By Elizabeth Chapin

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 27, 2021) – Each year, the University of Kentucky’s Students Participating as Ambassadors for Research in Kentucky (SPARK) gives a select group of undergraduates from diverse backgrounds a unique, hands-on research opportunity to prepare them for graduate study in health-related fields. Student recipients include two in the College of Arts & Sciences. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic provided new obstacles for SPARK’s 2020 cohort, the three students – Alexis James, Hope Makumbi and Roberto Obregon Garcia – say the challenges brought opportunities to focus on their research, particularly with communication.

SPARK, which was launched last year by UK’s Center for Health Equity Transformation

Neuroscience and Psychology major Abigail (Abby) Wilcox is an Ambassador for Bumble's marketing campaign. Initially launched as a dating app, Bumble has become a powerful player in creating healthy relationships, friendships and business connections!  Abby is a Bumble Brand ambassador and Campus Director at UK and works hand in hand with their marketing team sharing her knowledge! Her photo was recently posted on the NASDAQ Jumbotron in Times Square New York City recognizing their success and Bumble becoming a publicly-traded company. 

The intersection of neuroscience and marketing has created a growing career path for students with training in neuroscience, with capitol investment, direct sales, and giant social media firms recruiting recent neuroscience graduates with an interest in the coporate side of human behavior. 

Billie Gordon, Ph.D.

Billi Gordon may just be the most unique neuroscientist on this list. After a career as an actor, television writer, and the most successful greeting card model of all time, Gordon returned to University of Michigan to complete his education and establish himself as a major player in the field of neurology. Gordon is now best known for his work on the pathophysiology of stress as antecedent to obesity-related disease. Having

Neuroscience major Nicole Marguerite has published a scientific paper as the lead author ! Working in the laboratory of Dr. Robin Cooper, Associate Director of the Neuroscience B.S. Program, Nicole led an effort to study the effects of temperature fluctuations on neuronal control of heart rate in insects. The full citation is below. Congratulations to Nicole and her colleagues !

Marguerite, N.T., Bernard, J., Harrison, D., Harris, D. and Cooper,

R.L. (2021). The effect temperature on heart rate for the medicinal

blow fly (Phaenicia sericata) and Drosophila melanogaster with altered

expression of TRPA1 receptors. INSECTS 12(1):38.

The Kentucky Academy of Science recently held its 2020 Student Research Competition. Two neuroscience majors were award winners. Their names and the title of their research presentation is below.

Shelby McCubbin, UK, "Conducting authentic curriculum undergraduate research experiences (ACUREs) in teaching laboratories"

Nicole Marguerite, UK,  "Effect of temperature on heart rate for Phaenicia sericata and Drosophila melanogaster with altered TRPA1 expression"

The Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center is thrilled to announce the inaugural awards of the African American Research Training Scholars (AARTS) program to the following five undergraduate students !

Their research topics and mentors are included, below. 

Nolan Abdelsayed  – “Neuroinflammation as a Contributor to Secondary Brain Injury Following a Mild Closed Head Injury”  (Mentor: Adam Bachstetter)

Jordan Burdette – “Cellular Regeneration in the Injured Spinal Cord”  (Mentor: Warren Alilain)

Urim Geleta – “MicroRNA Regulation of Neuroinflammation Following TBI” (Mentor: Joe Springer)

Alexa Halliburton – “Age and Social Enrichment as Determining Factors in SCI Recovery” (Mentor: John Gensel)

Bisimwa “Jack” Nzerhumana – “Mitochondrial Uncoupling Promotes Energy Metabolism Following TBI” (

Butterfield Recognized as a Leading Alzheimer’s Expert

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 9, 2020) — Allan Butterfield, a professor of biological chemistry in the University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences, has been named among the world’s leading Alzheimer’s disease experts by Expertscape, an online base of biomedical expertise.

Butterfield is among the top 0.007% of scholars worldwide based on authorship of Alzheimer’s-related publications indexed in the PubMed database

The UK Department of Chemistry and the UK Office for Institutional Diversity have arranged to make the film, Picture a Scientist, available for anyone in the University of Kentucky community to view.

“PICTURE A SCIENTIST chronicles the groundswell of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists. Biologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring lead viewers on a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, ranging from brutal harassment to years of subtle slights. Along the way, from cramped laboratories to spectacular field stations, we encounter scientific luminaries - including social scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists - who provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all.”

Licensed viewers will be

By C. Lynn Hiler T

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 24, 2020) — The University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence has announced its newest class of 31 Chellgren Student Fellows.  

The Chellgren Center Student Fellows Program aligns with the university’s goal of cultivating undergraduate excellence. By providing experiences that go beyond the classroom, students become prepared for the next phase of their career, whether it be graduate school or a gap year dedicated to service. 

COVID-19 has certainly made for an unprecedented academic year. Students and professors are adhering to mask regulations in the classroom, dining halls are empty and many classes are completely online. In spite of this unexpected turn of events, Philipp Kraemer, Chellgren Chair

By Hillary Smith

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 6, 2020) — Members of the University of Kentucky Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center (SCoBIRC), in collaboration with UK College of Arts and Sciences, are working to increase the representation of Black undergraduate students in neuroscience.

“It is our obligation as professors and scientists to train the next generation of neuroscientists and to promote diversity and inclusivity in doing so,” said Mark Prendergast, director of the neuroscience B.S. degree program within the College of Arts & Sciences.

SCoBIRC is providing $25,000 to fund five yearly research training awards for undergraduate

Congratulations to Neuroscience Majors Vaaragie Subramaniam and Andrew Turner , who received research fellowships from the Neuroscience Research Priority Area for 2020-2021 !

Vaaragie will be studying the means by which chronic activation of hypoxia pathways in the brain can cause damage, leading to neurodegeneration and cerebrovascular injury iin the laboratory of Dr. Florin Despa (https://pharmns.med.uky.edu/users/fde226), in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences at UK.

Andrew will be studying the genetics of Alzheimer's Disease in the laboratory of Dr. Steve Estus (https://physiology.med.uky.edu/users/sestus2), in the Department of Physiology at UK.

On July1 , 2020, Dr. Lynda Sharrett-Field will become the new Director of Undergraduate Studies in Neuroscience, replacing Dr. Robin Cooper.

You may begin contacting Dr. Sharrett-Field with any questions beginning now, at lsharrett@uky.edu

Dr. Cooper will be appointed Associate Director of the major and will work closely with Director Dr. Mark Prendergast.  Dr. Sharrett-Field received her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (Neuroscience track) in 2013 and has been a member of the Psychology Department since that time, focusing on the teaching of behavioral neuroscience.  Since 2015, Dr. Sharrett-Field has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Neuroscience B.S. Program. She looks forward to working with you all !

Congratulations to undergraduate researcher Abigail Wilcox and graduate student Caleb Bailey !!

Abby and Caleb were awarded a grant, entitled "Tauopathic Characterization of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: The Impact of Alcohol-Induced Neuroinflammation on Insulin Insensitivity in Sustained Tau Phosphorylation", from the University of Kentucky Substance Abuse Research Priority Area (SUPRA).

These studies will examine a new theory of how alcohol damages the developing brain !

            UK professors Dr. John Littleton, CEO of Naprogenix, Inc.,  and Dr. Mark Prendergast are investigating the effects of COVID-19 “spike proteins” on the brain. COVID-19 spike proteins may be toxic in the brain, particularly in an alcohol-dependent brain. Many patients with COVID-19 are reporting losses of smell and taste, indicating that the virus or proteins associated with it are entering the brain (as HIV-1 does). Because of the unique molecular structure of the virus spike proteins, they are likely to target neurochemical receptors that are "upregulated" by chronic alcohol intake. This suggests that alcohol-abusing individuals may be particularly susceptible to COVID-19- related CNS symptoms. Littleton and Prendergast have submitted a grant, which is a supplement to a National Institutes of Health award to Naprogenix, Inc., to extend

By Whitney Hale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 13, 2020) — The University of Kentucky Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has announced that five students and alumnae have been selected to receive government-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships. In addition, six other UK students received honorable mention recognition from the foundation. Included among the recipients are College of Arts & Sciences alumni and current undergraduates. 

NSF Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees for a research-based master's or doctoral degree in a STEM (science, technology,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gmHVLFOSM

By Danielle Donham

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 4, 2020) — The University of Kentucky has honored two senior students with the Otis A. Singletary Outstanding Senior Award at the virtual Lead Blue: Student Organizations Celebration and Award Ceremony on April 28. This year’s recipients were Michael Hamilton and Joe Walden.

The Otis A. Singletary Outstanding Senior Award was established in 1978 as the first award recognizing overall student leadership at UK. The award is named after former University of Kentucky President Otis A. Singletary.

Students nominated for this award have displayed outstanding leadership while attending the University of Kentucky, made significant contributions to academics

Neuroscience Majors at the University of Kentucky are living all over the United States in Spring 2020, taking classes remotely. Hear how they are dealing with remote learning by downloading the short video file below.

https://neuroscience.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Dealing%20with%20Re…

UK is home to nearly 300 neuroscience faculty members, who are appointed in the Colleges of Arts & Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, Agriculture and even Economics !  This cross-campus collaboration makes our Neuroscience major very unique and allows our students to be exposed to cutting-edge technological research and in-class approaches throughout their time at UK !

1 of every 7 neuroscience majors at UK is conducting independent research in the laboratory of a UK faculty member !  This hands-on experience with neuroscience often begins in the student's first or second year and involves a close mentoring relationship with a UK professor and other lab members. All students may gain course credit for conducting independent research !

Areas of research emphasis at UK include drug and alcohol dependence treatment, aging and Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's

By Gabriela Antenore

The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has selected 12 undergraduate students as new scholars for the Gaines Fellowship Program.

The Gaines Fellowship is presented 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. Founded in 1984 by a gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities functions as a laboratory for imaginative and innovative education on UK’s campus. The Gaines Center is designed to enrich the study of the humanities at the