University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences

The University of Kentucky's Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence recently named undergraduate fellows from the College of Arts & Sciences. The Chellgren Student Fellows Program is open to all majors and takes place during the student's second year at UK. During this time, students receive help understanding the process of research within their discipline, a research mentor to oversee a spring research project and assistance in preparing for the next phase of their career. Student Fellows also benefit from a variety of extracurricular events designed to broaden cultural and intellectual horizons.

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center is honoring 11 students with its annual research awards. "The Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program are thrilled to support these students and their summer work," said Kathryn Engle, director of the center. "This group of students represents a range of disciplines and research interests." The James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia is given to honor the memory of James S. Brown, a sociology professor at UK from 1946 to 1982, whose pioneering studies of society, demography and migration in Appalachia (including his ethnography of "Beech Creek") helped to establish the field of Appalachian studies at UK and beyond. To be eligible, students must be actively enrolled in a master's or doctoral degree program at UK. The award must be used to meet the costs of doing research relevant to social life in Appalachia including travel, lodging, copying, interviewing, ethnography, data collection, archival research, transcribing and other legitimate research expenses. Up to $1,000 is awarded to each recipient. The recipients will present their research at Sharing Work on Appalachia in Progress (SWAP) with Appalachian Studies Program faculty and students during the 2023-2024 academic year.

The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has selected 20 undergraduates for the 2023 Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship program. Sponsored by Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Vice President for Research, the CURE Fellowship program empowers undergraduates to become leaders for their respective communities by providing opportunities to develop new knowledge and skills through research within six of UK's Research Priority Areas: cancer, cardiovascular health, diversity and inclusion, energy, neuroscience and substance use disorder.

More than 500 University of Kentucky undergraduates participated in the 17th annual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars. The showcase empowers undergraduates to share their research discoveries, ideas and creative works with the campus community and the public. This year's Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars was Wednesday, April 26, in the Gatton Student Center Grand Ballroom. Each spring, the Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars brings together undergraduates from all disciplines, their faculty mentors and members of the community. At UK, undergraduate research is central to creating a well-rounded student experience. Research and applied professional experiences further achievements and outcomes for both students and faculty and strengthen the university as a whole.

The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research and The Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence offered the first Virtual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars. This event celebrated the scholarly and creative works of undergraduate researchers. The virtual showcase took place at the end of April. Among the 104 participants were 49 undergraduates in the College of Arts & Sciences. The website is here: https://www.uky.edu/academicenrichment/undergraduate-research/showcase-undergraduate-scholars

The University of Kentucky held its annual research showcase event that provides undergraduate students the opportunity to professionally present, perform, or demonstrate their faculty-mentored research to faculty, staff, students, and the general public.

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center in the College of Arts & Sciences honored nine students with its annual research awards. Four graduate students received the James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia, and four graduate students and one undergraduate student received the center's Eller and Billings Student Research Award.