By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Latin is a language as alive as alive can be — at the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences.  

UK students don’t just read Latin; they have seminars where they speak Latin to each other and write papers in Latin. And thus the language, key to Western civilization, lives on.   

"We have a very unique program here,” said Milena Minkova, Ph.D., professor of classics in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures. “We don't just study Latin as normally taught in the curriculum. We study the whole Latin patrimony from antiquity until modern times in its continuity: these precious, precious treasures of works. And also, we do it in the target

By Robby Hardesty 

Vera Zislin, left, and Molly Blasing at Young Library. Courtesy UK Libraries

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 26, 2024) — UK Libraries has opened the American Archive of Marina and Anastasia Tsvetaeva, one of the largest collections on the authors in the world outside of Russia and the most comprehensive in North America.

The archive comprises hundreds of scholarly and rare books on the Tsvetaev family, research materials related to the sisters’ work and literary legacies, as well as more than a dozen personal items belonging to Anastasia Tsvetaeva.

By Zoey Schwartz 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 22, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently announced the 22 undergraduate winners of the 60th annual Oswald Research and Creativity Awards. Chad Risko, faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and research ambassadors celebrated the winners and presented the awards.

Established in 1964 by then-UK President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Competition aims to promote undergraduate research and creative endeavors across all academic disciplines.

The competition spans categories, including biological sciences, design (architecture,

By Ann Blackford 

Laura Farnsworth

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 22,  2024) — Laura Farnsworth, a 2006 graduate from the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, has been planning events since she was a UK student living in Blanding Tower and serving on the Resident Student Government committee.

It was a hop, skip and a jump from pizza and ice cream night at UK to a college internship with the Lexington Chamber of Commerce to the job she holds as director of development and events for the Downtown Lexington Partnership. Her experience has been built on a foundation of development, fundraising administration and event production.

Farnsworth has been with the partnership for

By Beckman Foundation 

Ghoneim graduated from UK in 2024. She was a neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Lewis Honors College. Jeremy Blackburn, Research Communications.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 20, 2024) — University of Kentucky graduate Elaf Ghoneim was born and raised in Lexington. Her family, originally from Libya, established a tight-knit, community-oriented home that stressed service and advocacy. 

This upbringing cultivated her self-assuredness and instilled a deep sense of purpose, nurturing her two great passions: helping people and a love of science. Ghoneim aspires to pursue a career in medicine, where she hopes to help her community.

“In terms of service, my

By Jennifer T. Allen

UK alum Rosemary Calabro working in the Multifunctional Materials Lab at West Point.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Rosemary Calabro found her love of research as an undergrad examining nanoparticles in materials chemistry. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, she applied to many graduate schools searching for the perfect fit. That’s when she found professors Doo Young Kim and Dong-Sheng Yang at the University of Kentucky.  

“Dr. Yang’s lab historically had been all laser spectroscopy, and I was the first materials person in his group,” said Calabro, who earned her doctorate in chemistry at UK in 2020. “Dr. Kim’s group was more carbon materials, which is what I was interested in studying, so I was able to bridge two interests and be co-advised.” 

By Jennifer T. Allen

The new Kentucky Hispanic Heritage Program website, khhp.org.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky researchers working on the Kentucky Hispanic Heritage Project recently launched a website with enhanced searching capabilities. The website, khhp.org, is a digital space dedicated to the history, culture, achievements and contemporary experience of people of Hispanic descent living in Kentucky. The site offers users a variety of ways to browse and search materials in the collection in both Spanish and English.  

“Kentucky is a much more culturally and linguistically diverse state than most people believe –both those from outside the state and even those who live within it,” said Ruth Brown, assistant professor in the Department of Hispanic Studies

By Rick Childress 

Due to the state’s geologic makeup, many areas of Kentucky have high radon potential. Map provided by Kentucky Geological Survey.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 13, 2024) — When people breathe in radon gas, they are more likely to develop lung cancer, particularly when they also breathe tobacco smoke. Radon, a radioactive gas, occurs naturally when uranium breaks down in rock and soil.  

Radon is invisible — you cannot smell, see or taste the gas, and there are no immediate symptoms. Most exposure to radon occurs in the home after it seeps in through gaps and cracks around service pipes and in foundations. Because of Kentucky’s geologic makeup

By Richard LeComte

A University of Kentucky professor and a former student collaborated on a children's book about the brain and the nervous system.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Children may get on their parents’ nerves, but this new book helps kids understand how those nerves work. 

University of Kentucky professor Chana Akins, Ph.D., and former doctoral student Beth Ann Rice have written “

By Adrienne Clarke

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2024) — The places we live in impact people’s lives in so many ways: they determine networks of friends and coworkers, what resources and opportunities are available, the quality of schools, a sense of security and belonging and even how long people live. Yet too many of live in areas plagued by rising crime, school violence, family disintegration, addiction, alienation and despair. Even the wealthiest neighborhoods are not immune; while poverty exacerbates these challenges, they exist in ZIP codes rich and poor, rural and urban and everything in between.

The University of Kentucky Lewis Honors College, the Gatton College of Business and

By Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 8, 2024) — On Nov. 9, community members are invited to gather at the Lyric Theater & Cultural Arts Center in Lexington for a powerful exploration of Kentucky’s history of racial violence.

The symposium, “Reckoning, Remembering, Restoring: A Symposium on the History of Racial Violence in Kentucky” aims to “confront the often-overlooked history of racial violence across the state and explore the role of digital humanities in telling this essential story.”

The symposium, which runs 9 a.m.-4 p.m., is free and open to the public, though

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

Cadets in UK Air Force ROTC Detachment 290 run in Frankfort during last year’s POW/MIA run for veterans. Photo provided.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2024) — This Saturday, the University of Kentucky Air Force ROTC Detachment 290 will remember and honor veterans and service personnel who are or were prisoners of war and/or missing in action through the revival of the POW/MIA run across Central Kentucky.

The student-led run is set to begin 6 a.m. Nov. 9, at UK’s Buell Armory. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton will speak just before the run begins. Participants will then run approximately 29 miles to the Vietnam War Memorial in Frankfort.

By Lindsay Travis

This photo shows a wounded coral. Researchers want to better understand coral health to protect the organisms. Photo by Ashley Seifert.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2024) — A new research project is investigating how coral reefs heal from damage and withstand environmental threats, particularly those associated with climate change.

A three-year, $1.3 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation is funding the multicampus collaboration, with U.C. Santa Barbara leading the effort.

“Our primary goal is to develop a comprehensive model that links coral

By Lindsey Piercy and Kody Kiser

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 4, 2024) — In today’s political landscape, the power of a single post, tweet or video can shift public opinion, drive movements and even shape policies.

From trending hashtags to viral tweets, social media isn’t just an accessory in politics anymore — it’s a microphone, a platform and, at times, a battleground.

But how did we get here? And where is this headed?

In the social media arena, candidates and voters engage in real-time debates, raise awareness for causes and rally support. But as its role in politics continues to grow, so do questions about its influence.

On this edition of “Behind

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

Notable University of Kentucky faculty, staff and alumni will headline the event taking place Nov. 2 at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2024) — The 43rd annual Kentucky Book Festival will return to Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 2.

More than 150 authors will be in attendance, meeting readers and signing books. Patrons can enjoy a full slate of main stage events alongside educational workshops and craft talks, as well as a children’s schedule of events.

Headlining this year’s program are Al Roker of NBC’s “Today Show,” Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathon Eig, New York Times

By Jennifer T. Allen

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2024) — Frank X Walker, celebrated poet and former Poet Laureate of Kentucky, recently released his latest collection of historical poetry, “Load in Nine Times,” published by Liveright. 

Walker, an English professor in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, draws upon the rich tapestry of Black Civil War soldiers’ experiences, including the stories of his own ancestors who enlisted in the Union Army for their freedom. Moving chronologically from the antebellum era through Reconstruction, Walker weaves together the voices of the U.S. Colored Troops, their families, slave owners and such historical figures as Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and Margaret Garner. The result is a series of “persona poems.”

Frank X Walker | Photo by Mark Cornelison

“This book feels

By Lindsey Piercy and Manuela Blanco Suarez

Christal Badour’s work examines the development and treatment of psychological disorders following exposure to violence and other traumatic events. Photo provided.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2024) — Christal Badour, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky, has been honored as the 2024 Psychologist of the Year by the Kentucky Psychological Association.

The association, which advances

Two University of Kentucky graduates recently were honored at the Consulate General of Japan in Nashville before participating in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Pictured are Jillian Madden, left, a UK alum and a leader of the program’s alumni association; UK graduates Gabriel Maynard and Heather Bingham; and Shinji Watanabe, counsel-general.  

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Two University of Kentucky graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences recently participated in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. The competitive employment opportunity allows young professionals to live and work in cities, towns and villages throughout Japan.  

Most participants serve as assistant language teachers and work in public and private schools throughout Japan; some work as coordinators for international relations as interpreters and translators. 

By Richard LeComte 

Joe Clark

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Joseph Clark, associate professor of history in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences, has started a fellowship with the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. 

Each fellow will work on an individual research project and can share ideas in seminars, lectures and conferences. As one of 31 fellows, Clark will work on the book project “Witchcraft and Contraband in the Early Modern Caribbean.”  

“During my time at the NHC I’ll be drafting my chapters and taking my work to seminars and workshops,” Clark said, “At the same time, I’ll be processing the archival research I’ve already completed in Spain and Mexico and figuring out what additional research I will need to undertake to complete the book.” 

Clark’s area of

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky – Graciela Martinez can see the forest for the trees. 

Graciela Martinez is working as an intern this year with UK's Office of Sustainability and the Urban Forest Initiative.

Martinez, an Environmental and Sustainability Studies major in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences, is joining several students in a year-long internship through UK’s Office of Sustainability. For her internship, she will be working with UK’s Urban Forest Initiative, which promotes the tree canopy on campus. 

This fall, Martinez said, she’ll be helping run the forest initiative and organize such events as Tree Week, which was in October. Then in the spring, like all interns, she’ll develop an individual project and report on it at an event. 

“I’ll be working on the planning side," said Martinez,