News

Diaz to Direct International Studies Program

By Gail Hairston

University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Kornbluh recently announced that Associate Professor Mónica Díaz will serve as director of the International Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest interdisciplinary major in the college.  

“It is wonderful that Dr. Diaz has agreed to lead the International Studies Program. I know the International Studies majors will benefit greatly from her leadership and that faculty will enjoy working with her to strengthen International Studies at UK,” said Sue Roberts, associate provost for internationalization. “Dr. Diaz is an excellent choice for this important role. She is an interdisciplinary thinker, and a skilled leader who is sure to take International Studies in exciting new directions.” 

Díaz has a joint
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Empowering Victims Through Research

By Jenny Wells

    “If we're going to remedy a problem, we need to know all the different facets of it.”    That’s how Claire Renzetti, the Judi Conway Patton Endowed Chair in the University of Kentucky Center for Research on Violence Against Women, and professor and chair of UK Department of Sociology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, approaches her research.   “I've just always focused on people who are on the margins,” Renzetti said. “So I always felt like in order to fully understand a project, you need to study groups that are understudied, or that maybe don't have a common experience because one size doesn't fit all.”   Renzetti’s research focuses on violence against women,
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No Differences Noted Over Time for Children of Gay, Lesbian Adoptive Parents

By Gail Hairston

As more and more lesbian and gay adults adopt children, controversies continue regarding comparative parenting skills and the impact on the children.   For nearly a decade, University of Kentucky Assistant Professor of Psychology Rachel H. Farr has studied different aspects of family life among heterosexual, gay and lesbian parents and their adopted children. Her newest findings were published by the Developmental Psychology journal last week online.   Farr’s most recent research results published in the journal Developmental Psychology provides further support that children adopted by lesbian and gay parents are well-adjusted, not only in early childhood, but across time into middle childhood. Her study focused on a longitudinal follow-up of
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UK Dedicates Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building

By Jenny Wells

Today, members of the University of Kentucky community, the Board of Trustees, and public officials formally dedicated the new Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building, commemorating an unprecedented partnership in higher education between the university, UK Athletics, and community donors.     The 240,000 square-foot, $112 million facility, now considered the epicenter of the university’s scientific community, was made possible with funding of $65 million from UK Athletics and $10 million from The Don Jacobs Sr. Charitable Foundation.   “With each passing day, the University of Kentucky is a campus transformed. Nowhere is that transformation – and the profound sense of partnership – more evident than in the heart of our campus
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Jacobs Science Building Makes Active-Learning a Reality

By Jenny Wells

On Oct. 20, University of Kentucky officials formally dedicated the new Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building, but the state-of-the-art facility has already begun making an impact on students and faculty since it opened this August.   The Jacobs Science Building (JSB) is the epicenter of the university’s scientific community, offering 21st century science education with 21st century laboratories and instrumentation. Every science student on campus, and the vast majority of all undergraduates at UK, will at one point experience the building’s active-learning laboratories and classrooms.   Allison Soult, a lecturer of chemistry in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, says the design of the classrooms makes large lecture courses much more personal.   “Having two rows of desks per tier with movable
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Pakistan First Stop on Tour of South Asia Kitchens

By Gail Hairston

No matter where we call home, no matter what language we speak, all of humanity loves to eat good food.   Of course, “good” is defined by each culture. One land might adore skull-blasting spicy dishes, while its neighbor enjoys a more lightly seasoned diet. Learning to appreciate the different foods of foreign lands can be fun, and learning how to cook that food can be exciting.   For the seventh academic year, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences has celebrated other regions of the globe in its Passport to the World program. Through seminars and classes, events and lectures, the College of Arts and Sciences has introduced the UK campus to South Africa, China, Russia, Mexico, the Middle East and Europe. This year, South Asia is the center of attention in a series of events and
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Biology Celebrates Thomas Hunt Morgan's Birthday With Panel Discussion

by Jenny Wells, Samantha Ponder

This Wednesday, Oct. 19, the University of Kentucky Department of Biology will celebrate Thomas Hunt Morgan's 150th birthday with a panel discussion titled "Frontiers in Genetics & Genomics."   The panel will explore the famous biologist's (and UK alumnus') pioneering work in genetics, his Nobel Prize, and what he might be working on if he were alive today (such as assembling genomes, gene editing and gene drives, gene therapy in medicine, bioethics and big unanswered questions).   The celebration will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., in the Farish Theater in the Lexington Public Library on the corner of Main and Limestone. The event is open to the public and admission is free.   Born in Lexington
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Fernheimer Named Zantker Professor

By Gail Hairston

Janice Fernheimer recently added another title to her long list of accomplishments for the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences. Fernheimer, director of UK’s Jewish Studies Program, was recently awarded the Zantker Charitable Foundation Professorship in Jewish Studies.   “We are delighted to support a faculty member whose work embodies a diverse range of study and commitment to Jewish studies,” said Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Dr. Fernheimer is most deserving of this professorship and her passion and enthusiasm is evident in the great strides she has made as director of the Jewish Studies Program.”    With her academic background and interests, the Zantker Charitable Foundation
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Race, Policing Examined by Experts

By Gail Hairston

A one-day symposium, titled "Black and Blue: Critical Issues in Race and Policing in the U.S.,” is slated 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the University of Kentucky Helen G. King Alumni House ballroom. The event is hosted by the UK Center for Equality and Social Justice with support from Qualitative Initiative for Policy and Social Research and the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology.   The symposium will examine the critical and complex issues about race and policing in the United States from multiple scholarly perspectives.   Keith Payne, a social psychologist of the University of North Carolina, is an expert on implicit racism and shooter bias. Justin Nix, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Louisville, conducts research on police fairness and what shapes beliefs in police legitimacy. Anita Jones
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Behind the Blue: Poet Frank X Walker Reflects on Work as Writer, Professor

By Kody Kiser

 

“Affrilachia” is the word coined by poet Frank X Walker to signify the importance of the African-American presence in Appalachia, and he's a founding member of the Affrilachian Poets. Walker says he has "accepted the responsibility of challenging the notion of a homogeneous all-white literary landscape in this region.”

A native of Danville, Kentucky, Walker is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, currently serves as associate professor in the UK Department of English, and was the 2013-14 poet laureate for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He was founder and executive Director of the Bluegrass Black Arts Consortium, former program director of the UK's Martin Luther King Center and a Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowship recipient. He has lectured, conducted workshops, read poetry and exhibited at more than 300 national conferences and
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2 A&S Students, Confucius Institute Recognized at National Level

By Samantha Almedia

Two University of Kentucky students received nationwide recognition at Confucius Institute U.S. Center’s inaugural National Honor Gala held Sept. 24.

David Cole and Rachel Lietzow, both members of the UK Honors Program, were acknowledged among eight individuals from across the nation with a People to People Exchange Award for creating cross-cultural connections and initiatives between China and the United States.

"Never have I found myself surrounded by people who I couldn't verbally understand, but I wholeheartedly felt a connection toward," said Cole, honoree and UK senior majoring in English. A native of Monticello, Kentucky, Cole participated

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Authors Debate: Is Utopia Flawed or Flawless

By Gail Hairston

In Akash Kapur’s treatise “The Return of the Utopians,” published in the Oct. 3 issue of The New Yorker magazine, he made liberal reference to University of Kentucky Associate Professor of English Erik Reece’s new book “Utopia Drive.”   In “Utopia Drive,” Reece examined the history of a handful of America’s 19th-century utopian settlements and towns in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, New York and Massachusetts, analyzing their histories to find lessons for the present.   “One thing we can say about the seductive visionaries who led the utopian movement in America,” Reece wrote, “is that they did not lead the most self-examined lives.”   Kapur’s article is an examination of the more frightening
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Sociology Faculty Win Numerous National and International Awards

Three UK Sociology faculty members were recognized for their achievements at the 2016 American Sociological Association meeting in Seattle, Wash. Dr. Claire Renzetti, Chair of the Sociology Department, was awarded the Peterson-Krivo Mentoring Award from the Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance and the Section on the Sociology of Law. The award was established to recognize the sustained and innovative work of a distinguished faculty member in the mentorship of undergraduate students, graduate students, and junior scholars in our field. The award committee recognized Dr. Renzetti’s as “a wonderful mentor and an asset to our profession” and they were “especially impressed to learn of the multi-pronged and multi-level reach” of her work.

Dr. Ed

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Byrd Named Kentucky World Language Association Teacher of the Year

By Victus V. McDaniel II

Brenna Reinhart Byrd, assistant professor of German studies at the University of Kentucky, has been awarded the Kentucky World Language Association (KWLA) Teacher of the Year Award. She will represent Kentucky at the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT) in Orlando, Florida.   If Byrd is chosen as the conference teacher of the year, she would represent the southern region at the national conference of the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) conference next fall in Nashville.   Byrd has over 15 years of education and teaching experience in the German language. She received her bachelor’s degree in German and a minor in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin and both her master’s and doctoral degrees in Germanic linguistics from University of California, Los Angeles, before accepting a
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Political Science Professor a 2016-17 Central American Visiting Scholar at Harvard University

By Jennifer T. Allen

Abby Córdova, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, is spending the fall semester as a Central America Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. Each year the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) selects 10-12 distinguished academics and professionals to spend one or two semesters at Harvard working on their own research and writing projects.

Cordova is focusing her work on “Living in a Hotspot: How Gang Activity in Central American Neighborhoods Impacts Political Participation.”

“This research projects explores the pathways through which gang activity in Central American neighborhoods is affecting the consolidation of democracy in the region. I find

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BioBonanza to Highlight UK's Biology Research

By Caroline Kelsey

This weekend, the University of Kentucky Department of Biology is hosting a one-day open house festival called the BioBonanza. The event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the new Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building, located at 680 Rose St. This free public event will showcase interactive displays on research taking place in biology at UK.   "As soon as you walk through the doors you'll see all sorts of activities: displays of how a human heart works, butterflies and all sorts of insects, and you can even try to catch some local insects," said Jennifer Simkin, a postdoctoral student in biology who helped organize the event. "The displays will target high school and middle school
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Professor's Math Education Blog Provides Important Teaching and Learning Resources

By Jennifer T. Allen

An Arts & Sciences math professor is founding editor-in-chief of a math education blog for the American Mathematical Society focused on providing mathematicians with commentary and resources regarding teaching and learning.

“My reason for starting the blog was to provide a source of high-quality information regarding mathematics teaching and learning for members of the American Mathematical Society, given that there are currently many changes taking place in mathematics education at the post-secondary level,” said Ben Braun, Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Kentucky.

Launched in June 2014, the blog has received more than 190,000 unique page views and currently has an editorial board of seven mathematicians located across the U.S.  The blog focuses on

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Women Also Know Stuff Receives Mansbridge Award

By Gail Hairston and Lydia Moore

Women Also Know Stuff with Emily Beaulieu, University of Kentucky associate professor of political science, as well as other initiators were awarded the 2016 Mansbridge Award. Dedicated to promoting the work of women political scientists, Women Also Know Stuff was honored for holding the public accountable for gender equality and inclusion in the political science profession and beyond.   This year’s theme of the Jane Mansbridge Awards Committee of the National Women’s Caucus for Political Science honors those who work for public accountability for gender equality and inclusion in the profession and
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Biology Begins 'A Month of T.H. Morgan' with Two Screenings of 'The Fly Room'

By Jenny Wells

This weekend, the University of Kentucky Department of Biology will kick off its monthlong celebration of Thomas Hunt Morgan's 150th birthday with two screenings of "The Fly Room," a film based on Morgan's research lab. Alexis Gambis — writer, director and producer of the film — will give opening remarks.   The first screening will take place 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Dr. Thomas Hunt Morgan House (210 North Broadway) and the second screening will be held from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, at the Kentucky Theatre (214 E. Main). The event is free and open to the public.      These two screenings are part of the monthlong celebration of UK Biology's most famous alumnus and Lexington’s sole Nobel Laureate, Thomas Hunt Morgan. Born in
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A Conversation with A&S Professor and Author Hannah Pittard

By Amy Jones-Timoney     While the critics know Hannah Pittard as a talented author, students at the University of Kentucky know her as their teacher.    Pittard, the author of three published novels and one forthcoming, “Atlanta, 1962” (2017), most recently attracted a substantial amount of media attention for "Listen to Me."  The UK College of Arts and Sciences assistant professor of English was mentioned in BuzzFeed,  
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