Student Spotlight

by Rebekah Tilley

photos by Mark Cornelison



Flexibility. You want it in your joints, in your schedule and in your undergraduate major. Rising UK senior Ben Barnes found the right blend of flexibility as a Topical Studies major.



As you might think, it takes a significant amount of initiative on the part of the student to design a unique program of study, and you need a lot of clarity when it comes to knowing what you want your future career to be. “And I did,” said Barnes. “I had that clarity when I was designing the program.”



Barnes is not your typical American college student. For starters, he’s Australian, and at 24 he is also slightly older than his fellow seniors. Barnes took a few years off between

David Bradshaw, the Chair of the Department of Philosophy, focuses on the history of philosophy, specifically looking at science, technology, and society. His research incorporates a variety of disciplines to address the social, ethical, and technological significance of scientific advances.  

https://www.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/ScienceTechnologySociety_DavidBradshaw.mp3

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PhD Student

By Megan Neff

Photos by Richie Wirewan



Forgiving may seem impossible at times, but Kimberly Goard, a philosophy graduate student at the University of Kentucky, urges us to do the seemingly impossible.



Since 2006, Goard has been working toward a Ph.D. in philosophy at UK. While she personally holds the issue in high regard, she feels its scope is universal because it affects everyone in a multitude of ways.



“Forgiveness involves a whole nexus of things that happen psychologically, socially and emotionally,” said Goard.



Goard opposes the popular view in philosophy today that the value of self-respect supersedes the obligation to forgive.



“In the vast majority of contemporary philosophical thought, forgiveness

For philosophy alum Will Sanders, attending the University of Kentucky was always part of the plan. The Frankfort native’s parents both attended the university and it was natural for him to follow in their steps. Choosing a major was the challenge.

The College of Arts and Sciences was the perfect place to land when it came to finding his footing, according to Sanders.

“I started as a French major but then switched to philosophy,” Sanders said. “My interest in East Asian thought systems then led me to study Japanese and eventually Chinese.”

Sanders said he was drawn to Eastern philosophy in part because of his interest in the “beats,” a group of American writers who were popular in the 1950s and known, among other things, for

Professor of Sociology Claire Renzetti has been named the recipient of the Lee Founders Award by the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP).  The award honors the founders of SSSP, Alfred McClung Lee and Elizabeth Bryant Lee. The Founders Award recognizes significant lifetime achievements in research, teaching, or service leading to the "betterment of human life," and commitment to social action programs that promote social justice. The award recognizes work over a distinguished career that provides understanding and insight for practical application and service at the local, state, and/or national level.

Professor Renzetti joins some notable sociologists who have received this award in the past, including Thomas C. Hood, Irving Kenneth Zola

By Rebekah Tilley

To fully appreciate Michelangelo’s David, one has to observe it from every vantage point. As a social theory student, Arnold Farr was similarly trained to approach academic fields of inquiry from the vantage point of several different disciplines. Now as an associate professor of philosophy, Farr has returned to the University of Kentucky and the Committee on Social Theory program that launched his own academic career.

As an undergraduate, Farr started out as a theatre major before switching to philosophy and religion. His journey to Kentucky was largely determined by how far he thought his car could take him.

“After college I had the opportunity to go to either Southern Seminary in Louisville or go to Baylor University and do philosophy in Texas,” recalled Farr.  “And I chose Louisville because it was closer and my car was about to

Culture expresses itself in a myriad of familiar ways – our music, fashion, entertainment, literature. Perhaps less noted is the way that culture impacts our bodies including the very manner we are brought into the world and the food that nourishes us during gout first year of life.

As a graduate student in geography, Rebecca Lane turned to social theory to provide a more in depth understanding of the theoretical structures within her own discipline that inform her research on medical and feminist geography while benefitting from the perspectives of other graduate students and instructors outside her own discipline.

“I needed this type of knowledge,” said Lane when asked how social theory impacted her research portfolio. “Social theory gives you frameworks with which to look at the world, as well as ways to deconstruct it. There are these concepts and words like “

Taking an “interdisciplinary” approach in academe is seemingly one of those things that everyone claims to value, but no one actually does. The UK Committee on Social Theory was established to change that. It was built around grounding its participants in the perspectives, theories and assumptions of other disciplines to better understand and advance their own disciplines. And the heart of the program is Social Theory 600.

“Honestly, UK seems to be putting its money where its mouth is as regards interdisciplinarity to a degree that I have not seen at other universities,” declared Marion Rust, associate professor in the Department of English, who will be co-teaching ST 600

by Erin Holaday Ziegler

University of Kentucky Chemistry Department Chair Mark Meier is noticeably enthusiastic when discussing the arrival of two new faculty members this fall.

Energy will be a central focus for new assistant professors Susan Odom and Doo Kim Young, as both have experience in energy and materials research and both will find a second home at UK's Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), a multidisciplinary center whose energy research provides a focal point for coal and energy research in Kentucky.

According to Meier, most of the candidates were specifically interested in UK's chemistry department because of its close relationship with the CAER and 

During the 2011-2012 school year, A&S will be focusing on China in its Passport to the World program. In a recent StoryCorps interview, Dean Mark Kornbluh discusses the reasons for focusing on China.

https://www.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Passport%20to%20the%20World%…

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Ph.D. Student

by Rebekah Tilley

photos by Richie Wireman

Archisman Ghosh’s fascination with astronomy was born on a roof in Calcutta. He still looks at the sky, but now he does it through a 20-inch telescope on the roof of UK’s parking structure #2.

A third-year graduate student in the UK Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghosh focuses his scholarly work on String Theory, and through his Graduate Assistantship at the MacAdam Student Observatory is able to help young astronomy students experience the thrill of first laying their own eyes on a planet.

“My previous experience in astronomy was mainly from amateur activities – stargazing and backyard telescopes,” Ghosh said. “UK's MacAdam Student Observatory gave me an opportunity to have a more professional encounter with the subject. We have superior

by Erin Holaday Ziegler, Alicia Brab and Gwendolyn Schaefer

This has not been a summer by the pool for University of Kentucky rising junior Gwendolyn Schaefer who is participating in a seven-month study abroad experience in Amman, Jordan with AMIDEAST, a leading American nonprofit organization engaged in international education, training and development activities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Schaefer, an international studies and geography major, began the summer session in intensive Arabic language classes and will continue through the fall with Middle East and North African studies.  She has created a blog about her experiences, and the following is based upon online excerpts

by Erin Holaday Ziegler

Psychological research at the University of Kentucky indicates that feelings of disgust do not usually escalate to aggression in the same way that feelings of anger could.

UK doctoral student Ricky Pond has been interested in the feeling of disgust and its origins from the beginning of his doctoral work in psychology at UK.

With the overwhelming amount of psychological research available on anger and its effects on aggression, Pond decided to test a different negative emotion, one that wouldn't necessarily be associated with hostility.

"I wanted to focus on a negative emotion that leads to less aggression," Pond said. "And my experience with disgust was a good fit."

Pond's study, titled "

“Doing math” is usually pictured as a solitary activity involving a chalkboard and harsh florescent lights. Yet that could not be further from the truth.

“Contrary to stereotype, mathematics is a very social activity,” said mathematics professor Peter Perry, who was recently awarded the prestigious College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor Award for the 2010-2011 academic year. “It’s a lot more fun and works a lot better when you have other people to work with, talk things over with, bounce ideas off of and understand things.”

This group process of “doing math” extends throughout all levels of mathematical instruction – from basic undergraduate calculus classes to upper-level graduate

Ph.D. Student

By Megan Neff

Photos by Mark Cornelison

Like a lot of us out there, Justin Taylor didn’t have it easy when it came to math. But unlike the rest of the crowd, who grumbled through the required courses until the hallowed day of escape, he decided to make the struggle into a more challenging equation: a career.



However, the path to this decision did not follow any predetermined formula. After graduating from high school in the southeastern Missouri town of Sikeston, Taylor opted out of the two to four-year college route. Instead, he joined the Marine Corps and was stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego between 1998 and 2002. Here, he not only underwent a rigorous test of his physical endurance, but his mental strength, as well.



“A lot of my beliefs, my work ethic, and my

When Shannon Hincker started her undergraduate work at the University of Kentucky in 2004, she was a mathematics major.

After two years, she switched to the College of Arts & Sciences’ mathematical economics program.

With its combination of math, statistics and economics, the program was a good fit for Hincker and prepared her well for a job doing actuarial work for Mercer.

“I loved math,” Hincker said. “I still love math. However, I knew early on that I didn’t want to go into teaching so I was very interested in getting a background that was strong in math and strong in the business field, too. That way, I just figured I’d have a lot more choices when I was finished.”

Robert Molzon, who is in the math

On the evening news, it is not uncommon to see polls charting public opinion on a variety of topics. The number of polls tends to spike around presidential elections, especially with topics surrounding approval ratings, national issues, and the economy. The degree of voter anger, angst, or contentment prominently posted in the polls is often a barometer of the larger political climate. And as you can imagine, those polls and resulting nightly news conversations can spark heated, informative, and oddly entertaining debates on the state of national politics.

But what trends can be found in poll numbers gathered in an increasingly media-saturated world? How do these poll numbers and nightly news conversations, for example, impact the way voters respond in presidential elections and how do voters react to pressing issues such as the economy?

UK political science doctoral

by Erin Holaday Ziegler

A University of Kentucky biology professor has been chosen as one of 22 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences for her innovative and groundbreaking retinal research with zebrafish.

Biologist Ann Morris will explore the mechanisms that drive the development and regeneration of retinal photoreceptors over the next four years without restriction.

"The Pew award is meant to give support to early stage investigations that show promise, and I am proud to represent UK in this endeavor," said Morris, whose Pew award is a first for UK in biomedical sciences. "Pew Foundation

Topical studies alum Susan Tomasky was drawn to the University of Kentucky because of its honors program but she also became deeply rooted in the College of Arts & Sciences political science department.

Tomasky began her studies at UK in 1970 after she moved from her hometown of Morgantown, W. Va.

She is currently the president of American Electric Power Transmission, which develops and builds transmission lines for new energy resources, including wind.

“I was really interested in the idea that the honors program was organized around introducing students to history, politics and art in small classes, inside a large