by Keith Hautala, Ashley Tabb

(May 2, 2014) — Ricoh USA, the contracted print vendor for the University of Kentucky, hosted a video contest this semester offering current UK students a chance to win one of four $5,000 scholarships for the 2014-15 academic year. Entrants were asked to create a short video on the theme “see blue. print green.”

The videos were judged by various staff members from Ricoh, UK Purchasing, UK Admissions and Registrar, UK Analytics and Technologies, and the UK Sustainability Office. Ricoh representatives said they appreciated the judges' taking time to view and rate each entry, and they were impressed by the number of students who created and submitted a video.

The winners and their videos are described below. The judges also selected two honorable mentions. 

Kendra Sanders, topical major, College of Arts

WAMC Northeast Public Radio Station recently featured UK Appalachian Center’s new project “Las Voces de los Apalaches.” Anne Kingsolver—Director of the Appalachian Center—and Pedro Martínez—project leader were interviewed by Celeste Headlee.

Kingsolver and Martínez talk about how “Las Voces de los Apalaches” started as a project that sought to create awareness and increase knowledge about the Appalachia region. The common conception that Appalachia is full of poor-whites is mistaken, there are different ethnic groups living in Appalachia that have been silenced over the years. “Las Voces de los Apalaches” is a platform that will allow different cultures to share their experiences and their lifestyales in the Appalachia.

One group that has greatly grown since the early 2000s is the Latino community. Over 4% of people living in the Appalachia region identify themselves as

by Whitney Hale

(May 5, 2014) — Undergraduate students who participated in the National Science Foundation-funded Systems Thinking for Sustainability (NSF-STFS) course at the University of Kentucky will present their research findings in a showcase from 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, in the Lexmark Public Room in UK's Main Building. This project showcase, which is free and open to the public, will display the range of multivalent viewpoints, issues investigated, and potential solutions discovered over the course of the spring 2014 semester.

This is the third year of the curriculum development and the first year including a group of students from Texas A&M University, which were exposed to

by Whitney Haley

(May 5, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Office of External Scholarships has announced two UK students will study critical languages on scholarship in 2014-15.

Cassidy Henry, a graduate student at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce from Navarre, Fla., has been awarded a National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Fellowship of up to $30,000 to study Russian in Irkutsk and Vladivostok, Russia. Henry is one of 106 graduate student award winners selected nationally from a pool of 497 applicants.

Samuel Northrup, a 

 by Sarah Geegan

(May 1, 2014) – Provost Christine Riordan will honor three tenured faculty members, two lecturers and six teaching assistants today at the 2014 University of Kentucky Provost's Outstanding Teaching Awards ceremony. The ceremony will take place from 1-2:30 p.m. in the Lexmark Public Room.

The award recognizes faculty and graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate special dedication and outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Recipients are selected via nomination and review by a selection committee based in the Provost's Office of Faculty Advancement.

Winners receive cash prizes of $5,000 for regular and special title series faculty, $3,000 for lecturer and clinical title series, and $1,000 for teaching assistants.

The Category One Faculty Award recognizes regular and special title series

by Gail Hairston

(April 29, 2014) — The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences recently announced the Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women.

The office’s purpose is to shape the creation, implementation and evaluation of public policy as it relates to intimate partner violence, sexual assault and stalking. Specifically, the office will work to enhance direct services to victims, legal response and legislative reform related to violence against women through policy research and analysis, and empirically driven advocacy and practice.

“The Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women is a creative opportunity to weave together the interests of several departments in the College of Arts and Sciences with the policy expertise the office affords,” said Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The

by Whitney Hale

The Kentucky Women Writers Conference (KWWC) will offer cash prizes and other benefits in writing contests and scholarships again this year, each with a postmark deadline of June 2. The deadline is one month earlier than prior years in order to allow winners more time to make appropriate travel plans. 

Now in its 36th year, the KWWC  is an annual event known for bringing notable women writers to Lexington for readings, writing workshops and discussions. A program housed in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, the conference is made possible in part by continued community partnerships, including its primary venue, the 

by Tony Neely

(April 29, 2014) — A total of 61 University of Kentucky Wildcats earned a place on the 2013-14 Sports Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll announced by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.

UK’s 61 honorees was the fourth most among the 14 league teams. UK has five representatives from the men’s basketball team, six from women’s basketball, 12 from gymnastics, six from rifle, 16 from men’s swimming and diving and 16 from women’s swimming and diving.  This marks another strong showing for UK’s student-athletes, who had the second-most qualifiers on the SEC Fall Sports Honor Roll released earlier this year.

The 2013-14 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll is based on the grades from the 2013 Spring, Summer and Fall terms. Among other qualifications, a student-athlete must have a grade-point average of 3.00 or above for the preceding

by Whitney Hale, Allison Elliott-Shannon 

(April 28, 2014) — The 2014 issue of disClosure, an annual thematic publication dedicated to investigating and stimulating interest in new directions in contemporary social theory, is now available online through a collaboration between the University of Kentucky Committee on Social Theory (CST) and UK Libraries.

First published in 1992, the journal includes a variety of media including scholarly essays, poetry and visual art from a variety of disciplinary, geographical, and theoretical perspectives and genres. The journal aims to encourage work that employs innovative writing styles as well as formal

El Departamento de Arts & Sciences se enorgullece de anunciar que la profesora Ana Rueda ha sido nombrada Profesora Distinguida del 2014-2015 en el área de Arts & Sciences. La Dr. Rueda recibió su título de Doctorado en la Universidad de Vanderbilt en 1985, y luego fue profesora en al Universidad de Missouri-Columbia. Ana Rueda comenzó su carrera en UK en el 2002.

La carrera de la Dr. Rueda ha sido una amalgama de investigación, instrucción y servicio, lo cual contribuyó a su nominación a este premio. Reconocida internacionalmente por su trabajo en el área de Literatura Española, la Dr. Rueda ha conducido investigaciones tanto en teoría de cuentos, teoría epistolar y literatura de guerra, como en estudios interdisciplinarios en música, historia cultural y literatura por mujeres. Rueda ha publicado 6 libros y alrededor de

by Jenny Wells, Carl Nathe

(April 23, 2014) — As a University of Kentucky Commencement tradition, two students have been selected to serve as speakers for the two undergraduate ceremonies Saturday, May 10.

Emily Willett will speak at the 1 p.m. ceremony and Pooja Reddy will speak at the 6 p.m. ceremony. Willett and Reddy were selected among several candidates by UK President Eli Capilouto to represent the May 2014 undergraduate class.

Willett, from Ormond Beach, Fla., is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in management from the Gatton College of Business and Economics.  She is a third-generation

By Mark Lawrence Kornbluh

The College of Arts & Sciences is very pleased to announce that Professor Ana Rueda has been named the 2014-15 Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor. Dr. Rueda received her PhD from Vanderbilt University in 1985. After teaching at the University of Missouri-Columbia for many years, she came to the University of Kentucky in 2002.

Professor Rueda's distinguished career realizes an ideal balance between research, teaching, and service, which is a hallmark of this Award. An internationally recognized scholar of modern Spanish literature, her research has widely ranged from short story theory, epistolary, and war literature to interdisciplinary studies in music, women's writing, and cultural history. She has published six books and almost fifty book

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 25, 2014) — Two University of Kentucky juniors have received the Undergraduate Research Abroad Scholarship (UGRAS) which will support their international independent research projects during the 2014 summer session.

Tamas Nagy, a computer science and chemistry double major in the Colleges of Engineering and Arts & Sciences, and Alexis Thompson, an animal science/pre-veterinary science major in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, have been awarded the

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 25, 2014) — University of Kentucky Education Abroad (EA) is inspiring students to “enKompass” the world by sharing the stories and experiences of students who have studied, interned, researched and even taught abroad through journal entries, videos and program reviews.

“EnKompass is a one-stop forum for students by students,” said Seth Riker, promotion and outreach coordinator for Education Abroad. “Students can access candid testimonials, which will inspire them to dive into an education abroad program and find avenues to make it financially possible.

Riker believes students can relate to other students who have already experienced what a study abroad prospect plans to achieve.

Students who are interested in studying

by Whitney Harder and Whitney Hale

Organizers of the Kentucky Women Writers Conference will host a preview party featuring Lexington author Sarah Combs signing her debut novel, "Breakfast Served Anytime," at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at The Morris Book Shop, located at 882 East High Street in Lexington.

The preview party for the 2014 Kentucky Women Writers Conference (KWWC) celebrates the launch of Combs' young adult novel published by Candlewick Press this month. In addition to showcasing Combs' new work, KWWC 

by Keith Hautala

(April 22, 2014) — The University of Kentucky's annual Naff Symposium hosts three leading chemistry experts on Friday, April 25, at UK's William T. Young Library auditorium. A poster session will be held in conjunction with the symposium at King Alumni House Ballroom.

Presented by the Department of Chemistry in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, the Naff Symposium brings renowned researchers, including Nobel prize-winning scientists, to campus to share their knowledge with students and faculty from UK and nearby institutions. The symposium was established in honor of Anna S. Naff, a

by Whitney Hale

(April 22, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Office of External Scholarships announces Samuel Saarinen, of Shelbyville, Ky., has been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship worth up to $7,500 per year. Saarinen is one of 283 students nationwide awarded the Goldwater Scholarship this year. This year's Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,166 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was authorized by Congress to honor the former Arizona U.S. senator who served the nation

Each year, the College of Arts & Sciences awards selected faculty with Outstanding Teaching Awards. The recipients of the 2014-2015 A&S Outstanding Teaching Awards are Clare Batty, Emily Beaulieu, and Jeorg Sauer.

Clare Batty joined the Department of Philosophy in 2007.  She excels in teaching courses at all levels, from the 100-level “Knowledge and Reality” to the graduate-level “Perception and the Body.”  Described by her students as “passionate,” “engaging,” “lively,” “knowledgeable,” “approachable,” “funny,” and “demanding but kind,” Dr. Batty motivates numerous students to take additional

by Whitney Harder

(April 23, 2014) — Chris Richards, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry, recently received a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Young Investigators research grant for a research project focused on understanding complex biological processes.

Richards' project is titled “Real-time imaging of fast conformational dynamics of ion channel gating with plasmonic nano-antennas.”

Richards and his team, including Tom Vosch at the

by Keith Hautala

(April 22, 2014) — To save the United States from the effects of global warming, the U.S. government must literally “save the world,” University of Kentucky sedimentary geologist and paleontologist Frank Ettensohn said.

Ettensohn, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, will deliver the UK College of Arts and Sciences 2014 Distinguished Professor Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 24, in the auditorium of the William T. Young Library. The title of his talk is "Saving the World: Reflections on