The Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky attracts top undergraduate and graduate students passionate about research that will prepare them for careers in their chosen professions. See what Avery has to say about his experience.
Jim and I arrived in Israel last Thursday afternoon around 2pm, and we had the good fortune to be picked up at the airport by our dear friend Shlomi (who will get a separate blog post dedicated only to him in a few days—keep an eye out!). Of course, since many Israelis drive cars that are smaller than American ones, Jim had a concern that our luggage might not fit in Shlomi’s car. In the end, I confess, there actually were five pieces: 1 big packpack and one garment bag for Jim, 1 big suitcase, 1 small duffel carry-on (whose straps broke from the weight of my Arabic language-learning books and which I had to replace with a rolling carry-on in the BWI airport!), and one backpack full of electronic devices for me. But it all fit.
WHAT: "By Our Bootstraps"
WHO: Karen Bennett, Cornell University
WHERE: Student Center Room 228
WHEN: Friday, March 2nd - 4:00p.m.
Abstract: Recently much has been made of the grounding relation, and of the idea that it is intimately tied to fundamentality. If A grounds B, then A is more fundamental than B (though not vice versa), and A is ungrounded if and only if it is fundamental full stop--absolutely fundamental. But here is a puzzle: is grounding itself absolutely fundamental? There are seemingly compelling reasons both to think that it must be, and to think that it cannot be. We face a dilemma, and a bad one. I distinguish two different regresses that appear to arise from the claim that grounding is itself grounded, and argue that both are merely apparent.
Tuesday marks the 200th anniversary of the last and possibly strongest event of a series of earthquakes along what became known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
Dr. Thomas Troland—University of Kentucky, Department of Physics and Astronomy
The Andromeda Galaxy:
The most distant object you can see with your naked eye, but it's getting closer all the time!
The Andromeda Galaxy is an island universe of stars, and it is it the closest large galaxy to our own Milky Way. At two million light years away, Andromeda is also the most distant object you can see with your naked eye (but only faintly and under good conditions). If your eyes were extremely sensitive to light, the Andromeda Galaxy would appear four times as large in the sky as the full Moon. And what if your eyes were sensi-tive to radio waves or infrared light or ultra-violet light? What would Andromeda look like then? If you come to this talk, you will find out. And you will also learn that astronomers suspect the Andromeda Galaxy will collide with our Milky Way billions of years in the future. Let the fireworks begin!
Nonlinear Quantum Liquids in One Dimension
The conventional description of one-dimensional quantum fluids is based on the Luttinger liquid theory. In that theory, the true energy-momentum relation of particles making up the fluid is replaced by a linear one. This simplification is crucial for the theory, and abandoning it has proven to be difficult. The talk describes a breakthrough which allowed one to circumvent the difficulty. The new theory describes dynamic responses of a fluid consisting of particles with a generic spectrum. It is applicable to a diverse group of systems, including, for example, electrons in quantum wires and cold atomic gases in one-dimensional traps.
Power to the People?
March 30
UK Alumni House
In this workshop-conference we want to reflect on the usages of the phrase “power to the people” by insurrectional movements, oppositional parties, and governments. Our aim is to compare leftwing populist regimes in Latin America, with right wing populist movements in Europe and the US, and insurrections made in the name of the people in different parts of the world. We have invitied colleagues to present case studies, comparative work, and theoretical reflections on the different meanings and usages of the term the people. The conference will take place at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. The University Press of Kentucky will publish an edited volume with the conference papers.
Power to the People?
Symposium presented by the International Studies Program
Friday, March 30, 10am - 6pm
Ballroom, King Alumni House
400 Rose St. Lexington, KY
10:00am Panel 1: The people?
Robert Jansen, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
“Populist Mobilization: A New Theoretical Approach to Populism”
Paulina Ochoa, Yale University
“Power to Whom? A Processualist View of the People”.
Benjamín Arditi, National University of Mexico
“Insurgencies don’t have a plan —they are the plan. Political reformatives of vanishing mediators in 2011”
Ernest Yanarella, panel commentator, University of Kentucky
12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch on your own
1:30pm Panel 2: Power to whom?
Kenneth Roberts, Cornell University
“Populism and political representation in comparative perspective”
Carlos de la Torre, University of Kentucky
“The Contested Meanings of Insurrections, the Sovereign People, and Democracy in Ecuador, Venezuela, and Bolivia”
Nancy Postero, University of California, San Diego
“Who Speaks for the People of Plurinational Bolivia?”
Margarita López-Maya, Central University of Venezuela, and CENDES Venezuela
“People´s Power in Laws and Discourses of Hugo Chávez´ Government”
Jeffery Paige, panel commentator, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
4pm Panel 3: Exclusionary inclusions?
James Hertog and Robert Zuercher, University of Kentucky
"Media Coverage of Tea Party Claims to Represent the People"
George Michael, Carl A. Spaatz Center for Officer Education, USAF
“The Tea Party and the Extreme Right: Fellow Travelers?”
Cristóbal Rovira, University of Sussex
“Explaining the (re)emergence of populism in Europe and Latin America”
José Pedro Zuquette, the author of 'Missionary Politics in Contemporary Europe'
‘”Free the People’: The Search for ‘true democracy’ in Western Europe’s political far-right culture”
Ron Formisano, panel commentator, University of Kentucky
For the next four months I'll be studying abroad at Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata-shi, Osaka, Japan. If you're thinking of studying abroad, especially in Japan, I will try and maintain an updated look at my life abroad through this blog so you can get a sense of what life might be like for you. I arrived in Japan January 28th, so I have only been here a week. Since arriving in Japan I have been to the main campus of Kansai Gaidai as well as taking a guided tour of Kyoto accompanied by current Japanese students. You might be wondering why I am here, no I am not a Japanese language student, in fact I have very little experience with Japanese and cannot hold a conversation or navigate the city on my own. If you want to study abroad but are afraid of the language barrier, don't worry, it'll most likely be okay. I'm also not an Asian Studies major, I'm here studying mass media and popular culture in Japan as part of my MAS major. Anyway that is enough of the boring details about myself. So far being abroad has been extremely exciting and an experience that you cannot expect to create staying in your comfort zone. I came here knowing little about the language, and no one to help me assimilate.
Eyes in the Sky: Indianapolis, like all most major cities, has cameras stationed around the city. These cameras can zoom two blocks down a street with great clarity. Every minute of footage is recorded and can be recalled when needed. These cameras are also monitored by former sworn officers who have been instrumental in stopping drug transactions, thefts, and violence. Additional temporary cameras have been installed for Super Bowl week. These cameras with: stationed uniformed officers, non-uniformed officers throughout the crowd, and stationed officers on rooftops all make up a small part of the efforts to keep the crowds in Indy safe this week.
Tip of the Iceberg Walking through Indianapolis, you can see uniformed police officers directing cars and pedestrians at every major intersection. These officers account for roughly 10% of the security at this event. The other 90% you will never see. This is, of course, by design to keep fans thinking about enjoying themselves and spending money and not thinking about the major target this event is for groups of people trying to garner publicity for their message. Homegrown and international terrorist groups look for high profile public events they can disrupt to gain attention for their cause. They need not cause mass casualties to be effective; simply scaring the public is likely enough.
