By Ryan Girves

(Left to right) Shashika Bandara, Samantha Wylie, David Atwood and Anna Soriano. Pete Comparoni | UK Photo

Behind many a success story is a fantastic mentor. That was the case for David Atwood, a chemistry professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky. 

"In my first year in college I was interested in physics and chemistry. However, at the time, I didn't have a clear understanding of either major, certainly not with regards to future careers," Atwood said. "In my second year, I took an undergraduate research class that changed the trajectory of my future."

It was because of his mentor that Atwood was able to achieve such success in his career field. Atwood's mentor inspired him to dream big. That very same mentor also helped him

By Meredith Weber

A portrait unveiling of civil rights pioneer Lyman T. Johnson highlighted the University of Kentucky's 29th annual Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Awards Banquet Oct. 11 at the Gatton Student Center.

The UK Alumni Association Lyman T. Johnson African American Alumni Group honored students and alumni during the awards ceremony as part of the 2019 Lyman T. Johnson Homecoming Celebration. 

UK’s academic colleges and units selected one African American alum whose faith, hard work and determination has positively affected the lives of people on the UK campus, the city, state or nation. These individuals received the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award. These units also chose an African American student within their respective colleges/departments whose academic achievement and ability to impact the lives of others

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

Lipscomb, who graduated from UK in 1941, is one of five Nobel Laureates who grew up in Kentucky. Harvard University photo file.

This Thursday the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry and the College of Arts and Sciences will celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of one of UK’s most illustrious graduates, William Nunn Lipscomb Jr.

Lipscomb, who graduated from UK in 1941, was a world-famous chemist who received the 1976 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Lipscomb’s lifelong interest was the detailed 3D structures of molecules large and small and the nature of their chemical bonds. Several of his discoveries are discussed in first-year chemistry courses.

"Lipscomb is one of five Nobel

By Kathryn King

UK’s unique partnership with the Centro del Salud Hombro a Hombro general medicine clinic and the broader Santo Domingo, Ecuador community provides an abundance of opportunities for teamwork, professionalization, and engagement with local and global issues. The experience has the ability to change A&S students’ outlooks on the world and should be one all students consider, according to three recent participants.

“I had never traveled out of the country before [this summer],” said Sydney Adkisson, a current dual-degree student in psychology and public health. “It was amazing. You can learn about it in a textbook, but it is completely different stepping out in another place, eating, trying to get a taxi – seeing that people face the same

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

A new study out of UK's biology department examines how forelimbs develop in the axolotl, a type of salamander originally from Mexico. The new findings open up questions for evolutionary biologists regarding the evolution of limbs.

A new paper by University of Kentucky researchers was recently published in the journal eLife, offering new insights and implications into the study of limb development and the evolution of vertebrate limbs.

Sruthi Purushothaman, a biology doctoral student in the UK College of Arts and Sciences and lead author of the study, examined how forelimbs develop in the axolotl, a type of salamander originally from Mexico. The study presents new information showing how salamanders develop limbs in a

By Jillian Gibney

A new play by Anna Wright, winner of the fifth biennial Prize for Women Playwrights from the Kentucky Women Writers Conference, will make its world premiere in the Commonwealth with four performances this fall. The debut production of Wright's "Sapphire Heights," produced and directed by Eric Seale, will run Nov. 7-9, at Lexington's Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center.

Wright’s winning script follows Angela and Billy, who believe they can help the Palestinian children Billy

By Dave Melanson

This project will combine graduate student training with cutting-edge research in mine land remediation, water treatment, crop production and power generation and will help address the need for innovators in food, energy and water systems.

A multidisciplinary University of Kentucky team will provide unique graduate educational opportunities in food, energy and water systems, thanks to a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Traineeship (NRT) grant.

This UK-based NRT, which is titled IN FElloWS, and an Academy of Innovators at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems, will be led by Mark Crocker, associate director at the UK Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) and a professor in UK’s College of Arts & Sciences

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will induct six new members into its Hall of Fame this week. 

This year marks the Hall of Fame’s 20th anniversary and the induction ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, in the Gatton Student Center's Worsham Cinema.

This year's honorees include:

Alumni Inductees:

Anne C. Deaton, English, bachelor's degree (1967)

Deaton grew up in Brooklyn, New York, but her father’s employment with IBM brought her to Lexington at age 13. After attending Lexington Catholic High School, Deaton entered the College of Arts and Sciences and devoured her courses, especially those in her major (English) and minor (history). She enthusiastically joined extracurricular

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has selected five UK professors to serve in its Clinical Scholars program. From left: Craig Miller, Angela Grubbs, Julie Plasencia, Audrey Darville and Charles Carlson. Photo by Renee Fox.

A team from the University of Kentucky has been selected to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) Clinical Scholars leadership program to address children's health and education in Appalachia.

The UK team of five, which includes a dentist, dietitian, two nurse practitioners and a clinical psychologist, will receive $525,000 for their project "Coordinating Activities to Support Empowerment of Youth (CASEY) Health." The group is focusing on addressing a "wicked problem" in Appalachia by designing and evaluating a health education curriculum for elementary school children in

By Jillian Gibney

UK's Department of Biology's annual open house festival will take place 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Don and Cathy Jacobs Science Building.

Join the University of Kentucky Department of Biology for its fourth annual BioBonanza, a one-day open house festival, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Don and Cathy Jacobs Science Building (600 Rose St., Lexington).

This free public event is an open house festival that showcases the scientific research taking place at UK. The event is designed to get children of all ages interested in science. Attendees will have hands-on experience with researchers studying insects, crayfish, zebrafish, native plants and circadian rhythms, to name a few.

Free parking is available in the Rose Street parking structure accessible from Hilltop Avenue, next

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

University of Kentucky freshman Lucas Etter still remembers the first time he solved a Rubik's cube — it was exactly 10 years ago to this day.

"I first found a Rubik's cube in my grandparents' basement when I was 8, and my first time completing it was Sept. 27, 2009. So, I have been solving the cube for over half my life."

From the moment he picked up the cube, Etter was intrigued. He started watching tutorials on YouTube about how to solve it. After a few weeks of serious dedication, he finally solved it. He then began studying algorithms, and within five years (at age 13) he became a world-class speedcuber.

Today, Etter is one of the fastest cubers in the world, being able to solve a cube in about six seconds, on average. He holds four national championships and four world records within the World Cube Association

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

Gurney Norman (left) featured author Robert Gipe last semester as part of the UK Appalachian Center's "Conversations with Gurney" speaker series. Photo courtesy of Morris Grubbs.

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center is pleased to announce that its scholar-in-residence, Gurney Norman, will continue his "Conversations with Gurney" speaker series this semester. The series features premier authors from the Appalachian region.

The series will kick off at 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, with former Kentucky Poet Laureate George Ella Lyon. The event will take place in the John Jacob Niles Gallery in the Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center on

By Lindsey Piercy

The University of Kentucky is proud to announce the first graduates of New Maps Plus ⁠— an online graduate program in innovative digital mapping.

The master's degree, offered by the Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences, is part of continued efforts to expand curriculum in geographic information systems (GIS) and digital mapping. The online program provides technical training in GIS by incorporating cutting-edge techniques, while also challenging students to critically engage with potential pitfalls of online mapping.

 “I am thrilled with our first cohort of graduates from

By Ryan Girves

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Office for Institutional Diversity, welcomes noted African American scholar, UK alumnus and former president of Prairie View A&M University, George Wright. In recognition of the 70th anniversary of integration at the university, Wright is a visiting professor at UK for the 2019-2020 academic year.

A Lexington native, Wright received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UK in history and his doctoral degree in history from Duke University. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from UK and was later inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2005. 

Wright has touched the lives of thousands and has had a tremendous impact in the

By Lindsey Piercy

Expanding on the University of Kentucky's 70 Years of Integration series, the College of Arts and Sciences is commemorating 50 years of Black Studies at UK.

In 1968, African American and Africana Studies (AAAS) began with an interdisciplinary course, Afro-American Life and Culture. Later that year, the Black Student Union launched a campaign for more courses. As a result of their successful efforts, the African American Studies and Research Program was born. The program, founded by Emeritus Professor Doris Wilkinson, would eventually become African American and Africana Studies.

Students can now major

By Madison Dyment

The University of Kentucky prides itself on housing a diverse faculty whose work is rewarded with numerous achievements. Srimati Basu, an Associate Professor in Gender Studies and Anthropology, has added to this exalted tradition, having recently been named the president-elect for the Association for Feminist Anthropology (AFA).

Despite conducting most of her work in the anthropology and gender studies field, Basu comes from an English literature background. She received her undergraduate degree from Calcutta, her master’s degree from Purdue and her Ph.D. from Ohio State.

“My major in college was English, my minor in history and philosophy and my master’s is in English,” Basu said. “It was in the middle of my master’s when I thought I wanted to do

By Ruth Brown

This photo of UK's Cosmopolitan Club in 1945 is an example of a time when both President Huguette Balzola from Ciudad de México, Mexico, and Vice President Raul Lardizabal from Juticalpa, Honduras, held influential leadership roles.

As National Hispanic Heritage Month 2019 begins, University of Kentucky presents a photography exhibit titled “A Visual History of Latino Students at the University of Kentucky, 1865-2019.” The free public exhibition will be on display at William T. Young Library this fall.

Curated by UK undergraduate Daniela Gamez Salgado, this collection of archival and contemporary photography presents visual evidence of important firsts in the history of Latino students at the university. The photos chosen for this exhibit focus on individual

By Madison Brown

Proposals and award nominations for the 2020 Appalachian Studies Association (ASA) conference are now open through Oct. 7. The conference will take place March 12-15, 2020, on the University of Kentucky campus.

The 2020 program committee openly invites proposals for panels, papers, posters, performances, roundtables or workshops. Proposals will be judged by whether they discuss a relevant topic and current approach for the Appalachian region, the clarity of their proposal and whether it contributes to providing a multiplicity of perspectives and content.  All proposal submissions require an abstract or summary, participant contact information, a notice of any special requirements and a short biography for each participant. All proposals must be submitted online through the ASA

By Lindsey Piercy

From left to right: Regina Hamilton, Derrick White, Bertin Louis, Nikki Brown, Frances Henderson, Kamahra Ewing

In an effort to build institutional excellence, an inclusive curriculum and faculty diversity, the University of Kentucky is welcoming six new educators to the College of Arts and Sciences.

Cluster hiring — hiring multiple scholars into one or more departments based on shared research interest — is a way to advance the university's commitment to diversity and inclusion, while also fostering a learning environment dedicated to collaboration and engagement.

"Not only does hiring multiple faculty members signal our commitment to African American and Africana Studies within the college, but it also creates a sense of possibility

By Lindsey Piercy

Christia Spears Brown's professional roles as a researcher, teacher and advocate for public policy issues are integrated around her interests in issues of diversity and equality. Pete Comparoni | UK Photo.

When it comes to talking politics with your children, you may think they would rather be playing video games or texting their friends — but that's not exactly true.

With the 2020 U.S. presidential election fast approaching, should the youngest members of society be engaged in the political discussion? If so, how can parents and schools help navigate that conversation.

Findings of a new collaborative study — conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky, University of Kansas, University of Texas at Austin, Whitman College and University of Texas at Tyler — aim to