University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences

The UK Alumni Association announced the Alumni Ambassadors for the 2024-2025 academic year. As official student hosts of the University of Kentucky, Alumni Ambassadors promote the university at events in partnership with 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.

The Office of Undergraduate Research at the University of Kentucky has selected outstanding undergraduates from the College of Arts and Sciences for the Undergraduate Research Ambassador program during the 2024-25 academic year. The program's mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to actively engage in research. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and be involved in mentored research.

Elizabeth King and Ethan Morgan were crowned 2024 University of Kentucky Homecoming queen and king during the halftime ceremonies at the UK vs. Vanderbilt Homecoming football game at Kroger Field on Oct. 12. Other students were named as finalists.

The University of Kentucky's Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the College of Arts and Sciences has honored students in the spring of 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 scholarship conducted by UK undergraduates.

The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has selected 14 students for the 2024 Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship program. Sponsored by OUR and the Office of the Vice President for Research, the CURE Fellowship program provides opportunities to develop knowledge and skills through research within eight of UK's Research Priority Areas: cancer, cardiovascular health, diabetes and obesity, energy, equity, materials science, neuroscience and substance use disorder. Students selected as CURE Fellows received a $5,000 stipend to support their research during the summer 2024 term. Fellows will engage in a research project under the guidance of a mentor. Students will interact with the other fellows in their cohort during the summer research period and present their research at the Summer Research Symposium on Aug. 27.

The Office of Undergraduate Research at the University of Kentucky selected outstanding undergraduates from the College of Arts and Sciences for the Undergraduate Research Ambassador program. The students participated in the 2023-24 academic year. The program's mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to actively engage in research. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and be involved in mentored research.

The 22nd annual Posters-at-the-Capitol this semester featured 13 University of Kentucky undergraduate research projects that focus on such topics as public safety, energy conservation, homeownership and lung cancer prevention.

The University of Kentucky Department of Gender and Women's Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences recently gave awards to several students. The Department of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Kentucky investigates gender broadly conceived, and the cultures and contributions of women worldwide from feminist/womanist perspectives. The purpose of the department is to develop and coordinate an interdisciplinary curriculum in Gender and Women's Studies at the undergraduate and graduate levels; support critical research, teaching and public programming in Gender and Women's Studies that take into account various beliefs about gender, race, class, and sexuality; and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. The Gender and Women's Studies Department aims to serve the university and the Commonwealth through promotion of equity and commitment to excellence.

The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research announced during the fall semester the 15 undergraduate winners of the 59th annual Oswald Research and Creativity awards. Chad Risko, faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and Research Ambassadors congratulated the winners and distributed 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: Biological Sciences. Design (architecture, landscape architecture and interior design). Fine Arts (film, music, photography, painting and sculpture). Humanities (from creative and critical-research approaches). Physical and Engineering Sciences. Social Sciences.

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that Ella Brown-Terry and Rachel Hwang have received Fulbright Canada-MITACS Globalink Research Internships, which will be completed this summer. The program provides exceptional undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct research under the supervision of Canadian university faculty members in a variety of academic disciplines.

Isha Chauhan, a biology major in the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences and Lewis Honors College student from La Grange, Kentucky, will receive one of 68 Astronaut Scholarships this year and has completed a DAAD RISE research internship in Germany.

The UNited In True Equity Research Priority Area (UNITE RPA) welcomed this year's cohort of 21 graduate students to the UNITE Predoctoral Research Enhancement Program. UNITE is led by Danelle Stevens-Watkins, Ph.D., an associate vice president for research, diversity and inclusion and acting dean of the University of Kentucky College of Education. She created the predoctoral program in 2022, with support from the Office of the Vice President for Research, Office of Institutional Diversity and The Graduate School, to engage scholars who enhance equity and inclusion in Ph.D. programs at UK and support them as they become academic leaders in their field. "The UNITE Predoctoral Research Enhancement Program is aligned with university priorities to create cultures of inclusive excellence while incorporating remarkably talented students into academia," said Lisa Cassis, Ph.D., vice president for research. "This effort implements evidence-based strategies to develop research training for diverse scholars." The program will provide a stipend for students in addition to funding for their home college or department. Each fellow will also receive funding to support research-related expenses such as travel or equipment needs. "This year's cohort was selected among a group of highly impressive applicants," said Stevens-Watkins. "I look forward to seeing them grow as research scholars through the support and mentorship they will receive. Our program is designed to ensure any social and cultural barriers they encounter will not prevent their success. Each member of this cohort is poised to pursue an impactful career in academia as the next generation of scholars who will use their unique lived experiences to make discoveries and mentor students in their fields." Lauren Whitehurst, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, is the assistant director of the UNITE program and works closely with scholars as they pursue their research agendas. "One new aspect of the predoctoral program that we have piloted this year is a professional development needs assessment," Whitehurst said. "This assessment has allowed UNITE leadership to develop tailored professional development content, like grant and award writing workshops or networking opportunities, that are responsive to fellows' current needs."

The UK Alumni Association announced the Alumni Ambassadors for the 2023-2024 academic year. As official student hosts of the University of Kentucky, 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.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy in the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences recognized undergraduate students with the Outstanding Junior and Outstanding Senior Awards.

Chemistry majors in the University of Kentucky's College of Arts & Sciences received departmental honors this spring.

The University of Kentucky Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the College of Arts & Sciences has awarded scholarships at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.

Students in the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences' Department of Philosophy received honors for the 2022-23 academic term.

The University of Kentucky chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society inducted 445 new members during the Spring 2023 semester. The chapter's induction ceremony was held in the W. T. Young Auditorium. Celebrating academic excellence among first-year students, Alpha Lambda Delta's chapter has been active on UK's campus since 1940. There are more than 280 chapters of Alpha Lambda Delta nationally and the society has initiated more than 1 million students. The Spring 2023 induction class is the largest in UK's chapter history.

The University of Kentucky's Alpha Lambda Delta inducted 51 College of Arts & Sciences students during the spring 2020 semester. The induction ceremony, originally scheduled for March, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrating academic excellence among first-year students, Alpha Lambda Delta was revived on UK's campus in 2019 after being dormant for several years. There are more than 280 chapters of Alpha Lambda Delta nationally, and the society has initiated more than 1 million students. UK's Alpha Lambda Delta chapter is supported by the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence and the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards in the Division of Student and Academic Life.

The Univeristy of Kentucky Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts & Sciences recently recognized outstanding undergraduate students for 2019-2020. The Department provides a friendly yet rigorous instructional environment in the forefront areas of chemistry at the undergraduate (B.A. and B.S.) and graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) levels. A particular strength of its programs is the emphasis on original research, even at the undergraduate level. Chemistry majors garner the knowledge and skills to succeed in their chosen professions, whether continuing to graduate school to become research scientists, to industry or to professional schools. The faculty members of the Department have extensive research programs in analytical, biological, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry. Current research facilities include five NMR spectrometers, two X-ray diffractometers, several mass spectrometers and a myriad of smaller-scale instrumentation.

The University of Kentucky's Department of Geography in the College of Arts & Sciences recently recognized outstanding students in spring 2020. Geographers ask where things are located on the surface of the earth, why they are located where they are, how places differ from one another, and how people interact with the environment. A major in geography analyzes and explains the location of and interrelationships between human and physical features of the earth's environment. Geographers also examine how and why features and their locations change over time, with particular interest in the many impacts of these changes on both people and natural settings.

The University of Kentucky Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in the College of Arts & Sciences recently recognized outstanding students for spring 2020. The Department advances the understanding and appreciation of language and cultural study domestically and abroad. It teaches undergraduate and graduate students, pursues research advancing knowledge in language and an array of cultural products (art, film, folklore, literature, music, mythology, religion, theatre) and provides service to the Commonwealth in language instruction and cultural awareness.

The University of Kentucky's Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences recently honored students for outstanding achievements in spring 2020. The mission of the Department is to contribute quality instruction and scientific expertise in the geosciences, both now and for the future, to meeting global challenges in supplies of natural resources, mitigation of natural hazards, protection of the environment and public awareness of science.