By Mack McCormick and Whitney Hale

University of Kentucky professor, University Press of Kentucky author and former Kentucky Poet Laureate Jane Gentry (1941–2014) has been named the recipient of Appalachian Writers Association’s 2017 Appalachian Book of the Year for Poetry for her posthumous collection “The New and Collected Poems of Jane Gentry,” edited by Julia Johnson, professor of English.

The AWA’s mission is to recognize and promote writing about the Appalachian region. The association works to celebrate writers who are living or have lived in

By Nick Harling

Tracy Campbell, professor of history in the Department of History, has been awarded the E. Vernon Smith and Eloise C. Smith Professorship in American History.  

The Professorship, part of a nearly $6 million gift from alumnus E. Vernon Smith, was given to UK in 2011 and has had lasting positive effects on the university and its campus. With the state’s matching of the endowment, the generous gift has amounted to more than $11 million, with the bulk of the gift going to the College of Medicine. As part of the original gift, Dr. Smith, a 1937 graduate of UK, established a professorship in American history.

Campbell was nominated, “for his wide-ranging and broad-reaching scholarly endeavors in American History, his excellence in the classroom, his dedication to the University, and his own love of American History,” said Karen Petrone, chair

By Nick Harling

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences has named the first recipients of its Inclusion Fellows program, an initiative for faculty interested in actively orchestrating and advancing efforts to build a more inclusive campus.

Fellows can develop and implement scholarly, community-building, pedagogical, mentoring and networking events, initiatives or programming. The fellowship period serves as a professional development opportunity for the fellows, as it enables them to enhance their responsibilities and bring forth new ideas and measures that will positively affect students.

“The overall goal of the Inclusion Fellows Program is to draw on and support faculty to create sustainable change to enhance inclusivity within the college,” Cristina Alcalde, associate dean of inclusion and internationalization, said. “Over the course

By Lindsey Piercy

The University of Kentucky strives to be a place where people of all backgrounds are welcome. Students, faculty and staff come from different cities, states and countries — creating a truly diverse campus.

Linguistics, the study of language, is one way to measure diversity. It doesn't just have to be a foreign language, there's also diversity within the English language. For example, when referring to soft drinks, do you call them "coke" or "pop"? The answer speaks volumes about where you're from.

A fascinating project, initiated by Jennifer Cramer and Kevin McGowan, faculty members of the Department of Linguistics in the College of Arts & Sciences, aims to capture the various voices of UK. The venture, dubbed Wildcat Voices, started nearly two years ago and continues to

By Nate Harling

Tiffany Barnes, associate professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected to receive the Emerging Scholar Award from the American Political Science Association's Legislative Studies Section. The organization recognizes a recipient each year who has received their doctoral degree within the last five years and whose career has shown “unusual promise.”

“My research is fundamentally aimed at advancing our understanding of how individuals from marginalized groups, including women and racial and ethnic minorities, navigate the policy-making process to gain access to power and promote their policy goals. As such, I am thrilled to see research on women and

By Nate Harling

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is entering the eighth 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. This year’s program explores the role migration has played and continues to play in shaping societies across the globe, and here at home.  

“Migration has played a crucial role in human history, and in shaping contemporary societies, and we want to emphasize and critically examine interconnections among world areas and people across the globe, as well as how migration is central to our societies,” said Cristina Alcalde, associate dean of inclusion and internationalization in the college, and one of the

By Loretta Stafford

Josie Dupler traveled to Iraq and Turkey to teach and tutor immigrant children.

Servant leadership has always been important to University of Kentucky alumna Josie Dupler. After earning a degree in international studies with a minor in Arabic and Islamic studies, Dupler traveled to the middle east to teach, tutor and empower migrant children in Iraq and Turkey. 

Throughout the months of April, May and June, Dupler volunteered with the Light A Candle Project, a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing aid and relief to families fleeing from war-torn areas. While in Iraq, she taught English to children ages two through eight; she also tutored middle and high school students.  

Many of the

By Olivia Ramirez

Tsage Douglas standing in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

The connection between public health and economics might not be obvious to some, but the two fields have a unique and surprising interplay. Economics and public health both impact the well-being of the community. That is one of the reasons Tsage Douglas chose to earn a degree in public health from the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and a degree in foreign language and international economics in the UK College of Arts and Sciences.

Since taking Advanced Placement Micro and Macro Economics at Scott County High School, Douglas has been interested in the Federal Reserve. It was at this time that her interests in macroeconomic and developmental economic

By Dave Melanson

Dave Eaton (right) a research scientist at UK's Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), mentors Todd Prater, an elementary school student from Floyd County, Kentucky.

At a quick glance, one might not think Dave Eaton and Todd Prater would have a whole lot in common.

Eaton, an Owensboro, Kentucky, native who earned his doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry, is the consummate, professional researcher. Carbon is his game, and the UK Center for Applied Energy Research’s (CAER)laboratories is his home away from home. Whether he is working on carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon or energy storage applications, Eaton is constantly pushing the boundaries of discovery.

Despite a hectic

By Lindsey Piercy

It's the diagnosis those 65 and older often fear, but what are the chances you will be unhappy if you develop some cognitive impairment in the years ahead?

A new study, authored by Anthony Bardo and Scott Lynch, tackles that very question by examining "cognitive life expectancy." What exactly does that term mean? Bardo, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Kentucky, describes "cognitive life expectancy" as how long older adults live with good versus declining brain health.

"There is a great deal of stigma and fear surrounding declining cognitive ability that sometimes comes with age — especially among those nearing the second half of their adult lives. Yet, findings from my recent study show that cognitive impairment does not equate to unhappiness."

How did Bardo reach

By Whitney Hale

The National Archives and UK's Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center will present this year’s Earle C. Clements Innovation in Education Awards to three Kentucky educators: Laura J. Cooley, Dustin Ferrell and Amber Sergent.

The National Archives and the University of Kentucky Libraries Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center will present this year’s Earle C. Clements Innovation in Education Awards to three Kentucky educators: Laura J. Cooley, of Pikeville High School; Dustin Ferrell, of Eastern High School; and Amber Sergent, of Woodford County High School. The awards, which recognize the state’s best educators in history and/or civics, will be presented by 

By Trey Melcher and Jenny Wells

Na'imah Muhammad and Nedjma Kalliney discuss their writings in a session of the "Giggles, Guts, and Glitter" creativity workshop. Photo courtesy of Anna K. Stone.

DaMaris B. Hill, an assistant professor of creative writing and English literature in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, recently hosted a writing and creativity workshop for young women of color. The workshop was made possible by a "Girls of Color: Voice and Vision" grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.

The purpose of the project was to elevate the voices and lived experiences of these young women by sharing personal stories and creating art.

"A project that educates black girls about accessing voice, feminist

By Julie Wrinn

Chris Green (’93 B.A.) majored in English for the usual reason: he loved to read. His path to that degree, however, and to his success as a partner in the internationally prominent New York law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, was unusually long and circuitous.

“I was really introduced to serious writing by Bill Floyd, one of my all-time favorite teachers. He taught us Yeats in the eighth grade,” recalls Green. “Since then, I’ve loved poetry, especially the modern poets.” The doors Floyd opened proved to be the high point of Green’s early academic career, however, because he “back-slid” in high school.

Thanks to his SAT scores, Green was admitted to Princeton, but he lasted only three semesters. “It was an intensely challenging academic environment, and my study skills weren’t on par with my classmates.” He worked hard but couldn’t manage his

By Whitney Hale and Jenny Wells

More than 45 of the University of Kentucky's students and recent graduates had the world's most prestigious scholarship, fellowship and internship organizations take note this year. The newest class of highly regarded scholars include UK’s 14th Truman Scholar and first Pickering Fellow.

Helping prepare these UK students and recent alumni to compete for and win such honors is the mission of the UK Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. Under the guidance and leadership of Pat Whitlow, the office identifies and works with young scholars on the application process for large scholastic prizes awarded by regional, national and international sources.

This year UK students and alumni were recognized with the following awards:

By Trey Melcher

Kentucky Women Writers Conference has added fiction authors, Emily Fridlund and Sherry Thomas, to an all-star cast of writing talent presenting at the 2018 conference this September.

The Kentucky Women Writers Conference has added two award-winning fiction authors, Emily Fridlund and Sherry Thomas, to an all-star cast of writing talent presenting at the 2018 conference. The conference will run Sept. 13-16, in Lexington.

Emily Fridlund’s debut novel, "History of Wolves," caught critics’ attention. She was a finalist for the 2017 Man Booker Prize, won the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the

By Olivia Ramirez

Nancy Schoenberg and Carrie Oser

At the University for Kentucky, understanding and addressing the health needs of the people of the Commonwealth is the goal of many faculty, staff, clinicians and researchers. As a step toward improving health equity, the University of Kentucky Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) was established and recently approved by the UK Board of Trustees. 

Kentucky has the highest national rates of cancer incidence and mortality as well as high rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, substance abuse and other diseases. These burdensome health conditions disproportionately impact rural, racial/ethnic minorities, sexual minorities and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Health equity research examines health and healthcare for underserved populations and looks at the causes of inequity,

By Lindsey Piercy and Whitney Hale

One of Lexington's benches portrays Crystal Wilkinson's 2016 book, "The Birds of Opulence," published by University Press of Kentucky. The bench can be seen outside Wilkinson's Wild Fig. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

Looking for a great place to dive into a summer book? Well, you’re in luck. Kentucky's literary heritage is being featured around Lexington as part of the new Book Benches public art exhibit to encourage reading.

The 36 fiberglass benches, which depict colorful artistic renderings of books by Kentucky authors, were unveiled in Gratz Park before being stationed in spaces around the city last month. The project, a collaboration between Arts Connect, 

By Trey Melcher

Virginia Carter, who led the Kentucky Humanities Council for more than two decades, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from the University of Kentucky at its December Commencement ceremonies. The UK Board of Trustees approved the recommendation of Carter at its last meeting. UK's honorary degrees pay tribute to those whose life and work exemplify professional, intellectual, or artistic achievement and have made significant contributions to society, the state and the University of Kentucky.

Growing up in Lexington, Carter developed a deep appreciation for nature, the great outdoors and adventure at an early age. After earning a fine arts bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and an art history master's from UK, Carter taught at the University of Northern Iowa. Later, she returned to UK to earn a

By Lindsey Piercy

Students at the University of Kentucky can obtain a Master of Science (MS) in digital mapping. The 30-credit online degree is designed for those seeking advanced technical and theoretical training in mapping.

The master's degree is being offered by the Department of Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences. The program is part of continued efforts to expand curriculum in geographic information systems (GIS) and digital mapping.

"We offer, what we believe to be, the only online MSc that focuses on the standards and practices of professionals in web mapping development," Matthew Wilson, associate professor of geography, said. "We believe our students will be prepared to enter a work environment that requires more out-of-the-box thinking

By Amy Jones-Timoney, Kody Kiser, Jenny Wells-Hosley, and Brad Nally

With 27 majors and 36 minors, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is UK's largest college and touches almost every UK student by providing foundations for advanced study in every field.

Mark Kornbluh, who has served as dean of the college since 2009, talked with UKNow recently — during a walk through UK's main campus — about a few of the things that make his college so special: a diverse student body, outstanding faculty, interdisciplinary partnerships across campus and state-of-the-art facilities, like