Jin-Young Kim is a student at the University of Kentucky's College of Dentistry but her path there was paved as an Arts and Sciences undergraduate majoring in biology. Kim's experiences visiting the dentist as a child instilled in her the desire to give other people the confidence to let their pearly whites shine. Similarly, the goal of UK and the College of Arts and Sciences is to instill in its students the confidence they need to let their best selves show.

Owsley County is the first site for Homegrown Kentucky, a farm-to-school project developed by University of Kentucky students Ben Smith, Adam Meredith, Luke McAnally, Patrick Johnson and Ben Norton. Ideally, this model will be applied to other schools across Kentucky, making Kentucky schools more self-sufficient while offering students and community members an opportunity to learn and practice agricultural skills. This podcast chronicles a visit to Owsley County High School…

Karen Petrone and Cindy Ruder (from History and MCL, respectively) are two of the A&S faculty members behind this year’s Passport to the World initiative – Reimagining Russia’s Realms. They stopped by the studios of UK’s student-run radio station, WRFL 88.1 FM, to talk to host Mick Jeffries on his…

For undergraduates on the path to becoming doctors, UK’s B.S./M.D. program accelerates the student’s educational path allowing them to earn a medical degree in only seven years. One dimension of this track, is a degree in biology from the College of Arts and Sciences. By combining a student's undergraduate and graduate degree into one program, the University of Kentucky is better able to serve those students who already have their collegiate goals mapped out.…

What can we tell about future elections by observing the past? Political scientist Stephen Voss gives us a few examples from past elections - and analyzes some recent developments - in order to articulate the ways that electoral votes can slide from one place to another and disrupt the electoral trends of the past. From population shifts to industrial boom and bust, the United States is in a state of change, and so are its Presidential elections. 

This podcast was produced by …

The UK Political Science department chose someone with experience and a solid educational background to present a topical seminar on local government: former Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry. This semester, he's showing students how local governments work by bringing in guest speakers each week from various local governments around the region. Students facilitate the discussions, and experts impart their knowledge and experience to the course. In this podcast, Newberry shares his experiences as a professor and some of the aspects of local government…

John Brown served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for more than two decades. He served in many capacities, including as a serology examiner, special agent, investigator, and was program manager for the development of the National DNA Indexing System. In this podcast, Brown describes some of his work with the Bureau and how taking chemistry courses at UK gave a solid foundation for the career path he chose. 

This podcast was produced by Stephen Gordinier. 

By the time this year's Presidential election rolls around, many voters will be as turned off as they are excited. Why? The constant presence of political ads that saturate almost every nook and cranny of the media market. But what makes these ads possible? The answer is the incredible influx of money into modern politics that is used to bludgeon as often as it is to persuade and inform voters.

For many University of Kentucky students, the right undergraduate degree is an important stepping stone towards a life-long goal of pursuing medicine, dentistry, or law. The College of Arts and Sciences works hard to develop programs and majors that help cater to the pre-professional goals of its many students.

The fluids we drink can hold cultural and historical significance -- but what about the way they affect our physiology? A new course, A&S 100-024, The Science Behind What We Drink, is professor Rita Basuray’s fusion of the two. By examining the role of water, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola in terms of historical significance and the ways in which they interact with the human body, the class will connect science and the humanities. Basuray’s class is also bridging the gap between campus and community by bringing in local businesses such as…