By Gail Hairston

(April 24, 2015) — In a masterful reconceptualization of the functioning of empire, Erik Lars Myrup’s “Power and Corruption in the Early Modern Portuguese World,” to be published in July 2015 by Louisiana State University Press, reveals the intricate web of interpersonal relationships that bound together the vast Portuguese empire, which spanned four continents and depended upon a vast and complex bureaucracy.

Myrup is assistant professor of history at the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences. His articles and reviews have appeared in The Americas, Portuguese Studies, Itinerario and the Hispanic American Historical Review.

Myrup draws on archival research in Portugal, Spain, Brazil and China to

By Kathy Johnson

(April 24, 2015) — WUKY's "UK Perspectives" focuses on the people and programs of the University of Kentucky and is hosted by WUKY General Manager Tom Godell.  On today's program, UK English Professor Frank X Walker reflects on his two years as Kentucky’s poet laureate and offers some advice to newest laureate, George Ella Lyon. 

To listen to the podcast interview from which "UK Perspectives" is produced, visit http://wuky.org/post/welcoming-new-poet-laureate.

"UK Perspectives" airs at 8:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. each Friday on WUKY 91.3, UK's NPR station.

By Tony Neely

(April 24, 2015) — Sixty-five University of Kentucky Wildcats earned a place on the 2015 Winter Sports Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll announced by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.

UK's total of 65 honorees is the fourth-most among the 14 league teams. UK has eight representatives from the men’s basketball team,  six from women’s basketball, 12 from gymnastics, 10 from rifle, 10 from men’s swimming and diving and 19 from women’s swimming and diving. 

The 2015 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll is based on the grades from the 2014 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 academic year or have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above in order to make the honor roll, in addition to being a sophomore or higher in

Four students of Japan Studies at the University of Kentucky participated in the annual Kentucky Japanese speech contest that took place in Norsworthy Auditorium, located next to the Fayette County board of education building, on Saturday, April 18, 2015.



Henry Udaru won first place for the Level 4 competition (for college students who have studied Japanese up to four semesters). Udaru, a biology major and a student from Nigeria, is currently enrolled in JPN 202. In the speech, he talked about his desire to help people, particularly children, as well as his goal of becoming a medical doctor.



James Nick Howard won third place, Zhenning Wang second place, and Ranta Widayanti first place for the Level 5 competition (for college students who have studied Japanese up to six

By Clark Bellar

(April 23, 2015) — University of Kentucky doctoral student Nate Millington recently received the U.S. Department of Education's Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship and will travel to São Paulo, Brazil, this June  to study flooding and its effects on the city's urban design and its people. Millington will study at the University of São Paulo (USP) and will return March 2016.

"USP is one of the biggest institutions in the country with around 80,000 students and is one of the best universities in Latin America. I'm especially excited to be working with

By Clark Bellar

(April 23, 2015) — University of Kentucky's Department of Psychology is hosting the Fifth Annual Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference for Research on Children at Risk 3:30-5 p.m. today, in Kastle Hall Room 213 and 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, in the King Alumni House Ballroom. All members of the UK and Lexington community are encouraged to attend.

The theme of the conference is risk and resilience during adolescence and childhood. Research presented will address

By Gail Hairston

(April 23, 2015) — As April gradually slides into May, trees are growing their cloaks of green, flowers are daubing the landscape with bright colors, and Lexington’s imagination turns poetic as the city and the University of Kentucky celebrate National Poetry Month.

“Why not a festival of poetry?”thought Julia Johnson, poet and associate professor and director of the new Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of English.

“I thought it would be fantastic to have a week dedicated to poetry in Lexington as part of National Poetry Month. I also like

By Whitney Harder

(April 23, 2015) — The realm of science in the United States — education, research and career opportunities — is always a hot topic, but especially so in the last several years. Technology has transformed students' learning experiences and the National Science Board (NSB) called on education and policy to foster "the next generation of STEM innovators."

In 2010, the University of Kentucky Department of Biology responded with a curriculum reform, changing the way undergraduate biology is taught at UK, and perhaps leading to more UK students pursuing scientific careers.

The curriculum reform, led by Vincent Cassone, department chair and professor, implemented new laboratory

By Whitney Hale

(April 23, 2015) — The Kentucky Women Writers Conference is trying something new for the 10th anniversary of its Wild Women of Poetry Slam. This nationally renowned all-women slam will open up its first round of competition to poets residing anywhere in the United States, who may submit a video of their spoken-word performance via the Internet through May 10.  

“Live performance is the defining feature of a poetry slam, but we know we’re missing out on so much talent," said Julie Wrinn, conference director. "By moving round one online, we open up possibilities for poets throughout the United States to participate.”

Poets are invited to submit their performances by emailing a video of an original, three-minute slam poem via Youtube or Vimeo link to

All over the world victims and perpetrators of homicide are mostly men, but when women are intentionally killed it is likely to be at the hands of men, particularly ones they know. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that almost half of all female homicide victims worldwide, but only six percent of male victims, were killed by intimate partners or family members.

Interestingly, while the total homicide rate in the United States is higher than most European countries, the percentage of homicide victims who are female is more than twice as large in Europe (28%) compared to the Americas (12%). Understanding why countries differ in the amount and types of crime is the primary focus of Assistant Professor of Sociology Janet Stamatel’s research.

In order to end violence against women, we need a better understanding of the extent, circumstances, and causes

What makes our university thrive as a community and a center for knowledge? It's the people--and not only the outstanding faculty, staff and students--but the alumni who create and continue a legacy of excellence.

Last week, our community honored 23 former UK students — leaders who have impacted the Commonwealth, the nation and the world through their work — with induction into the 2015 Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

I had the pleasure of joining the UK Alumni Association in recognizing these exceptional individuals. It was yet another reminder of the critical efforts taking place, on our campus and beyond, that positively impact lives and address complex challenges.

We know that our work is deeply rooted in a sense of

By Gail Hairston, Whitney Harder

(April 22, 2015) — The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences will honor its faculty at 4 p.m. today at the William T. Young Library Auditorium.

The recipients of this year's college faculty awards are:

Charles Carlson, psychology, 2015-16 Distinguished Professor. For more information, visit http://uknow.uky.edu/content/carlson-honored-teaching-research-and-service

Beth Guiton, assistant professor of chemistry ‒ Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award

Guiton leads a materials chemistry group in the Center for Advanced Materials, investigates chemistry at the nanometer length scale, working at the intersection between solid state chemistry and advanced

By Whitney Hale, Lydia Whitman

(April 22, 2015) — In celebration of poetry in print, "Verse in Type: Poets & Printers, an Artistic Affinity" is the theme for the 2015 King Library Press Spring Seminar, presented by University of Kentucky's King Library Press at the end of April. This year's seminar will be presented in conjunction with a letterpress printing exhibit and student poetry contest. The King Library Press Spring Seminar and reception will take place starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, at the Hilary J. Boone Center on campus.

"Poetry, being often more

By Whitney Hale

(April 21, 2015) — University of Kentucky sophomore Hannah Latta has been awarded a summer internship through the Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program of the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD). The internship will provide the biology major an opportunity to do research at one of Germany's top universities and research institutions.

DAAD offers a wide range of funding opportunities for individuals and institutions in higher education. The program's primary goal is to facilitate transatlantic mobility to Germany for U.S. and Canadian scholars. DAAD's RISE is a summer internship program for

By Guy Spriggs

Brittany Shaver says she’s always been a hard worker. However, when she began her undergraduate study at the University of Kentucky as a biology major and then switched to chemistry, Shaver didn’t find fulfillment or results that matched her effort.

So at the end of her freshman year, Shaver tried to figure out her ideal major – what course of study would be just right for her.

“I thought, ‘If there was a Brittany major out there in the world, what would it be?’ One of the answers was German,” Shaver explained. “I always wanted to study German, but I first started the language at the University of Kentucky my sophomore year.”

While she says her path to studying German wasn’t clear or easy, Shaver’s interest in German language and culture dates back to her participation in

By Gail Hairston

(April 17, 2015) ‒ Mark Kornbluh, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, announced today that Sue Roberts, professor of geography, has accepted the positions of associate dean for international affairs and director of the international studies program for the college. Roberts’ term begins July 1, 2015.

“The new associate dean position will enable the college to enhance its internationalization efforts and to consolidate oversight of and initiatives regarding international activities,” Kornbluh wrote in a message to his college faculty and staff.

Roberts will provide vision and coordination for all international programs, travel, exchanges, and more for the College of Arts and Sciences faculty, students and staff.

With the support of the college’s Executive Committee and Council of Chairs, the new

By Clark Bellar

(April 20, 2015) — Slavina Goleva, an undergraduate biology student at the University of Kentucky, recently received the highly competitive David S. Bruce Award for Undergraduate Research Excellence from the American Physiological Society (APS) at the 2015 Experimental Biology International Meeting held in Boston, Massachusetts.

Ninety abstracts were submitted to the APS by undergraduate students from across the globe. From those, 30 were selected for the David S. Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate

By Gail Hairston

(April 17, 2015) — Charles R. Carlson, professor of psychology in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the 2015-16 Distinguished Professor in Arts and Sciences. The recognition honors Carlson’s distinction as a scholar, as a teacher and mentor, and by his service to the university and the profession.

Much of Carlson’s research focuses on helping people better manage and control their responses to physical — especially orofacial — and psychological pain. He has published more than 115 papers in this area, including examinations of diaphragmatic breathing strategies. He also developed a virtual reality paradigm that mimics high-risk situations for young women (e.g., sexual assault) and used it to study

By Blair Hoover, Rebecca Stratton

(April 17, 2015) — Provost Tim Tracy honored seven faculty members and three teaching assistants with Provost's Outstanding Teaching Awards at the 2015 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony.  The ceremony took place Wednesday, April 15, in the Lexmark Public Room in the Main Building.

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

Winners received cash prizes of $5,000 for regular and special title series faculty and $1,000 for teaching assistants.

The Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award