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By Carl Nathe and Kody Kiser

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 8, 2021) — Students often are figuratively encouraged to ‘reach for the stars’ — yet, there are those who actually follow this aspirational goal in a very literal way.

For example, longtime University of Kentucky Professor Gary Ferland, of the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences, recently received a very rare honor for his work in blazing new trails in his…

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By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 9, 2021) — Gary Ferland, a professor in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been named a fellow by the American Astronomical Society (AAS).  Ferland is one of 31 members recognized by the organization for his innovative and significant contributions to astronomy.

Ferland was honored for his work in developing and…

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While STEMCats may be one of the newest Living Learning Communities on campus, it is providing incoming students with many unique opportunities. Students are not only able to live on campus and take courses with like-minded peers, but STEMCats also allows incoming freshmen students to participate in research and connect with peers, upperclassmen, and professors. In this podcast, we talk with several Undergraduate Instructional Assistants, or UIA’s, who have been building connections with STEMCats freshmen through sharing their experiences. Learn…

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From childhood, Susan Gardner has had an interest in how the world works, developing a sense of curiosity that would later fuel her work and inspire her research.  Recently, Gardner, a professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, played an important role in a study that…

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The University of Kentucky's own MacAdam Observatory provides students with the opportunity to use the most powerful telescopic lenses on campus and see the universe. On clear nights, students are welcome to join director Tim Knauer and his graduate assistants as they look out into the stars and observe those celestial bodies.

Here, Tim and assistants Kyle and Aaron join us to talk about running the observatory and their experiences there.

This podcast was produced by…

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T.J. Flynn, a senior working toward a dual degree in mechanical engineering (with aerospace certificate

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The University of Kentucky recently announced big upgrades to its supercomputing infrastructure. This means more power for researchers across the campus working on some of the questions that have puzzled us the longest. 

One such researcher is Professor Gary Ferland of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Since the late 1970s, he’s…
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The Department of Physics & Astronomy is excited to welcome professor Dale Kocevski to its faculty!

Professor Kocevski joins us this fall focused on researching distant galaxies that host actively accreting supermassive black holes. Evidence suggests that the evolution of galaxies is intricately linked to the presence of black holes at their center. Kocevski plans to use multi-wavelength observations to examine the demographics of the galaxies that host these growing black holes.  
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We hear a lot about "energy independence" and "renewable energy," but what do those terms actually mean? A class is being offered to answer these questions and introduce students to concepts and debates around energy: where it comes from, how we use it, and what the future of energy looks like.  

UKC120, “Physics of Energy,” will examine coal, oil, nuclear power, hydroelectricity, wind, and solar power. Professor Joseph Straley will teach the course, and in this…

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