University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences

Doug Boyd is the Director of the Louie B Nunn Center for Oral History, part of the University of Kentucky Libraries. The great thing about oral history is its subjectivity and content; the not-so-great thing about it is that most of it is in analog format, un-transcribed, and time-consuming for researchers to use. Boyd and his team have been working diligently on software known as the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer, which will enable users to synch up transcribed interviews to their place in an audio or video recording. It will also enable easier use for un-transcribed documents, making access more feasible for researchers and casual listeners alike.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The Presidential debates are over now but a couple of weeks ago University of Kentucky student Patrick O’Dowd had the chance to attend 2012’s one and only Vice Presidential debate. Held at Kentucky’s own Centre College in Danville, he was able to experience what many only get to see on television every four years.

O’Dowd began his undergraduate education as a political science major but is now about to graduate with a degree in English. The opportunity to attend the debate came after a summer spent interning for the local alt-weekly newspaper, Ace Weekly, where he spent his time both writing and running their website. O’Dowd’s press pass allowed him extensive access to the debate grounds and to those there representing both of the campaigns. In this podcast, he walks us through his experience and gives listeners a chance to look behind the red, white, and blue curtain of national American politics.

This podcast was produced by Patrick O'Dowd.

Owsley County is the first site for <"a href="http://homegrownkentucky.org/">Homegrown Kentucky, a farm-to-school project developed by University of Kentucky students Ben Smith, Adam Meredith, Luke McAnally, Patrick Johnson and Ben Norton. Ideally, this model will be applied to other schools across Kentucky, making Kentucky schools more self-sufficient while offering students and community members an opportunity to learn and practice agricultural skills. This podcast chronicles a visit to Owsley County High School for a board meeting and tour of the farm, which consists of a few acres adjacent to the school. Agricultural Science teacher Dustin Estridge and some of his students share their experiences with the project.

You can also view the photos from our trip.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

This past July, a group of eight female student athletes traveled to Ethiopia as part of a week long service trip. It was the second consecutive year that the UK Athletics Department has led such a group. Nominated by their respective coaches, the delegation of student athletes spent ten days traveling across the country, serving those they encountered along the way stopping at places like a leprosy colony or a sports camp where they coached local children.

Two of those on the trip were A&S students Emily Holsapple, a biology major on the rifle team, and Grace Trimble, a political science major playing on the tennis team. In this podcast they discuss their service work and how this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will stick with them for years to come.

This podcast was produced by Patrick O'Dowd.

For ten years, Shoulder to Shoulder Global has been serving impoverished communities in and near Santo Domingo, Ecuador. In 2002, Shoulder to Shoulder Global went on its first trip to help people in need of medical care. Groups of students, healthcare professionals, faculty and volunteers have been visiting multiple times a year ever since. Though the group’s goal is to provide healthcare, any interested student or community member can participate.

This podcast features Craig Borie, the program coordinator for Shoulder to Shoulder Global, and Vanessa Martinez, a sociology & spanish major, and their insights and reflections on Shoulder to Shoulder. The group visits Ecuador three times annually, and STS is always accepting applications.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The University of Kentucky's Violence Intervention and Prevention Center is located in the lower level of Frazee Hall. The Center's purpose is to prevent violence on our campus and in our communities. In this podcast, the Center's Director, Melanie Matson, and student volunteer Ashley Hockney explain what the VIP Center is and how you can get involved. For more information, you can visit the VIP Center's website.

This podcast was produced by Sam Burchett.

Jon Finnie is an A&S student (German & Geography), and serves as the Public Relations Director and a DJ for WRFL 88.1 FM, the University of Kentucky’s student-run radio station. In this podcast, Finnie talks about his role as PR Director, his German radio show, and gives a few examples of ways people can get involved with WRFL.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Adam Meredith and Luke McAnally, two A&S majors, were part of a small group of students that went to the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Washington, D.C. last month. The project that earned such recognition is called "Homegrown Kentucky,”a new agricultural initiative in Owsley County, Kentucky. A small-scale farm is being designed and planted next to one of the schools in Owsley County; fruits and vegetables produced in the gardens will provide local, fresh food to the school district. The gardens will be maintained by students and community members in Owsley County.

For more information about Homegrown Kentucky, please visit their website, follow them on Facebook, watch a short documentary about the project on YouTube, or email [email protected]. The faculty sponsors for this project are Ann Kingsolverand David Ditsch.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

Though we might think that our thoughts and reactions are what 'separate us from the animals,' it turns out that humans, dogs, and pigeons have some cognitive similarities. Kristina Pattison, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology, has been working with animals for most of her life, and her research reflects that. In this podcast, she discusses the types of research she does, as well as some practical applications - for the animals she works with, and for us humans, too.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

During the last week of March, 2012, Peter Idstein showed his classes how volcanoes erupt. Since there aren't any in Kentucky, Idstein used trash cans filled with water as the 'volcanoes,' and liquid nitrogen as the catalyst for the eruption. In this podcast, Idstein describes the set-up procedures, students react, and we share some explosive audio!

Idstein's demonstrations were for a course he is teaching, Geology 160: Geology for Elementary School Teachers. Idstein is the lab coordinator for the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and does research on karst hydrogeology, studying groundwater systems in Kentucky.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.