xt78kp7tqf7v https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt78kp7tqf7v/data/mets.xml Lexington, Kentucky University of Kentucky Alumni Association 2017 journals  English University of Kentucky Alumni Association Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Kentucky alumnus Kentucky Alumni, vol. 88, no. 2, Summer 2017 text Kentucky Alumni, vol. 88, no. 2, Summer 2017 2017 2019 true xt78kp7tqf7v section xt78kp7tqf7v SUMMER 2017

UK RESEARCH
Engaging students for success

* Celebrating

80

Years

Thank You!

www.ukfcu.org | 859.264.4200

Welcome to better banking

Federally Insured by NCUA

* Summer 2017 • Volume 88 • Number 2

UK continues to pursue
interdisciplinary research and creative
efforts that address challenges and
disparities of Kentucky citizens.

18

Cover: Misty Ray Hamilton

12

UK Research: Engaging students for success
UK is one of only eight universities in the country
with the full range of undergraduate, graduate,
professional and medical programs on one campus,
leading to ground-breaking discoveries and crossdisciplinary research and scholarship.

22
26
28
30

Jim Geisler: Seeing blue and making a
difference

This Gatton College of Business and Economics
graduate achieves success in international business and
helps students follow in his footsteps through service and
philanthropy.

Virginia Bell: A best friend to all

Virginia Marsh Bell ’82 SW returned to college after
40 years for a second career that helped change care
provided to people with dementia worldwide.
By Christina Noll

Will Cash: Serving sweets to countries
around the world

No matter where you travel overseas, when you find
yourself on the receiving end of a Krispy Kreme
doughnut, you have Will Cash ’09 BE, ’10 GS to thank.
By Linda Perry

They did it!

UK honored its newest alumni in May during its largest
Commencement in UK’s history.

UK travelers undergo a transformative
journey through history

Hope & History Study and Travel Tour travelers visited
Alabama to experience the history of the Civil Rights
Movement.

Photo : UK Research Communications

By Linda Perry

Departments

Multidisciplinary research building will open in 2018.

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39	

Pride in Blue
Presidential Conversation
UK News
Blue Horizons
Wildcat Sports
Alumni Engagement
College View

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48	
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54	
55	
56	

Class Notes
Career Corner
In Memoriam
Creative Juices
Retrospect
Quick Take

www.ukalumni.net

1

* 2

Summer 2017

* Board of Directors
Officers
Susan V. Mustian ’84 BE - President
J. Fritz Skeen ’72 ’73 BE - Treasurer
Stan R. Key ’72 ED - Secretary

Kentucky Alumni Magazine
Vol. 88 No. 2
Kentucky Alumni (ISSN 732-6297) is
published quarterly by the University of
Kentucky Alumni Association, Lexington,
Kentucky for its dues-paying members.
© 2017 University of Kentucky Alumni
Association, except where noted. Views and
opinions expressed in Kentucky Alumni do
not necessarily represent the opinions of its
editors, the UK Alumni Association nor the
University of Kentucky.

How To Reach Us

Kentucky Alumni
UK Alumni Association
King Alumni House
Lexington, KY 40506-0119
Telephone: 859-257-8905
1-800-269-ALUM
Fax: 859-323-1063
Email: ukalumni@uky.edu

Update Your Record
UK Alumni Association
King Alumni House
Lexington, KY 40506-0119
Telephone: 859-257-8800
Fax: 859-323-1063
Email: ukalumni@uky.edu
Web: www.ukalumni.net
For duplicate mailings, please send both
mailing labels to the address above.
Member of the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education

Association Staff

Publisher/Executive Director: Stan Key ’72
Editor/Associate Director: Jill Smith ’05, ’11
Managing Editor: Linda Perry ’84
Publications Production Assistant: Hal Morris
Graphic Designer: Misty Ray Hamilton ‘08
Brenda Bain ’15: Records Data Entry Operator
Linda Brumfield: Account Clerk III
Sara-Elizabeth Bush ’13: Program Coordinator
Nancy Culp: Administrative Services Assistant
Caroline Francis ’88, ’93, ’02: Alumni Career Counselor
Jack Gallt ’84: Associate Director
Leslie Hayes: Membership and Marketing Specialist
Kelly V. Hinkel ’11: Staff Support Associate I
John Hoagland ’89: Associate Director
Diana Horn ’70, ’71: Principal Accountant
Katie Jennings ’11: Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Albert Kalim ’03 ’16: Webmaster
Kathryn Kearns ’12: Staff Support Associate I
WIlliam Raney ’14: House Support
Darlene Simpson: Senior Data Entry Operator
Frances White: Data Entry Operator

District
Michelle Bishop Allen ’06 ’10 BE
Jeffrey L. Ashley ’89 CI
Robert Price Atkinson ’97 CI
Dr. William G. Bacon Jr. ’82 ’85 MED
Trudy Webb Banta ’63 ’65 ED
Heath F. Bowling ’95 BE
Emmett P. Burnam ’74 ED
John S. Cain ’86 BE
James E. Cantrell ’76 EN
Shane T. Carlin ’95 AFE
Rebecca F. Caudill ’72 ’76 ED
Shannon R. Corley ’98 BE
William “Bill” M. Corum ’64 BE
Elizabeth “Betsy” Coleman Cox ’69 AS
D. Michael Coyle ’62 BE, ’65 LAW
Robert “Rob” L. Crady III ’94 BE
Bruce E. Danhauer ’77 AFE
Ruth Cecelia Day ’85 BE
Eugene L. DuBow ’53 AS
Phillip D. Elder ’86 AFE
Erin Endersby ’01 EN
Abra Akers Endsley ’98 ’01 CI
Robert Michael Gray ’80 ’81 BE
Austin H. Hays ’03 BE
Vicki S. Hiestand ’93 BE
Derrick C. Hord ’83 CI
Lee A. Jackson ’70 SCC, ’73 AS
Dr. Frank Kendrick ’90 ’92 DE
Shelia M. Key ’91 PHA
Susan L. Liszeski ’84 AFE
Thomas K. Mathews ’93 AS
James D. McCain ’81 BE
Herbert A. Miller Jr. ’72 AS, ’76 LAW
Matthew “Matt” C. Minner ’93 AS
Ashley S. “Tip” Mixson III ’80 BE
Sherry Remington Moak ’81 BE
Dr. W. Mark Myers ’87 DE
Will L. Nash ’06 AS
Abigail O. Payne ’05 CI
Ronald “Ronnie” M. Perchik ’82 BE
Nicholas C. Phelps ’08 BE
Charles “Chad” D. Polk ’94 DES
Robert J. Riddle ’11 AFE
John D. Ryan ’92 ’95 BE
Philip Schardein,’02 BE
Sharon Lee Sears ’80 CI
Mary L. Shelman ’81 EN
Marian Moore Sims ’72 ’76 ED
George B. Spragens ’93 BE
R. Michael Stacy ’95 BE
Reese S. Terry Jr. ’64 ’66 EN
Peggy T. Tudor ’73 ’83 NUR, ’07 ED
Quentin R. Tyler ’02 ’05 AFE, ’11 AS
Kendra Lorene Wadsworth ’06 ED
Craig M. Wallace ’79 EN
Rachel Watts Webb ’05 CI
Scott Wittich ’75 BE
At Large
Jo Hern Curris ’63 AS, ’75 LAW
Dr. Michael H. Huang ’89 AS, ’93 MED
Antoine Huffman ’05 CI
Jane Cobb Pickering ’74 ED
Amelia Brown Wilson ’03 ’06 AFE, ’11 ED
Nicholas D. Wilson ’03 AS, ’05 GS

College
Michelle McDonald ’84 AFE, ’92 ED
	
- Agriculture
Winn F. Williams ’71 AS - Arts & Sciences
James Brownlow Bryant ’67 BE
- Business & Economics
Jeremy L. Jarvi ’02 CI
- Communication & Information
Dr. Clifford J. Lowdenback ’99 AS, ’03 DE
	
- Dentistry
Lu Ann Holmes ’79 DES - Design
Martha Elizabeth Randolph ’83 BE, ’87 ’92 ED 	
- Education
Taunya Phillips ’87 EN, ’04 BE - Engineering
Kim A. Baker ’92 FA - Fine Arts
Barbara R. Sanders ’72 AS, ’76 ED
	
- Health Sciences
Janis E. Clark ’78 GS, ’85 LAW - Law
Dr. Emery A. Wilson ’68 ’72 MED - Medicine
Patricia K. Howard ’83 ’90 ’04 NUR - Nursing
Lynn Harrelson ’73 PHA - Pharmacy
Vacant - Public Health
Willis K. Bright Jr. ’66 SW - Social Work
Alumni Trustees
Dr. Michael A. Christian ’76 AS, ’80 DE
Cammie DeShields Grant ’77 LCC, ’79 ED
Kelly Sullivan Holland ’93 AS, ’98 ED
Appointed
Katie Eiserman ’01 ED - Athletics
Thomas W. Harris ’85 AS
- University Relations
Terry B. Mobley ’65 ED - Honorary
D. Michael Richey ’74 ’79 AFE
- Philanthropy
Bobby C. Whitaker ’58 CI - Honorary
Benjamin George Childress
- Student Government Association
Vacant - University Senate

	

	

Past Presidents
George L. Atkins Jr. ’63 BE
Richard A. Bean ’69 BE
Michael A. Burleson ’74 PHA
Bruce K. Davis ’71 LAW
Scott E. Davis ’73 BE
Marianne Smith Edge ’77 AFE
Franklin H. Farris Jr. ’72 BE
Dr. Paul E. Fenwick ’52 AFE
William G. Francis ’68 AS, ’73 LAW
W. P. Friedrich ’71 EN
Dan Gipson ’69 EN
Brenda B. Gosney ’70 HS, ’75 ED
Cammie DeShields Grant ’77 LCC, ’79 ED
John R. Guthrie ’63 CI
Ann B. Haney ’71 AS
Diane M. Massie ’79 CI
Robert E. Miller
John C. Nichols II ’53 BE
Dr. George A. Ochs IV ’74 DE
Sandra Bugie Patterson ’68 AS
Robert F. Pickard ’57 ’61 EN
Paula L. Pope ’73 ’75 ED
David B. Ratterman ’68 EN
G. David Ravencraft ’59 BE
William Schuetze ’72 LAW
David L. Shelton ’66 BE
J. Tim Skinner ’80 DES
James W. Stuckert ’60 EN, ’61 BE
Hank B. Thompson Jr. ’71 CI
Myra L. Tobin ’62 AFE
J. Thomas Tucker ’56 BE
Henry R. Wilhoit Jr. ’60 LAW
Elaine A. Wilson ’68 SW
Richard M. Womack ’53 AFE

www.ukalumni.net

3

* Peggy S. Meszaros
UK Alumni Association President

Memories of Peggy
“I had the distinct honor of
knowing Peggy professionally
and personally — She leaves
a deep and lasting mark on
my heart and life. To her
family and many friends, I
know you will join me in
saying, we are better because
of knowing you.”
“Peggy will be greatly missed.
What a great representative
of the University of
Kentucky.”
“I remember the wonderful
conversation we had when I
first met her. A remarkable
woman.”
“Peggy was always so nice to
me. A great loss for UK and
VT family.”
“Sad news. The UK Alumni
Association has had so many
great presidents and Peggy
was certainly among them.”

4

Summer 2017

During the week of our spring board of directors meeting, we lost a special university
friend, our UK Alumni Association President Peggy Meszaros. She passed away in her
hometown of Hopkinsville following a brief illness. Meszaros earned her master’s degree from
the University of Kentucky in 1972, held a bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay University and
a doctorate from the University of Maryland. She led a notable career in higher education and
her work, both professionally and as a volunteer, at the University of Kentucky was extensive.
If you knew Peggy Meszaros, you knew you were in the presence of someone great, an
inspired individual who wanted to leave the world in a better place. She was a remarkable
woman who embodied terrific leadership ability, held a passion for education and respected
others.
Some of our alumni had the opportunity to meet Meszaros personally, while others knew
her through her connections to the University of Kentucky. The cover story from the winter
2013 issue featured Meszaros and her work mentoring students and paying it forward. The
story profiled her career and her goal to find ways to apply the knowledge in order to make
positive impacts on the lives of others. In her early days, she realized that one’s family life
played an important role in academic success. Her assumption intrigued her and she dedicated
her career research to family studies, ultimately retiring as the William E. Lavery Professor
of Human Development and director of the Research Center for Information Technology
Impacts on Children, Youth, and Families at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State College
(VT). In the article, she said, “I believe so much in the land-grant mission which is, we don’t
just do research in isolation. The land-grant mission is to take that research out to make
positive improvements in communities.”
It’s only fitting that Meszaros spent the majority of her working years at two land-grant
institutions: the University of Kentucky and Virginia Tech. She came to the University
of Kentucky in 1985 to serve as dean of the College of Home Economics and professor
of Family Studies. While at UK she also served as the assistant director of the Kentucky
Agriculture Experiment Station, assistant director of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Service, was acting chairwoman of the Nutrition and Food Science Department, and
acting chairwoman of the Family Studies Department. During her tenure at UK, she was
instrumental in changing the name of the College of Home Economics to the College of
Human Environmental Sciences to better reflect its mission.
She was inducted into the UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 1995,
was a founding member of the UK Erikson Society, a member of the UK Fellows Society
and Women & Philanthropy, as well as a Life Member of the UK Alumni Association. From
1993 to 1994 she was dean of the College of Human Resources at VT and from 1994 to
2000 served as senior vice president and provost, the highest-ranking female in the history
of that institution. At the time of her passing, Meszaros held emerita titles for two positions
at Virginia Tech, the William E. Lavery Professor Emerita of Human Development in the
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and provost emerita.
Meszaros displayed astonishing leadership skills, an enthusiastic spirit, strong respect for
others and a sincere smile. She had a tremendous loyalty to the University of Kentucky and
the UK Alumni Association and held a number of leadership roles within the association. She
served 12 years as a UK Alumni Association board member, chairing five different committees
during her tenure and ultimately serving as president in 2016-17. She was recognized in
2011 with the UK Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. Susan V. Mustian,
previous president-elect of the UK Alumni Association, said, “I’ve had the honor of working
closely with Peggy the past two years and the privilege of her friendship. Her dedication to
the University of Kentucky Alumni Association was tireless, and her support of our great
university was immeasurable.”
It was a privilege and an honor to know Peggy Meszaros. Her presence within the
association will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time. To
view additional information and her obituary, visit www.ukalumni.net/peggymeszaros.

* MUSEUM. HOTEL.
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Discounted 10% rate* for UK Alumni.
For reservations, call 859.899.6800
and mention UK21CLEX.

167 W Main Street, Lexington, KY 40507
859.899.6800 | 21cLexington.com
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6

Summer 2017

* Presidential Conversation

What do we get for $31 billion?
More than 33,000 people die each year from prescription and
illicit opioid-related drug overdose. More than 1,000 people
are treated for overdoses in emergency rooms each day. The
numbers are stark and especially devastating in Kentucky,
where, every day, someone’s son or daughter, husband or
wife, grandchild, niece or nephew loses the opportunity to see
another day, achieve another goal or reach his or her potential.
Those are the numbers I think about when the inevitable
questions arise about federal funding of research that takes
place at institutions like the University of Kentucky. Research
is expensive — $31 billion was appropriated last year to the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) alone — but it yields some
of the most promising results for our future.
Through competitive grants, institutions in Kentucky —
UK being the largest recipient by far — received nearly $164
million last year for research into cancer, diabetes, heart disease,
Alzheimer’s, and opioid addiction along with other debilitating
diseases and afflictions.
Research doesn’t always yield instant results. In fact, it rarely
does. Researchers often spend years, huddled in labs, asking basic
scientific questions, not sure what the result will be, much less
not knowing whether something groundbreaking will occur.
Research is a bet on our future. It’s the idea that our
brainpower and intellect, harnessed in common cause and against
uncommon and insidious disease, can find answers. We can find
solutions to the most insoluble and devastating of challenges —
challenges that afflict every family and torture every community.
We know because of our past and what is happening today.
For more than a century, the NIH has engaged in the important
work of improving health outcomes that save lives.
Medical science’s understanding of vital life processes
and chronic illness, the creation of new medical devices
like the MRI, and procedures that improve care and detect
health maladies earlier, represent only a small fraction of
breakthroughs in biomedical research supported by the NIH.
Closecr to home, Kentucky families face, at rates far higher
than the national average, incidences of heart disease, cancer,
obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and stroke, to name just a few.
With the support of NIH, UK is seeking solutions to these
pressing health challenges. And we are making a difference.
Recently, in an effort to better understand the energy
mechanisms that fuel cancer cell development, a team of
researchers from UK received an $11.2 million grant from the
Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence, part of NIH.
Additionally, UK faculty converged in March with
policymakers and researchers from across the nation for the
National Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta. The
summit brought together stakeholders from all levels of
government, business, academia, treatment and community
leadership to address the scourge of opioid abuse. This is
another critical Kentucky question — our rate of overdose
deaths far exceeds the national average.
Much of our work is supported with federal grants from
agencies within the NIH. Last year, UK investigators received

$9.6 million to address
substance abuse and
addiction from the
National Institutes
on Drug Abuse. With
those dollars we are
examining the causes
of addiction and what
treatments work best
to turn the tide against
it.
Big, eye-popping
numbers like $31
billion are, in some
ways, impossible to
get your mind around. But everyone has been touched by — or
knows someone touched by — the insidiousness of chronic
illness and addiction. Everyone knows the human cost of these
diseases of despair.
When I think about the impact of federal research and the
investments being made, I don’t think in billions. I think about
the lives lost to opioid addiction, heart disease, cancer, diabetes,
Alzheimer’s and chronic illness.
These numbers haunt me. They should haunt you, too. The
challenge should embolden all of us. But we have to be willing
to continue to invest in research — research that saves lives and
changes communities — research that says we won’t accept the
loss of another life from these diseases of despair.
Sincerely,

Eli Capilouto
President

On the passing of Peggy Meszaros
The UK family collectively mourns the passing of
alumna and UK Alumni Association President Peggy
Meszaros. The Hopkinsville native and lifelong Wildcat
was a proud representative of her alma mater and
devoted higher education leader for many years. Her
extraordinary career helped shape the direction of
Human Environmental Sciences education and research
at UK and Virginia Tech, where she also served as
provost. In recognition of her loyalty and contributions
to her alma mater, Peggy Meszaros was awarded the
Distinguished Service Award and was inducted into the
UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
The UK family is honored by Peggy Meszaros’ legacy,
and she will be greatly missed.
www.ukalumni.net

7

* UK News

Feist-Price named vice president for institutional diversity

Photo: UK Public Relations & Marketing

UK President Eli
Capilouto has tabbed a
longtime UK scholar and
academic administrator as
vice president for institutional diversity. 
Sonja Feist-Price began
her new duties in March.
She has been at UK for
nearly 25 years as a leading teacher and scholar in
the College of Education.
She also has served as academic ombud and most
recent as a senior assistant
provost for faculty affairs.
“Dr. Feist-Price brings a wealth of personal and professional experience to this essential work, along with decades-long
and heart-felt commitment to our university’s success,” Capilouto said. “Having served on the faculty of our College of
Education and embracing challenging responsibilities across a
wide spectrum of administrative roles, she possesses the right
combination of credentials, experiences, skills, and personal

Feast on Equality raises
more than $37,000 for
LGBTQ* Resources
The UK Office of LGBTQ* Resources hosted its inaugural Feast on Equality dinner in December. Feast On Equality
is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a sole purpose to
raise funds for at-risk LGBT youth by hosting signature
fundraising events to engage the community and create
awareness surrounding the issues that LGBT youth face.
Through the event, the Office of LGBTQ* Resources
raised $37,000. The funds that were raised through Feast on
Equality will be used to:
•	 Fund up to eight student scholarships.
•	 Create and support a paid student internship program
with academic credit.
•	 Launch a partnership with the Graduate School to provide two graduate and professional student grants up
to $1,500.
•	 Enhance regular programming including Pride Week.
“The UK Feast on Equality partnership has been a game
changer for our advocacy and education work at the university. The funds raised at this event are helping us expand our
scholarships and strengthen our programming in key ways to
support an inclusive campus environment,” said Lance Poston, director of LGBTQ* Resources. ■
8

Summer 2017

relationships necessary to help lead us forward to an even more
welcoming and diverse campus.”
“Words cannot begin to express how excited I am about
the opportunity to work with President Capilouto to lead the
University of Kentucky in the area of diversity and inclusion,”
Feist-Price said. “The ability to positively impact the lives of
students, faculty and staff as it relates to inclusive excellence is
consistent with my purpose and passion for life, and aligns with
the university’s strategic plan. I look forward to expanding the
great work of the Office for Institutional Diversity.”
Capilouto also praised Terry Allen, who has served as interim
vice president for much of the last two years.
“We are indebted to him for this most recent work,” Capilouto said, “but also for his admirable record of service to our
university across so many years.”
Feist-Price was named to the vice president’s position following a search that began this fall. A broad-based search committee, chaired by College of Public Health Dean Donna Arnett,
reached a consensus with Capilouto on Feist-Price as the preferred candidate for the position. Feist-Price also appeared in
campus forums with students, faculty and staff to discuss her
vision for the position. She also met with senior administrators
and direct reports to Capilouto. ■

Office of the Provost and
Information Technology
Services launch new
collaborative site
The UK Institutional Research and Advanced Analytics
team, a collaborative effort between the Office of the Provost’s Institutional Research team and Information Technology Services’ Advanced Analytics team, unveiled its newly
redesigned website, www.uky.edu/iraa.
The website serves as an important portal for distributing
university data to both members of the UK community and
the public. The goal of the redesign was to provide enhanced
online resources and improved access to institutional data.
The most important feature of the new design is the Interactive Fact Book, which significantly enhances visitor’s
ability to access information, visualize trends and analyze data
in meaningful ways. The new site also includes numerous
other enhancements, including improved customer support
information, explanatory videos and easier access to campus
resources.
The Institutional Research and Advanced Analytics team
studies past trends, completes detailed analyses, delivers interactive data visualizations and dashboards, and provides official institutional data to external stakeholders. ■

* The UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment updated snake ID website has
enough information to satisfy just about any question a person could have concerning the snake
cutting across their patio or field.
The new website (kysnakes.ca.uky.edu) was updated by Steven Price, assistant professor of
stream and riparian ecology in the UK Department of Forestry, and Andrea Drayer, UK forestry research analyst. It highlights life histories, color patterns, physical characteristics and ecological roles of the animal Price terms as “perhaps the most maligned” in Kentucky. It also provides
the user with the information needed to identify snakes they might encounter in their yards, on
their farms, or out and about in wetlands and rivers, woodlands and prairies.
Users can search for species by geographic region, as well as body characteristics such as head
or body shape, color or pattern. The site brims with photographs of the different snake species
found in Kentucky, as well as information about their habitat and natural history.
“I’m hoping this will be widely used by general citizens interested in snakes, as well as students, teachers and Extension agents,” Price said.

After members of the
UK Board of Trustees
met with a group of students who represent the
rich tapestry of diversity
across the campus, an
idea emerged to open a
new interfaith prayer and
meditation room on campus available to students,
faculty and staff from all
backgrounds, perspectives
and religions.
A space in room 76 of
McVey Hall is the temporary home of the room
until permanent space can be located in the new UK Student
Center next year.
“We are committed to a campus community where everyone
who calls this special place home feels a sense of belonging. A
key element in creating that community is a range of initiatives
and programming that provides and promotes rich, diversity-related experiences for the entire campus community — whether
a cultural exchange, global experiences with food and entertainment or a simple space like this one that provides an opportunity for quiet reflection across faith traditions,” UK President
Eli Capilouto said. “The dedication of this space in McVey Hall
as an interfaith prayer and meditation room is another illustration of our commitment to community.”
During the space’s grand opening, UK freshman Yousuf Al
Mamari was excited to see the room he plans to utilize as part of
his everyday life on campus. “I think it’s a great place for Muslim
students especially because we have five prayers a day. We have
class but when we have a break we can come here and pray,” Al
Mamari said. “It’s easy for us. I would like to thank UK.” ■

Eastern garter snake

UK Libraries and partners
launched search tool for
African-American history
UK Libraries has partnered with Umbra Search African
American History at the University of Minnesota — a program that makes African-American culture and history more
broadly available through a freely available search tool
(www.umbrasearch.org), strategic digitization and public
events and workshops.
Digitized rare and unique materials from the UK Libraries
that document African-American cultural history have been
made available for aggregation and are now discoverable in
Umbra Search, alongside over 400,000 materials from libraries
and archives across the country. These include the Jim Curtis
photograph collection on Civil Rights in Kentucky, the Alexandra Soteriou photographs, the Jouette Shouse Collection of
American Liberty League pamphlets and publications from
the Federal Writers’ Project of the Kentucky WPA. ■

Photo: ExploreUK

Photo: UK Public Relations & Marketing

UK opens interfaith prayer
and meditation room

Photo: Jake Hutton

AFE revamps Kentucky snake ID website

As part of the Umbra Search partnership, UK Libraries is
sharing items from the Jim Curtis photograph collection on
Civil Rights in Kentucky like this photo of, left to right, Frank
Stanley Jr., Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gov.
Edward T. Breathitt.
www.ukalumni.net

9

* UK News

Photo: UK Public Relations & Marketing

Engineering Lab renovated to
accommodate increased enrollments

UK College of Engineering students have a new laboratory
space. A renovation of the Chemical Engineering Unit Operations
Laboratory in the F. Paul Anderson Tower will accommodate the
recent increase in undergraduate chemical engineering class sizes.
Over the past year, the laboratory underwent a full renovation,
including upgrades of the utilities, lighting, lab benches and floor.
The overall size of the lab increased by 30 percent, and a number
of new experimental modules were added.

“The undergraduate laboratory experience in engineering is
one of the most formative elements of the curriculum, as our
students are called upon to apply and extend classroom knowledge, function effectively in teams and grapple with observations
and data sets that don’t always come out textbook perfect,” said
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering Chairman
Douglass Kalika.
The renovation of the lab was made possible by financial gifts
from engineering alumni Michael Marberry and S.J. Whalen. The
flooring was donated by chemical engineering alumnus Rick
Crouch.
Juniors and seniors use the facility to conduct experiments that
explore the core concepts of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer,
reaction engineering and separations, and range from traditional
operations, such as distillation to bioprocessing and membrane
separation technology.
“Outstanding facilities breed creativity and collaboration,”
said UK College of Engineering Interim Dean Larry Holloway.
“They are critical for attracting the best faculty and students to
our program, as well as allowing our faculty, staff and students to
achieve their fullest potential.” ■

If you have a passion for the business world, in particular a
desire to work in the finance industry, yet wonder how you can
obtain and develop the skills needed for such a career, the UK
Gatton College of Business & Economics has some very good
news for you.
The Gatton College is launching a new professional Master
of Science in Finance (MSF) degree and will welcome its first
class in fall 2017.
“The MSF degree program broadens students’ career opportunities in the finance and banking industries by providing rigorous
and focused training in finance, and sharpening their skills for the
fast-changing and competitive world of modern finance,” said
Mark Liu, associate professor of finance in the Gatton College,
who will direct and teach in the MSF program. “Job candidates
with MSF degrees are highly desired in finance-specialized industries, particularly investment banking and asset management
companies, and are sought after by corporate treasury departments. The job opportunities in these industries are substantial,
intellectually stimulating and high-paying.”
Beginning each fall, the MSF program consists of a
10-month, 30-credit-hour, 10-course curriculum. The MSF
program is not just for finance or business majors. There are
no specific course prerequisites other than college-level math
and introductory statistics. Work experience is not required for
admission. All applicants are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships.
10

Summer 2017

Photo: UK Public Relations & Marketing

Gatton College adds professional finance master’s degree

All MSF classes will be offered in the brand new state-of-theart Seale Finance Learning Center in the new Gatton College
building, which opened in October 2016. MSF students will
also gain firsthand asset portfolio management experience by
participating in Gatton’s $5 million student-managed investment fund.
“This unique program is the only MSF program in the Commonwealth, and serves an important regional and national need
for educating skilled and qualified financial management professionals,” said Gatton College Dean David W. Blackwell. “This
program leverages Gatton’s nationally recognized strength in
finance to train students for these critical careers.” ■

* Blue Horizons

UK awarded $11.2 million grant to
launch new Center for Cancer and Metabolism
UK has received a prestigious Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence grant to study the metabolism of cancer from
the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences, part of the
National Institutes of Health. The $11.2 million grant will fund
the UK Center for Cancer and Metabolism over the next five
years.
Kentucky has disproportionately high incidences of both
cancer and metabolic disorders – our state leads the nation in
cancer deaths and is in the top 10 for highest obesity rates in the
country. While scientists have long known of a direct link between obesity and cancer, the need for further research into this
field is a necessity for Kentuckians.

The CCM will bring together highly complementary disciplinary strengths at UK in cancer, metabolism and data sciences,
coupled with sophisticated metabolomics tools and advanced
cancer imaging capabilities, to strengthen the university’s cancer
research enterprise by providing a thematically focused multidisciplinary infrastructure dedicated to defining the role of metabolism in the development and treatment of cancer.
The CCM is co-led by program directors Daret St. Clair, professor