By Jennifer T. Allen

Megan Martin, a political science alum, stepped foot on the University of Kentucky campus in 2013 and knew it was the place for her. 

“I’m from Louisville and toured a few schools in the state,” she said. “I really liked Lexington and how the campus was walkable. I liked how it was easy to stay connected to campus life as a student.”

Martin was also drawn to the College of Arts and Sciences political science department.

“Political science gave me outlets for all my interests. I chose political science because it has elements of history, problem solving and current events,” she said. “It was applicable in ways that were happening currently and looked to the future. It’s an ever-evolving discipline, and I knew that I could take the

By Tom Musgrave 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 29, 2024) — University of Kentucky junior Carlee O’Neal, of West Liberty, Kentucky, has received an Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.

Also called the Voyager Scholarship, this funding provides up to $50,000 in financial aid, including a “Summer Voyage” work-travel experience between recipients’ junior and senior years, with a $10,000 stipend and free housing. After graduation, recipients will receive a $2,

By Tom Musgrave 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 28, 2024) — Four University of Kentucky students were awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships for educational experiences abroad. Among them is Dylan Nguyen, a psychology junior from Union, Kentucky.

The scholarship supports students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, providing them with skills critical to national security and economic prosperity. The Gilman Scholarship is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 23, 2024) – Just because classes are out for the summer at the University of Kentucky, does not mean students have put a pause on their educational pursuits. This summer, UK junior Beaux Hardin was immersed in research.  As an English and French double major in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, Lewis Honors College student and Chellgren Fellow, Hardin has pursed a passion for poetry.

By Erin Wickey 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 20, 2024) — Fourteen University of Kentucky students spent the summer expanding their research skills through the Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship program, sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Established in 2022, the fellowship empowers undergraduates to

Harbored anger and grievance take a toll. Michelle Martel, chair of the Department of Psychology in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, shares her insights during an interview with "Eastern Standard" host Tom Martin on WEKU in Richmond. 

"There is a very strong and salient connection between emotion, the body and health," she says. "We have a whole area within clinical psychology called health psychology that focuses on that connection. It doesn't have to be negative." 

By Mindy Thompson 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 16, 2024) — The Employee Engagement Committee of the University of Kentucky Staff Senate gave Michael "Mike” Adams the first Outstanding Staff Senator Award. Adams has served on the Staff Senate for 21 years, including leadership positions.

Adams is the space and facilities coordinator and safety officer for the College of Arts and Sciences.

In the nomination narratives, his senate colleagues say his dedication and passion for the Staff Senate were evident.

"I honestly believe no one is more passionate about the Staff Senate than this candidate, and nobody believes in its

By Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences is launching an undergraduate major and minor in fall 2024 — Law and Justice. 

The Law and Justice program will examine the relationships among law, politics and society in the United States and abroad in a program developed by UK’s Political Science Department, with insight from a wide variety of experts, including political science faculty, law school faculty and alumni.

In the program, students develop expertise in the topic of law and courts and acquire skills in analytics and logic, writing, composition and communication. They also learn to conduct original research. 

Law and Justice is aimed at undergraduate students who want to pursue law or obtain such law-adjacent positions as: legislators, lobbyists,

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 7, 2024) — Martha Yip, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, is one of nine winners who received a 2024-25 Outstanding Teaching Award this past spring.

The awards identify and recognize individuals who demonstrate special dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s Office for Faculty Advancement and the 

By Meg Mills and Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 5, 2024) — Body paint, mismatched socks, hidden knick-knacks — what do they have in common when chasing glory on the biggest stage?  

In the competitive world of sports, where every move matters, athletes often turn to rituals and superstitions to find comfort and boost confidence.  

These unique habits can also extend to fans. 

From the food on their plate to the clothes on their back, some sports enthusiasts also feel the success of their team hinges on having things done in such a particular manner that it’s often unexplainable to anyone else.  

With

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 31, 2024) — John “Jack” Swab, a former teaching assistant in the Department of Geography in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, is one of nine winners who received a 2024-25 Outstanding Teaching Award this past spring.

The awards identify and recognize individuals who demonstrate special dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s Office for Faculty Advancement and the 

By Jennifer T. Allen

When Ashley Cook graduated with a biology degree from the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, she thought her next step was medical school. Little did she know 16 years later she would receive a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series.  

“I thought I was going to be a doctor. I wanted to have a career that I was interested in and one that would do good in the world,” Cook said. “Med school is very competitive, and I was struggling to get in.”  

While Cook was waitlisted for medical school, she checked in with herself and thought about what it was she wanted to be doing and what would make her happy. “Since

A Q&A with Michael M. McGlue, professor in the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, and Sebastian Bryson, chair of civil engineering in the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, about the $20 million collaborative project to build climate resilience in Kentucky 

By Jennifer T. Allen

University of Kentucky faculty are part of a team leading a recently announced five-year Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII Track-1) award from the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.  

The foundation is investing $20 million in advancing

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 17, 2024) — Bradley Elliott, Ph.D., lecturer in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of nine winners to receive the University of Kentucky’s 2024-25 Outstanding Teaching Awards.

These awards recognize individuals who demonstrate dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 16, 2024) — The Office of the Vice President for Research and the University of Kentucky International Center  have announced the second cohort of UKinSPIRE fellows. 

UKinSPIRE is an internal funding opportunity for UK faculty intended to stimulate research projects in any discipline linking UK faculty and international collaborators and to establish collaborations with new international partner institutions or add greater depth to existing institutional partnerships.

Based on these recommendations, the following UKinSPIRE projects were selected for support, which started July 1: 

By Erin Wickey 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 16, 2024) — The University of Kentucky’s Igniting Research Collaborations program has awarded nearly $600,000 in pilot grants to support cross-college interdisciplinary research.

The goals of IRC include increasing interdisciplinary scientific engagement and leveraging the breadth of UK expertise to tackle problems in the Commonwealth.

Among the pilot grants are: 

By Jennifer Sciantarelli and Tom Musgrave 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 12, 2024) — University of Kentucky archaeologist Paolo Visonà, Ph.D., an adjunct associate professor in the University of Kentucky’s School of Art and Visual Studies (SA/VS), announced a major archaeological discovery in Calabria, Italy.

Visonà and his team discovered Spartacus’ first battlefield and Roman fortification systems built by Crassus to blockade Spartacus’ army.

Through fieldwalking and geophysical and remote sensing techniques, Visonà’s team followed the Roman lines for more than 1.6 miles in a dense forest and

By Amanda Nelson 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 10, 2024) — University of Kentucky Summer STEM Experiences Camps show what is possible when the university, local schools and community come together to bring STEM to life for youth. 

“UK stands out as one of the rare universities in the country that combines a land-grant mission, a medical center and various academic departments all within one continuous campus," said Margaret Mohr-Schroeder, Ph.D., professor of STEM education, STEM Experiences Camps co-founder and UK College of Education senior associate dean for academic programs and partnerships. "This setup offers an excellent environment to introduce campers to a wide range of specialty areas.” 

For faculty member

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Alyson Ackerman’s success as a doctoral candidate in chemistry at the University of Kentucky is attributable directly to St. Nick.  

“I don't know exactly what got me interested into chemistry, but I do know that I've always been into it,” said Ackerman, who grew up in Lexington, earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UK in 2018 and now is a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow. “I did get a microscope for Christmas when I was 11. That was my big Santa gift. I played with my microscope a lot growing up to identify contents of the nearby creek.” 

As an undergrad in UK’s College of Arts and Sciences, Ackerman was a Patterson Scholar  and earned department honors in chemistry as well as the Nancy J. Stafford Award. After spending four years as a quality

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 3, 2024) — Daria Goncharova, Ph.D., a May 2024 doctoral graduate from the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of nine people to receive an University of Kentucky’s 2024-25 Outstanding Teaching Award.

The awards recognize individuals who demonstrate special dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s