By Katie Cross Gibson

With more than 50 distilleries in the state, bourbon is as synonymous with Kentucky as horses and basketball. As one of the Commonwealth's signature industries, bourbon distilling has influenced the landscape and heritage of the region for more than two centuries.

University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences former faculty member and Provost’s Distinguished Service Professor Karl Raitz’s “Bourbon’s Backroads: A Journey Through Kentucky’s Distilling Landscape” blends several topics — tax revenue, railroads, the mechanics of brewing, geography, landscapes and architecture — into a primer and geographical guide with history of the development

By Madison Brown and Jenny Wells-Hosley

Susan Odom, an associate professor of chemistry in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, is the recipient of the Women Chemists Committee's (WCC) "Rising Star" award. Odom is one of only 10 scientists to receive this honor.

Rising Star awards are given to women scientists approaching mid-level careers across all areas, including academic, industrial, government and nonprofit, who demonstrate dedication and promise in their prospective fields.

"I am proud to be a part of a lineage of amazing chemists who I admire, including the chemists who nominated me for this award: Jodie Lutkenhaus at Texas A&M University and Jeffrey Moore at the University of Illinois," Odom said. "Both have served as mentors and

This year, the College of Arts & Sciences celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Over the last 20 years, we have recognized 79 alumni and faculty whose

contributions to the College, University, Commonwealth and beyond are far-reaching. Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting each of this year’s inductees. Today, I am honored to recognize Gerald Smith.

Gerald was born in Lexington, Ky., and graduated from Henry Clay High School. He attended the University of Kentucky as an undergraduate and graduate student, and received his B.A. (1981), M.A. (1983), and Ph.D. (1988) degrees in history. During his time as a student at UK, he served as Polemarch (President) of the undergraduate chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and as secretary of the Black Student Union. He was also a disc jockey for the

By Whitney Hale, Amy Jones-Timoney, and Kody Kiser

The accolades for the Commonwealth’s food scene have been rolling in the last several years, and few leaders are as responsible for growing the state’s culinary landscape as University of Kentucky alumna Ouita Michel.

At UK's home football game Saturday, the celebrated chef and restaurateur was recognized for her work as one of the original champions of Kentucky’s local food movement.

A James Beard Foundation Award nominee as Outstanding Restaurateur and Best Chef Southeast, Michel has built a regional restaurant empire that now includes such popular establishments as Zim’s Cafe, Honeywood, Holly Hill

By Ryan Girves

First-generation A&S student Presley Ramey (third from left) was inducted into Alpha Alpha Alpha honor society. Student Transitions and Family Programs staff Jimmie Jones Jr. (left), Martina Martin and Jesse Farley were involved in coordinating the event.

In an inaugural ceremony, the University of Kentucky inducted 51 members into the Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha) Honor Society, recognizing the accomplishments of high-achieving first-generation students, alumni, staff and faculty.

Inductees were initiated into the honor society through a brief ceremony held Nov. 8 in the Gatton Student Center Ballroom.

Martina Martin, associate director of Student Transitions and Family Programs at the university, said the university established the

By Whitney Hale

Angela Jones and her fellow Astronaut Scholars were recognized at ASF's Innovators Gala Aug. 24, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Emily Jourdan, courtesy of ASF.

University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced biology and chemistry senior Angela Jones is one of 2019’s 52 recipients to be awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). The ASF Scholarship is presented annually to outstanding college students majoring in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).

A nonprofit organization, ASF was established by the Mercury Astronauts in 1984. Its goal is

By Lindsey Piercy

Amy Murrell Taylor, an accomplished professor, historian and author at the University Kentucky, can add winner of one of the most coveted awards for the study of global slavery to her remarkable list of accomplishments and accolades.

Taylor — who was recently appointed the T. Marshall Hahn, Jr. Professor in the UK College of Arts and Sciences — has been awarded the prestigious Frederick Douglass Book Prize for “Embattled Freedom: Journeys through the Civil War’s Slave Refugee Camps” (UNC Press, 2018). The award is presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Gilder Lehrman Center for Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition 

By Madison Dyment

The true art of writing is the many forms through which it can be expressed. The beauty of one of its most obscure forms, poetry, is not lost on UK College of Arts & Sciences' MFA student, Makalani Bandele, who recently won the Autumn House Press Poetry competition for his latest poetry book. 

Bandele, hailing from Louisville, discovered his love of poetry as an undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame. After taking an introductory poetry class, he found the style resonated with him over other forms of writing and frequently engaged in the craft. 

“I love to hear people tell stories but my mind just can’t handle the huge banquet that a novel provides,” Bandele said. “With poetry, I’m able to give people a succinct idea while still exploring many different themes in that short piece.” 

Noting his skill, a

By Lindsey Piercy

Sue Roberts, associate provost for internationalization and professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Kentucky, has been named a fellow of the American Association of Geographers (AAG).

The AAG fellows program recognizes geographers who have made significant contributions to advancing the discipline. Fellows serve as an advisory body to the AAG — to discuss and create initiatives, advise on challenges and mentor early and mid-career faculty members.

The honorary title of AAG Fellow is conferred for life and is a testament to the leadership and devotion Roberts has shown in her field. “This is a huge honor for me, and it is a bit hard to believe it is happening,” she

This year, the College of Arts & Sciences celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Over the last 20 years, we have recognized 79 alumni and faculty whose contributions to the College, University, Commonwealth and beyond are far-reaching. Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting each of this year’s inductees. This week, I would like to start by recognizing Anne C. Deaton.

Anne graduated from UK in 1967 with Phi Beta Kappa honors and a teaching certificate. She earned an M.A. in Adult Education at the University of Tennessee and an Ed.D. in Adult Education and Aging at Virginia Tech. Her career focused on the socio-economic, health, and public policy issues related to seniors and led to a faculty appointment at the University of Missouri, service as deputy director of Missouri’s Division of Aging and director of the Missouri Division of

By Lindsey Piercy

UK Photo | Pete Comparoni

Tis' the season of giving. If you're looking to support a worthy cause, you can help restock the Big Blue Pantry ahead of Thanksgiving. And, you can do so while enjoying an evening with some of Kentucky's most renowned authors.

On Thursday, Nov. 21, the Department of English in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, will host Wildcats Read for Food. Students, faculty, staff and community members are invited to listen as notable authors with strong ties to the UK community read aloud from their work.

"There's a long history nationally of creative writing

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

Next week, the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center will host UK's annual Water Week, a student-led series of events designed to bring awareness to water-related issues in Eastern Kentucky and beyond. The events will showcase issues relating to ecology, infrastructure and bottled water, and highlight organizations working on water-related issues.

Madison Mooney, a graduate student in the UK College of Social Work and intern for the Appalachian Center (based in UK's College of Arts and Sciences), is helping organize this year's event. She has worked firsthand in her hometown in Martin County, Kentucky, where

By Danielle Donham

For the second year in a row, Kentucky Humanities will host the Kentucky Book Festival, a full week of signings, conversations, trivia, meals, presentations and activities that serves to celebrate the literary movement within the Commonwealth. Across Lexington, authors and editors from the University Press of Kentucky (UPK) and the University of Kentucky, including alumnus and former UK trustee James Hardymon, author of “Engineering Corporate Success: A Memoir,” will participate in events spanning Sunday, Nov. 10 to Saturday, Nov. 16.

The festival kicked off on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. with eight featured authors at Newport Aquarium’s WAVE on Wheels

Justin Wedeking's recent U.S. Supreme Court research receives NSF grant to continue study of online Supereme Court news stories

By Madison Dyment

Usually when accepting a professor position, you’re faced with the challenge of balancing research and teaching requirements. For some professors, like political science professor Justin Wedeking, you not only rise to the challenge, but also excel in it. 

Wedeking is a full professor in the Department of Political Science while also serving as the Department’s Associate Chair and its Director of Graduate Studies. Coming to UK in 2007, he has been part of the University for 13 years. 

“I’d been studying law and courts and judicial behavior and UK had such a strong reputation in that area of focus, so this job was a great chance to carry on that torch and legacy by working here,” Wedeking

By Madison Dyment

After many years working at an institution, many faculty members come to feel like family. Having worked at the University of Kentucky for 30 years, one such family member, Michael Cavagnero of the Physics and Astronomy Department, has retired from UK to accept a position as Dean of the Division of Science and Technology at the City University of New York's Staten Island College.

Cavagnero began studying physics at the University of Connecticut, continuing this course of study at the University of Chicago graduate school. His interest largely lies in the physics of atoms and their interactions with one another and light. This interest began his junior year of undergrad.

“I read a book called ‘Basic Physics of Atoms and Molecules’ by authors U. Fano and L. Fano that was first published in the year I was born,

By Jillian Gibney

The University of Kentucky’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 290 invites the campus community and the public to "Run for Equity." This inclusive and free event will take place 1-2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10, starting at Barker Hall and following a mapped route on campus.

Participants may choose a cause that they want to run for in addition to POW/MIA and Wounded Warrior Project.

There will be designated snacks and hydration stations along the route.

Each runner will receive a free T-shirt for participating and is encouraged to write the cause they are running for on their shirt. Those interested in running or walking can register here.

The "Run for Equity" is part

Congratulations to the Top 10 Student Finalists and the Top 3 Overall Winners of the 2nd annual 5-Minute Fast Track Research Competition!

The students competed in two preliminary rounds and were selected as a Top 10 finalists to advance to the final round of competition. The Final Championship round was held on Wednesday, October 23 in the WT Young Library Auditorium. The students had five minutes and one static slide to present their research to an audience and panel of judges that included Provost David Blackwell, Dr. Marilyn Campbell, and Carol Street. The students were competing for cash prizes ($750 – 1st place; $500 – 2nd place; $250 – 3rd place).

The Top 3 Overall Winners include:

By Madison Dyment

The UK College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce that former English Ph.D. student, Deirdre Mikolajcik, has won the 2019 Trollope Prize graduate essay competition hosted by the University of Kansas.

Mikolajcik recently graduated from the English Ph.D. program in May of 2019. Some of her prominent research interests include Victorian literature, gender and women’s studies, romanticism and poetry.

Mikolajcik’s essay, “Abstract Wealth and Community in The Way We Live Now,” will be published online by The Fortnightly Review with Mikolajcik being awarded $2,000 in prize money.

Judges for the competition claimed Mikolajcik offered “an original discussion of Trollope’s treatment of the challenges posed to individuals and relationship by the investment economy of late 19th century Britain.” They applauded her argument and the insights

Hannah Pittard, nationally acclaimed author and director of the Creative Writing Program in the College of Arts & Sciences Department of English, was recently highlighted as a local luminary in the Chevy Chaser and Southsider. Read her Q&A here.

By Ryan Girves

(Left to right) Shashika Bandara, Samantha Wylie, David Atwood and Anna Soriano. Pete Comparoni | UK Photo

Behind many a success story is a fantastic mentor. That was the case for David Atwood, a chemistry professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky. 

"In my first year in college I was interested in physics and chemistry. However, at the time, I didn't have a clear understanding of either major, certainly not with regards to future careers," Atwood said. "In my second year, I took an undergraduate research class that changed the trajectory of my future."

It was because of his mentor that Atwood was able to achieve such success in his career field. Atwood's mentor inspired him to dream big. That very same mentor also helped him