By Whitney Harder

(July 7, 2015) — Two recent University of Kentucky graduates, Michael Delfino and Samantha Dougherty, are among only 34 high school mathematics and science teachers in the U.S. named to the 2015 cohort of Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSF) teaching fellows.

Michael Delfino’s calling took him from firmware engineering at Lexmark International to the classroom, where he will begin his first year teaching math to high school students. Delfino earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from UK in 2011 and a Master of Arts in secondary mathematics education from UK in 2015.

"It is exciting to see Michael, who has the technical skill to work for any of the top software companies, honored

By UK Provost Timothy Tracy

At the University of Kentucky, our work is deeply rooted in a sense of community and in a spirit of partnership; we know that working together is the best way to address complex challenges.

It’s wonderful to see the impact this partnership and collaboration has upon our community members, our faculty and our students. It’s a great pleasure of mine to share these stories.

Take as an example, among many, Computer Science professor Brent Seales’ research. Seales and his team of undergraduate research assistants contributed to an international collaboration to decipher and analyze 2,000-year-old scrolls, using an innovative computer software tool. The group traveled to Paris, France this summer to work with a world-renowned papyrologist, who is learning to use the software, and to present their work at Google Paris, where Seales was a

By Kody Kiser, Amy Jones-Timoney, Whitney Harder

(June 4, 2015) — In the 18th century, researchers attempting to read the writings of ancient, charred scrolls picked and pulled at the fragile artifacts, destroying many. Fast forward to 2015 and researchers are developing a superior method, one that never unrolls or even attempts to open the scrolls.

Leaving it intact almost exactly as it was 2,000 years ago, scanning methods and a new first-of-its-kind computer software tool are currently working to reveal text from a Herculaneum scroll. The scroll, carbonized by the A.D. 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, was preserved with hundreds of others in the only library from antiquity to survive.

The "Volume Cartographer" software tool, built by Brent Seales, professor

By Whitney Hale

(June 2, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that five A&S students have been selected as recipients of Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships. The UK recipients are among more than 1,900 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2015-2016 academic year through the prestigious program.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S.

Each the American Mathematical Society recognizes outstanding programs as "Mathematics Programs that Make a Difference".  This year, one of the programs recognized is the Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics at Brigham Young University.  The director of this Center is Michael Dorff who received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 1997 under the direction of Ted Suffridge. More information about the award may be found in the award citation in the Notices of the American Mathematical Society. 

By Whitney Harder

(May 28, 2015) — “I never really thought I’d be working on something like this,” said Michael Roup, who earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of Kentucky earlier this month. Roup is referring to his work on unveiling text in ancient scrolls with computer software.

Roup, a UK Presidential Scholar from Crestwood, Kentucky, joined the ancient scrolls team led by UK Department of Computer Science Professor and Chair Brent Seales last summer. Roup has since been dubbed the “segmentation expert," and recently traveled to Paris, France, to present his work with the team at Google Paris.

By Whitney Harder

(May 4, 2015) — In the fall of 2014, a group of 235 incoming students became the first class of STEMCats at the University of Kentucky. This week, they are not only wrapping up their first year at UK, but also a semester of original research; an unusual experience for many college freshmen.

The STEMCats living learning program, sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and directed by UK Department of Biology Chair Vincent Cassone, was launched to increase retention of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors at UK.

A key component of the program is an authentic research experience for the freshmen, in addition to

By Whitney Hale

(April 30, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that three of the university's students have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. The fellowships award more than $100,000 to use toward research-based master's or doctoral degrees. In addition, four other UK students received honorable mention recognition from the NSF.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the U.S. and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-

By Whitney Harder

(April 13, 2015) — How can Kentucky tackle its chronic health disparities — cancer, heart and pulmonary disease, stroke and other preventable illnesses — and create long-lasting solutions?

Targeting adults who deal with these diseases most often is necessary, but so too is engaging teenagers, the next generation of Kentuckians, in the conversation.

One outreach program at the University of Kentucky is doing just that by delivering new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education experiences to Kentucky middle and high schools, illuminating the science behind diseases. The "Muscle Health Project" integrates new teaching methods, technology in the classroom, and access to researchers and students at UK in hopes of educating students early on to prevent problems later.

The 75th Putnam competition took place on 6 December 2014. The University of Kentucky had six students take the Putnam exam. The students are Ryan Anglin, Rex Bray, Robert Cass, Matthew Fahrbach, Malvin Seow, and Sami Sultan. Of these, Cass, Fahrbach, and Sultan scored over 20. The team was coached by Professor Avinash Sathaye. The Department congratulates the team for a fine performance. 

By Whitney Harder

(March 20, 2015) — Adib Bagh, assistant professor in the departments of mathematics and economics at the University of Kentucky, was recently quoted in a March 16 Wall Street Journal article examining office bracket pools for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.  

Bagh teaches Introduction to Game Theory at UK and applied his expertise to NCAA tournament brackets, saying, “If you really believe that everyone else is following the same rule of thumb…then you have an incentive to deviate from that rule of thumb.”

Even as a game theorist, knowing he could win

By Whitney Harder

(March 2, 2015) — Many agree that an environment can shape the learner, and in a field like mathematics, an environment that fosters active learning and engaged teaching with no appointment necessary may be the key to success for some students. That environment has been on the University of Kentucky campus in some capacity for many years, but was recently upgraded for present-day students in math courses; encouraging them to take a seat, or move around with mobile workspaces; raise their hand for a tutor, or work on their own; open their laptops, or write on one of many chalkboards.

With new renovations completed over the winter break, the UK Mathskeller is ready to unveil those and other features at an open house from 3-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, (

By Whitney Harder

(Feb. 24, 2015) – Ingrid Daubechies, the first female full professor of mathematics at Princeton and first woman president of the International Mathematical Union, will deliver the 2015 van Winter Memorial Lecture in Mathematical Physics at the University of Kentucky Thursday, Feb. 26.

Her lecture, "The Master's Hand: Can Image Analysis Detect the Hand of the Master?" will take place from 4-5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in Room 155 of the Chemistry-Physics Building.

Daubechies, the James B. Duke Professor of Mathematics at Duke University, will describe wavelets, a mathematical tool used for the analysis and compression of images (including for digital cinema). She will also explain

By Sarah Schuetze

Despite differences in subject matter and methods, students in disciplines like biology and English have some common ground: they are part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Recently, this common ground connected two University of Kentucky alumni who graduated over 30 years apart.

Bob Burke graduated from UK with a degree in sociology in 1970 and Casey Robinson with a degree in Mathematical Economics in 2014. Their shared ties to A&S led to a valuable opportunity for Robinson, made possible by Burke. On a sunny day last spring, Robinson and Burke met for lunch

By Whitney Harder

(Jan. 26, 2015) — The University of Kentucky Department of Mathematics, within the College of Arts and Sciences, is proud to announce the appointment of Benjamin Braun to the Wimberly and Betty Royster Research Professorship, and Uwe Nagel to the Ralph E. and Norma L. Edwards Research Professorship. 

The Royster and Edwards professorships serve to recognize the Department of Mathematics' most active researchers and to support their research. Both positions are three-year terms and include a stipend to support salary or research expenses.

Recommendations for the professorships

By Whitney Harder

(Dec. 19, 2014) – The first two years of doctoral study in science and technology fields are critical to student success — particularly for underrepresented populations.

Reflecting the University of Kentucky's growing leadership in ensuring more diversity in graduate studies, President Eli Capilouto Friday announced that the university's Department of Mathematics, within the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a $559,626 National Science Foundation grant to fund the new Graduate Scholars in Mathematics program. The funding will be dispersed through July 2019.

The program will support incoming mathematics graduate students at UK, including first-

by Whitney Harder

(Dec. 18, 2014) — Thirteen University of Kentucky students took home top honors at the Kentucky Academy of Science 100th Annual Meeting in November, where hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students from Kentucky colleges and universities participated in research competitions.

Winners included graduate and undergraduates from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences, Gatton College of Business and Economics, College of Health Sciences and College of Public Health.

Matthew Fahbach was recognized with an Oswald Creativity Award in Physical and Engineering Sciences for his paper "Historical permutation statistics and Andre's theorem". Matthew is pursuing a double major in mathematics and computer science. His paper began as a project in MA 330, History of Mathematics, taught by Ben Braun.

by Jenny Wells

(Dec. 17, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Office for Undergraduate Research has presented 17 students with the Oswald Research and Creativity Program awards.

"There is so much high quality research being done by UK undergraduate students," said Diane Snow, director of the Office for Undergraduate Research. "We're very grateful for funding through the Oswald Awards to be able to recognize and reward these exceptional individuals!"

Established in 1964 by then-UK President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Program encourages research and creative activities by undergraduate students at UK. The objectives of the program are to stimulate creative work by undergraduate students and to recognize individuals who