University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences

Clint Parker is an undergraduate student in Chinese and Linguistics. Parker recently began work on a project translating a descriptive summary of a minority dialect called Sarikoli. The descriptive summary is in Chinese, and Parker is translating it into English.

This podcast was produced by Sam Burchett.

Pauline Stratman is vice president of the Chemistry department's Graduate Student Association. One of the tasks associated with her position, and a personal passion for her, is doing outreach to the Lexington community. A special time for the Chemistry department to educate the community is during National Chemistry Week. This year it ran from October 16-22, and wrapped up at UK with their annual Chemistry Demonstration show, which is free and open to the public.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Abby Kerins was a poster presenter at the Lexington Farmer's Market on September 17th, 2011. Inspired by Alessandro Portelli, author of They Say in Harlan County, Kerins' research involved listening to (and reading transcripts of) oral histories from the coal-rich region of Appalachian Kentucky. Kerins focused on the role of women during coal miners' strikes in the 20th century. Kerins was mentored by Sociology professor Joanna Badagliacco.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Allison Harnish is a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology. Harnish recently received a Fulbright Grant to conduct research on the environmental and economic ramifications of displacement and resettlement in Southern Province, Zambia. Harnish was invited to participate on this project by Lisa Cliggett, her advisor. Many social and environmental scientists have been involved in this project for the last few decades.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Reactions, first impressions, hopes and ambitions abound in Keeneland Hall, the home of the brand new A&S Wired Residential College. Hear from students and parents about move-in day 2011!

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Corrine Price, an undergraduate senior, worked as an intern at the Saartijie Baartman Centre for Women and Children, a domestic violence shelter in Cape Town, South Africa. The trip was sponsored by the University of Kentucky and was in conjunction with the Kentucky and South Africa Initiative: "Different Lands, Common Ground."

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Holly Miller, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology, has recently received a lot of press for her research, which uses dogs as experiment subjects to test the effects of glucose on self-control. Miller's research addresses the physiological reasons for failures in self-control, but her conclusions are not just useful to understanding dog psychology, since expending glucose affects all mammals, including humans.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Ben Braun is an assistant professor in the Mathematics Department. In the summer of 2011, he led a research program for undergraduate mathematics students.

In this podcast, Ben talks about his own research interests, discusses what the program was like for students, answers the two questions every mathematician gets asked and says that math is a liberal art.

This podcast was produced by Stephen Gordinier.

In the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the High Energy Theory Group is a collection of faculty, students, and post-doctoral researchers, investigating the origin and nature of matter and forces. The six faculty members of the group are Sumit Das, Terrence Draper, Michael Eides, Bing-An Li, Keh-Fei Liu, and Alfred Shapere. In this interview, Sumit Das describes the diverse research goals of the group, talks about applying string theory to the origins of the universe, and tells young physicists to follow their hearts.

This podcast was produced by Stephen Gordinier.

Alan Brown is a Spanish professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Hispanic Studies. In this podcast, Professor Brown discusses his new position in the department, his current research, and opportunities for students to connect to the community through the Department of Hispanic Studies. The conversation was held in Spanish. Below is an English translation.

A&S: You are listening to a University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences podcast. I’m Jonathan Beam. Alan Brown is a professor in the Department of Hispanic Studies and is the new Director of Undergraduate Studies. In this podcast, Professor Brown discusses his new position in the department, his current research, and opportunities to connect to the community through the Department of Hispanic Studies.

Brown: My name is Alan Brown and I am a Spanish professor interested in the acquisition of foreign languages, in this case, Spanish. My main areas of focus are the teaching, the pedagogy, and the acquisition of language. In addition to being a professor, I now have an administrative position, being the Director of Undergraduate Studies. So, I am in charge of finding equivalencies for transfer students or students that are studying abroad. Today, for example, I was with three or four students that either have already studied in Spain or are going to study there, and I have to evaluate the course descriptions to see if the classes they have taken or are going to take have an equivalent here in the department.

A&S: Despite his new position, Professor Brown still continues with his research.

Brown: I’m still doing research. Right now, I’m researching the relationship between students’ final grades and their proficiency levels to see if there is a significant correlation between the two. In this case, these are students taking [Spanish]210 and 211, which are courses that act as a bridge between the basic level of [Spanish courses] 201 and 202 and an intermediate, slightly more advanced level. I’m also looking to see if there is a correlation between students’ final grades and the grades they receive on each project and component of the course. If there is no correlation, then we have to ask, “why?” Why would there not be a relationship between ability and command among the students when we assess them through an online test and their final grades? And what we are seeing is that maybe there isn’t much of a relationship between them.

A&S: Professor Brown also mentioned many ways students can volunteer and connect with the community, as well as an opportunity to study abroad in Ecuador.

Brown: They have sent me several opportunities for students. For example, the YMCA organization, I think the northside branch, is trying to strengthen their ties with the Hispanic people in the neighborhood. So they sent me a notice of possible volunteer jobs that work with Hispanics in this area. Also, a teacher from Athens-Chilesburg Elementary School contacted me looking for Spanish teachers that would teach after-school Spanish classes. And…. today, I am going to meet with people from the College of Medicine and the College of Health Sciences who go to Ecuador and conduct “Medical Brigades”. A physical therapy professor is going to lead a team of students that will offer medical services, and they want to bring Spanish students to serve as interpreters.

A&S: Finally, Professor Brown explained the importance of having an international faculty and what it can offer students.

Brown: …Yes, I believe it’s extremely important. In the Department of Hispanic Studies, I’m in the minority. I’m a white, Anglo-Saxon, middle-class man, etc. and I’m in the minority. So I think that this [an international faculty] gives our students the opportunity to benefit from the perspectives that other people bring from their countries and their cultures. This is important, because I think a fundamental part of a college education is being able to expand one’s cultural horizons. And the best way to do this is to have direct contact with people that have different ideas and different perspectives having been born and raised in countries and in other cultures. This seems to be the most efficient way of reaching this goal of obtaining a broader education.

A&S: Thanks for listening. And thanks to the College of Arts & Sciences and the Department of Hispanic Studies for making this podcast possible.