By Loretta Stafford

Childhood friends Zach Major, Kayne Finley, Keagan Finley, and Austin Major

On the heels of graduation, many new alumni look forward to spending the summer traveling, learning about the world and themselves in the process. However, this summer’s travels hold special significance for two spring 2019 UK grads.

Zach Major, a physical therapy student in the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences who recently graduated with his B.A. in environmental and sustainability studies from the College of Arts and Sciences, and Robby Larson, who earned his degree in neuroscience from the college as well, will join former UK swim team member Keagan Finley on a cross-country bike ride. The team will make “Cannonballs Across America

By Lindsey PIercy

(Left to right) Alberto Ortiz Brito, Gertrude Kilgore, Elizabeth Straub (holding the Ethics Bowl trophy), Gabriela Montero Mejía, Daniel Vallejo-Cáliz and Scott Hutson.

Five graduate students at the University of Kentucky have been named champions of the Ethics Bowl Competition. Last month, the team claimed the first place prize at the Society for American Archaeology's (SAA) annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. UK was making its first appearance in the competition, which has been held for 15 years.

In recent years, archaeologists have been confronted with a range of ethical issues. How the next generation of scholars chooses to address these challenges will define the field. In 2004, the SAA inaugurated the Ethics Bowl at its annual meeting in Montreal, Canada, to help

By Jennifer T. Allen

Oliver Voecking, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences, recently received a Knights Templar Eye Foundation Career-Starter Grant for his retinal research with zebrafish. The Knights Templar presented Voecking with a check on the University of Kentucky campus in April 2019. 

The Knights Templar Eye Foundation is committed to support research that can help launch the careers of clinical or basic researchers committed to the understanding, prevention and cure of vision threatening diseases in infants and children. With the grant, Voecking will focus his research on analyzing the development of POM cells in zebrafish hoping to drastically increase the understanding of POM development, ultimately developing screening for anterior segment associated diseases, such as corneal dystrophy,

By Madison Dyment

The following article appears in the spring 2019 edition of Ampersand, the UK College of Arts and Sciences magazine. Check out the full issue here.

UK Chemistry's fab lab is a hands-on laboratory extending from the materials chemistry track. The progressive technology allows students to gain practical experience creating materials and models used in modern devices. Photo by R. Wayne Cross.

The "fab" in the University of Kentucky's new "fab lab" may stand for fabrication, but a quick trip inside reveals technology and work that is nothing short of fabulous. Now in its second semester of operation, the fab lab is a hands-on laboratory extending from the materials chemistry track. The lab is offered as a course for UK chemistry students looking to experience hands-

By Ryan Girves

Suzanne Segerstrom (left) and Marilyn Campbell (right) both received the Excellent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award.

The University of Kentucky recently honored Marilyn Campbell and Suzanne Segerstrom for their dedication to mentoring with the Excellent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award during the 13th annual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars.

The most successful people in the world all seem to have one thing in common — a mentor, whether it be a coach pushing them to succeed, a boss taking them under their wing or a professor guiding them in the right direction. Judging by the success of those mentored and research conducted on the impacts of mentoring, one conclusion is certain, mentoring matters. 

The student-nominated award recognizes UK faculty members who have

By Madison Dyment

There are many different ideas that come to mind when you think of the University of Kentucky's “service learning” approach, but Mapshop takes this concept to another level. Branching from the New Mappings Collaboratory in the Department of Geography, the initiative uses expertise in geospatial software and technical resources to assist the City of Lexington in raising critical mapping capacities.

“We started in 2015 with this kind of borrowed idea from other universities that have a very active community-based research role,” Matthew Wilson, director of Mapshop, said. “We basically wanted to explore how we can unbundle community-based work outside of the classroom

By Jenny Wells

While most final assignments in science courses involve lab reports or essays, a human anatomy class at the University of Kentucky decided to switch things up this semester by having an art showcase instead.

Nearly a hundred unique works of art, created by students majoring in subjects like neuroscience and biology, adorned the UK College of Nursing Building's auditorium on April 25. Among the art were poems about the blood flow through the human heart, photographs of trees representing the respiratory system, abstract pieces reflecting the processes of neurodegenerative diseases, collages of the digestive system (including one made from print UK advertisements), and depictions of the human kidney created from a variety of materials including foods, plastics and plants.

April Hatcher, an associate professor of neuroscience, describes herself

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that juniors Angela Jones and Tom Shelton and senior Eura Shin have been awarded Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships. The three UK students are among 496 students nationwide selected to receive the 2019 Goldwater Scholarship.

This year's Goldwater Scholars were selected based on academic merit from a field of 1,223 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of 443 of the nation's colleges and universities.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was authorized by Congress to honor the former U.S. senator who served the nation 30 years. The program was designed to foster and

By Jennifer T. Allen

The following article appears in the spring 2019 edition of Ampersand, the UK College of Arts and Sciences magazine. Read more here.

For the last 10 years, Edith (Phoebe) Glazer, an associate professor of biological chemistry in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, has focused on creating new cancer therapies. As an inorganic chemist, she knows there is both a good and bad history of inorganic chemistry in cancer therapies. Drugs made from platinum are effective and successful. Cisplatin remains one of the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs, but Glazer says there hasn’t been a significantly better inorganic drug produced in the cancer field in the last 30 years. She is working hard to remedy that and develop a research platform where

By Whitney Hale

Ben Farmer will travel to Key Largo, Florida, to begin a summer internship in marine conservation.

Ben Farmer, a graduating University of Kentucky biology senior and member of Lewis Honors College, has been awarded the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) Dr. Jamie L. King Marine Conservation Internship from Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society. Following graduation, Farmer will travel to Key Largo, Florida, for the summer program.

REEF conserves marine environments worldwide. Their mission is to protect biodiversity and ocean life by actively engaging and inspiring the public through citizen science, education and

Prof. Anne-Frances Miller has been named the 2019 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 in the College of Arts and Sciences. This award is given each year to an individual associated with the university who has given outstanding service to UK, the community or the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The award is named in honor of William (Bill) E. Lyons, former professor of political science and public administrator, who during his tenure at UK, also served as director of the Martin School and chair of the Department of Political

By Jenny Wells

From left: Sofia Gonzalez Schuler, Brandon Colbert, Noor Ali and Jay Winkler. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

Note: This article contains a reference to UK's Bias Incident Response Team, which no longer exists. To report discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct, visit https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?UnivofKentucky&layout_id=30.

Per University of Kentucky tradition, UK President Eli Capilouto has selected student representatives to speak at each of the four UK Commencement Ceremonies. The ceremonies will be held Friday, May 3, and Sunday, May 5, in Rupp Arena.

The four student

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The 2019-20 University Research Professors. Photo by Ben Corwin, Research Communications.

This week, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved 16 University Research Professorships for the 2019-20 academic year.

The purpose of the University Research Professorship program is to recognize and publicize research accomplishments of scholars across the full range of disciplines at UK. The award amount is $10,000 for one year, to be used to further the research, scholarship and creative endeavors of the awardee.  

“It is truly gratifying to recognize these distinguished experts who have made significant contributions in so many different fields of research at the University of Kentucky,” said Lisa Cassis, UK’s vice president for research. “The University Research Professorship Awards honor 16

By Lindsey Piercy

Overwhelming excitement with a tinge of apprehension will fill Rupp Arena as emotions will be riding high May 5 — one of the University of Kentucky's Commencement Days. One by one, thousands of graduates will walk across the stage with an outstretched hand to receive their coveted diploma.

Megan McCormick will be among the sea of blue caps and gowns. In many ways, she's just like her fellow graduates. But McCormick's journey is incomparable and inspiring. She is also part of a much smaller, but growing, college population — students with Down syndrome. 

"I'm proud of me. This was my idea of going back to college, and I'm officially graduating this year. It's a special moment, and I'm excited," she exclaimed. 

Having a genetic disorder hasn't made life simple for McCormick. Doctors said

By Jenny Wells

Award recipients, left to right: Madeline Dunfee, Katherine Love, Anna Branduzzi and Carson Benn. Photo courtesy of the UK Appalachian Center

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Centerhonored nine students last week with its annual research awards. Four graduate students received the James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia, and four graduate students and one undergraduate student received the center's Eller and Billings Student Research Award. 

"This summer, the James S. Brown and Eller/Billings Awards will sponsor students from seven different departments across four colleges," said Kathryn Engle, associate director of the Appalachian Center. "Innovative research across disciplines is thriving in the region, and the Appalachian Center is

By Lindsey PIercy

It was fall of 1994. In many ways, Sharon Mofield-Boswell was your typical college freshman. She was eager — eager to embark on a new chapter as a student at the University of Kentucky. But college came with its own set of challenges. On top of that, Mofield-Boswell ​had a unique set of responsibilities — as a single mom.

"I left school with only one semester to go, and I just focused on raising my daughter."

Years went by — 25 years, to be exact. She got married. Her household continued to grow, and life continued to get more hectic. "After a little while, it became mostly about my children, and I'm happy with that decision."

Mofield-Boswell doesn't regret her decision to put family first. She has a comfortable life, filled with love. A dedicated mother — she has always

By Whitney Hale, Ellie Wnek and Hannah Edelen

Senior Dealla Samadi discovered a missing piece of the book "La Reine Albemarle," which was published posthumously without the segment. Her discovery has led to an article published in a French philosophy journal.

Seven interns in the University of Kentucky Libraries' Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) Learning Lab will represent UK at the second World Conference of Undergraduate Research (World CUR).

These students will travel to Oldenburg, Germany, May 23-25, to present their research, discuss global issues and create an international research partnership. Funding for their travel is provided through the 

By Julie Wrinn

Trust in political institutions is waning in many parts of the world, including in the United States, and Political Science doctoral student Gregory Saxton wants to figure out why. He received an extremely competitive $15,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) dissertation research grant to study perceptions of fairness, political support, and representation in conditions of economic inequality in Argentina. His research portrays how high levels of inequality challenge a fundamental principle of democracy and also erode citizens’ support for democracy.

For any graduate student, receiving an NSF dissertation grant is a very big deal: in terms of prestige and resume-boosting, it’s on par with publication in a leading research journal. It is likely to position that student in the top tier of consideration for a tenure track position. So how did Saxton win

By Aaron Porter

Writing, rhetoric and digital studies student Kenny Trotter came to UK from Chicago. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

Kenny Trotter's college career ended abruptly, and his dream of becoming a lawyer was on the verge of never happening (multiple times). But due to his perseverance and "never give up" mentality, he's not only back at UK, he is excelling.

Trotter grew up in Chicago with his parents and two siblings. In 2004, Trotter's mother had just given birth to his little brother, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. One of the most exciting times in his family's life became one of the most life changing as well.

"My mom was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer when I was about 7 or 8 years old. She struggled with that for four years, it came after my brother was born while she was already in the hospital, and

By Rebecca Longo

Top, l to r: Eli O’Neal, Chase Carleton, Melynda Price (director). Middle: Claire Hilbrecht, Josh Ehl, Carson Hardee. Front: Aileen Tierney, Hannah Thomas, Bria Northington, Daniela Gamez. Not pictured: Will Kueshner, Nicole Blackstone, Megan Yadav.

The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected 12 undergraduate students as new scholars for the Gaines Fellowship Program.

The Gaines Fellowship is presented in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities. Founded in 1984 by a generous gift from John and