When many people think about Kentucky, bourbon is one of the first things to come to mind. While bourbon, wine, and beer are popular staples in Kentucky, many people hold misconceptions about how it is produced. Bert Lynn, a professor of Chemistry, hopes to dispel many of these myths while also introducing his students to the history and chemistry of beer, wine, and distilled spirits in his course, Spirit Chemistry. In this podcast, Lynn talks about his hopes and excitement for…

The University of Kentucky's own MacAdam Observatory provides students with the opportunity to use the most powerful telescopic lenses on campus and see the universe. On clear nights, students are welcome to join director Tim Knauer and his graduate assistants as they look out into the stars and observe those celestial bodies.

Here, Tim and assistants Kyle and Aaron join us to talk about running the observatory and their experiences there.

This podcast was produced by…

University of Kentucky professors Karen Petrone and Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby have helped bring a distinctly Russian flavor to UK. In addition to their departments, they are both a part of the Russian Studies program and helped organize 2012's Russian-themed Passport to the World events.

Here, the professors give us a brief history of Ukraine and Russia, including glimpses at the origins of their international relationship and the current thought processes of their most…

University of Kentucky alumni really do get all around the world. Gwendolyn Schaefer (International Studies/Geography 2013) traveled to Ukraine after her graduation as part of a 27 month long service period with the United State Peace Corps. Unfortunately, Gwen and other Peace Corps volunteers were forced to evacuate from the area in February 2014 due to mounting safety concerns.

Here, Gwen tells us about her time in Ukraine, the people and culture of the nation, and what it was like working there with the Peace Corps.

This podcast was…

Kentucky’s First Annual Japanese Speech Contest was held in Lexington on March 1st, 2014. The speech contest invited high school and college level students from around the state to compete in various categories, based on their level of Japanese study. One University of Kentucky student, Faiyad Mannan, a double major in Biology and Japanese Studies, won first place in the Advanced Speech category. In this podcast, Mannan discusses the contest…

Greenhouse, the new Living Learning Program put together by a partnership between the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is opening its doors next semester. As an incentive for students to join the new community, Greenhouse has organized a giveaway of several new bikes.

Here, UK Office of Sustainability Coordinator Shane…

UK Biologist Jim Krupa studies carnivorous plants and has long been the steward of an unusual patch of land on UK's campus: Mathews Garden. The Garden is a 0.6 acre woodland garden on the corner of Limestone Street and Washington Avenue that has been in existence since 1900 and is used by students for research and teaching.

The Mathews Garden was originally part of the grounds of the …

University of Kentucky professor Jeff Rice assembled and hosted a symposium on UK's campus in February. The symposium, called "Craft Writing: Beer, the Digital, and Craft Culture" brought people from across the country to Lexington to discuss the forms of professional writing done in the craft beer industry.

In this podcast, Dr. Rice discusses what the symposium set out to accomplish, what it succeeded in accomplishing, and the culture of the craft beer industry.

This podcast…

On February 6, 2014, the UK Student Activities Board hosted a reading featuring the Affrilachian Poets as part of a celebration of Black History Month. The poets, representing their publication Pluck! the Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture, each read a selection of their work individually.

Ricardo Nazario y Colón is a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets, a former US Marine, and an appointed member of the Kentucky…

Looming greenhouse gas emission regulations will affect the economies and power grids of every state in the nation. The Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet partnered with the University of Kentucky's Department of Statistics to generate a variety of potential scenarios for the future of energy in Kentucky. The projections included economic and environmental impacts of energy production methods including coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and renewable sources of energy such as…