By Sarah Schuetze

Despite differences in subject matter and methods, students in disciplines like biology and English have some common ground: they are part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Recently, this common ground connected two University of Kentucky alumni who graduated over 30 years apart.

Bob Burke graduated from UK with a degree in sociology in 1970 and Casey Robinson with a degree in Mathematical Economics in 2014. Their shared ties to A&S led to a valuable opportunity for Robinson, made possible by Burke. On a sunny day last spring, Robinson and Burke met for lunch

by: Shane Tedder, Whitney Harder, Mariah Rhodes

(Jan. 27, 2015) — "Green Talks," a new weekly talk show on WRFL 88.1, is focusing on student-funded sustainability efforts at the University of Kentucky. With efforts ranging from bottle filling stations and outdoor recycling bins to keynote speakers and funding assistance for research, travel and symposia, there is a lot to talk about. Listen to the show from 4-4:30 p.m. every Wednesday.

Funding for these initiatives comes from a mandatory student fee called the Environmental Stewardship Fee, which was initiated in 2009. Each full-time UK student pays $3.25 per semester into the fund, which generates approximately

by Sarah Schuetze

Sitting at the front of the room at a seminar table crowded with more students than anyone imagined, professor Francie Chassen-Lopez said, “I always say I have one foot on either side of the border.”

Chassen-Lopez is one of the four instructors teaching Social Theory 600, a graduate seminar called “Transnational Lives.” The professors include Ana Liberato, Cristina Alcalde, and Steven Alvarez—each representing a different discipline and approach to the course. “What makes this so exciting,” Alcalde said, “is we’re all coming at this from different perspectives.”

In many ways,

by Gail Hairston

(Jan. 27, 2015) ‒ From Reverence to Resistance, a series of lectures about Appalachians on film, begins today with “Genre and Jessica Lynch” at 2 p.m. today in William T. Young Library Auditorium.

Stacy Takacs, author of “Terrorism TV,” will discuss how Hollywood can “spin” a war. Her lecture will answer the question “Was West Virginia soldier Jessica Lynch really a female Rambo, and did the military make her a damsel in distress who needed to be saved from Iraqis?”

The next lecture, Hillbilly Horror, is slated Feb. 24, presented by Emily Satterwhite, author of “Dear Appalachia.” The lecture will focus on Appalachian slasher films like “Wrong Turn,” a series of six movies about deformed cannibals hunting in West Virginia.

The last lecture in the series, Goodbye Gauley Mountain, takes place March 24, and welcomes filmmakers Beth

By Whitney Harder

(Jan. 26, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Department of Mathematics, within the College of Arts and Sciences, is proud to announce the appointment of Benjamin Braun to the Wimberly and Betty Royster Research Professorship, and Uwe Nagel to the Ralph E. and Norma L. Edwards Research Professorship. 

The Royster and Edwards professorships serve to recognize the Department of Mathematics' most active researchers and to support their research. Both positions are three-year terms and include a stipend to support salary or research expenses.

Recommendations for the professorships

by: Carl Nathe

(Jan. 23, 2015) — George C. Wright, who began his career in higher education as a faculty member in the history department at the University of Kentucky, has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. Wright's term runs until the fall of 2019.

The Board of Directors oversees six NCAA committees that focus on essential topics including academic performance, infractions, and legislation. It consists of presidents, athletic directors, senior woman administrators, faculty representatives and student-athletes.

Wright, who recently began his second decade as president of Prairie View A&M University in Texas, is a

 by: Jay Blanton and Whitney Hale

(Jan. 22, 2015) — Former U.S. Senator Wendell H. Ford not only left an indelible mark on the Commonwealth, but on his university — the University of Kentucky.

For decades, he was intimately involved with the Martin School for Public Policy and Administration, and a public policy research center in UK Libraries bears his name.

UK Libraries also is home to his correspondence, papers and oral histories that document his long public service career as a legislator, lieutenant governor, governor and senator.

The following are quotes from prominent UK

by: Kathy Johnson

(Jan. 23, 2015) — WUKY's "UK Perspectives" focuses on the people and programs of the University of Kentucky and is hosted by WUKY General Manager Tom Godell.  Sitting in for Godell this week is WUKY News Director Alan Lytle.  His guest is Mallory Powell, communications director for the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science and curator for the new Rooted in Our Communities-UK In Appalachia website.

To listen to the podcast interview from which "UK Perspectives" is produced, visit http://wuky.org/post/uk-

by: Whitney Hale

(Jan. 22, 2015) — Nathan Moore, a University of Kentucky English senior from Louisville, Kentucky, has been selected to present the 21st annual Edward T. Breathitt Undergraduate Lectureship in the Humanities at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, in the UK Athletics Auditorium at William T. Young Library. Moore's free public lecture focuses on intersections of African American literature, history and cultural memory.

The Breathitt Lectureship was named for an outstanding UK alumnus who showed an exceptional interest in higher education and the humanities, Gov. Edward T. Breathitt. The lectureship is awarded to an

by: Gail Hairston

(Jan. 22, 2015) — Brandie Cobb is a survivor, but more importantly she is also a “thriver.”

A wealth of pain, heartache and hope go into that phrase “survivor of abuse.” But when an individual goes beyond coping to excelling, it is cause for celebration and recognition. Cobb, a University of Kentucky junior, is that kind of individual.

UK and others have chosen to applaud and reward the determination and courage Cobb so modestly displays. The UK Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women awarded Cobb its first Verizon Wireless Women’s Empowerment Scholarship in 2013. Also, Cobb was recently inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars for her “commitment to the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service.”

“I want to

by: Whitney Hale

(Jan. 22, 2015) — A friendship with novelist and new University of Kentucky faculty member Hannah Pittard led to Ann Beattie becoming keynote speaker for the 2015 Kentucky Women Writers Conference. The conference, which runs Sept. 11-12, will follow the publication of Beattie’s next book, "The State We’re In: Maine Stories," in August.

"Ann Beattie is a living legend whom we’ve always wanted to bring to the conference. Professor Pittard’s arrival in Lexington and her experience as Beattie’s student at the University of Virginia made this the perfect year to host Ann,” Conference

by: Gail Hariston

(Jan. 22, 2015) — Global events have been happening at a rate few of us can track much less comprehend. Populism and right wing politics in Europe and Latin America could be such issues for many.

Several University of Kentucky programs, including the International Studies Program and the Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences and University Press of Kentucky, have organized two events just for those of us trying to keep up with global politics.

The first event ‒ “The State of the Right in Europe and Latin America” ‒.is scheduled at

by: Whitney Harder

(Jan. 21, 2015) — Six University of Kentucky educators were recently named recipients of the UK Alumni Association 2015 Great Teacher Award.

The recipients are:

by: Whitney Hale

(Jan. 21, 2015) — University of Kentucky Confucius Institute and thePatterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce will present a lecture by Craig A. Harton positive and negative dynamics of China-U.S. relations. The talk, which will explore aspects of energy and climate, regional security, trade and rule of law, will begin 2:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, in the William T. Young Library Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public.

"Dr. Hart has over a decade of experience working with China both as an attorney advising on energy infrastructure projects and teaching at

By Sarah Schuetze

When preparing a meal, a standard cooking time can be shortened by increasing heat or pressure.  How do you begin to condense the “cook time” of a college semester? 

Fifteen weeks of class sessions, assignments, readings, discussions, projects, and tests…Sometimes it doesn’t feel long enough to fit everything in. However, UK Linguistics professor Mark Lauersdorf and visiting professor Joachim Scharloth collaborated on designing a compressed course comprised of just five days.

Instead of heat and pressure, Lauersdorf and Scharloth used intensive student interaction and a condensed schedule to serve up a

by Whitney Hale

(Jan. 16, 2015) – In celebration of the University of Kentucky sesquicentennial, UK Special Collections Research Center is releasing the diary entries of former student Virginia Clay McClure. The diary chronicles the day-to-day activities of McClure's junior and senior years at the State University of Kentucky (now UK) from 1910-1912. McClure's 19th and 20th diary entries, dated Jan. 16 and 18, 1911, chronicle hijinks between friends and a game between faculty and the institution's varsity basketball team.  

Jan. 16th, 1911.  Lillian, Addie, Bess, Marion, Lillie, Maria, Pauline, Susan, and I met to see “Madam Sherry” on general admission. I had taken Edna’s coat away from her on the campus that afternoon, and Pauline wore it back to the 

by Jenny Wells

(Jan. 16, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) hosted an Energy Fair on campus last month for 271 fourth and fifth graders from Russell Cave, Yates and Cassidy Elementary Schools in Lexington. The fair provided the students with opportunities to meet scientists, learn about different forms of energy, participate in hands-on experiments, and even tour UK's campus. 

In addition to CAER, represenatives from the UK Chapter of the Society of Mining Engineers, Fayette County Public Schools Energy and Sustainability, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Kentucky Geological Survey, and Bluegrass Energy provided interactive stations for the students.

"The Energy Fair trip was a tremendous success," said Josh Radner, a science

by Gail Hairston

(Jan. 16, 2015) — The theme for Lexington’s 2015 celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is MLK Today: The Courage to Change.

The day, Monday, Jan. 19, begins with the Freedom March lineup at 9 a.m. in the corridor outside Heritage Hall, downtown Lexington Center. Those participating in the Freedom March will depart Heritage Hall at 10 a.m., and return in time for the kickoff to the commemorative program at 11 a.m.

Lexington is always eager to learn who the MLK Day commemorative program’s keynote speaker will be. And the event planners rarely disappoint.

This year, Susan L. Taylor, the visionary leader and former chief editor of Essence magazine, will present the keynote address.

At Essence

by Gail Hairston

(Jan. 15, 2015) — As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, the University of Kentucky Martin Luther King Center is pursuing distinctive ways to highlight King’s legacy. Through Monday, Jan. 19, the center is offering a variety of events and opportunities that honor King’s dream and convey how important it is to keep his dream alive. King strived to eradicate social injustice, violence and racism, and the campus wants to celebrate that dream.

The film “Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” was shown Wednesday. For this year’s celebration of King’s actual birthday, Jan. 15, the center is celebrating and reflecting on the civil rights leader’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech.” The event begins Thursday with a silent march at the King Center at 5 p.m. A vigil and program

by Derrick Meads

(Jan. 12, 2015) — UK’s Global Health Initiative is hosting a lecture about the success of Cuba’s health care system in spite of its economy.

The lecture, titled “The Curious Case of Cuba,” will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, in the Chandler Hospital, Pavilion A Auditorium.

According to Dr. C. William Keck who will be giving the lecture, 1.3 billion people live, and die, without health care.

“Most are in developing countries, but many are in industrialized nations,” said Keck. “Proving that political will, not wealth, is the key to transforming this devastating picture.The lecture will focus on the nature of the Cuban national health system, the forces that sustain it and the promise it holds as a model for others to