by Whitney Hale

On June 29, University of Kentucky senior Jenna Day, Miss Berea Area, was crowned Miss Kentucky 2013. She will represent Kentucky in the Miss America Pageant to be held Sunday, Sept. 15, in Atlantic City, N.J. The national pageant will be broadcast live on ABC.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Day is the daughter of Daniel and Lesley Day. At UK, Day is double majoring in vocal performance and political science with hopes of eventually pursuing a career in public service.

Day's personal platform issue is "Improving the Lives of Special Needs Children." For her talent

By Jacob Most

University of Kentucky Wildcats from all eight of UK’s spring sports teams combined to earn a total of 71 spots on the Southeastern Conference Spring Sports Academic Honor Roll, Commissioner Mike Slive announced this week.

UK’s honorees included 16 women’s track and field team members, 14 from baseball, nine from softball, seven women’s tennis players, eight men’s track and field team members, six each from men’s golf and men’s tennis and five women’s golfers.

A total of 1,247 student-athletes from around the league earned spots on the honor roll, which is based on grades from the 2012 summer, 2012 fall and 2013 spring terms.  In order to make the SEC Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have a 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding academic year or his/her entire collegiate career, be at least a sophomore in academic

by Whitney Hale

University of Kentucky junior Mary Kate Elliott, from Elizabethtown, Ky., has been selected for a place at a Fulbright Summer Institute to study at Nottingham-Trent University in Nottinghamshire, England, on one of the most prestigious and selective summer scholarship programs operating worldwide.

Created by treaty in 1948, the US-U.K. Fulbright Commission is the only bi-lateral, transatlantic scholarship program, offering awards and summer programs for study or research in any field, at any accredited U.S. or United Kingdom university. The commission is

by Kody Kiser & Amy Jones-Timoney

video by UK Public Relations & Marketing.

Even after 38 years in higher education, UK English Professor Armando Prats still has a gleam in his eye when he is asked why he enjoys teaching.

Watch the video above to discover what makes his profession so fulfilling. 

This story is part of a UKNow series highlighting in-depth video features about all six recipients of the UK Alumni Association's 2013 Great Teacher Awards to show how they "

By Whitney Hale

In celebration of the University of Kentucky's upcoming sesquicentennial in 2015, the 60th of 150 weekly installments explores the evolution of UK's Summer School programming.

In the course catalogs for the Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) College of Kentucky during the late 1860s to 1870s it gives a general description of the opportunities for students who wished to remain upon the estate (at this time the campus was located at Woodlands near Henry Clay's Ashland Estate) during the vacation (summer) months. A&M offered students the opportunity to work part or all of the time on the farm or in the shops to allow them to earn money to support the upcoming class sessions. Another benefit for those working part time was to take summer classes,

by Whitney Hale

Fifteen graduates of the University of Kentucky will head back to the classroom this fall as part of a new class of corps members in Teach for America. The UK group is among thousands of new teachers chosen this year for the national program, which is known for selecting outstanding college graduates to commit to teach for two years in disadvantaged urban and rural public schools.

Teach for America places its recruits in the nation's highest-need elementary and secondary schools in many of the country's lowest income communities, both rural and urban, in an effort to close the achievement gap between economically advantaged and disadvantaged children.

Currently, around 10,400 first- and second-year corps members instruct more than 750,000

by Sarah Geegan and Zachary Dodson

Three University of Kentucky students have been awarded the fall 2013 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship by the Institute of International Education to support their study abroad experiences.

The Gilman Scholarship is a congressionally funded scholarship provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education.

The award supports a diverse group of students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, such as students with significant financial need, community college students, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilities.

The University of Kentucky students receiving the scholarship for Fall 2013 are:

·Ana Garner, an 

The Kentucky Women Writers Conference  is offering cash prizes and other benefits in writing contests and several scholarships this year, each with a registration postmark deadline of July 1.

The Kentucky Women Writers Conference is an annual event known for bringing notable women writers to Lexington for readings, writing workshops and discussions. The conference will run Sept. 19-22, at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning and several additional evening venues. Online registration for the conference is now open, but is not a requirement for entering its contests.

Currently, the Kentucky Women Writers Conference staff is accepting entries for their annual Betty Gabehart Prize, to be judged by its Board of

By Kody Kiser, Amy Jones-Timoney

University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences history associate professor Gerald Smith loved his time on campus so much as an undergraduate and graduate student, he decided to return to his alma mater to share his passion for history.

Watch the video above to discover why Smith says teaching goes far beyond what he does in the classroom. 

During the next few weeks, UKNow is presenting an in-depth video feature about each recipient of the UK Alumni Association's 2013 Great Teacher Awards

By Sarah Geegan

Several University of Kentucky faculty members have been selected as recipients of prestigious Fulbright program scholarships.

Sponsored by the United States Department of State, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program, which provides funding for professionals, teachers, students and scholars to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Operating in more than 155 countries worldwide, the program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well

By Whitney Hale

Critically acclaimed author Jennifer Haigh, a recipient of a PEN/Hemingway Award, will be among this year's workshop presenters at the Kentucky Women Writers Conference scheduled for Sept. 20-21. In conjunction with Haigh's upcoming appearance, the conference and Lexington's Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning will also host a discussion of the writer's first novel, "Mrs. Kimble," on July 11 and 18.

Haigh is the author of the short story collection "News From Heaven" and four novels:  "Faith," "The Condition," "Baker Towers" and "Mrs. Kimble." Haigh's first novel, "Mrs. Kimble,"

By Sarah Geegan

Twenty-six Brazilian students will become Kentucky wildcats in the fall, as part of UK's partnership with the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP) and the Institute of International Education (IIE).

The BSMP initiative is administered by IIE and is part of the Brazilian government's larger effort to grant 100,000 scholarships for the best students from Brazil to study abroad at the world’s top universities. The 26-student cohort will begin studies at UK in the Center for English as a Second Language in the College of Arts and Sciences.  The center will provide the support for the students in

By Sarah Geegan

"When we think about a skyscraper, cathedral, or monument, we seldom ask: what was there before? Who benefited from its construction? Who lost? What could have been?" UK History professor and Pulitzer Prize nominated author Tracy A. Campbell said.

His latest book, "The Gateway Arch: A Biography," explores the political and economic history of St. Louis and the origins of the city's most recognized structure, the Gateway Arch. The latest work in Yale University Press' "Icons of America Series," the book delves into the complex and troubling history of the monument.

"When we explore the historical evidence, we see that the

By Ellyce Loveless

Few students have the kind of passion for world news that recently-graduated International Studies major MeNore Lake has. Two years ago she sought to fulfill a need at the University of Kentucky through this passion. She wanted to create an online news publication that would publish monthly articles written by students about international politics, economies, science, sports, and culture, and thus The World Report was born.

Lake comes from a family that values the knowledge of international affairs, where discussing the culture of other countries is customary dinner conversation, and traveling out of the country is always an exciting yet familiar adventure. When she came to UK, she noticed a void in student interest concerning international issues.

 “

By Sarah Geegan

University of Kentucky student Brooke Stewart has been selected to participate in an inaugural leadership program for GEAR UP alumni in Washington, D.C. in June. The Covington, Kentucky native and Holmes High school graduate is among 30 former GEAR UP students selected from across the nation.

GEAR UP, or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is a federally funded college access and readiness program.

Stewart was actively involved with GEAR UP while she attended Holmes High School. She attended a three-week GEAR UP Summer Academy at Eastern Kentucky University in 2009, was heavily involved in GEAR UP Students Give Back community service projects, and was a recipient of the GEAR UP Drive

By Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky, in an effort to enhance  student readiness and performance, has launched a partnership with the country's leading massive open online course (MOOC) platform, Coursera.

UK is one of 10 flagship state universities or systems that make up this first wave of large public universities to announce a partnership with Coursera. And, as importantly, this partnership -- unlike a number of providers for massive open online courses -- is targeting high school students to ensure that they are prepared for college.

"This partnership is one more example of our innovative approach to fulfilling our university's commitment, as the Commonwealth's flagship institution, to provide high-quality education and create a brighter future for Kentuckians," said

By President Eli Capilouto

On Thursday morning, one of the nation’s leading online learning companies, Coursera, is announcing that UK is among a handful of public, flagship universities it is partnering with to further expand learning opportunities for more students across our country.

Specifically, as our news release about this initiative describes, the University of Kentucky is one of 10 flagship universities or state systems teaming with Coursera in the emerging, but dramatically growing, platform called Massive Open Online Courses.

UK’s role in this partnership will be offering students the opportunities to take free, introductory Chemistry courses

By Sarah Geegan

For UK physics and astronomy professor Gary Ferland, the latest images of the Ring Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, provide an invaluable resource to understand more about dying stars similar to the sun. Co-author of three papers resulting from the latest images, Ferland hopes to use the images to learn more about the chemical makeup of the star before it died.

The Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star reveal a new twist.

"The nebula is not like a bagel, but rather, it's like a jelly

By Sarah Geegan

UK History professor Tracy A. Campbell's most recent work, The Gateway Arch: A Biography, is already drawing national attention.

Campbell will discuss his book on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon this weekend.

The Bob Edwards Show on Sirius XM Radio, distributed to public radio stations by Public Radio International (PRI), will also feature a segment on Campbell's newest publication in early June.

The latest work in Yale University Press' "Icons of America Series," The Gateway Arch: A Biography delves into the complex and troubling history of the famous monument

By Keith Hautala, Mike Lynch, Alicia Gregory

Researchers at the Kentucky Geological Survey say maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey overstate the earthquake threat in Western Kentucky and the surrounding region.

KGS researchers at the University of Kentucky have been working for a decade to have the maps changed to reduce the estimated threat level. The USGS uses a probabilistic method to determine the earthquake hazard level, a method KGS researchers say is flawed.

“This method, mathematically, is not correct,” said Zhenming Wang, head of the KGS Geologic Hazards Section. “The national hazard maps are not scientifically sound; that’s why there is a problem.”

KGS Director