By Gail Hairston

(Feb. 25, 2016) – Cha Winja warhamas!

Translation: “We speak Wenja here!"

Wenja?

It isn’t surprising that only a very few people — so far, at least — recognize “Wenja” as a language. Even fewer can speak Wenja. But after a teaching session next week, the University of Kentucky campus could harbor the single largest concentration of Wenja speakers in the world.

Two UK assistant professors of linguistics — Andrew and Brenna Byrd — are intimately familiar with Wenja. They imagined and brought to life Wenja and other prehistoric-sounding languages for the new video game “everybody” is talking about, "Far Cry Primal©" by Ubisoft, released earlier this week. People are talking because "Far Cry Primal" is a rarity in the gaming world. The 10,000-year-old world focuses on

Lisa Lockman, Kristie Law

(Feb. 24, 2016) — Twenty-three women at the University of Kentucky have been nominated for the 2016 Sarah Bennett Holmes Award, and registration is underway now to attend the award ceremony and luncheon 11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 10, at the Hilary J. Boone Center. Visit www.uky.edu/womensforum/sbhal.html for more information. The registration deadline is Monday, Feb. 29. Due to the change of venue and the limited space, registrations will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

Coordinated by UK Women's Forum, the Sarah Bennett Holmes Award is granted annually to women working at UK

By Lauren Henrickson

(Feb. 24, 2016) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute (UKCI), Explorium of Lexington and Lexington’s Children’s Theatre (LCT) have partnered to provide an experiential event for Lexington’s kids on Saturday, Feb. 27, to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Guests will have the rare opportunity to explore Chinese culture by participating in a variety of activities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. From calligraphy, paper cutting and martial arts to learning how to play elegant Chinese instruments like the erhu and guzheng, attendees will be able to enjoy and explore Chinese culture and traditions.

“Besides UK’s

By Tasha Ramsey

When given the option, some students would jump at the chance to graduate early. But for Mason King, a senior double majoring in Spanish and political science at the University of Kentucky, the decision to forego an early graduation date in order to take part in an internship with the U.S. Department of State is one he doesn't regret.

In the spring of 2015, King learned that he could choose to participate in the December commencement rather than take another semester of classes to stay on his four-year track. Seeing this as an opportunity to extend his education rather than starting his career search an entire semester early, King set out in search of internships instead.

“I really didn’t care to rush my undergraduate experience and

By Alicia Gregory

Video by REVEAL Research Media

(Feb. 22, 2016) — Recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty is an integral part of the mission of the University of Kentucky’s Research Challenge Trust Fund, and each year the university highlights four outstanding endowed chairs and professors. This year’s annual report, approved by the UK Board of Trustees Feb. 19, featured Dave Moecher, Earth and Environmental Sciences Alumni Professor.

Moecher is chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the UK College of Arts and Sciences. “I work on the history

By Mike Lynch

(Feb. 22, 2016) — On a sunny February afternoon, landslide researcher Matt Crawford brushes snow off the solar panels that charge batteries for a landslide monitoring site in the Daniel Boone National Forest. He connects his laptop to a data-logger below the solar panel to download information gathered by instruments since his last visit a month ago. This site on a wooded slope in Pulaski County has turned out to be a good one for the research by Crawford, who works at the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) on the University of Kentucky campus. 

“It’s adjacent to a known landslide that has caused damage to several homes,” he said. “It’s accessible from the Forest Service road, and it’s not too steep. We can walk around the site and get work done.”

The monitoring site, on a slope above Lake Cumberland, is representative

By Ashley Cox

(Feb. 19, 2016) — Editors Gerald Smith, Karen Cotton McDaniel and John A. Hardin of The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia, published by University Press of Kentucky (UPK), were named recipients of the 2016 Living Legacy Award during the 13th annual Black History Month Celebration, held Feb. 10, at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort.

"The work by Dr. Smith, Dr. McDaniel and Dr. Hardin is a major step in preserving the accomplishments of African-American leaders," said Sen. Gerald A. Neal, of Louisville. "We were honored to have acknowledged them by bestowing our

By Whitney Hale

(Feb. 19, 2016) — University of Kentucky's Jennifer Ellis and Scoobie Ryan received the 21st annual Ken Freedman Outstanding Advisor Awards at a luncheon held Feb. 12.

Ken Freedman, the award's namesake, was one of the founders of the UK Advising Network in 1986 and served as a professional advisor at UK until his death in 2001. Each year, the Ken Freedman Outstanding Advisor Award is presented by the UK Advising Network to one full-time professional advisor and one faculty advisor for outstanding service

By Deb Weis

(Feb. 19, 2016) – Creative and innovative University of Kentucky students from across campus will pitch their business concepts at the UK Venture Challenge Saturday, Feb. 20, at the UK Athletics Auditorium in William T. Young Library. The student teams are competing for $3,000 in scholarship prizes and the right to represent UK at the state competition, Idea State U.

The public is invited to attend the presentations, which will begin at 9 a.m. Feb. 20. Winners will be announced at 12:30 p.m.

There is even a way the public can be involved in the Venture Challenge. The most popular student venture, as decided by online voting, will receive a $50 prize. Voting closes at midnight Feb. 19, the night before the challenge begins.

“The annual

By Dave Melanson

(Dec. 16, 2015) — When Jim Hower published papers in the late 1990s and early 2000s about rare earth concentrations at Kentucky coal mines, it was almost as a novelty. Hower, a petrologist at the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), thought discovering a high concentration of rare earth elements in coal seams in southern and eastern Kentucky was interesting, no doubt, but he didn't think it would amount to much in terms of research

By Carl Nathe

(Feb. 17, 2016) — The University of Kentucky chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will celebrate its seventh birthday in April. Since receiving its official charter, the chapter has seen nine individuals from UK earn scholarship and fellowship awards from the national office, which each year distributes more than $500,000 to outstanding students, Phi Kappa Phi members and chapters.

"The UK Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) is pleased to again announce a series of grants available through the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society," said Frank Ettensohn,

By Whitney Hale

(Feb. 17, 2017) – University of Kentucky's Abby Schroering, a theatre and English junior from Louisville, Kentucky, has been awarded an English-Speaking Union (ESU)Scholarship presented by the English-Speaking Union Kentucky Branch. The scholarship will cover Schroering's expenses for summer study at the University of Cambridge.

The Kentucky Branch of the English-Speaking Union awards a limited number of scholarships to qualified Kentucky college students for courses offered at institutions in the United Kingdom.

By Whitney Hale

(Feb. 16, 2016) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute (UKCI) is currently taking applications for faculty grants that help fund China-focused academic endeavors. Applications for 2016 spring and summer grant proposals are due Monday, Feb. 22.

"This is UK Confucius Institute's effort to support faculty in their China-related research and travel. We are offering a wide range of grants for travel and course development. I hope faculty will take advantage of these funds to advance their research and course development on China-related topics," said Huajing Maske, director of UKCI and executive director of the Office of China Initiatives.

Funded

By Catherine Hayden, Gail Hairston

(Feb. 12, 2016) — Braving the colder temperatures of the northern Midwest, the University of Kentucky Forensics team said “ya sure, you betcha” to a win at the Icebox Classic hosted by St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Seven team members took part in the tournament, which featured competition in 12 public speaking events and parliamentary debate. In addition to winning first place in team sweepstakes, UK seniors Logan Hurley and Dianté Elcock placed second and third, respectively, in the quadrathlon competition, which takes the cumulative points earned from all individual event categories. The team also qualified for two more events for the National Forensic Association national tournament in April.

As part of the parliamentary debate competition, team members debated a wide range of

By Whitney Hale

(Feb. 15, 2016) — As part of yearlong examination of violence and the human condition, University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities will bring together a group of international scholars to explore historic episodes of violence and their impacts on Europe at the 2016 Bale Boone Symposium, "Europe Today and the Memory of Violence," running Feb. 17-19, at the UK Athletics Auditorium in William T. Young Library. The symposium is free and open to the public.  

Today, Europe has come to symbolize the possibility of peace and

On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 from noon-1 p.m. at the Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana, Jay Stottman, Staff Archaeologist with the Kentucky Archaeological Survey, will present the program "Underground History: The Archaeology of African Americans", as part of the Carnegie Center’s Lunch & Learn series. During this “tour of historical archaeological sites in Kentucky within an African-American context”, Stottman will describe how archaeology has helped us learn about the African-American experience in Kentucky, from slavery to the development of urban neighborhoods. He will use his experiences at various archaeological sites to illustrate the nuances of life for African Americans during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Stottman’s talk will focus on research conducted at plantations in Louisville, such as Locust Grove, Farmington, and

By Whitney Hale

(Feb. 11, 2016) — As part of the "Year of Europe" sponsored by the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, UK Libraries is hosting a festival of European films accompanied by an exhibit in William T. Young Library. The award-winning films were chosen by faculty members on the Year of Europe Steering Committee and each film is introduced by a faculty member with knowledge of the country. The films and exhibition are free and open to the public. 

The corresponding exhibit, "Europe through the Lens: A Festival of Contemporary European Films," displays posters

By Amy Jones-Timoney and Kody Kiser

Video produced by UK Public Relations & Marketing. To view captions for this video, push play and click on the CC icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. If using a mobile device, click on the "thought bubble" in the same area. 

(Feb. 10, 2016) — Fans cheered for more than three pointers, dunks and steals last night as UK honored this year’s Great Teachers on the court at Rupp Arena. 

On Tuesday evening, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association presented its 2016 Great Teacher Awards to six recipients at a recognition dinner. The award-winners were then recognized on the court of Rupp Arena during the Kentucky vs. Georgia men’s basketball game.

The recipients are:

• Matt Dawson, 

By Weston Loyd

(Feb. 8, 2016) — The University of Kentucky's Gaines Center for the Humanities, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Design are teaming up to present a new program on violence and the human condition. The series’ fourth event, a lecture on "Architecture and Conflict" by Malkit Shoshan, founder of the Amsterdam-based architectural think-tank FAST (Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory), will begin at 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, in 118 White Hall Classroom Building. The event is free

By Whitney Harder

(Feb. 8, 2016) — A new partnership between the University of Kentucky Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) in the College of Arts and Sciences, UK College of Education and STEAM Academy will prepare a diverse population of high school students for careers in geosciences. The program is being funded by a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is expected to begin fall 2016.

"Many high school students don't realize they can make a living studying rocks, and that it's not just rocks — we study water resources, energy, natural hazards, environmental issues and even focus on community planning," said