By Lindsey Piercy 

Last year,  Nick Wilson outwitted, outplayed and outlasted 20 competitors on the 37th season of "Survivor." The University of Kentucky alumnus claimed the title of "Sole Survivor" and the $1 million prize on the season finale. Now, he will be returning to the hit CBS competition in hopes of claiming victory once again. And this time, there's more at stake.

On Wednesday, the network announced Wilson as one of the cast members of the show’s 40th season, “Survivor: Winners at War," which will pit 20 former winners against one another for the largest prize in reality TV competition history — $2 million.

"It was a quick turnaround to play again so suddenly. But it was a no-brainer for me to say

From building play houses out of grass as a child in Danville to writing poetry and publishing books as an adult, Frank X Walker uses his immense imagination to chronicle the African-American experience in Appalachia.

Walker, an alumnus and English professor at UK, has written 10 collections of poetry, several anthologies and many articles and essays. His epic journey begins with a childhood immersed in books and moves on to becoming poet laureate of Kentucky and a chronicler of an often-ignored heritage.

Walker recently was highlighted in the winter issue of Keeneland magazine. Read the full story here.

By Lindsey Piercy

This week, University of Kentucky graduates are busy preparing to walk across the Rupp Arena stage, shake President Eli Capilouto's hand and accept their long-awaited diploma. That piece of paper signifies the end of a journey — a journey of self-discovery.

Ndeye Matou Amar's journey to Commencement has been filled with overwhelming challenges and inspirational successes. On Dec. 20, she will boldly stand in front of the Class of 2019 — as the selected student speaker — and tell her story of resilience.

When Amar reflects on how far she's come in the last decade, she's overcome with emotion. Ten years ago, she left behind her life in Senegal, West Africa to start a new life in the "Land of Opportunity."

Amar quickly realized opportunities aren't simply attained through

Major: Economics and International Studies

Senior Engagement Associate at 270 Strategies *

It was a fairly standard childhood. I grew up in Lexington and went through the public school system there. My parents always pushed the value of education and taking care of the most marginalized people which are values I have to this day.

After reading Freakonomics when I was younger, I always knew that I wanted to study economics when I went to college. This wasn’t really to gain any particular technical skillset, but I wanted to learn how to think like an economist. I decided to study

Major: Psychology

Senior Leadership Recruiter at Tesla *

I grew up in the Louisville area and went to Sacred Heart Academy. Go Valkyries!

I loved to play volleyball, tennis and swim. I’ve always loved interior design and art projects.

Growing up, we took a lot of trips in the conversion van, so I’ve actually been to 45 states! Today, my partner Anand and I try to travel as much as we can, but we usually choose a plane over the van :).

I was the kid wearing tie dye and reminding everyone to recycle, which is probably why I ended up at Tesla!

Catherine Seidelman (class of 2010), Will Seidelman (class of 2009), and Dexter

Major: Psychology

Minor: Philosophy

Manager, User Research AmazonTransportation and Recipient Experience at Amazon *

We moved several times before ending up in the bluegrass state. I was interested in technology early in life and my parents fostered that desire. In high school, I played a KY state tournament basketball game in Rupp Arena, I do not think Coach Cal would have been particularly impressed with my performance

By Aaron Porter and Jenny Wells

Today and tomorrow, people from all around the world are coming together on the University of Kentucky campus to explore the global impact of the #MeToo movement.  

This two-day, international symposium, "Comparative Perspectives on #MeToo," will feature scholars, students and activists from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America discussing the impact, scope, connections and challenges associated with #MeToo and similar movements. 

"The issues behind #MeToo and similar movements have affected women and others in higher education and other settings for a long time, yet we rarely have the opportunity to discuss these issues across nations, languages and other differences," said Cristina Alcade, associate dean of inclusion and internationalization in the UK College of

By Aaron Porter and Jenny Wells

Next month, the University of Kentucky will bring people from around the world to campus to explore the global impact of the #MeToo movement.

The two-day, international symposium, "Comparative Perspectives on #MeToo," will be held April 8-9, in Room 330AB of the Gatton Student Center. The event will bring together scholars, students and activists from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America to discuss the impact, scope, connections and challenges associated with #MeToo and similar movements. 

"The issues behind #MeToo and similar movements have affected women and others in higher education and other settings for a long time, yet we rarely have the opportunity to discuss these issues across nations, languages and other differences," said

By Nate Harling

President Eli Capilouto and Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto with members of the Rosenzweig family. The family says President Capilouto’s commitment to the cultivation of a strong, supportive Jewish community attracted them to UK.

Alex Rosenzweig grew up in Long Island, New York, some 750 miles away from Lexington, with no links to the Bluegrass State. Now, in his final year pursuing a degree in engineering and a minor in Jewish studies at the University of Kentucky, he says he is part of a “Big Blue family.”

While he began his first year alone in a new place, he is now in his senior year as part of a strong network of friends, including two siblings and two cousins. How five relatives from Long Island ended up going to UK together is a long and complicated story, but it starts and ends with community.

“We are a community driven

By Jenny Wells

The University of Kentucky Chemistry-Physics Building is getting a much-needed transformation.

The central campus staple is currently undergoing a two-phase construction project that will result in a renovation of the third floor, as well as a completely new exterior façade of the building, including a three-story entrance/atrium.

The first phase of the transformation — the third floor renovation — is already underway, and will produce 15 research labs, plus support spaces, equipment spaces and offices. The second phase will bring a new exterior façade, which will include a replacement of the building exterior and roof; construction of a new stair tower, a freight elevator, a new loading dock and entrance additions; and mechanical upgrades in the penthouse.

"When the renovation is complete, this building will be a more pleasant, open

By Madison Rose

Black in Blue trailer from University of Kentucky on Vimeo.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 11, 2019) — Student Activities Board, Gatton Student Center, and the College of Arts and Sciences invite students, faculty, staff and community members to the "Black in Blue" film premiere. The free, public event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in the Worsham Theatre in the Gatton Student Center to look back at how the University of Kentucky’s football team broke the color line in the Southeastern Conference.

"Black in Blue" explores the groundbreaking history that took place on UK’s football field in 1967 when

By Aaron Porter

Richard Jefferies, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky, was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 meeting of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC).

SEAC gives this award to senior scholars who have made significant and sustained contributions to the field of archaeology. Throughout his 30-year career, Jefferies has conducted an extensive amount of research. His most significant work centers on the Middle to Late Holocene hunter-gatherers, who lived in the Ohio River Valley from 8,000 to 3,000 years ago. The results of Jefferies’ research are detailed in his book, "Holocene Hunter-Gatherers of the Lower Ohio River Valley," published in 2009.

Jefferies is currently investigating a 17th century Spanish mission period occupation on Sapelo Island, Georgia. For the past

Alli Peoples graduated in spring 2018 with her bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Spanish. Upon graduation, she moved to Madrid, Spain, where she is currently working as an English Language and Culture Assistant at the bilingual primary school, CEIP Lepanto. At Lepanto, Alli not only plays an active role in English instruction in the classroom in multiple subject areas, but also in helping students to develop a multicultural mindset. In her words, “being an International Studies major helped me develop a foundation of knowledge that gave me the confidence to pursue a job abroad.” She believes her ability to help cultivate this mindset in her students was greatly enhanced by her coursework as an International Studies major, which helped her to first understand the shared values and identities of her own culture and then employ this knowledge to develop an understanding and

By Whitney Hale

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that recent College of Arts & Sciences philosophy graduate Benjamin Troupe, of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, was named a finalist for the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. Troupe is one of 60 national finalists who will interview for the fellowship in Washington, D.C., in mid-April.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, the Pickering

by Susan Odom

Kentucky’s middle school girls and their parents/guardians are invited to join us for the second annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference at the University of Kentucky campus on Saturday, April 21, 2018.  This day of hands-on workshops will give middle school girls the chance to meet STEM role models and get exposure to opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math. This is the second iteration of the conference, which is organized by members of the Colleges of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the College of Engineering.

Co-organizers, including Ellen Crocker (Forestry and Natural Resources) and Carmen Agouridis (Biosystems & Ag Engineering), joined forces to bring Expanding Your Horizons back to UK for a second time. The EYH team is back with more person – in particular

By Nate Harling

Harrison Bailey (’49) had a palpable presence on UK’s campus while he pursued his degree in geography, both maintaining an active presence in his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and leading the charge in the acquisition of a charter for the University’s chapter of the International Geographical Honor Society, Gama Theta Epsilon. The charter bearing his name still hangs in the offices of the geography department to this day, but Bailey is not done leaving his mark on the University of Kentucky. Through his generous giving, the Harrison and Eva Lewis Bailey Geography Student Travel Endowment Fund has been established. The fund will award travel scholarships to geography majors seeking to study in Mexico. This is the second endowment fund he has graciously established at UK, having previously funded the Harrison and Eva Lewis Bailey Alumni Lecture Series in

By Gail Hairston

(Left to right) Dan Reedy, Karl Raitz, Dean Mark Kornbluh, Martha Rolingson, Charles Grizzle and Tom Spalding.

The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences celebrated its Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 6, at the Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building.

This year's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Reception honored alumni Charlie Grizzle, Martha Rolingson and Tom Spalding, and College of Arts and Sciences faculty members Karl B. Raitz and Daniel R. Reedy. For more about each honoree, see their brief biographies below.

Alumni Inductees

Charlie Grizzle, English, bachelor’s degree, 1973 

Charles "Charlie" L. Grizzle, a native of Argillite, Kentucky, in Greenup County, earned his bachelor

By Chris Crumrine

The University of Kentucky is expanding and enhancing its Washington, D.C. internship program, allowing students to participate during the academic year, utilize their financial aid and remain full-time students enrolled in credit-bearing courses. The new program will launch during the spring 2018 semester. 

The new program is a partnership between the Department of Political Science, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the President, with the shared goal of providing an affordable opportunity for students to intern in the nation’s capital without delaying their time to degree. The UK Student Government Association is a key partner in the new program, which is open to students from

By Gail Hairston and Allison Perry

Of the 14 million cancer survivors in the United States, a significant number experience a serious side effect called chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI). While easily recognized, little is known about the etiology of this condition, also known informally as “chemo brain.” CICI can significantly reduce patients’ quality of life with serious, even devastating, symptoms such as memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, negative impacts on multitasking, confusion and fatigue.

Three University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers are tackling this problem head-on, serving as principal investigators on a new $2.3 million grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health:

By Jennifer T. Allen

The University of Kentucky Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences announces the appointment of Associate Professor Kate Ponto to the Wimberly and Betty Royster Research Professorship and Professor Richard Ehrenborg to the Ralph E. and Norma L. Edwards Research Professorship.

The Royster and Edwards professorships serve to recognize the Department of Mathematics’ most active researchers and to support their research. Both positions are three-year terms and include a stipend to support salary or research expenses.

Recommendations for the professorships are made by the mathematics faculty.

“Ehrenborg and Ponto are outstanding scholars who enjoy working with students,” said Russell Brown,