1.         UK Wins Record $22 Million Grant for Science, Math Education

            The University of Kentucky has been awarded a $22 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help strengthen and reform education in math and science in pre-K through grade 12 classrooms in Kentucky.  The five-year grant, part of NSF's Math and Science Partnership program, is the largest single award in UK's history.  Key faculty involved in the grant application are Paul Eakin, professor of mathematics in UK's College of Arts and Sciences and principal investigator on the project; Wimberly Royster, former UK vice president for research and graduate studies and professor emeritus of mathematics, who is co-principal investigator and project director; Ron Atwood, UK science education professor; Steve Henderson, Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative project director; and Carl Lee, UK math professor.  The projects funded through the grant will seek to demonstrate improved student achievement in mathematics and science by uniting the efforts of teachers, administrators and guidance counselors in local schools with administrators and faculty at area colleges and universities.  Fifty-two school districts and nine institutions of higher education will address the needs of students in Appalachia through pre-service teacher and administrator education, professional development of personnel in pre-K through grade 12 classrooms, student learning opportunities, including parent/community engagement, and research to advance the understanding of rural education reform.  The NSF program is a key facet of President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind education plan and the first investment in his five-year $1 billion math and science partnership initiative.

2.         First Lady Judi Patton, President Todd Unveil Violence Against Women Center

            Kentucky’s First Lady Judi Patton and UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. announced plans in late September to develop a UK Center for Research on Violence Against Women.  The primary focus of the center will be to bring faculty together to conduct research on issues related to domestic violence, rape, stalking and related crimes against women.  Three major areas of concentration have been identified: the health and mental health effects of violence, legal issues, and public policy and administration.  An additional goal of the center will be to help create a national research agenda on violence against women.

3.         New Health Literacy Program Aims to Help UK Employees Lower Costs

            President Todd announced a unique initiative in early October aimed at holding the line on rising cost of health benefits by helping UK employees become better consumers of health care and health benefits.  UK's new Health Literacy Project brings together components of consumer-driven health plans, prescription drug counseling, behavioral lifestyle counseling, and in-depth education in an effort to confront the rising cost of health insurance.  An online program will help participants choose the best plan to suit their needs.  This assessment program will be piloted over the next two months and available to all participants by early 2003, prior to UK's benefits enrollment period that begins in April.

4.         Center for Rural Health Discloses Alarming Rise in Cases of Diabetes in State

            Diabetes in Kentucky has soared to near-epidemic proportions with prevalence in rural Eastern and Western Kentucky, according to a study by the UK Center for Rural Health.  The study shows that while the disease stood at the national norm in 1994, its incidence had swelled by 2000.  The study reports Kentuckians have some of the greatest risk factors for diabetes, including a high percentage of people who lead sedentary lifestyles, a major risk factor for diabetes; a high proportion of obesity, another of the major risk factors; and a large segment of the population who smoke, which worsens the complication of diabetes.  President Todd has cited the fight against diabetes as part of the university’s mission to improve the lives of Kentuckians.

5.         UK Breaks Into U.S. News’ List of Top 50 Public Universities

            The University of Kentucky was listed in the top 50 public national universities in rankings released in mid-September by U.S. News & World Report magazine.  UK was tied with two other schools -- Michigan Technological University and a UK benchmark institution, the University of Arizona -- for the 50th place in the often-cited U.S. News annual issue of national rankings of colleges and universities.  The University of California-Berkeley was listed number one in the ranking, which rates schools with doctoral programs. The University of Virginia was ranked number two.  Tied for third place were two other UK benchmark institutions, the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

6.         Researchers Win $2 Million Grant to Study HIV/STD Prevention Strategy

            Rick Zimmerman and Derek Lane, Communication, and Eric Anderman, Educational and Counseling Psychology, won a five-year, $2,086,866 National Institute for Nursing Research grant to examine the effects of teachers' motivational strategies on student learning about HIV and sexually transmitted diseases in prevention programs taught in high school health education classrooms.  The researchers will also develop an effective prevention program.

7.         College of Law Inducts Three Into Alumni Hall of Fame

            The UK College of Law inducted three people into its Alumni Hall of Fame in late September.  The inductees, selected based on their professional success and contributions, profound positive influence on the college and high degree of character and integrity, are Charles S. Cassis, a partner in the law firm of Frost Brown Todd in Louisville; Mike Duncan, chairman of the Inez Deposit Bank and treasurer of the Republican National Committee; and the late Bernard T. Moynahan Jr., judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky for 21 years.

8.         UK Hosts U.S. Treasury Secretary on Visit to Kentucky

            U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill carried his view of optimism about the American economy to more than 250 students, staff and faculty and Lexington residents during a 90-minute session at the UK Student Center's Worsham Theatre in late September.  O’Neill participated in a panel discussion with Kelly Swartz, a graduate student at the Gatton College of Business and Economics; Anne Shirley, a graduate student in the Martin School of Public Policy and Public Administration; Jeffrey Mace, a graduate student in the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce; Henry Jackson, owner of Jackson Industries of Nicholasville; Dan Bork, vice president of tax for Lexmark International Inc.; and Kathy Gornick, owner of Thiel Audio of Lexington.  O’Neill’s chief of staff, Tim Adams, earned his bachelor’s degree in business at UK, and master’s degrees from the UK Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce and the Martin School of Public Policy and Public Administration. 

9.         Kentucky Supreme Court Hears Arguments in College of Law Courtroom

The Kentucky Supreme Court heard oral arguments in three cases earlier this month in the UK College of Law Courtroom.  During its session, the seven-member panel of justices considered issues involving whether the State Board of Claims has jurisdiction over county boards of education, and whether the state Department of Education can be held vicariously liable for acts of a local school's faculty; whether a parole officer's warrant-less entry and search of a parolee's home and seizure of contraband was constitutional; and whether Kentucky law recognizes a cause of action for “wrongful life” and/or “wrongful birth.”  After the arguments, the court held an informal question and answer session for College of Law students.

10.       Gatton College Wins $1.17 Million Grant to Establish Poverty Research Center

            UK’s Gatton College of Business and Economics has received a three-year, $1.17 million grant from the federal Department of Health and Human Services to establish a Kentucky Center for Poverty Research.  The center will focus on causes, consequences and effects of poverty in Kentucky and the south, in relation to the nation as a whole.  James P. Ziliak, professor of economics and holder of the Carol Martin Gatton Chair in Microeconomics, will be the center's director.  Initial projects will include an evaluation of the impact of Medicaid managed care on infant and child well-being in Kentucky; a review of child health outcomes with a particular focus on links between obesity and type II diabetes among children; and a study of links between poverty and intimate-partner violence.  The center will draw on expertise of scholars across UK's campus, including faculty in economics, political science, public policy, sociology, social work and other areas.

11.       Neurosciences Institute Uses Device to Treat Parkinson’s, Essential Tremors

            Physicians at the UK Neurosciences Institute report significant improvement for patients with Parkinson’s disease and essential tremors who have undergone treatment with an implant of an Activa Tremor Control Deep Brain Stimulator.  Since December 1997, UK Hospital Chief of Staff and neurosurgeon Byron Young has performed 50 implant procedures.  The device, developed by Medtronic Inc., includes an insulated wire lead that is surgically implanted deep within the thalamus, the brain's communication center.  The lead is connected by an extension wire passed under the skin to an implanted pulse generator, similar to an advanced cardiac pacemaker.  During surgery the patient remains awake and responds to questions and commands from Young and the surgical team as they attempt to find the correct placement of the lead's electrodes in the brain's thalamus.  The improvement in tremor control can be immediate when the correct location is found. 

12.       Gatton College Hosts American Marketing Association Faculty Consortium

            More than 80 marketing professors from across the country and around the world converged on the UK Gatton College of Business and Economics earlier this month to focus on sports marketing issues.  The 2002 American Marketing Association Faculty Consortium, organized by Scott Kelley and Robert Dahlstrom of the Gatton College, included presentations by Jim Host of Host Communications and John Egan of Coca-Cola U.S.A.  Kelley currently is working to prepare the Sports Marketing MBA program in the Gatton College, set to begin next fall.

13.       Center on Drug and Alcohol Research Awarded NSF Grant

The UK Center on Drug and Alcohol Research has received nearly $900,000 from the National Science Foundation to provide a program to encourage young women from Appalachia to pursue science careers.  The center just completed a National Institutes of Health grant, the Young Women in Science program, which has encouraged high school girls to pursue scientific careers in drug abuse research. This new grant will be a similar program for younger girls.  Carl Leukefeld, director of the center, is the principal investigator.

14.       College of Medicine Building Named After First Dean

College of Medicine faculty, staff and alumni gathered early this month for a ceremony to rename the College of Medicine Building the William R. Willard Building after its first dean.  Willard came to UK in 1956 to direct the planning and activation of the College of Medicine and the UK Albert B. Chandler Medical Center.  He served as the first dean of the college until 1966 and vice president for the medical center until 1970.  Before he left in 1972, he served as special assistant to UK President Otis A. Singletary.

15.       UK Libraries Dedicate Collection of Soviet-era Military, Economic Materials

Former U.S. ambassador to the former Soviet Union Jack Matlock spoke at an invitation-only dedication ceremony of two major collections of military and economic books, pamphlets and posters that are now part of the UK Libraries Special Collections section.  William F. and Harriet Fast Scott gave 9,000 volumes from their 15,000-volume collection of Soviet military materials to UK.  Gertrude Schroeder Greenslade presented 4,000 volumes of her 6,000-volume collection on the Soviet economic system to the libraries.  Also attending the event was noted Sovietologist Dale Herspring of Kansas State University.

16.       Clinical Lab Services Wins College of American Pathologists Honor

Faculty and staff of UK Hospital Clinical Laboratory Services recently were awarded “Accreditation with Distinction,” the highest honor given by the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists as a result of a two-day, on-site inspection by the College of American Pathologists.

17.       Jane Goodall, Former Lunar Explorer Speaks at Singletary Center

            World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall and former Apollo astronaut Harrison Schmitt recently gave lectures to capacity crowds at the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.  In late September, 30 school groups from across the Commonwealth joined UK students, faculty and staff to hear Goodall describe her experiences as a researcher on chimpanzees.  Following the lecture, Goodall autographed books for hundreds of enthusiastic fans.  The lecture was underwritten by Lexington businessman Tracy Farmer and hosted by the UK Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment.  Schmitt, a trained geologist, visited campus earlier this month and described findings about the geological evolution of the moon to separate audiences of academics and the general public.

18.       Delta Dental Grant Establishes Center to Improve Kentuckians’ Oral Health

            Delta Dental Plan of Kentucky has awarded the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and the University of Louisville School of Dentistry a $1.5 million endowment that will be used to enhance research efforts and improve oral health for Kentuckians.  The University of Kentucky will use its half for the Delta Dental Plan of Kentucky Clinical Research Center.  The UK College of Dentistry, with the UK Chandler Medical Center, established the Center for Oral Health Research (COHR) to enhance interdisciplinary research and nurture cross-fertilization of research expertise.  The Delta Dental Center will be the clinical arm of the COHR, researching ways to define and impact oral health disparities in rural Kentucky.  Jeffrey Ebersole is director of the Center for Oral Health Research.  John Novak is director of the Delta Dental Plan of Kentucky Clinical Research Center.

19.       Jack Guthrie Receives Public Relations Lifetime Achievement Award

            Jack Guthrie, the founder of one of Kentucky's best-known public relations firms, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Relations from UK's School of Journalism and Telecommunications.  Guthrie, a UK alumnus and former member of the university’s board of trustees, is chairman and chief executive officer of Guthrie/Mayes Public Relations, of Louisville. The firm is one of Kentucky's largest independently owned public relations firms.  Presentation of the award to Guthrie was part of the 2002 James C. Bowling Executive-in-Residence Lecture Series activities.  Richard Truitt, a principal of Truitt Partners LLC, delivered the lecture.

20.       UK Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Birth of African-American Icon

            This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Langston Hughes, and during October, UK sponsored a series of events based on his works.  Hughes was a prolific playwright, fiction writer and the Poet Laureate of Harlem. The celebration featured UK Opera's production of “Street Scene,” libretto by Hughes and music by Kurt Weill, produced by Everett McCorvey, director of the UK opera program.  Events also included a keynote lecture by Arnold Rampersad, the Stanford University Sara Hart Kimball Professor in the Humanities, and a daylong “Symposium on the Harlem Renaissance.”  Leading scholars of the Harlem Renaissance and a noted Kurt Weill historian gave talks on Hughes, music and literature, and issues of gender and race in the early 20th century.

21.       UK Opens New Asia Center to Promote Greater International Understanding

            Earlier this month, UK opened its new Asia Center to promote knowledge about Asia on campus and across the Commonwealth.  The center was founded as a result of a multi-year, $1,083,036 grant from the Freeman Foundation.  Events included lectures on Asian issues and workshops to help elementary and secondary school teachers present material to their students.

22.       UK, City Open Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center at Arboretum

The new Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center was dedicated in late September at the University of Kentucky/Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Arboretum on Alumni Drive near Tates Creek Road.  The center is named for UK alumnus Dorotha Smith Oatts who made a $200,000 challenge gift toward the 3,200-square-foot building's construction. It contains offices for the arboretum staff, a large meeting room and restrooms for arboretum visitors.  The building was designed by Pearson-Bender Architects of Lexington and was built by Lox Consulting and Construction Inc.

23.       UK Archaeologists Explore Mid-19th Century Structures at Henry Clay Estate

            Mid-19th century barn piers, a sidewalk, a cellar foundation and artifacts from archaeological digs at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, were exhibited in early October during an excavation “open house” at the estate.  Included in the artifacts shown during the open house was a piece of china table setting probably used by John Bowman, a former resident of Ashland who was the founder of the school which eventually became the University of Kentucky.  Among those participating in the open house activities and the actual explorations at Ashland today were about 100 students from the Anderson County High School and an anthropology class from Pikeville College.  More than 3,000 students have participated in the explorations at Ashland since a joint excavation project began there three years ago.

24.       Kentucky Kernel is Finalist for Top National College Newspaper Award

            The Kentucky Kernel, the University of Kentucky's independent daily student newspaper, has been selected as a finalist for a Pacemaker award, the top student journalism award in the nation.  The Kernel is competing with student newspapers from such schools as Harvard, Tulane, Vanderbilt and Auburn for the Pacemaker award, which is given by the Associated Collegiate Press (ACP).  A delegation of Kernel writers and editors will attend the ACP's annual convention in Orlando, Fla., later this week, when the winner will be announced.

25.       UK’s Spotlight Jazz Series, Oldest in Nation, Marks 25th Season

UK’s Spotlight Jazz Series, the longest running collegiate jazz series in the country, launched its 25th season in mid-October with a performance by musician-composer Terence Blanchard.  Other performances scheduled during the 2002-2003 season are the Herbie Hancock Quartet on November 13, the Dave Holland Quartet on February 1 and Regina Carter on March 2.

26.       Significant Activities of Students

Lisa Collins, Education doctoral student, has been accepted as a participant in the Higher Education and Public Policy Forum sponsored by the Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Bonnie Cutsforth-Huber , Fine Arts,  had an article, “A Voice of Their Own: The Upper Class and the Development of the National Song in Scotland,” published in the journal Music Research Forum.  She also won the National Opera Association’s Scholarly Paper Competition with her paper, “Pride and Perseverance: The Operas of William Grant Still.”

Davide Giradelli, Communication doctoral student, and Graduate Program in Communication Associate Dean Roy L. Moore received a $10,000 grant from The Italian-American Foundation for their project “Patterns of the Image of Italian Americans and Italians in the U.S.”  Giradelli is a Fulbright doctoral student.

Shea Ann Godwin, Medicine, was selected as one of only two medical students nationwide to give a student research presentation at the 127th American Neurological Association meeting.  Godwin presented research in the area of memory retention and spatial learning after focal cerebral ischemia in a transgenic animal model.

Amy Hagan, Lexington Community College, received the 2002 L.R. Bean Radiology Award for $1,000.

Jessica Hamilton, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, has been named the Health Education Student of the Year by the Kentucky Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.

Michael Schafer, Medicine, has been recognized as a Pisacano Scholar by the Nicholas J. Pisacano Foundation, which recognizes primary care medicine students who have displayed outstanding characteristics of leadership and community service.

Tiffany Self, Pharmacy, was elected to serve on the Lambda Kappa Sigma’s national nominating committee for the 2002-2004 biennium that slates candidates for the Grand Council, the fraternity’s leadership.

Jo Smith, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, was named the 2002 Physical Education Student of the Year by the Kentucky Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The College of Pharmacy’s chapter of Lambda Kappa Sigma received the fraternity’s top award for outstanding chapter leadership during the organization’s recent national convention in Chicago.

27.       Significant Faculty and Staff Activities

Debra Anderson, Nursing, has been awarded a $204,291 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health grant, for her study, “Risk for Workplace Violence in Long-haul Truckers.”

Reto Asmis, Cardiology, received a four-year $1,158,400 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his study, “Role of Glutathione Reductase and Macrophage Oncosis.”

Ernest Bailey, Veterinary Science, received a $300,000 grant from the Morris Animal Foundation to conduct research on functional genomics for horses.

William Berdine, Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling, received acknowledgement and thanks from President George W. Bush for his work as a member of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education.  The report the Commission developed and submitted last spring will be used in the re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Gerald Brown, Horticulture professor emeritus, has been named the 2002 Outstanding Alumnus by the University of Arkansas Department of Horticulture.

Tricia Browne-Ferrigno, Keith Gurley and Bonnie C. Johnson, Education, received a $475,874 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for their study “School Leadership Development Program: Kentucky’s Collaborative Model for Developing School Leaders for Rural High-Need Schools.”

Jody Clasey, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, presented the opening research at the International Body Composition Conference in Rome, Italy, early this month.  She also has been appointed to the executive steering committee of the Lieutenant Governor's Task Force on Childhood Nutrition and Fitness.

D. Kay Clawson, College of Medicine dean emeritus, received the Kentucky Medical Association Educational Achievement Award at its annual meeting earlier this month.

Vonnie Colvin, Kinesiology and Health Promotion, has been named 2002 University Physical Educator of the Year by the Kentucky Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Alan Daugherty, Cardiology, received a two-year $627,737 grant from Phillip Morris Inc. for his study on the mechanisms of sidestream cigarette-induced atherogenesis.

Martin Evans, Infectious Disease, received a four-year $1,077,039 grant from National Institutes of Health for his study, “Optimizing Dosing to Prevent Antibiotic Resistance.”

Carlos Galcerán, Kentucky Geological Survey, received a two-year, $268,000 grant from the Kentucky Army National Guard to characterize and monitor the hydrogeologic conditions at three National Guard training camps in the state.

James B. Goode, Lexington Community College, recently published “The Cutting Edge: Mining in the 21st Century.”

Charles Griffith, General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, received $581,498 for 34 months from the Health Resources and Services Administration for faculty development in general internal medicine and general pediatrics.

Nancy Grant Harrington, Communication, received a $142,053 grant from the Center for Disease Control for her study “Communication Skills Intervention.”

Robert L. Houtz and Lynnette Dirk, Horticulture, co-authored the cover article of the October 3, 2002, issue of the science journal Cell.  Their article reported research findings on the delineation of the 3-D structure of the garden pea Rubisco LSMT enzyme.  A portion of this structure is prevalent throughout the animal and plant kingdoms and is instrumental in regulation gene expression.  This enzyme, and the related LSMT, has been the subject of more than 15 years of research by Dr. Houtz mainly under the auspices of the Department of Energy.

Clifford E. Hynniman, Pharmacy, has been recognized as a Fellow by the Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Craig Infanger, Agricultural Economics, is returning from 27 months of service in Armenia as director and project coordinator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Armenia Marketing Assistance Program.

Craig Jordan, Hematology Oncology, received a three-year $734,000 grant from the American Cancer Society for his study, “An In Vivo Model for Leukemic Stem Cells.”

Kathi Kern, History, presented the President’s Commission on Women’s first salon series lecture last week.  Her topic, “Women’s Rights and the Righting of History,” focused on 19th century women’s rights advocate Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

John Kiefer, Kentucky Geological Survey, received the George V. Cohee Public Service Award from the Eastern Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.  This annual award recognizes significant contributions to the profession through service in the public-policy sector.

Patricia Krausman, Kentucky Small Business Development Center, won the Kentucky State Star Award presented by the Association of Small Business Development Centers.

Everett McCorvey, Music, received the 2002 Ancient Hellenic Ideals Award at a ceremony at Transylvania University earlier this month.

Benjy Mikel and Melissa Newman, Animal Sciences, received a grant of $74,960 from the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation for a project titled “Development of a Value-Added Food Processing Incubator.”

Debra Moser, Nursing, has been awarded a $1,810,257 National Institutes of Health grant for her study, “Biobehavioral Intervention in Heart Failure.”

Subba Palli, Entomology, received $196,000 from RheoGene to conduct research on ECR-based gene switch.

Angel Rubio, Appalachian Cancer Network, has been awarded a $400,000 grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Appalachian Regional Commission for the Appalachian Community Based Cervical Cancer Outreach demonstration project.

Scott Smith, Nancy Cox, Joseph Chappell, Glenn Collins, Leigh Maynard, Herb Strobel, Ernest Bailey and Sue Nokes, Agriculture, and Joseph Fink, Corporate Relations and Economic Outreach, received a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “A Partnering for Innovative Commercialization of Technology: University of Kentucky Natural Products Alliance.”

Jeffrey Stringer, Forestry, earned a second place technical writing award from the Forest Resources Association for his report “Times and Costs for Skid Trail Retirement and Revegetation.”

David Terry, Regulatory Services, received the D. S. Coltrane Service Award from the Association of the American Plant Food Control Officials at the organization’s annual meeting in Kansas City.

Lee T. Todd Jr., UK president, received the White Ribbon Award from Kentucky First Lady Judi Patton in recognition of his efforts to combat violence against women.  He also received the Outstanding Alumnus of Kentucky Award from the Advocates for Higher Education in late September.

Lisa Vaillancourt, Plant Pathology, received a $195,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study the mechanism of the transition between biotrophy and necrotrophy in a hemibiotroph.

Alayne White, Institute on Women and Substance Abuse, Center for Drug and Alcohol Research, was awarded the 2002 Martha Layne Collins Leadership Award at the Women’s Business & Leadership Conference.

Steve Wyatt, Cancer Control Program, has been awarded a $228,052 National Institutes of Health grant for his study on the Appalachian Cancer Network.  Wyatt also received a $575,000 Center for Disease Control and Prevention grant for “Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Center.”