By Carl Nathe

D. Stephen Voss is the 2017 recipient of the William E. Lyons Award, co-sponsored by the University of Kentucky’s Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and the Department of Political Science, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. The annual honor is given to one person in recognition of a long record of outstanding service to UK, the community and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The award is named for the late "Bill" Lyons, a professor of political science and public administration, who during his much-admired tenure at UK served as director of the Martin School and chaired the political science department.

Voss is an is associate

By Gail Hairston

The University of Kentucky will send 59 undergraduate student-researchers to the 31st annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at the University of Memphis April 6-8.

The UK group joins young researchers from around the world to showcase their research findings through poster and oral presentations. Each student will be given the opportunity to discuss their display and share their research results, illuminating how their work will have an impact on future research development. UK has been an active NCUR participant since the mid ’90s.

One of the first things these young researchers learn is that most research is not conducted in the traditional laboratory with bubbling beakers and flaming Bunsen burners. But modern research spans all disciplines and majors, and includes a wide variety of activities.

“For some

By Gail Hairston

The second in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ “Civic Life” panel series continues noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, in the UK Athletics Auditorium of the William T. Young Library. The panel discussion series focuses on a wide range of issues confronting society today. 

Wednesday’s topic is “Emerging Trends in U.S. Defense and Human Rights” led by Associate Professor Clayton Thyne, Assistant Professor Jesse Johnson and Assistant Professor Jillienne Haglund, all members of the UK Department of Political Science.

Thyne is also director the college’s 

By Gail Hairston and Whitney Hale

Ernest Yanarella, chair of the Department of Political Science for the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, is one of 10 scholars worldwide who have received a Shanghai Elite Collaborative Research Grant. The grant will allow Yanarella to join his colleague Lu Chao, professor of management at Shanghai University, for a month in China, enhancing their research. Yanarella's research was eligible for this prestigious grant due to the joint effort of UK’s Confucius Institute and the Office of China Initiatives whose mission is to

By Lori Minter

A record number of students made the University of Kentucky Dean's List for the fall 2016 semester. The 7,408 students were recognized for their outstanding academic performance.  That's an increase of more than 200 over the previous record reached in fall 2015 when the number of students on the UK Dean's List surpassed 7,000 for the first time.  Last semester's Dean's List includes over 700 more students than the spring 2016 semester's list.

To make a Dean’s List in one of the UK colleges, a student must earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher and must have earned 12 credits or more in that semester, excluding credits earned in pass-fail classes.  Some UK colleges require a 3.5 GPA to make the Dean’s List.

The full Dean's List can be accessed by visiting www.uky.edu/PR

By Jay Blanton and Kody Kiser

On Jan. 20, the United States of America observed the “peaceful transfer of power” that for more than two centuries has marked the transition from one U.S. president to another.  

Shortly after noon, Donald J. Trump officially became the 45th president of the United States. 

At this moment in the country’s history, UKNOW wanted to get a perspective on the campaign that just occurred and the policy issues — both domestic and foreign — that a new a new president and Congress will likely tackle. 

To explore these issues in depth, we talked with two leading experts — Emily Beaulieu, an associate professor in comparative politics, and Stephen Voss, an associate professor specializing in

By Jordyn Comitor

The University of Kentucky Debate Team had a strong first semester of their 2016-2017 season, led by the exceptionally strong freshmen team of Dan Bannister and Anthony Trufanov.

Their season started at the Georgia State University tournament where, for the fourth year in a row, the team made it to the Sweet 16 round of competition: a recurring achievement for the team this semester. Out of the 105 teams there, the team of Theo Noparstak and Holmes Hampton finished as the 17th overall seed and the team of Bannister and Trufanov finished as the 12th overall seed.

Bannister, a political science major from Saint Paul, Minnesota, was the 19th overall speaker in the Georgia State competition and the only freshman to make it into the top 20

By Gail Hairston

Emily Boulieu's honors class observed Fayette County polling locations as part of a national research project.

For most of the University of Kentucky students observing Lexington’s polling places on Election Day, it was their first experience engaged in the nation’s electoral process. They were taking part in a nationwide review of the voting process, led by Associate Professor of Comparative Politics Emily Beaulieu.

Some students came away with indelible memories.

Eric Bingham noted a young immigrant, obviously voting for her first time with her eyes brimming with tears and pride. “To see the joy she had and the pride she took in voting, made me very proud of my country,” he said.

Those standing in line, waiting, also caught Bingham’s attention. Teenagers voting

By Gail Hairston

By Jennifer T. Allen

Abby Córdova, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, is spending the fall semester as a Central America Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. Each year the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) selects 10-12 distinguished academics and professionals to spend one or two semesters at Harvard working on their own research and writing projects.

Cordova is focusing her work on “Living in a Hotspot: How Gang Activity in Central American Neighborhoods Impacts Political Participation.”

“This research projects explores the pathways through which gang activity in Central American neighborhoods is affecting the consolidation of democracy in the region. I find

By Gail Hairston and Lydia Moore

By Bryant Welbourne

By Carl Nathe

(April 25, 2016) — Allison Connelly, the James and Mary T. Lassiter Clinical Professor in the College of Law and founding director of the University of Kentucky College of Law Legal Clinic, is the 2016 recipient of the William E. Lyons Award, co-sponsored by the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and the Department of Political Science, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. The annual honor is given to one person in recognition of

By Rebecca Stratton

(April 12, 2016) — Want to get to know the people behind some of the biggest student leadership positions on campus? We did, too! That's why we're excited to introduce "see blue." #selfie — a brand new series on UKNow that lets student leaders from across campus tell us a little bit more about themselves and their organizations. This week, the 2016 president of the Black Student Union, Jeremiah Pickett.

Jeremiah Pickett, a junior political science major from the south suburbs of Chicago, is this year's Black Student Union (BSU) president at the University of Kentucky. Pickett strives to take on the task of nurturing others during their time at UK. He's always open to helping out where he can, catching a good movie at his favorite theater in Lexington and building community by investing in his friends and

By Dara Vance

The University of Kentucky’s Department of Political Science is serious about research collaboration. According to Associate Professor Clayton Thyne, “the department has invested heavily in promoting professor-student collaborations over the past several years, and we have seen this investment pay off with a number of co-authored working papers, conference presentations, and published articles.”  He adds, “a major goal of the program is to develop students who have excellent research skills and have solid foundation when they enter the job market.”

 An example of professor and student collaboration is a project recently published in International Studies Quarterly (2015). Dr. Thyne and UK Political Science Ph.D. candidate Anup Phayal both study civil war and peace building. Thyne helped guide Phayal and co-author Prabin Khadka in their research

By Gail Hairston

(April 4, 2016) — Students in Stephen Voss’ "PS 476: Legislative Process" course helped craft a watchdog class project to follow legislation through the Kentucky State Legislature.

Voss, University of Kentucky associate professor of political science and a frequent media analyst and commentator on state and national politics, proposed “Frankfort Focus” to engage his students in the day-in, day-out workings of a state government.

The "PS 476" course enrolls a mixture of students. About two-thirds of them major in either political science or related fields. The rest are part of the UK Department of Political Science Kentucky Legislative Internship