by Keith Hautala

(April 17, 2014) — Physicist Juan Maldacena of the Institute for Advanced Study will visit the University of Kentucky Friday and will deliver the 2014 van Winter Memorial Lecture in Mathematical Physics.

The lecture, on "Quantum Mechanics and Geometry of Spacetime,” will take place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, in Room 155 of the Chemistry-Physics Building.

Maldacena is the leading string theorist of his generation. His 1998 discovery of the AdS/CFT correspondence set off a revolution in string theory and has found applications in many areas of physics and mathematics.

His work since then has included groundbreaking discoveries in theoretical particle physics, cosmology, and quantum gravity. He was awarded a 1999

Sometimes the most obvious questions are the ones that need to be asked. In chemistry professor David Atwood’s case, that question came in 1994 when a postdoc student working in his lab realized that there was no industrial chelator that worked with mercury.

Fast forward 20 years and 50 compounds later, and Atwood is providing answers that have some far-reaching benefits.

Discoverer: David Atwood, department of chemistry, University of KentuckyDiscovery: Highly effective mercury chelatorYears in development: SixBiological application: Antioxidant, under development as a mercury poisoning therapyEnvironmental application: Under development in water filtrationSales to date: $1.5 million, as a nutritional supplement

>>Read the

For the cadets of the 290th Air Force ROTC Cadet Wing, there was something different about March 13th. They were not marching in formation or standing at attention as they normally do. Instead, they found themselves climbing rope ladders and crossing bridges over thirty feet in the air. But how did they wind up in this situation and why were they doing it?

Asbury University, located in Wilmore, KY, offers a challenge course designed to push individuals and teams out of their comfort zones in order to build confidence in themselves and others around them. In the profession of arms, a future officer can really benefit from that confidence. “It was a great change of pace from the regular Lead Lab,” Cadet Matthew Lillard said of the event. “It was really good for morale and overall camaraderie of the Cadet Wing. It brought us all together.”

Activities like the

Edit: Denis Goldberg's talk will begin at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 21st.

by Jenny Wells, Derrick Meads

(April 14, 2014) — This week and next, the University of Kentucky will host a panel discussion and an anti-apartheid activist to honor the legacy of Nelson Mandela. 

Mandela’s name is now synonymous with South Africa’s bold attempt at national reconciliation. In light of his recent passing, the panel will explore his legacy at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in Room 230 of the UK Student Center.  A reception will follow the discussion.

The event will trace the global discourse of truth and reconciliation through a broader consideration of Mandela’s remarkable life.

According to Stephen Davis, assistant professor in the UK African American and Africana Studies program, Mandela’s life has become a point of reference in global debates about violence,

Thanks to work by a group of geographers at the University of Kentucky, to ask “Where are you drinking?” may be just as telling as “What are you drinking?”

To examine the most popular beer in any given area of the United States, Associate Professor Matt Zook of the Department of Geography and others delved into the raw data offered by Twitter. What’s the story with Kentucky? The Commonwealth seems to have a clear preference for beer, specifically Bud Light and regional brands like Hudepohl.

Read the full story in Pacific Standard Magazine. 

by Whitney Hale

(April 9, 2014) — University of Kentucky Libraries will bestow two prestigious awards at its annual dinner this weekend. Noted cultural geographer and a former Provost's Distinguished Service Professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Geography Karl Raitz will receive the 2014 UK Libraries Award for Intellectual Achievement. UK Libraries will also recognize its Paul A. Willis Outstanding Faculty Award winner, Tari Keller. Both awards will be presented at the dinner scheduled for April 11, at Griffin Gate Marriott.

The UK Libraries Award for