Dr. Deanna Arble and Dr. Sergio González named 2026 Way Klingler Sabbatical Fellowship Award recipients

Dr. Deanna Arble, associate professor of biological sciences, and Dr. Sergio González, associate professor of history, both of the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, were named the recipients of the 2026 Way Klingler Sabbatical Fellowship Awards.

Both faculty members were recognized at the Distinguished Scholars event held Thursday, April 16.

The Sabbatical Review Committee nominates the Way Klingler Sabbatical Fellowship Award winners, who receive his or her full salary, plus one additional month of summer pay and $5,000 to fund travel and expenses related to research conducted during the year-long sabbatical.

Dr. Deanna Arble

Arble will use her sabbatical to investigate how environmental light exposure influences metabolism and obesity risk in humans.

Her project, "Environmental light and obesity risk: Insights from southern European populations strengthen research, teaching, and the Milwaukee community," combines population-level research with cellular biology to better understand how the timing and duration of light exposure affect metabolic health. Drawing on data from southern European populations - where daily life often includes greater exposure to natural daylight - Arble aims to identify low-cost, noninvasive strategies that could inform public health efforts in Milwaukee and beyond.

During her sabbatical, Arble will collaborate with researchers at the Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, integrating expertise in circadian biology, cellular metabolism and translational health research. The work is expected to result in peer-reviewed publications, new research collaborations, and community-focused outreach materials that translate scientific findings into accessible guidance.

Dr. Sergio González

González will devote his sabbatical to completing his next book, "Sanctuary on Trial: Criminalizing Immigrant Solidarity in Modern America."

Written for both academic and public audiences, the book explores questions of moral authority, religious freedom, and civil disobedience, highlighting how sanctuary has become a central fault line in modern American political and religious life.

The project traces the nearly half-century history of the sanctuary movement in the United States, examining how faith communities, local governments and activists have provided refuge to immigrants - and how those efforts have increasingly been met with government surveillance, prosecution and political backlash. Drawing on archival research, oral history interviews and legal records, González situates contemporary debates over sanctuary within a longer history of conflict between church, state and movements for immigrant justice.

With support from the Way Klingler Sabbatical Fellowship, González plans to conduct final archival research and complete a full manuscript draft during the 2026-27 academic year.