by Gail Hairston

(Oct. 23, 2014) — Mark Wahlgren Summers, the Thomas D. Clark Professor of History at the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, has published his 10th book, “The Ordeal of the Reunion: A New History of Reconstruction.”

Summers takes a new look at the Reconstruction years, focusing on the nation’s need to form an enduring Union without sacrificing the framework of federalism and republican democracy.

"As one of the country’s most respected 19th-century political historians, Dr. Summers’ latest book showcases his strengths in research, writing and storytelling,” said Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, dean of the UK College of Arts and Sciences. "In ‘The Ordeal of the Reunion,’ a new synthesis

by Gail Hairston

(Oct. 23, 2014) — A special event highlights the University of Kentucky calendar Friday morning — very EARLY tomorrow morning. About 6:45 a.m. Oct. 24, dedicated students and staff will meet for the Green Dot Fall Run/Walk, a 1.5-mile trek, beginning from Buell Armory at 7 a.m.

Co-sponsored by the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center and the UK Army ROTC, the event was created to raise awareness for sexual assault and violence prevention. It is the first time Army ROTC has co-sponsored the event.

One goal of the run/walk is to raise awareness about sexual assault and violence prevention, but there’s a second, more tangible goal ‒ to raise proceeds for the UK Victim Assistance Fund, which

By Keith Hautala

(Oct. 21, 2014) — Trick or treat! The University of Kentucky is offering local children a sugar-coated chemistry lesson a full week before Halloween.

“The Sweet Side of Chemistry: Candy” is the theme of this year’s annual demonstration show, presented by the UK Department of Chemistry's graduate students at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, in Room 139 Chemistry/Physics Building. The show presents the students' favorite live chemistry demonstrations in a fun, easy-to-understand format, in celebration of National Chemistry Week, Oct. 19-25.

Families are encouraged to attend the event, which promises lots of kid appeal.  

“This event is a great way to share our enthusiasm for science with the people of Lexington” said UK Chemistry Professor Anne-Frances Miller. “They’ll come away with an understanding that chemistry is

by Keith Hautala

(Oct. 17, 2014) — Research from the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry will help batteries resist overcharging, improving the safety of electronics from cell phones to airplanes.                        

The research, led by Susan Odom’s group, has focused on the design, synthesis, and testing of organic compounds that can be incorporated into the electrolytes of lithium-ion batteries to improve their safety profiles. Specifically, Odom’s team is studying compounds called redox shuttles.

Lithium-ion batteries are the energy storage technology of choice for portable consumer electronic devices such as laptops and cell phones. Over the past few years, these batteries have been

by Gail Hairston

(Oct. 17, 2014) — An expert in U.S. foreign relations in the Middle East since 1940 will discuss the historical foundations of the current crises in the region at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in the UKAA Auditorium of the University of Kentucky's W.T. Young Library. The event, "Messy Little Wars: U.S. Approaches to Iraq Since 1990," is part of the UK College of Arts and Sciences event Year of the Middle East.

As an Ohio State University research scholar, Professor Peter Hahn has been supported by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Truman Library Institute, the John F. Kennedy Library, the Lyndon Johnson Foundation, the Eisenhower World Affairs Institute, the Office of United States Air Force History, and the U.S. Army Center of Military History.

His most recent

by Mack McCormick, Whitney Hale

(Oct. 16, 2014) — University Press of Kentucky (UPK) author T.R.C. Hutton has been named recipient of a 2014 Kentucky History Award given by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) and the 2014 Appalachian Writers Association’s Book of the Year Award for Nonfiction for his book "Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence

by Will Fawns

(Oct. 16, 2014) – The University of Kentucky's Dr. Allan Butterfield will be receiving the Society of Free Radical Biology and Medicine’s (SFRBM) Mentoring Excellence Award at the society's national conference in Seattle, Nov. 19-23.

In his 39 years at UK, Butterfield has graduated more than 65 doctoral and master's degree students and approximately 150 undergraduates. He has also trained about 20 postdoctoral scholars.

In 2012, he was selected to be a fellow of SFRBM and earned their prestigious Discovery Award for his work in the field of redox research related to Alzheimer’s disease. In 1998, he earned a trip to the White House to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering

By Sarah Schuetze

As a graduate student at Michigan State University in 2008, Jim Ridolfo embarked on what he thought was a short-term research project that diverged from his dissertation work. This “secondary” project on Samaritan manuscripts has led to nationally-funded, award-winning research. 

An article that stemmed from his “side project,” “Delivering Textual Diaspora: Building Digital Cultural Repositories as Rhetoric Research,” was published by College English in November 2013 and was selected by the editor for the

by Gail Hairston

(Oct. 15, 2014) — One would be hard pressed to find a resume with accolades, awards and appointments of the quantity and quality equal to Jeremy Popkin’s. He will be adjusting that resume again shortly, as he has been named the William T. Bryan Chair of History.

Popkin has been a faculty member of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Department of History since 1978. Educated at the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University, Popkin has served as chair of the history department (1996-2000), director of the Jewish Studies Program (2011-12), as well as the current (2007-) prestigious T. Marshall Hahn Professor.

The Bryan Endowed Chair was established by a nearly $4 million gift from

by Parissa Zargar

(Oct. 15, 2014) — University of Kentucky senior, Jaye "Jaxcy" Odom, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has received the Chickasaw Nation Lifetime Scholarship. This honor is awarded to tribal citizens who are full-time students pursuing a degree from an accredited institution of higher education. Odom has been involved with the Chickasaw Nation through her attendance of tribal meetings and participation in activities to promote pride in Native American culture.

"When I found out that I had been awarded the Chickasaw Lifetime Scholarship, I was elated. It was an indescribable honor to be a recipient of this highly competitive scholarship, and it meant a

by Amy Jones-Timoney, Katy Bennett, Kody Kiser

(Oct. 15, 2014) — When Connor Appelman came to UK as a freshman, he knew he wanted to get involved on campus, but wasn't quite sure where to start. He heard a few guys in his residence hall talking about UK FUSION (For Unity and Service In Our Neighborhoods) and decided to join them. The rest is history.

"I volunteered a lot in high school," Appelman said, "and I knew I wanted to get involved with service somehow at UK right away. FUSION seemed like that first step without a big commitment — just a few hours on the Monday before classes started. I thought it would be a good way to get acclimated with campus and Lexington and meet new people."

Little did Appelman know then that a few hours on that first Monday he was on

by Gail Hairston

(Oct. 10, 2014) — The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame induction and festivities are slated Friday, Oct. 10, at 3:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the UK Singletary Center for the Arts.

Honorees include:

2014 ALUMNI INDUCTEES

Her Honor Ethelee Davidson Baxter was born in Jackson, Kentucky, in 1939 and was raised in Lexington, Kentucky. Baxter graduated from Lafayette High School in 1957 and was inducted into the first class of the Lafayette High School Hall of Fame in 1989. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1961 with a bachelor's degree in English, speech and drama. While at UK, she was a Wildcat cheerleader, president of the Blue Marlins synchronized swimming team, and a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta

by Whitney Hale

(Oct. 9, 2014) — From some Local Honeys to the beloved Ritchie family, the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series is sure to pack the Niles Gallery. On Friday, Oct. 10, the old time music trio the Local Honeys will perform. A couple weeks later, on Friday, Oct. 24, the "Singing Family of the Cumberlands" is in the spotlight with an appearance by four of Jean Ritchie's nieces. Both free public concerts will take place at noon at the Niles Gallery, located in the University of Kentucky Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.

The Local Honeys perform B.F.

by Jenny Wells

(Oct. 7, 2014) — As the second lecture of the 2014-15 Chellgren Seminar Series, University of Kentucky professor of mathematics Carl Lee will deliver a talk titled "Stillness in Motion: The Essence of Symmetry" at 7 p.m. tonight in the William T. Young Library Auditorium.

"When we think of symmetry usually visual images come to mind (butterflies, crystals, etc.).  But there is symmetry in music, physics, dance, mathematics, art, and many other unexpected places," Lee said in his abstract about the talk. "Its presence, or desired presence, can sometimes be powerful and compelling.  Or simply pleasing.  But underlying the essence of symmetry is that something remains unchanged while something is in motion.  I will share some varied examples to

by Gail Hairston

(Oct. 6, 2014) — University of Kentucky geography Professor Jonathan Phillips was recently awarded one of the leading recognitions in his field of study, the David Linton Award, from the British Society for Geomorphology (BSG).

The 2014 Linton Award recognizes Phillips’ “lifetime of distinguished and influential contributions to fluvial geomorphology spanning a broad array of topics in over 180 papers, including 10 in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms.”

The BSG announcement added that Phillips’ “career has included a combination of thought-provoking methodological and philosophical contributions to geomorphic system understanding and landscape evolution, and empirical contributions across several branches of geomorphology."

The David Linton Award is given to a geomorphologist who has made a leading contribution to the

by Whitney Hale

(Oct. 3, 2014) — The 2014 issue of Nomenclatura: Aproximaciones a los estudios hispánicos, a publication dedicated to investigating Hispanic literatures and cultures, is now available online via UKnowledge through a collaboration between the University of Kentucky Department of Hispanic Studies and UK Libraries. This journal encourages work that employs innovative writing styles as well as formal scholarly work and is edited by graduate students from the Department of Hispanic Studies at UK.  

The first issue of Nomenclatura: Aproximaciones a los estudios hispánicos: “

Professor emerita Jane Gentry Vance passed away on Thursday afternoon after a year-long battle with cancer. This is terribly sad news to everyone who knew her or was taught by her, especially her colleagues in the English Department and the Honors Program, where she taught for forty years before retiring in 2013. While this is a dismaying day, it’s also worthwhile to pause and celebrate Jane, and to remember fondly her warmth, her wry humor, her graciousness, and her many accomplishments as a poet and faculty member. 

Jane graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hollins College in 1963, joined the University of Kentucky in 1972, published two books of poetry, a chapbook, and over 100 other poems, and taught creative writing to thousands of students. Always a favorite of her students, Jane won the Alumni Association’s Great Teacher Award. For her poetry, the

By Sarah Schuetze

When Virginia Conn was growing up in LaGrange, Ky., the opening of the town’s first Chinese restaurant warranted a school field trip for lunch. At that time, LaGrange was still growing, and it didn’t offer Conn much exposure to different cultures or people. Through reading, however, Conn’s passion for language and culture began to grow.

This fall, Conn took a new step in pursuing this passion as a graduate student in the Comparative Literature Department at Rutgers University. She hopes her degree will allow her to live and work in different countries, “never settling for too long in any one place,” and it’s that process of adapting that interests Conn.

As an English