By Richard LeComte

Started in 2015, the STEMCats Living Learning Program has helped students majoring within the many and varied areas of the sciences or mathematics find their way to success at UK. And STEMCats peer mentors are a big part of that effort. 

“I have a group chat with my mentees about how things are going,” said Keanu Exum, a STEMCats peer mentor majoring in biology and neuroscience. “I want to make myself known to my mentees — that I am a resource for them.” 

Getting students situated in STEMCats is having a positive effect on the academic careers of the participants, says a study conducted by Carol D. Hanley of International Programs in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. STEMCats is

The awards include an NSF standard grant and a grant from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation. The first provides summer research funding with support for a graduate and

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

University of Kentucky freshman Lucas Etter still remembers the first time he solved a Rubik's cube — it was exactly 10 years ago to this day.

"I first found a Rubik's cube in my grandparents' basement when I was 8, and my first time completing it was Sept. 27, 2009. So, I have been solving the cube for over half my life."

From the moment he picked up the cube, Etter was intrigued. He started watching tutorials on YouTube about how to solve it. After a few weeks of serious dedication, he finally solved it. He then began studying algorithms, and within five years (at age 13) he became a world-class speedcuber.

Today, Etter is one of the fastest cubers in the world, being able to solve a cube in about six seconds, on average. He holds four national championships and four world records within the World Cube Association

By Maddi Dyment

The UK College of Arts and Sciences would like to congratulate Dr. Nathan Druivenga, arecipient of the A&S Outstanding Teacher Award! Druivenga is a lecturer for the Mathematics Department at the University of Kentucky. Since beginning his teaching career at UK in 2016, he maintains a large focus on teaching introductory-level math courses. Druivenga received his master’s degree from Indiana University and his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Iowa. His research specializes in quantum topology with a focus on knot invariants.

We would like to thank Dr. Druivenga for his exemplary work elevating the UK A&S learning community and congratulate him on this achievement!

From the Association for Women in Mathematics.

The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) has over 100 student chapters at colleges and universities across the country and around the world. AWM Student Chapters develop their yearly programming to meet the needs and interests of their chapter. The AWM Student Chapter Awards highlight and celebrate the unique and meaningful programs that Chapters design. AWM’s Student Chapter Awards are for (1) scientific excellence, (2) professional development, (3) fundraising and sustainability, and (4) community outreach. The University of Kentucky AWM Student Chapter is the 2019 recipient of the Association of Women in Mathematics’ Community Outreach Award.

The AWM Student Chapter at the University of Kentucky is receiving this award in recognition of its outstanding work in developing the Appalachian Initiative for

By Hannah Edelen

Assistant Professor of Mathematics Christopher Manon (center) works with students in the math lab. Photos by Kris Chappel and Wayne Cross.

Over the last few years, the University of Kentucky Department of Mathematics in the UK College of Arts and Sciences has been building and expanding a lab for undergraduates to conduct mathematics research. This project, spearheaded by Assistant Professor Christopher Manon, is a collaborative project with many other professors in the department leading their own research projects, each with their own team of undergraduate students. The projects vary wildly and include attempting to understand the topography of Minecraft, quilting and designing computer software to help compute formal power series. Each of the research projects gives mathematics undergraduates a chance to learn, think about

By Hannah Edelen and Jennifer T. Allen

Margaret Readdy, left, walks with her former student Quiyana Murphy, a 2018 UK graduate. Photo courtesy of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey.

Margaret Readdy, professor of mathematics in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, was recently recognized for her work as the academic program manager for the Women and Mathematics Program (WAM) at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Readdy helps organize WAM, a week-long summer workshop of lectures, mentoring and career development by prominent female mathematicians directed to female undergraduate, graduate, postdoc and junior faculty attendees.

The workshop, which was begun in 1993 by mathematicians Chuu-Lian Terng (University of California, Davis) and Abel Prize winner Karen Uhlenbeck (University

By Lori Adams

The University of Kentucky has released its Dean's List for the spring 2019 semester. A total of 6,562 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance. 

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/DeansList/.

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity and

By Whitney Hale

Tom Shelton, of Oregonia, Ohio, is a junior majoring in physics and mathematics.

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that juniors Angela Jones and Tom Shelton and senior Eura Shin have been awarded Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships. The three UK students are among 496 students nationwide selected to receive the 2019 Goldwater Scholarship.

This year's Goldwater Scholars were selected based on academic merit from a field of 1,223 mathematics, science and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of 443 of the nation's colleges and universities.

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was authorized by Congress

By Whitney Hale, Ellie Wnek and Hannah Edelen

Senior Dealla Samadi discovered a missing piece of the book "La Reine Albemarle," which was published posthumously without the segment. Her discovery has led to an article published in a French philosophy journal.

Seven interns in the University of Kentucky Libraries' Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) Learning Lab will represent UK at the second World Conference of Undergraduate Research (World CUR).

These students will travel to Oldenburg, Germany, May 23-25, to present their research, discuss global issues and create an international research partnership. Funding for their travel is provided through the 

By Ryan Girves

Award winners are from left, front row: Jennifer Osterhage, Rachel Carr, Anna Voskresensky, Benjamin Braun, Suzanne Smith. Back row: Abraham Prades-Mengibar, Luc Dunoyer, Shane Clark and Sarah Wilson. Not pictured: Amy Taylor. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

The University of Kentucky recognized exceptional faculty and teaching assistants with the Outstanding Teaching Awards during the 2019 UK Faculty Awards Ceremony held Thursday, April 18.

The Outstanding Teaching Awards annually 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 selection committee empaneled by the Office for Faculty Advancement and the 

By Hannah Edelen

Laura DeMarco, a professor in the Department of Mathematics at Northwestern University, will deliver the 2018-19 Hayden Howard Lecture. Hosted by the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Mathematics, the lecture will take place 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in 106 White Hall Classroom Building. DeMarco will deliver a lecture titled “Complex Dynamics and Arithmetic Distribution.”

“I will explain a notion of arithmetic equidistribution that has recently found application in the study of complex dynamical systems,” DeMarco said. “It was first introduced about 25 years ago by Szpiro-Ullmo-Zhang to analyze the geometry and arithmetic of abelian varieties. In 2011, Matt Baker and I used the theory to study periodic points of maps on P^1. In this talk, I will explain some dynamical questions that were inspired by

By Hannah Edelen

Tara Holm, a mathematician and professor at Cornell University, will deliver the 2018-19 J.C. Eaves Lecture. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Department of Mathematics, the lecture will take place at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in 208 White Hall Classroom Building.

Holm, a 2012 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and former Visiting Fellow at both Oxford and Princeton, will deliver a lecture on “Understanding Symplectic Geometry Through Polytopes and Lattice Points.”

“Symplectic geometry, the natural geometry of classical mechanics, is floppier than Riemannian geometry, but more rigid than topology. I will give an overview of this floppy/rigid spectrum,” Holm said. “I will conclude with how some of my recent work, joint with Daniel Cristofaro-Gardiner, Alessia Mandini and Ana Rita Pires, comes to feature continued

When Quiyana Murphy arrived on UK's campus as a freshman she found a home at the CARES Center. Watch why she is now the one helping others to feel at home by tutoring fellow Wildcats. Murphy graduated from UK with degrees in math and psychology, and is currently a post-bac student in the Department of Mathematics.

By Ryan Girves

Eighteen University of Kentucky students are making their way to the State Capitol Building in Frankfort, Kentucky, to present their research at the 2019 Posters-at-the-Capitol event. This one-day annual event is held to show Kentucky legislators the importance of undergraduate research and scholarly work in Kentucky. The governor proclaims this day to be Undergraduate Research Day across the Commonwealth.

"Posters-at-the-Capitol is a platform whereby undergraduates from across the Commonwealth’s eight public institutions proudly showcase their undergraduate research projects," said Evie Russell, assistant director at the Office of Undergraduate Research. "Each year, University of Kentucky students look forward to communicating their research achievements to Kentucky Legislators and their peers."

The work presented by students

By Jenny Wells

Olivia Prosper and team's mathematical framework would be adaptable to different disease systems and inform strategies to reduce the threat of resistant pathogens to global health.

A collaborative project led by a University of Kentucky professor is exploring how math can be used to better understand the spread of drug-resistant diseases.

Olivia Prosper, assistant professor of mathematics in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, is lead principal investigator of the $550,000 project funded by the National Science Foundation's Division of Mathematical Sciences. The study addresses the growing worldwide concerns over drugs becoming less effective as pathogens become more resistant.

The more people take certain drugs, such as

Organizers of Expanding Your Horizons are looking for University of Kentucky students who are interested in being workshop leaders for the 2019 conference. Expanding Your Horizons is a one-day conference on April 20 for middle school girls from across Kentucky. The purpose is to expose them to the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics by taking part in hands-on science workshops.

Women make up only 24 percent of the STEM workforce, and women hold a disproportionately low share of STEM undergraduate degrees.

“Many times, girls lack role models in those fields, so they may not realize the variety of career options and opportunities that exist for women,” said Ellen Crocker, a conference organizer and postdoctoral scholar in the UK Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Expanding Your Horizons addresses that

By Sarah Jayne Johnson

Lang's popular lectures on origami explore its connections to mathematics, science and technology. His workshops cover both artistic techniques and application in industrial design.

Robert Lang, one of the world's leading origami artists, will visit the University of Kentucky Oct. 22-23 to present a public lecture and hold workshops. The free events are sponsored by UK Student and Academic Life and hosted by the UK Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Lang's popular lectures on origami explore its connections to mathematics, science and technology. His workshops cover both artistic techniques and application in industrial design.

"It is

By Madison Dyment

A national scholarship can go a long way, even when the recipient is a senior. Just ask UK senior, Claire Barrera, the latest recipient of the Trjitzinsky Scholarship, one of the American Mathematical Society’s (AMS) coveted awards.

Rounding out her final year as a math major and economics minor, Barrera pins her scholarly path on her upbringing.

“Math, for me, is actually a family thing,” she said. “My mom is an accountant and my grandpa is an engineer, so I think it just ran in my family. I picked up on math very easily from a young age.”

This natural knack for her field went a long way in helping her achieve this scholarship. Barrera’s skill and hard work carried her through to recognition, first from UK faculty, and then from the American Mathematical Society.

The American Mathematical Society provides $3,000 at an AMS-member

By Nick Harling

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences has named the first recipients of its Inclusion Fellows program, an initiative for faculty interested in actively orchestrating and advancing efforts to build a more inclusive campus.

Fellows can develop and implement scholarly, community-building, pedagogical, mentoring and networking events, initiatives or programming. The fellowship period serves as a professional development opportunity for the fellows, as it enables them to enhance their responsibilities and bring forth new ideas and measures that will positively affect students.

“The overall goal of the Inclusion Fellows Program is to draw on and support faculty to create sustainable change to enhance inclusivity within the college,” Cristina Alcalde, associate dean of inclusion and internationalization, said. “Over the course