Tools used to create: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EFS 18-55mm, Canon Speedlite 580 EX II, Adobe Photoshop, Imagination.

Winter break and the holidays are fast approaching. Students – have you made plans for winter intersession yet? If not, A&S is offering classes during the break for those students interested in gaining extra credit hours and speeding up time to graduation. It’s a great time to pick up an extra class in your major or explore a topic you find intriguing. For example, we are offering a new online course for those students interested in an overview of technologies we use every day. The class, A&S 100 – 230: IT IQ will allow you to sharpen your IT IQ and learn about video conferencing, software installation, internet research tools, and Blackboard basics – just to name a few – and earn extra credit hours in the process. This class will familiarize you with technologies, research tools, and search engines that are important to your success at UK and beyond. Become a better digital citizen and learn about social networking and e-etiquette as you communicate through Facebook, Twitter, email, and blogs. To learn more about the class, click here.

As part of our Year of China, A&S is pleased to welcome former United States Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch to campus on Thursday November 10. She will speak on “Leadership and Education in a Globalizing World: China’s Challenge.” Ambassador Bloch was the first Asian-American ambassador in U.S. history and served in a wide range of positions, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Information Agency, the U.S. Senate, and from 1989 to 1993 served as U.S. ambassador to Nepal. She is currently president of the U.S. – China Education Trust, a nonprofit organization working to develop U.S. – China relations through education and exchanges.

Ambassador Bloch has devoted her career to increasing international understanding and after a career of distinguished public service, she is now pioneering efforts to grow exchange relationships between the United States and China. We are especially fortunate to have her come to UK to talk with our students and the broader academic community. We hope you will attend this lecture given by a trailblazing U.S. diplomat.

Fallon's principles of creative language (or juicing your orange):

1. Start from scratch

2. Demand a ruthlessly simple definition of the business problem

3. Discover a proprietary emotion

4. Focus on the size of the ideas, not the size of the budget

5. Seek out strategic ricks

6. Collaborate or perish

7. Listen hard to your customers and listen some more



Visit this website, for more creative processes.



http://juicingtheorange.com/

In case you missed it during the UK vs. Transylvania University basketball game, I had the opportunity to speak with Carl Nathe about the exciting initiatives in the College of Arts & Sciences. A&S Wired is up and running with close to 200 students participating in the new residential college. Located in Keeneland Hall, students live in an interactive space and participate in a technology-infused curriculum designed around the concept of a 21st century liberal arts education. Faculty members teach classes as well as hold office hours in the residence hall, making them readily accessible to students.

I also touched briefly on this year’s international-themed programming on China. Not only does this year’s passport to the world programming highlight the culture, history, and people of this fast-growing country but students are now able to enroll in the new Chinese major being offered by the College.

Check out the rest of the UK at the Half interview to hear more about the College’s expanded online course offerings and other exciting A&S initiatives.

Each semester, the College of Arts & Sciences invites runners and walkers to participate in the ROTC Run/Walk with the Dean. This fall, A&S faculty, students, and staff met outside of Buell Armory at 6:30am and had the opportunity to either take part in a 3.1 mile fun run or a 1.5 mile walk around campus. It was an early morning but the run allowed us to enjoy the quietness of campus before the start of another hectic workday as well as meet UK ROTC cadets, staff and faculty from other offices and departments. Runners and walkers were treated to hot chocolate, coffee and healthy breakfast options at Buell Armory afterward. A great time was had by all those who participated.

We will post information on the spring ROTC Run/Walk with the Dean once the details are available. We hope you can make it!

"The bottom line is this: If you understand the Net Generation, you will understand the future. If you're a baby boomer or GenXer: This is your field guide," so says Don Tapscott in his 2009 publication, Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World. This book is one of three textbooks for my Media Arts & Studies 555 course, The Internet and Social Change. Tapscott recognizes how my generation--the Net Generation--is a unique and powerful social shift that is manifesting itself in nearly all aspects of life. The book is divided into chapters that analyze and compare the Net Generation and the Baby Boomers in terms of their cognitive processes, educational structures, the work force, the marketplace, the family unit, and more. The more I read it, the more I find myself agreeing with Tapscott. His argument is based on what he names "Eight Generation Net Norms".

If you haven't already heard about Stitcher, it's pretty cool! This is a service that's free and can stream to a mobile device or a desktop computer. It takes what you like to listen to and suggests similar shows -- sort of like Pandora Radio's "Music Genome Project." There are lots of well-known podcasts like This American Life,  and The Onion's (fake) newscasts, and Stuff You Should Know, as well as more obscure, but related, shows. 

There are podcasts in a variety of languages, on a variety of topics, so there's bound to be something that suits you. Happy listening!

I recently had the honor of attending the Pioneer Natural Resources gift recognition ceremony on UK’s campus. The Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences (EES), in partnership with UK alumnus and Pioneer’s Vice President of Technology Tom Spalding, accepted a $600,000 gift from the company. The gift, which is intended to be spread over the next three years, will fund the Pioneer Natural Resources Research Professorship in Stratigraphy, as well as a three-year recruiting fellowship. Ellen Kaiser a first-year student in EES is the first recipient of this award.  Pioneer is a large independent oil and gas exploration company based in Dallas, with operations in Texas, Colorado, Alaska, and South Africa.

Carl Nathe recently interviewed one of our own faculty members for his UK at the Half segment, which airs during each UK football game. He spoke with Ann Kingsolver, Director of the UK Appalachian Center and anthropology professor, about her work in the area. Kingsolver is excited to be part of the Center and the Appalachian Studies Program and is busy exploring ways to become more involved in the community – for the university, faculty, and students. She stresses the importance of interdisciplinary work and research at the Appalachian Center in looking at complex issues throughout the region. Her hope is to build strong partnerships with local communities which would also allow students attending classes at UK to work in their local communities in the region.

Look for the interview during the UK at the Half segment during this Saturday’s UK vs. Mississippi State football game!