By Jennifer T. Allen 

Julia Bursten, Rebekah Duke-Crockett, and Chad Risko

When Rebekah Duke-Crockett, a first-year Ph.D. student in chemistry, took Julia Bursten’s Philosophy of Science graduate seminar, she began thinking about the wealth of insights philosophy has for chemists. The questions brought up eventually led to a collaboration between Duke-Crockett, philosophy professor Bursten, philosophy Ph.D. alum Ryan McCoy, and chemistry professor Chad Risko.  

That collaboration culminated in a recently published article in the Journal of American Chemical Society: “Promises and Perils of Big Data: Philosophical Constraints on Chemical Ontologies.” 

“Philosophers of science spend a lot of time thinking about problems and questions relevant for chemistry but, unfortunately,

Jonathan Barnes graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2004 with a B.S. in chemistry and earned an M.S. degree in chemistry in 2006. 

In this photo from 2006 are (back L-R) Chris Fitzwater, me, (front L-R) Don Cho and Suresh Jayasekara. I was working towards my master’s degree in Robert Grossman’s lab with Suresh, who was pursuing his PhD. Both Don (Mark Watson’s lab) and Fitzwater (Mark Meier’s lab) earned their master’s degrees at UK. Don then went to Germany to get his PhD at the Max Planck Institute.

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.

Arthur: Jon, tell us a few sound bites about your time as an undergraduate working towards a chemistry degree. Remember that we put these student spotlights out there

By A Fish 

Beth Guiton

LEXINGTON, K.Y. --   Beth Guiton, professor of chemistry, Frank J. Derbyshire Professor of Materials Science and director of undergraduate studies in the University of Kentucky’s Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed to join the federal Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee.

The 25-member committee advises the director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Science on complex scientific and technological issues that arise in the federal Fusion Energy Sciences program. 

"Studying nuclear fusion reactor materials is a recent, new direction for my research group,” Guiton said. “It is

By Morgan Luster 

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky’s Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences will offer its 49th annual Naff Symposium, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in the William T. Young Library Auditorium. The theme is  “Energetic Foundations and Futures of Life.”

The day's lectures will start with the dawn of life, which emerging science now explains in terms of reactions that capture and convert energy. Moreover, variants of those same reactions are being exploited in new research for a sustainable future. 

Distinguished scholars from around the world will present their work to students and faculty from UK as well as other colleges and universities in Kentucky and

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

By Lindsay Travis 

Marcelo Guzman leads a visit of University of Kentucky National Science Foundation Research Traineeship students at the AppHarvest high-tech indoor farms in Morehead.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 13, 2024) — Chemists at the University of Kentucky are researching how changes in the atmosphere’s composition may play a role in forming air pollution.

The study was recently featured on the cover of the journal American Chemical Society  Environmental Science & Technology Air, which focuses on investigations of air chemistry and physics, air pollution and climate change that impact human and ecosystem health.

Marcelo Guzman, Ph.D., associate professor

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 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

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

By Dave Melanson 

Adobe Stock

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A multi-institutional collaboration led by University of Kentucky researchers Chad Risko and John Anthony was one of 37 teams to receive National Science Foundation funding as part of that organization’s Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future  program.

The program is a $72.5 million investment from NSF to drive the design, discovery and development of advanced materials needed to address major societal challenges. The program brings together a wide range of disciplines, including materials research, engineering, mathematics, computer science, chemistry and physics, to achieve outcomes

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) at the University of Kentucky has selected 26 outstanding undergraduates for the 2023-24 Undergraduate Research Ambassador program.

The program’s mission is to increase awareness and create opportunities for students to actively engage in research. Ambassadors must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and be involved in mentored research. This year's ambassadors represent six colleges, 21 disciplines and 18 research areas.

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

LEXINGTON, KY -- Two University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry professors in the College of Arts & Sciences. several current UK graduate students and a former grad student  contributed to an article reporting a major advance in increasing the stability of perovskite solar cells, which was published recently in the journal Science.

Co-authors at UK are Kenneth Graham, associate professor of chemistry; Chad Risko, John C. Hubbard Professor of Chemistry; and graduate students Harindi R. Atapattu, Keerthan R. Rao, and Zhuoyun Cai. An article on the discovery issued by the University of Toronto can be found here.

Currently, perovskite solar cells show power conversion efficiencies that are on par with commercially available

By A Fish 

Nora Sypkens

LEXINGTON; Ky. — The Jerry D. Claiborne Scholarship is presented by the University of Kentucky Nu Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa to students who show prowess in such areas as leadership and mentorship. It also takes into account their academic and athletic achievements.  

Nora Sypkens, a chemistry major in the College of Arts and Sciences, was selected in the spring for the scholarship by her peers. Omicron Delta Kappa's Nu Circle has its home base at the Chellgren Center, and it’s one of the three major honors societies on UK’s campus. To apply for this scholarship, one must be part of the organization. 

“I was inducted into the group last September, and since then I have received a lot of e-mail blasts,” she said. “With the Claiborne Scholarship, my circle

By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The University of Kentucky’s Air Force ROTC commissioned 15 Second Lieutenants on May 4. Capt. Nichole Nicholson, recruitment officer at UK’s Air Force ROTC and assistant professor of aerospace studies, has identified four cadets who have excelled in their training.  

“All four of these women have been great examples of innovation, hard work and dedication in helping to push our cadet wing forward,” Nicholson said. “I know they’ll each continue to do the same when they enter active duty.” 

These soon-to-be-commissioned officers have a variety of backgrounds and majors — everything from nursing to Arabic. They exemplify what’s wildly possible for students wishing to pursue military studies at UK.  

Julia Acevedo

Julia Acevedo, Hurricane, West Virginia; neuroscience

Hannah Bowman

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: Hannah, you are psyched to go to Med School. What can you tell me about your application process? What were the factors in deciding to which schools to apply? What was your strategy?

Hannah Bowman: Yes, I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity. During my application cycle, I was working full time as a registered nurse and was a bit of a late applicant. However, when selecting schools to send secondaries to, I only sent them to schools that I knew were high on my priorities list. My priorities included public health involvement, location, resources, student experiences opportunities, etc. If I felt as if a school had a

By Jesi Jones-Bowman 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 8, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research  has chosen 20 undergraduates for the 2023 Commonwealth Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship program.

Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Office of the Vice President for Research, the CURE Fellowship program helps undergraduates to become leaders for their respective communities by providing opportunities to develop knowledge and skills through research within six of UK’s Research Priority Areas: cancer, cardiovascular health, diversity and inclusion

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

John Anthony

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5, 2021) — John Anthony, the C. W. Hammond Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named winner of the 2023 SEC Faculty Achievement Award for the University of Kentucky this spring.

Anthony, who also serves as associate director at the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), was awarded with 13 other SEC university professors for their “dedication to the classroom experience, the commitment to advance their disciplines and the determination to make a difference through service.”

"I am very grateful to UK and the SEC for this honor," Anthony said. "Given the interdisciplinary nature of modern science, my accomplishments represent the shared intellectual

By Jenny Wells-Hosley 

Anne-Frances Miller

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 26, 2023) — Anne-Frances Miller,  professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky, is serving as the 2022-23 College of Arts and Sciences’ Distinguished Professor and will deliver the annual Distinguished Professor Lecture Monday, May 1, 2023.

The lecture, titled “Renewable: New Opportunities from one of Life’s Most Ancient Chemical Tools,” will begin at 5 p.m. in the William T. Young Library Athletic Auditorium. A reception will follow in the Alumni Gallery in the library.

The lecture will

By A Fish 

Priya Karna

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Incorporating art and sciences, UK Ph.D. recipient Priya Karna seized on an opportunity to submit her illustration to the American Chemical Society Diversity and Inclusion Cover Art Series. As a result, her artwork and editorial ended up in the March 2, 2023, issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. 

“The competition started in 2021, so it's just been two years since they’ve been doing this,” she said. “I saw some of the examples of the cover art, and it looked like something I could do.” 

The artwork, "Women in Science: From Country to Chemistry," displays Karna’s vision of representing women from rural areas in science. The cover art depicts a girl with her cattle on a farm; she dreams of being a scientist.  

Since she

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 20, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Nu Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society hosted its annual awards night on Tuesday, April 11, in the W. T. Young Athletic Auditorium. Among those recognized for the Maurice A. Clay award  was Kameron Kraus, a student in the College of Arts & Sciences. In addition, A&S student Nora Sypkens received a Jerry D. Claiborne Scholarship.

The Maurice A. Clay award was created over 30 years ago to recognize the outstanding graduating senior in each academic college. Winners are selected by the college and are expected to be exceptional leaders who have provided service to their college while maintaining a strong academic record. Omicron Delta Kappa recognizes superior scholarship, leadership and exemplary character. The Maurice A. Clay