By Ryan Girves

The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently recognized and awarded 19 students with the Oswald Research and Creativity awards. 

The Oswald Research and Creativity Competition was established in 1964 by then President John Oswald as part of the university’s Centennial Celebration. The program is intended to promote creativity in all fields of study and provides annual awards in seven categories. The competition accepts reports, of all forms of creativity, and scholarship by undergraduate students.

Categories include Biological Sciences; Design, including architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design; Fine Arts, including

A portrait unveiling of civil rights pioneer Lyman T. Johnson highlighted the University of Kentucky's 29th annual Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Awards Banquet Oct. 11 at the Gatton Student Center.

The UK Alumni Association Lyman T. Johnson African American Alumni Group honored students and alumni during the awards ceremony as part of the 2019 Lyman T. Johnson Homecoming Celebration. 

UK’s academic colleges and units selected one African American alum whose faith, hard work and determination has positively affected the lives of people on the UK campus, the city, state or nation. These individuals received the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award. These units also chose an African American student within their respective colleges/departments whose academic achievement and ability to impact the lives of others warrant them the Lyman T. Johnson

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/.

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 Aaron Porter

Writing, rhetoric and digital studies student Kenny Trotter came to UK from Chicago. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

Kenny Trotter's college career ended abruptly, and his dream of becoming a lawyer was on the verge of never happening (multiple times). But due to his perseverance and "never give up" mentality, he's not only back at UK, he is excelling.

Trotter grew up in Chicago with his parents and two siblings. In 2004, Trotter's mother had just given birth to his little brother, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. One of the most exciting times in his family's life became one of the most life changing as well.

"My mom was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer when I was about 7 or 8 years old. She struggled with that for four years, it came after my brother was born while she was already

By Nate Harling

Students in Jeff Rice’s WRD 300: Introduction to Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies class presented on the week’s reading, “Made to Stick.” Rice is chair of the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Everyone hears it at some point. Whether it is across the table from a relative at Thanksgiving dinner, on a quiet car ride home with a parent or while out for coffee with an old friend from high school. When a student majoring in the arts and sciences informs someone else of their field of study, they will be met with the same question, often accompanied by a slight lift of the eyebrows: “So what are you going to do with that?” This kind of skepticism is indicative of the widespread social perception that students of the liberal arts are less prepared for

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 Lindsey Piercy

Foodies, mark your calendars! Dan Pashman will be speaking at the University of Kentucky on Monday, September 24. The event titled, "Audio Storytelling in Food and Beyond", is presented by the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies.

Food lovers are probably familiar with Pashman. He is the creator and host of WNYC's James Beard Award-nominated food podcast, The Sporkful. Pasham and his guests often obsess over the details of eating to uncover truths about food and people.

"The Sporkful is one of the best podcasts available today because it's funny, informative and persuasive. It is a major part of the new movement in food writing," Jeff Rice, department chair, said.

The podcast discusses diverse topics, such as the search for a Syrian sandwich, the origins of Cambodian

By Nate Harling

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is entering the eighth year of its Passport to the World initiative, a yearlong exploration of the culture and history of different areas of the world and interdisciplinary topics. This year’s program explores the role migration has played and continues to play in shaping societies across the globe, and here at home.  

“Migration has played a crucial role in human history, and in shaping contemporary societies, and we want to emphasize and critically examine interconnections among world areas and people across the globe, as well as how migration is central to our societies,” said Cristina Alcalde, associate dean of inclusion and internationalization in the college, and one of the co-organizers of

Luke Bradley and Janice Fernheimer received the University of Kentucky 2018 Excellent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. This student-nominated award recognizes UK faculty members who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers, providing exceptional undergraduate research experiences, as well as supporting and promoting the undergraduate research initiatives on campus.

Eighteen faculty mentors were nominated for the award by their students.

Bradley is an associate professor and research mentor in the Department of Neuroscience and the Department of Molecular and

By Hiyabel Ghirmay

The University of Kentucky has a growing commitment to being one of the top research institutions in the nation by pursuing excellence in interdisciplinary research and creative efforts that not only enrich lives, but also address the most important challenges of the Commonwealth and beyond. Serving over 5,000 UK undergraduates each year, despite being only four years old, the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies (WRD) has quickly established itself as both an emerging area of strength in creative endeavors, as well as a hub of interdisciplinary research and projects that cross traditional boundaries.

A new and exciting learning space called the “Digital Distillery” is the department’s latest effort in cultivating and supporting scholarship at the undergraduate level. The Distillery is a learning and working space as well as a central

By Tatyanna Pruitt

Lauren Cagle, an assistant professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences, was recently named a rising star in Technical and Professional Communication by the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW). Cagle
participated in the organization’s first plenary panel, on which rising stars and senior scholars discuss major issues in the field, during this year's conference which took place March 13-14. ATTW rising stars are faculty members who are considered among the best in the field.

The Association of Teachers of Technical Writing was formed to encourage dialogue among teachers of technical communication and to develop technical communication as an academic discipline. ATTW today has approximately 1,000 members that includes both graduate and undergraduate students of

By Amy Jones-Timoney and Kody Kiser

The University of Kentucky’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies (WRD) is dedicated to the study and teaching of writing practices, public rhetoric and digital media. The department serves over 5,000 UK undergraduates each year, and the writing, rhetoric, and digital studies major offers UK students three tracks:

The department also offers a minor in writing, rhetoric, and digital studies, as

By Lori Minter

The University of Kentucky has released its Dean's List for the spring 2017 semester.  A total of 6,412 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/.

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how

By Ashley Murphy

Motivated by his passion for writing studies and rhetoric, as well as his interest in Chinese culture, Brian McNely will head back to China this summer to teach advanced academic writing at Jilin University (JLU) in Changchun.   

McNely, assistant professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies at UK, began his teaching experience in China in the summer of 2013, traveling to Shanghai to teach in a two-week program at Shanghai University. “I had an unbelievable time. I loved my time there, I loved my students there.”

In 2015, the University of Kentucky Confucius Institute (

By Gail Hairston

The last event of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ Civil Life Panel Series’ spring season is slated noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, with two follow-up panel discussions later the same day. The topic is “Science Speaks.”

Allan Butterfield, Alumni Association Endowed Professor of Biological Chemistry; Andrea Erhardt, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences; Bruce Webb, professor of entomology; and David Weisrock, associate professor of biology, will gather for a lively discussion at noon in the UK Athletics Auditorium of the William T. Young Library.

They will discuss what it means

By Lori Minter

A record number of students made the University of Kentucky Dean's List for the fall 2016 semester. The 7,408 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance.  That's an increase of more than 200 over the previous record reached in fall 2015 when the number of students on the UK Dean's List surpassed 7,000 for the first time.  Last semester's Dean's List includes over 700 more students than the spring 2016 semester's list.

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/

By Whitney Hale

Poet Camille T. Dungy, known for her groundbreaking anthology of African-American nature poetry, will be the keynote speaker for the 2017 Kentucky Women Writers Conference, running Sept. 15-16. Dungy, who has two books scheduled to be released this year including her debut memoir, will present her keynote address 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, at the University of Kentucky Singletary Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

“Camille Dungy’s seminal anthology of African-American environmental poetry, 'Black Nature,' redefined the American poetic canon. At the same time, her own volumes of poetry have enlarged our sense of the

University of Kentucky associate professor Jim Ridolfo has won the 2017 Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Research Impact Award for his book, “Digital Samaritans: Rhetorical Delivery and Engagement in the Digital Humanities,” published by University of Michigan Press. The CCCC is a constituent organization within the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

The award honors an empirical research publication in the previous two years that most advances the mission of the organization or the needs of the profession.

The Award’s selection committee shared this statement: “The committee recognizes this work for its contribution to moving the field forward. The book takes advantage of the affordances of both digital distribution and multimodal composition, offering effective new modes of scholarly communication. Ridolfo's method infuses his

By Whitney Hale

University of Kentucky senior Rachel Dixon, of Lexington, was recently named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Dixon, an English and writing, rhetoric and digital studies major, will interview for the prestigious scholarship that funds graduate study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead.

A UK Honors College member and former ambassador, Dixon is a