By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center's scholar-in-residence, Gurney Norman, will continue his "Conversations with Gurney" speaker series this spring. The series features authors from the Appalachian region.

The series will kick off 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, with Willie Davis, author of the novel "Nightwolf." The event will take place in the Davis Marksbury Building's James F. Hardymon Theater.

A native of Whitesburg, Kentucky, Davis earned graduate degrees in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. He has taught English and creative writing at the University of Maryland, Kentucky State University,

By Whitney Hale

Evie Shockley, a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for her book "semiautomatic," will give the keynote speech at the 2020 Kentucky Women Writers Conference scheduled for Sept. 17-20. The free public talk, presented in conjunction with University of Kentucky Libraries, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, in Lexington.

Shockley is the author of three books of poetry: "semiautomatic" (Wesleyan, 2017), which won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and was a finalist for both the Pulitzer

By Lindsey Piercy

The University of Kentucky campus community is invited to ring in the Chinese New Year with the Chinese Studies Program in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, welcome the Year of the Rat by creating Chinese character bookmarks. The event will be held from 9 a.m.-noon at the 2nd floor entrance to the Gatton Student Center.

By Lindsey Piercy

Thomas Janoski, professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Kentucky, will celebrate the release of not one but three books this year.

As a professor at UK for more than two decades, Janoski has made significant contributions to the field of political sociology. Some of his previous works include, "Citizenship and Civil Society," "The Political Economy of Unemployment," "The Ironies of Citizenship" and "Dominant Divisions of Labor."

Janoski' s research combines political sociology with economic sociology, while comparing countries and economies over decades and even centuries.

Janoski' s latest endeavors — described in detail below — are a testament to his long-

By Jillian Gibney

Jim Krupa, a University of Kentucky professor of biology, recently was honored with the National Center for Science Education  Friend of Darwin Award.

The center promotes and defends accurate and effective science education. Staff members work with teachers, parents, scientists and concerned citizens at the local, state and national levels to ensure that topics including evolution and climate change are taught accurately, honestly and confidently.

The NCSE Friend of Darwin Award is conferred annually to outstanding educators whose efforts support NCSE and advance its goals.

“I find the National Center of Science Education’s efforts to battle science illiteracy in the U.

By Ryan Girves

At Saturday’s University of Kentucky basketball game, winners of the Ken Freedman Outstanding Advisor Awards, Beth Hanneman and Erik Myrup, were honored on the court, acknowledging their role in fulfilling the teaching and learning mission of the university.

Each year, the Ken Freedman Outstanding Advisor Award is presented by the UK Advising Network to one full-time professional adviser and one faculty adviser for outstanding service. Ken Freedman, the award's namesake, was one of the founders of the UK Advising Network in 1986 and served as a professional adviser at UK until his death in 2001.  

Both Hanneman, from the Stuckert Career Center, and Myrup, College

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

Some of the UK Appalachian Center's 2019 award recipients. Applications for the 2020 James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia and for the 2020 UK Appalachian Center Eller & Billings Student Research Award are both due Feb. 17.

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center is currently offering awards and funding opportunities for students and faculty involved with work and research in the Appalachian region.

Applications for the 2020 James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia and applications for the 2020 

By Madison Dyment

In higher education, the value of following your passion, meeting challenges head-on and working toward something bigger than yourself are all promoted to students by their professors. Sometimes, students are lucky enough to have a teacher who not only encourages this, but lives it too. Mark Lovell, Jack and Linda Gill Professor of Chemistry in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, is one of those teachers.

Growing up in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, Lovell stayed close to home and attended Berea College for his undergraduate degree. Post-graduation, Lovell tried his hand at medical school, but found himself ultimately drawn to graduate school at UK. He received his doctorate here in 1992, working with William Ehmann, a

By Allison Perry

The University of Kentucky recently received $3 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on General Medical Sciences to fund new opioid-related research in the criminal justice system.

Known as the Geographic variation in Addiction Treatment study, the 5-year project is led by Carrie Oser, professor of sociology in the UK College of Arts & Sciences. Oser and her colleagues will be focusing on the factors that influence a person’s decision to use one of the three FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder – methadone, buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone.

Although research shows that these medications are highly

“It is a great honor to be recognized by my peers for my research contributions,” she said.

APA is the leading professional and scientific organization representing psychology in the United States. The APA currently has 118,000 members consisting of psychologists, clinicians, consultants, educators, scientists and students.

Those awarded APA Fellow

University of Kentucky Assistant Professor of Sociology Mairead Moloney is interested in why women who are middle age and older sleep less than the general population – specifically women in Appalachia, who have some of the highest rates of insomnia in the nation.

Moloney wanted to conduct a comprehensive study to learn more about insomnia among women in Appalachia and help address this health disparity, but a sleep intervention study examining cognitive behavioral therapy and sleep medication use was out of her expertise.

Through UK's Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health program, Moloney met UK Associate Professor of Pharmacy Daniela Moga and Assistant Professor of Psychology Christal Badour, whose expertise and research backgrounds were a

The awards include an NSF standard grant and a grant from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation. The first provides summer research funding with support for a graduate and

By Lindsey Piercy 

Last year,  Nick Wilson outwitted, outplayed and outlasted 20 competitors on the 37th season of "Survivor." The University of Kentucky alumnus claimed the title of "Sole Survivor" and the $1 million prize on the season finale. Now, he will be returning to the hit CBS competition in hopes of claiming victory once again. And this time, there's more at stake.

On Wednesday, the network announced Wilson as one of the cast members of the show’s 40th season, “Survivor: Winners at War," which will pit 20 former winners against one another for the largest prize in reality TV competition history — $2 million.

"It was a quick turnaround to play again so suddenly. But it was a no-brainer for me to say

From building play houses out of grass as a child in Danville to writing poetry and publishing books as an adult, Frank X Walker uses his immense imagination to chronicle the African-American experience in Appalachia.

Walker, an alumnus and English professor at UK, has written 10 collections of poetry, several anthologies and many articles and essays. His epic journey begins with a childhood immersed in books and moves on to becoming poet laureate of Kentucky and a chronicler of an often-ignored heritage.

Walker recently was highlighted in the winter issue of Keeneland magazine. Read the full story here.

By Lindsey Piercy

This week, University of Kentucky graduates are busy preparing to walk across the Rupp Arena stage, shake President Eli Capilouto's hand and accept their long-awaited diploma. That piece of paper signifies the end of a journey — a journey of self-discovery.

Ndeye Matou Amar's journey to Commencement has been filled with overwhelming challenges and inspirational successes. On Dec. 20, she will boldly stand in front of the Class of 2019 — as the selected student speaker — and tell her story of resilience.

When Amar reflects on how far she's come in the last decade, she's overcome with emotion. Ten years ago, she left behind her life in Senegal, West Africa to start a new life in the "Land of Opportunity."

Amar quickly realized opportunities aren't simply attained through

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

Manufacturing has fueled the economic success of Kentucky for over two centuries, and a new collaborative partnership will help position the Commonwealth for even more success in the years to come.

The Kentucky National Science Foundation's (NSF) EPSCoR, or Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, has awarded the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and six other institutions across the state a five-year, $24 million grant to support the fundamental science needed to advance next generation manufacturing technologies, flexible electronics and robotics. The grant will also support the development of a greater STEM-literate workforce.

"This cooperative project will help bolster Kentucky's economy, create jobs and put the Commonwealth at the

This year, the College of Arts & Sciences celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Over the last 20 years, we have recognized 79 alumni and faculty whose contributions to the College, University, Commonwealth and beyond are far-reaching. Over the past few weeks, I have been highlighting each of this year’s inductees. Today, I am honored to recognize our second faculty inductee Dr. Penny Miller.

A native of Binghamton, New York, Dr. Miller earned her B.A. (1965) and M.A. (1967) in Political Science from the University of Kentucky. As a young woman, she founded the Metro Group Homes and co-chaired Lexington Jewish Women’s Federation. When her children, Jonathan and Jennifer, were nearly grown, she returned to the Department of Political Science to earn her Ph.D. in 1986. After three years teaching at Temple

By Lindsey Piercy

“A New World Begins: The History of the French Revolution,” recently released by Basic Books, is the culmination of a lifetime of research and writing by Jeremy D. Popkin — the William T. Bryan Chair of the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky. 

“It has been more than 30 years since the last English-language general history of the revolution was published,” he said. “I wanted to share the fruits of all the exciting new research with ordinary readers and show them the events of 1789

This year, the College of Arts & Sciences celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Over the last 20 years, we have recognized 79 alumni and faculty whose contributions to the College, University, Commonwealth and beyond are far-reaching. Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting each of this year’s inductees. Today, I am honored to recognize one of our faculty inductees Dr. Bradley Canon.

Dr. Canon was born in Chicago in 1937. After the war, his family moved to Florida and he grew up in West Palm Beach and Hollywood. He graduated from Florida State University where he was editor of the student newspaper. After serving in the Army, he went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, earning a Ph.D. in political science.

Dr. Canon joined the faculty of the Department of Political Science in 1966.

This year, the College of Arts & Sciences celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Over the last 20 years, we have recognized 79 alumni and faculty whose contributions to the College, University, Commonwealth and beyond are far-reaching. Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting each of this year’s inductees. Today, I am honored to recognize Bob Trunzo.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Robert (Bob) N. Trunzo earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Kentucky in 1978 and a law degree from Marquette University in 1981. He completed the Kellogg School of Management Executive Program at the Kellogg Management Institute at Northwestern University in 2011.

Bob became the eighth president and chief executive officer of CUNA Mutual Group on Jan. 1, 2014. Prior to joining CUNA