معرفی
Julie N. Zimmerman serves as the Dr. and Mrs. C. Milton Coughenour Professor of Rural Sociology in the Department of Community and Leadership Development at the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. She maintains dual affiliations with the Appalachian Center and Sociology Department, bridging historical scholarship with contemporary applied research through Cooperative Extension.
Her research program centers on rural inequality, the history of rural sociology, and applied demography, with groundbreaking work on the "Hidden History of Race, Racism and Social Justice in Rural Sociology." She has extensively documented women's roles in early USDA rural research and currently examines rural-urban cost disparities through the 2018 Rural Price Project. Her extension program "Kentucky: By The Numbers" provides county-level data profiles for all 120 Kentucky counties.
Publication analysis reveals consistent engagement with historical foundations of rural sociology and contemporary economic disparities. She employs archival research and secondary data analysis to uncover marginalized narratives while addressing current rural challenges, particularly in Appalachia and food systems.
Dr. Zimmerman's scholarly impact is recognized through:
- Nomination for Distinguished Scholarly Publication (American Sociological Association, History of Sociology Section)
- President’s Choice Paper award at the 2022 Rural Sociological Society Annual Conference
She mentors graduate students through collaborative research and extension projects, evidenced by asterisked student co-authors in publications. Her "Kentucky: By The Numbers" initiative delivers critical data resources and training for Extension agents, focusing on race/ethnicity trends, COVID-19 risk groups, and census data literacy to support evidence-based community decision-making across Kentucky.
