Dr. Yinan Wei, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Kentucky, has received an award to study membrane protein oligomerizations in bilayers. This award, supported by The Chemistry of Life Processes Program in the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation, investigates protein-protein interactions in the cell membrane that lead to the assembly of functional protein complexes.
A team of scientists at the University of Kentucky and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to develop a prototype of a battery utilizing chemical components prepared at UK. Professors Susan Odom and John Anthony (UK Chemistry) synthesized new organic compounds as donors and acceptors for a type of battery called a redox flow battery (RFB), currently of great interest for large-scale energy storage.
In the summer of 2014, several undergraduate and graduate students from the College of Arts & Sciences received a grant from the National Science Foundation. This NSF grant gave them the means to pursue research in various fields as they explored their interests and prepared for their potential futures. In this interview, we speak with Emily VanMeter, a senior Political Science and French Studies major. VanMeter speaks about her research on civil conflict and peacekeeping and how her project helped her explore the unseen processes of academia.
Research at the University of Kentucky expands well beyond campus, and thanks to Physics & Astronomy professor Gary Ferland we have to measure the distance in light years instead of miles.