by Ann Blackford

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — University of Kentucky students are participating in a unique learning opportunity for the first time this semester with incarcerated individuals from Kentucky's Blackburn Correctional Complex (Blackburn), a minimum-security Lexington prison.

The UK College of Social Work  and Department of Sociology are partnering with the Kentucky Department of Corrections to pilot a new innovative course called "Drugs and Crime, An Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program Course.” The course, which meets once a week at Blackburn, brings 16 college students (from the outside) together with 16 persons who are incarcerated (from the inside) to study as peers in a seminar behind prison walls.

The course

Video courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — The University of Kentucky is celebrating its commitment to international education with various events Nov.18-22, joining institutions across the country to celebrate the benefits of international education and worldwide exchange.

International Education Week (IEW) is a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment. 

International education is growing steadily on campus. The number of international undergraduates has increased by 6 percent over last fall's enrollment.  English as a second language (ESL) undergraduate students have

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — Americana, old-time music, the banjo and vivid stories take the spotlight at the University of Kentucky for the next two performances in the “Appalachia in the Bluegrass” concert series. On Friday, Nov. 15, Skipjack, an Americana and old-time band with Celtic roots, will perform. The next Friday, Nov. 22, Chicago-native Stephen Wade, known for his work with the banjo and his recent book, "The Beautiful Music All Around Us," will appear. Both free public concerts will take place at noon at the Niles Gallery, located in the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.

From Celtic to Americana Old-Time Music

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute will present a lecture on Japanese agrarian immigration in China presented by scholar and anthropologist Mariko Asano-Tamanoi as part of its Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. The free public lecture by Asano-Tamanoi titled "Transnational 'Manchuria,' Trans-nationalized Japan, and the Future of Postwar Japan" will begin 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the Alumni Gallery of William T. Young Library.

Asano-Tamanoi, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, began research on Japanese agrarian immigration to Northeast China in the mid-1980s, and published "Memory Maps: The State and Manchuria in Postwar

Courtney Lynch graduated from UK earlier this year with a B.A. in sociology.

The oldest of three children, she says she has been accustomed to setting an example for others to follow. She says that’s also spurred her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way – at UK that meant travelling to over 15 countries in one calendar year, and after graduation participating in AmeriCorps Public Allies Program at the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati.

She was accepted to Harvard Law, where she is in the midst of her first semester. A&S recently caught up with the Newport, Ky., native to talk about what drew her to sociology, her time studying abroad, and some of her goals for the future.

A&S: Where are you from and how did you decide on UK?

by Andrea Richard

(Nov. 12, 2013) —  Designed to offer students an opportunity to live and learn together in an integrated academic residential environment, living learning programs, or LLPs are a “dynamic residential experience [that] offer specialized programming, interactions with UK faculty and staff; and a supportive community that focuses on student success,” according to the university’s Undergraduate Housing & Residence Life website. There are currently 14 LLPs at UK, and a part of what makes them successful is the role of the peer mentor.

Hired in the spring, peer mentors train in both the spring and fall semesters and continue throughout the school year. They are dedicated to ensuring student success at the university and helping students adjust to life on the

by Allison Perry

(Nov. 11, 2013) — In their ongoing quest to develop the latest and most effective drugs for disease treatment, researchers in the University of Kentucky's Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation (CPRI) are looking deep — as in, deep underground.

It's all part of a new UK-based bioprospecting initiative, which involves a collaboration between CPRI, the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), and the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS). The idea behind the program is to collect samples from unusual environments throughout the Commonwealth, with the goal of finding new, unique organisms that produce natural products that could potentially be used to develop new drugs with an initial focus on treatments for cancer, infectious disease and inflammation.

Many of our existing effective drugs are made by microbes. For

By Guy Spriggs

Since 1948, UK’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) has operated a geology field camp in the Rocky Mountains, giving students the opportunity to apply classroom learning in the real world. This summer, EES offered alumni the chance to return to the Rockies for a special reunion over the Fourth of July weekend.

Participants in the field camp talk about the trip as a life-changing and formative experience, and not surprisingly, alumni were interested and motivated by the prospect of revisiting memories and experiences in Colorado.

“More than anything else, it’s something students can look back on. It’s a thing that can bind different groups,” said EES professor Frank Ettensohn. “Whether they’re from the 1950s or the

video courtesy of UK Public Relations & Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — In addition to research presentations, the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) will offer numerous volunteer opportunities for the entire campus community when the University of Kentucky hosts the conference April 3-5, 2014. From helping direct traffic, to managing technology, to just helping students find where they need to go, there will be a variety of positions available to students, faculty and staff.

Students will have even more flexibility to get involved, as the University Senate has given permission for faculty to redirect their classes April 3 and 4 so students can attend conference events and presentations. 

"

By Guy Spriggs

When UK English doctoral student Travis Martin returned from military service in 2006, he found himself dealing with avoidance issues and concerns about assimilating into life after deployment. Martin says he didn’t know how to answer questions others had about the war. “I didn’t like being reminded of it all the time. I started avoiding situations and people altogether,” he said.

Then, in his last undergraduate semester at Eastern Kentucky University, Martin read a book by an Iraq war veteran when taking a course on memoirs. Martin was nervous about the assignment at first, but this exposure to another veteran’s story became a formative experience for him as both a scholar and a returning soldier.

“I found that the more I

by Gail Hairston

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — Members of the public and especially young people are encouraged to attend "Aiming for New Heights," a celebration of the Lexington Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), the group of black and white individuals largely responsible for Kentucky’s civil rights movement.

The unique event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in the University of Kentucky Student Center Annex. 

The day includes presentations, panel discussions and exhibits about the civil rights era in Kentucky, most commonly identified as dominating the 1960s, although some scholars date African Americans’ struggle for equality from the post-Civil War Reconstruction era of the late 19th century. For many, the highlight will be an exhibit of wax figures depicting Kentucky’s CORE leaders. The afternoon will be

by Grace Liddle & Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2013) – University of Kentucky Libraries is adding another stamp to its passport in support of the UK College of Arts and Sciences Passport to the World program with exhibitions and programs in celebration of ¡Viva Mexico!

The exhibits and events at UK Libraries include:

by Whitney Hale

(Nov. 6, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Special Collections will celebrate the career of Appalachia scholar and historian Ron D. Eller. The donation ceremony of the Ron Eller Papers will include a talk by historian Chad Montrie on Nov. 8.

The public is invited to a formal donation of Eller's papers at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center, located in 104 Margaret I. King Building. The program will include Montrie's talk, "

by Keith Hautala

(Nov. 6, 2013) — Being a successful student at the University of Kentucky requires a high level of commitment and self-discipline.

That goes double for students in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, or ROTC.

ROTC cadets have committed to serve their country after graduation by pursuing a commission as an officer in the Army or the Air Force. In addition to their regular classes, ROTC cadets take officer training courses. This includes hands-on leadership training in a laboratory environment, academic courses and a rigorous physical training program (PT).

"With a lot of other students on campus, they schedule their classes later in the day so they don’t have to get up early," said U.S. Army Cadet Megan Presley, a sophomore majoring in psychology. "But with ROTC, you have PT in the morning. I have to be up at 5:30

by Nathan Owen

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2013) — The University of Kentucky’s Appalachian Center, in collaboration with the Appalachian Media Institute, will provide a glimpse into Appalachia through a showcase of young filmmakers’ documentaries.

The event takes place at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, in Room 106 of the Whitehall Classroom Building. Representatives from AMI’s Summer Documentary Institute will screen three self-produced documentaries, each around 10 minutes long.

by Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 5, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute (UKCI) celebrates three years of collaborations with educational institutions in China at a free public concert on Nov. 7.

The "3rd Anniversary Celebration Concert: Featuring the Shanghai University School of Music" will spotlight string music, the pipa, martial arts and other musical talents from Shanghai. The concert will begin 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.

"UKCI is pleased to have the students and faculty from the College of Music of Shanghai University to join us in

by Jenny Wells & Grace Liddle

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 5, 2013) — As the first lecture of the Chellgren Seminar Series, Ganpathy Murthy, professor in the University of Kentucky’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, will deliver a lecture titled “The Birth of Our Universe” 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, in the William T. Young Library Auditorium. He will discuss the Big Bang Theory — not the television show.  A reception will follow in the Alumni Gallery.

Murthy, considered a dynamic speaker, is capable of bringing deep physical insights to an audience of non-specialists. He received his doctorate in theoretical

by Gail Hairston

(Oct. 31, 2013) — The 46 winners of the fourth annual Outstanding Staff Awards; their friends and colleagues; and several campus leaders, including University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto, gathered at Spindletop Hall yesterday for a recognition luncheon.

Although the weather was a bit dreary, the mood was festive, enhanced by the performances of School of Music graduate quartet fellows, Maureen Kelly and William Ronning; and Iris Fordjour-Hankins, Alltech Vocal Scholar and doctoral candidate in Opera Theater, accompanied by UK School of Music faculty member, Tedrin Blair Lindsay.

“It’s a special pleasure to recognize our outstanding staff in this way – the many who work hard each day to represent the University of Kentucky, advance their college or unit, and support our impactful mission,” said President Capilouto. “I’m

Burt Davis, longtime associate director for the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research's Clean Fuels and Chemicals Group, has been selected as the 2013 American Chemical Society's Energy & Fuels Division Distinguished Researcher Award in Petroleum Chemistry. Criteria used for the award include excellence in research in the broadly defined area of petroleum chemistry, as evidenced by publications, patents, invention or commercialization of new technologies, and leadership in the research area. Dr. Davis is also a former ACS Storch Award recipient from 2002. One of the ACS top awards, the Storch Award recognizes distinguished contributions to fundamental or engineering research on the chemistry and utilization of all hydrocarbon fuels,

by Kathy Johnson & Sarah Geegan

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2013) ― The University of Kentucky is one of the top producers of U.S. Fulbright Scholars in the country.  In a recently released ranking in the Chronicle of Higher Education, UK is ranked sixth among research institutions for its number of professors earning the prestigious Fulbright grants for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Sponsored by the United States Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program, which provides funding for