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 Richard LeComte

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kate Ponto, professor of mathematics in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, has received a three-year, $313,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to explore questions involving topology in a project titled “Parameterized, Algebraic and Chromatic Traces.” 

The grant will fund Ponto’s continued research into algebraic ways of solving questions in topology.  

“I am an algebraic topologist, which means I like to turn my topology into algebra,” Ponto said. “When I’m trying to solve topological questions. I say, ‘Well, you know, algebra can make these things easier.’ I take the topology problem, and I turn it into an algebra question.”

A key term in Ponto’s

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 7, 2024) — Martha Yip, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, is one of nine winners who received a 2024-25 Outstanding Teaching Award this past spring.

The awards identify and recognize individuals who demonstrate special dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s Office for Faculty Advancement and the 

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 17, 2024) — Bradley Elliott, Ph.D., lecturer in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of nine winners to receive the University of Kentucky’s 2024-25 Outstanding Teaching Awards.

These awards recognize individuals who demonstrate dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 24, 2024) — Two University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences students will participate in the Beckman Scholars Program, titled Scholars United by Chemistry: Cultivating Excellence through Science Stewardship. 

The Beckman Scholars are:

They will begin their independent, laboratory research this summer.

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation’s Beckman Scholars Program is a 15-month mentored research experience for exceptional

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 23, 2024) — In March, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association honored six recipients with this year's Great Teacher Awards. 

Launched in 1961, they are the longest-running UK award recognizing accomplished and passionate educators.

To receive the honor, teachers must be nominated by a student. The UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award Committee, in cooperation with the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa

By Ryan Girves 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2024) — The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants with the Outstanding Teaching Awards during the 2024 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony onApril 25.

The Outstanding Teaching Awards recognize faculty and graduate teaching assistants who go above and beyond what is expected and demonstrate outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Selected via nomination, candidates were reviewed by a

The University of Kentucky has announced recipients of the 2024 Faculty Awards. The College will have an awards program and reception in early fall to recognize the recipients. More information will follow soon.

2024 College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Awards recipients are: 

Outstanding Teaching Award

Excellence in Teaching Large Courses Award

Innovative Teaching Award

Outstanding Undergraduate

By Daily Bates

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 2, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected 12 undergraduate students for its fellowship program. 

The Gaines Fellowship Program began in 1984 thanks to a gift from John and Joan Gaines. The program aims to recognize exceptional academic achievement, independent research capabilities, commitment to public issues and a passion for deepening the understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

“I want to acknowledge the hard work and difficult decisions made by our volunteer faculty selection committee led by Chelsea Brislin. This was a record year for Gaines applications and every one of them was stellar,” said Richard H. Schein, acting

By Jennifer T. Allen

As a young girl growing up in the small mining community of Molus, Ky., in Harlan County nestled in the mountains of Appalachia, Annie Saylor excelled at math.  

“I enjoyed being good at something that other people weren’t,” she said. “I like being able to teach it, and I like that sense you get when you solve the problem.” 

Her acumen for math made college possible. While in high school, she won a math contest that allowed her to attend Cumberland College (now known as University of the Cumberlands) in Williamsburg, Ky., on scholarship. After earning her bachelor’s degree, Saylor came to the University of Kentucky to pursue her graduate studies in mathematics and numerical analysis.  

“I chose UK partly out

By Haven L. Patrick

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 22nd annual Posters-at-the-Capitol on March 7 featured 13 University of Kentucky undergraduate research projects that address such issues in Kentucky as public safety, energy conservation, homeownership and lung cancer prevention. 

Posters-at-the-Capitol is hosted by Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville

By Meredith Weber and Steve Shaffer 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 8, 2024) — What makes a good teacher a great one? University of Kentucky students were eager to share their opinions about the best teacher in their lives, nominating them for one of the most esteemed awards on campus.

The UK Alumni Association 2024 Great Teacher Award was recently bestowed upon six UK educators. Initiated in 1961, UK’s

By Alicia Gregory 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 11, 2023) — The University of Kentucky is well-represented on a list of the most-cited researchers in the world. In a database compiled by Stanford University in a partnership with Elsevier, 119 current UK scientists and scholars appear among the top 2% of the most-cited researchers across 22 disciplines.

Citations are one measure of the impact of academic research. For researchers, publishing their work in a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal is a key step in sharing research findings and new discoveries. 

“Being cited is one sign that your work matters to the research community,” said Lisa Cassis, Ph

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) at the University of Kentucky has selected 26 outstanding undergraduates for the 2023-24 Undergraduate Research Ambassador program.

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. This year's ambassadors represent six colleges, 21 disciplines and 18 research areas.

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

By Brian Carrico 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 2, 2023) — The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants with the Outstanding Teaching Awards during the 2023 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony held Wednesday, April 26 in the J. David Rosenberg College of Law's Grand Courtroom.

The Outstanding Teaching Awards were established by the Provost to reward and encourage excellence in teaching. Selected via nomination, candidates were reviewed by a selection committee empaneled by the Center for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching in the Office for Faculty Advancement.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant university, our teaching mission is critical to the success and well-

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 25, 2023) — Angela Hanson, Ph.D., a former University of Kentucky teaching assistant and May 2023 graduate from the UK Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of 10 winners of UK’s 2022-23 Outstanding Teaching Awards.

These awards identify and recognize individuals who demonstrate special dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected via nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for the

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Each year the College of Arts & Sciences presents faculty teaching, mentoring and service awards, including four Outstanding Teaching Awards in the divisions of Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural & Mathematical Sciences and one for lecturers. These awards recognize excellence and outstanding contribution both in undergraduate and graduate teaching.  

The recipients for 2023 are:  

Outstanding Teaching Awards 

Humanities: 

Peter Kalliney, Department of English: Outstanding Teaching Award. 

Francie Chassen-Lopez, Department of History: Career Award. 

Natural and Mathematical Sciences: 

Bertram Guillou, Department of Mathematics: Outstanding Teaching Award. 

Behavioral and Social Sciences:

By A Fish  

LEXINGTON; Ky. — Moiré electronics are hot topics for theoretical physics. Ganpathy Murthy, professor of physics and astronomy in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences, spoke about the upcoming van Winter Lecture and about guest lecturer Ashvin Vishwanath, a theoretical physicist specializing in the study of condensed matter at Harvard University. 

Vishwanath is a condensed matter theorist who studies collective phenomena in quantum systems. His previous research has explored the central role of "hedgehog" defects in phase transitions, the occurrence of distinctive surface states in Weyl semimetals, Dirac fermion dualities and the notion of surface topological order.  

His attention is focused on unraveling the mysteries of moiré materials and exploring ways to create highly

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans may look like the best running back in the NFL as he barrels down the field, but sports statistics may say otherwise, according to University of Kentucky student Nevaeh Eggleston. By analyzing statistics for NFL running backs, she can discern how Henry, while great, may not be the best in certain circumstances.  

“For football in particular, people look at rushing yards, and for a while Derrick Henry was rated as the No. 1 rusher until his numbers fell,” said Eggleston, a UK College of Arts & Sciences senior math major from Huntsville, Alabama. “But if you look at someone like (Cleveland Browns running back) Nick Chubb and everyone else, their yards after hits are higher than Derrick Henry’s as of right now.”  

Eggleston aims to bring

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, KY. — On his college track team, Daniel Plaugher faced a lot of hurdles — mainly because he was a hurdler. When he started graduate studies in mathematics at the University of Kentucky, he faced more hurdles, this time of the academic kind. He found that he needed to do a lot of work in abstract mathematics to catch up to the levels of knowledge the program demands. 

“Coming in, I knew it was going to be a rude awakening, but I didn't understand how much of a rude awakening,” Plaugher said. “I'm more of an applied mathematician, and the course sequences

that you have to take involve more abstract and theoretical math. For whatever reason, I was not prepared for those courses.” 

He received a big boost from the Graduate Scholars in Mathematics