The University of Kentucky's Passport to the World series is entering its fifth year and with that anniversary comes a number of exciting announcements. This upcoming year the program will highlight an entire region - the Middle East.
Professors Janice Fernheimer and Paul Chamberlin are at the helm of The Year of the Middle East, which begins in the Fall 2014 semester, and they have ambitious plans for the program over its yearlong duration. The professors sat down with us to discuss some of those plans and to enlighten us a bit on the culture of the Middle East.
Studying abroad is considered an unforgettable experience for many of the University of Kentucky’s students. A typical study abroad program transports a group of students to a foreign country. These opportunities offer new perspectives, connections, and fond memories. The Zolondek Scholarship sets itself apart by offering students the opportunity to travel abroad on their own.
During the summer of 2013, Bailey Ubellacker, a double major of Spanish and Elementary Education, spent three weeks abroad studying and experiencing the Italian Renaissance. Bailey Ubellacker was the recipient of the Zolondek Scholarship, which allowed her to challenge herself as she traveled alone and shaped her own study abroad experience. In this podcast, Bailey Ubellacker discusses her time in Italy and what she has brought back with her.
Though he no longer lives in Kentucky, Sociology graduate Bob Burke still comes to Rupp Arena now and then for a game. He graduated in 1970 and has landed in Greensboro, North Carolina, serving as President for the Colonial Group. In this interview, he talks about how he came to Kentucky and what came after - and how he wants to give back to the University that helped him along his path to success. He was interviewed by Laura Sutton for this podcast.
University of Kentucky alumni Debdas Mukerjee graduated in 1962 with his Ph.D. in genetics. After UK, Mukerjee contributed his expertise to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center before his career finally carried him to the Environmental Protection Agency where he was a Senior Environmental Health Scientist for the United States.
All of this was not Mukerjee's plan but he found that both the University of Kentucky and the state itself opened the doors of America to him in way he would never have imagined. In this podcast, Mukerjee reminisces on his "innumerable" memories at UK and gives some advice to current students so that they too can get the most from their academic experience.
Internationally renowned scholar and activist Vandana Shiva visited the University of Kentucky to present her lecture on "The Future of Food" and to discuss the many challenges of global sustainability. Shiva has been the author of more than 20 books on sustainable agriculture, development, feminist theory, alternative globalization, and bioengineering. Her work in the interdisciplinary field of sustainability has elevated her to the position of one of the field's foremost thinkers and has even earned her the title of "environmental hero" from Time Magazine.
One such researcher is Professor Gary Ferland of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Since the late 1970s, he’s been using computer modeling software to carry out experiments that would otherwise be impossible. With his widely used program Cloudy which simulates clouds of interstellar matter out in space and UK’s high-tech supercomputing infrastructure, Ferland and his students have been able to help answer some of the biggest questions facing astronomers as well as society.
Fibromyalgia causes pain that can be felt in muscles, joint and even skin. Although it is the most common musculoskeletal condition after osteoarthritis, it is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed.
When you hear the phrase “Crime and Punishment,” you may think of the famous novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – or, if you’re a student at the University of Kentucky, you may think about a unique course developed by Cynthia Ruder and Janet Stamatel. The course, titled “A&S 100-401: Crime and Punishment in Russia’s Realms,” will examine issues of crime and punishment from literary, social science, and creative perspectives in Russia and surrounding countries from the 1920s to the present.
The course is offered as part of the College of Arts & Sciences’ Passport to the World: Reimagining Russia’s Realms. For more information about the course (or to enroll), please contact your academic advisor. The course will run from October until December 2012 on Monday & Wednesday evenings, and is worth two credit hours.
The Passport to the World initiative is sponsored by the A&S Advisory Board.
For ten years, Shoulder to Shoulder Global has been serving impoverished communities in and near Santo Domingo, Ecuador. In 2002, Shoulder to Shoulder Global went on its first trip to help people in need of medical care. Groups of students, healthcare professionals, faculty and volunteers have been visiting multiple times a year ever since. Though the group’s goal is to provide healthcare, any interested student or community member can participate.
This podcast features Craig Borie, the program coordinator for Shoulder to Shoulder Global, and Vanessa Martinez, a sociology & spanish major, and their insights and reflections on Shoulder to Shoulder. The group visits Ecuador three times annually, and STS is always accepting applications. Download the 2013 application here.
