Justin Wedeking studies dynamics within the courtroom - from how Supreme Court decisions are made to how useful confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominess are. Wedeking is a professor in the Department of Political Science, and is currently involved in research to determine whether or not televising court proceedings will affect the legitimacy of court decisions. Listen to the podcast to find out how the research will be done and why it's important.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

This work is licensed under a

Over 2,500 students take introductory chemistry classes each semester. As the director of general chemistry, Stephen Testa oversees the planning and curricula of each of these introductory courses. In this interview, professor Testa discusses what he and his colleagues are doing to improve the grades and the experiences of students fulfilling their chemistry credits.

This podcast was produced by Stephen Gordinier.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

By Sarah Geegan

The S.T. Roach Community Conversations series, "Rebuilding the Block," will conclude its seven-month sequence on Father's Day weekend by honoring outstanding men in the community.

The Sankofa Awards, honoring African-American men who have demonstrated excellence in the categories of service, social and environmental justice, scholarship, philanthropy, creativity and entrepreneurship, will provide a symbolic end to the series that began in December 2011. Consisting of monthly public forums led by UK experts at

By Sarah Geegan, Guy Spriggs

UK graduate Casey Carmichael, who earned his master's degree from the Department of Classics in 2010, was recently awarded a six-month doctoral fellowship from the Leibniz Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany.

The fellowship funds doctoral and post-doctoral candidates to conduct research projects at the Leibniz Institute, an independent research organization that facilitates historical research related to Europe. Carmichael will research and write his doctoral dissertation for the theology faculty at the University of Geneva from July-December 2012.

“Receiving the fellowship has brought me great joy and an added sense of motivation to pursue my doctoral research,” Carmichael

By Sarah Geegan

A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows how light and strained ruthenium-based drugs may be more effective at fighting cancer cells and less toxic to healthy cells than a similar and widely used drug.

Cisplatin is a common platinum-based cancer drug. But while cisplatin kills cancer cells, it also attacks healthy cells, causing debilitating side effects. Ruthenium is a rare transition metal also belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table, and the UK researchers developed two new ruthenium complexes designed to kill cancer cells while preserving healthy cells.

These complexes are inert in the dark, but when activated with light, they become up to 200 times as toxic, and up to three times as potent as cisplatin against tumor cells.

Published in the 

By Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky recently received an $880,523 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the DOE's Nuclear Energy Programs' $36.2 million initiative to enhance energy research and development projects.

This grant, titled "Elastic/Inelastic Measurement  Project," will center upon fuel cycle research and development. A consortium of three universities and a national laboratory has been formed to provide the necessary breadth for this effort, including scientists with extensive experience in neutron elastic and inelastic scattering measurements and with direct access to the facilities for completing the proposed neutron measurements, i.e., the UK Accelerator Laboratory. 

Steven W. Yates, a professor

By Guy Spriggs

Casey Carmichael, who earned his masters degree in Classics at the University in Kentucky in 2010, has been awarded six-month doctoral fellowship from the Leibniz Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany.

“Receiving the fellowship has brought me great joy and an added sense of motivation to pursue my doctoral research,” Carmichael said.

The fellowship funds doctoral and post-doctoral candidates to write their research projects at the Leibniz Institute. From July to December 2012, Carmichael will be researching and writing his doctoral dissertation for the Faculty of Theology at the University of Geneva.

Carmichael’s current project focuses on biblical exegesis of seventeenth-century Dutch theologian Johannes Cocceius. “I am fascinated by the

By Sarah Geegan

UK student Katelyn McNamara is extending her hard work, compassion and activeness across the country and globe. The topical studies in neuroscience and Hispanic studies double major and UK Honors Program student recently received the 2012 National Alternative Breaks Active Citizen of the Year Award, recognizing her as the exemplification of serving and valuing the community.

Break Away: Alternative Break Connection, Inc., is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to "train, assist and connect campuses and communities in promoting quality alternative break programs that inspire lifelong active citizenship."

By Sarah Geegan

Approximately 350 people turned out at The Arboretum Tuesday, June 5, to witness an astronomical phenomenon, not to occur again in this lifetime.

The transit of Venus, in which Venus traveled directly between Earth and the sun, began at 6:04 p.m. and could be seen from Lexington for approximately three hours.  

The MacAdam Student Observatory and the Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy Club provided telescopes and instruction for safely observing the phenomenon, as cloud cover allowed.

Tim Knauer, director of the MacAdam Student Observatory, said that he was pleased with the turnout.

"I thought given the weather, the response was good," Knauer said. "If

By Sarah Geegan

UK student Katelyn McNamara is extending her hard work, compassion and activeness across the country and globe. The topical studies in neuroscience and Hispanic studies double major and UK Honors Program student recently received the 2012 National Alternative Breaks Active Citizen of the Year Award, recognizing her as the exemplification of serving and valuing the community.

Break Away: Alternative Break Connection, Inc., is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to "train, assist and connect campuses and communities in promoting quality alternative break programs that inspire lifelong active

In November, the James W. Stuckert Career Center assembled a UK team to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University, a program through which university students propose solutions to the world's humanitarian problems. While each of the students came from different backgrounds, from the College of Arts and

By Sarah Geegan

Ted Schatzki, senior associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of philosophy and geography, recently delivered the 2012 Distinguished Lecture at the Centre for Theoretical Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Essex in England.

Founded by the renowned theorist Ernesto Laclau, the centre has historically been home to a collection of thinkers known as the Essex School of Discourse Theory. Since its founding, the centre has sponsored a range of activities, including weekly seminars, mini-courses, graduate conferences, and an annual distinguished lecturer. 

By Sarah Geegan

Chemistry Professor Yinan Wei recently received a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for a study expected to generate some of the first ever data in her subject matter.

The proposal, titled "Protein Activity and Oligomer Stability in Cell Membrane," will focus on questions surrounding how proteins oligomerize in cell membrane, or in other words, how membrane-spanning proteins that function in units containing more than one subunit, assemble in nature.

"The selective permeability of cell membranes, which is essential for all life forms that we know, is conferred by membrane proteins," Wei said. "Approximately 80 percent of membrane proteins with known structures

By Sarah Geegan

Psychology Associate Professor Nathan DeWall will showcase his expertise on the Discovery Channel's new series "Head Games," premiering at 10 p.m. this Sunday, June 3.

The show, narrated by actor John Krasinski, invites viewers to explore brain games, mind puzzles and social experiments that display how the human mind works. Both viewers and on-screen subjects will be challenged to participate in these puzzles to better understand how and why people conform, perceive, react in certain ways or make moral judgments — all relating to the complex inner workings of the brain.

DeWall will appear in the "

By Jessica Powers

A professor can impact a student during and after their college career in a plethora of ways. Leighanne Root has been able to learn, utilize and grow with her professors throughout her time at the University of Kentucky.

Root entered UK as a philosophy major, but during her freshman year she enrolled in PHI 260 a course on classical philosophy taught by Paul Carelli. She was instantly fascinated by his use of Greek and Latin, so with his guidance, she decided to switch majors to Classics with a minor in philosophy. Carelli helped her transition into the program by consulting with her on questions and giving advice.

Sophomore year, Root enrolled in Greek courses with Professor Amy Clark. Learning a new language with a new alphabet is difficult, but Clark was patient enough to make the task enjoyable to her students.

“Dr. Clark was a huge

By Erin Holaday Ziegler

University of Kentucky graduate Amber Anderson traces her love of Japanese culture to childhood cartoons. “I remember watching TV at 10 or 11 years old and really enjoying Japanese animation,” she said.

The anthropology and Japan Studies graduate rekindled her love of Japanese culture during her undergraduate years at the University of Kentucky, but never thought that she’d someday have the opportunity to teach English in the country she so admired.

Anderson was accepted into the prestigious Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program this spring; she’ll leave The Commonwealth for Japan on August 4. “I haven’t been assigned my location or my

By Guy Spriggs

The UK Hispanic Studies Department is one of the most well-respected and highly-ranked programs in the country. As the 2011-2012 academic year came to a close, Hispanic Studies also added several teaching awards to its growing number of accolades.

But as Director of Elementary Language Instruction Yanira Paz points out, this high level of achievement is becoming the norm for Hispanic Studies.

“Our department has placed a lot of emphasis on teaching,” she explained. “We are happy for this recognition, but this is not new. We are a small group in the department, but it seems to me that we are doing things well.”

The Hispanic Studies Department earned a total of 5 recognitions, including 2 Provost Teaching Awards, 2 College of

By Sarah Geegan

"Every time I take a trip, I find myself missing home. The people. The culture. The weather," says JR Leach, a triple-major in political science, history and Hispanic studies, who is currently studying in Granada, Spain.

But he is not referring to Lexington.

"I've travelled internationally before and for extended periods of time, and I've always remembered and missed what most people would consider my home in America," Leach said. "But Granada is where all cards are off. Granada has become my home."

Studying through the International Study Abroad program (ISA) throughout the spring 2012 semester, Leach, a student in the

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The Department of Political Science is excited to welcome professor Tiffany Barnes to its faculty!

Professor Barnes joins us this fall to continue studying Latin American politics, political institutions, and women in politics. Her most recent research investigates the legislation practices of male and female representatives in the Argentinian government. For clues to how men and women legislators may represent their female constituents differently, Barnes examined representatives' behavior and preferences over a 16-year sample.

This podcast is part of a series highlighting the new faculty members who joined the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall

By Sarah Geegan

The UK and Lexington community will have a rare opportunity on Tuesday, June 5 — one that will not occur again for more than 100 years.

The Arboretum, the MacAdam Student Observatory and the Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy Club will present, "Standing in the Shadow of Venus," two events which will allow the community to both understand and observe the transit of Venus.

A solar transit involves an object in the solar system moving exactly between the sun and the observer; Venus will appear to glide slowly across the surface of the sun. Transits of Venus are especially rare, occurring at intervals of 8, 105.5, 8, 121.5, 8…