UK College of Medicine Departments Score in NIH Top 20
Several UK College of Medicine basic science departments rank among the nation’s top 20 in National Institutes of Health funding to public medical schools for fiscal year 2003. Overall, the UK College of Medicine received $59,363,927 and ranks 35 th in NIH funding to public medical schools. Because NIH is the primary agency for funding biomedical research, the amount of NIH support can serve as a valuable indicator of the national standing of universities and institutions engaged in research focused on urgent medical priorities. UK College of Medicine basic science departments and their rankings include: Physiology at No. 8; Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology at No. 10; Anatomy and Neurobiology at No. 14; Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at No. 18; and Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at No. 20. UK’s aging grants, reported in the “other health professions” category, are ranked at No. 3. UK clinical departments in the top 20 include Surgery at No. 16, and Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health at No. 17. The Department of Internal Medicine holds the greatest number of NIH grants (27) and at $9,789,431 has the highest departmental NIH-funding total .
McConnell, UK President Announce Funding for Paducah Plant Cleanup
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has secured $5 million in federal funds for research on environmental assessment and cleanup at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The research will be performed by the Kentucky Research Consortium for Energy and Research, a collaborative research program of UK, Murray State University, and the University of Louisville. The consortium is directed by Lindell Ormsbee, professor of civil engineering, UK College of Engineering. The need for the research grows from findings in 1988 that a substance, Tc99, had entered groundwater wells northwest of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Cleanup efforts have been under way since then, and the plant has been listed on the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund national priorities list since 1994. UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. noted that Sen. McConnell has secured more than $500 million for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant cleanup over the last four years.
President Todd and Executive Vice President for Research Wendy Baldwin led a UK delegation to the BIO 2004 Annual International Convention June 6-9 to promote the university’s research and the UK Coldstream Research Campus. At least 59 countries were represented among the 17,000+ attendees. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) represents more than 1,000 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations. BIO members are involved in research and development of products in health care, agriculture, industry, and environmental biotechnology.
The UK General Clinical Research Center has received renewed funding of $ 1,755,056 from the National Institutes of Health for the 20 th consecutive year. Part of this funding will be used to support a combined medical and dental clinical research program, one of the first of its kind in the nation. Ten students, eight from the College of Medicine and two from the College of Dentistry, have been chosen for the Mentored Medical/Dental Student Clinical Research Program, administered by the UK GCRC through the National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources. The program fosters collaborative interest and expertise in clinical research in medical and dental faculty and students and seeks to encourage students to pursue careers in academics and to establish sound clinical research practices.
Health care professionals at the UK Markey Cancer Center announced this month that genetic counseling for cancer patients and their families is now available in Central Kentucky. The UK Markey Cancer Center Clinical Genetic Counseling Program currently provides genetic counseling services for families with multiple cases of cancer. Genetic counseling provides individuals who may be predisposed to cancer the opportunity to review clinical management options for themselves and at-risk family members. A specially trained genetic counselor, in conjunction with a medical oncologist, will provide a personalized assessment of hereditary cancer risk and discuss cancer detection and risk reduction options. Genetic testing is offered when appropriate.
A new research partnership between the UK College of Agriculture and Alltech will further advancements in environmental nutrition and management for poultry producers in Kentucky and around the world. The Alltech/UK Nutrition Research Alliance located at the UK Coldstream Research Campus is a new concept in university-industry research partnerships. Funded by Alltech, a Kentucky-based multinational biotechnology company, the collaborative alliance will enable UK and Alltech scientists to work together in a shared facility, studying innovative ways to decrease ammonia production in poultry houses, decrease nitrogen content of litter, reduce phosphorous excretion through the use of enzyme phytase, and evaluate dietary changes for poultry that could have wide-ranging benefits. The alliance will improve the opportunity for scientists to share ideas, increase the College of Agriculture’s ability to educate graduate students, and enhance opportunities for collaborative exchanges with scientists from different countries. Poultry is a rapidly expanding $680 million industry in Kentucky, second only to horses among the state’s top agricultural enterprises. Nearly 7,000 people are employed in the state’s poultry industry, with a total payroll of $200 million.
Twenty-nine middle school students from 29 Eastern Kentucky counties have been inducted into the UK Robinson Scholars Program. Now in its eighth year, the Robinson Scholars Program provides full college tuition, room and board, and books during the college careers of students who otherwise would be financially unable to pursue a degree. The students must maintain an acceptable grade point average and graduate from high school to receive their scholarships. Each scholarship carries a present-day value of more than $10,000. The program is open to eighth graders from 29 Eastern Kentucky counties. Selection is based on each student’s academic potential, essays and interviews. Since the program began in 1997, 480 students have been inducted as Robinson Scholars.
Matthew Gabel, Political Science, and Martin B. Tracy, Social Work, have received Fulbright Senior Specialists grants. Gabel, who has a joint appointment in UK’s Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, was named Fulbright Senior Specialist to Bulgaria and recently fulfilled his mission by presenting lectures in the cities of Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, and Varna. His topics related to the development of the European Union, including the draft constitution currently under consideration. Bulgaria is slated to join the European Union in 2007. Tracy has been named the Fulbright Senior Specialist to Romania at the University of Bucharest. His work will focus on expanding good practices in social service delivery throughout Romania and south-eastern Europe. He will present lectures, participate in or lead seminars at overseas academic institutions, conduct needs assessments, surveys, institutional or programmatic research, consult with faculty, develop and/or assess academic curricula, and conduct teacher-training activities. The Fulbright Senior Specialists Program offers two-to-six-week grants to leading American scholars and professionals.
President Todd and the law firms of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald, Stites & Harbison, and Stoll Keenon & Park hosted Kentucky’s former governors and other dignitaries at a benefit dinner for the UK Center for Research on Violence Against Women in mid-June. The university bestowed legacy awards on the former governors in order to highlight the role of the Commonwealth’s chief executive in improving safety, health, mental health, education, and equality for women. Those who received awards from Todd included Sen. Wendell Ford, Gov. Julian M. Carroll, Gov. John Y. Brown Jr., Gov. Martha Layne Collins, and Gov. Paul E. Patton. The late Gov. Louie B. Nunn was represented by his son, state Rep. Steve Nunn, and Gov. Brereton C. Jones was represented by former First Lady Libby Jones.
Roy L. Moore, professor of journalism and associate dean of the College of Communications and Information Studies, has been elected as one of the two faculty representatives on the UK Board of Trustees. Moore will take the seat held by Davy Jones, whose term expires June 30. Michael Kennedy, the other faculty trustee, will remain on the Board until June 30, 2005. Russ Williams, a senior trainer for human resource development, won re-election to his third term as the staff representative on the UK Board of Trustees.
The annual Children’s Miracle Network Celebration raised funds this past weekend to benefit the UK Children’s Hospital. The two-day event was broadcast live from Applebee’s Park in Lexington on WKYT-TV, Channel 27 (Lexington), and WYMT-TV, Channel 57 (Hazard). Co-hosts were Barbara Bailey and Bill Bryant of WKYT-TV. Celebrating a year of giving, donations totaled $1,256,810. All money raised in Kentucky stays in Kentucky to benefit the UK Children’s Hospital. During the broadcast, which is in its 17 th year, the program featured and celebrated the triumphs of UK Children’s Hospital’s young patients and the health issues they are facing. The program not only recognized the children as champions, but also the many people who champion children, such as families, health professionals, individuals, volunteers and donors.
Thirty high school juniors and seniors interested in being professional educators received hands-on experience during a residential camp sponsored by the UK College of Education last week. Activities include mock teaching classes, an introduction to educational technology, and practical advice about earning teacher certification. The program ended with an address from Patti Rowland, the 2004 Kentucky Educator of the Year.
A transition team guiding the transfer of governing responsibility for Lexington Community College from UK to the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) held its first meeting May 19. The transition team includes three members appointed by President Todd, three members named by LCC President James Kerley, and three members appointed by KCTCS President Michael B. McCall. Team members are Keith Bird, KCTCS chancellor; Beverly Haverstock, KCTCS general counsel; Ken Walker, KCTCS vice president; Sandy Carey, LCC dean of academic affairs; Jim Kerley, LCC president; Tri Roberts, LCC associate dean for academics and off-campus education; Barbara Jones, acting university counsel at UK; Mike Nietzel, UK provost; and Dick Siemer, UK executive vice president for finance and administration. At its first meeting, the transition team heard progress reports regarding specific transitional tasks in such areas as information technology, budget, human resources, facilities, accounting and payroll, student affairs, public relations, housing, campus services, and faculty. A public signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between UK, KCTCS and LCC, outlining the terms of turning over LCC to KCTCS will be held June 30.
A gathering of 2,000 creative problem solving students in grades 4-12 from Australia, Canada, Korea, New Zealand and the United States formed a global village on campus during the annual international conference of the Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP) organization. The conference showcased talented and creative students who use future problem solving tools to address real-life challenges in their own communities and to focus on global problems we will face in the future.
City Courts, a new development of 54 residential condominiums to be built on South Martin Luther King Boulevard, falls within the “Live Where You Work” Employer Assisted Housing area for UK employees. City Courts was designed by Boulevard Centro, a Charlotte, N.C., development company that focuses exclusively on urban housing solutions. This is the type of project that was envisioned during the College-Town planning process. Prices for the condominiums will start at $94,500.
The UK Gatton College of Business and Economics, in conjunction with the UK Athletics Department and Host Communications Inc., hosted the seventh annual UK Sports Marketing Academy in mid-May. The academy is the first professional certification program of its kind in the field of sports marketing. Sponsored by Kentucky Utilities and Southern Belle Dairy, the certification program is a rigorous academic experience taught in a university-classroom setting by leading marketing faculty and sports marketing practitioners. Speakers from well-known companies such as Disney, Nike, NASCAR and Nielsen headlined this year’s academy.
At the Teacher Leadership Conference held at UK in May, Kentucky Education Commissioner Gene Wilhoit was one of three keynote speakers who challenged policy-makers, practitioners, and deans from several state universities to expand the leadership roles of teachers. Co-sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Education and the UK College of Education, the conference hosted representatives from 22 state agencies, universities, school districts, professional associations, and non-profit entities. Presentations by Mark Simon, director of the Center for Teacher Leadership at Johns Hopkins University, and Jo Blase, co-director of the Alliance for Teaching, Leadership, and School Improvement at the University of Georgia, were on the agenda.
Eastern Kentucky cancer patients, families and caregivers now have access to free integrative medicine services. WaysMeet, a Berea-based group of health practitioners, teachers and workshop facilitators, will provide these services on behalf of the UK Markey Cancer Center as part of the Supportive Oncology Services Integrative Medicine Program. Services will be provided at the WaysMeet facility at 122 Main St. in Berea. A generous grant of $90,500 over three years from the Steele-Reese Foundation will fund these services for residents of 53 Eastern Kentucky counties.
The UK Center for Rural Health, through its Kentucky State Office of Rural Health, provided technical support for the newly formed Kentucky River Health Network’s successful pursuit of a $200,000 federal outreach grant to foster greater coordination of services and more partnerships in delivering health care in rural Kentucky. The grant will allow Marcum & Wallace Memorial Hospital in Irvine to build a network with health care providers, including Kentucky River District Public Health Department, Hazard; Lee County Constant Care, a long-term nursing and assisted-living facility in Beattyville; and the Lee County Emergency Medical Services. Lee County Fiscal Court and Lee County Area Technology Center, a vocational technology high school, represent non-health entities in the network partnership. The center also assisted a successful grant applications from Murray State University for $187,150 to partner with the Purchase Area Health Education Center and Western Kentucky Children’s Coalition in an effort to strengthen dental services for children in Kentucky’s Delta Region.
Lars Bjork, an associate professor in the College of Education’s Department of Administration and Supervision, concluded an agreement of cooperation with Finland’s foremost research university, the University of Jyvaskyla. This agreement paves the way for faculty, staff and graduate student exchanges, joint research activities, and other shared academic resources. Bjork and Jukka Alava, director of the Institute for Educational Leadership in Finland, finalized the agreement in a special ceremony in early June.
The UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging hosted the 21st annual Summer Series on Aging in June. The forum allowed professionals to share the most up-to-date, practical and innovative information on aging from multiple perspectives. AARP CEO Bill Novelli was the keynote speaker, presenting on marketing social change.
The UK Asia Center held a workshop for high school and middle school humanities and social studies teachers on Kentucky-Asia Connections earlier this month at the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort. Workshop participants learned about the history and cultures of East Asia and about Asian immigrants to the United States. The workshop focused on the connections between Kentucky and East Asia from the early 19th century through today and gave teachers materials that will help them explore this history with their students.
The UK Center for Applied Energy Research has been awarded three grants from the Kentucky Science Engineering Foundation totaling $430,000 of which CAER will cost-share about 51 percent. The awards go to Mark Crocker, B.K. Parekh, Tom Robl, and Kamyar Mahboub. The projects concern NOx control catalysis, acid mine drainage reduction, and super pozzolan concrete and are in the categories of Exploratory Advanced Research and Emerging Technologies.
Daniel Blake Smith, professor and chair of History, College of Arts and Sciences, recently announced the pre-production of “The Phoenix,” a dramatic film feature that explores the true story of Harold Dennis. A production of Phoenix Films, Inc., the film authentically portrays Dennis’ dramatic journey toward wholeness and self-esteem after surviving a 1988 bus crash near Carrollton, Ky., in which a drunk driver slammed into a bus full of adults and children, killing 27 of the 67 persons on board. Dennis, a former UK football player, will serve as an excecutive producer along with Smith, the screenwriter. Smith’s previous screenwriting credits include “February One,” a civil rights documentary that will air next February on PBS, and “Black Indians: An American Story,“ a film narrated by James Earl Jones that was broadcast nationally last year on commercial networks. For more information, go to http://www.uky.edu/PR/News/040520_phoenix_film.htm.
UK Libraries hosted the seventh annual International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations earlier this month. The conference brought together the world’s leading authorities on the use of information technology to produce and make accessible the research performed by university graduate and doctoral students around the world. Among the symposium’s presenters were Richard Jones of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland; Ana M.B. Pavani of Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio De Janeiro, Brazil; and Yang Zhao and Airong Jiang of Tsinghua University, China.
Former “Morning Edition” host Bob Edwards will make a number of Lexington appearances Monday, June 28, to promote his new book “Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism.” His trip to Lexington is sponsored by UK’s WUKY (FM 91.3). Edwards will be the only guest on a WUKY call-in show scheduled at 3 p.m. June 28. The show will be hosted by former WUKY general manager Roger Chesser. At 5 p.m., WUKY will host a reception for Edwards at Portofino’s Restaurant in downtown Lexington. The event is open to the public. At 7 p.m., Edwards will appear during the taping of two “Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour” shows at the Kentucky Theatre. The first hour will feature Bernie Leadon, a founding member of The Eagles, and banjo icon John McKuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Edwards will read excerpts from his book and take audience questions during the second program. Tickets to the reception and Woodsongs taping are priced at $30 and may be purchased by calling WUKY at 257-3221 during weekday business hours or online at www.wuky.org. The package features premium seating at the Kentucky Theatre. Tickets to just the Woodsongs taping sessions are priced at $5 and are available at the Kentucky Theatre box office. All seats are general admission.
For more than 30 years, UK researchers have worked to answer critical questions about Alzheimer’s disease. The Spring 2004 issue of Odyssey features current projects that explore vitamin E and selenium, incipient Alzheimer's, enzymes A-beta and proteasome, DNA microarray technology, and memantine — the first FDA-approved medication to treat Alzheimer’s. Odyssey, published through the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research, is available in print and online at www.rgs.uky.edu/odyssey.
In recognition of C. Michael Nelson’s decades of service to the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling, College of Education faculty members have established a graduate fellowship in his name. Nelson, who retired from the UK faculty this year, is a nationally recognized scholar in behavior disorders in children. The Nelson Fellowship is established to provide research support to master’s and doctoral students in the Department of Special Education.