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University of Louisville researchers will serve up a buffet of diverse subjects — urban conservation, handcrafted glass, tobacco-use perceptions and capital sentencing – through a luncheon lecture series this fall.
The College of Arts and Sciences and the Liberal Studies Project offer the monthly Meet the Professor series to highlight the college’s research and cultural offerings.
The Thursday luncheon talks begin at noon in the University Club. Reservations are required, with $15 payment in cash or check. To reserve a spot, contact Janna Tajibaeva at 502-852-2247 or janna@louisville.edu no later than the Monday before each event.
Here are the fall 2016 semester talks: Continue reading
One of only 16 schools receiving five-star rating
The University of Louisville has been named among America’s “Best of the Best” LGBTQ-friendly universities by a national nonprofit organization that rates colleges and universities according to their support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
UofL is one of only 16 schools in the nation to earn five stars out of five in the Campus Pride Index, released this week by the organization Campus Pride. The index showcases 30 top-rated colleges and universities with LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs and practices.
UofL is the only public university in the South ranked among the “Best of the Best.” Other universities being recognized range from Ivy League schools Cornell and Princeton in the East to UCLA and University of Washington in the West.
“Being recognized at this level is the collective work of so many people, including faculty who are teaching LGBT-focused courses, alumni who are creating new LGBT scholarships, admissions staff recruiting talented LGBT students, administrators, and that list goes on and on,” said Brian Buford, assistant provost for diversity and LGBT Center director. “We are really embracing the title of ‘Best of the Best’ all across the University of Louisville, and that’s what makes us stand out among our peer institutions.”
Buford said UofL’s ranking benefited from several new efforts in 2015-16. Those included establishing three new scholarships for LGBT students, including one targeted specifically to LGBT students of color. UofL also drew national attention for developing the eQuality Project, an effort to help its School of Medicine students understand and appreciate issues specific to LGBT patients. The university’s LGBT Center also assembled and provided more than 200 emergency survival kits for homeless LGBT youth in Louisville and Atlanta.
For comment or more information about UofL’s ranking, call Buford at 502-852-0227. For more information on Campus Pride and to see all the rankings, visit CampusPride.org/CampusPrideTopCampuses.
Qualified Participants Paid for Involvement in Research
Non-smokers aged 18-40 are sought for a research trial at the University of Louisville examining how flavors added to tobacco may lead to harmful outcomes.
The “Flavor and Addiction to e-Cigarette and Tobacco Toxicity” trial — or FACTT — is carried out by the American Heart Association Tobacco Research and Addiction Center at UofL. Principal investigator for the trial is Sanjay Srivastava, Ph.D., who also currently has ongoing toxicological studies of tobacco and nicotine to identify which chemicals are harmful and can be regulated.
The center was established in 2013 with a $10.7 million grant from the NIH and FDA. Under the leadership of director Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D., the center conducts multidisciplinary research to help shape the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products as they are regulated by the FDA.
UofL is building a body of research in the potential hazards of electronic cigarettes. In 2014, Bhatnagar chaired the 10-member panel of national experts that developed the American Heart Association’s first-ever policy statement on e-cigarettes, citing the paucity of research that has been conducted on the effects of e-cigarettes on health.
Another researcher with the UofL center, Daniel Conklin, Ph.D., is currently researching links between e-cigarette ingredients and cardiovascular conditions; Earlier this year, Conklin was invited to present his first findings showing the link between e-cigarette ingredients and atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the arteries, by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for its Annual Meeting.
To be eligible for the FACTT trial, participants must not only be non-smokers, they also must be unmedicated and otherwise healthy. The trial requires a one-time visit for a blood draw at the center in the Delia Baxter Building at 580 S. Preston St. on the UofL Health Sciences Center campus.
Qualified participants will receive a $30 prepaid spending card. For more details and to sign up for the trial, contact the center at ATRAC@louisville.edu or 502-852-4236.
Learn about the neurobiology behind pain at Beer with a Scientist, August 17
At this month’s Beer with a Scientist, Kristofer Rau, Ph.D., researcher at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, will discuss the neurobiology of why we feel pain. He’ll give an introduction to the neuroanatomy involved in pain processing and explain why the “funny bone” hurts so often, why we get ice cream headaches, why amputees feel pain in a lost limb and other painful topics.
Rau is a senior research scientist in the UofL Department of Anesthesiology and a member of the Louisville Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. His work focuses on the neurobiology of pain and the electrophysiological and molecular changes that occur following tissue injury and spinal cord trauma.
The program begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17 at Against the Grain Brewery, 401 E. Main St. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by an informal Q&A session.
The Beer with a Scientist program began in 2014 and is the brainchild of UofL cancer researcher Levi Beverly, Ph.D. Once a month, the public is invited to enjoy exactly what the title promises: beer and science.
Admission is free. Purchase of beer, other beverages or menu items is not required but is encouraged.
Organizers add that they also encourage Beer with a Scientist patrons to drink responsibly.
For more information and to suggest future Beer with a Scientist topics, follow Louisville Underground Science on Facebook.
COMING UP: Andrea Behrman, Ph.D., UofL Department of Neurological Surgery,September 14.
Beer with a Scientist founder, Levi Beverly, Ph.D., will speak at the event during Research!Louisville, October 12.
Acting University of Louisville President Neville Pinto has selected veteran faculty member and current Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Enrollment Management Dale Billingsley to serve as acting executive vice president and university provost. Billingsley’s appointment is effective Aug. 15.
A 38-year member of the UofL faculty, Billingsley currently serves as professor of English in addition to his vice provost duties. He is a former Faculty Senate chair and a 21-year member of the provost’s senior staff.
“Dr. Billingsley is intimately familiar with the workings of the university and the provost’s office,” Pinto said. “He is respected and admired by the entire university community, having served in various roles in his department, his unit and university-wide.”
Pinto said Billingsley will oversee the continued implementation of the 21st Century University Initiative, a plan to position UofL for excellence for decades to come.
He noted that Billingsley previously had announced his intention to step down from his role as vice provost and return to the classroom in 2017. “When the new appointment ends, he plans to return to the classroom to teach until his retirement,” Pinto said.
Billingsley received his B.A. magna cum laude in English and history from Texas Christian University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was a Rotary International Fellow at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and returned to the United States for graduate study in Renaissance literature at Yale University, where he earned master of arts, master of philosophy and doctorate degrees.
Billingsley received the 1998 Trustees’ Award for his contributions to the student experience at the university. In 2007 he received Distinguished Service Awards from the College of Arts and Sciences and the university. In 2009 he received the Harold Adams Award from the university’s Office of Student Affairs “for his unwavering support for both students and the university.”
Gov. Matt Bevin today announced 10 new appointments to the University of Louisville’s Board of Trustees.
“Today marks the dawning of a new day for the University of Louisville,” said Gov. Bevin. “With gratitude for those who have served in the past, we now look eagerly to the future. These newly appointed board members embody the professional experience, leadership skills and core values needed to more efficiently and effectively oversee, govern and manage the affairs of the University. This diverse group of individuals would be qualified to sit on any post-secondary board in America, and I am thankful for their willingness to serve the University of Louisville. I am confident that they will build upon the University’s many successes by governing with the utmost integrity and transparency.”
The University of Louisville’s Board of Trustees is responsible for providing governance and oversight for the University’s administration and is accountable for the health, reputation and integrity of the University community in all aspects.
The new permanent Board consists of 10 members appointed by the Governor, plus a member of the teaching faculty, a permanent staff member and a student member serving as president of the student body, for a total of 13 members.
Below is a list of the appointments made to the University of Louisville Board of Trustees:
- J. David Grissom, of Louisville, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2022.
- John H. Schnatter, of Louisville, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2021.
- Sandra Frazier, of Louisville, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2020.
- Nitin Sahney, of Prospect, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2020.
- Bonita K. Black, of Crestwood, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2019.
- Douglas Cobb, of Prospect, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2019.
- Ulysses Lee Bridgeman Jr., of Louisville, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2018.
- Ronald L. Wright, MD, of Prospect, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2018.
- Dale J. Boden, of Louisville, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2017.
- Diane B. Medley, of Ekron, Ky., for a term expiring June 29, 2017.
A research team from the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville has received a $5 million grant to fund the “4 Your Child Project”. The project is hoping to connect fathers, who do not have custody of their children, with resources to enable them to be an active part of their children’s lives.
The program is working with the Kentucky Office of Child Support Enforcement to help fathers. The program hopes to help about 1500 families. The program features group-based parent education and individual case management that will help these fathers become financially independent and develop parents skills to become responsible fathers.
More information about the project can be found on the 4 Your Child’s website.
