by Allison Elliott-Shannon

(Feb. 13, 2014) — Open access to information is the goal of higher education, and several members of the University of Kentucky Department of Psychology faculty are participants in an innovative project designed to bring free, up-to-date texts to students. Headed by University of Illinois professors Ed and Carol Diener, the website Nobaproject.com gives instructors and their students access to customized psychology content written by top experts in the field.

120 authors, including seven members of the UK faculty, put together more than 80 chapters in 11 psychology topic areas. All content is completely free, and allows instructors to customize texts by selecting only those chapters pertinent to the goals of the

by Jake Most

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 24, 2013) — Seven Kentucky Wildcats – Khristina Blajkevitch, Caitlin Ciokajlo, Ashley Frazier, Jonathan Keltner, Shelby Kennard, Megan Moir and Chelsea Oswald – have been recognized with the 1A Faculty Athletics Representatives organization’s Academic Excellence Awards.

Individuals had to maintain a minimum 3.8 cumulative GPA and have competed for at least two years of intercollegiate athletics in a sport sponsored by a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division 1A) conference to qualify for the awards.

Joe Fink, UK’s Faculty Athletics Representative and Professor of Pharmacy, noted that this national recognition is significant for several reasons.

“In addition to recognizing academic excellence as indicated by achieving an outstanding GPA, the award emphasizes the skill these outstanding individuals

by Keith Hautala 

(Nov. 25, 2013) — Ashley Candelaria Alumbaugh, a fifth-year predoctoral intern in the University of Kentucky school psychology program and a longtime research assistant at the UK Human Development Institute, received some special recognition at a national conference last week. 

Alumbaugh received the prestigious 2013 Anne Rudigier Award from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities at the group's annual conference in Washington, D.C., held Nov. 17-20. The award recognizes an outstanding student who has demonstrated a commitment to supporting people with developmental disabilities and their families. 

Alumbaugh graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a bachelor's degree in psychology before

by Keith Hautala & Andrea Richard

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 21, 2013) — Farah Sheikh, a first-year psychology major at the University of Kentucky, skated her way to win the senior ladies title at the annual U.S. Figure Skating Collegiate Championships earlier this fall in Green Bay, Wis.

Sheikh (pronounced "shake"), who has been skating since she was 3 years old, said winning the senior ladies title was “the icing on the cake.” A two-time Michigan state champion, and a senior ladies sectional competitor, Sheikh said her win in Wisconsin comes with a title that means something.

“You can say you’re a great skater, but unless you have a title, people don’t really understand,” Sheikh said.

Following in her two older sisters' footsteps, Sheikh found she had a knack for skating at an early age. When she was 8 years old, Sheikh was already performing

by Andrea Richard

(Nov. 12, 2013) —  Designed to offer students an opportunity to live and learn together in an integrated academic residential environment, living learning programs, or LLPs are a “dynamic residential experience [that] offer specialized programming, interactions with UK faculty and staff; and a supportive community that focuses on student success,” according to the university’s Undergraduate Housing & Residence Life website. There are currently 14 LLPs at UK, and a part of what makes them successful is the role of the peer mentor.

Hired in the spring, peer mentors train in both the spring and fall semesters and continue throughout the school year. They are dedicated to ensuring student success at the university and helping students adjust to life on the college campus

video courtesy of UK Public Relations & Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — In addition to research presentations, the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) will offer numerous volunteer opportunities for the entire campus community when the University of Kentucky hosts the conference April 3-5, 2014. From helping direct traffic, to managing technology, to just helping students find where they need to go, there will be a variety of positions available to students, faculty and staff.

Students will have even more flexibility to get involved, as the University Senate has given permission for faculty to redirect their classes April 3 and 4 so students can attend conference events and presentations. 

"This is a bit unusual; it's a new

by Nathan Owen

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2013) — The University of Kentucky’s Appalachian Center, in collaboration with the Appalachian Media Institute, will provide a glimpse into Appalachia through a showcase of young filmmakers’ documentaries.

The event takes place at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, in Room 106 of the Whitehall Classroom Building. Representatives from AMI’s Summer Documentary Institute will screen three self-produced documentaries, each around 10 minutes long.

by Gail Hairston

(Oct. 31, 2013) — The 46 winners of the fourth annual Outstanding Staff Awards; their friends and colleagues; and several campus leaders, including University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto, gathered at Spindletop Hall yesterday for a recognition luncheon.

Although the weather was a bit dreary, the mood was festive, enhanced by the performances of School of Music graduate quartet fellows, Maureen Kelly and William Ronning; and Iris Fordjour-Hankins, Alltech Vocal Scholar and doctoral candidate in Opera Theater, accompanied by UK School of Music faculty member, Tedrin Blair Lindsay.

“It’s a special pleasure to recognize our outstanding staff in this way – the many who work hard each day to represent the University of Kentucky, advance their college or unit, and support our impactful mission,” said President Capilouto. “I’m emboldened

by Mallory Powell

(Oct. 16, 2013) – The University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science will host the 2nd Annual UK Clinical Research Education Day on Friday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UK Chandler Hospital, Pavilion H North Lobby (outside of the administration offices). The free, public event will feature a variety of informational tables for patients, students, faculty, staff and visitors to learn about clinical research activities and opportunities at UK.

Several departments and centers will showcase their clinical research activities, including the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS); the departments of psychology, behavioral science, pediatrics, and neurology; Markey Cancer Center; Sanders-Brown Center on

By Allison Elliot-Shannon 

(Oct. 2, 2013) — The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has launched the Juvenile Justice Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS). Seven research centers, including the University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research (CDAR), will work together to determine how juvenile justice programs can effectively adopt science-based prevention and treatment services for drug abuse and HIV.

According to recent estimates, approximately half of all teens who enter the juvenile justice system need treatment for substance use disorders. The remaining half would benefit from a drug abuse prevention intervention.

Many evidence-based interventions targeting adolescent substance abuse and HIV screening, assessment, prevention,

by Allison Elliot-Shannon, Mallory Powell, Allison Perry

(Sept. 27, 2013) -- The "Triple Crown" is a term reserved for the greatest accomplishment in thoroughbred racing -- winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. It's a feat that has been achieved only 11 times in history.

The University of Kentucky recently accomplished the equivalent of “triple crown” in the academic medical world, becoming only the 22nd medical center in the country to have a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation (at the Markey Cancer Center), a federally funded Alzheimer's Disease Center (ADC, at the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging), and a Clinical and Translational Science Awards grant (at the Center for Clinical and Translational Science ).

With the new NCI designation and the existing ADC and CCTS federally-funded programs, UK joins a truly

by Sarah Geegan & Grace Liddle

 The College of Arts and Sciences is offering 13 courses that begin in the middle of the fall 2013 semester. For students who may have recently dropped a class or hope to pick up some extra credit hours, these courses provide flexibility after the regular registration period.

Course topics range from the science of what we eat, archaeology and history of ancient Mexico, an introductory course on the city of Lexington, and a study on the culture and economics of local and global food systems.

The "Global Food & Local Agriculture" course explores questions associated with why people eat what they do and what that implies about society. To answer these questions, the class introduces

by Jenny Wells

Last week, the University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence honored its newest class of Chellgren Fellows.  Benefactor Paul Chellgren and his wife Deborah, along with Chellgren Endowed Chair Philipp Kraemer, UK Provost Christine Riordan, and UK President Eli Capilouto, recognized and congratulated the students on being named Fellows.

The Chellgren Fellows Program is for students with exceptional academic potential and aspirations, who are eager to participate in a special learning community designed to cultivate extraordinary achievement. Outstanding faculty members from across campus serve as individual mentors for the Fellows.

The students selected as 2013-14

video courtesy of UK Public Relations and Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

Planning and hosting a national conference is no easy task, but for the UK community, collaboration makes it all possible. The University of Kentucky will host the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research, or NCUR, next semester, which will bring nearly 4,000 additional students from across the country to the UK campus. And as students, faculty and staff can attest -- it is something worth bragging about.

NCUR will take place April 3-5, 2014, all throughout UK's campus. The conference will give undergraduates a unique opportunity to present their research and creative endeavors, while meeting other like-minded students from all across the country. They not only promote their individual work,

by Derrick Meads and Sarah Geegan

Five UK graduate students recently attended the 2013 International Graduate Student Conference at Shanghai University. The UK American Studies Center at Shanghai University selected the students to represent the University of Kentucky.

The conference aimed to promote an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural dialogue about Asia’s past and present. The UK graduate students presented papers that explored specific interrelationships between Asia and the United States.  

The five students who attended were:

·         Hui Chu, a doctoral candidate in social and developmental psychology

·         Melinda Lio, a master’s student in ethnomusicology

·         Richard Parmer, a doctoral student in English

·         Ralph Schoellhammer

by Carl Nathe

A passion for science, which she discovered while in high school, led University of Kentucky senior Devin Henry to her current path of a major in agricultural biotechnology and a minor in psychology. And this summer, thanks to gaining firsthand research experience early in her academic career, the Lexington native spent two months in the Finger Lakes region of New York after being selected as a Cornell University Summer Research Scholar.

Henry, a graduate of Henry Clay High School, knew at a young age that UK was going to be the school for her.

"Being from Lexington, I have always bled blue, and attending UK was always on my mind," Henry said. "I did visit other universities, but decided UK was where I belonged. The major factors that went into my decision were the quality of academics, the school spirit, and the Greek life."

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By Jacob Most

University of Kentucky Wildcats from all eight of UK’s spring sports teams combined to earn a total of 71 spots on the Southeastern Conference Spring Sports Academic Honor Roll, Commissioner Mike Slive announced this week.

UK’s honorees included 16 women’s track and field team members, 14 from baseball, nine from softball, seven women’s tennis players, eight men’s track and field team members, six each from men’s golf and men’s tennis and five women’s golfers.

A total of 1,247 student-athletes from around the league earned spots on the honor roll, which is based on grades from the 2012 summer, 2012 fall and 2013 spring terms.  In order to make the SEC Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding academic year or his/her entire collegiate career, be at least a sophomore in academic standing,

by Whitney Hale

Fifteen graduates of the University of Kentucky will head back to the classroom this fall as part of a new class of corps members in Teach for America. The UK group is among thousands of new teachers chosen this year for the national program, which is known for selecting outstanding college graduates to commit to teach for two years in disadvantaged urban and rural public schools.

Teach for America places its recruits in the nation's highest-need elementary and secondary schools in many of the country's lowest income communities, both rural and urban, in an effort to close the achievement gap between economically advantaged and disadvantaged children.

Currently, around 10,400 first- and second-year corps members instruct more than 750,000 pre-K through 12th

By Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky, in an effort to enhance  student readiness and performance, has launched a partnership with the country's leading massive open online course (MOOC) platform, Coursera.

UK is one of 10 flagship state universities or systems that make up this first wave of large public universities to announce a partnership with Coursera. And, as importantly, this partnership -- unlike a number of providers for massive open online courses -- is targeting high school students to ensure that they are prepared for college.

"This partnership is one more example of our innovative approach to fulfilling our university's commitment, as the Commonwealth's flagship institution, to provide high-quality education and create a brighter future for Kentuckians," said