By: Loralyn Cecil

Andrea Jenkins, who made history last November as the first openly transgender black woman elected to public office in the U.S, will join Garth Greenwell, a native Kentuckian and author of "What Belongs to You," as keynote speakers at the second annual Kentucky Gender and Women’s Studies Conference.

The conference takes place on Sept. 8, in the Bill Gatton Student Center at the University of Kentucky. Registration is free for UK students, faculty and staff. The public is welcome to attend and can register in advance or on-site the day of the event.

Jenkins, who was elected to serve on the Minneapolis City Council, is a writer, performance artist, poet and transgender activist. She developed her reputation for addressing youth violence and improving neighborhoods. Jenkins is a nationally

By Nate Harling

Mark Kornbluh, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, has appointed two interim associate deans while Elizabeth Lorch, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Study, is on sabbatical for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Carrie Oser is interim Associate Dean for Research. Oser is a highly involved and committed faculty member who serves as associate chair and professor of sociology. She holds joint appointments in the Department of Behavioral Science and the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research and serves as associate director of the new Center on Health Equity Transformation. A scholar of addiction treatment and health disparities, Oser has a strong history of external grant funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

 “It is a tremendous honor to be asked to serve as interim associate dean of research in the College of Arts & Sciences

WRD encourages WRD majors and minors to conduct research at UK.

To help facilitate undergraduate research, WRD will offer up to $1,000 as support.

We encourage work in areas related to writing, rhetorical studies, or digital research. Such work might include:

To apply, please send a two page letter to the department chair at j.rice@uky.edu in which you

By Nick Harling

Tracy Campbell, professor of history in the Department of History, has been awarded the E. Vernon Smith and Eloise C. Smith Professorship in American History.  

The Professorship, part of a nearly $6 million gift from alumnus E. Vernon Smith, was given to UK in 2011 and has had lasting positive effects on the university and its campus. With the state’s matching of the endowment, the generous gift has amounted to more than $11 million, with the bulk of the gift going to the College of Medicine. As part of the original gift, Dr. Smith, a 1937 graduate of UK, established a professorship in American history.

Campbell was nominated, “for his wide-ranging and broad-reaching scholarly endeavors in American History, his excellence in the classroom, his dedication to the University, and his own love of American History,” said Karen Petrone, chair in the

By Lindsey Piercy

The University of Kentucky strives to be a place where people of all backgrounds are welcome. Students, faculty and staff come from different cities, states and countries — creating a truly diverse campus.

Linguistics, the study of language, is one way to measure diversity. It doesn't just have to be a foreign language, there's also diversity within the English language. For example, when referring to soft drinks, do you call them "coke" or "pop"? The answer speaks volumes about where you're from.

A fascinating project, initiated by Jennifer Cramer and Kevin McGowan, faculty members of the Department of Linguistics in the College of Arts & Sciences, aims to capture the various voices of UK. The venture, dubbed Wildcat Voices, started nearly two years ago and continues to gain

By Nate Harling

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is entering the eighth year of its Passport to the World initiative, a yearlong exploration of the culture and history of different areas of the world and interdisciplinary topics. This year’s program explores the role migration has played and continues to play in shaping societies across the globe, and here at home.  

“Migration has played a crucial role in human history, and in shaping contemporary societies, and we want to emphasize and critically examine interconnections among world areas and people across the globe, as well as how migration is central to our societies,” said Cristina Alcalde, associate dean of inclusion and internationalization in the college, and one of the co-organizers of

By Olivia Ramirez

Tsage Douglas standing in front of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

The connection between public health and economics might not be obvious to some, but the two fields have a unique and surprising interplay. Economics and public health both impact the well-being of the community. That is one of the reasons Tsage Douglas chose to earn a degree in public health from the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and a degree in foreign language and international economics in the UK College of Arts and Sciences.

Since taking Advanced Placement Micro and Macro Economics at Scott County High School, Douglas has been interested in the Federal Reserve. It was at this time that her interests in

By Lindsey Piercy

It's the diagnosis those 65 and older often fear, but what are the chances you will be unhappy if you develop some cognitive impairment in the years ahead?

A new study, authored by Anthony Bardo and Scott Lynch, tackles that very question by examining "cognitive life expectancy." What exactly does that term mean? Bardo, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Kentucky, describes "cognitive life expectancy" as how long older adults live with good versus declining brain health.

"There is a great deal of stigma and fear surrounding declining cognitive ability that sometimes comes with age — especially among those nearing the second half of their adult lives. Yet, findings from my recent study show that cognitive impairment does not equate to unhappiness."

How did Bardo

By Trey Melcher and Jenny Wells

Na'imah Muhammad and Nedjma Kalliney discuss their writings in a session of the "Giggles, Guts, and Glitter" creativity workshop. Photo courtesy of Anna K. Stone.

DaMaris B. Hill, an assistant professor of creative writing and English literature in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, recently hosted a writing and creativity workshop for young women of color. The workshop was made possible by a "Girls of Color: Voice and Vision" grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.

The purpose of the project was to elevate the voices and lived experiences of these young women by sharing personal stories and creating art.

"A project that educates black girls about accessing voice,