Below you will find our Spring 2024 Newsletter Spotlights for our Alumni!
 

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
  a. What is your connection to the Department
of Biology? 

I’m a 1984 UK graduate with a BS in Biology. I went on to graduate from the UK College of Dentistry in 1988, completed a residency in 2000 at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland, and earned a masters in oral health science from The George Washington University, Washington DC, and later a masters in strategic studies from Air University in 2013.

  b. What was your overall experience with the department? UK? 

I had a highly positive experience at the University. I established lifelong friendships with fellow classmates and we still communicate

Below you will find our Spring 2024 Newsletter Spotlight for our Faculty! 
 

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
  a. How long have you been with the department?

55 years

  b. What motivated you to come to our department?

Married Dr. Jerry Baskin who took a job in the Botany Dept (Botany Dept. became part of the
Biol. Dept.) in 1968

  c. Where did you live before starting at UK?

Nashville, TN, where I was a Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt University.

2. Describe your time with the department so far.

Ups and downs but overall very good.

   a. What are you most proud or excited about?

The book I wrote on Seeds and International collaborations about seed germination

Below you will find our Spring 2024 Newsletter Spotlights for our Graduate Students! 

1.    Tell us a little about yourself.
  a.    When do you graduate? 
  b.    What motivated you to come to UK’s department of biology?
  c.    Where are you from?

I came to University of Kentucky the fall of 2021 and plan to graduate in 2026. I came to UK’s department of biology to pursue my passion for evolutionary biology research and for understanding the processes underlying the diversity of life. I am from Nanchang (南昌), China, a city with exciting histories and rich cultures.

2.    Do you have any mentors or professors who significantly impacted your life in biology?

Yes, he was my undergraduate mentor in University

Below you will our Spring 2024 Newsletter Spotlights for our Undergraduate Students! 

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
  a. What is your major? 

I am a Biology major.
  
  b. Minors? 

I am a Psychology minor.

c. What year do you graduate? 

I plan to graduate in May of 2025.

d. Where are you from? 

I'm from St. Louis, MO.

2. What motivated you to come to UK?

Going into the college application process I knew I wanted to force myself to grow
by going to an out-of-state school. Once I visited UK, I just knew I could see myself
here, the resources, the size, the community, everything seemed like it was the fit for me- and it has been!

  a. To

By Emily Sallee 

Hena Kachroo and Asa O'Neal

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 22, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that three UK students have been awarded Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships:

Kachroo, O’Neal and Yang are among 438 students selected nationwide to receive the 2024-25 scholarship. This year’s recipients were selected from a pool of 1,353 undergraduates nominated by 446

The University of Kentucky has announced recipients of the 2024 Faculty Awards. The College will have an awards program and reception in early fall to recognize the recipients. More information will follow soon.

2024 College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Awards recipients are: 

Outstanding Teaching Award

Excellence in Teaching Large Courses Award

Innovative Teaching Award

Outstanding Undergraduate Research

By Daily Bates

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 2, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected 12 undergraduate students for its fellowship program. 

The Gaines Fellowship Program began in 1984 thanks to a gift from John and Joan Gaines. The program aims to recognize exceptional academic achievement, independent research capabilities, commitment to public issues and a passion for deepening the understanding of the human condition through the humanities.

“I want to acknowledge the hard work and difficult decisions made by our volunteer faculty selection committee led by Chelsea Brislin. This was a record year for Gaines applications and every one of them was stellar,” said Richard H. Schein, acting director of the Gaines Center for

By Lindsay Travis 

Jeremiah Smith

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 1, 2024) — A study by a group of researchers at the University of Kentucky in collaboration with scientists in four other countries has been published in Nature.

Jeramiah Smith, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, collaborated with an international research group to parse the hagfish genome and better understand the early evolution of vertebrates.

Their study is “The hagfish genome and the evolution of vertebrates.” Hagfish are a type of jawless fish that live in deep ocean waters far from

By Haven L. Patrick

Posters-at-the-Capitol is a one-day annual event to help increase the understanding of the role undergraduate research plays in higher education. Photo provided by OUR.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 22nd annual Posters-at-the-Capitol on March 7 featured 13 University of Kentucky undergraduate research projects that address such issues in Kentucky as public safety, energy conservation, homeownership and lung cancer prevention. 

Posters-at-the-Capitol is hosted by Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and Western

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 6, 2024) – The University of Kentucky SPARK (Students Participating as Ambassadors for Research in Kentucky) Program has named its 2024 cohort.

The 2024 SPARK students in the College of Arts and Sciences are:

Eduardo Soria Chiroque
University of Kentucky sophomore
Major: Biology, Pre-med

In its fifth year, the SPARK program allows undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds and communities to get a jumpstart in health equity research early in their

By Lindsay Travis 

Ashley W. Seifert

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 25, 2024) — A team of researchers at the University of Kentucky and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is exploring the science behind how spiny mice can regenerate lost tissue and using what they learn to trigger regeneration in other types of mice. These advances may one day benefit into humans.

Whereas adult laboratory mice heal injuries with scar tissue, spiny mice can regrow lost skin and regenerate musculoskeletal tissues in their body.  

Ashley W. Seifert, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Biology in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, and his research group have pioneered using

By Steve Shaffer, Vendela Norris, and Jenny Wells-Hosley

By Haven L. Patrick 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 30, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently announced the 15 undergraduate winners of the 59th annual Oswald Research and Creativity awards. Chad Risko, faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and Research Ambassadors congratulated the winners and distribute the awards.

Established in 1964 by then-President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Competition encourages undergraduate research and creative activities across all fields of study.

Categories are:

By Richard LeComte 

Lilly Bauer

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- To get a National Institutes of Health research internship, college students need to look through a website and find an investigator to take them on. University of Kentucky junior Lilly Bauer did just that — she spent the summer of 2023 working in the lab of Carole Bewley in Maryland.  

"I've always heard of the National Institutes of Health, and I know it’s a very. big deal in the science community," said Bauer, a junior biology major in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences. “The cool thing I liked about the NIH internship is that you reach out to the principal investigators yourself. You’re on your own to get accepted. I am really interested in microbiology, so I looked under microbiology and just was

By Lindsay Travis 

Hena Kachroo

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 3, 2023) — From bettering life here on Earth to exploring what living off this planet could be like, Beckman Scholars at the University of Kentucky are advancing their branches of science through the prestigious program. 

The UK Beckman Scholars Program is named Scholars United by Chemistry: Cultivating Excellence through Science Stewardship. The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation funds 15 months of mentored research for two UK undergraduate students in chemistry, biological sciences and associated interdisciplinary combinations.

SUCCESS is an extensive multidisciplinary program that revolves around chemistry as the core science

Angela Grace Jones graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 with a double major in chemistry and biology. She is a graduate student in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University. This interview is part of a series conducted by the department called, “UK Chemistry Alumni: Where Are They Now?” This interview was coordinated by Arthur Cammers.

Angela Grace Jones

Arthur Cammers: Tell us about what it was like to double major in Chemistry and Biology for those students who are considering it. Was it challenging? Where you are now in your career, are both perspectives pertinent?

Angela Jones: It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but the two majors connect together very well. From a practical point of view, a lot of my chemistry classes counted as biology electives and vice versa. From a scientific standpoint, I think

By A Fish  

Halle Harned

LEXINGTON, Ky –  University of  Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ Ambassador Halle Harned is majoring in biology on the pre-med track with the goal of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon. Her mother went to UK, and she has several family members here who “bleed Blue.” Her background, her family’s health, and her high school experiences led her to pursue her goal.  

“I've always wanted to do medicine,” Harned said. “I was adopted from China, and I had a lot of health concerns as a child, which led me to go into medicine. The cardiothoracic aspect emerged when I took biomedical classes during my high school career. I also took anatomy and physiology, and I gravitated toward medicine.  

“Then it really hit home because my dad's side of the family has many heart concerns, and one of his older brothers, whom I'm close to, started to

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

<strong>Abigail&nbsp;</strong><strong>Knoy, center, is a neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences.&nbsp;</strong>

LEXINGTON Ky. (Oct. 25, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research has announced the fifth annual 5-Minute Fast Track student research competition finalists. These undergraduates competed in the competition’s preliminary round and were selected as Top 10 finalists. They presented their research Oct. 26 on campus. 

Abigail Knoy, a senior Lewis Honors College member and neuroscience major in UK's College of Arts and Sciences, won first place. Knoy's mentor is Myunghee Kim, Ph.D., Pigman College of Engineering.

By Whitney Hale

Isha Chauhan

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 4, 2023) — Isha Chauhan, a biology major in the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences and Lewis Honors College student from La Grange, Kentucky, will receive one of 68 Astronaut Scholarships this year and has and completed a DAAD RISE research internship in Germany.

“These awards have given me the opportunity to connect with diverse groups of people and develop cross-cultural relationships,” Chauhan said. “I am so thankful to have received the chance to explore my future career through these unique experiences.”

As an Astronaut Scholar, Chauhan will receive up to $15,000 from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.. The scholarship is presented annually to outstanding college students majoring in science,

By Richard LeComte 

Sarah Tishkoff

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Sarah Tishkoff, the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor in Genetics and Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, will deliver the annual Thomas Hunt Morgan Lectures at the University of Kentucky. 

The first lecture, “African Integrative Genomics: Implications for Health and Disease,” will be at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in room 116 at the Thomas Hunt Morgan Biological Sciences Building on the UK campus. The second, “Human Evolution and Adaptation in Africa,” will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6, in the W.T. Young Library Auditorium. The events are free and open to the public.  

In addition, a reception for alumni will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, at the Thomas Hunt Morgan House, 210 N. Broadway in Lexington. Alumni and Biology