By Vice President for Research Lisa Cassis

Left to right: Herman Daniel Farrell III, David Van Sanford, Mark Williams, Rick Honaker, Brian Noehren, Heide Gluesing-Luerssen, Heather Bush, Matthew Zook, Jennifer Wilhelm, Sharon Walsh, Nancy Grant Harrington, Richard Ausness.

This week, it was my distinct pleasure to present the University Research Professorship Awards to 14 members of our faculty who have demonstrated excellence in research and creative work that addresses scientific, social, cultural, economic and health challenges in our region and around the world.

At a reception hosted by President Eli Capilouto at Maxwell Place, with their families, deans, associate deans for research and nominators on hand to celebrate with them, we had the opportunity to recognize and publicize the accomplishments of these scholars.

The University

By Whitney Hale and Jenny Wells

 

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that 2017 philosophy graduate Benjamin Troupe, of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, will receive one of only 30 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships. Troupe is the first UK student to be awarded the prestigious honor.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, the Pickering Fellowship Program provides graduate students with up to $37,500

By Jenny Wells

Elizabeth Dempsey, of Cedar City, Utah, will speak at the 10 a.m. UK Commencement ceremony on May 6. She is graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science from UK College or Arts and Sciences with minors in communication and military leadership.

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 4, and Sunday, May 6, in Rupp Arena.

The four student speakers are:

Esias Bedingar

Bedingar, from N’Djamena, Chad, will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony on May 4. He is graduating with a bachelor's degree in public health from the UK

A former student here at the University of Kentucky Center for English as a Second Language is now being honored as one of the four commencement speakers during the May 2018 Graduation Ceremonies. Esias Bedingar, from Chad, began studying English with our instructors in 2014. Now, just four years later, Esias has completed his Bachelor's in Public Health. Follow this link to read the UKNOW story about Esias, his accomplishments, and his upcoming speech. We are proud to call Esias a CESL alumnist and wish him well as he continues on with his Master's Degree at Harvard University.

By Tatyanna Pruitt

“I’m just happy to come to UK, it was so worth it!” said Veronica Abt, a senior majoring in Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures (MCLLC)/Japan Studies track in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures, with a minor in linguistics. Abt came to the University of Kentucky from Brookline, New Hampshire.

“My older brother is the one who got me interested in Japan, not just the anime, but the Japanese culture as well. Japanese history is so rich and so much longer than America’s,” Abt said. “During my sophomore year of high school, I knew I wanted to major in Japan Studies when I came to college and that I wanted to be an English teacher in Japan.”

Abt grew up in a small town with a population of less than 5,000. While researching Japanese programs for college, she stumbled upon the Japanese

By Hiyabel Ghirmay

Suzanne Segerstrom, psychology professor in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, is known for her clinical research on optimism and other personality traits in relation to health. Recognized as one of the prominent scientists in the discipline, Segerstrom recently joined an elite group in her field as a newly elected fellow of the Association for Psychological Science (APS).

“This is a significant honor, and one that is well earned,” said Mark Kornbluh, dean of the college. “I am proud to have Suzanne as part of our faculty. The Department of Psychology, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the University of Kentucky all benefit from her excellent work.”

From the

By Jenny Wells

Maggie Campe, a doctoral candidate in the University of Kentucky Department of Sociology and research assistant in UK’s Center for Research on Violence Against Women (CRVAW) is the inaugural recipient of the Lindsey M. Bonistall Research Fellowship from PEACEOUTside Campus. The fellowship will provide $15,000 to Campe to conduct research related to on- and off-campus safety.

“I thought that the fellowship proposal call coalesced with my dissertation work really well, and that my dissertation research could really align with the mission of the PEACEOUTside Campus Foundation,” said Campe, who is studying campus sexual violence. “It has really given me the opportunity to (quicker than I might be able to

By Whitney Hale

Award-winning poets Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Tarfia Faizullah will present workshops as part of the 2018 Kentucky Women Writers Conference this September.

As poetry lovers across the United States celebrate National Poetry Month, the Kentucky Women Writers Conference is announcing some of its lineup of poets for its 40th conference this fall. The conference will feature two poetry workshops with award-winning writers Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Tarfia Faizullah during its Sept. 13-16 run, in Lexington. The Wild Women of Poetry, which will take place the evening of Sept. 15, will announce its lineup later this year. In addition, the conference is currently accepting submissions for its emerging writer awards, the Betty Gabehart Prizes in fiction, nonfiction and poetry

By Sarah Wood

There are 177 international studies majors and 49 minors in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Kentucky. The International Studies Program has grown from 25 students at its inception in 2007 to more than 200 students this semester. Though the major has grown significantly over the years, it has not had a designated study space. That changed this semester.

“One of the issues in the program is the fact that current and prospective students feel isolated from other students within the major,” said Monica Diaz, director of the International Studies Program. “The problem with not having space is that students feel like, ‘Who do I talk to? Where do I go? How can I find other people within my major?”

The newly renovated rooms on the 14th floor of Patterson Office Tower provide a space where students can study and make connections

By Hiyabel Ghirmay

The University of Kentucky has a growing commitment to being one of the top research institutions in the nation by pursuing excellence in interdisciplinary research and creative efforts that not only enrich lives, but also address the most important challenges of the Commonwealth and beyond. Serving over 5,000 UK undergraduates each year, despite being only four years old, the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies (WRD) has quickly established itself as both an emerging area of strength in creative endeavors, as well as a hub of interdisciplinary research and projects that cross traditional boundaries.

A new and exciting learning space called the “Digital Distillery” is the department’s latest effort in cultivating and supporting scholarship at the undergraduate level. The Distillery is a learning and working space as well as a

The Political Science Department’s investment in undergraduate research started paying major dividends this semester, with students producing and presenting scientific research to an unprecedented degree.

Three students – Gammon Fain, Anne Klette, and Vandenbosch Outstanding Senior finalist Elizabeth Dade – took their research projects to national disciplinary conferences, where they received advice on their work from scholars at top academic institutions around the country.  Fain, in particular, managed an historic achievement: He won the 2018 Rifai Award for best student paper at the annual meeting of the Kentucky Political Science Association – the first time the University of Kentucky has ever

By Lindsey Piercy

The American Council on Education has announced that Chana Akins, professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, has been named an ACE Fellow for the 2018-19 academic year.

Established in 1965, the ACE Fellows Program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education by identifying and preparing faculty and staff for senior positions in college and university administration through its distinctive and intensive nominator-driven, cohort-based mentorship model. Following nomination by the senior administration of their institutions and a rigorous application process, 45 fellows were selected this year.

More than 2,000 higher education leaders have participated in the ACE Fellows Program over the past five decades, with more than 80 percent of fellows having gone on to serve as senior leaders of

By Lindsey Piercy

Amanda Bunting, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Kentucky, is one of 100 doctoral students in the U. S. and Canada selected to receive a $15,000 Scholar Award from the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She was sponsored by Chapter AO KY of Lexington.

Bunting is from Frederick, Maryland. She received a bachelor's degree from Hood College in 2009 and a master's degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2014. At UK, she has received a Presidential Fellowship, the University of Kentucky Association of Emeriti Faculty Endowed Faculty Fellowship Award and is currently supported as a predoctoral scholar on a NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) T32 training grant. Bunting is dedicated to research of employment, health and treatment outcomes among substance using individuals returning to society from prison

By Blair Hoover Conner

The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants at the Outstanding Teaching Awards at the 2018 University of Kentucky Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 19, in the Lexmark Room at the Main Building. Recipients of Inclusive Excellence Awards, in partnership with the Office for Institutional Diversity, were also recognized.

UK Provost David Blackwell presented the William B. Sturgill Award, the Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize, the Outstanding Teaching Faculty and Teaching Assistant Awards.

"The diversity of disciplines reflected in the Outstanding Teaching Award winners speaks to the breadth and depth that distinguishes the University of Kentucky," Blackwell said. "But, of course, no matter the discipline, each recipient shares something of lasting importance: the art of great teaching

By Lindsey Piercy

Paul Eakin has been named the 2018 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 Lindsey Piercy

Two University of Kentucky faculty members were honored for their outstanding contributions to teaching and scholarship at the 2018 Provost Awards ceremony held April 19.

Keh-Fei Liu, professor of physics and astronomy, was presented the 2018 Albert D. and Elizabeth H. Kirwan Memorial Prize, given each year to a faculty member in recognition of outstanding contributions to original research or scholarship, with an emphasis on work produced four years prior to the award.

Dibakar Bhattacharyya, professor of chemical and materials engineering, was presented the 2018 Sturgill Award, given each year to a graduate faculty member who has provided outstanding contributions to graduate education at UK.

Keh-Fei Liu

In his 37 years at UK, Liu has successfully built an internationally recognized

By Stephanie Swarts

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced alumna Elise McConnell was awarded the Academy of Urban School Leadership: Chicago Teacher Residency for the 2018-19 academic school year.

The Chicago Teacher Residency, founded in 2001, is a teacher training program operated by Academy of Urban School Leadership (AUSL), a nonprofit organization partnering with 31 Chicago public schools to give prospective teachers the ability to earn their master’s degree and gain experience in some of the highest needs schools in Chicago. Named the largest teacher residency in the country, selected applicants spend one academic year training

By Jenny Wells and Alicia Gregory

Chad Risko, an assistant professor of chemistry in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, didn’t always know there was a career to be had in doing research – until a mentor encouraged him to study chemistry as an undergraduate.

“From there, and when I went to graduate school, is where I think the research bug really took hold,” Risko said. “Being in the lab, working with people, trying to understand new ways to solve problems – that really motivated me to pursue a career in research.”

Now, as a chemistry professor and affiliated researcher in UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), Risko says mentoring

By Lindsey Piercy

In front of a crowd of fellow classmates, faculty, staff and local leaders, victimology student Ann Pitts stepped to the podium and began to share a heartfelt story of hurt, hope and healing.

"Beyond protecting society from crime, we need to protect our survivors," Pitts said. "This has inspired a fire in me to keep pushing for change."

Pitts is one of several passionate students who had a hand in organizing the Clothesline Project held on the University of Kentucky campus on April 12.

"I decided to speak because I believe if you want to change things, you have to be brave. I wasn't just being brave for myself but for all of the survivors in the audience," Pitts continued. "I was silent for three years of my life, but I know now that it's time to speak up. I don't want survivors to think speaking out is the only option towards