By Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Wendell Overcash has one great collection – a collection of minerals that wow fellow enthusiasts and competition judges alike. Most recently, he won the Geofair Gem, Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Show of Greater Cincinnati; it’s part of his collecting strategy to impress and impress big. He also recently received the Best of Species cabinet at a mineral show in Denver.

“I want viewers’ eyes to fall on the ground,” said Overcash, who honed his interest in minerals as he earned his bachelor’s degree in geology at the University of Kentucky in the 1970s. “And I can make them do that.”

Overcash also earned a law degree from UK and worked as an attorney in land acquisition and other areas for a variety of companies in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, including the Exxon Mineral Co. He eventually returned to Kentucky and performed

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2022) — The University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences has selected 21 student representatives and two co-coordinators as College Ambassadors for the 2022-23 year. The A&S Ambassador Program encourages the development of leadership and communication skills while the students represent the college to visitors, alumni and current students.

Student Ambassadors for 2022-23 are:

By C. Lynn Hiler

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 19, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence announces  the 2022 class of Chellgren Student Fellows.

Created in 2005 with a gift from Paul Chellgren, a UK graduate, and his family, the Chellgren Center creates educational opportunities for outstanding undergraduate students and professors at the university. 

College of Arts and Sciences:

The Chellgren Student Fellows Program is supported by the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence within the Office of the Provost. To learn more

By Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, Kentucky -- Erich Jarvis, a professor and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Rockefeller University, will be one of the guest speakers in the 2022 Ribble Seminar Series offered by the Department of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Kentucky.

Jarvis uses song-learning birds and other species as models to study the molecular and genetic mechanisms that underlie vocal learning. He is interested in how the brains of humans and birds evolved to produce complex vocal behavior. Learn more about Jarvis and his research

By Kent Ratajeski

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 15, 2022) — Dave Moecher, a professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, recently returned from Ireland, where he spent five months studying the erosion of the Appalachian Mountains and exploring the culture and history of the Emerald Isle.

While collaborating on research with two Irish geoscience professors, Moecher and his wife, Amy Luchsinger (recently retired from UK), lived in suburban Dublin during their stay, traveling widely throughout the country.

The experience was made possible by the Fulbright Scholar Program, which supports immersive experiences in other countries for researchers, teachers, artists and professionals with the aim of producing mutual understanding of other cultures. The Fulbright Program was

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tiffany Barnes, professor of political science in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences, will co-edit a series of books from Cambridge University Press titled “Elements in Gender & Politics.”  

The series will combine scholarship with theory to show how politics and gender shape the world. Monographs will examine traditional areas of political science as well as diversity, intersectionality and LGBTQ+ issues. Her co-editor is Diana Z. O’Brien, professor of political science at Washington University in St. Louis. 

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2022) — Next week will kick off the Many Mountains Fall Festival, a student-led, weekslong celebration of Appalachian and Latinx cultures. Including arts, music, food and dance, the festival celebrates Appalachian cultural diversity with a special emphasis on Latinx experiences and expressions in the region. The week will be anchored by a performance by Cornbread & Tortillas, a dynamic bilingual production that features stories, music and dancing.

The festival is a collaboration between the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program; the 

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Richard Mitchell,left, and Austin Hachey, graduate students in the Glazer and Heidary Labs of the Department of Chemistry in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences, each have received an Outstanding Research Poster Prize at the 2022 Metals in Medicine Gordon Research Conference in Andover, New Hampshire. Their work was selected from more than 80 presentations. 

Mitchell, co-advised by Professor Jason DeRouchey, presented his work on the synthesis and characterization of a

By Micha'la Hood and Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 12, 2022) — It’s been 157 years since the end of American slavery, but the journey to telling the true history of that era has only just begun.

University of Kentucky’s Amy Murrell Taylor helps tell that critical story in two upcoming PBS documentaries — "Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom" and "Becoming Frederick Douglass."

Murrell Taylor is the T. Marshall Hahn Jr. Professor of History in the College of Arts and Sciences and the author of two award-winning books, “Embattled Freedom: Journeys Through the Civil

By Jenny Wells-Hosely

This Sunday marks the 21st anniversary of 9/11, and the University of Kentucky Army ROTC and Air Force ROTC programs are remembering those who lost their lives in the deadliest terrorist attack in human history.  

Cadet Cole Wilson, with UK’s Pershing Rifles chapter, says cadets will continue their annual tradition on Sunday, dressing in uniform and placing small flags in memory of each of the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11 on the front lawn of UK's Main Building.  

The ceremony will begin with remarks at 8:25 a.m. by Cadet Wilson and Lt. Col. Alan Overmyer, UK professor of military science. 

From a podium, cadets will then read the name of each victim throughout the day. They will begin reading the names at 8:46 a.m., when the first attack occurred. They will also raise the American flag at this time. 

A cadet will

By Stacey Gish

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Alumni Association announced the selection of 27 student representatives as Alumni Ambassadors for the 2022-23 academic year. Alumni Ambassadors serve as official student hosts of UK, promoting the university at numerous events in partnership between the Office of the President, Office of Philanthropy and the UK Alumni Association.

Alumni Ambassadors for 2022-23 are:

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Retired NASA astronaut Story Musgrave and Space Tango co-creator Kris Kimel will discuss Musgrave’s career during a Kentucky Humanities event at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct 13, at the Worsham Theatre in the University of Kentucky’s Gatton Student Center. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required; attendees may register here.  

"The problem of space exploration cannot just be solved with science and technology," said

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Nolia Williams spent her summer mixing her psychology and journalism majors in western Kentucky, where she got to talk to people affected by the ravages of environmental disasters. 

Working for the news network of the Edge Media Group, Williams wrote and recorded stories about tornado relief near Princeton and Hopkinsville, Kentucky, as well as some good-news stories, including a program for Trigg County homemakers and free medical care for veterans.  

By Jesi Jones-Bowman

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 31, 2022) ­— The Office of Undergraduate Research at the University of Kentucky is honored to announce that 22 students have been selected for the 2022-23 Undergraduate Research Ambassador program.

The program’s mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to actively engage in research and creative scholarship. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence and  leadership potential and be involved in mentored research. This year’s ambassadors represent six colleges, 15 disciplines and 18 research areas.

The student leaders’ goal is to make undergraduate research more accessible. Ambassadors promote undergraduate research involvement and opportunities through student outreach and program

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 29, 2022) — A study led by the University of Kentucky has been selected for funding by the National Science Foundation’s “Biodiversity on a Changing Planet” program, an international, transdisciplinary effort that addresses major challenges related to climate change. The five-year project has been awarded nearly $2.5 million.

Led by Michael McGlue, associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, the study seeks to understand how aquatic biodiversity in Africa’s Great Rift Valley is affected by climate change.

The award marks a major milestone for climate research at UK — something McGlue and faculty hope to see even more support.

“Citizens of the

UK Chemistry Doctoral Student Receives U.S. Department of Energy Stipend By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Henry Pruett, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry in the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences, has received a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Graduate Student Research fellowship, which provides a stipend of $3,600 a month.  

The program provides supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to pursue part of their graduate thesis research at a department laboratory or facility in areas that address scientific challenges. Pruett is researching at a National Renewable Energy Laboratory near

By Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 23, 2022) — University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences students have received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to support their education abroad goals.

The Gilman Scholarship supports students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to  students with high financial need, community college students, students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilities. Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award, ranging from $100 to $5,000, to defray the cost of tuition, room and board, books, local

By Lindsey Piercy, Allison Perry and Danielle Donham

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 19, 2022) — In a myth-busting WVLK segment, “That’s Not How Any of This Works,” experts from various disciplines at the University of Kentucky discuss how their career paths and fields of study aren’t as they always appear on screen.

Stephen Voss, associate professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, guest hosted the show, which aired live on Aug. 19. The segment is also 

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Cameron McAlister, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences, has received a National Institute of Social Science 2022 Dissertation Grant. The grant is for $5,000.  

McAlister’s research examines how uneven development affects rural opportunity structures and outcomes for health and mortality. His dissertation, “Deaths of Deaths of Despair, Rurality, and Spatial Inequality: Emplacing Violent Death,” examines elevated rates of suicides and drug- and alcohol-