UK, Toyota Team Up to Improve STEM Education Login to comment

Tuesday, April 27 2010 03:19:29 PM

attended a press conference in Covington's Holmes High School yesterday, where we announced that Toyota USA Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to a University of Kentucky program designed to help K-12 teachers develop more effective methods of teaching math and science in 13 central and northern Kentucky urban school districts.
 
The grant will allow the UK Partnership Institute for Mathematics and Science Education Reform (PIMSER) to provide teacher-driven teams assisted by university and college faculty in developing localized strategies for improving teaching and/or student learning in their mathematics or science programs.
 
As I stated at the press conference, it is always exciting to receive a grant of this magnitude. Making it more rewarding, however, is that the Toyota gift will allow UK to expand a successful STEM education model approach that was pioneered by our Appalachian Math and Science Partnership.
 
That model, PIMSER's Partnership Enhancement Project (PEP), will provide planning guidelines and training to teachers to help determine their district's students' specific mathematics and science needs. Math and science professors at UK and several other colleges and universities use research based strategies to provide intervention plans for those specific needs. The teachers also will receive training on how to write professional development plans.
 
The professional development guidelines could support a variety of proposals or plans. Examples of possible proposals are:  

  -- Improving student achievement scores for mathematics and science
  -- Implementing and improving assessment methods
  -- Improving academic subgroup scores
  -- Improving classroom instructional strategies to include problem-based learning and inquiry
  -- Improving data-driven decision making for classroom teachers and distributed leadership, and
  -- Increasing collaboration between K-12 school districts' faculty and university/college faculty.
 
Participating school districts are, in northern Kentucky, Bellevue Independent, Boone County, Campbell County, Covington Independent, Dayton Independent, Kenton County, Newport Independent, Silver Grove Independent, and the Diocese of Covington Department of Catholic Schools. In central Kentucky, participating districts are Bourbon County, Fayette County, Scott County, and the Diocese of Lexington Catholic Schools.
 
In addition to UK, Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Georgetown College, Northern Kentucky University, Thomas Moore College and Transylvania University will provide faculty mentors and technical support.

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Honoring Our 'Outstanding Teachers' Login to comment

Monday, April 26 2010 02:23:23 PM

Provost Kumble Subbaswamy honored six professors and four graduate teaching assistants for their classroom excellence with the 2010 Provost's Outstanding Teaching Awards last week. The award recognizes faculty and graduate teaching assistants who demonstrate special dedication and outstanding performance in the classroom or laboratory. Recipients are selected via nomination and review by a selection committee based in the Office of the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs.
 
The winners for 2010 include:

Tenured Faculty:
William Rayens is a professor and director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Statistics in the College of Arts and Sciences. He came to UK in 1986 after obtaining his doctorate in mathematics from Duke University. Rayens' research is primarily in the area of exploratory multivariate analysis, notably partial least squares and related methods. 
 
Jeff Rodgers is an associate professor and director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Modern & Classical Languages' Division of German Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. His research interests include German film, globalization, and cultural production. He holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
 
 
Non-Tenured Faculty:
Bryan Hains is an assistant professor of agricultural education in the College of Agriculture's Department of Community and Leadership Development. Hains’ research focus is in the area of neuroeducation, exploring the application of neuropsychological and emotional principles toward learning and cognition.  He holds a Ph.D. from Purdue University.
 
Tracy Kitchel is an assistant professor in the Department of Community and Leadership Development and director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for the College of Agriculture. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in 2005 and currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in agricultural education, focusing on the movement of teachers from novices to experts.  
 
Lecturers:
Jennifer Cowley is a lecturer with the College of Nursing. She received her master's in nursing from UK in 1987. In her 20 years of experience as a clinical instructor and lecturer, she has taught pathopharmacology since its inception in the undergraduate program. She is also coordinator, lecturer, and clinical instructor in the adult med-surg course.
 
Bruce Holle is a senior lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences for the Department of History. His focus is Greek history, 700-500 BCE and Early Christianity to 350 CE. He received his doctorate from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1978.
 
Teaching Assistants:
Andrew Battista is a graduate teaching assistant and Ph.D. candidate in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of English. He received his master’s degree in English literature and master's of library science from State University of New York at Buffalo in 2005. His focus is in early-modern English literature, ecocritcism, religion, and literature.
 
T. Garrett Graddy is an adjunct professor in the College of Arts and Sciences for the Department of Geography and is currently a Ph.D. candidate. She received his master’s degree in theological studies from the Harvard Divinity School in 2004 Her research interests include political and cultural ecology of seeds, sustainable agriculture, religion/cosmovision, environmental ethics, bioethics, and gender and critical development studies.
 
Jeffrey Gross is a graduate teaching assistant in the English Department in the College of Arts and Sciences and is currently a Ph.D. candidate. He received his master’s degree from Indiana State University in 2005. His research focus is in the 19th-century American literatures and cultures, African-American studies, Native American studies, and gender studies.
 
Justin Taylor is a graduate teaching assistant in the College of Arts and Sciences for the Department of Mathematics and is a Ph.D. candidate. He received his master's degree in mathematics from UK, and his research interest is in analysis and partial differential equations. Taylor was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps before coming to UK.

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Making Research Real Login to comment

Friday, April 23 2010 12:44:12 PM

The University unveiled 11 new research-driven outreach projects specifically designed to impact the quality of life of Kentuckians on Thursday. The projects, called the Commonwealth Collaboratives, aim at improving health, education, economic development, the environment, and quality of life throughout the state. 
 
First launched in May 2005, Commonwealth Collaboratives are a unique initiative that combines the university's research, outreach, and engagement missions. It is an opportunity for UK's world-class researchers to use their talents and creativity to solve Kentucky's intrinsic problems - problems that have held Kentucky back from reaching its full potential.
 
The 11 new projects join 36 previously named Collaboratives. The projects receive $10,000 from the University, and the researchers are encouraged to seek additional funding from other resources.
 
For a full list of the new Commonwealth Collaboratives, click here.

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Alumni Association Recognizes 'Distinguished Alums' Login to comment

Tuesday, April 20 2010 01:55:37 PM

Last Friday, the University of Kentucky Alumni Association celebrated the lives and careers of 20 special members of the UK family. The 20 individuals were inducted into UK's Hall of Distinguished Alumni at a recognition dinner April 16 at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington.
 
The UK Alumni Association Hall of Distinguished Alumni was established in 1965 in celebration of the university’s centennial year. Every five years the UK Alumni Association recognizes a select group of outstanding alumni and honors them with induction into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni. This honor acknowledges UK alumni who deserve recognition for personal and professional endeavors and community leadership.  A complete list of past Hall of Distinguished Alumni recipients can be found at www.ukalumni.net/hoda.
 
The 2010 inductees are:

• Mira L. Ball, B.A. ’56 Education
• Virginia M. Bell, M.S. ’82 Social Work
• Deane B. Blazie, B.S. ’68 Electrical Engineering
• Lt. Gen. (USAF, Ret.) John H. Campbell, B.S. ’69 Computer Science, MBA ’71
• Joseph W. Craft III, BS ’72 Accounting, J.D. ’76 Law
• Mark E. Davis, B.S. ’77, MS ’78, Ph.D. ’81 Chemical Engineering
• John W. Egerton, B.A. ’58 Topical Studies, M.A. ’61 Political Science
• Mark E. Hay, BA. ’74 Zoology
• Susan Jackson Keig, B.A. ’40 Art
• Paul E. Patton, B.S. ’59 Mechanical Engineering
• Barbara L. Rice, B.S. ’62 Dietetics
• Sharon Porter Robinson, B.A. ’66 English, M.A. ’76 Jr. High/Secondary, Ed.D. ’79 Admin and  Supervision
• James E. Rogers Jr., B.S. ’70 Commerce, JD ’74 Law
• Wimberly C. Royster, M.A. ’48, Ph.D. ’52 Math
• Dr. Vivian Carol Shipley, B.A. ’64 Journalism, MA ’67 English
• Col. Elizabeth R. Smith Jr. (deceased), B.A. ’48 Pre-Law, B.A. ’50 Law
• Reese S. Terry Jr., B.S. ’64, M.S. ’66 Electrical Engineering
• Harriet Drury Van Meter (deceased), B.S. ’56 Topical Major, M.S. ’62 Sociology
• Elizabeth Weiner, B.S. ’75 Nursing, Ph.D. ’82 Education
• Sung Chul Yang, Ph.D. ’70 Philosophy

Congratulations to each of the recipients. To read a brief bio of this year's class, click here.

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UK Alum Unites Medicine and Engineering Login to comment

Friday, April 16 2010 11:47:36 AM

As we enjoy another special UK Alumni weekend, I wanted to talk about a significant gift a pair of UK alums provided the University on Thursday. Joe and Joanie Halcomb announced the establishment of a $1.15 million fellowship program in engineering and medicine, the Halcomb Fellows program, made possible through a donation their generous donation and matching funds by the UK Research Challenge Trust Fund.
 
The Halcombs, of Camarillo, Calif., both graduated from UK in 1974 with bachelor degrees, his in mechanical engineering and hers in nursing. Dr. Halcomb earned his medical degree from the UK College of Medicine in 1978 and completed his residency training at UK Medical Center.
 
The new fellowship program will provide the opportunity for graduate students in the UK College of Engineering and UK College of Medicine to engage in premier interdisciplinary research in the field of biomedical engineering, which has emerged internationally as an established discipline that integrates engineering with principles in the medical and health sciences.
 
The goal of the Halcomb Fellows in Medicine and Engineering program is to challenge UK students and enable them to learn "hands-on" skills, offer students prestigious research opportunities, encourage collaboration between disciplines and foster a wide range of high level, goal-oriented interdisciplinary research.

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