By Grace Whitworth 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 7, 2026) — The Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment at the University of Kentucky selected 12 students for the first cohort of Tracy Farmer Scholars conducting research in environment and sustainability. 

Among them are: 

METER Group Inc, makers of precision scientific instrumentation and software solutions for environmental science, agricultural and geotechnical applications is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Grant A. Harris Fellowship.

METER chose six outstanding proposals, along with four honorable mentions, from the submissions we received. Each recipient will receive $10,000 in METER instrumentation to further their innovative graduate-level work.

Cheyenne Collins: University of Kentucky (Forensic Anthropology)—awarded TEROS 12 soil moisture sensors, an ATMOS 41 all-in-one weather station, ZL6 cellular data loggers, and subscriptions to ZENTRA Cloud. Collins is evaluating

By Ainsley Saurers 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 21, 2025) — The University of Kentucky Appalachian Center and the UK Graduate Appalachian Research Community invite undergraduate and graduate students from all majors to submit proposals for the 15th annual Appalachian Research Symposium & Arts Showcase.

The showcase is Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in the Healthy Kentucky Research Building first-floor atrium.

This year’s theme — “Interdependent Possibilities: Cultures of Care, Practices of Place-Making” — encourages participants to explore how care, community and place interrelate across disciplines and everyday lives.

“We

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Just miles from the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, University of Kentucky anthropologists are helping to unearth a Revolutionary War-era fort that promises to yield artifacts and data about 18th century America. 

The site, called Butts Hill Fort, left enough evidence for ground-penetrating radar to pick up an outline of what once were barracks  for the British colonial army in 1777, two years after the start of the revolution and a year after the Declaration of Independence. 

"This fort was developed in 1777 as a response, primarily by the British,” said Hugo Reyes-Centeno, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at UK’s College of Arts and Sciences. "There had been activity by the

By Tom Musgrave 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 27, 2025) — Zada Komara, Ph.D., a senior Lewis lecturer in the Lewis Honors College, is one of nine winners to receive the University of Kentucky’s 2025 Outstanding Teaching Awards.

These awards identify and recognize individuals who demonstrate special dedication to student achievement and who are successful in their teaching. Recipients were selected through nomination and reviewed by a selection committee based in the UK Provost’s Office for Faculty Advancement and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.

“I think so highly of the

By Erin Wickey 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 10, 2025) — Scott Hutson, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Department of Anthropology in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, has been honored as a 2025-26 University Research Professor.

Hutson is an archaeologist focusing on ancient Mesoamerica, which encompasses Guatemala, Belize and portions of Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras. His research investigates how cities rose and fell, how power was distributed and how belief systems shaped economic life. His methods include aerial laser scanning of ancient settlements, mapping on foot, excavation and artifact analysis.

Hutson has authored or edited 10 books and is

By Alicia Gregory 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2025) — On April 25, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved 18 University Research Professors for the 2025-26 academic year. Established by the Board of Trustees in 1976, the professorships program recognizes excellence across the full spectrum of research at UK.

“It is our privilege each year to recognize distinguished experts who have made significant contributions across the breadth of research fields at the University of Kentucky,” said Ilhem Messaoudi, UK’s acting vice president for research. “Our next

One of the panels at the symposium was “Disaster Perspectives in Appalachia” and featured three CLIMBS participants. The session explored questions about disaster perspectives in Appalachia, sharing and communicating research data and connecting with the community. The panel also included a session to discuss research reciprocity and receive feedback from the Appalachian scholar community.

Kevin Puckett, KY NSF EPSCoR’s communication strategist, moderated the panel and

By Jennifer T. Allen 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Philip Mink, in the University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named director of the Office of State Archaeology and the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology. 

Mink has been at UK for 25 years, most recently serving as the assistant director of the Office of State Archaeology. He replaces longtime director George Crothers, who recently retired.  

“The work of these two entities is significant. It’s critical that we document the history of the Commonwealth and I think it’s especially important that this be done at the flagship university of the Commonwealth,”

One of public television’s most popular series, "Secrets of the Dead," brings its historical analysis to Kentucky.

The series, which uses the latest science to challenge prevailing ideas and share fresh perspectives on historical events, investigates an incident from Kentucky history known as the “Simpsonville Massacre,” when 22 Civil War soldiers from the 5th US Colored Cavalry on a cattle drive to Louisville were ambushed and slain by outlaws.

The episode “The Civil War’s Lost Massacre,” which was co-produced by KET, revisits the events of January 25, 1865, tracing the stories of several of the Kentucky soldiers and their families with help from guest historians, two of whom hail from Kentucky: Jerry Miller, a former state legislator from Louisville,

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

LEXINGTON, Ky (Oct. 10, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has selected 15 undergraduates for the 2024-25 Undergraduate Research Ambassador program.

The program’s mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to  engage in research. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and be involved in mentored research. This year’s ambassadors represent four colleges, nine disciplines and 10 research areas.

The student leaders’ goal is to make undergraduate research more accessible. Ambassadors promote undergraduate research involvement through

By Jennifer Sciantarelli and Tom Musgrave 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 12, 2024) — University of Kentucky archaeologist Paolo Visonà, Ph.D., an adjunct associate professor in the University of Kentucky’s School of Art and Visual Studies (SA/VS), announced a major archaeological discovery in Calabria, Italy.

Visonà and his team discovered Spartacus’ first battlefield and Roman fortification systems built by Crassus to blockade Spartacus’ army.

Through fieldwalking and geophysical and remote sensing techniques, Visonà’s team followed the Roman lines for more than 1.6 miles in a dense forest and

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 13, 2024) — In March, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association honored six recipients with this year’s Great Teacher Awards.

Launched in 1961, they are the longest-running UK awards recognizing accomplished and passionate educators.

In order to receive the honor, teachers must first be nominated by a student. The UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award Committee, in cooperation with the student organization Omicron Delta Kappa, then makes the final selection. Recipients receive a commemorative award and stipend.

Zada Komara, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the Lewis Honors College and an

On May 1, Anthropology Ph.D. students Emmanuel Asante, Nuwan Herath, Jessica Nwafor, Brittany Thomas and Refah Tamanna received Unite Predoctoral Research Enhancement Awards. The UNITE Predoctoral Research Enhancement Program provides benefits to graduate students interested in an academic career, including a $10,000 stipend, mentorship from UK professors, and research career development activities. 

In late spring, James Keppeler and Michelle Roberts were awarded grants from the Wenner Gren Foundation. The foundation plays a leadership role in anthropology by publishing the Sapiens anthropology magazine and the journal Current Anthropology while also sponsoring workshops as well as pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships. 

Roberts’ fieldwork project is  "Webs of Care: Understanding Acquired Disability in Rural Appalachia through Culture, Politics, and Biomedicine." Keppeler’s fieldwork is  “Unearthing Mindanao: Archaeological

By Meredith Weber and Steve Shaffer 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 8, 2024) — What makes a good teacher a great one? University of Kentucky students were eager to share their opinions about the best teacher in their lives, nominating them for one of the most esteemed awards on campus.

The UK Alumni Association 2024 Great Teacher Award was recently bestowed upon six UK educators. Initiated in 1961, UK’s

By Lindsay Travis 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 6, 2023) — The University of Kentucky will be home to a new research center focused on tobacco regulations in the Commonwealth named the Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team. Ann Kingsolver, professor of anthropology in the College of Arts & Sciences and director of the Appalachian Studies Program, is a member of the team. 

AppalTRuST is funded over five years with a $19 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse  under

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) at the University of Kentucky has selected 26 outstanding undergraduates for the 2023-24 Undergraduate Research Ambassador program.

The program’s mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to actively engage in research. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and be involved in mentored research. This year's ambassadors represent six colleges, 21 disciplines and 18 research areas.

The student leaders’ goal is to make undergraduate research more accessible. Ambassadors will promote undergraduate research involvement and opportunities through student outreach and program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 12, 2023) — Are you looking to get lost in your next summer read but don’t know where to start?

We asked the University of Kentucky community to recommend books they feel would make good additions to anyone’s reading list.

In the descriptions below, faculty members across various colleges and disciplines share the novels they can’t put down. Pulling from the worlds of history and fiction — their picks explore timely themes while providing intriguing insights.

The recommendations below range from short stories to dystopian, historical and horror fiction.

“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver

Recommended by Diane Loeffler, senior lecturer in the 

Congratulations to the following Anthropology students!

       

Donald P. Cliggett Ph.D. International Travel Research Fund



Emmanuel Asante, Ph.D. candidate

Stephen Fox, Ph.D. candidate       

Established in 2018 by Professor Lisa Cliggett in memory of her father, Dr. Donald P. Cliggett, this fund supports travel and other costs associated with field research for Anthropology undergraduate or