LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 8, 2014) — A "¡Viva México!" event at the University of Kentucky will celebrate Latin American residents of Appalachia on Saturday evening, with a concert by the Latin-Appalachian roots band Appalatin, followed by the debut of a community-based theatrical performance titled "Las Voces de los Apalaches."

The concert starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in the Worsham Theater at the UK Student Center. The staged reading of "Las Voces de los Apalaches" starts at 8:30 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by UK's Appalachian Center and College of Arts and Sciences.
Appalatin plays roots music bridging Latin American and Appalachian folk traditions. The six-member band uses all-acoustic instrumentation, featuring

by Benjamin Kandt

(March 26, 2014) Carmen Martinez Novo has been an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Latin American Studies Program at the University of Kentucky since 2011. Professor Novo’s research includes studies on indigenous immigration in Baja California, Mexico, and issues with indigenous peoples’ movements and indigenous human rights in Ecuador.  Her research has contributed to her election to the executive council of the prestigious Latin American Studies Association.

LASA’s mission is to foster intellectual discussion

by Whitney Hale

(March 13, 2014) — Two University of Kentucky students have been awarded Critical Language Scholarships to study the Arabic and Turkish languages. Marketing and media arts and studies sophomore and Global Scholar Jordie Gamble will travel to Morocco for her Arabic language studies, while anthropology doctoral student Lydia Roll will return to Turkey for her second consecutive year of language coursework in Turkish.

The Critical

by Whitney Hale, Whitney Harder

(March 11, 2014) — University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections is illuminating the rich culture of Appalachia and challenging stereotypes of the region with its "Immigrants in the Coalfields" exhibit on display now in UK's Margaret I. King Building. The free exhibition will be open to the public 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until April 4.

Images, maps, documents and oral histories from UK Special Collections tell the story of Appalachia unheard to many, a mix of cultural, ethnic, and racial identities and a cultural mosaic illustrated in the coal camps of Eastern Kentucky.

Visitors to the exhibit first experience a national perspective of Appalachia, often

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 27, 2014) – As part of "¡Viva Mexico!," University of Kentucky Libraries presents "Alebrijes of Oaxaca, Mexico: an Exhibition of Mexican Folk Art from the State of Oaxaca." Showcasing more than 30 Oaxaca alebrijes on loan from UK faculty members' personal collections, the free public exhibit is on display through April 25, in the atrium of the William T. Young Library.

Whimsical carvings depicting animals, people, objects and imaginary creatures, alebrijes are known for their paintings of intense colors and intricate patterns. Carved from the twisting branches of the copal wood, the figures are sanded and painted with a base coat of paint. The final painting is done meticulously with detailed designs and

by Elizabeth Adams

(Feb. 14, 2014) - Former University of Kentucky museum director Mary Lucas Powell was recently cited in The Scientist for her research tracing the prehistoric origins of treponematosis, a complex of diseases that includes syphilis.

The article, "Syphilis: Then and Now," references Powell's work, "The Myth of Syphilis: The Natural History of Treponematosis in North America," published in collaboration with Dr. Della Collins Cook, professor of anthropology at Indiana University in 2005. During her time at UK, Dr. Powell served as the director and curator of the W.S. Webb Museum of Anthropology and as an adjunct assistant professor in the department of anthropology.

In "The Myth of Syphilis," Powell and Cook charged experts to write chapters reviewing archaeological and paleopathological evidence for the existence of treponematosis in

by Katy Bennett, Student Activities Board

LEXINGTON, Ky (Feb. 17, 2014) — Genocide Awareness Week at the University of Kentucky will begin with Derreck Kayongo, a refugee of the Ugandan civil war. Kayongo will share his experiences as a refugee and how he turned his struggles into an opportunity. He will point out how small contributions can save thousand of lives. Kayongo will speak at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, in the Student Center's Center Theater. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Student Activities Board's Multicultural Affairs Committee.

After many years of witnessing devastation in his homeland, Kayongo is now a philanthropist and the founder of the Global Soap Project. Used hotel soaps are collected, cleansed,

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 29, 2014) — College & Research Libraries News, published by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), currently is featuring a familiar image as its January 2014 issue cover photo — an Aztec tribute poster from "A Glimpse into Ancient Mexico: Writings of the Aztecs, Mixtec and Maya" exhibit at the University of Kentucky's William T. Young Library.

The exhibit at Young Library is one of many events presented by UK Libraries as part of UK College of Arts & Sciences "Passport to the World: ¡Viva México!,"

by Derrick Meads

(Jan. 15, 2014) — Although it is Viva México in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences’ Passport to the World initiative, very few students choose to study there.

To open opportunities for international study in Mexico, a delegation of faculty from UK, Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) and Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC) visited Oaxaca, Mexico to review Sol Education Abroad (an affiliate education abroad partner of UK). Led by UK Education Abroad, the faculty members

by Keith Hautala

(Jan. 7, 2014) — The Denver Museum of Nature and Science will repatriate 30 memorial statues to Kenya, thanks in part to the work of Monica L. Udvardy, a University of Kentucky associate professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

A New York Times story from Jan. 3 cites Udvardy as an expert on Kenyan culture. She has studied and tracked the wooden statues, called vigango, for more than three decades. Udvardy says the vigango are consecrated artifacts believed by Kenyans to be endowed with divine powers, and that they should never have been removed.  

Udvardy first consulted with the museum in 2008. The full article may be read online at here.

Maureen Meyers, who received her PhD. in anthropology from UK in 2011, was awarded the 2013 C. B. Moore Award by the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC). Meyers accepted the prestigious award at the organization’s annual meeting held in early November in Tampa, Florida. The C. B. Moore Award, given annually by SEAC in recognition of “Excellence in Southeastern Archaeology or associated studies by a distinguished younger “scholar”, was established by the members of the Lower Mississippi Survey in 1990. Scholars who are conducting archaeological research in the Southeast U.S. and completed their PhD. with the past ten years are eligible for the award. Nominees are selected by a committee consisting of all past C.B. Moore Award recipients

by Keith Hautala

(Nov. 20, 2013) — Sarah Lyon, University of Kentucky associate professor of anthropology, has been selected as the editor-designate of Human Organization, the flagship journal of the Society for Applied Anthropology. Lyon was congratulated by her colleagues at a reception on Monday. 

Lyon will assume the appointment at the start of 2015 for a term of three years. Previous incumbents have included several renowned scholars including Conrad Arensberg, Elliot D. Chapple and William Foote Whyte. Human Organization was based at UK on one previous occasion (1967-1970) when it was edited by anthropology Professor Marion Pearsall.

>>View the photo album

Lyon joined the faculty at UK in 2005, after completing her doctorate at

Davis Bottom: Living Memories // Isaac Hathaway Family and Education – Clip 1 from UK College of Arts & Sciences on Vimeo.

by Keith Hautala

(Nov. 15, 2013) — A one-hour documentary exploring the history of one of Lexington's most diverse neighborhoods will have its official Lexington premiere screening at the Lexington Public Library.

"Davis Bottom: Rare History, Valuable Lives" will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, in The Farish Theater at the Lexington Public Library, 140 East Main Street. The screening is free and open to the public.

The documentary reveals the fascinating history of a working-class neighborhood

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute will present a lecture on Japanese agrarian immigration in China presented by scholar and anthropologist Mariko Asano-Tamanoi as part of its Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. The free public lecture by Asano-Tamanoi titled "Transnational 'Manchuria,' Trans-nationalized Japan, and the Future of Postwar Japan" will begin 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the Alumni Gallery of William T. Young Library.

Asano-Tamanoi, a professor at University of California, Los Angeles, began research on Japanese agrarian immigration to Northeast China in the mid-1980s, and published "Memory Maps: The State and Manchuria in Postwar Japan in 2009." Her research began

video courtesy of UK Public Relations & Marketing

article by Jenny Wells

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — In addition to research presentations, the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) will offer numerous volunteer opportunities for the entire campus community when the University of Kentucky hosts the conference April 3-5, 2014. From helping direct traffic, to managing technology, to just helping students find where they need to go, there will be a variety of positions available to students, faculty and staff.

Students will have even more flexibility to get involved, as the University Senate has given permission for faculty to redirect their classes April 3 and 4 so students can attend conference events and presentations. 

"This is a bit unusual; it's a new

by Grace Liddle & Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2013) – University of Kentucky Libraries is adding another stamp to its passport in support of the UK College of Arts and Sciences Passport to the World program with exhibitions and programs in celebration of ¡Viva Mexico!

The exhibits and events at UK Libraries include:

by Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 5, 2013) — The University of Kentucky Confucius Institute (UKCI) celebrates three years of collaborations with educational institutions in China at a free public concert on Nov. 7.

The "3rd Anniversary Celebration Concert: Featuring the Shanghai University School of Music" will spotlight string music, the pipa, martial arts and other musical talents from Shanghai. The concert will begin 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.

"UKCI is pleased to have the students and faculty from the College of Music of Shanghai University to join us in

by Kathy Johnson & Sarah Geegan

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2013) ― The University of Kentucky is one of the top producers of U.S. Fulbright Scholars in the country.  In a recently released ranking in the Chronicle of Higher Education, UK is ranked sixth among research institutions for its number of professors earning the prestigious Fulbright grants for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Sponsored by the United States Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program, which provides funding for professionals, teachers,

By Victoria Dekle

90 miles to the north of Lexington on the banks of the Ohio River is the “The Queen City.” The nickname itself could probably be the topic of a panel discussion when the 37th annual meeting of the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) rolls into town in early November. There will be presentations, roundtables and workshops about anything and everything relating to critical studies of gender, from the ways gender is taught, experienced, and promoted in society including higher education.

Most notably, GWS chair Karen Tice will be headlined in an innovative feature of this year’s conference, the Authors Meet Critics roundtable. It is an event in which authors of recently published books hear and respond to comments from experts in

By Victoria Dekle

Piecing together the developments of Mesoamerican civilization is not easy… or comfortable. University of Kentucky archaeologists Christopher Pool and Michael Loughlin have spent many summers in southern Veracruz working among snakes, spiders and sharp sugar cane fields in dense humidity so they can learn more about ancient Mesoamericans.

Pool and Loughlin are both scholars of the Olmec culture -- considered by most archaeologists to be one of the earliest complex societies in Mesoamerica and the creators of giant stone heads that weigh over six tons -- and the succeeding Epi-Olmec culture that produced some of the oldest writing in the Americas.