In January 2016, Dr. Theodore M. Way will have been teaching at the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL) at the University of Kentucky for four years. Before working at CESL, he worked as a Refugee Resettlement Case Manager for Africa and the Middle East for the International Rescue Committee in Oakland and in San Francisco, California. Driven by the ongoing crisis in Syria and by the recent tragedy in Paris, France (among others), Dr. Way wrote an Op-Ed piece for the Lexington Herald Leader which was published on December 6, 2016. To read the full article, "Refugees Have Suffered Enough", please click here<http://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article48051810.html>.

Dr. Way has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) not only here at the University of Kentucky, but in

By Weston Loyd, Whitney Harder

(Jan. 19, 2016) — Catherine Linnen, an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Biology, has been awarded a three-year, $468,527 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The grant will fund her project, "Comparative Genomics of Specialization: The Genetic Basis of Interspecific Variation in Pine Use in Neodiprion Sawflies."

"The purpose of the research is to increase the understanding of how insects come to prefer or avoid different plant species," Linnen explained. "To a large extent, an insect's willingness to feed on a new host plant is determined by its perception of and response to chemical compounds found in

By Whitney Hale

(Jan. 19, 2016) — Claire K. Oldfather, a University of Kentucky classics and folklore and mythology senior from Madison, Alabama, has been selected to present the 22nd annual Edward T. Breathitt Undergraduate Lectureship in the Humanities at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, in the UK Athletics Auditorium at William T. Young Library. Oldfather's free public lecture focuses on the evolution of the Pandora motif and how woman has gone from being characterized as wondrous to a witch.

The Breathitt Lectureship was named for an outstanding UK

By Gail Hairston

(Jan. 15, 2016) — A team of faculty from across campus have developed an initial proposal to create a University of Kentucky Center for Equality and Social Justice. 

Inspired and led by psychology Associate Professor Chrisitia Spears Brown with Robert E. Harding Jr. Professor of Law Melynda J. Price, the goal of the center is to create a space on campus to explore issues of equality and social justice from multiple perspectives, disciplines and research traditions. 

The genesis of the center comes at a time when institutions across the country are debating issues of equality, diversity and inclusion.

At UK, those conversations are taking place

Dr. Alan J. DeYoung, professor in the College of Arts & Sciences Department of Sociology and professor of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation in the College of Education, has been selected by the US Department of State and the International University for the Humanities and Development (IUHD) in Turkmenistan to serve as Fulbright Specialist in the spring 2016 semester. This project is coordinated by the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Dr. DeYoung will work with local university staff on the continued development of their specialization in sociology by reviewing their new curriculum and giving lectures to students of that department as a visiting speaker. 

IUHD is a new educational institution, which started offering its 14 different majors with English as the medium of instruction this academic year. DeYoung will also work with the teaching staff of

 American Archaeology, a national magazine, recently highlighted the work on Anthropology graduate student, Stuart Nealis. Nealis is a student of Dr. George Crothers, Director of State Archaeology and the William S. Webb Museum.  

Within the article, Nealis' research on the newly renamed Town Square Bank Mound, a large Woodland-period mound in Northern Kentucky, is mentioned. To read more about Nealis' research on the mound, view the full article from American Archaeology  here.

By Sara-Elizabeth Bush

(Jan. 13, 2016) — Six University of Kentucky educators were recently named recipients of the UK Alumni Association 2016 Great Teacher Award. Of those six, two are from the College of Arts & Sciences. 

The recipients are:

By Whitney Harder

(Jan. 13, 2016) — The University of Kentucky has earned a STARS Silver Rating in recognition of its sustainability efforts from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, measures sustainability performance within academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration. Rating more than 700 institutions on six continents, STARS is the world's most widely recognized standard for higher education sustainability.

"Earning a silver rating from STARS is very exciting for our campus, and the 

By Whitney Hale

(Jan. 13, 2016) — The University of Kentucky's Confucius Institute brings together two worlds of style at "East Meets West: Fashion, Dance and Music." The fashion and performing arts program will begin 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Haggin Auditorium of Transylvania University's Mitchell Fine Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Directed by Shuling Fister, "East Meets West" hopes to introduce Western audiences to Chinese history and culture through the artistry of Chinese fashion. Fashion designer Qi Zhou, 

By Charles Wright, Whitney Harder

(Jan. 11, 2015) — University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry researchers Edith Glazer, Sean Parkin and students Erin Wachter and Diego Moyá recently published a study showing that specialized compounds containing the metal ruthenium may be able to visualize or damage specific DNA structures relevant for cancer.

Published in "Chemistry - A European Journal," the work was named a "Hot Paper" for its importance in a rapidly evolving field of high interest, and was highlighted with the back cover.

The ends of chromosomes and some genes associated with cancer have regions where DNA can form

By Whitney Hale

(Jan. 11, 2016) — Since her reign at the top of the New York Times bestseller list in 1995 for "The Liars' Club," writer Mary Karr has been credited with launching a memoir revolution. Karr will give insight into her art as the keynote speaker of the 2016 Kentucky Women Writers Conference, running Sept. 16-17. Karr's keynote address, beginning 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at the University of Kentucky, is made possible by ongoing generous support from UK Libraries. The event is

By Gail Hairston

(Jan. 5, 2016) — PEN’s Literary Awards Committee has chosen Manuel Gonzales, assistant professor of English at the University of Kentucky, as a judge for the 2016 PEN/Fusion Emerging Writers Prize. The PEN/Fusion Emerging Writers Prize is an annual award that recognizes a promising young writer of an unpublished work of nonfiction that addresses a global and/or multicultural issue.

This prize is awarded to an unpublished manuscript by a writer under the age of 35, who has had at least one prior publication (articles, essays, op-eds) in a national magazine or journal. The manuscript submission must be an original, previously unpublished work of

By Whitney Harder

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 22, 2015) — University of Kentucky Army ROTC's Ross Kok reached two milestones last Friday as he earned his degree and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army.

Before commencement, 2nd Lt. Kok's family, friends, superiors and fellow cadets gathered at Buell Armory for his Commissioning Ceremony. Maj. Gen. Peggy C. Combs, commanding general, U.S. Army Cadet Command, was also in attendance.  

Kok's father, Brig. Gen. Troy Kok, officiated the ceremony.

"Thirty-one years ago, yes I sat in that seat… And my father, who looked a little younger at that time, was in about the same seat where he is, and he got up and he pinned my 2nd Lt. bars," Brig. Gen. Kok said as he would soon do the same with his own son.

2nd Lt.

By Jenny Wells, Sue Scheff

(Dec. 17, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Honors Program recognized 10 first-year students as recipients of the T.W. Lewis Scholarship beginning fall 2015. These scholars, representing Fayette County and a select number of Appalachian counties in Kentucky, joined the current cohort, who were admitted to the program in 2014. The Lewis Scholars in the new cohort are off to a great start as they begin their spring semester.

The new 2015-16 Lewis Scholars are:

By Jenny Wells

(Dec. 16, 2015) — The University of Kentucky bestowed its greatest honor — the awarding of an honorary degree — to UK alumnus Matt Cutts.  The 1995 graduate was recognized with an honorary doctorate of engineering during the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on Friday, Dec. 18.

Cutts has become well known as one of Google’s first 100 employees and has headed the company’s Webspam group since 2004. Cutts’ leadership has resulted in safer web searching for families and children, improved ranking schemes, and "search encryption."

A native of Morehead, Kentucky, Cutts was awarded a Singletary Scholarship to attend UK in 1990. He graduated with a double major in 1995, earning Bachelor of Science degrees in computer science and mathematics.

While at UK, Cutts achieved a sparkling academic

By Whitney Hale

(Dec. 16, 2015) – The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees accepted a contribution of $1.7 million from Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) to establish a Model Confucius Institute. The funding, which will be matched by the university, will pay for the renovation of an area at Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center dedicated to the institute.  

"We have been so proud to see UK recognized on the international stage, in China, and this latest investment in our partnership will cement the UK Confucius Institute’s standing as one of the world’s leading

By Whitney Hale

(Dec. 10, 2015) — Two University of Kentucky seniors have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to study abroad this spring. The scholarship will fund studies in the Czech Republic for human nutrition major Rebecca Blair and in Germany for biology major Austin E. Eirk.  

The Gilman Scholarship is a congressionally funded scholarship sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and administered by the 

By Gail Hairston

(Dec. 8, 2015) — A digital research team in the Collaboratory for Research in Computing for Humanities of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences was instrumental in the recent opening of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library’s (HMML) public “virtual” presence.

Now, one of the world’s leading libraries for manuscript studies has a virtual library, http://vHMML.org, that the curious and studious alike can share, with images presented using the newest technology for zooming and panning high-resolution photographs.

Under the direction of Abigail

One of the best things about being a member of the UK family is the opportunity to engage with gifted, dedicated people, who are tirelessly committed to moving our institution forward. One of those individuals was recently highlighted on the "UK at the Half" radio broadcast. 

Dr. Kathi Kern, an associate professor in the Department of History, is the Director of Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT).

She is an innovator in her own classrooms and brings energy and enthusiasm to the teaching enterprise at UK. Recently, she was featured on "UK at the Half” for her exceptional work as a professor and CELT director. In the broadcast, she talked about her passion for teaching and developing students. 

“I have always

By Weston Loyd

(Dec. 4, 2015) — The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) is now offering a myriad of titles, many of which would be perfect for that hard-to-buy-for person on your holiday shopping list.

Friends and family who enjoy learning about the Commonwealth’s history may enjoy several publications from UPK, including recent releases The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, "Committed to Victory," "Venerable Trees," "Lincoln’s Final Hours" or "Kentucky by Design."

The history of African Americans in Kentucky is long and vast. The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, edited by