By Sarah Geegan, Jonathon Spalding

It started with a simple question, then grew into a large online survey with responses from over 1,000 people from across the U.S. and abroad. A new book by Ellen Riggle and Sharon Rostosky, “A Positive View of LGBTQ: Embracing Identity and Cultivating Well-Being," explores what’s positive about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer identities.

“It is the right question at the right time. People want to share their positive experiences,” said Riggle, UK professor in the departments of Gender and Women’s Studies and Political Science.

By Whitney Hale

A new composition by University of Kentucky sophomore Ben Norton has been selected for the Lexington Philharmonic's New Music Experiment, a new initiative to foster musical creativity and innovation. As part of the experiment, Norton's piece will be part of a workshop and later presented to the public in a performance scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Recital Hall. Tickets to the performance of Norton's Woodwind Quintet No. 9 and other selections from the New Music Experiment is $5 and can be purchased at the door.

"I am very excited and incredibly honored to be given this opportunity," says Norton. "I was simply happy that others wanted to go out of their way to perform one of my works. This

By Guy Spriggs

On a windy day in February 2012, Department of Geography associate professor Jeremy Crampton met his Intro to GIS (Geographic Information Systems) students on the main lawn in front of Administration Building for a demonstration of citizen remote sensing.

This cutting edge experiment didn’t require any million dollar equipment, however. Crampton and his students were able to survey the western border of UK’s campus using only a camera, a 2-liter soda bottle, a balloon, rubber bands, and string.

By simply suspending a camera from the balloon, this technique makes it possible to not only physically map an area, but to use other forms of recording (such as thermal imaging) to capture data on

By Keith Hautala

University of Kentucky students will have the opportunity to meet with more than 115 employers at the Spring 2012 Employer Showcase, sponsored by the UK James W. Stuckert Career Center.

The showcase will bring employers in both technical and non-technical professions to the Student Center Ballrooms from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, and Wednesday, Feb. 15. 

The first day of the event will showcase employers in technical career fields such as engineering, computer science, construction, information systems/technology and scientific research.

The second day will host employers in non-technical fields such as communications, accounting, banking, consulting, health care, government, management, human services, retail and sales,

By Sarah Geegan

What is Reggabilly?  “It’s music and stories from Southern Appalachia inspired by the heartbeat of Rastafari,” says Red Pepper recording artist Ras Alan about his blend of reggae music and mountain traditions.

Ras Alan, a Grammy Award nominee, has released four albums, performed at the National Mall in Washington D.C., and has three albums archived in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institute. His next stop — the University of Kentucky.

The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center, Appalachian Studies Program, UK Student Government Association and the Graduate Appalachian Research Community are co-sponsoring Ras Alan's

By Kathy Johnson

Kentucky poet, novelist and environmentalist Wendell Berry has been named the 2012 Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).  This is the highest honor the federal government betstows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.

Berry, a University of Kentucky alumnus with a degree in English and former creative writing professor at UK, will deliver the 41st Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 23, 2012, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.  The lecture is titled "It All Turns on Affection."

To read the NEH news release, click here.

This has been a notable year for Berry. President Barack Obama awarded Berry

By Whitney Hale

University of Kentucky's Nicole Schladt, an international studies and gender and women's studies sophomore, and Sarah Smith, a history junior, have been awarded two of six English-Speaking Union (ESU) Scholarships presented by the English-Speaking Union Kentucky Branch. The scholarships will cover Schladt and Smith's expenses for summer study at the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge respectively.

The Kentucky Branch of the English-Speaking Union awards a limited number of scholarships to qualified Kentucky college students for courses offered at institutions in the United Kingdom. Scholarship awards include tuition, lodging and two meals daily for three-week courses

By Mike Lynch

Feb. 7, 2012, marks the 200th anniversary of the last and possibly strongest event of a series of very strong earthquakes that shook eastern North America in the winter of 1811-12. The events occurred on what became known as the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ), located along the Mississippi River in northeastern Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, northwestern Tennessee, and western Kentucky.

Because seismic instruments were not available at that time, today's seismologists can only estimate what the likely magnitudes might have been, based mostly on eyewitness accounts and newspaper reports from that time. The magnitudes of the three largest shocks ranged between 6.8 and 7.7 on the Richter scale, which also didn’t exist at the time of these events.

Two departments at the University of Kentucky, the 

By Sarah Geegan, Guy Spriggs

The American Anthropological Association recently appointed University of Kentucky anthropology Professor Sarah Lyon as editor of the Anthropology of Work Review (AWR).

AWR is the journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Work, a section of the American Anthropological Association.

“(AWR) is a journal that looks at the variety of work and all of its forms,” said Lyon. “It looks at labor and work around the world and across time from an anthropological point of view.”

The role of AWR editor seems tailor-made for Lyon, who specializes in economic anthropology with a focus on the intersections of culture and economy.

“The way I like to think

By Sarah Geegan

                   Matt Wilson on GIS Workshop from UK College of Arts & Sciences on Vimeo. To view a transcript of the video above, click here.

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is partnering with the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government in an effort to open the municipal government's data practices.

The call for open data, or publicly available data, has been widespread throughout Lexington government. Mayor Jim Gray included the

A&S Passport to the World
Year of China – awaken the past, discover the future

A&S 100 – 001 - Dr. Keiko Tanaka
Tuesdays and Thursdays
6:00 – 7:40pm
Whitehall Classroom Building Room 118
Course offered from February 21st to April 19th

This 2-credit, 8-week course will aim to introduce undergraduate students to various aspects of Chinese society and culture. Students will be required to attend various Year of China events in addition to in-class presentations by guest speakers and film presentations. Each month, diverse scholars and professionals will be invited to give presentations around the monthly theme.

For enrollment information, contact Kari Burchfield at klburc2@uky.edu

By Jessica Powers, Gail Hurston

Every student looks for their niche in college, and often a club exists to unite them with other students who have the same interest. Lodz Pierre, a Haitian native, recognized the minority she represented at the University of Kentucky and decided to create a student organization to unite others with similar heritage and an interest in Caribbean culture by forming the Caribbean Student Association (CASA).

"UK's student population is increasing in diversity, but most of the students are not of Caribbean ancestry. The Caribbean student population at UK is probably one of the most underrepresented minorities on campus," said Pierre, president of CASA. "But despite its small percentage, I believed that the number was great enough to create a club in order to

By Keith Hautala

The Martin School of Public Policy and Administration is now requesting nominations for the  2012 William E. Lyons Award for Outstanding Service to the University of Kentucky, the community and the Commonwealth. 

This award is given each year to an individual associated with the university who has given outstanding service to UK, the community or the state. It is named in honor of William E. Lyons (1935-1994), professor of political science and public administration, director of the Martin School, chair of the Department of Political Science, chair of the Lexington-Fayette County Merger Commission, member of the Urban County Council, and chair or member of numerous other university and government committees.

Those wishing to nominate a person for the award, which consists of an honorarium of $500

By Jay Blanton, Amy Jones, Kody Kaiser

To see a text trancription of the video, click here.

Jen LeMaster wanted to go to college. But as a young girl growing up in Ashland, she learned early that it wouldn’t be easy financially. Her family couldn’t simply write a check for tuition and books.

So, LeMaster started looking at community colleges and other options that might not cost as much – that is, until she received a scholarship that allowed her to attend the University of Kentucky.

Now, more than 10 years later, standing in a premium luxury box at the Georgia Dome, which she helps manage in Atlanta, LeMaster credits her time at UK with giving her the educational and career

By Katy Bennett, Chelsea Melchor

Obamacare is a highly debated issue seen in the news and on the floor of Congress that leaves many Americans scratching their head in confusion on just what this controversial bill is about. Come hear the two opposing cases about Obamacare 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, in Worsham Theater. This event is free and sponsored in collaboration by the Student Activities Board and the Student Government Association.

"Obamacare: You May Love It, You May Hate It, But Do You Know Why?"will present two speakers of opposing views to the new health care law. Stephen Voss will present the case for Obamacare and Davida Isaacs will present the case against it, ultimately addressing the main question, "Is the individual mandate constitutional or not?"  This is

Allison Harnish has recieved the Dissertation Year Fellowship Award. Allison Harnish works in a frontier farming region outside one of Africa’s largest national parks, and in her dissertation she investigates how gender- and age-based differences in household labor roles prompt men, women, boys, and girls to differently experience declines in natural resources.

To listen to a podcast where she discusses her research on displacement and resettlement in Southern Province, Zambia, click here.

Ryan Anderson has received the Dissertation Enhancement Award.  His dissertation research focuses on the politics and conflicts surrounding a large-scale tourism development project on the Baja California peninsula.

By Gail Hurston

University of Kentucky Diversity Education & Community Building (DE&CB) students with the assistance of faculty and staff members have organized a full month of activities for the 2012 Black History Month Collaborative.

“As Black History Month chair for the first time,” said UK student Brittany Clayborne, “I'd like to say that I'm honored to be hosting such a position within the Black Student Union. I'm learning every day, and enjoyed it because of the hardworking students and faculty around me that have done all they could to make this a strong month. I'm excited for these programs because not only am I helping others learn more about their heritage, I'm learning about myself. I feel like everyone on campus should be eager to participate as a result of the time and effort

By Sarah Geegan

Two University of Kentucky faculty members will travel to India from Jan. 29-Feb. 3 as part of a delegation formed by the Institute of International Education (IIE), to foster ties in higher education between India and the U.S.

Asia Center Director Keiko Tanaka, and Srimati Basu, associate professor of Gender and Women's studies, and will join high level administrators from 10 other U.S. colleges and universities on a study tour to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi. They will meet with their counterparts at diverse Indian institutions to learn more about the nation's higher education system.

Basu and Tanaka will join