By Whitney Hale

Four students from the University of Kentucky have been selected as recipients of Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships. The UK recipients are among 1,900 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2013-2014 academic year through the prestigious program. In addition, one of UK's four winners, medical student Juliana Odetunde, received one of only five prestigious Fulbright-Fogarty awards, which promote the expansion of research in public health and clinical research in resource-limited settings.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding

By President Eli Capilouto

Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to China with a delegation from the University of Kentucky to advance several partnerships growing between UK's colleges and departments and universities and industries in a country growing in economic importance.

One such partnership is between UK's Center for Applied Energy Research and the world's largest power company. During a meeting with industry representatives, we shared our exciting work in the development of clean coal technology and discussed partnerships, the exchange of students, and faculty collaboration as part of the US-China Clean Energy Research Center.

As we met, they described several multi-billion dollar research and development investments in their country’s energy sector. In comparison, the proposed

By Whitney Hale, Breanna Shelton

The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has chosen 12 outstanding undergraduates as new scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years. Gaines Fellowships are given in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

Gaines Fellowships are awarded for the tenure of a student's junior and senior years, or for the last two years of a five-year program; students in all disciplines and with any intended profession are given equal consideration.

UK's 12

By Sarah Geegan, Derrick Meads

Education Abroad at the University of Kentucky recently awarded grants to five faculty members to develop innovative programs abroad. In addition, a graduate student was awarded a grant to support her research into education abroad experiences and possibilities for the future.

Faculty-Sponsored Program Development Grants recipients include:

·         The Nile River: A History of Water Politics in Africa. Awet T. Weldemichael, assistant professor, Department of History, UK College of Arts and Sciences — will establish a program in Uganda that will take students to the

By Sarah Geegan

UK alumna Lauren Cook did it in Switzerland; UK  junior Hannah Simms did it in China; they studied abroad. Widely seen as a life-changing experience, education abroad has been perceived as one with added financial burden. However, Education Abroad at UK is seeking to dispel the myth that money is necessarily an obstacle; rather, they want students to know money does not have to be a barrier.

Education Abroad at UK strives to make education abroad programs more affordable and accessible for all UK students. In 2011-2012, Education Abroad at UK awarded $231,750 in total scholarships. The 2011-2012 year also represented a 42 percent increase from the number of students who received scholarships in 2010-2011 and a 41 percent increase in total funding.

"One of the significant

by Jenny Wells & Danica Kubly

The University of Kentucky Office for Undergraduate Research recognized and awarded 19 students this week with the Oswald Research and Creativity Program awards.  Diane Snow, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and Ben Withers, interim associate provost for Undergraduate Education, were on hand to congratulate the winners and distribute the awards. 

Established in 1964 by then-UK President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Program encourages research and creative activities by undergraduate students at UK. The objectives of the program are to stimulate creative work by undergraduate students, and to

Many UK students consider internship experience to be critical in their preparation for the professional world. A Lexington-based company, Lexmark Inc., consistently facilitates students from various majors into its internship positions. One student, however, took this longstanding relationship with Lexmark one step farther, or approximately 7,400 miles farther, geographically speaking.

Hannah Simms is a junior at UK, majoring in international studies and political science with a minor in Chinese studies, as well as a member of the UK Honors Program. This

by Whitney Hale

Last spring, Teach for America selected 27 recent graduates of the University of Kentucky to serve in America's inner cities and rural communities. The UK group, the largest in school history, is among 5,800 new corps members selected for Teach for America, a national program in which outstanding college graduates 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.

This year’s corps is the largest in Teach for America’s history.

By Sarah Geegan

Seven University of Kentucky students in the College of Arts & Sciences have been awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad. These students are among 2,300 U.S. undergraduates who will be participating in programs abroad during the summer, fall, or 2012-2013 academic year.

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards to U.S. undergraduates who are receiving Federal Pell Grants at a two-year or four-year college or university to study abroad. Scholarships of up to $5,000 may be awarded and vary depending on the length of study and student need. The average award amount is approximately $4,000.

The Gilman Scholarship program supports a diverse group of students who have been traditionally under

To see a little of what Dr. Francisco Salgado-Robles' students were doing in Seville this summer, take a look at some of the adventures of sophomore Spanish major Nicole Sands, who blogged from Spain about her experiences with the the May session service learning course created by Dr. Salgado-Robles. 

By Sarah Geegan

With the school year freshly completed, 11 students in the College of Arts and Sciences are kicking off the summer in a unique way— with a 4-week intensive language and culture program in Shanghai, China.

The faculty-led program, supported by the Chinese Studies program in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Culture, will advance the students' conversational fluency in Chinese. It will also introduce them to traditional and modern aspects of Chinese culture such as calligraphy, tea houses, Shanghai's history and contemporary society.

Assistant Professor of Chinese Matthew Wells said that the 4-week program is structured to optimize the

By Sarah Geegan

University of Kentucky students and faculty will travel to Shanghai in May to share Appalachian culture at the American Studies Center at Shanghai University.

The  American Studies Center, funded by a grant from The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, is one of 10 similar centers in China. In December 2011, UK signed a joint-venture agreement with Shanghai University to pioneer the center on the SU campus.

The facility aims to broaden Chinese understanding of American culture and to foster intellectual and cultural exchange. UK's primary contribution involves providing a perspective of the American South and Appalachia.

"The purpose of the center is to try and counter Hollywood stereotypes of the United States by bringing them a more nuanced version of

Journalism and International Studies Senior, Cassidy Herrington, will give a public lecture March 29 at the University of Central Missouri.
The Muslim Student Assocation at UCM invited Herrington to speak on behalf of a column she wrote for The Kentucky Kernel in November of 2010. In the article, Herrington "unveils" her personal experience wearing the Muslim hijab for one month. Since its publication, the story has been read in more than 140 countries and reprinted in textbooks and publications nationally and abroad.

Her article may be found on the Kentucky Kernel webiste: http://kykernel.com/2010/10/31/%e2%80%98undercover%e2%80%99-in-hijab-unveiling-one-month-later/

By Whitney Hale

In 1912, an incredible gift of 3,000 cherry blossom trees was bestowed on Washington, D.C. by Tokyo, Japan. Rooted strongly and surviving outside elements, the trees have withstood the test of time and become a beloved treasure of our nation's capital. Nearly a century later, the friendship between Japan and Kentucky is preparing for an unprecedented and once-in‐a‐lifetime centennial celebration of this gift as the Japan/America Society of Kentucky (JASK) paint the state and University of Kentucky campus pink.

In honor of this international friendship between Kentucky and Japan, the Embassy of Japan and the Consul General of Japan in Nashville, Tenn., has awarded the JASK 20 offspring from the original cherry blossom trees to be donated to the

By Sarah Geegan, Lea Mann

Hanban, the Confucius Institute headquarters in Beijing, has designated the University of Kentucky Confucius Institute as the official Chinese proficiency test center for the state of Kentucky.

The HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) and the YCT (Youth Chinese Test), are proficiency exams that rank Chinese language learners on different levels of mastery.

The HSK assesses non-native Chinese speakers’ proficiency in using the language in daily, academic and professional environments. The test contains both written and oral sections, ranking speakers into six different levels in writing and three different levels in speaking.  

Chinese universities will use the HSK test results for enrollment; by taking this exam, U.S. college students become

By Whitney Hale, Lea Mann

The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has chosen 10 outstanding undergraduates as new scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years.

Gaines Fellowships are given in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities. Fellowships are awarded for the tenure of a student's junior and senior years, or for the last two years of a five-year program; students in all disciplines and with any intended profession are given equal consideration.

UK's 10 new Gaines

By Whitney Hale, Sarah Geegan

A duo of Japan's foremost Tsugaru shamisen performers, Oyama x Nitta, will perform for a Bluegrass audience at an upcoming concert presented by the Japan/America Society of Kentucky (JASK), the University of Kentucky Japan Studies Program and the Asia Center. The concert, part of the statewide Kentucky Cherry Blossom Festival, will take to the stage 3 p.m. Sunday, April 1, at Memorial Hall.

The Tsugaru shamisen is a banjo-like instrument from the Tsugaru region in Aomori Prefecture in the northernmost part of Japan’s central island of Honshu. Oyama x Nitta is comprised of Tsugaru shamisen performers Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta, who are

The following story was translated from Chinese to English by Hive member Yiwen Chen. You can read the original stories in Chinese here and here.

Jilin University is a top-ranked university in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin Province in Northeastern China. Jilin University has established worldwide exchange programs with more than 110 universities, colleges, and research institutes in 25 countries/districts, including a partnership with the University of Kentucky.

Over 1,500 foreign students are currently enrolled in Jilin University. A group of exchange students from Jilin University recently

By Sarah Geegan

The revolutions throughout Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and other nations in the Arab world have inspired earnest debate among experts. Are the ideological underpinnings of the revolutions democratic, religious, liberal or non-ideological? Will these revolutions spearhead an Islamist takeover of the Arab world? Professor Asef Bayat, of the University of Illinois, will address these questions Friday, March 23, in the William T. Young Library auditorium.

The UK College of Arts and Sciences and the Muslim World Working Group will present the symposium titled, "Understanding the Arab Spring." The event will include a lecture from Bayat, "The Arab Spring: Are the Islamists Coming?" as well as commentary from three UK professors.

Bayat is a

By Whitney Hale

The next Little/Gaines Artist Series presentation will explore how much life imitates art. "The Daily Routine: Theme and Variations," featuring the work of Little/Gaines artist Kit Donohue, a musician and UK graduate student, and her collaborator, dancer and UK alumna Kasey Shackelford, will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, at the Niles Gallery, located in University of Kentucky's Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center. This event is free and open to the public.

As part of the Little/Gaines Artists Series, Kentucky artists team up with one or two