by Keith Hautala

(Aug. 13, 2014) — University of Kentucky biologist Jeramiah Smith studies salamanders and sea lamprey to find genetic clues to regeneration. Smith works closely with colleague Randal Voss on sequencing the salamander genome. Both are in the Department of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences.

"It’s 10 times bigger than the human genome, even though it probably contains essentially the same genes as the human genome," he said. "So there are lessons that can be learned about how organisms deal with all the DNA they have by looking at sort of this extreme example in salamanders. It can provide an important perspective on what the ancestral genome looked like."

Like salamanders, sea lamprey can regenerate

By Gail Hairston

(Aug. 11, 2014) — Often, research findings reflect the scientist’s and the public’s expectations. Sometimes, they come close. Other times, research results simply astound everyone.

Case in point is the recent research of Professor Peter R. Giancola of the psychology department of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences. He, and his former graduate student, Aaron Duke, have found an unexpected relation between spiritual beliefs, violence and alcohol consumption.

“Oversimplifying — in many cases the more religious someone is, the more aggressive they will become after drinking alcohol,” Giancola said.

The researcher defined religiosity as someone who “finds meaning in the sacred,” regardless of the doctrine they follow.

Pointing out that

By Zachary Dodson

Research at the University of Kentucky expands well beyond campus, and thanks to Physics & Astronomy professor Gary Ferland we have to measure the distance in light years instead of miles.

Ferland’s research focuses on theoretical atomic & molecular physics and how matter in space produces the light we see. Unlike other scientists, astronomers cannot perform experiments – they can’t reach out and touch another galaxy. But they have an advantage – a time machine – they can look into the past by observing galaxies far from the Earth.  It’s a science driven by observation and analysis. For this reason, Ferland and his colleagues are experts in remote sensing.

“We take the light that we can receive here on Earth and figure out

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 5, 2014) — Assistant Professor Brandi Frisbi and Associate Professor Kevin Real, from the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information, and Katherine Rogers-Carpenter, lecturer in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digitial Studies at the UK College of Arts and Sciences, led a series of college teacher training workshops at Qingdao Technological University in China from July 14 through Aug. 1, 2014.

The three-week workshops were collaboratively designed to improve English and teaching skills for campus-wide faculty members at Qingdao Tech and attracted the participation of more than 25 faculty members representing several disciplines (e.g., architecture, landscape design, pollution control, energy, literature, civil engineering

by Mallory Powell

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 5, 2014) -- University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto will join U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers and Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), at a Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Health Impact Series to discuss the health challenges in the region and announce two new UK initiatives to address them.

The announcements will come during a symposium held at Hazard Community and Technical College, the second “Health Impact Series” event with the CDC as part of the SOAR initiative.

According to the Kentucky Department for Public Health, this region has a greater prevalence for heart disease (84 percent higher), diabetes (47 percent higher) and obesity (26 percent higher) than the nation’s average. The state’s lung cancer mortality rates are the nation’s highest, at 67 percent

by Gail Hairston

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 4, 2014) — The Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women (OPSVAW) in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences recently announced that it will support the largest number of graduate and professional students within its relatively short history.  One of the top priorities of the OPSVAW is the support of students, and the 2014-2015 academic year will see the program support five individuals through graduate fellowships and research assistantships.

“It is an extraordinary opportunity to advance the careers of these young scholars while also teaching them that there are real women behind the work that they do,” said Carol Jordan executive director of OPSVAW. “I believe we help give real purpose and inspiration to their academic careers while they also

Video by UK Research Media. 

by Keith Hautala

(July 30, 2014) — University of Kentucky biologist Ann Morris is studying retinal regeneration in zebrafish to find ways to combat human eye diseases.

The small, minnow-like fish have eyes that develop in a way very similar to humans. Unlike humans, however, zebrafish have the ability to regenerate retinal cells following an injury. Diseases of the retina are a leading cause of blindness in older adults. 

“With zebrafish the embryos develop outside the mother, and they are completely transparent. And development occurs very rapidly," Morris said. "So we can study the process of the development of eye under the light microscope in a dish, and it only takes a couple days to happen."

How is it that zebrafish can

by Elizabeth Adams

(July 30, 2014) — The phrase "we caught it early" is possibly the best news a patient can hear in the midst of a cancer diagnosis. Combating cancer in its earliest stages, when the disease is localized to a certain part of the body, gives patients the best chances of survival.

Screenings for breast, skin, colon, prostate and other forms of cancer are touted for saving lives through early detection. Many health care providers recommend cancer screenings as a precautionary measure, especially for high-risk patients. But in the case of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, the patient's decision to undergo a screening process is more complex.

According to University of Kentucky psychologist Dr. Jamie Studts, lung cancer screening is an algorithm, not an event. Patients aren't always aware of the physical and

by Rachel Knuth

(July 29, 2014) — Adam J. Banks professor in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies recently received the 2014 Rhetorician of the Year at The Young Rhetoricians Conference.

Banks, born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, received his bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University and his master’s and doctoral degrees in English from Penn State University. Banks is currently the director of writing, rhetoric and digital studies (WRD), teaching

by Heather Chapman

(July 24, 2014) — When in Lexington, do as the Romans do — at least if you're attending the Conventiculum Latinum Lexintoniense, a week-long conference on the University of Kentucky campus where participants from all over the world are immersed in the Latin language.

How immersed? UK Latin Professor Terence Tunberg, who has directed the conference since its inception in 1996, says all participants must sign a contract promising to speak only Latin until the end of the conference on July 28.

And they do. Sitting in a quiet corner of the Blazer Hall cafeteria around lunch time this week feels like a field trip to the Roman Forum. Even while eating their lunch, conventiculum attendees strictly

Video by UK Research Media

by Keith Hautala

(July 23, 2014) — University of Kentucky Biology Professor Ashley Seifert, whose research is focused on skin regeneration, is studying the African spiny mouse, a tiny mammal with some amazing regenerative abilities.     

"What’s phenomenal is that they’re able to regenerate complex tissue structures," Seifert said. "They can regenerate all of the components of their skin including hair follicles, sebaceous glands and the underlying dermis, the structural component which gives the skin strength. And then, in the ears, amazingly, they can regenerate cartilage. Any orthopedic surgeon will tell you what a huge advance it would be if we could figure out how to regenerate cartilage in a mammal." 

by Whitney Hale

(July 22, 2014) — Fiction writer Rebecca Makkai, whose novel "The Hundred-Year House" was published this month, and the multi-talented Margaret Wrinkle, author of the 2013 novel "Wash," will read from their work and teach fiction at the Kentucky Women Writers Conference being held Sept. 12-13, in Lexington.

Chicago-based writer Makkai just released her second novel, "The Hundred-Year House," described by The Los Angeles Times as "a big-hearted gothic novel, an intergenerational mystery, a story of heartbreak and a romance, all

by Kathy Johnson

(July 21, 2014) — A portion of Rose Street closes today in connection with construction of the new $112 million Academic Science Building that will transform the way students, faculty and staff learn, teach and conduct research on the University of Kentucky campus.

To move forward on this critical facility, demolition of old buildings and the ensuing construction on Rose Street will result in the need for closure of a portion of Rose Street between Huguelet Drive and Funkhouser Drive, and the section of Rose Street from Columbia Avenue to Funkhouser Drive will be restricted to local traffic only. Traffic will be detoured around the construction area using the streets of Columbia Avenue, Woodland Avenue, Hilltop Avenue, University Drive and Huguelet Drive.

Meawhile, the portion of Washington Avenue from South Limestone to Gladstone Avenue

by Keith Hautala

(July 21, 2014) — A "water justice" workshop organized by the University of Kentucky's Appalachian Center was held July 7-11 in Robinson Forest to promote equal access to water resources and inclusive decision-making concerning these resources on local, regional and global scales.

Participants included Kentucky high school students, public school educators, UK faculty and staff, biology and biosystems engineering majors, natural resources and environmental science majors, a faculty member and three undergraduates from the University of Lampung, Indonesia, visiting scholars from Denver University and Eastern Kentucky University, and representatives from the Kentucky River Watershed Watch, Kentucky Division of Water, Upper Tennessee River Roundtable, the Kentucky

by Keith Hautala

(July 21, 2014) — The Commonwealth’s first megawatt-scale carbon capture pilot unit at an operating power plant will soon be located at Kentucky Utilities Company’s E.W. Brown Generating Station, near Harrodsburg.

The announcement was made during a news conference and ribbon cutting on the grounds of the facility this morning with Gov. Steve Beshear, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Len Peters, LG&E and KU Energy Chairman, CEO and President Victor Staffieri, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto, and other dignitaries and industrial partners in attendance.

The $19.5 million project with the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy

by Jenny Wells

(July 17, 2014) — Just because school is out for summer doesn't mean every student is taking a break from learning.  Many students from the Fayette County Public School's (FCPS) STEAM Academy have participated in labs and even undergraduate research at the University of Kentucky to further enhance their already innovative educational experience.

The STEAM Academy (which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) opened in Lexington last fall, offering its students a blended learning instructional program, focusing on mastery learning, personalized instruction and opportunities to engage in resources at UK.  The school functions under a partnership between FCPS and UK (led by the College of Education), offering dual/college credit opportunities in UK courses taught by UK faculty 

By Brian Connors Manke

(July 16, 2014) — Originally from Indianapolis, Nathan Moore and his mother moved to Louisville when he was around 12. Growing up on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, Moore is somewhat conflicted as a northern southerner, or is that southern northerner?

Regardless, one direction that Moore is certainly moving is up. The University of Kentucky junior was recently named a fellow for the Schomburg-Mellon Humanities Summer Institute in New York City, and as one of only 10 recipients to be bestowed that honor, it is helping to further define who Nathan Moore is and who he is quickly becoming as an academic.

“Being accepted into this fellowship is not only a prestigious and exciting opportunity,

by Ashley Tabb

(July 14, 2014) — The University of Kentucky’s newest MOOC (massive open online course) is focused on skills students need to transition into college, wherever they attend. Thousands of individuals have signed up to take the free, open college-preparatory course online.

"How to Succeed in College," beginning Tuesday, July 15, will be the university’s second offering on Coursera, a leading platform for MOOCs. The non-credit course is designed to prepare incoming and current students for college-level classes.

The five-week course is designed to help students think about the differences between high school and college, including class environment, studying techniques, exams structures and social encounters. After completing the online course, students will better understand what to expect upon arriving on campus, which should better position

by Keith Hautala

(July 15. 2014) — The University of Kentucky has entered into an agreement with a major Chinese petrochemical conglomerate to develop technologies to capture, utilize and store 1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year from a coal-fired power plant in Dongying, Shandong, China.

The agreement, between UK's Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) and the Sinopec Corporation's Shengli Oilfield Company and Petroleum Engineering Construction Corporation, is a project of the joint U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group (CCWG) as part of its Carbon Capture, Use, and Storage (CCUS) initiative. Preliminary work on the project began in 2012, and work is scheduled to continue through 2017.

The purpose of the project, with an estimated total investment of $320-400 million, is to develop a series of technologies to capture, transport, store and