By Kendra Sanders

All it takes is one seed to be planted in order to grow something great.

First year, graduate student Luis Sordo Vieira likely received that seed from his grandfather who demonstrated math tricks that fascinated him at a young age.

Now, at the age of 22, Luis has won a prestigious fellowship from the National Science Foundation for his impressive achievement and research proposal in mathematics.

Luis grew up in Venezuela, and later moved to Michigan at the age of 13. “It was rough at first,” explained Luis, “I barely knew how to speak English, so it took me some time in to get used to the language.”

He attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan for undergraduate study, and originally expected to pursue physics. He admitted, “I was a little interested in math from my grandpa

By Jenny Wells. Video by Reveal Research Media.

The UK Office of Undergraduate Research, along with SPUR (the Society for the Promotion of Undergraduate Research), and the UK Student Government Association, will host the eighth annual Showcase for Undergraduate Scholars 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, in the ballrooms of the UK Student Center. 

Each year, the showcase brings together undergraduates from all disciplines, their faculty mentors, and members of the community to learn about the various types of research being done by undergraduate students at UK. This occasion provides these students the opportunity to demonstrate and discuss their specific projects and the professional advancements the projects helped

By Whitney Hale, Kayla Powell

In conjunction with the Art Museum at the University of Kentucky exhibition Curves in Math, Waves in Glass, Origami and Glass Works, father-son team, Martin Demaine and Erik Demaine, will discuss the relationship of art and mathematics in a lecture scheduled April 24. The exhibition, which opened April 21, runs through May 26. 

Martin Demaine and Erik Demaine will present Algorithms Meet Art, Puzzles and Magic at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, at the Worsham Theater in the

By Sarah Geegan, Seth Riker

UK students Anil Erol, Holly Poore and Heidi Vollrath will conduct research that takes them across the globe this summer.

Education Abroad at UK (EA) and the Office of Undergraduate Research (UGR) awarded the three UK students with an Undergraduate Research Abroad Scholarship (UGRAS) to support their international independent research projects during the summer session. The scholarships are the result of a new collaboration between EA and UGR to support experienced undergraduate researchers as they explore their academic interests abroad ­– with the support of their UK faculty mentors. 

“

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections will highlight the projects of its first full cohort of Learning Lab interns with an undergraduate panel presentation, exhibition and reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in the Margaret I. King Building. The events and exhibition are free and open to the public.

Currently in its inaugural year, the Special Collections Learning Lab (SCLL) is a center of primary research, experiential learning, and training. Targeting undergraduate students in the humanities, social sciences and arts, the SCLL promotes undergraduate research, scholarship and

By President Eli Capilouto

Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to China with a delegation from the University of Kentucky to advance several partnerships growing between UK's colleges and departments and universities and industries in a country growing in economic importance.

One such partnership is between UK's Center for Applied Energy Research and the world's largest power company. During a meeting with industry representatives, we shared our exciting work in the development of clean coal technology and discussed partnerships, the exchange of students, and faculty collaboration as part of the US-China Clean Energy Research Center.

As we met, they described several multi-billion dollar research and development investments in their country’s energy sector. In comparison, the proposed

By Sarah Geegan

Students from Shanghai University (SHU) will get a taste of the bluegrass this week as the UK American Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences will host a summit for SHU students on Monday, April 22.

Shanghai University is home to one of approximately 10 American Studies Centers in China. Funded by a grant from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and pioneered through a joint-venture agreement between SHU and UK, the center began operation in 2011.

Since then the facility has served to emphasize the diversity of American culture and experience, to broaden Chinese

By Dean Mark Lawrence Kornbluh

 

The College of Arts & Sciences is very pleased to announce that Dr. Frank Ettensohn of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences has been named the 2013-14 Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor.  Dr. Ettensohn’s thirty plus year career at the University of Kentucky is remarkable for its breadth and depth across all the roles expected of a university professor.  He has become an internationally recognized and widely published expert in sedimentary geology and paleontology, excelled in both undergraduate and graduate education, and compiled a truly distinguished record of service to the University, the Department, the science education community of central Kentucky, and the

By Sarah Geegan

by Sarah Geegan

By Guy Spriggs

By Whitney Hale

In celebration of the University of Kentucky's upcoming sesquicentennial in 2015, the 53rd of 150 weekly installments remembers the tradition of class competitions at the institution, including popular tug of war battles.

In the early 1900s, State College, Lexington, Kentucky, as UK was then known, had a total enrollment in the 700s, tuition was free to all residents of the state of Kentucky, and the physical boundaries of the core campus were Rose Street, Graham Avenue, Limestone Street., and Winslow (now Avenue of the Champions). Only three buildings were outside those bounds: Department of Agriculture (now Scovell Hall, home of UK Human Resources); a greenhouse; and

By Whitney Hale, Grace Liddle

The University of Kentucky Department of Theatre in collaboration with UK's Russian Studies Program and the Department of History will present Bulgakov's Dreams, a drama on the life of the Soviet writer. The performance will begin 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21, at Reynolds Building No. 1.

Mikhaíl Afanasyevich Bulgakov was a Soviet writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which has been called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century. Bulgakov's Dreams is a

By Whitney Hale

Writer and alumnus John W. Egerton will receive the 2013 University of Kentucky Libraries Award for Intellectual Achievement. The award will be presented at the UK Libraries Annual Dinner scheduled for April 19, at Griffin Gate Marriott, located at 1800 Newtown Pike. As part of the dinner, Egerton will talk about the place of libraries and the future of paper in the cyber age.

The UK Libraries Award for Intellectual Achievement recognizes high intellectual achievement while encouraging education and promoting creativity throughout the Commonwealth. Candidates must have been born in

By Whitney Hale

Florida playwright Jo Morello has won the second biennial Prize for Women Playwrights presented by the Kentucky Women Writers Conference (KWWC) for her full-length play, E.G.O.: The Passions of Eugene Gladstone O'Neill. The prize carries a $500 cash award and a fully staged theatrical production at Balagula Theatre in Lexington, where it will be produced as a world premiere in September 2013. Morello's script was selected by American playwright, television writer and activist Kia Corthron from a pool of

By Whitney Hale

In celebration of the University of Kentucky's upcoming sesquicentennial in 2015, the 52nd of 150 weekly installments chronicles a set of rules and guidelines of proper behavior given to women at the institution in 1918.

The Woman’s Self Government Association of the University of Kentucky was founded in 1918 to enact and enforce regulations to promote the welfare and further the best living conditions of the women of UK. Article II of their constitution stated that "all women of the University of Kentucky, residing in the halls of residence, fraternity houses and boarding houses were members of the Association until they proved themselves incapable of self-government." The association addressed rules and guidelines for lights out; absences from halls of residences; callers; entertainment; walking and automobiling; picnicking, lunching, and

By Marybeth McAlister

Four local high school students who were mentored by University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research scientists have proved that experience gained by working in laboratories with mentors is invaluable.

Valerie Sarge, a junior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, placed first in the Energy and Transportation category at the Central Kentucky Regional Science and Engineering Fair, going on to win first place in the same category at the state competition. This qualifies her to go on to Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) to be held in Phoenix. Sarge was mentored by John

By Bryan O'Loughlin, Whitney Hale

Sam Beavin, a University of Kentucky junior majoring in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry, has been awarded a Udall Scholarship of up to $5,000 for his senior year. Beavin is one of 50 students selected to receive the scholarship from a pool of more than 450 applicants.

The Udall Scholarships provide up to $5,000 to sophomore and junior level college students who have shown commitment to careers related to the environment, tribal public policy, or Native American health care. Scholarships are funded by the Udall Foundation, an independent federal agency that was established by Congress in 1992.

Beavin is the son of Gary and Tina Beavin of Louisville, Ky., and a 2010 graduate of St. Xavier High School.

The UK