by: Kathy Johnson

(Jan. 23, 2015) — WUKY's "UK Perspectives" focuses on the people and programs of the University of Kentucky and is hosted by WUKY General Manager Tom Godell.  Sitting in for Godell this week is WUKY News Director Alan Lytle.  His guest is Mallory Powell, communications director for the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science and curator for the new Rooted in Our Communities-UK In Appalachia website.

To listen to the podcast interview from which "UK Perspectives" is produced, visit http://wuky.org/post/uk-

by Kathy Johnson

(Jan. 9, 2015) — WUKY's "UK Perspectives" focuses on the people and programs of the University of Kentucky and is hosted by WUKY General Manager Tom Godell. This week News Director Alan Lytle guest hosts and visits with UK President Eli Capilouto about the new "Rooted in our Communities" Appalachian initiative recently launched by the university. 

To listen to the podcas interview ferom which "UK Perspectives" is produced, click here. 

"UK Perspectives" airs at 8:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. each Friday on WUKY 91.3, UK's NPR station.

by Eli Capilouto

"I gleaned the remains of my life, turned toward the hills that give me help, give me shelter, hold the sky where it belongs."

                                                                                                                                                                             - Jane Hicks

Over the next

by Whitney Hale

(Dec. 16, 2014) — The Council on Library and Information Resources has announced the recipients of the 2014 Cataloging Hidden Collections Grants. A project from University of Kentucky Libraries was one out of 19 that were selected from a pool of 92 proposals submitted for grants. Award recipients will create web-accessible records according to standards that will enable the federation of their local cataloging entries into larger groups of related records, enabling the broadest possible exposure to the scholarly community.

The UK Libraries grant project, "Action in Appalachia: Revealing Public Health, Housing, and Community

by Eli Capiluto

(Dec. 11, 2014) — A special message from University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto:

"I gleaned the remains of my life, turned toward the hills that give me help, give me shelter, hold the sky where it belongs" - Jane Hicks

Over the next several months, we'll be examining and discussing the special relationship and partnership the University of Kentucky has with the Central Appalachian region.

A new series of stories, “Rooted in Our Communities: The University of Kentucky in Appalachia”, will examine the myriad ways in which UK faculty, staff and students are working in — and, more importantly, with — communities throughout the mountains. Those stories and other compelling features can be found here.

by Ann Blackford

(Dec. 11, 2013) – Jennifer Hatcher, associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, received a two-year $359,528 award from the National Cancer Institute for her project, “Promoting Colorectal Cancer Screening (CRC) in Rural Emergency Departments.” 

The project will be the first to address the disproportionate incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer in rural Appalachia utilizing the emergency department as an access point. Hatcher and her team will pilot test a culturally tailored intervention using brief motivational interviewing by lay health advisors to promote colorectal cancer screenings in an emergency department serving rural Appalachian Kentucky in order to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention in this rural Appalachian

Don Pedi playing John Salyer's "Rose in the Mountain" at the Hindman Dulcimer Homecoming, in Hindman, Kentucky. A transcript of this video can be seen here.

by Jordan Mason

(Dec. 4, 2014) — You could say they left the best for last, as master musician Don Pedi performs the final concert in the 2014 "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series. Pedi, known for his skills on the dulcimer, will perform noon Friday, Dec. 5, at the Niles Gallery, located in the UK Lucille C. Little

by Whitney Hale, Mack McCormick

(Dec. 3, 2014) — Jim Wayne Miller (1936–1996) was a prolific writer, a revered teacher and scholar, and a pioneer in the field of Appalachian studies. A new book co-edited by alumnus and University of Kentucky Graduate School Assistant Dean Morris Allen Grubbs, and Miller's wife, Mary Ellen Miller, seeks to honor and revive the legacy of this influential member of the Appalachian writing community.

During his 33-year tenure at Western Kentucky University (WKU), Miller helped build programs in the discipline in Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, and worked tirelessly to promote regional voices by presenting the work of others as often as he did his own. An innovative poet, essayist and short story writer, he was one of the

by Whitney Harder

(Nov. 19, 2014) — Schools across the country are seeking better ways to match the skills of their graduates with opportunities that exist beyond high school. In parts of the country where jobs are scarce, educators have an even bigger challenge.  Being "college and career ready" just isn’t enough. Graduates in these pockets of the country will need to create jobs for themselves and their neighbors.

If necessity is the mother of invention, schools in Eastern Kentucky are poised to improve education beyond what schools in even the most affluent districts struggle to achieve. In January, the New York Times controversially described it as the hardest place to live in the United States, statistically speaking. Perhaps nowhere in the nation does the tie between education and economic growth have more potential than in Eastern

by Whitney Harder

(Nov. 17, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center will continue its Appalachian Forum with a screening of "Up the Ridge" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18. A discussion will follow with the film's co-producer Amelia Kirby, development director of the Appalachian Citizens Law Center and Melynda Price, director of the African American and Africana Studies Program and College of Law faculty member.

The event will be held in Room 213 of Kastle Hall and is

by Mallory Powell

(Nov. 13, 2014) — Jasmine Newman admits that it was a TV show that sparked her interest in cultural anthropology. Growing up in Pikeville, Kentucky, Newman loved watching Bones, a TV series about solving crimes using forensic anthropology. In one episode, the main character mentioned cultural anthropology, a term that Newman didn't know.

"I started researching, and just fell in love with the idea of studying people, studying culture, and using that knowledge to help people relate to each other," she says.

Her passion is evident: Not only is Newman is graduating early with a bachelor's degree in cultural and applied anthropology, she's spent the past two summers interning with community empowerment organizations in South Africa and Appalachia. Both of Newman's internships were facilitated through UK.

"UK has a real drive

(Nov. 6, 2014) - Professor of Sociology Dwight Billings recently appeared as a guest on BBC World Service Radio to talk about hillbilly stereotypes. Billings says there has always been an interest in the American “other” – an interest that seems to have contrasting parts of fascination and fear.



He also went on to discuss how the stereotypes of people in Appalachia have led to making the area “a sacrifice zone” when it comes to progress in the region.

Listen to the broadcast here: https://soundcloud.com/bbc-world-service/hillbilly-stereotypes

In a career that has spanned over 40 years, Billings has written groundbreaking works on Appalachia, including the book "The Road to Poverty: the Making of Wealth and Hardship in Appalachia," for which he and co-

By Sarah Schuetze

In a podcast recorded with A&S last year, Assistant Professor of Sociology Shannon Bell described her recent book, Our Roots Run Deep as Ironweed: Appalachian Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice, as a project that gives voice to her subjects: women fighting against the environmental effects of coal mining in Appalachia. These women live in regions directly affected by the environmental health costs associated with mountaintop removal coal

by Mack McCormick, Whitney Hale

(Oct. 16, 2014) — University Press of Kentucky (UPK) author T.R.C. Hutton has been named recipient of a 2014 Kentucky History Award given by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) and the 2014 Appalachian Writers Association’s Book of the Year Award for Nonfiction for his book "Bloody Breathitt: Politics and Violence

by Whitney Hale

(Oct. 9, 2014) — From some Local Honeys to the beloved Ritchie family, the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series is sure to pack the Niles Gallery. On Friday, Oct. 10, the old time music trio the Local Honeys will perform. A couple weeks later, on Friday, Oct. 24, the "Singing Family of the Cumberlands" is in the spotlight with an appearance by four of Jean Ritchie's nieces. Both free public concerts will take place at noon at the Niles Gallery, located in the University of Kentucky Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.

The Local Honeys perform B.F.

by Gail Hairston 

(Sept. 30, 2014) — More than an “s” has been added since the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Science was created in 1908 with only seven faculty members. In fact there was a College of Arts and Science even before the institution was named the University of Kentucky; the institution was called the State University, Lexington, Kentucky (previously Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky and State College) until 1916.

In those 106 years, several of today’s largest colleges were birthed from the original College of Arts and Science’s former programs, including today’s College of Education, College of Communication and Information, College of Social Work and College of Fine Arts.

The college grew quickly under the inspiration and commitment of President James Patterson, whose statue now graces the plaza next to

by Whitney Hale

(Sept. 25, 2014) — From Affrilachia to fiddles, the next two performances in the "Appalachia in the Bluegrass" concert series are sure to entertain. On Friday, Sept. 26, celebrated folk duo Sparky and Rhonda Rucker will perform. The next Friday, Oct. 2, Letcher County's only female fiddle duo, the SkiPdiPPerS, will appear. Both free public concerts will take place at noon at the Niles Gallery, located in the University of Kentucky Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center.

A Folk Concert with Some Spark

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform "Which

by Keith Hautala

(Sept. 24, 2014) — Students from across the University of Kentucky have a new opportunity to work for the well-being of children in the 54 Appalachian counties of Kentucky, in the "UK Tomorrow Corps," a service initiative being launched by the UK Appalachian Center.  

The UK Tomorrow Corps program will provide summer employment and professional support for UK students tutoring K-12 students in math and literacy skills, in partnership with local libraries, public schools, and community organizations. The initiative is intended to help young residents of Appalachia gain and retain skills through the summer and work toward their long-term educational goals.

Participants can be from any major and will receive training throughout

by Mallory Powell

(Sept. 19, 2014) —In recent years there has been growing concern that terrorist threats could involve "agents of opportunity," or materials that are readily available in most communities around the country. An upcoming course, "REAC/TS Training: Radiation Emergency Response - Are You Prepared?" will train public health personnel, emergency management folks, physicians, nurses, and other workers involved with radiological hazards in how to respond to such incidents. The course will be held 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10, at the UK Chandler Hospital Pavilion A Auditorium. It is provided by the Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center (CARERC) in the UK College of Public Health and has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.