By Elizabeth Chapin

The University of Kentucky is hosting its fifth annual Substance Use Research Event (SURE) April 24 in the UK Gatton Student Center. This free event showcases translational research conducted at UK focusing on substance use and substance use disorder.

Cannabis research is a focus of this year’s event, which will include an update on the new UK Cannabis Center, a breakout session on emerging cannabis research, and a keynote from a national cannabis expert.

“This annual event was created five years ago to highlight the depth and breadth of substance use and related research happening all over campus, and it provides an opportunity to bring together experts from many different backgrounds to build networks and continue to spur future collaborations,” said William Stoops, Ph.D., 

Cagney Coomer, a postdoctoral trainee in the Halpern Laboratory in Molecular and Systems Biology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, has been selected as a 2022 Hanna H. Gray Fellow by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Coomer is one of only 25 biomedical researchers chosen across the U.S. this year as a Hanna Gray Fellow through a highly competitive selection process, and she is the first scientist from Dartmouth to receive this honor, which focuses on recruiting and retaining individuals from gender, racial, ethnic, and other groups that are underrepresented in the life sciences, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program honors the contributions of Hanna Holborn Gray,  an inspiring leader and one of

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Everybody knows University of Kentucky students use their brains. What some people may not know is that a group of UK students keep their brains in a College of Arts & Sciences cabinet — and they frequently take them out to show at area schools. Spinal cords, too. 

Meet the NeuroCATS: These students are on a mission to spread the word about the excitement of neuroscience to kids, one lobe at a time. The club has reached out to more than 5,000 students in the Fayette County area and about 1,700 students each year.  

“There's a bit of a shock factor, but the kids tend to really enjoy it,” said Lilly Swanz, a senior neuroscience major and psychology minor from Paducah, who’s the club’s president. “They love to take pictures and show their friends

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 12, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently announced the 21 undergraduate winners of the 58th annual Oswald Research and Creativity awards. Chad Risko, faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and Research Ambassadors were on hand to congratulate the winners and distribute the awards.

Established in 1964 by then-President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Competition encourages undergraduate research and creative activities across all fields of study.

Categories are:

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Taking Flight — Next Level, a program run by The University of Kentucky’s Ecological Research and Education Center; the Red Oaks Forest School in Stanton, Kentucky; and Kids MakeIt has received the Kentucky Academy of Science Excellence and Outreach Award for 2022. 

Taking Flight — Next Level teaches concepts of science, technology, engineering, math and art to students 14 and older, focusing on those with limited access to science activities outside the classroom. The

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By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, KY. -- Ashley Seifert’s expertise lies in animals that can regenerate body parts — African spiny mice are something of his specialty. 

But Seifert, associate professor of biology in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Kentucky, has also worked with salamanders, which can tackle scar-free healing as well as limb and skin development. His work with salamanders has led him to co-edit a book on how to use salamanders, not so much as pets but as animals that contribute to humans’ understanding of regeneration. 

The resulting book, “Salamanders: Methods and Protocols,” came out in October and is published in the Springer Protocols series by Humana Press. He co-edited the volume with Joshua Currie of Wake Forest

Lyman T. Johnson Award Recipient

Each year, UK’s academic colleges and units select one African American alum whose faith, hard work and determination has positively affected the lives of people on the UK campus, the city, state or nation. These individuals receive the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award. These units also choose an African American student within their respective colleges/departments whose academic achievement and ability to impact the lives of others warrant them the Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Award.

Alexa Halliburton 

 Torch Bearer 

Alexa Halliburton is from St. Louis, Mo., and first toured the University of Kentucky when she was 16. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with a minor in pharmacology. Halliburton is

By Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, Kentucky -- Erich Jarvis, a professor and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Rockefeller University, will be one of the guest speakers in the 2022 Ribble Seminar Series offered by the Department of Biology in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Kentucky.

Jarvis uses song-learning birds and other species as models to study the molecular and genetic mechanisms that underlie vocal learning. He is interested in how the brains of humans and birds evolved to produce complex vocal behavior. Learn more about Jarvis and his research

By Jesi Jones-Bowman

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 31, 2022) ­— The Office of Undergraduate Research at the University of Kentucky is honored to announce that 22 students have been selected for the 2022-23 Undergraduate Research Ambassador program.

The program’s mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to actively engage in research and creative scholarship. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence and  leadership potential and be involved in mentored research. This year’s ambassadors represent six colleges, 15 disciplines and 18 research areas.

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

By Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 23, 2022) — University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences students have received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to support their education abroad goals.

The Gilman Scholarship supports students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to  students with high financial need, community college students, students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilities. Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award, ranging from $100 to $5,000, to defray the cost of tuition, room and board, books

For a photo gallery from the learning experience, click here.

By Daniel Flener

LEXINGTON, Ky (July 26, 2022) — This summer, Jim Krupa, UK biology professor, led a course on the evolutionary ecology of the Galápagos archipelago.

“The life on the islands is almost otherworldly,” Krupa said. “The students are absolutely shocked and amazed when they arrive. It’s incredible to see their reactions.”

The Galápagos Islands host some of the rarest life forms on Earth and hold a deep historical connection to the study of evolution. In 1835, Charles

By Jesi Jones-Bowman

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 23, 2022) — The Office of Undergraduate Research has selected 16 undergraduates for the 2022 Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship program.

The new CURE Fellowships, sponsored by UK Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Vice President for Research, empowers undergraduates to become leaders for their communities by providing opportunities to develop new knowledge and skills through research within UK’s seven research priority areas: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes & obesity, diversity and inclusion, energy, neuroscience and substance use disorder.

“Conducting summer research will provide me with

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that 10 students and recent graduates have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. In addition, a UK doctoral student and two alumni received honorable mention recognition from the NSF. 

As part of the five-year fellowship, NSF Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees for a research-based master's or doctoral degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) field. In 2022, the NSF awarded approximately 

By Elizabeth Chapin

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 8, 2022) — David Weisrock, professor and chair of the Biology Department in the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences, has received one of the the 2022 Excellent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. The award recognizes exceptional leadership and support of student researchers.

Presented each year by the Office of Undergraduate Research, this student-nominated award recognizes UK faculty members who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers, provide exceptional undergraduate research experiences, as well as support and promote the undergraduate research initiatives on campus. This year, students nominated a record 41

By Danielle Donham

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2022) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto has selected four student representatives to speak at the UK Commencement Ceremonies May 6-7, at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Each speaker will address her or his respective ceremony in person. The speakers are:

Amy Luu Ngo

Ngo, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, will address her classmates as the student speaker for the 9 a.m. Saturday, May 7 ceremony. Ngo is earning a bachelor's degree in biology from the UK College of Arts and Sciences and a minor in health advocacy and a 

Ashley Seifert, associate professor of biology in the University of Kentucky's College of Arts & Sciences, has been researching how African spiny mice have "impressive wound-healing abilities." His work is discussed in the online article "How a mouse could help humans heal better" by Chris Baraniuk. You can read the full article here. 

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 26, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center is honoring seven students with its annual research awards.

Four graduate students received the James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia, and two graduate students and one undergraduate student received the center's Eller and Billings Student Research Award.

"Every year students from across the university conduct outstanding research projects in the Appalachian region," said Kathryn Engle, director of the Appalachian Center. "The Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program is thrilled to support these students and their summer work." 

The James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for

By Ryan Girves

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 13, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected undergraduate students as new scholars for the Gaines Fellowship Program. 

Fellowships are awarded in recognition of outstanding academic performance, a demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

Founded in 1984 by a gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities functions as a laboratory for imaginative and innovative education on UK’s campus. 

UK’s 12 new Gaines Fellows are:

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 11, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that UK sophomore Isha Chauhan, from LaGrange, Kentucky, has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its kind in the fields of natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Chauhan is among 417 students nationwide selected to receive the honor, from an estimated pool of over 5,000 students.

Chauhan is majoring in biology on an ecology and evolutionary biology track in the