By Sarah Geegan

This semester, students within the College of Arts and Sciences are learning about American democracy as it unfolds.

An interactive course, "UKC 180: America Through the Lens of the 2012 Election," utilizes an innovative classroom design and extensive multi-media resources to focus on the upcoming presidential election. Through lectures, guest speakers, in-class polls, group work in "caucuses" and interaction with real congressional staffers, students are gaining a deeper understanding of American politics, and addressing relevant issues in real time.

College of Arts and Sciences Dean, Mark Lawrence Kornbluh and History professor

by Sarah Geegan

The UK College of Arts and Sciences inducted four new members to the A&S Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 19.

The "Celebrate A&S: Alumni and Faculty Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony" took place at the Singletary Center for the Arts. Two faculty members and two alumni joined the ranks of the current 30 alumni and 6 emeritus faculty A&S Hall of Fame members.

The ceremony followed an academic theme; the inductees wore formal academic regalia and received medallions with the UK A&S seal. 

The 2012 Hall of Fame inductees:

Matthew Cutts, current leader of Google’s

By Victoria Dekle

Why do some students seek a tiara as well as a diploma? What is it like to live in the Bible Belt as part of a same-sex relationship? What are the advantages of living with a LBGTQ identity in today’s world?

If you find these questions intriguing, you are in luck because they are the basis of three recently published books by faculty members and an alumna of the UK Gender and Women’s Studies Department.

The first volume is “A Positive View of LGBTQ: Embracing Identity and Cultivating Well-Being” by Ellen Riggle, Professor of Political Science and Gender and Women’s Studies and

By Sarah Geegan & Ann Kingsolver

The UK Appalachian Center  and the Appalachian Studies Program will host scholars, artists and NGO representatives from mountain regions all over the world on Oct. 25-27. This Global Mountain Regions conference, free and open to the public, will be focused on comparing notes across mountain regions on several continents as residents of those regions look to the future.

Each day, Thursday-Saturday, 8-5 p.m.  in the William T. Young Library auditorium, presenters from Appalachia and from other mountain regions in Indonesia, Ecuador, Wales, India, Mexico, Italy, China, Sri Lanka, Mali,

by Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences' creative and technical services "Hive" recently completed a project, fusing the eighth and 15th centuries with the 21st century.

The Hive, a student team directed by A&S staff, provides creative and technical support to college faculty, students and staff to promote their work and ideas. Recently, it partnered with William Endres, professor in the Division of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Media, to make two rare manuscripts available online: eighth century St Chad Gospels and a 15th century Wycliffe New Testament.

The team's work, made possible through

by Alicia Gregory

John Anthony, the John C. Hubbard Professor of Chemistry, is a pioneer in organic materials— things that are made from carbon instead of silicon. Anthony’s research focuses on organic solar cells (for low-cost generation of electricity), organic thin-film transistors (for flexible flat-panel displays), and organic light-emitting diodes (for high-efficiency lighting).

Watch the REVEAL: Research Media video online at http://www.research.uky.edu/reveal/anthony_john.shtml.

by Whitney Hale and Elizabeth Buster

As voters begin to select their candidates, the University of Kentucky will present an #AskACat Twitter chat on the election. Individuals are encouraged to send their questions on the upcoming election as part of this live Twitter chat.

Stephen Voss, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the UK Department of Political Science, will answer questions on the upcoming election at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, via the university's official Twitter account, @universityofky. Those interested in following and/or participating in the chat can follow the university's account or #AskACat for questions posed and responses from the Twitter chat.

Individuals

The UK Political Science department chose someone with experience and a solid educational background to present a topical seminar on local government: former Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry. This semester, he's showing students how local governments work by bringing in guest speakers each week from various local governments around the region. Students facilitate the discussions, and experts impart their knowledge and experience to the course. In this podcast, Newberry shares his experiences as a professor and some of the aspects of local government discussed in the course. 

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

This work is licensed under a

by Sarah Geegan and Courtney Quinn

The University of Kentucky will host a regional Global Health Conference, uniting faculty and other professionals, medical residents, students and community members from various disciplines, to reflect the expanding field of global health, on Oct. 26, from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. in the Student Center Addition.

Along with UK's emphasis on internationalization, the conference responds to a very strong student interest in global health from a wide spectrum of disciplines. While UK has participated in various global health related activities in past years, and many faculty have conducted important research and teaching in areas related to global health, this will be UK's first conference highlighting these achievements.

by Sarah Geegan

In the 2008 election, young Americans voted in their largest numbers since the 1970s. With the 2012 election around the corner, the UK College of Arts and Sciences, with the support of the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Media (WRD) will present several events for UK students to become more informed about the election, specifically surrounding the second presidential debate.

A faculty panel, consisting of political science Professor Stephen Voss, history Professor 

From being a walk-on with the undefeated 1971-72 freshman basketball team, to working with the Supreme Court, and now as the President and CEO of the Freedom Forum, which oversees the Newseum and First Amendment Center is Washington D.C. - Jim Duff's resume is as diverse as and A&S education. No wonder he is being inducted into the A&S Hall of Fame this week!

The Herald-Leader recently covered Duff's career - read more.
 

Owsley County is the first site for Homegrown Kentucky, a farm-to-school project developed by University of Kentucky students Ben Smith, Adam Meredith, Luke McAnally, Patrick Johnson and Ben Norton. Ideally, this model will be applied to other schools across Kentucky, making Kentucky schools more self-sufficient while offering students and community members an opportunity to learn and practice agricultural skills. This podcast chronicles a visit to Owsley County High School for a board meeting and tour of the farm, which consists of a few acres adjacent to the school. Agricultural Science teacher Dustin Estridge and some of his students share their experiences with the project. 

You can also

by Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences' creative and technical services "Hive" recently completed a project, fusing the eighth and 15th centuries with the 21st century.

The Hive, a student team directed by A&S staff, provides creative and technical support to college faculty, students and staff to promote their work and ideas. Recently, it partnered with William Endres, professor in the Division of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Media, to make two rare manuscripts available online: eighth century St Chad Gospels and a 15th century Wycliffe New Testament.

The team's work, made possible through

By Guy Spriggs

After earning her bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University in 2000, UK sociology professor Shannon Bell took a job in public health and community organizing at a non-profit health center in Cabin Creek, West Virginia. Although Bell left moved west in 2005 to pursue her doctorate at the University of Oregon, her experiences in Cabin Creek stuck with her.

“While I was in Cabin Creek, I learned a great deal about the impact the coal industry was having on people’s lives,” she explained. “I decided to make those social problems the subject of my doctoral research.”

After her experiences, Bell knew she would have to devote a lot of energy to understanding the complex ways coal mining affects places like Cabin Creek. She

by Sarah Geegan

A panel of faculty members will address a growing debate in national health care policy on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. in the White Hall Classroom Building, Room 114.

Sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Political Science, the event will examine a prevailing issue surrounding the Affordable Care Act: that it requires most employers to provide insurance that covers contraception and sterilization. The requirement includes procedures that many critics consider a form of abortion.

The panel, consisting of professor Jacob Affolter from the Department of

A faculty panel will discuss relevant election issues on the night of the debate. The following night, various faculty, lecturers and graduate students will lead group discussions for students, using video clips from the previous night's debate.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 10, 2012) — In the 2008 election, young Americans voted in their largest numbers since the 1970's. With the 2012 election around the corner, the UK College of Arts and Sciences, with the support of the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Media (WRD) will present several events for UK students to become more informed about the election, specifically surrounding the second presidential debate.

A faculty panel, consisting of