By Tasha Ramsey

Populism, a political discourse that promises to empower and include the poor and the excluded, is one of the most important political forces in Latin America, Europe, and the U.S. According to Dr. Carlos de la Torre, a sociology professor in the College of Arts & Sciences, populism is “a Manichaean political rhetoric that aims to rupture the existing institutional system to include the excluded.”

Carlos de la Torre received his Ph.D. in sociology at the New School for Social Research, New York, in 1993. He has been a fellow of the Guggenheim Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Fulbright Foundation. Since 1989 he has published on the relationship between populism, authoritarianism and democratization.

Dr. de la Torre released his new book titled, “De Velasco a Correa, insurrecciones, populismo, y elecciones

By Tiera Carlock

(Oct. 14, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute will present a lecture on the historical development and manifestations of [the notion of] "yinyang" and its origins in Chinese thought and culture by Robin R. Wang as a part of its Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. The free public lecture, titled "Yinyang: The Way of Ways," is from 2:30-4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in the Patterson Office Tower 18th Floor, West-End Lobby, with a reception to follow.

Wang, philosophy professor and director of the 

By Gail Hairston

(Oct. 14, 2015) — The University of Kentucky’s Department of Geography celebrates its inaugural Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series and Award Friday, Oct. 16. The premiere honoree is professor of geography and development Vincent del Casino Jr., University of Arizona’s vice provost of Digital Learning and Student Engagement and associate vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

Del Casino will deliver the department’s premiere Distinguished Alumni Lecture at 3 p.m. Friday in the William T. Young Library Auditorium. A generous gift earlier this year formed the Harrison and Eva Lewis Bailey Alumni Lecture Series in Geography Endowment Fund.

By Weston Loyd

(Oct. 14, 2015) — The University of Kentucky's College of Arts and Sciences, College of Fine Arts and The Education Abroad Network (TEAN) have teamed up to create "Bluegrass Down Under," an innovative, 12-week education abroad experience in Sydney and Cairns, Australia, which will allow students to select courses that best fit their degree requirements.

Mack Maynard, an advisor in UK Education Abroad, said, "'Bluegrass Down Under' is an innovative

By Dara Vance

At the American Sociological Association (ASA) 2015 annual meeting in Chicago, Ill., in August, Sociology Associate Professor Carrie Oser received the “Senior Scholar Award” from the Alcohol, Drugs, & Tobacco section. This award is given annually to one scholar for their outstanding scientific contributions to the sociological examination of alcohol, drugs, and/or tobacco.  Oser, who is the youngest scholar to ever receive the award, was selected from an international field of scholars. 

Carrie Oser has been a faculty member in the Department of Sociology at UK since 2006. Her research interests include addiction health services, health disparities, HIV risk behaviors/interventions, as well as drug use among rural, minority, and criminal justice populations. 

As part of her commitment to innovation in education, she

By Kathryn Mason

(Oct. 13, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Women's Forum 2015 conference takes on the theme "Memoirs of a UK woman… write your own" featuring Kirsten Turner, chief of staff and assistant dean in the UK College of Arts and Sciences. The conference will begin with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Hilary J. Boone Center and end with giveaways at 3 p.m.  The registration deadline is Oct. 16.

Turner will present the conference keynote address at 9 a.m. In her position in the College of Arts and Sciences, she is responsible for the organizational and administrative areas of the college. Turner

By Gail Hairston

(Oct. 12, 2015) — The continent of Europe has a fascinating past, but it is also a vital part of the contemporary world and will undoubtedly play a considerable role in shaping the future. This year, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ Passport to the World program will focus on the Year of Europe.

Passport to the World enables the college to embark on yearlong explorations of the culture and history of a particular region or country. The current series promotes understanding of the problems and prospects of the European continent and Europe’s relationship to the United States and other parts of the world. Past programs have focused on South Africa, China, Russia's Realms,

(Oct. 9, 2015) — Robert Grossman, professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry, and Christopher L. Schardl, professor and chair of the UK Department of Plant Pathology, are collaborators on a $461,237 National Institutes of Health grant to study oxidizing enzymes.

Led by Pennsylvania State University’s J. Martin Bollinger, the project will reveal the structures and mechanisms of iron- and 2-(oxo)glutarate-dependent oxygenase enzymes from plants, fungi and soil bacteria.

According to Bollinger's project description,

By Gail Hairston

(Oct. 8, 2015) — Roxane Gay was born in Nebraska, of Haitian descent, but her family moved quite a bit during her childhood. That doesn’t completely explain the divergent, eclectic nature of her writing, but perhaps it’s a starting point.

Like many children who felt a bit isolated from their peers, Gay turned to books to find friends. By the time she was in her teens, she was already writing essays. But it’s only been in the past few years that her books and stories began flying from bookstore shelves and garnering the favorable attention of critics.

She is the author of the short story collection "Ayiti" (2011), the novel “An Untamed State” (2014), the essay collection "Bad Feminist" (2014), and “Hunger” (forthcoming 2016). She also edited the book “Girl Crush: Women's Erotic Fantasies.”

By Lori Johnson

Oftentimes, students find themselves struggling to pick a direction to take once they have received their degree. On October 2, 2015, the Chemistry Alumni Board helped to answer some common questions students may have about life after graduation during an informal luncheon with the chemistry graduate students. All graduate students were invited to attend and chat with some alumni board representatives about their respective fields and the paths they took to get there. There were four alumni board members in attendance: Peter Nickias ‘87, Amy Wong ‘94, Jeff Lomprey ‘93 and Hugh Huffman ‘72. Together these individuals represented the wide spectrum of options students may choose from upon entering the workforce.

A large portion of the discussion gravitated towards being a post-doc, and if that was necessary and valuable or if a young scientist could be

By Gail Hairston

(Oct. 6, 2015) — The images of untold thousands of people — many of them children — escaping the horror and despair of the war-ravaged Middle East are seared in the memories of anyone even semi-aware of global events in recent months.

Newscasters and reporters around the world have failed to find the words to adequately describe and explain the tsunami of humanity that washed upon the shores or stumbled across the borders of European nations. So many questions and so few answers.

A panel of nine experts from six disciplines was formed by the University of Kentucky’s International Studies Program and its director Sue

By Whitney Harder

(Oct. 6, 2015) — With "Banned Books Week" celebrated last week and "Teen Read Week" coming up Oct.18-24, exploring the world through literature seems to always be in season. For professors at the University of Kentucky, books have impacted their lives and careers in surprising ways.

Read below for the third and final piece in a series of professors reflecting on the books that shaped them. 

Ashley Seifert

Assistant Professor of Biology 

For me, the most influential books have been all about timing. As a young college graduate, I came upon Benjamin Hoff’s "The Te of Piglet." Hoff’s condemnation of man’s disharmony with the natural world resonated deeply with me. But it was his elegant illumination of Taoist philosophy

(Oct. 5, 2015) — Michael W. Young, an esteemed geneticist known best for identifying the genes that regulate circadian rhythms, will deliver two lectures at the University of Kentucky this week as part of the 2015 Thomas Hunt Morgan Lecture Series sponsored by the UK Department of Biology.

Young, vice president for academic affairs and Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor at The Rockefeller University, will speak Thursday, Oct. 8, and Friday, Oct. 9.

His first lecture, "Genes Controlling Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Drosophila," will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday in Room 116 of the Thomas Hunt Morgan Biological Sciences Building. His second lecture, "Genetic Pathways to Understanding Human Sleep

By Guy Spriggs

(Oct. 12, 2015) – Yitang Zhang - the mathematician who solved the bounded gap problem and spent many hours studying in University of Kentucky Libraries in the '90s - will deliver this year’s Hayden-Howard Lecture, hosted by the UK Department of Mathematics, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, October 15.

The event will take place in Room 110 of the White Hall Classroom Building.

The Hayden-Howard Lecture Series was established in 2001 to bring renowned research mathematicians to UK. The lecture was established by a friend of the Department of Mathematics and is named in honor of

By Whitney Harder

(Oct. 5, 2015) — Celebrating the accomplishments of distinguished alumni and faculty, the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will induct five new members into the its Hall of Fame Friday, Oct. 9.

The ceremony will take place at 3:30 p.m. in the Singletary Center for the Arts' Recital Hall. Parking is available in Parking Structure #5, located at 409 South Limestone. Joining the ranks of more than 50 current members are Roger Di Silvestro, Linda Challis Gill, David H. Johnson, Bobbie Ann Mason and Professor Emeritus Kevin Kiernan.

Roger Di Silvestro, B.A. 

By Gail Hairston

(Sept. 28, 2015) — The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education today announced the two winners of its 2015 Acorn Award for outstanding teachers at the state’s public and independent colleges and universities.

Associate Professor Christia Spears Brown of the University of Kentucky Department of Psychology received the Acorn Award as the four-year-institution representative. Awards were presented at the Governor’s Conference on Postsecondary Education Trusteeship luncheon in Lexington.

"I am honored to receive this award for my teaching," Brown said. "Teaching and connecting with my students is one of the most rewarding parts of my day. My goal is always to engage my students so that they can

By Whitney Harder

(Oct. 1, 2015) — Four faculty members at the University of Kentucky, including one from the College of Arts & Sciences have been selected as 2015-2016 SEC Academic Leadership Development Program fellows, the SEC announced Wednesday.

Fellows selected from UK are:

By Whitney Harder

(Sept. 25, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Staff Senate is welcoming a slate of new officers for the 2015-2016 year.

The Staff Senate serves as the administrative voice for the more than 17,000 full and part-time staff at UK, and also runs several key activities for the university community, such as the CRISIS financial assistance program, Outstanding Staff Awards program (OSA) and the annual UK Appreciation Day through the UK Appreciation Day (UKAD) Commission. 

This year, the leadership team represents a range of areas across campus.

Chair Jann Burks is in her 24th year at the university, currently serving as a 4-H Youth Development extension specialist. She has also

By Weston Loyd

(Sept. 25, 2015) — The University of Kentucky's Gaines Center for the Humanities and Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences are teaming up to present a symposium on violence and the human condition. The series' second event, focused on violence in Latin America, will run 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the west end room of the 18th floor of the Patterson Office Tower. The symposium is free and open to the public.

The second event of the series, "