by Katy Benett, Peyton Carrington

(Dec. 4, 2014) — Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January every year. It celebrates the life and achievements of the influential American civil rights leader. It is seen as a day to promote equal rights for all Americans, regardless of their background.

In celebration of King, people across the nation come together to participate in service activities that positively impact different aspects of their community — the Martin Luther King Day of Service. For the third year, the University of Kentucky is offering a service opportunity for students, hosted with the support of the Center for Community Outreach

by Gail Hairston

(Dec. 4, 2014) — The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Committee on Social Theory's Fall 2014 Distinguished Speaker is Margaret Archer, professor of sociology at l'Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. 

The free lecture is slated at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, in the Singletary Center's President's Room.

Archer was a professor of sociology at Warwick University where she developed her Morphogenetic Approach to social theory. She now heads the project at EPFL "From Modernity to Morphogenesis."

She was elected as the first woman president of the International Sociological Association at the 12th World Congress of Sociology. She is a founding member of both the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Academy of Learned Societies in the Social Sciences and is a trustee of the

Don Pedi playing John Salyer's "Rose in the Mountain" at the Hindman Dulcimer Homecoming, in Hindman, Kentucky. A transcript of this video can be seen here.

by Jordan Mason

(Dec. 4, 2014) — You could say they left the best for last, as master musician Don Pedi performs the final concert in the 2014 "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series. Pedi, known for his skills on the dulcimer, will perform noon Friday, Dec. 5, at the Niles Gallery, located in the UK Lucille C. Little

by Whitney Hale

(Dec. 3, 2014) — Two University of Kentucky students were recently named finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship. Luke Glaser, a 2013 English and Hispanic studies graduate from Louisville, Kentucky, and Grace Trimble, a political science senior and UK Women's Tennis Team member from Winchester, Kentucky, interviewed for the prestigious scholarship that funds graduate study at the

by Whitney Hale, Mack McCormick

(Dec. 3, 2014) — Jim Wayne Miller (1936–1996) was a prolific writer, a revered teacher and scholar, and a pioneer in the field of Appalachian studies. A new book co-edited by alumnus and University of Kentucky Graduate School Assistant Dean Morris Allen Grubbs, and Miller's wife, Mary Ellen Miller, seeks to honor and revive the legacy of this influential member of the Appalachian writing community.

During his 33-year tenure at Western Kentucky University (WKU), Miller helped build programs in the discipline in Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, and worked tirelessly to promote regional voices by presenting the work of others as often as he did his own. An innovative poet, essayist and short story writer, he was one of the

by Whitney Harder

 (Dec. 1, 2014) — Environmental Science and Technology, a journal of the American Chemical Society, recently published research by University of Kentucky chemistry Assistant Professor Marcelo Guzman, graduate student Elizabeth Pillar and senior Robert Camm.

Environmental Science and Technology publishes papers that are particularly significant and original in the fields of environmental science, technology and policy.

The article, "Catechol Oxidation by Ozone and Hydroxyl Radicals at the Air-Water Interface," features the team's findings from work funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemistry

by Whitney Harder

(Dec. 1, 2014) – William Rayens, University of Kentucky statistics professor, was recently honored for his work in undergraduate education with a nomination in the 2014 U.S. Professors of the Year awards program.

“Teaching may well be the most important enterprise we engage in as professors, and I was thrilled to be asked to compete for one of the 2014 awards," said Rayens.

Rayens, director of undergraduate education in the Department of Statistics, developed the general education course "STA 210: Intro to Statistical Reasoning," implemented in the fall of 2011. Serving as assistant provost for general education

by Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards announced that history senior and Army ROTC cadet Dahlia d'Arge, of Paris, Kentucky, has been named a Marshall Scholar. The scholarship will finance two years of graduate study for her at an institution of her choice in the United Kingdom. D'Arge is the third UK student to receive the honor from the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission. 

"University of Kentucky students compete and succeed at a national level in academic competition, research and for national awards," said 

by Whitney Harder

(Nov. 25, 2014) — The University of Kentucky President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee recently announced seven sustainability projects receiving grants, a total of $100,000 in funding, from the UK Sustainability Challenge Grant Program. A wide range of sustainability projects were chosen, from North Limestone neighborhood initiatives to "microcomputers" that monitor individual sustainability impact on campus.  

The grant program issued a campus-wide call for proposals Aug. 15 seeking interdisciplinary, sustainability-driven proposals. By the deadline of Oct. 15, the program received 22 proposals requesting more than $450,000. Through an extensive review process, seven

By Guy Spriggs

Drew Myers is a psychology major and award-winning Army ROTC cadet whose hobbies range from hunting and fishing to playing the ukulele. His primary academic and professional interest is in the field of human factors – a combination of human psychology and product design.

Myers clearly has no problem reconciling such differences; he doesn’t just want to learn to fly helicopters, he wants to design a better cockpit.

After graduating from Oldham County High School, Myers considered pursuing his interests through the Air Force Academy, but eventually decided to go the civilian route at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. While Myers says he loved his time at Riddle, he left

(Nov. 24, 2014) — With Thanksgiving around the corner, cooks across the Commonwealth may still be deciding what traditional Kentucky dishes must be served at the annual holiday feast. A new book by retired faculty member of the University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology, John van Willigen, might just have the answer.

While many home chefs and foodies enjoy reading and collecting cookbooks, few scholars have examined them with an eye toward what they can tell us about the culture that produced them. In "Kentucky’s Cookbook Heritage: Two Hundred Years of Southern Cuisine and Culture," anthropologist and food scholar van Willigen examines cookbooks from the Commonwealth that have been

By Sarah Schuetze

Sean Bemis put his hands together side by side to demonstrate two plates of the earth’s crust with a smooth boundary running between them. But that boundary is not always smooth and those plates do not always sit together neatly, which makes the earth’s crust a dynamic and complex surface.  

As a structural geologist and paleoseismologist, Bemis often uses visual and three dimensional (3D) models to explain his studies of the earth’s crust; sometimes that entails sophisticated 3D digital imagery, maps and diagrams of fault lines, the rocks he processes in his lab, or, as in this case, his own hands.

These techniques not only help Bemis demonstrate his research, they also represent the multidimensional nature of his work.

Bemis, an assistant professor in

(Nov. 20, 2014) — As University of Kentucky freshmen settle into life as college students, a new resource on campus has been helping them adjust to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs, known for difficult coursework. Undergraduate instructional assistants (UIAs) within one of the university's newest Living Learning Programs, STEMCats, use their past experiences to mentor incoming UK students.

The College of Arts and Sciences recently produced a podcast about the STEMCats community, featuring many STEMCats UIAs explaining what they enjoy about the program and their connections with younger STEM students.

"You get to

by Gail Hairston

(Nov. 20, 2014) — The reason a female student might not return to her university after her freshman year:

   A) Finances

   B) Grades

   C) Rape

Too many times ‒ more frequently than we have truly understood ‒ the answer is “C.”

The results of a study done among female freshmen at the University of Kentucky in 2011 linking sexual assault and poor academic performance are “direct and compelling,” wrote its authors, Carol Jordan, director of the UK Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women; Jessica Combs, a graduate student in clinical psychology; and Gregory Smith, a professor, university research professor, and director of the doctoral program in clinical psychology.

It wasn’t particularly surprising – for UK results mirror numerous national studies -- that the rate

Video by UK Public Relations and Marketing

by Sibel Solagan

(Nov. 19, 2014) — As UK celebrates its sesquicentennial this year, one faculty member in particular has plenty to remember about his history with the university.

 Out of 150 years, I’ve experienced 58 years of UK’s history. Technically, I’m in my 116th semester,” said Pradyumna (Paul) Karan, who is originally from India.    

In August of 1956, Martin M. White, dean of the UK College of Arts and Sciences, hired Karan to teach geography – making Karan one of the first international faculty members in UK's history.

“[Dr. White] couldn’t say

By Rosanna Willhite

The Center for English as a Second Language is pleased to welcome 53 students from Mexico. The students arrived over the weekend of November 9th and will be visiting scholars for one month. The scholars represent not only promising undergraduate students, but also teachers of English and other disciplines in universities in Mexico. They are part of an initiative by the Mexican government called Proyecta 100,000, which aims to send 100,000 students to the United States by 2018.

Please join us as we welcome these visiting scholars by introducing yourself to them at CESL events and partnerships. We hope this will be the beginning of a thriving partnership with Mexico and Proyecta 100,000.

Click the link: Consul of Mexico, Mr. Jorge Sanchez Catano (Vimeo) to view the

by Whitney Harder

(Nov. 17, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center will continue its Appalachian Forum with a screening of "Up the Ridge" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18. A discussion will follow with the film's co-producer Amelia Kirby, development director of the Appalachian Citizens Law Center and Melynda Price, director of the African American and Africana Studies Program and College of Law faculty member.

The event will be held in Room 213 of Kastle Hall and is

by Kathy Johnson

(Nov. 14, 2014) — WUKY's "UK Perspectives" focuses on the people and programs of the University of Kentucky and is hosted by WUKY General Manager Tom Godell.  Guest host today is WUKY News Director Alan Lytle who welcomes UK alumna and history instructor Maryjean Wall, author of a new book on one of Lexington's most colorful historical characters — Belle Brezing.

To listen to the podcast interview from which "UK Perspectives" is produced, click here.

"UK Perspectives" airs at 8:35 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. each Friday on WUKY 91.3, UK's NPR station.