By Jenny Wells

When Kendall Hitch came to the University of Kentucky from Troy, Michigan, as a freshman in 2014, she was nervous about making it "on her own." After all, she was in a different state, a different community and in many ways, a different culture from her home up north. But she says she quickly learned there is no such thing as self-made person.

"We’re all where we are today because of the support of family, friends, mentors and fellow human beings," Hitch said.

Hitch used this knowledge to immediately begin giving back to others — in the UK and Lexington communities and beyond. She spent the next four years advocating for human rights and education, teaching English, and empowering people all around the world.

"Everywhere I have gone I have seen such a huge gap in the desire to learn and the resources present to serve that

By Jenny Wells

UK's December 2018 Commencement speakers: Kelsey Allmon (left) will deliver the 10 a.m. student address and Kendall Hitch will deliver the 2 p.m. address.

Two student representatives have been selected to speak at the December 2018 University of Kentucky Commencement Ceremonies. The ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at Rupp Arena.

Kelsey Allmon and Kendall Hitch were selected by UK President Eli Capilouto to speak on behalf of their fellow graduates. Capilouto will also speak at both ceremonies. 

Kelsey Allmon, from Grove City, Ohio, will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony on Dec. 14. She is graduating with a master's degree from the Patterson School of

By Lindsey Piercy

'Tis the season to be merry and bright! But you may be feeling less than joyful during the "most wonderful time of the year." Do you experience stress, anxiety or even depression from November to January? If so, you're not alone.

"It's pretty common. In my clinical and personal experience, I would say most, but not all, people report increased stress around the holidays. However, only a subset of vulnerable people experiences clinical problems, such as depression and anxiety, around these times," Michelle Martel, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, said. 

From impeccable wreaths to the tree surrounded by a mountain of gifts — creating the "perfect" holiday can add to existing stressors. "Including financial

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that 2018 modern and classical languages/Chinese studies and international studies graduate Bridget Nicholas, of Covington, Kentucky, will receive one of only 30 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowships. Nicholas is the second UK student to be awarded the prestigious honor.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Howard University, the Pickering Fellowship Program provides graduate students with up to $37,500 annually in financial support for a two-year master's

By Jenny Wells and Alicia Gregory

(Left to right): Marios Chatzikos, an assistant research professor in the UK Department of Physics and Astronomy; Maryam Dehghanian, a graduate student in the department; Gary Ferland; and Francisco Guzman, a postdoctoral scholar in the department.

With continuous funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA since 1981, Gary Ferland has developed a special computer code to study how light from distant celestial bodies is produced.

"In astronomy, we (have to be) very clever in figuring out ways to analyze the messages that the stars send us, and the light we receive is difficult to interpret; it's not produced in a simple way," said Ferland, who is a professor in the UK College of Arts and Sciences'

Organizers of Expanding Your Horizons are looking for University of Kentucky students who are interested in being workshop leaders for the 2019 conference. Expanding Your Horizons is a one-day conference on April 20 for middle school girls from across Kentucky. The purpose is to expose them to the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics by taking part in hands-on science workshops.

Women make up only 24 percent of the STEM workforce, and women hold a disproportionately low share of STEM undergraduate degrees.

“Many times, girls lack role models in those fields, so they may not realize the variety of career options and opportunities that exist for women,” said Ellen Crocker, a conference organizer and postdoctoral scholar in the UK Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Expanding Your Horizons addresses that

By Whitney Hale, Amy Jones-Timoney, and Kody Kiser

Hear directly from Hadeel Abdallah what it means to be selected a Rhodes Scholar.

The University of Kentucky is celebrating the announcement that political science and Arabic and Islamic studies senior Hadeel Abdallah, of Lexington, has been named a recipient of the highly prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Abdallah is one of 32 American women and men selected as Rhodes Scholars representing the United States.

She is the first female from the university and the 10th UK student named a Rhodes Scholar, the last being selected in 1955. UK remains home to the largest

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 19, 2018) — The University of Kentucky has been named a partner on a $120 million, five-year second phase of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Innovation Hub focused on advancing battery science and technology.

Susan Odom, an associate professor of chemistry in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, is the principal investigator of the UK project. Odom and her team will study solvation of organic redox couples in complex environments, which are relevant to numerous energy storage technologies, including redox flow batteries — a technology of interest for large-scale grid storage.

Susan Odom, an

By Ellie Wnek

While the format may have expanded to a festival from a fair, one thing is still the same — University Press of Kentucky (UPK) and University of Kentucky authors and editors will fill Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Book Fair Nov. 17.

For the first time, a full week of readings, luncheons, cocktail parties, trivia and panel discussions were presented leading up to the book fair as part of the inaugural Kentucky Book Festival, including a young adult literature panel held on the UK campus featuring one of the university’s own students. The week of literary events will culminate this weekend at the 37th Kentucky Book

By Ryan Girves

Last week, University of Kentucky graduate and undergraduate students competed in the final rounds of the 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition and the 3-Minute Thesis Competition (3MT). While two final winners prevailed, research also came out ahead.

Research is one of the foundations of the university — creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues. Research is also one of the great opportunities provided to students at UK. 

Often, when we think of research, a scientist with smoking beakers comes to mind, but that does not always have to be the case. The 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition, for undergraduate students, and 3MT, for graduate students, aim to change the stereotype surrounding research, while also providing students with an opportunity to present their research to an audience in a way that is

By Eliana Shapere

Natasha Boelstler, a junior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in German, has always been an explorer by nature. This wanderlust led her to apply out of state for college, and in 2016 she left her hometown of Detroit to settle in at UK.

“I was drawn to UK because I liked the neuroscience program. There weren’t a lot of colleges that offered neuroscience as a major, just as a minor. UK’s program stuck out to me not only because it was offered as major, but because the program is research based,” Boelstler said. “I hope to become a neurosurgeon, possibly in Germany, and the research aspect is very important to me. In fact, the reason I got involved in research in the first place was because I’m a Chellgren Fellow.”

As a Chellgren Fellow, Boelstler developed her interest in research and learned skills such as how to apply for prestigious

By Jenny Wells

Lauren Hudson's book "The Ascension" charted in the Top 10 on Amazon Kindle in Young Adult Fiction. Her follow-up novel, "The Deception," also charted in the Top 10. Hudson will give a talk at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Gatton Student Center.

University of Kentucky student Lauren Hudson is not your typical college freshman — at age 18, she has already authored multiple award-winning books.

"I have been writing since about sixth grade, but I never really knew how much I enjoyed it until a little later," said Hudson, who is majoring in neuroscience in the UK College of Arts and Sciences. "When I was in middle school, my eighth-grade English teacher asked us a write a short story for class. I was so excited about the project

By Lindsey Piercy

Tuesday, Nov. 6, was a big night in United States politics. Americans headed to the polls to cast their ballots for the 2018 midterm elections. Voter turnout appears to have significantly surpassed previous midterms, but final numbers have yet to be released.

Federal, state and local offices were up for grabs across the nation, including all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate. Additionally, 39 state and territorial governorships will be among the offices contested.

Stephen Voss, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Kentucky, specializes in voting behavior and political methodology. He discusses the impact of these election results on a local, state and national level.

UKNow: Our country has become

By Eliana Shapere

Aaron Jezghani is an inventor — although he wouldn’t call himself that. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in the UK College of Arts & Sciences in precision nuclear physics, focusing on neutron decay and is fascinated by the hands-on nature of experimental physics. Jezghani spends his days designing, building, and testing all types of equipment — everything from high-voltage instruments to computer data systems.

A large part of Jezghani’s doctoral experience has been the opportunities he has had to give numerous national and international talks thanks to receiving travel scholarships from the Huffaker Travel Scholarship, established by Milton Huffaker (B.S. '57, honorary doctorate '13), the UK Graduate School, and the American Physical Society.

“I just look back in awe at everything that has transpired after coming to UK for grad school,” he said. “

By Meredith Weber

Awards and an endowed scholarship fund announcement highlighted the 28th annual Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Awards Dinner on Friday, Oct. 19, at the Woodford Reserve Club at Kroger Field.

The University of Kentucky Alumni Association Lyman T. Johnson African American Alumni Group honored students and alumni during the awards ceremony as part of the 2018 Lyman T. Johnson Homecoming Celebration.

UK’s academic colleges and units select one African-American alum whose faith, hard work and determination has positively affected the lives of people on the UK campus, the city, state or nation. These individuals received the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award. These units also choose an African-American student within their respective colleges/departments whose academic achievement and ability to impact the lives of

By Kody Kiser

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, Kentuckians will head to the polls along with their fellow Americans for the 2018 midterm elections. Federal, state and local offices are up for grabs across the nation, including all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate. Additionally, 39 state and territorial governorships will be among the offices contested.

On this episode of "Behind the Blue," Associate Professors Emily Beaulieu, who specializes in comparative politics, and Stephen Voss, who specializes in voting behavior and political methodology, join us to discuss the impact of these elections on a local, state and national level. We last spoke with both of them in January 2017. Listen as they offer their insight on the state of politics in the time since the presidential

By Meg Mills

"Williamsburg Urban Revitalization Studio Collage" by Emily Preece.

At 500 million years old, Appalachia is one of the oldest environments on Earth. It stretches from southern New York through northern Mississippi. The region contains the entire state of West Virginia and portions of 12 other states including Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

The University of Kentucky College of Design sits on the doorstep of Appalachia. Proximity to the region inspired the College of Design to establish Studio Appalachia as a catalyst for a positive change by means of community engagement. Studio Appalachia pursues design research projects that address issues that have confronted the Appalachia region for decades.

Faculty members

Alli Peoples graduated in spring 2018 with her bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Spanish. Upon graduation, she moved to Madrid, Spain, where she is currently working as an English Language and Culture Assistant at the bilingual primary school, CEIP Lepanto. At Lepanto, Alli not only plays an active role in English instruction in the classroom in multiple subject areas, but also in helping students to develop a multicultural mindset. In her words, “being an International Studies major helped me develop a foundation of knowledge that gave me the confidence to pursue a job abroad.” She believes her ability to help cultivate this mindset in her students was greatly enhanced by her coursework as an International Studies major, which helped her to first understand the shared values and identities of her own culture and then employ this knowledge to develop an understanding and

Professors Anne-Frances Miller, Susan Odom, and Dong-Sheng Yang have received four new grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  These highly-competitive awards will fund research projects on electron transfer in flavoproteins (Miller), high potential redox couples (Odom), high concentration electrolytes (Odom), and spectroscopy of transient organometallic complexes (Yang).

Prof. Miller has a strong history of studying enzymatic redox catalysis, including the enzymes superoxide dismutase and nitroreductase. A major portion of Miller’s research involves enzyme engineering, focusing on rational design of flavoenzymes to modify their electronic characteristics. Miller explains, “Just as electrical wires carry power to every room in our houses, cells have dedicated proteins carrying a current of electrons from

By Ellie Wnek

For the most up-to-date schedule, visit https://pa.as.uky.edu/skytalk

You're invited to learn about celestial objects and experience stargazing through a powerful telescope with Kentucky SkyTalks this fall semester.

The University of Kentucky Department of Physics and Astronomy and the MacAdam Student Observatory presents Kentucky SkyTalks as part of an