By Robby Hardesty 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5, 2025) — University of Kentucky Libraries staff members have reognized junior Gabriel Portugal and senior Avery Schanbacher, students in the College of Arts and Sciences,  with the 2025 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Scholarship. The annual prize honors exceptional and original scholarship in a traditional paper and a media or digital project, and is given to students whose research makes substantive and creative use of UK Libraries’ collections, services and resources.

As Dean’s Award recipients, Portugal and Schanbacher each will receive a $1

By Francis Von Mann
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 21, 2025) — As a first-generation college student, Ryson Neeley didn’t know what to expect from a place as big as the University of Kentucky. What he found in the College of Arts and Sciences is a community that believed in him, one that helped him become a future doctor.

That discovery came in an unassuming conference room.

Neeley was set on going to a different college before an Arts and Sciences information session. But after listening to faculty members and a student ambassador share their passion and experience, he changed his mind.

“I remember talking to them and seeing how much they cared about their students and how involved they were,” Neeley said. “That’s why I chose to come here.”

Neeley

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. — First-generation University of Kentucky student Kennedy Fitzpatrick grew up knowing the value of education, thanks to her supportive mother.  

 “Education was always a big deal in my household,” said Fitzpatrick, who’s earning a dual degree in psychology and U.S. culture and business practices with a minor in business on the pre-law track in UK’s College of Arts and Sciences. “My mom made sure that we knew it was very important for my sister and I, so I’ve always had a deep desire and determination to learn.” 

Fitzpatrick is from Louisville; she went to Louisville Male High School for two years and finished at Ballard High School. Her interest in psychology developed when she took an AP class in the subject. She sees the major as a path to law school. 

By Lindsey Piercy 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 31, 2025) — Mark Fillmore, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, is serving as the 2024-25 College of Arts and Sciences’ distinguished professor and will deliver the annual Distinguished Professor Lecture on Wednesday, April 9.

This honor is bestowed on the basis of three criteria: outstanding research, unusually effective teaching and distinguished professional service.

Throughout his time at UK, Fillmore has established himself as a renowned

By Allison Jones 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 11, 2025) — The University of Kentucky’s Substance Use Priority Research Area (SUPRA) will host the Rising Stars Symposium to showcase innovative research and new findings on substance use disorders.

The symposium will be 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in room 150 of the Healthy Kentucky Research Building. Registration for the symposium is online.

The symposium also allows invited researchers to examine the various programs in the

By Meredith Weber and Steve Shaffer 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 5, 2025) — Through nominations and testimonials, the UK Alumni Association’s Great Teacher Award honors educators who inspire, challenge and support their students. 

Established in 1961, the Great Teacher Award is UK’s longest-running award recognizing teaching. To receive the award, educators must first be nominated by a student with final selections made by the UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award Committee in collaboration with the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa. This year, six exceptional educators have been

By Beckman Foundation 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 24, 2025) — Growing up in Lexington, Kaitlyn Brock’s earliest exposure to research came from her stepmom, who was a student at the University of Kentucky participating in biology research. Now Brock and one of her four younger siblings attend UK. 

In 2022, the University of Kentucky was named a Beckman Scholars Program awardee. As one of just 14 institutions to receive the award, UK received funding support six scholar-mentor pairs over a three-year period. The Beckman Scholars Program provides

By Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Children may get on their parents’ nerves, but this new book helps kids understand how those nerves work. 

University of Kentucky professor Chana Akins, Ph.D., and former doctoral student Beth Ann Rice have written “

By Lindsey Piercy and Manuela Blanco Suarez

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2024) — Christal Badour, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky, has been honored as the 2024 Psychologist of the Year by the Kentucky Psychological Association.

The association, which advances psychology as

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

LEXINGTON, Ky (Oct. 10, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has selected 15 undergraduates for the 2024-25 Undergraduate Research Ambassador program.

The program’s mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to  engage in research. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and be involved in mentored research. This year’s ambassadors represent four colleges, nine disciplines and 10 research areas.

The student leaders’ goal is to make undergraduate research more accessible. Ambassadors promote undergraduate research involvement through

By Joe Bandy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 27, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Alumni Association announced the selection of 32 students who will serve as Alumni Ambassadors for the 2024-25 academic year. As official student hosts of the UK, Alumni Ambassadors promote the university at numerous events in partnership between the Office of the President, Office of Philanthropy and the UK Alumni Association.

Alumni Ambassadors represent the best and brightest of UK students, demonstrating high achievement in their collegiate careers and a dedication to the advancement of the university. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher and represent diverse backgrounds, cultures and areas of campus involvement.

By Adrienne Clarke 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 19, 2024) — The University of Kentucky’s Lewis Honors College has selected six professors for its first class of Faculty Fellows.

This program celebrates excellence in teaching and supports Lewis Honors College students in the university’s degree-granting colleges through new opportunities in coursework, field trips and speakers.

The first Faculty Fellows, were selected during a competitive process. They are:

By Lindsey Piercy 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 19, 2024) — Mark Fillmore, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, is serving as the 2024-25 College of Arts and Sciences’ Distinguished Professor and will deliver the annual Distinguished Professor Lecture next spring.

This honor is bestowed on the basis of three criteria: outstanding research, unusually effective teaching and distinguished professional service.

“Being named an A&S Distinguished Professor is a special honor,” Fillmore said. “It’s a broad

Harbored anger and grievance take a toll. Michelle Martel, chair of the Department of Psychology in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, shares her insights during an interview with "Eastern Standard" host Tom Martin on WEKU in Richmond. 

"There is a very strong and salient connection between emotion, the body and health," she says. "We have a whole area within clinical psychology called health psychology that focuses on that connection. It doesn't have to be negative." 

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 21, 2024) — Undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky who participate in research under the guidance of faculty mentors have the opportunity to publish the outcomes of their work and collaborative experiences. The first edition of Aperture Journal of Undergraduate Research launched June 1, highlighting seven student-professor partnerships.

Published by the Office of Undergraduate Research, the open-access, peer- and expert-reviewed journal, which will be published annually, aims to showcase

By Jonathan Greene

University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences psychology and College of Public Health public health dual major McKenna Green is one of 14 UK undergraduates selected for the 2024 Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship program. 

The fellowship will support McKenna as she works on research related to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

Sponsored by the UK Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Vice President for Research, the CURE Fellowship program empowers undergraduates to develop new knowledge and skills through research within eight of UK’s Research Priority Areas: cancer, cardiovascular health, diabetes and obesity, energy, equity (UNITE), materials science, neuroscience, and substance use disorder.

Students selected as CURE Fellows receive a $5,000 stipend to

By Erin Wickey 

UKNow is highlighting the University of Kentucky’s 2024-25 University Research Professors. Established by the Board of Trustees in 1976, the professorship program recognizes excellence across the full spectrum of research at UK and is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research.  

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 4, 2024) — Michelle Martel, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Psychology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a 2024-25 University Research Professor.

Her research examines hormonal effects on such disorders related to impulse control as ADHD and binge drinking in women. Martel’s research on

 By Lindsey Piercy and Steve Shaffer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 30, 2024) — In March, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association honored six recipients of this year’s Great Teacher Awards.

Launched in 1961, they

By Lindsay Travis 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2024) — On Friday, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved 16 University Research Professors for the 2024-25 academic year. Established by the Board of Trustees in 1976, the professorships program recognizes excellence across the full spectrum of research at UK.

“Each year it is truly gratifying to recognize these distinguished experts who have made significant contributions across the breadth of research fields at the University of Kentucky,” said Lisa Cassis, UK’s vice president for research. “Our next cohort of University Research Professors have demonstrated

By Erin Wickey 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 15, 2024) — Understanding how sleep helps people live healthier lives is the mission of one University of Kentucky researcher. Lauren Whitehurst, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences and assistant director of the UNITE Research Priority Area, studies how genetics and environment affect sleep. 

“Before birth all the way until death, our sleep can be shaped,” Whitehurst. said. “Understanding what those biological mechanisms