By Lindsey Piercy

It's the diagnosis those 65 and older often fear, but what are the chances you will be unhappy if you develop some cognitive impairment in the years ahead?

A new study, authored by Anthony Bardo and Scott Lynch, tackles that very question by examining "cognitive life expectancy." What exactly does that term mean? Bardo, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Kentucky, describes "cognitive life expectancy" as how long older adults live with good versus declining brain health.

"There is a great deal of stigma and fear surrounding declining cognitive ability that sometimes comes with age — especially among those nearing the second half of their adult lives. Yet, findings from my recent study show that cognitive impairment does not equate to unhappiness."

How did Bardo

By Trey Melcher and Jenny Wells

Na'imah Muhammad and Nedjma Kalliney discuss their writings in a session of the "Giggles, Guts, and Glitter" creativity workshop. Photo courtesy of Anna K. Stone.

DaMaris B. Hill, an assistant professor of creative writing and English literature in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, recently hosted a writing and creativity workshop for young women of color. The workshop was made possible by a "Girls of Color: Voice and Vision" grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.

The purpose of the project was to elevate the voices and lived experiences of these young women by sharing personal stories and creating art.

"A project that educates black girls about accessing voice,

By Whitney Hale and Jenny Wells

More than 45 of the University of Kentucky's students and recent graduates had the world's most prestigious scholarship, fellowship and internship organizations take note this year. The newest class of highly regarded scholars include UK’s 14th Truman Scholar and first Pickering Fellow.

Helping prepare these UK students and recent alumni to compete for and win such honors is the mission of the UK Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. Under the guidance and leadership of Pat Whitlow, the office identifies and works with young scholars on the application process for large scholastic prizes awarded by regional, national and international sources.

This year UK students and alumni were recognized with the following awards:

By Trey Melcher

Jazmin Brown-Ianuzzi, assistant professor of psychology, is one of five young scholars selected for the inaugural Course Hero Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching.

Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi, assistant professor of psychology in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, is one of five young scholars selected for the inaugural Course Hero Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching.

The fellowship supports rising stars who love teaching, demonstrate excellence as educators and are shaping their fields with exceptional research. The fellowship is a "genius grant" that emphasizes the balance between scholarly excellence and an approach to teaching that creates a new level of engagement for students in and

By Olivia Ramirez

Nancy Schoenberg and Carrie Oser

At the University for Kentucky, understanding and addressing the health needs of the people of the Commonwealth is the goal of many faculty, staff, clinicians and researchers. As a step toward improving health equity, the University of Kentucky Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) was established and recently approved by the UK Board of Trustees. 

Kentucky has the highest national rates of cancer incidence and mortality as well as high rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, substance abuse and other diseases. These burdensome health conditions disproportionately impact rural, racial/ethnic minorities, sexual minorities and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Health equity research examines health and healthcare for underserved populations and looks at the

By Trey Melcher

Virginia Carter, who led the Kentucky Humanities Council for more than two decades, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from the University of Kentucky at its December Commencement ceremonies. The UK Board of Trustees approved the recommendation of Carter at its last meeting. UK's honorary degrees pay tribute to those whose life and work exemplify professional, intellectual, or artistic achievement and have made significant contributions to society, the state and the University of Kentucky.

Growing up in Lexington, Carter developed a deep appreciation for nature, the great outdoors and adventure at an early age. After earning a fine arts bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and an art history master's from UK, Carter taught at the University of Northern Iowa. Later, she returned to UK to earn a master's and doctorate in

By Amy Jones-Timoney, Kody Kiser, Jenny Wells-Hosley, and Brad Nally

With 27 majors and 36 minors, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is UK's largest college and touches almost every UK student by providing foundations for advanced study in every field.

Mark Kornbluh, who has served as dean of the college since 2009, talked with UKNow recently — during a walk through UK's main campus — about a few of the things that make his college so special: a diverse student body, outstanding faculty, interdisciplinary partnerships across campus and state-of-the-art facilities, like the new Don and Cathy Jacobs Science

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that modern and classical languages/Russian studiesand political science freshman Anna Wagner has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship to study Russian. The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS), a program of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, offers intensive summer language institutes overseas in 14 critical need foreign languages.

The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages. Participants are expected to

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that doctoral students Calah Ford and Lydia Hager and 2018 graduate Aaron Mueller have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. In addition, six other UK students received honorable mention recognition from the NSF. 

NSF Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees for a research-based master's or doctoral degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) field. For the 2018 competition, NSF received over 12,000 applications and made 2,000 award offers.