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

By Ryan Girves

Rachel White is a senior international studies and political science major in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Two University of Kentucky students, Amani Shalash, early childhood education major, and Rachel Wright, international studies and political science major, were awarded the Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) Study Abroad Grant. Shalash and Wright were two of 75 students nationwide to receive the $1,000 award. 

The study abroad grants are designed to help support undergraduates as they seek knowledge and experience in their academic fields by studying abroad. This award is open to any enrolled undergraduate student at UK because the university is home to an active chapter in good standing with the national office. To apply, students must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75 or higher on a

By Jillian Gibney

The Visiting Writers Series (VWS), hosted by the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in the University of Kentucky Department of English, kicks off Sept. 17 with Whiting Award-winner Kayleb Rae Candrilli.

The VWS began in the spring of 2014 with a reading by poet Roger Reeves. Each year, the program continues to bring nationally renowned authors to the University of Kentucky campus. "This series is a source of inspiration and excitement for our students and continues to add to the overall vibrant literary culture of Lexington,” Crystal Wilkinson, associate professor of English, said.

You can find a full schedule of 2019 VWS events listed below

By LIndsey Piercy

UK Photo | Pete Comparoni

The Center for Equality and Social Justice(CESJ) at the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is launching a yearlong series of programs designed to foster conversations about race, justice and our food system.

Just Food, which is being funded through a UK Sustainability Challenge Grant, is designed to engage multidisciplinary teams from the university community in the creation and implementation of ideas that will promote sustainability by simultaneously advancing economic vitality, ecological integrity and social

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is entering the ninth year of its Passport to the World initiative, a yearlong exploration of the culture and history of different areas of the world and interdisciplinary topics. 2019-20 will serve as the Year of Equity, which seeks to spark meaningful dialogue on issues across race, gender, ability, sexuality, class, ethnicity, citizenship status and religion at UK, in Kentucky and around the globe.

"In observation of the 70th anniversary of UK’s desegregation, we wanted to organize a series of programs to both commemorate the history and look at current issues of equity," said Anastasia Curwood, director of 

By Madison Dyment

When you picture Kentucky, you think “horse country.” The culture of these animals is deeply ingrained in the state; there’s the horse park, the Kentucky Derby and hundreds of idyllic horse farms dotted across the countryside. Domesticated horses are a norm for our society. What’s harder to see is the horse’s ancient history. Even harder, how linguistics has helped shed light on it. 

The NOVA documentary, “First Horse Warriors,” digs back roughly 5,500 years through history to uncover how the horse was domesticated and by whom. It seems only natural that a professor from the University of Kentucky was enlisted for the project, although his speciality may seem unexpected.

Andrew Byrd is an associate professor in linguistics at UK in the College of Arts & Sciences, specializing in the

By Madison Dyment

Congratulations to DaMaris Hill, associate professor of creative writing and English literature in the College of Arts & Sciences, on the success of her book of poetry, “A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing.” The book recently reached the #1 Best Seller spot on the Amazon African American Poetry list, also gracing the overall Amazon Best Seller list. 

The poetry serves as Hill’s response to the complex nature of our cultural times while also drawing inspiration from past generations. 

“As smart as I was, I don’t think I really had all the knowledge and stamina to really endure this cultural situation without becoming extremely depressed, but I knew that the people who lived before me lived through similar situations, so those are the people that I looked to for clarification and inspiration,” Hill said. 

With personal

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

One man. One courageous step. Seventy years of a journey that is still unfolding and evolving.

In 1949, Lyman T. Johnson became the first African American to enroll at the University of Kentucky, resulting in the first racially integrated class. It was, by all accounts, a wrenching path.

But 30 years later, Johnson was awarded an honorary doctorate from UK.

“It’s remarkable,” Johnson wrote, “that so much has changed in the space of thirty years — from the time I forced my way into the university on a court order to the day the university gave me an honorary degree.”

Today, awards, ceremonies, programs and a residence hall proudly bear Johnson's name on the UK campus. And now, this seven-decade journey — from court-ordered integration to a university that strives to be a community of belonging for everyone —

Dear Friends,

It is with great sadness I announce the passing of beloved anthropology professor William Y. Adams on Aug. 22, 2019. Dr. Adams had a long and distinguished career, joining the UK Department of Anthropology in 1966. The College of Arts & Sciences recognized Dr. Adams' passion for teaching by inducting him as the first faculty member in the College's Hall of Fame in 2009. Dr. Adams' research interests took him across the United States and around the world and, in 1972, he instituted a long partnership between the University of Kentucky and the Egypt Exploration Society (London). In recognition of his many contributions to the history of the Nubian region in Africa, the Sudanese government awarded Dr. Adams its highest civilian honor, the Order of the Two Niles. Dr. Adams never stopped traveling and taught in Beijing, China, and Almaty, Kazakhstan, and never

By Lindsey Piercy

Today we reflect on a grim chapter in our nation's history — the beginning of a 400-year story filled with tragedy, inequality, resilience and survival.

On Aug. 20, 1619, a ship carrying 20 enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, changing the course of American history. These men and women were among more than 12 million other captives to be sold to colonists in what would become the United States.

The transatlantic slave trade — which reduced Africans to commodities — would endure for centuries and ultimately shape our country and the state of Kentucky.

To this day, one of the darkest periods of our nation's past continues to cast a shadow. 

How does the legacy of slavery still resonate with Kentuckians, and how do we — as a state — heal from history? We asked 

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2019) — University of Kentucky Chemistry Professor Marcelo Guzman has received a prestigious three-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research, education and outreach efforts in the field of environmental and atmospheric chemistry.

The $461,000 project, titled "Heterogeneous Aging Mechanisms of Combustion and Biomass Burning Emissions," will focus on how gases, such as ozone, react with pollutants emitted from power plants and forest fires.

"My work with environmental chemistry focuses on the interaction of gases with organic compounds present in low water activity environments such as the atmospheric aerosol, clouds and fog," Guzman said. "Both types of