By President Eli Capilouto

On Thursday morning, one of the nation’s leading online learning companies, Coursera, is announcing that UK is among a handful of public, flagship universities it is partnering with to further expand learning opportunities for more students across our country.

Specifically, as our news release about this initiative describes, the University of Kentucky is one of 10 flagship universities or state systems teaming with Coursera in the emerging, but dramatically growing, platform called Massive Open Online Courses.

UK’s role in this partnership will be offering students the opportunities to take free, introductory Chemistry courses

By Sarah Geegan

For UK physics and astronomy professor Gary Ferland, the latest images of the Ring Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, provide an invaluable resource to understand more about dying stars similar to the sun. Co-author of three papers resulting from the latest images, Ferland hopes to use the images to learn more about the chemical makeup of the star before it died.

The Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star reveal a new twist.

"The nebula is not like a bagel, but rather, it's like a jelly

By Sarah Geegan

UK History professor Tracy A. Campbell's most recent work, The Gateway Arch: A Biography, is already drawing national attention.

Campbell will discuss his book on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon this weekend.

The Bob Edwards Show on Sirius XM Radio, distributed to public radio stations by Public Radio International (PRI), will also feature a segment on Campbell's newest publication in early June.

The latest work in Yale University Press' "Icons of America Series," The Gateway Arch: A Biography delves into the complex and troubling history of the famous monument

By Keith Hautala, Mike Lynch, Alicia Gregory

Researchers at the Kentucky Geological Survey say maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey overstate the earthquake threat in Western Kentucky and the surrounding region.

KGS researchers at the University of Kentucky have been working for a decade to have the maps changed to reduce the estimated threat level. The USGS uses a probabilistic method to determine the earthquake hazard level, a method KGS researchers say is flawed.

“This method, mathematically, is not correct,” said Zhenming Wang, head of the KGS Geologic Hazards Section. “The national hazard maps are not scientifically sound; that’s why there is a problem.”

KGS Director

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Libraries’ King Library Press will salute private press printer Gray Zeitz and his Larkspur Press in its Spring Book Arts Event beginning 7 p.m. Friday, May 31, in the Great Hall, at the Special Collections Library in the Margaret I. King Building. 

The celebration will include remarks and readings by prominent Kentucky authors whose works have borne the Larkspur imprint. These writers include Nana Lampton, Ed McClanahan,

By Sarah Geegan

How do young college-age scientists spend their summer?  They do research, of course.  And two University of Kentucky undergraduate students have received prestigious American Physiological Society (APS) Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships to conduct their work this summer.  Only 24 undergraduates nationwide were selected to work in laboratories of established APS investigators.

Kyeong Ran (Rachel) Jang, a biology major from Louisville who just finished her freshman year, and Audra Stacy, a senior biology major from Elkhorn City, Ky., received $4,000 each to conduct their research over a 10-week period this summer.  Each of them also received $1,300 to travel to the APS annual Experimental Biology meeting, a broad-

By Whitney Hale

Four students from the University of Kentucky have been selected as recipients of Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships. The UK recipients are among 1,900 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2013-2014 academic year through the prestigious program. In addition, one of UK's four winners, medical student Juliana Odetunde, received one of only five prestigious Fulbright-Fogarty awards, which promote the expansion of research in public health and clinical research in resource-limited settings.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding

By Jake Most

The University of Kentucky's Chelsea Oswald has added to her already impressive collection of awards both on and off the track, as she has been named Southeastern Conference Track and Field Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.



Oswald was named 2013 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient earlier this season. The McWhorter Award goes to the conference’s top scholar-athlete across all sports.



Oswald was also named First Team All-SEC, having won two conference championships – at 5,000 and 10,000 meters – last weekend at the SEC Meet.



She set the SEC 10K record, and was fewer than two

By Sarah Geegan

Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Frank Ettensohn recently joined an elite group of science, technology, and engineering scholars, who will serve a critical role in advising national policy makers. He is the first person from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to be named a Jefferson Science Fellow.

The Jefferson Science Fellows (JSF) program was established in 2003 as a model for engaging the American academic science, technology and engineering communities in formulating and implementing U.S. foreign policy. Overseen by the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State, and with administrative support of the

By Whitney Hale

In celebration of the University of Kentucky's upcoming sesquicentennial in 2015, the 56th of 150 weekly installments remembers the dedication of a campus memorial to railroad development.

As part of the Silver Jubilee celebration of the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (now part of UK College of Engineering) a monument to American railroad development was dedicated 10 a.m. May 30, 1916. The monument consisted of a restoration of a portion of the original track of the Lexington and Ohio Railroad, the first railroad built west of the Allegheny Mountains. About 25 feet of the original track was to be set on a concrete base on the campus of the

By Carl Nathe, Michele Sparks

The 2013 Kalam Scholars Conference for Indian Business and Economic Research recently hosted by the University of Kentucky's Gatton College of Economics is drawing rave reviews from participants and observers.

“Dr. M.S. Viji and (former Gatton) Dean D. Sudharshan showed great vision when they conceived the India studies program several years ago," said Dave Blackwell, dean of the Gatton College. "India is an emerging economic power, and it is important that we explore through our scholarship how best to strengthen economic ties between the U.S. and India. This first Kalam Scholars conference is an important step in this process and represents a tangible impact of Dr. Viji’s philanthropy in establishing the program.”

By Kendra Sanders

Six UK students won the Kentucky Chapter of the American Planning Association’s Student Paper Award.

The paper was the final project in their GEO 485G course, Urban Planning and Sustainability, taught by Lynn Phillips. Studetns were asked to collaborate and develop a professional, consultant-quality small area plan, and they chose to do an intense, in-depth study of the Georgetown Triangle and the various implications that will result when BCTC opens its Newtown Pike campus in that area.

One of the group members and recent UK graduate, Wesley Jetton, explained that this extensive, five-month project involved the collection of a significant amount of data, including accessing property values, collecting

By Chrissie Balding Tune

May is National Bike Month, and University of Kentucky Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) is encouraging UK employees to take advantage of the many great activities going on with Bike Lexington.  A great time to get involved is during National Bike to Work Week May 13-17.

Do you have hesitations about biking to work? PTS has put together a list of resources to help address common concerns:

I don’t know how to plan my route. Which roads have bike lanes?

Review the Lexington Bike Map and the UK Bike Facilities Map (PDF) in selecting your route. You may also consider

By Jenny Wells

The Kentucky Girls STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Collaborative, in partnership with the STEM-H Institute at Eastern Kentucky University, will hold its fifth annual conference "Reaching for the Stars!" Friday, June 7, at the Eastern Kentucky University campus.

Educators, counselors, business and community leaders, parents and girls are invited to come meet others with a strong desire to see girls discover opportunities available to them within the STEM fields. Conference attendees will explore up-and-coming career opportunities in the STEM disciplines and learn proactive steps to help girls

By Ellyce Loveless

Most well-functioning campus workplaces at the University of Kentucky have one thing in common: student workers. For photographer Dana Rogers, employee of the College of Arts & Sciences, being a good student worker means appreciating her coworkers, being open-minded, and staying organized.

She has recently won the title of UK’s Student Employee of the Year. This award is given to a student on campus who shows determination both in the classroom and the workplace.

Her supervisor, Brian Connors Manke, knows that she is a top-notch worker. “She is the most enthusiastic person I’ve ever met about her passion – photography. She is so driven by it

by Sarah Geegan

By Whitney Hale, Mack McCormick

Kentucky may be horse-racing and basketball country, but when it comes to your taste buds, the Bluegrass State is a foodie haven with a rich culinary tradition. From the famed mint juleps of the Kentucky Derby to slow-smoked mutton in the western part of the state, bourbon and barbecue have deep roots in the Bluegrass State. Kentucky may be America’s first frontier, but its flavors and food traditions have lured a new wave of travelers to the region.

Three new books from the University Press of Kentucky explore the traditions and dining experiences of the Commonwealth. The Kentucky Barbecue Book by Wes Berry, Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey: An American Heritage by Michael R. Veach, and The Old Fashioned: An Essential Guide to the Original Whiskey

By Carl Nathe

The third annual University of Kentucky Track and Field Shoe Drive continues through Friday, May 10.

Founded by former Wildcat track competitor Josh Nadzam and current standout Luis Orta, the first two years (2011, 2012) of the drive have resulted in 5,000 pairs of shoes being collected in Lexington for people in developing countries.  And by expanding the program throughout the Southeastern Conference last year, an additional 13,000 pairs were collected.

"We are collecting any kind of shoes in any condition, any size, and any gender," Nadzam added.

There are on-campus collection sites at the Johnson Recreation Center, the

By Sarah Geegan, Derrick Meads

Earlier this semester a University of Kentucky delegation led by Interim Provost Tim Tracy visited Jilin University – one of the most prestigious “Top Ten” universities in China – with an aim to expand UK’s name recognition in China, and create new collaborative opportunities. This trip builds upon President Capilouto’s trip to Jilin University last May.

Like the University of Kentucky, Jilin University is a large comprehensive institution that includes several health care colleges, creating numerous opportunities between the two institutions.

Huajing Xiu Maske, director of the UK Confucius Institute,

By President Eli Capilouto

It is once again time for the University of Kentucky to celebrate the work of our student scholars. We gather to recognize their achievements, and to award them their degree during our 146th Commencement Ceremonies.

Over the last two years, I have interacted with our ambitious students – tomorrow’s leaders who, in profound ways, are leading today. Students are engaged in our laboratories and research centers; they lead student organizations and serve our community; they excel in our classrooms, perform in our recital halls, and learn in our libraries; and they set good examples as members of the UK family.

The activities that happen across our institution every day are incredible and inspiring. They teach us valuable lessons