By Megan Foltz

Danielle Galyer competed on Kentucky women's swimming and diving team. Photo courtesy of UK Athletics.

Growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, Danielle Galyer did not realize how prominent swimming was in her home state. However, the tough competition didn’t stop her from excelling. She began swimming at the age of 6 and just nine short years later at the age of 15, Galyer competed in her first Olympic trials.

“It was really good for me to go the first time and get the stress level of it all out of the way. It’s a really good experience because it is the elite of the elite,” she said.

With a strong work ethic and sense of commitment instilled by her parents, Galyer decided to attend the University of Kentucky on a swimming scholarship. “It was

By Gail Hairston

University of Kentucky Associate Professor of Psychology Will Gervais is the lead author of the study “How many atheists are there?,” which appears in the current issue of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. Gervais’ study asserts that there may be many more atheists in the U.S. than society believes.

It's tough to figure out just how religious or nonreligious different populations of people are. Widely cited telephone polls (like Gallup and Pew) suggest U.S. atheist prevalence ranges from 3 percent to 11 percent. But, there's heavy stigma leveled against religious disbelief in the U.S., which might make people reluctant to disclose their lack of belief over the phone to a stranger. Using a subtle, indirect measurement

By Tiffany Molina

Immersed in the student experience by getting involved in a variety of campus activities at the University of Kentucky, Ines Elena of Madrid, Spain, is ready to add one more thing to her to-do list. Starting in fall 2017, Elena will be an undergraduate research assistant to UK psychology Professor Thomas Zentall. The UK sophomore is eager to begin her research with Zentall, as she focuses on her future goal of attending graduate school.

As a psychology and communications dual-major, Elena followed her love for Kentucky that began during her junior year of high school. “As an exchange student in Louisville, I had the opportunity to visit UK’s campus and immediately fell in love,” Elena said. She knew she wanted to pursue her dream, so she applied for and won an International Ambassador Scholarship, allowing her to complete her undergraduate studies

By Lisa Lockman

Two University of Kentucky women who profoundly contribute to issues that affect women at the university and across the Commonwealth received the Sarah Bennett Holmes Award March 23 during a luncheon ceremony at the Woodford Reserve Club at Commonwealth Stadium. Kimberly Sayre, staff, and Christia Spears Brown, faculty, received the 2017 Sarah Bennett Holmes Award.

The award recognizes one female faculty member and one female staff member who promote growth and well-being of women at the university and across Kentucky. Created by the UK Women’s Forum, the Sarah Bennett Holmes Award has been among the most esteemed recognitions bestowed at UK and brings recognition for efforts that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Christia Spears Brown is a professor of developmental and social psychology in the

By Loretta Stafford

Over the last year, University of Kentucky neuroscience senior and Cuban native Giamnys "Gia" Valdés Lastre has worked closely with Mark Prendergast, professor of neuroscience and psychology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, and the UK College of Pharmacy's Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation on research concerning extremophile bacteria and alcohol-related brain damage.

As an undergraduate research assistant in Prendergast's lab, Valdés Lastre is part of a team that has studied a species of bacteria found at the site of the Ruth Mullins coal fire near Hazard,

By Lori Minter

A record number of students made the University of Kentucky Dean's List for the fall 2016 semester. The 7,408 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance.  That's an increase of more than 200 over the previous record reached in fall 2015 when the number of students on the UK Dean's List surpassed 7,000 for the first time.  Last semester's Dean's List includes over 700 more students than the spring 2016 semester's list.

To make a Dean’s List in one of the UK colleges, a student must earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher and must have earned 12 credits or more in that semester, excluding credits earned in pass-fail classes.  Some UK colleges require a 3.5 GPA to make the Dean’s List.

The full Dean's List can be accessed by visiting www.uky.edu/PR/News/