1.         UK Leads Clinical Trial of New Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease

In a move that demonstrates “bench to bedside” health care at the University of Kentucky, a team of UK College of Medicine researchers has begun a clinical trial of a new investigational treatment for Parkinson's disease that may directly influence the degenerative disease process by regenerating damaged brain cells. The research team is composed of Greg Gerhardt, Anatomy and Neurobiology and Neurology, Don Gash, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Byron Young, Surgery, and John Slevin, Neurology and Pharmacology. Funded by a $5 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a division of the National Institutes of Health, the research concerns delivering glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor directly to the diseased part of the brain.  Gerhardt joined the College of Medicine in 1999 as part of the Research Challenge Trust Fund (RCTF) set up by the 1997 Kentucky General Assembly to attract researchers to UK. Without the addition of Gerhardt through the RCTF program, UK would not have been competitive for the grant for the Udall Center.

2.         Two UK Students Are Awarded Prestigious Truman Scholarships  

Conley D. Chaney of Pine Knot, Ky., and Julie Murray of Charleston, W.Va., became the tenth and eleventh UK students to win the three-year, $30,000 Truman Scholarships since the program was launched in 1975.  President Lee T. Todd Jr. personally informed them of their selection during their Public Policy Analysis class on March 19.  Of the cash award, $3,000 is earmarked for their senior year and $27,000 for two to three years of graduate study.  Among the criteria for selection are exceptional academic records, extensive backgrounds in public and community service, outstanding leadership potential and communication skills and a commitment to careers in government or elsewhere in public service.

3.         Administrators Agree to Donate Part of Raises for New Scholarship Fund

About 20 UK academic administrators including the acting provost, the associate provosts and deans agreed to forego 1 percent of the 3 percent pool available for their personal one-time compensation increase to support a new scholarship fund targeting Kentucky’s top high school students.  The administrators’ contribution, totaling $20,000, will go toward scholarships for Governor’s Scholars and students in the Governor’s School for the Arts who will attend UK for the first time in the Fall 2002 semester.  Last year, about 125 of these students chose to attend UK.  Acting Provost Michael Nietzel predicts that number will double by next fall.     

4.         Three College of Medicine Departments Are Listed in NIH Funding’s Top 10

Three UK College of Medicine departments are ranked among the top 10 public medical school programs receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2001.  The Psychology/Behavioral Science Department was ranked second among its peer programs. The Physiology Department was listed as sixth among its peers, and the Aging clinical program was ranked third in the “other health professions” category.  Meanwhile, three other basic science departments and a clinical department were in the top 20 among their peer programs in funding to public medical schools: Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology, 11th; Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, 12th; and Anatomy and Neurobiology, 13th; and clinical program Neurology, 19th.  NIH funding to the college increased by about $3 million overall in 2001.

5.         Kentucky’s Seismic Network Upgraded to Give Real-time Measures

The Kentucky Seismic and Strong-Motion Network (KSSMN) upgraded hardware and software to give users unprecedented data-management and processing capabilities. Operated jointly by the Kentucky Geological Survey and Department of Geological Sciences since the early 1980s, KSSMN is the third-largest seismic network in the central United States. A Web site, www.uky.edu/KGS/geologichazards/, is now displaying real-time seismograms.

6.         ‘Jarrett’s Joy Cart’ Creator Is Focus of New Book

Jarrett Mynear, 12, of Nicholasville, is the subject of a new book by Fox 56 News anchor Marvin Bartlett that details the youngster’s inspiring response to Ewing’s sarcoma.  Jarrett, who was first diagnosed with the disease at age 2, had his right leg amputated at 3 and has been rediagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma five times and once with a pre-leukemia blood disorder.  In 1998, during a 38-day recovery from a bone marrow transplant at the UK Hospital, Jarrett organized a toy drive to help cheer other children-patients at the hospital.  The result, “Jarrett’s Joy Cart,” has been a fixture at the UK Children’s Hospital since 1999.

7.         Country Music’s Loretta Lynn Receives Honorary Doctorate From UK

Country music star and Eastern Kentucky native Loretta Lynn was presented in absentia with an honorary doctor of arts degree from UK in early March.  Lynn’s brother, Herman Webb, received the award due to Loretta Lynn’s illness. The ceremony in the Singletary Center for the Arts followed an academic procession that included members of the UK Board of Trustees and many deans, faculty and staff members.  In making the presentation, James W. Holsinger Jr., senior vice president of UK and chancellor of the UK Albert B. Chandler Medical Center, noted Lynn’s career includes 75 charted hits, 53 top 10 country singles and 16 top-selling country albums.

8.         UK Researches Effectiveness of Gestational Diabetes Pill

Pregnant women with gestational diabetes may soon have an alternative to insulin injections.  The UK College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is enrolling subjects for a study of acarbose, an oral anti-hyperglycemic agent for women with gestational diabetes.  Arthur T. Evans, professor and director of maternal-fetal medicine in the department, is leading the clinical trial, along with researchers at the University of East Virginia Medical School.

9.         UK’s Championship Cheerleaders Visit President Bush, Kentucky Legislators

The UK Cheerleading Squad, which won its eighth consecutive national championship in January, met President Bush at the White House on March 12 during a Champions Day ceremony.  While in Washington, D.C., the cheerleaders also visited Congressmen Hal Rogers and Ernie Fletcher and U.S. Senator Jim Bunning.  Upon their return to Kentucky, the cheerleaders traveled to Frankfort to be honored by the Kentucky General Assembly.

10.        UK Archaeologist Locates 17th Century Dwelling Outside Richmond, Va.

UK archaeologist Donald W. Linebaugh has located the original 17th century dwelling house of an early-American merchant-trader in Hopewell, Va., near the Virginia capital of Richmond.  Linebaugh and six graduate students in the College of Architecture’s historic preservation program spent spring break excavating the site.  Evidence shows the property was built about 1680 by Robert Bolling, who imported goods from England and other parts of Europe to sell to traders who then traded for furs with Native Americans living further inland.  Linebaugh said Bolling was married to Jane Rolfe, the granddaughter of Pocahontas and John Rolfe.  Several descendants of Bolling visited the site to talk with Linebaugh and the students on March 15, and the gathering received attention from Richmond-area newspapers and TV stations.

11.        UK to Help Launch Program to Improve Access to Health Care for Latinos

The UK Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention will join the University of Tennessee and Kentucky State University to establish a model program to improve access to health care for Spanish-speaking Latinos in Kentucky and Tennessee.  The universities will receive $538,000 over four years to run the program in Montgomery and Shelby counties in Kentucky and in Coffee and Bedford counties in Tennessee. Those counties have seen fast growth in Latino populations, according to the most recent U.S. Census.

12.        Paducah Faculty Active in Retaining Uranium Enrichment Plant

The faculty at the UK College of Engineering’s Paducah Program, have been actively engaged in support of retaining the uranium enrichment plant in Western Kentucky.  Retaining the plant is an initiative mentioned by President Todd in his inaugural speech.  Among the activities are Paul Dunbar and Rhonda Lee’s project to explore using depleted uranium as battery materials.  More than 1 billion pounds of this material is stored on the plant site.  The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing funding.   

13.        UK Signs Agreement for Faculty, Student Exchange With Brazilian University

The University of Kentucky and Federal University of Vicosa (UFV) in Vicosa, Brazil, have signed a cooperative agreement to facilitate exchange of faculty and students. Vicosa, located in Minas Gerais state, is centrally located.  Faculty at UFVare interested in UK sabbatical opportunities and sandwich programs for dissertation work. Two other Brazilian universities, the Federal University of Lavras and the University of Campinas, are also in final talks to formulate agreements with UK.  Rich Gates, Agricultural Engineering, is leading the talks.

14.        UK Women’s Cancer Specialist Ranks Among Nation’s Best

A UK Chandler Medical Center gynecologic oncologist has been ranked among the nation’s best in the latest edition of “America’s Top Doctors,” published by Castle Connolly.  John R. van Nagell, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the UK College of Medicine and director of the medical center’s Division of Gynecologic Oncology and the Ovarian Cancer Screening Program, was one of nine gynecologic oncology specialists in the Southeast listed by the firm.  Its periodic listing was also printed in Ladies Home Journal’s April 2002 issue.  Van Nagell has been affiliated with the UK Chandler Medical Center as both a physician and faculty member since 1971. 

15.        Significant Activities of Students

Sanjiv Ganguli, Mining Engineering and Computer Science graduate, has won the Graduate Division of the 2001 Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) Outstanding Student Paper Contest.  Ganguli’s winning paper is entitled “Simulation of Mine Power Systems of an Underground Coal Mine in SIMAN.”

Jeff Mills, Pharmacy, received first runner-up in the national patient counseling competition at the American Pharmaceutical Association’s annual meeting in Philadelphia last month. 

The UK College of Pharmacy chapter of the American Pharmaceutical Association Academy of Students of Pharmacy (APhA-ASP) was presented the chapter achievement award for pharmacy schools with enrollment of 300 to 400 students on March 19 at the APhA-ASP national meeting in Philadelphia.  Forty-seven students from the UK College of Pharmacy chapter attended the meeting.

16.        Significant Faculty and Staff Activities

Roy Burris and Les Anderson, Animal Sciences, and Jimmy Henning, Agronomy, received a $250,000 grant from the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association for development of their master cattleman program.

James Cobb, director of the Kentucky Geological Survey, was appointed to the Committee on Earth Resources for the National Research Council.  The committee investigates resource and environmental issues for federal government agencies.

Don Colliver, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, has been selected as a Distinguished Lecturer by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Nancy Cox, Agriculture, received $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue research concerning Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome.

Burt Davis, Center for Applied Energy Research, presented “Environmental Impacts of Synthesized Transportation Fuels” at the third International Symposium on Synthesis of Ecological High-Quality Transportation Fuels.

Greg Davis, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has been appointed co-director of the 29th Annual New England Seminar in Forensic Sciences. 

Greg Davis and John Hunsaker, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, both have been appointed as Interdisciplinary Fellows of the College of Law in recognition of their teaching activities.

James Drahovzal, Kentucky Geological Survey, received the 2001 Eastern Section American Association of Petroleum Geologists Levorsen Memorial Best Paper Award for a paper titled “Midcontinent Interactive Digital Carbon Atlas and Relational Database.” Drahovzal also received this award in 1996.

Dayong Gao, Mechanical Engineering, received funding for two research projects:  $221,500 from Baxter Healthcare Corp. for “Development of Novel Artificial Kidney with Internal Filtration Ability” and $305,000 from Baxter Healthcare Corp. for “Characterization of a New Generation of Artificial Kidney and Its Reprocessing.”

Dayong GAO, Mechanical Engineering, has authored five journal papers thus far this spring: “Low-molecular Weight Proteins in End-stage Renal Disease: Potential Toxicity and Dialytic Removal Mechanisms” for the Journal of American Society of Nephrology; “Determinants of Uremic Toxin Removal” for the Journal of Nephrology, Dialysis, and Transplantation; “Properties of Membranes Used for Hemodialysis Therapy” for Seminars in Dialysis;  “The Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Measure the Local Ultrafiltration Rate in Hemodialyzers” for the Journal of Membrane Science; and “Numerical Simulation of the Freezing Process of a Ternary System (Water-NaCl-DSMO) with Cells and the Corresponding Cell Response” for the Journal of the University of Science and Technology of China.

Richard Gates, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, presented the paper “Algorithms for Capturing Individual Bird Behavior from Time-series Feed Weight Data” at the Federal University of Vicosa, Brazil.  He also presented two additional papers at the World Congress of Computers in Agriculture and Natural Resources, Iguassu Falls, Brazil: “Static Pressure and Temperature Controlled Ventilation System for a Caged Broiler Research Facility” and “A Measurement and Control System for Studying Animal-environment Interactions.”

Richard Gates, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, published the paper “Surface Diffusive Resistances of Rooted Poinsettia Cuttings Under Controlled-Environment Conditions”, in Transactions of the ASAE. He is also the author of two additional papers “Drinking Water Temperature Effects on Laying Hens Subjected to Warm Cyclic Environments” in Poultry Science, and “An Instrumentation System for Measuring Feeding and Drinking Behavior of Poultry” in Applied Engineering in Agriculture.

Richard Gates, R. G. Anderson, Sue Nokes, George Duncan and S. Zolnier, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, have published “Non-water-stressed Baseline as a Tool for Dynamic Control of a Misting System for Propagation of Poinsettias” in Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.

Said A. Ghabrial, Plant Pathology, was elected as Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society.

Stephen Greb, Cortland Eble and Donald Chesnut, Kentucky Geological Survey, received the best paper award in the coal geology division of the Geological Society of America for their paper “Spatial and Temporal Trends of Lower and Middle Pennsylvanian Coals, Central Appalachian Basin, U.S.A.,” presented at the 2001 national meeting.

Donn Hancher, Civil Engineering, has received the James M. Robbins Excellence in Teaching Award for 2001 from the national Chi Epsilon civil engineering honor society.

John R. Hartman, Plant Pathology, received the Southern Region Horticultural Science’s Extension Award.

Donna Hewett, Engineering, was elected chair-elect of the Cooperative Education Division of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) for 2002 at the ASEE February meeting. She will serve as president in 2003 and past-president in 2004.

Clair Hicks, Animal Sciences, and former graduate student Zeynep Ustunol received a patent for their method of inhibiting binding activity of immunoglobulins.

Clair Hicks, Animal Sciences, has received the 2002 Institute of Food Technologists research and development award. 

Ranu Jung, Electrical and Computer Engineering, received the 2002 Science and Engineering Award, Governors Certificate of Recognition from the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Ranu Jung, Electrical and Computer Engineering, received $781,920 from the National Institutes of Health for his project “A Rodent Model for FNS Control.” He also published the paper “Variability Analyses Suggest That Supraspino-spinal Interactions Provide Dynamic Stability in Motor Control” in Brain Research.

Peter D. Nagy, Plant Pathology, won two Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation research and development program awards for his work on biotechnology.

William C. Nesmith, Plant Pathology, received the Southern Division Outstanding Plant Pathologist Award from the American Phytopathological Society.

Brandon Nuttall, James Drahovzal and Cortland Eble, Kentucky Geological Survey, received a three-year, $364,453 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for their project, “Analysis of Devonian Black Shale in Kentucky for Potential Carbon Dioxide Sequestration and Enhanced Natural Gas Production.”

Peter Oeltgen, Pathology, has been awarded a U.S. patent for his invention, “Protection Against Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury.”  Among the co-inventors is Mark S. Kindy, Biochemistry.

Tom Robl, Center for Applied Energy Research, reported on a NATO-funded CAER project titled “Planning Grant for Environmental Impact and Reuse of Oil Shale Combustion Solid Waste in Estonia” at the 21st Meeting of the Science for Peace Steering Group. This environmental project is designed to assess the impact of the largest ash landfill in the world on the hydrology of the region.

Will Snell, Agricultural Economics, received the Tobacco Economics Award from the Tobacco Merchants Association.

David Snowden, Center on Aging, received one of the 53rd Annual Christopher Awards in the category of “Books for Adults,” for his book, “Aging with Grace.”

Scott Stephens, Mechanical Engineering, has published the paper “Influence of Stator Slot Geometry and Rotor Eccentricity on Field Distribution in Cylindrical Magnetic Actuators” in IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

Jeff Stringer, Forestry, was presented the 2002 National Outstanding Extension Forester of the Year award by the Forest Landowners Association at its annual meeting in South Carolina.  He also was named to the organization’s board of directors.  In addition, he was awarded three Exceptional Programming Awards by the Cooperative Extension Service Southern Region for his video on hardwood forest management, his master tree farmer program and his Extension newsletter, LogJam.

Lee T. Todd Jr., UK president, received the Communicator of the Year Award from the Lexington chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Eric Vanzant, John Johns, Keith Schillo and Darrh Bullock, Animal Sciences, and Larry Turner and Richard Gates, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, received a $100,000 grant from the Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation for their project concerning remote continuous temperature detection in beef cattle. 

Whit Whitaker, University Health Services, and John S. Wiggs, Kentucky School of Public Health, received the 2002 Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Award presented by the UK Chandler Medical Center.

Jun Zhang, Computer Science, received a $217,577 grant from the Department of Energy for his project “Development of a High-Performance Anisotropic Diffusion Equation Solver Using the ACTS Toolkit.”