UK Superfund Research Center Receives $12.2 Million Federal Grant
UK has received a $12.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to better understand and minimize negative health and environmental impacts from hazardous waste sites.
Shanghai University Hosts UK Faculty Second Year in a Row
University of Kentucky faculty will spend two weeks teaching and presenting research in China.
English as a Catalyst: Jaclyn Spraetz
English courses introduce students to skills beyond analyzing novels - teaching them how to interact and connect with other students and improve their skills of analysis. This skill set is useful beyond the classroom, helping former students to succeed in their occupations and as they continue their occupation. In this podcast, Rachael Gilley, an English undergraduate student, and Jaclyn Spraetz, a 2009 Secondary English Education graduate, discuss how Spraetz's background with English courses impact her daily life.
Math, Physics Juniors Named Goldwater Scholars
UK juniors Matthew Fahrbach, of Louisville, Ky., and Samuel Saarinen, of Shelbyville, Ky., have been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship worth up to $7,500 per year.
A&S Advisors Help the Environment with Volunteer Hours
Five A&S Advisors worked with Bluegrass Greensource to help with environmental conservation efforts.
International Youth Water Justice Summit
Join the U.K. Appalachian Center for the International Youth Water Justice Summit at Memorial Hall on Saturday, July 12th, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This event is free and open to the public; all ages are welcome to attend (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian). Lunch will be provided. There will be presentations and activities related to water justice locally, regionally, and globally throughout the day. Water justice refers to fair and inclusive distribution and stewardship of water resources. This is an opportunity to think about how you are connected to everyone in the world through water, from the make-up of the human body to the watersheds providing us with drinking water to the river, ocean, and weather systems that keep water circulating.
Here is the schedule for Saturday's events:
Just outside Memorial Hall (or in the lobby, if raining) will be these hands-on activities through the day:
9-5 Enviroscape (Bluegrass GreenSource)
11-2 Paint your watershed (KY Riverkeeper)
9-5 Meet a salamander (UK Forestry/Appalachian Center)
Inside Memorial Hall:
9:00-9:15 Welcome
9:15-10:00 Introduction to the Kentucky River Watershed by the KY Riverkeeper
10:00-11:00 Global discussion of water issues between those in Memorial Hall and young people joining us electronically from Morocco and Turkey
11:00AM-12:00PM Examples of community forestry/water management from Indonesia
12:00-1:00 Outside (weather permitting): lunch; inside: screening of the film THIRST
1:00-1:30 Panel/discussion: participants in the International Youth Water Justice Workshop in the Robinson Forest in Appalachian Kentucky, 7/7-11/14
1:30-2:00 Presentation/discussion: the state of global rivers
2:00-2:15 Break
2:15-2:45 Presentation/discussion: water crises close to home that have and have not made the news, and responses to them
2:45-3:00PM Movement/music
3:00-4:30 Kentucky examples of community-based watershed decision-making and monitoring: Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute
4:30-5:00 Closing discussion
A map for reference can be found here: http://www.uky.edu/pts/sites/www.uky.edu.pts/files/pdfs/ukpts-parking-map-summer-large.pdf. Parking closest to the event site of Memorial Hall includes the Rose Street Parking Structure #2 (located off of University Drive, with access from Hilltop Avenue), lots located off of Rose Street on Funkhouser Drive, and lots located between the Slone Building and the back of the Funkhouser Building off of Washington Avenue (via Gladstone). Please, see the construction plan map below and note that it is subject to change. It may be necessary to park in one of the alternate locations listed above.
For more information please contact Erin Norton, Department Manager at the UK Appalachian Center, 859-257-4852, erin.norton@uky.edu. To learn more in general about the UK Appalachian Center, you can visit our website at appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/
Date:
-
Location:
Memorial Hall
Tags/Keywords:
Event Series:
UK Alum Paves the Way for Space Exploration
UK alumnus and former astronaut Story Musgrave reflects on his path from the Bluegrass to the outer space.
Four Elements for a More Fulfilling Workplace
I recently read a provocatively-titled article in the New York Times’ Sunday Review called "Why You Hate Work." Though the title is rather strong, the findings were pretty interesting. Not one to pass up commentary on work culture (and how to make it better), I read the piece, written by Tony Schwartz of the Energy Project, whose blog is full of great work-related research, and Christine Porath from Georgetown University, based on a study they conducted. They found that there are four major factors that influence how we feel about our jobs.
Sycamores and Hillslopes
Below are some recent photographs of sycamore trees (Platanus occidentalis) in limestone bedrock at Herrington Lake, Kentucky (about37.78o N, 84.71o W). As you can see, the tree roots and trunks exploit joints in the rock, and accelerate weathering both by physically displacing limestone slabs and widening joints by root growth, and by facilitating biochemical weathering along both live and dead roots.
These are some nice examples of root/bedrock interaction, and the general phenomena are not uncommon, though usually much more difficult to see. The Herrington Lake shores also appear to illustrate a process by which the sycamores accelerate weathering and mass movements (other trees are also involved, but Platanus occidentalis seems to be the most common and effective):
1. Plants colonize the exposed bedrock, with roots exploiting bedrock joints.
2. Tree roots accelerate weathering and loosen joint blocks.