By Erin Wickey July 2, 2024

Rebekah Radtke, Ph.D., joined UK in 2011 and works to bring interior design principles to a broader audience through impactful, global collaborations. Photo by Jeremy Blackburn, Research Communications

Rebekah Radtke, Ph.D., joined UK in 2011 and works to bring interior design principles to a broader audience through impactful, global collaborations. Photo by Jeremy Blackburn, Research Communications

UKNow is highlighting the University of Kentucky’s 2024-25 University Research Professors. Established by the Board of Trustees in 1976, the professorship program recognizes excellence across the full spectrum of research at UK and is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research.  

By Rick Childress June 13, 2024

County level variation of colon cancer-related, age-adjusted mortality rates per 100,000 people from 1999-2020 depicted on a map of Kentucky. Provided by Syed Hassan, M.D.

County level variation of colon cancer-related, age-adjusted mortality rates per 100,000 people from 1999-2020 depicted on a map of Kentucky. Provided by Syed Hassan, M.D.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 13, 2024) — Researchers at the University of Kentucky have found that for much of the past two decades Appalachian Kentuckians have been more likely to die from colorectal cancer compared to the rest of state and country’s population. 

The study “Colorectal cancer-related mortality trends in Appalachian Kentucky from 1999-2020: A

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

From left: Edward Lo, Eleng Kazangiljan, Shelbie Larmour, Ambassador James K. J. Lee, Venus Evans, Emerald Skye Byrd, Stephanie Van Hoose and Anagali Duncan on stage at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. Photo provided by Van Hoose.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 3, 2024) —  Last month, the University of Kentucky had significant involvement in this year’s Seminar on Indigenous Issues, held April 24 in New York City, as part of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

The seminar, organized by Edward Lo, Ph.D. (羅力明), a

By Jackie Wilson May 17, 2024

Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.'s book "Gay Poems for Red States" will be honored at the 2024 Stonewall Book Award. Courtesy KY Press

Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.'s book "Gay Poems for Red States" will be honored at the 2024 Stonewall Book Award. Courtesy KY Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 17, 2024) — "Gay Poems for Red States," written by advocate, educator, poet and author Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. will be honored at the 2024 Stonewall Book Award – Barbara Gittings Literature Award ceremony, which will be held July 1 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 25, 2024) — Appalachia, often viewed through a lens of disability, will serve as the backdrop for a special event this fall.

Tthe Symposium on Dis/Ability & Debility in Appalachia, scheduled for Sept. 28 at the University of Kentucky, will unite experts from Appalachian studies and disability studies. The symposium aims to foster collaborative conversations and solutions for disabled Appalachians. 

Mack Thompson, a UK master’s student studying applied anthropology, is coordinating the symposium.

"As someone doing disability justice work in Kentucky, I have done disability studies and Appalachian studies research, and seen how clearly related but separate these two fields are,” Thompson said

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 10, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center is showcasing the work of student and faculty researchers through its Sharing Work on Appalachia in Progress (SWAP) series this spring.

The presenting researchers represent five colleges and eight departments from across UK’s campus, as well as the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in UK Libraries. Many of the presenting students are supported through the center’s James S. Brown Graduate Student Awards for Research on

A new podcast collaboration between the UK Markey Cancer Center and UK Cooperative Extension will improve cancer awareness across the commonwealth.

A new podcast collaboration between the UK Markey Cancer Center and UK Cooperative Extension will improve cancer awareness and prevention across the commonwealth. Photo by Jordan Strickler, UK Agricultural Communications.

By Jennifer Stover
Published on Apr. 4, 2023

Lexington, Ky.—

Nathan Vanderford knew exactly where to go when he wanted to get the word out about cancer in Kentucky.  

Vanderford, Markey Center Cancer Center assistant director for research and education, received his undergraduate degree from the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. His

By Jackie Wilson Nov. 14, 2023

UK professor and author and Frank X Walker is the grand prize winner of the 2023 Black Authors Matter Children’s Book Awards. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

UK professor and author and Frank X Walker is the grand prize winner of the 2023 Black Authors Matter Children’s Book Awards. Mark Cornelison | UK Photo.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2023) — "A Is for Affrilachia" by artist, writer, poet and University of Kentucky professor Frank X Walker is the grand prize winner of the 2023 Black Authors Matter Children’s Book Awards. Illustrated by acclaimed artist Ron Davis (upfromsumdirt), "A

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Maddie Duff is reaching out to her fellow Appalachians through a University of Kentucky research initiative called SPARK, or Students Participating as Ambassadors for Research in Kentucky.  

Duff, a junior neuroscience major in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences, conducts research through SPARK, the Appalachian Career Training in Oncology and the John Calhoun Wells Eastern Kentucky Scholars Fund. Each of these programs encourage and assist students with giving back inside their communities. For example, Duff conducts phone surveys of people with hearing issues.

“A lot of the participants I've dealt with just want to be heard,” said Duff, who’s from Prestonburg, Ky. “They want somebody to understand the struggles that they go through as a patient who has all these

By Meredith Weber and Steve Shaffer 

Award winners Jordan Brower, left, Bradley Elliott, Mark Fillmore, Kayla Johnson, Eric Thomas Weber and Zada Komara; and UK Alumni Association president Janie McKenzie-Wells and awards committee chair Kelly Sullivan Holland. Carter Skaggs | UK Photo

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 8, 2024) — What makes a good teacher a great one? University of Kentucky students were eager to share their opinions about the best teacher in their lives, nominating them for one of the most esteemed awards on campus.

The UK Alumni Association 2024 Great Teacher Award was recently bestowed upon six UK educators. Initiated in 1961, UK’s

By Kody Kiser Thursday

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 22, 2024) — Crystal Wilkinson is a professor of English in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences and one of 16 University Research Professors for 2023-24. As the first Black woman to hold the appointment of Poet Laureate of Kentucky from 2021-2023, Wilkinson serves as

By Rick Spencer Feb. 16, 2024

Kathryn Edin, Luke Schaefer and Timothy Nelson will lead a conversation about their book "The Injustice of Place." The event is free and open to the public. Photo provided by the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration

Kathryn Edin, Luke Schaefer and Timothy Nelson will lead a conversation about their book "The Injustice of Place." The event is free and open to the public. Photo provided by the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 16, 2024) — A discussion with the authors of a compelling new study of poverty, "The Injustice of Place," will be free and open to the public 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in the William T. Young Library Auditorium.

By Christopher Carney 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 8, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Office of Land-Grant Engagement has announced nine projects — that will focus on community engagement — are receiving supporting funds. This engagement funding will expand collaborative efforts between UK and partners across the Commonwealth while addressing important public needs — strengthening outreach and extension efforts in Kentucky.

“We are excited to see how these projects enhance engagement work,” said Nancy Cox, vice president for land-grant engagement and dean of the UK Martin-

Call for proposals: UK Appalachian Research Symposium and Arts Showcase

By Lindsay Travis and Tatum Armstrong Dec. 21, 2023

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 21, 2023) — The University of Kentucky’s Graduate Appalachian Research Community (GARC) is encouraging students to participate in the 2024 Appalachian Research Symposium and Arts Showcase.

The 13th annual event will be held Saturday, March 2, in the first-floor atrium of the Healthy Kentucky Research Building with a

By Tatum Armstrong Dec. 20, 2023

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 20, 2023) — Applications are now open for awards and funding opportunities offered by the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies program. These opportunities are open to any student participating in work and research in the Appalachian region.

Graduate students are eligible to apply for the James S. Brown Graduate Student Award for Research on Appalachia, and both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply for the Eller & Billings Student Research Award. These

By Lindsay Travis and Tatum Armstrong Dec. 21, 2023

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 21, 2023) — The University of Kentucky’s Graduate Appalachian Research Community (GARC) is encouraging students to participate in the 2024 Appalachian Research Symposium and Arts Showcase.

The 13th annual event will be held Saturday, March 2, in the first-floor atrium of the Healthy Kentucky Research Building with a schedule to be announced soon. The theme for the symposium and arts showcase is “Just Futures

By Elizabeth Chapin Dec. 22, 2023

The UK Markey Cancer Center ACTION Program's latest book features a collection of fictional stories related to the cancer crisis in Appalachia.

The UK Markey Cancer Center ACTION Program's latest book features a collection of fictional stories related to the cancer crisis in Appalachia.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 22, 2023) — Kentucky has the highest cancer rates in the nation, with the Appalachian region bearing the brunt of this burden. The latest book from the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center's ACTION Program offers a unique and deeply personal lens into the region's ongoing struggle with cancer. 

"Cancer in

Check out this article published in the Winter 2023 edition of the Kentucky Alumni Online Magazine. Madeline Duff, an Appalachian Studies minor, shares her experiences and involvement at UK in celebration of the University's "135 Years of UK Women".

This is an excerpt from the article, "The Future is Bright" by Stacey Gish

By Jackie Wilson Nov. 30, 2023

Crystal Wilkinson | Photo courtesy of Carsen Bryant.

Crystal Wilkinson | Photo courtesy of Carsen Bryant.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 30, 2023) — University Press of Kentucky announces a new publishing imprint Screen Door Press which will be edited by award-winning and critically acclaimed author Crystal Wilkinson. Dedicated to discovering unique, exceptional, and varied voices within Black literary traditions, the imprint will celebrate the very best in fiction — short stories, novellas and novels — across a broad range of categories. The goal of Screen Door Press is

By A Fish 

Jimmy Robinson

LEXINGTON; Ky. — University of Kentucky Sociology doctoral student Jimmy Robinson wants to know what happens when a rural Appalachian artist leaves Appalachia. UK’s Appalachian Center in the College of Arts & Sciences has provided him with a grant to begin his research project titled “Taking the Rural with you: Rural Artists in the City.”  

Part of his research involves exploring just what “rural” means. People who leave a rural area still may seem themselves as rural as part of their identity. 

“This project is taking a different look at rurality than what you normally see,” he said. “A lot of research regarding rurality treats it firstly as a spatial material concept, meaning only the people who live in rural areas are counted as rural under most metrics that people use.