by Keith Hautala

Older adults who have spoken two languages since childhood are faster than single-language speakers at switching from one task to another, according to a study conducted at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

The study also found that lifelong bilinguals show different patterns of brain activity than their monolingual counterparts when making the switch.  

The research was led by Brian Gold, associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology, who specializes in cognitive neuroscience. The article, "Lifelong Bilingualism Maintains Neural Efficiency for Cognitive Control in Aging," was published in the Jan. 9 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

As people age, cognitive flexibility — the ability to adapt to unfamiliar or unexpected circumstances — and

David Crabbe, a graduate student in the Division of Classics in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures has been awarded the Swift-Longacre-Scaife Fellowship for academic year 2012-13, in the amount of $6,000.  The award was made in recognition both of what David had already accomplished in the Classics program and for his outstanding promise as a career Latin teacher.  David graduated with an M.A. in Classics this past year, and is staying at U.K. to complete a second M.A. in Teaching Latin in the Master of Arts in Teaching World Languages program (MATWL) of the Modern and Classical Languages department. 

The Swift-Longacre-Scaife fellowship is named for and honors three notable teacher-scholars in Kentucky. Louis Swift is an emeritus professor of Classics at UK with a specialty in the Latin Church Fathers; he also

Elizabeth came to the University of Kentucky in 2009 and completed her MA in Classics in May of 2011. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2009, with majors in Classics and English. Although she had been studying Latin during much of her time at UF and had always been interested in the ancient world, she spent the first four years of her undergraduate education focusing predominately on English, planning, at the time, to become a medievalist. In spring 2008, while taking a course on Vergil’s Eclogues and Georgics, she decided to pursue Classics instead, ultimately finding that Latin allowed for deeper and more meaningful study of the literature she had always loved. She remained in the Classics department at UF for a fifth year, studying Greek over the summer and a heavy load of Latin and Greek during that year to prepare for a

By Sarah Geegan

The Conventiculum Dickinsoniense, an annual Latin immersion seminar hosted by Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., spotlighted two of UK's most acclaimed professors this summer.

Professors Terence Tunberg and Milena Minkova of the Classics Division in the Department of Modern Classical Languages Literatures and Cultures, conducted the seminar, which aims to enrich high school teachers' preparation to teach Latin. The event also attracts professors and graduate students from disciplines that benefit from good knowledge of Latin.

Participants travel from across the globe to attend

By Sarah Geegan

Seven University of Kentucky students in the College of Arts & Sciences have been awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad. These students are among 2,300 U.S. undergraduates who will be participating in programs abroad during the summer, fall, or 2012-2013 academic year.

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards to U.S. undergraduates who are receiving Federal Pell Grants at a two-year or four-year college or university to study abroad. Scholarships of up to $5,000 may be awarded and vary depending on the length of study and student need. The average award amount is approximately $4,000.

The Gilman Scholarship program supports a diverse group of students who have

By Sarah Geegan, Guy Spriggs

UK graduate Casey Carmichael, who earned his master's degree from the Department of Classics in 2010, was recently awarded a six-month doctoral fellowship from the Leibniz Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany.

The fellowship funds doctoral and post-doctoral candidates to conduct research projects at the Leibniz Institute, an independent research organization that facilitates historical research related to Europe. Carmichael will research and write his doctoral dissertation for the theology faculty at the University of Geneva from July-December 2012.

“Receiving the fellowship has brought me great joy and an added sense of motivation to pursue my doctoral research,” Carmichael

By Guy Spriggs

Casey Carmichael, who earned his masters degree in Classics at the University in Kentucky in 2010, has been awarded six-month doctoral fellowship from the Leibniz Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany.

“Receiving the fellowship has brought me great joy and an added sense of motivation to pursue my doctoral research,” Carmichael said.

The fellowship funds doctoral and post-doctoral candidates to write their research projects at the Leibniz Institute. From July to December 2012, Carmichael will be researching and writing his doctoral dissertation for the Faculty of Theology at the University of Geneva.

Carmichael’s current project focuses on biblical exegesis of seventeenth-century Dutch theologian Johannes Cocceius. “I am fascinated by the

To see a little of what Dr. Francisco Salgado-Robles' students were doing in Seville this summer, take a look at some of the adventures of sophomore Spanish major Nicole Sands, who blogged from Spain about her experiences with the the May session service learning course created by Dr. Salgado-Robles. 

By Jessica Powers

A professor can impact a student during and after their college career in a plethora of ways. Leighanne Root has been able to learn, utilize and grow with her professors throughout her time at the University of Kentucky.

Root entered UK as a philosophy major, but during her freshman year she enrolled in PHI 260 a course on classical philosophy taught by Paul Carelli. She was instantly fascinated by his use of Greek and Latin, so with his guidance, she decided to switch majors to Classics with a minor in philosophy. Carelli helped her transition into the program by consulting with her on questions and giving advice.

Sophomore year, Root enrolled in Greek courses with Professor Amy Clark. Learning a new language with a new alphabet is difficult, but Clark was patient enough to make the task enjoyable to her students.

“Dr. Clark was a huge

By Sarah Geegan

With the school year freshly completed, 11 students in the College of Arts and Sciences are kicking off the summer in a unique way— with a 4-week intensive language and culture program in Shanghai, China.

The faculty-led program, supported by the Chinese Studies program in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Culture, will advance the students' conversational fluency in Chinese. It will also introduce them to traditional and modern aspects of Chinese culture such as calligraphy, tea houses, Shanghai's history and contemporary society.

Assistant Professor of Chinese Matthew Wells said that the 4-

By Whitney Hale

Sarah Gooch, a University of Kentucky junior majoring in Japanese language and literature with a minor in anthropology, has been awarded a National Security Education Program (NSEP) Boren Scholarship to travel to Japan this fall. Gooch is one of 161 award winners selected nationally from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants.

The Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 for U.S. undergraduates to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad. Boren Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program, which focuses on geographic areas, languages and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national

By Whitney Hale

In 1912, an incredible gift of 3,000 cherry blossom trees was bestowed on Washington, D.C. by Tokyo, Japan. Rooted strongly and surviving outside elements, the trees have withstood the test of time and become a beloved treasure of our nation's capital. Nearly a century later, the friendship between Japan and Kentucky is preparing for an unprecedented and once-in‐a‐lifetime centennial celebration of this gift as the Japan/America Society of Kentucky (JASK) paint the state and University of Kentucky campus pink.

In honor of this international friendship between Kentucky and Japan, the Embassy of Japan and the Consul General of Japan in Nashville, Tenn., has awarded the JASK 20 offspring from the original cherry blossom trees to be

The College of Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce that the recipients of the 2012-13 A&S Outstanding Teaching Awards are Drs. Christia Brown (psychology), Brenna Byrd (MCLLC), Yanira Paz (Hispanic Studies), and Bradley Plaster (physics & astronomy).

Dr. Christia Brown has been in the psychology department since 2007 and is affiliated with the Children at Risk Research Cluster, Gender and Women’s Studies, and the UK Center for Poverty Research.  She exemplifies teaching excellence.  She creates an innovative learning environment in every classroom she enters, whether through engagement activities in her large lecture courses or debates in her smaller seminars. One of her students stated, “This is the best class and professor I have ever had at UK.”  Outside the classroom she

By Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky will host the 65th annual Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC), an internationally esteemed colloquium for scholars of language, literature and culture, beginning Thursday, April 19, across the UK campus.

The event will unite scholars from across the world, as the largest U.S. conference dedicated to all aspects of the study of language and its peoples, from technology to teaching, from film to literature, from linguistics to cultural studies. With keynote speakers, discussion panels, research presentations and exhibits, the conference will address issues pertaining to language through multiple platforms.

Doug Slaymaker, executive director of the KFLC and associate professor of 

By Whitney Hale, Lea Mann

The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has chosen 10 outstanding undergraduates as new scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years.

Gaines Fellowships are given in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities. Fellowships are awarded for the tenure of a student's junior and senior years, or for the last two years of a five-year program; students in all disciplines and with any intended profession are given equal consideration.

UK's

By Colleen Glenn

Congratulations are in order for graduate student Jonathan Meyer who has been awarded a fellowship to attend The American School of Classical Studies at Athens next year. Meyer, a Master’s student in the UK Classics Department, will spend the 2012-2013 school year in Greece studying the history and culture of ancient Greece and the Hellenic world.

“When I found out that I had won the fellowship, I was thrilled,” said Meyer. “For months I had imagined myself living in Athens and walking daily in the footsteps of Socrates. Now I knew that that dream was about to be realized.”

A student and teacher of Latin, Meyer also specializes in the Greek language and passed examinations in ancient Greek translation and Greek literature as part of the selection process

By Whitney Hale, Sarah Geegan

A duo of Japan's foremost Tsugaru shamisen performers, Oyama x Nitta, will perform for a Bluegrass audience at an upcoming concert presented by the Japan/America Society of Kentucky (JASK), the University of Kentucky Japan Studies Program and the Asia Center. The concert, part of the statewide Kentucky Cherry Blossom Festival, will take to the stage 3 p.m. Sunday, April 1, at Memorial Hall.

The Tsugaru shamisen is a banjo-like instrument from the Tsugaru region in Aomori Prefecture in the northernmost part of Japan’s central island of Honshu. Oyama x Nitta is comprised of Tsugaru shamisen performers Yutaka Oyama

By Sarah Geegan

The revolutions throughout Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and other nations in the Arab world have inspired earnest debate among experts. Are the ideological underpinnings of the revolutions democratic, religious, liberal or non-ideological? Will these revolutions spearhead an Islamist takeover of the Arab world? Professor Asef Bayat, of the University of Illinois, will address these questions Friday, March 23, in the William T. Young Library auditorium.

The UK College of Arts and Sciences and the Muslim World Working Group will present the symposium titled, "Understanding the Arab Spring." The event will include a lecture from Bayat, "The Arab Spring: Are the Islamists Coming?" as well as commentary from three UK

By Sarah Geegan

The University of Kentucky Asia Center, in the latest installment of its 2012 Spring Speaker Series, will present an exploration of Buddhism and it's place in daily life on Friday, March 23.

The event, which will include two lecturers, will expose students to Buddhism and the social and practical roles it plays in various societies. Professors Ruth Baer from the UK Department of Psychology and Jeffery Samuels from the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Western Kentucky University will present.

Baer,

Robert Wagoner was an undergraduate and graduate student in Classics at the University of Kentucky.  He earned a BA in Classics and Philosophy in 2002, and an MA in Classics and a Graduate Certificate in Latin Studies in 2004.  As a graduate student at UK, Robert pursued both Greek and Latin studies.  He was active in the Institutum and attended the summer Conventicula.  Robert taught intermediate Latin courses and assisted in with courses in Greek and Roman Mythology and Classics in Film.

Upon graduation, Robert pursued doctoral studies at the University of Arizona, where his strong foundation in the classics were an indispensible aid in his studies.  Though no longer teaching Latin, Robert found many opportunities to foster his love for both Greek and Latin.  Robert’s doctoral dissertation focused on the Stoic philosophy