LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 4, 2014) — Today marks the second day of the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) taking place on the UK campus.  Nearly 4,000 students and mentors from across the country are here to present their research and creative endeavors.  The UK community is encouraged to attend the many poster, oral, performing and visual arts presentations, as well as other events happening as part of NCUR. 

Tonight, a concert by Lexington-based country band Sundy Best will take place at 9 p.m. at the Grand Reserve. A limited number of tickets are available to the UK community and may be purchased at the NCUR Registration Center in the Small Ballroom of the UK Student Center.  Tickets are $10 per person with a valid UK ID. 

Here is today's (Friday, April 4) schedule-at-a-glance:

•   8 – 11:30

By A&S Staff

Ana Liberato, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology has been awarded a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, and she will be a visiting fellow at the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies at the University of Neuchâtel (SFM) this summer.

“The Forum is a great fit given its commitment to support multidisciplinary migration research and research that examines the cultural, political and economic outcomes of migration and globalization,” Liberato said.

Liberato is working on a book project about the settlement and incorporation of Dominican immigrants in Switzerland.

Video By Chanel Friday, UK Public Relations and Marketing Intern. 

by Kody Kiser, Amy Jones-Timoney, Chanel Friday

(April 3, 2014) — A popular on–campus resource for students is celebrating a major birthday. 

UK’s Writing Center, located in The Hub @ WT’s, turned 30 years old during the 2013-14 academic year.  Over the last three decades, graduate and undergraduate peer consultants have assisted thousands of students, faculty and staff in creating essays, reports, slide show presentations and videos at no charge. 

UK marked the milestone with a special reception Wednesday, March 5, 2014. The program began with speakers who shared the Writing Center’s history and

by Whitney Hale, Mack McCormick

(April 2, 2014) — University Press of Kentucky (UPK) author T.R.C. Hutton has been named the recipient of the 2013 Weatherford Award for nonfiction for his book "Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence in the Appalachian South." The Weatherford Award is presented by Berea College and the Appalachian Studies Association annually to

by Gail Hairston

(April 2, 2014) - The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees greatly enhanced the education of its liberal arts students yesterday with two programs that will greatly impact their communication skills – a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing curriculum within the Department of English and a new Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies.

With realistic aspirations to be among the nation’s best programs by 2020, the UK College of Arts and Sciences Department of English will offer its students a full-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing this fall. Modeled after some of the finest graduate-level creative writing programs in the nation, UK’s curriculum will be taught by a faculty of prominent award-

Connor Shafren, a UK freshman triple-majoring in music education, music performance and German, demonstrates his "tank drum," a percussional instrument he created himself in his garage. While not a traditional form of research, the project involved creativity, hypothesizing, and coming up with a result at the end of several processes.  He submitted an abstract and was accepted to present his instrument at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) taking place this week at UK.  Video by UK Public Relations and Marketing. To view captions for this video, push play and click on the CC icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. If using a mobile device, click the "thought bubble" icon in the same

by Ashley McIntyre, Tara Wilkins

(April 1, 2014) — Many central Kentucky residents are at risk of hunger, living in veritable food deserts, defined as areas with low access to fresh, healthy foods. Since March 15 and running through April 30, the Center for Community Outreach and local non-profit Seedleaf is working together to connect Lexington’s youth with healthy, fresh food, launching the Seedleaf Highlights Campaign with classroom visits, informational sessions, and a fundraising campaign with the crowdsourcing website, Indiegogo.com.

“The CCO provides volunteer opportunities to UK students that reach into both our local and global communities,” states Laura Greenfield, CCO’s director of promotions.  “

By Mary Venuto

One day while waiting at the dentist’s office sociology associate professor, Edward Morris, picked up a Newsweek magazine that depicted a group of elementary aged boys bleakly staring back at the camera. The headline read “The Boy Crisis: At Every Level of Education They’re Falling Behind. What to Do?” This prompted Morris to write his book, “Learning the Hard Way,” as a way to give a sociologically informed response to this social issue.

“I was interested in how the article framed the educational underperformance of boys: as uniform across all groups of boys…and as a zero-sum game where if girls progress, boys lose out.”

Thus began Morris’ six year study on understanding the

by Whitney Harder, Whitney Hale

(March 31, 2014) — In "Kentucky Marine: Major General Logan Feland and the Making of the Modern USMC," David Bettez, former director of the Office of International Programs at the University of Kentucky (now the University of Kentucky International Center(UKIC), writes the forgotten story of another Kentucky man, an influential soldier of the seas.

The University of Press of Kentucky (UPK) book, based on the life of Hopkinsville native Major General Logan Feland, is on sale now and will be the subject of an upcoming broadcast of radio show 

by Keith Hautala, Shane Barton

(March 31, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center has launched a brand-new interactive website for the Coal Camp Documentary Project, allowing users to learn about and document historic company coal mining towns in Eastern Kentucky.

The site was formally launched at the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, held March 28-30 at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va.

The new website, part of the UK Appalachian Center's facilitation of ongoing collaboration between the University and community members, allows users to contribute memories or images related to their experiences

by Mike Lynch

(March 27, 2014) — Kentucky geologists say Saturday morning's landslide in rural Snohomish County, Wa., should serve as a reminder that other parts of the country, including the Commonwealth, face similar threats.

The incident in Washington state, reported to cover about a square mile, occurred as a result of recent heavy rains that saturated the ground. Kentucky has also been affected by landslides, though most of them are not as large or devastating as the Washington state slide.

The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) at the University of Kentucky is compiling a landslide inventory database to better document the distribution and geologic context of Kentucky’s landslides.

“The purpose of the database is to provide users easy access to landslide information, raise awareness of landslide causes, and avoid property damage

by Jenny Wells

(March 25, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Cultural Diversity Festival committee and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government will present the fourth annual "UK Live at the Lyric" 7 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Lyric Theatre in downtown Lexington. 

Live at the Lyric is a talent showcase that brings together the UK and Lexington communities for a variety of culturally diverse performances, including song, dance and spoken word.  The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Deb Ross, co-chair of the Cultural Diversity Festival at debra.ross@uky.edu.

The mission of the UK Cultural Diversity Festival is to promote cultural awareness to

by Whitney Harder, Whitney Hale

(March 27, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has chosen 12 outstanding undergraduates as new scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years. Gaines Fellowships are given in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

Gaines Fellowships are awarded for the tenure of a student's junior and senior years, or for the last two years of a five-year program; students in all disciplines and with any intended profession

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 27, 2014) — Tearing down the walls of diversity is a task that requires one to think outside of the box. 'Boxes and Walls' is hosted by CATalyst, which has teamed up with six other organizations to build a multicultural museum for students to explore.

The exhibits are designed to personalize the struggle of tearing down these walls of oppression and to educate attendees on the impact of this persecution over time.

Keeping with this year's theme, "Oppression through Time," participating organizations are building their exhibits to reflect the impact of oppression on historically oppressed groups.

Alexis Asamoah, president of the African Student Association, says that she hopes their exhibit will take attendees back in time.

“We would like students to understand the effects of colonization through an interactive

by Benjamin Kandt

(March 26, 2014) Carmen Martinez Novo has been an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Latin American Studies Program at the University of Kentucky since 2011. Professor Novo’s research includes studies on indigenous immigration in Baja California, Mexico, and issues with indigenous peoples’ movements and indigenous human rights in Ecuador.  Her research has contributed to her election to the executive council of the prestigious Latin American Studies Association.

LASA’s mission is to foster intellectual

by Gail Hairston

(March 25, 2014) — An appearance by Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, author, speaker and commentator, on March 27 kicks off the two-day Conference on Political and Economic Inequality, hosted by the University of Kentucky Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Ron Formisano, UK’s William T. Bryan Professor of History and organizer of the conference, said he was inspired to create the conference because “inequality is a major issue in the world today.

“But (inequality) is of particular

by Gail Hairston, Rob Theakston 

(March 25, 3014) -- The University of Kentucky Late Night Film Series hosts award-winning filmmaker, author and community activist dream hampton, who will be presenting an exclusive director's cut of her current documentary "Transparent" at 7 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the University of Kentucky Worsham Theater. Admission is free.

"Transparent" is the story of Shelly Hilliard, a 19-year-old transgender woman living in Detroit who was brutally murdered. "Transparent" follows Hilliard's family and friends as they struggle to search for closure and tell the story of her life. The project is in its final phases and the Late Night Film Series will present a rough cut followed by a question and answer session with hampton, who prefers her name appear in lower case letters. A reception at the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural

by Derrick Meads, Carmen Stinson

(March 25, 2014) — Have you ever wondered what it is like to be part of a culture totally different from your own? The Cross Cultural Workshop, held at Natural Bridge State Resort Park Saturday, March 29, will help students explore and understand intercultural experiences.

The workshop, hosted by the University of Kentucky International Center and CATalyst, will bring international and domestic students together to talk about culture, learn interactively from each other, and clear up confusion and tension that cultural discussions often cause.

Students will participate in simulations that will teach them how to react in culturally diverse situations, partake in group discussions, and

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 24, 2014) ­― As part of the year-long Viva Mexico program, University of Kentucky Libraries and the UK College of Arts and Sciences will host a speaker on “Mexico on the Digital Frontier: Creating Access in Archives and Libraries.” Linda Arnold, professor emerita of history at Virginia Tech University, will speak on the topic at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, in the Niles Gallery of the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library on UK’s campus. A reception will follow in the Little Library foyer.

Arnold spent 29 years at Virginia Tech, where she developed and taught more than a dozen undergraduate writing-intensive courses, and directed nearly 30 undergraduate independent studies.  She was a pioneer in digital history who,

by Whitney Harder

(March 24, 2014) — Students in introductory-level chemistry courses at the University of Kentucky now have a resource focused on their success. 

The General Chemistry Learning Center at UK provides introductory assistance to any student taking the courses, including Chemistry 105, with its inaccurate reputation for being a difficult class that "weeds out" students. Lisa Blue, the center's coordinator, says students need to know that help is available.

"I don't want students to feel like Chem 105 is a weed-out course in the least," Blue said. "I want them to understand that there are certain critical thinking skills that, as a card-carrying chemist, we want them to walk out of that class having. So, we're going to do anything we can