When the University of Kentucky established the Committee on Social Theory in 1989, it was one of the first of its kind.

The committee, in the College of Arts and Sciences, provides one of the most engaging teaching, research and learning experiences at UK, including 75 affiliated faculty from 17 departments and schools across campus. 

 "The program is premised on the belief that major social questions and problems, issues of our time and of earlier periods, that touch all of us, can be investigated constructively across disciplinary and theoretical divides, between scholars and intellectuals, particularly of the humanities and the social sciences, as well as, we believe, the physical and life sciences,” said Social Theory Director and French Professor

There’s more than 4,300 miles separating Morehead, KY and Berlin, Germany. For Ben Williams, it was a gap that would be bridged thanks, in part, to his experiences at the University of Kentucky.

Hailing from Morehead, Williams graduated from Rowan County Senior High. From there, he went to the University of Kentucky, followed by a graduate degree from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University. His parents still live in Morehead, where his mother works in the Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop and his father as a professor at Morehead State. His two sisters live in Lexington.

Inspiration

When studying at UK, he was inspired by two professors: Theodore Fiedler and Jeff

By Colleen Glenn

 A University of Kentucky graduate student in the Department of Sociology with dreams of conducting field research on substance abuse treatment programs for women and children is well on her way, thanks to a highly competitive grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH National Research Training Award Program has awarded second year doctoral student Kathi Harp its prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Predoctoral Fellows.

Harp, who is interested in substance abuse treatment programs designed specifically for women with children, will focus on understanding how custody loss is related to substance use and criminal behaviors among African-American mothers.

"I am focusing on African-American women

 A University of Kentucky graduate student in the Department of Sociology with dreams of conducting field research on substance abuse treatment programs for women and children is well on her way, thanks to a highly competitive grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH National Research Training Award Program has awarded second year doctoral student Kathi Harp its prestigious Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Predoctoral Fellows.

Harp, who is interested in substance abuse treatment programs designed specifically for women with children, will focus on understanding how custody loss is related to substance use and criminal behaviors among African-American mothers.

"I am focusing on African-American women

Five University of Kentucky graduate students from the College of Communications and Information Studies' School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), recently participated in the Library of Congress Alternative Spring Break program in Washington, D.C. UK students Sara Wood, Jessicah Cheyenne Hohman, Meredith Nelson, Emily Pike and Emily Aldridge worked in different areas of the library.

Wood, from Lexington, said the program was set up to allow five graduate students from SLIS to participate in a week-long internship. The internship focused on the completion of a short project under the direction of a Library of Congress (LOC) librarian.

"Once we were selected based on our resumes and letters of interest, we were specifically matched to a project conducive to our experience and interests,"

Five University of Kentucky graduate students from the College of Communications and Information Studies' School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), recently participated in the Library of Congress Alternative Spring Break program in Washington, D.C. UK students Sara Wood, Jessicah Cheyenne Hohman, Meredith Nelson, Emily Pike and Emily Aldridge worked in different areas of the library.

Wood, from Lexington, said the program was set up to allow five graduate students from SLIS to participate in a week-long internship. The internship focused on the completion of a short project under the direction of a Library of Congress (LOC) librarian.

"Once we were selected based on our resumes and letters of interest, we were specifically matched to a project conducive to our experience and interests,"

Three University of Kentucky students have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. The fellowships will present the students with more than $100,000 to use toward research-based master's or doctoral degrees. Additionally, four other UK students received honorable recognition from the program.

 

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in the U.S. and abroad. NSF fellows receive a three-year annual

Three University of Kentucky students have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. The fellowships will present the students with more than $100,000 to use toward research-based master's or doctoral degrees. Additionally, four other UK students received honorable recognition from the program.

 

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in the U.S. and abroad. NSF fellows receive a three-year annual

 As a current board member of a company she boycotted during apartheid, Zohra Ebrahim is a dynamic testament to the New South Africa.

Ebrahim draws on her past of political activism, as well as a wealth of experience on corporate boards, to assess the role of women in contemporary South Africa.

Women have gained a great deal in the new South Africa. It is the third most equitable government in the world. Forty-five percent of parliament ministers are women.

Unfortunately, women have not entered the ranks of business in the same way. There are only 12 women on corporate boards of listed companies and only one female CEO in the whole country. Violence against women and children occurs frequently as well, due in part to the legacy of families destroyed by apartheid policies.

"South Africa has come so far so fast," Ebrahim said, "But these changes bring

 As a current board member of a company she boycotted during apartheid, Zohra Ebrahim is a dynamic testament to the New South Africa.

Ebrahim draws on her past of political activism, as well as a wealth of experience on corporate boards, to assess the role of women in contemporary South Africa.

Women have gained a great deal in the new South Africa. It is the third most equitable government in the world. Forty-five percent of parliament ministers are women.

Unfortunately, women have not entered the ranks of business in the same way. There are only 12 women on corporate boards of listed companies and only one female CEO in the whole country. Violence against women and children occurs frequently as well, due in part to the legacy of families destroyed by apartheid policies.

"South Africa has come so far so fast," Ebrahim said, "But these changes bring

Scout Diagnostics, a company targeting early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, recently received matching funds of $435,600 to support developing a laboratory test to detect and confirm Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages. Scout was formed in 2006 by University of Kentucky chemistry professors and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging researchers Mark Lovell and Bert Lynn, along with CEO John Beran.

The funds were awarded through Kentucky's competitive SBIR-STTR Matching Funds program, through which the state matches federal SBIR-STTR awards received by Kentucky companies and those willing to relocate to Kentucky. The STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) award to Scout

Scout Diagnostics, a company targeting early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, recently received matching funds of $435,600 to support developing a laboratory test to detect and confirm Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages. Scout was formed in 2006 by University of Kentucky chemistry professors and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging researchers Mark Lovell and Bert Lynn, along with CEO John Beran.

The funds were awarded through Kentucky's competitive SBIR-STTR Matching Funds program, through which the state matches federal SBIR-STTR awards received by Kentucky companies and those willing to relocate to Kentucky. The STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) award to Scout

A University of Kentucky Arts and Sciences class will culminate its study of effective leadership next week with a talk from a war hero on the battlefield and back at home.

Former Army Ranger and Infantry Officer Nate Self will present "Leadership in Crisis" at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 26, in the Student Center Small Ballroom.

As an Army ranger captain in 2002, Self led a group of courageous soldiers to the top of Takur Ghar Mountain to rescue a missing-in-action Navy SEAL, fighting the highest-altitude battle ever fought by U.S. troops. Seven of the first 10 men to die in the War on Terror fell in this battle.

The effort was dubbed “Rescue on Roberts Ridge,” and had it not been for Self’s quick-thinking and leadership, many more would have been killed. Upon returning home, Self was widely recognized as a national