By Whitney Hale

University of Kentucky Libraries is ending the Year of South Asia, presented by the UK College of Arts and Sciences, by offering three exhibits with materials from its collections. One honors a retiring faculty member and is a physical exhibit in the atrium of William T. Young Library; the other two offer glimpses of South Asia and are virtual exhibits of postcards from the 20th century.

"Sixty Years of Scholarship: The Works of P.P. Karan" is an exhibit honoring the work of Pradyumna "P.P." Karan during his 60 years as a faculty member in the Department of

By Jenny Wells

Volunteers planting trees on formerly mined land in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Photo by Michael Garland.

Earth Day 2017 may have been rainy in Kentucky, but that didn’t stop University of Kentucky students, faculty and staff from planting 2,500 trees.

The UK Appalachian Center collaborated with Green Forests Works (GFW) to host a volunteer tree planting event in Breathitt County, Kentucky, on April 22 in support of Earth Day and the United Nations Environment’s “Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign.” The event brought together over 50 volunteers, including local writers and artists, who planted indigenous hardwood trees and shrubs to restore forest habitat in an area that was previously mined for coal

By Gail Hairston

Geography Professor P.P. Karan will deliver a lecture, “Half a century in the Himalayas,” followed by a reception in honor of the 60 years he has been with the University of Kentucky.

Part of the UK College of Arts and Sciences' Passport to the World: Year of South Asia initiative, Karan’s lecture and reception are slated 5-7:30 p.m. Monday, May 1, in Room 219 of The 90.

A frequent visitor to Japan, China and India for research and speaking engagements, Karan has been teaching in the UK College of Arts and Sciences Department of Geography for more than 60 years, since 1956. He is a professor of human geography, directs the Indian Studies Program, is a professor in the UK

By Gail Hairston

Robert B. Grossman, professor of chemistry at the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, has been re-elected to serve as faculty trustee on the university’s Board of Trustees. His new three-year term will end June 30, 2020.

Grossman edged out his closest competitors in the final round of voting, which concluded with strong voter turnout at noon Wednesday, as 37.6 percent of the eligible voters cast a ballot. Of the 837 votes cast, Grossman won 437, including 310 first-place votes. His closest competitor, Patrick McGrath, received 333 total votes. Margaret Mohr-Schroeder had 244 first place votes.

“First, I want to express my appreciation for the willingness of all the candidates to serve the university,” Grossman said.

Grossman said he intended to continue “to help keep the board focused on the academic issues facing

By Blair Hoover

Through an Inclusive Excellence Program grant funded by University of Kentucky's Office for Institutional Diversity, the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) HIVE and the Media Depot collaborated to create a dynamic video addressing multicultural diversity on campus.

The film will premiere at an event beginning 4 p.m. Friday, April 28, in the Hardymon Theater in the Davis Marksbury Building. Before the screening, there will be a brief welcome by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Kornbluh and an

By Jennifer T. Allen

Professor of History Francie Chassen-Lopez will be awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Athens (Greece) on May 9, 2017. This is the highest honorary title awarded by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and signifies the impact of Chassen-Lopez’s work in the community of history and Latin American studies.

“This honor demonstrates that Professor Chassen-Lopez’s research has had a profound impact on the understanding of Mexican history beyond both the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking worlds,” said Karen Petrone, chair of the history department. “The honorary degree is a testament to Professor Chassen-Lopez’s international renown and her status as a truly global scholar and researcher.” 

“I am

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that senior Benjamin Riley, of Louisville, Kentucky, has been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Riley is among 240 students nationwide awarded the Goldwater Scholarship this year. This year's Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,286 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of 470 colleges and universities nationwide.

Additionally, two other UK students, Aaron Mueller, of Louisville, and Connor VanMeter, of Lexington, were among 307 students to receive honorable mention recognition from the esteemed scholarship program.

The Barry M. Goldwater

By Sarah Geegan; Savanah Sellars

The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants at the Outstanding Teaching Awards at the 2017 University of Kentucky Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 25, in Woodward Hall of the Gatton College of Business and Economics building. Recipients of the inaugural Inclusive Excellence Awards, in partnership with the Office for Institutional Diversity were also recognized.

Four sets of awards were presented by UK Provost Tim Tracy: the William B. Sturgill Award, the Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize, the Outstanding Teaching Faculty and Teaching Assistant Awards and the Inclusive Excellence Award.

“Now — more than ever — the success of our students is fundamental to the success of our society,” Tracy said. “Not just their economic success, but their cultural, artistic and

By Jenny Wells

Susan Odom, assistant professor of chemistry in the UK College of Arts & Sciences and EYH organizer, assists a student workshop leader.

Research in science and math education tells us that as early as elementary school, girls begin to feel alienated and insecure about the subjects. As a result, a statistically low number of women choose to study or enter career fields in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (also known as the STEM fields).

To address these insecurities, a team of faculty, staff and students at the University of Kentucky will host "Expanding Your Horizons" this Saturday, April 29 — a conference that encourages middle school girls to consider STEM studies. Between 100-150 girls from around Kentucky are

By Tiffany Molina

Immersed in the student experience by getting involved in a variety of campus activities at the University of Kentucky, Ines Elena of Madrid, Spain, is ready to add one more thing to her to-do list. Starting in fall 2017, Elena will be an undergraduate research assistant to UK psychology Professor Thomas Zentall. The UK sophomore is eager to begin her research with Zentall, as she focuses on her future goal of attending graduate school.

As a psychology and communications dual-major, Elena followed her love for Kentucky that began during her junior year of high school. “As an exchange student in Louisville, I had the opportunity to visit UK’s campus and immediately fell in love,” Elena said. She knew she wanted to pursue her dream, so she applied for and won an International Ambassador Scholarship, allowing her to complete her undergraduate studies at

By Gail Hairston

The University of Kentucky Department of English celebrates National Poetry Month with a 24-hour poetry reading.

Everyone in the campus community is invited to volunteer to read poetry for a single 10-minute shift, beginning noon Tuesday, April 25, through noon Wednesday, April 26. Readers will recite poetry at the Memorial Hall amphitheater, rain or shine, day and night.

Volunteers can either read their own poetry or a selection from a favorite poet.

Volunteers can sign up at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1u5Y_qpKLSmbaIj-_q_uViJ2ncXM0QFXS6u3oHsDlkEU/edit#gid=0.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and

By Megan Foltz

University of Kentucky Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and African American and Africana Studies DaMaris B. Hill will participate in the European Association for American Studies (EAAS) meeting next September at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu, Finland. EAAS meets once a year to study a marginalized text or author.

This year’s workshop will focus on America’s early 20th century magazine The Brownies’ Book, published by NAACP founder William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, better known as W.E.B. Du Bois. With most of the children’s literature of the day produced by white authors for white children, Du Bois wanted to offer an alternative. The magazine contextualizes writing of the 19th century and counters negative stereotypes about African Americans in the early 20th century. The Brownies’ Book contains

By Whitney Hale

Beau Revlett, a sophomore majoring in philosophy at the University of Kentucky, has received the John Lewis Fellowship from Humanity In Action (HIA). The fellowship recognizes commitment to social justice and future promise for community leadership. 

The HIA Fellowship brings together international groups of college students and recent graduates to explore national histories of discrimination and resistance — including the political foundations of racial hierarchies, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and colonial domination — as they affect different minority groups today. The fellowship seeks to educate, connect and inspire the world's future leaders in the fields of human rights and social justice.

As a recipient of the HIA

By Carl Nathe

D. Stephen Voss is the 2017 recipient of the William E. Lyons Award, co-sponsored by the University of Kentucky’s Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and the Department of Political Science, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. The annual honor is given to one person in recognition of a long record of outstanding service to UK, the community and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The award is named for the late "Bill" Lyons, a professor of political science and public administration, who during his much-admired tenure at UK served as director of the Martin School and chaired the political science department.

Voss is an is associate

By Jenny Wells

Beth Guiton, professor of chemistry, and Susan Odom, assistant professor of chemistry, in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, have been selected as Scialog Fellows by the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement.

As fellows, Guiton and Odom will participate in Scialog: Advanced Energy Storage, a program involving early career rising stars, beyond postdoctoral appointment, interested in pursuing collaborative, high-risk, highly impactful discovery research on untested ideas applicable to creating breakthroughs in energy storage. The program has a format in which participants are encouraged to engage in dialogue and form new research teams, often multidisciplinary and composed of both theorists and

By Gail Hairston

The last event of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ Civil Life Panel Series’ spring season is slated noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, with two follow-up panel discussions later the same day. The topic is “Science Speaks.”

Allan Butterfield, Alumni Association Endowed Professor of Biological Chemistry; Andrea Erhardt, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences; Bruce Webb, professor of entomology; and David Weisrock, associate professor of biology, will gather for a lively discussion at noon in the UK Athletics Auditorium of the William T. Young Library.

They will discuss what it

Atmospheric aerosols such as smoke, fog, and mist are made of fine solid or liquid particles suspended in air. In the lower atmosphere aerosols play a major role in controlling air quality, as well as in scattering and absorbing sunlight. This interaction of aerosols with light varies widely and depends on their complex chemical composition that rapidly changes under the governing highly reactive conditions found in the atmosphere. Importantly, the mysterious formation of carbon-containing atmospheric particles has intrigued atmospheric scientists during the last decade. This issue demands a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of atmospheric reactions as tackled in a new laboratory study entitled Reactivity of Ketyl and Acetyl Radicals from Direct Solar Actinic Photolysis of Aqueous Pyruvic Acid published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry A.

By Gail Hairston

Molly T. Blasing, assistant professor of Russian studies in the University of Kentucky Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures, has been awarded a 2017 NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) Summer Stipend, one of only two conferred this year in Kentucky.

She will use the funding to complete research on a final chapter of her book, “Snapshots of the Soul: Photo-Poetic Encounters in Modern Russian Culture.”

Blasing's project examines the relationship between photographic seeing and poetic creation in Russia and the Soviet Union. The book represents an interdisciplinary approach to modern literary studies, visual culture and the social history of technology.

Blasing’s study considers how

By Jenny Wells

Lithospheric magnetic field. Video courtesy of European Space Agency (ESA)

A University of Kentucky geophysicist is helping an international team of scientists reveal dramatic new information about the Earth’s magnetic field.

Two years ago, Dhananjay Ravat, who is a professor in the UK Departments of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Physics and Astronomy, was asked by the leader of the Swarm Satellite Constellation Application and Research Facility of the European Space Agency (ESA) to collaborate with their team to create a map of the magnetic features of the Earth’s lithosphere. Ravat, who has worked on geophysical data from several space missions around the Earth, Mars and the moon, was intrigued by the Swarm project, and his

By Whitney Hale and Gail Hairston

Watch as contestants at the Brooklyn Book Festival try to figure out what "The Animators," by UK alumna Kayla Rae Whitaker, is all about based only on its cover.

Very few authors find themselves publishing their debut novel with a name as big as Random House, much less earning acclaim from critics such as The New York Times. But for University of Kentucky alumna Kayla Rae Whitaker, these are natural next steps for someone who showed tremendous promise during her college career. Whitaker’s novel, "The Animators," was released earlier this year.

Aspiring writers from the university and across the nation will get to hear Whitaker's own take on her early success and hear a reading