News

UK X-Ray Facility Receives Major Research Instrumentation Grant from National Science Foundation

The Small-Molecule X-Ray Crystallography Facility in the Department of Chemistry has been awarded a prestigious and highly competitive grant from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF).  The award of $383,133 (70% NSF, 30% UK matching funds) will fund the acquisition of a state-of-the-art microfocus X-ray diffractometer.

X-ray crystallography has long been considered the 'gold-standard' for providing detailed atomic-level structural information for molecules in chemical, pharmaceutical, and materials research. The award proposal by X-Ray Facility director Sean Parkin, Department of Chemistry professors Susan Odom, Phoebe Glazer, and John Anthony, and College of Pharmacy professor Oleg Tsodikov will modernize and dramatically enhance structural chemistry research instrumentation at UK.

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Light Microscopy Core Instruments, Staff Boost Research Capacity at UK

The Light Microscopy Core, a newly named research core facility under the auspices of the Office of the Vice President for Research, has invested $1.3 million in two new microscopes to support an array of research across the University of Kentucky. Dr. Chris Richards, director of the Light Microscopy Core and assistant professor of chemistry, said these instruments and the hiring of manager Thomas Wilkop will enable UK researchers to utilize the most advanced imaging available. “If we want to understand biological systems, ranging from neuroscience to physiology, or apply imaging techniques for cutting-edge materials science, we really need to have the type of equipment that makes us competitive with other

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Graham Receives Funding from the American Chemical Society's Petroleum Research Fund

Assistant Professor Kenneth Graham received a $110,000 grant from ACS PRF to develop a better understanding of polymer blend thermoelectrics. Thermoelectrics can convert heat energy to useful electrical energy based on the Seebeck effect, or they can utilize electrical energy to produce heating or cooling. Polymer based thermoelectric materials have the potential to be low-cost, are lightweight, and mechanically flexible, which opens up a number of applications if the thermoelectric performance of these materials can be further improved. For example, these materials could be utilized to make the band of a Fitbit, or other wearable electronic device, and provide power for the device based solely on your body heat, or they could be utilized to recover waste heat from higher temperature sources, such as the coolant systems of

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A&S Senior Named Rhodes Scholarship Finalist

By Whitney Hale

University of Kentucky senior Rachel Dixon, of Lexington, was recently named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Dixon, an English and writing, rhetoric and digital studies major, will interview for the prestigious scholarship that funds graduate study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead.

A UK Honors College member and former ambassador, Dixon is a

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UK Libraries Celebrates International Education Week, Year of South Asia With Contest, Exhibit

By Whitney Hale

University of Kentucky Libraries will be hosting an online “Jeopardy” contest Nov. 14-18 as part of the campus activities being presented in celebration of International Education Week. The contest will focus on the College of Arts and Sciences Passport to the World countries celebrated as part of their Year of South Asia, and is designed to provide information about the countries as well as to raise awareness about library resources available that provide country information.  

The winning contestant of the UK Libraries "Jeopardy" contest will receive a $25 Starbucks gift card. The contest will be available

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A&S Students Observe Voting Process for National Research Project

By Gail Hairston

Emily Boulieu's honors class observed Fayette County polling locations as part of a national research project.

For most of the University of Kentucky students observing Lexington’s polling places on Election Day, it was their first experience engaged in the nation’s electoral process. They were taking part in a nationwide review of the voting process, led by Associate Professor of Comparative Politics Emily Beaulieu.

Some students came away with indelible memories.

Eric Bingham noted a young immigrant, obviously voting for her first time with her eyes brimming with tears and pride. “To see the joy she had and the pride she took in voting, made me very proud of my country,” he said.

Those standing in line, waiting, also caught Bingham’s attention. Teenagers voting

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UK Air Force ROTC Cadets to Run 29 Miles for POWs, MIAs

By Samantha Ponder

Air Force ROTC cadets of the 290th Cadet Wing at the University of Kentucky will run from Lexington to Frankfort — 29 miles — this Saturday, Nov. 12, for the annual POW/MIA Run to honor the sacrifices of the nation's prisoners of war and those still missing in action.  

The group of runners also includes Air Force ROTC faculty and cadets of the University of Louisville and Team Red White and Blue. Runners will depart from Barker Hall on the UK campus at 6 a.m. and finish at the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Frankfort.  The route will take runners on Old Frankfort Pike, where community volunteer organizations, such as JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts of America and more, will provide water stations along the way.   "The POW/MIA Run is not just a run to remember, it's a run so that we never forget the torture, the pain
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Students Create Get-Out-The-Vote Ads in Election Course

Throughout the Fall 2016 semester, A&S Dean Mark Kornbluh, Dr. Kathi Kern, and Dr. Ashley Sorrell have co-taught a UK Core course, UKC 180: America Through the Lens of the 2016 Election. One of the themes of the class has been the importance of voter participation. Working in caucuses of six, the students produced their own get-out-the-vote advertisements. The whole class voted on the top spots and those students have given us permission to share their work. 

This video was voted the top by the class.

 

The runner-up videos were also excellent: https://goo.gl/TB5FmO, https://goo.gl/xyAg09, https://youtu.be/sxhRr06E6QU, https://goo.gl/R0DHI3, and https://goo.gl

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Day of Decision Approaches; What Will Tomorrow Bring? A&S Professors Discuss Election 2016

By Gail Hairston

One would have to be isolated to the point of sequestered to escape the tumultuous presidential campaign between Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump.   Tomorrow, finally, the nation chooses.   Before the results are recorded for posterity, three University of Kentucky political scientists and one historian agreed to comment upon the 2016 battle for the White House. Many Americans believe this campaign has been unlike any that has come before. Is this merely our limited perception of political history in America?   The experts agree. It is real.   As points of comparison, Associate Professor of Political Science Stephen Voss remembered the 1860 presidential election, which displayed “some of the same fictionalization” and the 1968
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Ethnomusicologist to Lecture on Diverse Realms of Indian Dance

By Caroline Kelsey

As part of the Year of South Asia, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will host guest speaker Anna Morcom, professor of ethnomusicology at Royal Holloway University of London, for a lecture related to her book, “Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance: Cultures of Exclusion,” which was awarded the 2014 Alan Merriam Prize. The free public talk will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, in the Niles Gallery of Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.   “Illicit Worlds of Indian Dance: Cultures of Exclusion,” looks at the evolution of the arts in India from the 1930s when no
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Crocker, Odom, Condon receive grant for Expanding Your Horizons workshop

Ellen Crocker (forestry), Susan Odom (chemistry), and Bradford Condon (plant pathology) received a grant from KY NSF EPSCoR for Education and Outreach Activities, which will fund an Expanding Your Horizons conference at the University of Kentucky. This STEM conference for middle school girls will feature interactive activities led by UK undergraduate and graduate students and will include college preparation sessions for accompanying parents. The conference will be held in the Jacobs Science Building on April 29, 2017. For more information, contact Dr. Crocker.

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Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Honored for International Outreach on Water Issues

By Jenny Wells, Rebecca Freeman

Alan Fryar, an associate professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES), received the 2016 International Association of Hydrogeologists, U.S. National Chapter International Service Award at the recent national meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver, Colorado.   Fryar studies water quality, particularly water in the ground used for drinking water. Groundwater is the largest source of unfrozen fresh water on Earth, but access to sufficient amounts of clean water is a challenge in developing countries. The International Service Award honored Fryar's 15 years of working on this problem with students and scientists in Africa and Asia, including developing a program to train graduate students from these regions.   “Alan is not only an
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Diaz to Direct International Studies Program

By Gail Hairston

University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Kornbluh recently announced that Associate Professor Mónica Díaz will serve as director of the International Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest interdisciplinary major in the college.  

“It is wonderful that Dr. Diaz has agreed to lead the International Studies Program. I know the International Studies majors will benefit greatly from her leadership and that faculty will enjoy working with her to strengthen International Studies at UK,” said Sue Roberts, associate provost for internationalization. “Dr. Diaz is an excellent choice for this important role. She is an interdisciplinary thinker, and a skilled leader who is sure to take International Studies in exciting new directions.” 

Díaz has a joint
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Empowering Victims Through Research

By Jenny Wells

    “If we're going to remedy a problem, we need to know all the different facets of it.”    That’s how Claire Renzetti, the Judi Conway Patton Endowed Chair in the University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women, and professor and chair of UK Department of Sociology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, approaches her research.   “I've just always focused on people who are on the margins,” Renzetti said. “So I always felt like in order to fully understand a project, you need to study groups that are understudied, or that maybe don't have a common experience because one size doesn't fit all.”   Renzetti’s research focuses on violence against women,
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No Differences Noted Over Time for Children of Gay, Lesbian Adoptive Parents

By Gail Hairston

As more and more lesbian and gay adults adopt children, controversies continue regarding comparative parenting skills and the impact on the children.   For nearly a decade, University of Kentucky Assistant Professor of Psychology Rachel H. Farr has studied different aspects of family life among heterosexual, gay and lesbian parents and their adopted children. Her newest findings were published by the Developmental Psychology journal last week online.   Farr’s most recent research results published in the journal Developmental Psychology provides further support that children adopted by lesbian and gay parents are well-adjusted, not only in early childhood, but across time into middle childhood. Her study focused on a longitudinal follow-up of
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UK Dedicates Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building

By Jenny Wells

Today, members of the University of Kentucky community, the Board of Trustees, and public officials formally dedicated the new Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building, commemorating an unprecedented partnership in higher education between the university, UK Athletics, and community donors.     The 240,000 square-foot, $112 million facility, now considered the epicenter of the university’s scientific community, was made possible with funding of $65 million from UK Athletics and $10 million from The Don Jacobs Sr. Charitable Foundation.   “With each passing day, the University of Kentucky is a campus transformed. Nowhere is that transformation – and the profound sense of partnership – more evident than in the heart of our campus
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Jacobs Science Building Makes Active-Learning a Reality

By Jenny Wells

On Oct. 20, University of Kentucky officials formally dedicated the new Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building, but the state-of-the-art facility has already begun making an impact on students and faculty since it opened this August.   The Jacobs Science Building (JSB) is the epicenter of the university’s scientific community, offering 21st century science education with 21st century laboratories and instrumentation. Every science student on campus, and the vast majority of all undergraduates at UK, will at one point experience the building’s active-learning laboratories and classrooms.   Allison Soult, a lecturer of chemistry in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, says the design of the classrooms makes large lecture courses much more personal.   “Having two rows of desks per tier with movable
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Pakistan First Stop on Tour of South Asia Kitchens

By Gail Hairston

No matter where we call home, no matter what language we speak, all of humanity loves to eat good food.   Of course, “good” is defined by each culture. One land might adore skull-blasting spicy dishes, while its neighbor enjoys a more lightly seasoned diet. Learning to appreciate the different foods of foreign lands can be fun, and learning how to cook that food can be exciting.   For the seventh academic year, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences has celebrated other regions of the globe in its Passport to the World program. Through seminars and classes, events and lectures, the College of Arts and Sciences has introduced the UK campus to South Africa, China, Russia, Mexico, the Middle East and Europe. This year, South Asia is the center of attention in a series of events and
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Biology Celebrates Thomas Hunt Morgan's Birthday With Panel Discussion

by Jenny Wells, Samantha Ponder

This Wednesday, Oct. 19, the University of Kentucky Department of Biology will celebrate Thomas Hunt Morgan's 150th birthday with a panel discussion titled "Frontiers in Genetics & Genomics."   The panel will explore the famous biologist's (and UK alumnus') pioneering work in genetics, his Nobel Prize, and what he might be working on if he were alive today (such as assembling genomes, gene editing and gene drives, gene therapy in medicine, bioethics and big unanswered questions).   The celebration will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the Farish Theater in the Lexington Public Library on the corner of Main and Limestone. The event is open to the public and admission is free.   Born in Lexington
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Fernheimer Named Zantker Professor

By Gail Hairston

Janice Fernheimer recently added another title to her long list of accomplishments for the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences. Fernheimer, director of UK’s Jewish Studies Program, was recently awarded the Zantker Charitable Foundation Professorship in Jewish Studies.   “We are delighted to support a faculty member whose work embodies a diverse range of study and commitment to Jewish studies,” said Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Dr. Fernheimer is most deserving of this professorship and her passion and enthusiasm is evident in the great strides she has made as director of the Jewish Studies Program.”    With her academic background and interests, the Zantker Charitable Foundation
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