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Until recently, most physicists believed that the laws of nature allow only one kind of universe to exist — the universe as we know it. The hope was that as we learn more and more about the laws of physics at their most fundamental level, we come closer to a unique set of laws. To a large number of physicists, string theory offers the best hope of discovering these laws.

However, advancements in string theory over the past decade have led to an interesting twist to the discourse. Scientific developments seem to suggest that while the equations which govern the basic physical laws are unique, their solutions are not. Therefore it appears that there is a "cosmic landscape" of possible universes. And we happen to live in one of them – the one in which life itself is possible.

 

Until recently, most physicists believed that the laws of nature allow only one kind of universe to exist — the universe as we know it. The hope was that as we learn more and more about the laws of physics at their most fundamental level, we come closer to a unique set of laws. To a large number of physicists, string theory offers the best hope of discovering these laws.

However, advancements in string theory over the past decade have led to an interesting twist to the discourse. Scientific developments seem to suggest that while the equations which govern the basic physical laws are unique, their solutions are not. Therefore it appears that there is a "cosmic landscape" of possible universes. And we happen to live in one of them – the one in which life itself is possible.

 

A delegation of six Iraqi professors from the University of Kufa arrived on campus April 2. They are part of the Iraq University Linkages Program, which pairs Iraqi schools with U.S. institutions that can assist with curricular development.

In 2010, the University of Kentucky was one of five U.S. schools selected to receive a 3-year grant for curriculum development in Iraq. UK was paired with the University of Kufa, which is located in Najaf province in southern Iraq.

Other U.S. schools participating in this initiative are Ball State, the University of Cincinnati, Georgia State and Oklahoma State. Each school is partnered with an Iraqi university by the U.S. Department of State, based upon the specific needs of the Iraqi institution. The goals will be accomplished

A delegation of six Iraqi professors from the University of Kufa arrived on campus April 2. They are part of the Iraq University Linkages Program, which pairs Iraqi schools with U.S. institutions that can assist with curricular development.

In 2010, the University of Kentucky was one of five U.S. schools selected to receive a 3-year grant for curriculum development in Iraq. UK was paired with the University of Kufa, which is located in Najaf province in southern Iraq.

Other U.S. schools participating in this initiative are Ball State, the University of Cincinnati, Georgia State and Oklahoma State. Each school is partnered with an Iraqi university by the U.S. Department of State, based upon the specific needs of the Iraqi institution. The goals will be accomplished

Rachel Philbrick, a graduate student in classics at the University of Kentucky, has been awarded one of only 33 Jacob K. Javits Fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education. The Javits Fellowship is awarded to students of superior academic ability who plan to undertake graduate study in the selected fields of arts, humanities and social sciences.

As part of the Javits Fellowship, the U.S. Department of Education awards fellowships to students on the basis of demonstrated achievement, financial need and exceptional promise. The selection is made by a panel of experts appointed by the Javits Fellowship Board. The Javits Fellowship covers study at the doctoral and Master of Fine Arts level in selected fields of arts, humanities and social

Rachel Philbrick, a graduate student in classics at the University of Kentucky, has been awarded one of only 33 Jacob K. Javits Fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education. The Javits Fellowship is awarded to students of superior academic ability who plan to undertake graduate study in the selected fields of arts, humanities and social sciences.

As part of the Javits Fellowship, the U.S. Department of Education awards fellowships to students on the basis of demonstrated achievement, financial need and exceptional promise. The selection is made by a panel of experts appointed by the Javits Fellowship Board. The Javits Fellowship covers study at the doctoral and Master of Fine Arts level in selected fields of arts, humanities and social

Although Barbara Hogan was born into a white family and did not have to endure the harsh restrictions of segregation, she was struck by the glaring inequalities imposed by an apartheid government.

Refusing to remain a passive spectator, Hogan became a member of the outlawed African National Congress (ANC) in 1977, joining a chorus of voices speaking out against an oppressive apartheid regime. Ultimately, she not only became the first woman in South Africa to be found guilty of high treason for her “illegal” political activism, but she endured periods of harsh, solitary confinement during her imprisonment.

As a testament to her remarkable spirit, Hogan immediately began working toward the building of a democratic South Africa upon her release in 1990. A passionate supporter of equality, she has focused her energy on improving both the socio-economic conditions of all

Title: UK Anthropologists Help Solve Problems Locally, Globally Contact: Cheyenne Hohman Page Content:

by Erin Holaday Ziegler



University of Kentucky anthropology professor Hsain Ilahiane first became attracted to the study of anthropology due to its prominent focus on people.

"You put yourself in the shoes of others in an attempt to comprehend," he explained. "This translation – it's meaningful."



Understanding and educating both sides of an issue frames the work of UK's entire Department of Anthropology, from Monica Udvardy's work on gender and symbolism in Africa and Diane King's advancement of honor killing

Title: Kristi Runyon Features South Africa & Kentucky Initiative on WTVQ-36 Contact: Cheyenne Hohman Page Content:

Kristi Runyon, a reporter on WTVQ-36, Lexington's ABC news affiliate, interviewed A&S Dean Mark Kornbluh about South Africa and Kentucky: Different Lands, Common Ground. The Dean spoke about the opening of the gallery at Lafferty Hall, which is currently hosting an exhibit about the life of Ahmed "Kathy" Kathrada. The exhibit will run until May 31.



To view the video, click here. Article Date: 4/14/2011
Title: Win-Win: Statistics Professor Arne Bathke Interviewed about Benefits of Data Analysis Contact: Cheyenne Hohman

Page Content:

UK Statistics Professor Arne Bathke was interviewed on WUKY about current research and projects coming out of the UK Statistics department. Bathke has long understood the importance of interdisciplinary work, and UK Statistics was recently ranked 16th of the nation's private and public universities.

Listen to the interview below.

 

https://stat.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/UK%20Perspectives%20Statistics.mp3
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With an insufficient budget and no help on the horizon, University of Kentucky Professor Gang Cao of the UK Department of Physics and Astronomy had nothing but bad news for his peers about being able to hold this year's Workshop on Novel Electronic Materials.

After successfully staging two international workshops in 2005 and 2008 on UK's campus, the scientific community was eager for the 2011 plans. "There are a lot of conferences in our field," explained Cao, "but few can address new materials, with such a diverse group of scientists from different fields. The phone just kept ringing."

The Novel Materials Workshop is intended to provide an opportunity to communicate recent developments, tackle challenges and establish possible

With an insufficient budget and no help on the horizon, University of Kentucky Professor Gang Cao of the UK Department of Physics and Astronomy had nothing but bad news for his peers about being able to hold this year's Workshop on Novel Electronic Materials.

After successfully staging two international workshops in 2005 and 2008 on UK's campus, the scientific community was eager for the 2011 plans. "There are a lot of conferences in our field," explained Cao, "but few can address new materials, with such a diverse group of scientists from different fields. The phone just kept ringing."

The Novel Materials Workshop is intended to provide an opportunity to communicate recent developments, tackle challenges and establish possible

Title: UK Honors South African Leaders with Degrees Contact: Cheyenne Hohman Page Content:

by Erin Holaday Ziegler

The University of Kentucky will award two legendary South African anti-apartheid activists with honorary degrees on campus this week.

World-renowned leaders Ahmed Kathrada and Barbara Hogan, both of whom served in post-apartheid South Africa as senior officials in President Nelson Mandela's administration, have changed the lives of their country and the world through their tireless work for freedom and democracy.

UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. will confer the Honorary Doctorate of Letters to Hogan and Kathrada during an academic convocation ceremony at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at the Singletary Center Recital Hall. The event is open to faculty, staff, students and the public.

Kathrada and Hogan will each deliver remarks on

Title: Local, Global Place Matters in Appalachia Contact: Cheyenne Hohman Page Content:

by Erin Holaday Ziegler

A transformative researcher of transnational processes in Appalachia, the American South and around the world will visit the University of Kentucky for the fourth and final of the Place Matters series this week.

Barbara Ellen Smith, a sociology professor and the former director of Women's and Gender Studies at Virginia Tech, will present a talk titled "Transforming Places: Towards a Global Politics of Appalachia" at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in the John Jacob Niles Gallery. Professor Srimati Basu of the UK Department of Gender

Title: Annual Marker Honors Bio Alum, Nobel Winner Contact: Cheyenne Hohman Page Content:

by Erin Holaday Ziegler and Katy Bennett

The University of Kentucky's largest major will celebrate a world-renowned Nobel Prize winner of its own at the Student Development Council's 17th annual historical marker ceremony next week.

With the help of the Kentucky Historical Society and President Lee T. Todd Jr., the SDC will dedicate this year's historical marker to UK biology alum Thomas Hunt Morgan in a public outdoor ceremony on campus.

Born in Lexington in 1866, Thomas Hunt Morgan was a nephew of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan. Thomas Hunt Morgan attended State College of Kentucky, which became UK, during the 1880s, graduating as

Nelson Mandela's parliamentary counselor, prison mate and friend - considered the Thomas Jefferson of South Africa - Ahmed Kathrada is coming to the University of Kentucky.

The world-renowned anti-apartheid activist is an honored guest of UK's College of Arts and Sciences' yearlong initiative "Kentucky and South Africa: Different Lands, Common Ground."

At 82 years old, Kathrada is a man of overflowing ideas, stories and experiences. And his visit to the East Coast and to UK is fittingly brimming with activity.

Kathrada's four-day whirlwind stay in Lexington next week includes an honorary degree convocation from the university; the stateside opening of "Ahmed 'Kathy' Kathrada: A South African Activist for Non-Racialism and Democracy," an

The University of Kentucky's Department of Hispanic Studies is expanding its online course selection this summer to encompass an expanding foreign language need in the community, the Commonwealth and across the globe. Spanish for Health Professionals is the name of this wholly-online summer course, and fundamental health language, Hispanic culture and lifestyle are the topics at hand.

 

The College of Arts and Sciences offers Spanish for Health Professionals, or Spanish 151, in the classroom during the school year as the student need arises, and while the summer course is open to traditional students, Hispanic Studies is also focused on nontraditional students both locally and globally.

"A class like this does not require fluency," explained Hispanic Studies professor and course director Haralambos Symeonidis

The University of Kentucky Office for Institutional Diversity has announced the inaugural event for its newly established Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center Scholar-in-Residence ProgramArnold Farr, associate professor in the UK College of Arts and Sciences Department of Philosophy, has been named as the program’s first Scholar-In-Residence.

The goal of the new Scholar-in-Residence Program is to anchor a critical aspect of the MLK Cultural Center’s programming firmly in the heart of the academic life of the campus through the leadership of faculty from various departments throughout the university.  The Scholar-in-Residence is a two-year faculty appointment, with

Central Kentucky students have the opportunity to explore a whole new world without leaving Lexington this week as the University of Kentucky Confucius Institute organized its first Spring Break Chinese Language and Chinese Culture Camp.

Students from third to sixth grade are participating in a weeklong camp April 4-8, focusing on simple Chinese language and a wide variety of cultural activities.

"This is one of the few Spring Break camps held by all the Confucius Institutes," said Director Huajing Maske. "We wanted to try something new. This year is a great learning year for us. And many parents don't get the same Spring Break as their children."

The CI's campers will have five days of varied activities, according to Maske. "Every day is different," she said.

To begin the day, campers will do

In the aftermath of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11, Japan has experienced devastation the likes of which few places have ever felt. To UK geography professor Pradyumna Karan, this disaster feels personal.

“I have been leading UK Summer Field Seminars in Japan along with professor Todd Stradford for many years. My students and I have many friends in each region that we will have for the rest of our lives.”

The earthquake and tsunami did major damage to a string of coastal settlements along Japan’s northeast coast, including the town of Taro, where Karan and his students stop each summer.

 “We study Japan’s effort to mitigate damage from tsunamis. Taro has suffered serious damage through its history,” Karan said. Hillsides in Taro indicate the run-up – the maximum height reached by a tsunami as it encounters the shore – from previous massive