By Jackie Wilson

Frank X Walker

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2023) — "A Is for Affrilachia" by artist, writer, poet and University of Kentucky professor Frank X Walker is the grand prize winner of the 2023 Black Authors Matter Children’s Book Awards. Illustrated by Ron Davis (upfromsumdirt), "A Is for Affrilachia" was chosen for best overall book and content and also selected as the best book in the educational category.

The Black Authors Matter Children’s Book Awards were established to honor excellence in African American literature. A panel of authors evaluated more than 150 entries. In addition to the grand prize, submissions

By Richard LeComte 

Jennifer Cramer

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jennifer Cramer, professor of linguistics in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences, is participating in the nationwide 2023-24 Weekend HERS (Higher Education Resource Services) Leadership Institute for emerging leaders in higher education. She is among 63 higher education leaders chosen for the program. 

The HERS Leadership Institute is designed for faculty and staff who generally hold mid- to senior-level positions in higher education.  

Participants represent a range of racial and ethnic groups, gender identities, nationalities, veteran and disability statuses, religious affiliations, ages and years of experience in higher education, thereby broadening the range of perspectives and insights brought to each session. 

 "The goal

'A Night of Music and Poetry' will be  at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the Niles Gallery of the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library. This event is free and open to the public.

Irina Voro, professor in the School of Music in the College of Fine Arts, and senior lecturer Anna Voskresensky of the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences have organized the event. 

Sixteen students from the Department of Modern & Classical Languages, Literature & Cultures will recite poetry in Russian and English, followed by 16 students from the College of Fine Arts performing piano ensemble compositions. This event features a diverse range of authors and composers and combines music and language to engage the audience in the experience of beauty through works of literature and music.

Voro

By Ann Blackford 

Jim Embry

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 9, 2023) — University of Kentucky alumnus Jim Embry, known as a civil rights activist, eco-activist farmer, social justice advocate and public speaker, was awarded the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award earlier this year in Chicago.

The James Beard Foundation Awards recognizes leaders in America’s food culture that exemplify the James Beard Foundation’s core value of championing a standard of good food anchored in talent

By Lindsey Piercy 

Hannah Pittard

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 9, 2023) — For her intimate memoir, “We Are Too Many,” Hannah Pittard, English professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky, is a Southern Book Prize finalist.

Designed to honor great Southern voices, the Southern Book Prize is awarded by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) to books published in 2023 that are Southern in nature — either set in the South, written by a Southern author or both.

Additionally, the 18 finalists received enthusiastic reviews from booksellers.

Now through

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

This Saturday (Veterans Day) the University of Kentucky Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) Detachment 290 will remember and honor veterans and service personnel who are/were prisoners of war and/or missing in action (POW/MIA) through the revival of the POW/MIA run across Central Kentucky.

The student-led run is set to begin 6 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at UK’s Buell Armory. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton will speak just before the run begins. Participants will then run approximately 29 miles to the Vietnam War Memorial in Frankfort. 

Nearly 95 cadets and cadre are expected to participate, including 10 from University of Louisville’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 295.

All participants will run the first and last two

By Ryan Girves

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 3, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Office for Institutional Diversity, the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Inclusion and Internationalization in the College of Education are partnering with Lyric Theater and Cultural Arts Center to present a remarkable event commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. The celebration will feature performances from legendary hip-hop trailblazers and is free to the community. The event will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, at the historic Lyric Theatre.

Performers include:

The Sugarhill Gang

By Lindsay Travis 

Hena Kachroo

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 3, 2023) — From bettering life here on Earth to exploring what living off this planet could be like, Beckman Scholars at the University of Kentucky are advancing their branches of science through the prestigious program. 

The UK Beckman Scholars Program is named Scholars United by Chemistry: Cultivating Excellence through Science Stewardship. The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation funds 15 months of mentored research for two UK undergraduate students in chemistry, biological sciences and associated interdisciplinary combinations.

SUCCESS is an extensive multidisciplinary program that revolves around

By Richard LeComte 

Haralambos Symeonidis

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Starting Nov. 7, linguists will have an online atlas to track how people in Paraguay and adjacent countries mix and mingle such European Romance tongues as Spanish and Portuguese with Guaraní, a living language native to South Americans.   

Haralambos Symeonidis, professor of Spanish Linguistics in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences, is instrumental in developing the Atlas Lingüístico Guaraní-Románico, which features maps of where and how Spanish, Portuguese and Guarani are used based on research among more than 400 people native to Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and other areas. Now that research will be available to scholars online. Symeonidis used research funds from the John Keller Endowed Professorship to start the project. 

 "We

By Erin Wickey 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2023) — The UNited In True Equity Research Priority Area (UNITE RPA) welcomed this year’s cohort of 21 graduate students to the UNITE Predoctoral Research Enhancement Program.

UNITE is led by Danelle Stevens-Watkins, Ph.D., an associate vice president for research, diversity and inclusion and acting dean of the University of Kentucky College of Education. She created the predoctoral program in 2022, with support from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Office of Institutional Diversity and The Graduate School, to engage scholars who enhance equity and inclusion in Ph.D. programs at UK and support them as they become academic leaders in their field.

“The UNITE Predoctoral Research Enhancement

By Avery Schanbacher

Internships can be a powerful way to interact with new career opportunities. Thanks to the availability of career counseling and organizations for leadership development in specific fields, University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences students have the opportunity to connect with a wide variety of roles that can help prepare them for their careers.

This summer, senior psychology and sociology major Kadija Conteh participated in an internship at the Converse World Headquarters in Boston, combining her passions for fashion and design in a marketing role. At UK, Kadija is a stylist for KRNL Lifestyle and Fashion magazine, and hopes to pursue a career in fashion and merchandising roles. We spoke with Kadija about her experiences working in the fashion industry, how she came across her position at Converse, and how that internship impacted her

By Richard LeComte 

Gurney Norman

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Gurneyfest, a two-day celebration of Gurney Norman, the acclaimed Appalachian writer and professor emeritus of English at the University of Kentucky, will be Nov. 17 and 18 on the UK campus. 

Events will include a musical performance, a master class, panel discussions and readings of Gurney’s work. Events are free, but registration is required; attendees can go to this website to register. 

Among the events are: 

A screening of a new documentary by Sean Anderson at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 17 at the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, in the Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library.  

A musical performance by.

By Tatum Armstrong and Lindsey Piercy 

Mark Cornelison | UK Photo

If you’re a big fan of spooky season, you’ve probably planned plenty of Halloween activities — like visiting the pumpkin patch and putting together a costume.

But even if you’re a Halloween enthusiast, there’s still a lot you may not know about the holiday.

Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby, a professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky, knows the spellbinding history of Oct. 31.

As a folklorist, Rouhier-

The Department of Political Science in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Centennial Celebration brought together alumni, friends, and faculty for to honor and celebrate its first 100 years on September 22, 2023. The Centennial Celebration featured a full day of campus activities and engagement opportunities.

"The founding of the Political Science Department at UK has its roots in international relations," said Emily Bacchus, acting chair and professor. "Amery Vandenbosch, the first prominent member of the faculty, was part of the U.S. delegation that drafted the U.N. Charter. Since then, we've gone on to enjoy a reputation for strength in judicial politics, state politics, international relations and comparative politics. Political science at UK is developing public servants and problem solvers." 

"I've been able to develop

By Richard LeComte 

Akiko Takenaka

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After years of military rule and devastating war, women in Japan led the effort in promoting peace. During the Cold War, peace activism was considered a communist activity, but the women’s identities as mothers enabled them to avoid the label. The struggle of these women fascinates Akiko Takenaka so much that she wrote a book about it. 

“They said, ‘We are mothers, we produce lives, and therefore we are the protectors of lives. We care about children the most, and we must protect our children,’” said Takenaka, associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky and inaugural director of the Global Asias Program.  

Takenaka’s book, “Mothers Against War: Gender, Motherhood, and Peace Activism in Postwar Japan,” is due out in 2024 from the University of Hawai’i

By Jennifer T. Allen

Deb Pena always thought she would study abroad for college. She specifically wanted to have a rich student life during her college studies. That’s how she landed at the University of Kentucky, 4,789 miles away from her hometown of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Currently a sophomore majoring in psychology with a minor in philosophy and a certificate in business, Pena found the community she was looking for and so much more.

“When I visited UK, the reception was incredible,” Pena said. “I knew that if anything happened while I was away from home, I would have a strong support network that I could rely on. I also wanted a place where I could easily get involved, a place where there's always something going on around campus. I wanted a place that I could have the opportunity to stand out and speak up.”

And Pena has definitely found her voice at UK. As

By A Fish  

Halle Harned

LEXINGTON, Ky –  University of  Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ Ambassador Halle Harned is majoring in biology on the pre-med track with the goal of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon. Her mother went to UK, and she has several family members here who “bleed Blue.” Her background, her family’s health, and her high school experiences led her to pursue her goal.  

“I've always wanted to do medicine,” Harned said. “I was adopted from China, and I had a lot of health concerns as a child, which led me to go into medicine. The cardiothoracic aspect emerged when I took biomedical classes during my high school career. I also took anatomy and physiology, and I gravitated toward medicine.  

“Then it really hit home because my dad's side of the family has many heart concerns, and one of his

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

Abigail Knoy, center, is a neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

LEXINGTON Ky. (Oct. 25, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has announced the fifth annual 5-Minute Fast Track student research competition finalists. These undergraduates competed in the competition’s preliminary round and were selected as Top 10 finalists. They presented their research Oct. 26 on campus. 

Abigail Knoy, a senior Lewis Honors College member and neuroscience major in UK's College of Arts and Sciences, won first place. Knoy's mentor is Myunghee Kim, Ph.D., Pigman College of

Norina Samuels

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 26, 2023) — Growing up in Winder, Georgia, a historic suburb northeast of Atlanta, Norina Samuels discovered that the quality time she spent with her family differed from that of her peers. While others reveled in exhilarating amusement parks and lavish beach getaways, Samuels' single mother, Karen, defied convention as she loaded Samuels and her brother into the family car and visited cemeteries.

“All my classmates asked, ‘Where did you go for Spring Break?’” Samuels said. “They all went to Myrtle Beach, and I answered, ‘I was looking up dead people.’ That’s what my mom enjoyed — she was really interested in genealogy. We spent a lot of our off-school time just traipsing along to the graveyards, so I got into looking at the headstones and all that stuff.”

By visiting cemeteries

By Richard LeComte 

Christopher Crawford

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Big Blue Nation is getting a foothold in Japan for University of Kentucky Department of Physics and Astronomy students and others.  

Through an initiative led by Christopher Crawford, professor of physics in UK’s College of Arts and Sciences, the National Science Foundation has approved a grant of nearly $300,000 to arrange for three cohorts of six U.S. undergraduates and one U.S. graduate student to go Nagoya University in Japan for research and development. They will work in a program titled “Neutron Optics Parity and Time Reversal Experiment” (NOPTREX). 

“The goal of these experiments is to investigate the physical mechanism responsible for the conversion of antimatter into matter in the early universe,” Crawford said. “This is one of the outstanding questions in