By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Maine Alumni Association will honor D. Allan Butterfield, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association Endowed Professor of Biological Chemistry, with its 2023 Alumni Career Award. 

The award is given to a University of Maine graduate whose life’s work is marked by outstanding achievements in professional, business, civic or other public service areas. 

“Butterfield has been credited with numerous breakthroughs regarding the study of Alzheimer’s disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment, the precursor to Alzheimer’s,” the alumni association’s website states. 

Butterfield has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, which President Bill Clinton gave to him in 1998, and an honorary doctorate

Dr. Elizabeth Thomas starts her career as chemistry professor at Morehead State University.

B.S.-Science Education, Chemistry, University of Kentucky (U-Grad Research, Arthur Cammers); M.S.-Chemistry Organic Synthesis, University of Louisville; Ph.D.-Chemistry Nucleic Acids, University of Kentucky (Stephen Testa).

This interview is part of a series conducted by the department called, "UK Chemistry Alumni: Where Are They Now." This interview was coordinated by Dr. Arthur Cammers.

Arthur Cammers: In early September (2022) running around UK Arboretum, I met a former student running in the other direction. She turned around and ran with me, we talked, and at some point, we decided to do one of these Student Spotlights. UK A&S Chemistry publishes

By Erin Wickey

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 18, 2022) — University of Kentucky Research Communications has partnered with UK’s Office of Technology Commercialization to feature faculty innovators  in “I am a UK Innovator,” a four-video series. The Office of Technology Commercailization works with innovators to assess, protect and license early-stage technologies and create new technology startups. In this Q&A, Chad Risko discusses the innovation ExpFlow, which could help the research community confirm results by repeating experiments, an activity fundamental to scientific progress. Risko is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, an affiliated

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Richard Mitchell,left, and Austin Hachey, graduate students in the Glazer and Heidary Labs of the Department of Chemistry in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences, each have received an Outstanding Research Poster Prize at the 2022 Metals in Medicine Gordon Research Conference in Andover, New Hampshire. Their work was selected from more than 80 presentations. 

Mitchell, co-advised by Professor Jason DeRouchey, presented his work on the synthesis and characterization of a

By Jesi Jones-Bowman

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 31, 2022) ­— The Office of Undergraduate Research at the University of Kentucky is honored to announce that 22 students have been selected for the 2022-23 Undergraduate Research Ambassador program.

The program’s mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to actively engage in research and creative scholarship. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence and  leadership potential and be involved in mentored research. This year’s ambassadors represent six colleges, 15 disciplines and 18 research areas.

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

UK Chemistry Doctoral Student Receives U.S. Department of Energy Stipend By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Henry Pruett, a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry in the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences, has received a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Graduate Student Research fellowship, which provides a stipend of $3,600 a month.  

The program provides supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to pursue part of their graduate thesis research at a department laboratory or facility in areas that address scientific challenges. Pruett is researching at a National Renewable Energy Laboratory near

By Marci Adams

University of Kentucky Information Technology Services has recognized employees who celebrated milestone years of service during the year 2021. These 49 employees, ranging from seven different ITS divisions, combined for a total of 760 years of service at UK. ITS also honored student workers who have worked with ITS for two or more semesters.  

Dr. Susan Odom, faculty member of Chemistry Department in UK's College of Arts & Sciences served on the IT Advisory Council. Odom was committed to mentoring and supporting women in STEM fields. She co-founded a group to encourage girls to pursue their academic goals and served on the Kentucky ACE Women’s Network. ITS presented the faculty Customer Excellence award to Dr. Odom’s family in memoriam this spring, as she died in April 2021.   

See a complete list of ITS employees, student workers, and

By Jesi Jones-Bowman

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 23, 2022) — The Office of Undergraduate Research has selected 16 undergraduates for the 2022 Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship program.

The new CURE Fellowships, sponsored by UK Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Vice President for Research, empowers undergraduates to become leaders for their communities by providing opportunities to develop new knowledge and skills through research within UK’s seven research priority areas: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes & obesity, diversity and inclusion, energy, neuroscience and substance use disorder.

“Conducting summer research will provide me with valuable experience that

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that 10 students and recent graduates have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. In addition, a UK doctoral student and two alumni received honorable mention recognition from the NSF. 

As part of the five-year fellowship, NSF Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees for a research-based master's or doctoral degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) field. In 2022, the NSF awarded approximately 2,200

By Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 13, 2022) — Three graduate students at the University of Kentucky have been selected for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program.

Austin Nelsen, Manh Tien Nguyen and Henry Pruett are among 80 graduate students nationwide to receive supplemental funds to conduct part of their thesis research at a host DOE laboratory in collaboration with a DOE scientist. 

“For decades, the DOE has cultivated the expertise to meet the nation’s greatest scientific challenges," said Geraldine Richmond, under secretary of science and innovation at the DOE. "Now more than ever, we need to invest in a diverse, talented pipeline of scientists, engineers and

Byron Hempel Chemistry Biological-Chemistry BS 2014 Teaches Environmental Engineering at University of Arizona and Climbs Mount Lemmon. 

This interview is part of a series conducted by the department called, "UK Chemistry Alumni: Where Are They Now." This interview was coordinated by Dr. Arthur Cammers.

Summer 2014, Arthur Cammers and Byron Hempel, after success on the iconic traditional rock climbing route, The Quest, in a light rain at Red River Gorge, Middle Small Wall!

Arthur: You bounced back to visit the family?

Byron: I did! It's great to get back into town after being away for so long.  I currently live in Tucson, AZ, and enjoy coming back to the Lexington area around two times a year.  I am also catching up with a few friends from undergrad as well!  

Arthur

This interview is part of a series conducted by the department called, "UK Chemistry Alumni: Where Are They Now." This interview was coordinated by Dr. Arthur Cammers.

Arthur Cammers: Steven, remind me again when you graduated ... I remember that I was DUS at the time. 

Steven Chapman: I graduated from UK in 2016 with a chemistry major. During undergrad I worked in Susan Odom’s lab for about 3 years studying two-electron donating electrolytes for redox flow batteries.

Arthur Cammers: What have you been doing since? I guess I should call you Dr. Chapman now, or you should call me Art.

Steven Chapman: I went to grad school! I followed in your footsteps Art and went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison for my PhD. I worked with Tehshik Yoon and studied enantioselective

By Olaoluwapo Onitiri  

Many in the world emigrate from their homes due to hardships caused by wars. This was no different for Ghady Kanaan, who emigrated from Lebanon to the United States. He is graduating this May with a degree in chemistry, has already published research as an undergraduate with Mark Watson, associate professor of chemistry, and is working on another with Folami Ladipo, associate professor of chemistry.  

“I met Ghady as he was enrolled in our CHE 533 Advanced O-Chem laboratory in Spring ’21,” Watson said. “He was one of an outstanding group of students who all stood out for various reasons, and all seemed to

Arthur Cammers: I know you love the great outdoors ... and I know you are super curious about science. What's the back story? What influences created the current Anna? 

Anna Fatta: I’ve loved chemistry since I first saw the periodic table in elementary school. I loved the idea of atoms and even made a lab bench out of concrete blocks and plywood in the backyard. I might as well have picked my major right then in the fifth grade. My passion for the great outdoors came a little later, though. I was a dancer for thirteen years until I came to college. When I started at UK, I needed a new way to exercise, and I was enrolled in WRD 112. Those two may seem unrelated, but my final project in that class was a multimedia assignment on an issue of public concern, and my group decided to work on outdoor recreation in the nearby Red River Gorge

By Jenny Wells-Hosley and Meg Mills

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 28, 2022) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that three students and one recent graduate have been offered Fulbright U.S. Student Program scholarships to travel abroad to teach, study or pursue research for the 2022-23 academic year. Among them are two College of Arts & Sciences students. 

Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected based on academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 140 countries.

This year’s UK Fulbright

By Elizabeth Chapin

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2022) — Two undergraduates have been selected as the first recipients of the University of Kentucky’s new Beckman Scholars Program, Scholars United by Chemistry: Cultivating Excellence through Science Stewardship (SUCCESS).

Elaf Ghoneim, a neuroscience major in the College of Arts & Sciences and the Lewis Honors College, and Parker Sornberger, a mathematics and chemistry major in the College of Arts & Sciences will begin their independent, laboratory research this summer.

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation’s 

By Richard LeComte and Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 5, 2022) — This week, the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry will host the inaugural Susan A. Odom Lecture, featuring Jodie Lutkenhaus, professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University.

Lutkenhaus’ talk, "Redox-active Macromolecular Radicals for Metal-Free, Degradable Batteries," will take place 4 p.m., Friday, April 8, in the William T. Young Library auditorium. 

The lecture series was created to commemorate the life and legacy of Professor Susan Odom, a faculty member in the UK Department of Chemistry from 2011 to

By Richard LeComte

Lily Vossekuil, Elizabeth Lorch and children working to improve their comprehension came together in the summer of 2021 to show how undergraduates and faculty can collaborate on research that benefits the Kentucky community. 

Vossekuil, a psychology major, did her research under the direction of Lorch, associate dean for research and professor of psychology, and her colleague Angela Hayden. They worked together in a first-year program organized by the Office of Undergraduate Research and the College of Arts & Sciences, funded by the University’s Office of the Vice President for Research and by donors to provide intense research experiences in the summer and throughout the academic year for

By Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 30, 2022) — Throughout March for Women’s History Month, the University of Kentucky is spotlighting Women Making History. These women are leading their fields of research, crossing traditional academic boundaries and impacting Kentucky’s most pressing challenges, including opioid use disorder treatment, aging and Alzheimer’s, water and air filtration, environmental impacts on health and suicide prevention.  

They are mentoring the next generation of women scientists and scholars, curating stories and creating artworks illuminating who we are. Their work and voice shape the university.

On this “Wildcat Wednesday,” UK celebrates Abelline Fionah, a graduate student who is pursuing a Ph.D. in 

By Kerry Steinhofer, Centre College

(Centre College photo)

Daniel Scott, assistant professor of chemistry at Centre College, received the two-year grant from the Kentucky IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (KY INBRE) to develop an inexpensive, easy-to-use diagnostic device system to enable rapid medical test results in less developed or remote areas. The proposed device system is intended to help people who live with limited access to medical care. Scott received his doctorate in bioanalytical chemistry from the University of Kentucky. 

“This project is initiating a new vision to develop better diagnostics and monitoring for patients,” Scott said. “The devices we are working toward will be small and portable diagnostic tests that will give you rapid feedback. If you imagine them as similar to the at-home COVID tests many of us are familiar with, but