including podcasts about urban issues, business plans related to urban planning, and zines exploring course concepts. [The Outstanding Teaching Awards, established by the Provost to recognize excellence in teaching, are granted through a peer-reviewed nomination and selection process](https://ofa.uky.edu/sites/default/files/2025-11/2026teachingawards-awardguidelines.pdf) overseen by the Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching. Recipients were honored at a ceremony on April 30. Garcia-Velozo's research examines how global political and economic systems displace populations, work he considers essential in the current geopolitical moment. He hopes his students leave his classroom with enduring critical thinking skills applicable to analyzing everything from academic articles to social media. "This award is an incredible honor," Garcia-Velozo said. "Teaching is not at all easy, but it is one of the most rewarding parts of my work." ## Sources - [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/professional-news/2026-outstanding-teaching-awards-edgar-garcia-velozo) - [University of Kentucky Department of Geography](https://geography.as.uky.edu/users/ega270) - [2026 Outstanding Teaching Awards Guidelines](https://ofa.uky.edu/sites/default/files/2025-11/2026teachingawards-awardguidelines.pdf) --- 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/professional-news/2026-outstanding-teaching-awards-edgar-garcia-velozo.