Dear KAS Members,
 
As we begin our journey through 2019, let us do so with optimistic enthusiasm for what this year will bring. It may be more important than ever for all members of the scientific community to unite to better foster scientific discovery and understanding in our great Commonwealth. I encourage you to be an engaged member of the Academy and the communities in which you live and serve, as there are several ways to do so.
 
The Junior Kentucky Academy of Science meeting will be held at Kentucky State University in April; more information will be shared on the KAS website as it is made available. If you can, please make time to come learn about, and be inspired by, the innovative science research projects on which Kentucky’s youth are working. Hopefully, you may even have time to serve as a judge at the meeting! I hope to also see you the KAS annual meeting, which for the first time since 1957 will be held at Berea College!
 
Even if you are unable to participate at the Annual Meeting, please stay engaged and active with your KAS sections. In order to have a thriving organization, we must continue to grow and support successful section activities. We need involved leaders and active members. Please know, the KAS Board is available to support the sections in any way that we can.
 
There are also multiple opportunities to be an engaged KAS member and representative by volunteering for science education and outreach events in your communities. We have 170+ members signed up with our Speakers Bureau, but we need you, the members, to help promote this learning opportunity to educators, civic groups, libraries, etc. Please also pay special attention to the state legislative session!
 
The Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science has new editors working hard to shorten time to publication and broaden the scope of the journal. Don’t forget, the Journal welcomes manuscripts from all of the scientific disciplines, so I encourage you to use it as a publication outlet for your Kentucky and other relevant regional research.
 
In closing, if you have any concerns, ideas, or other general feedback or comments about KAS, or how we can better serve science in Kentucky, please share them with me, or our Executive Director, Amanda Fuller. I believe it is through interdisciplinary thinking and the sharing of multiple ideas that we will be able to ensure 2019 has great things in store for the world of science in the Commonwealth. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your 2019 President. I wish all the best for a productive and successful year!
 
All the best,
Leslie A. North, KAS President
 

Welcome!
New Social Science Division Representatives
Wei Song, U of L
Amy Hamilton, Bellarmine University

New Physical Science Division Representatives
J Scott Miller, Maysville CTC
Dr. Seyed Allameh, NKU

New Vice President
Trent Garrison, NKU

Read their Bios, and meet the rest of the KAS Governing Board  HERE

Enhanced Affiliate Institutions

• Alice Lloyd College
• Asbury University
• Bellarmine University
• Berea College
• Brescia University
• Campbellsville University
• Centre College
• Eastern Kentucky University
• Georgetown College
• Kentucky Community and Technical College System
• Kentucky Science Center
• Kentucky State University
• Lindsey Wilson College
• Midway University
• Morehead State University
• Murray State University
• Northern Kentucky University
• Spalding University
• Thomas More University
• Transylvania University
• University of Kentucky
• University of Louisville
• University of Pikeville
• Western Kentucky University

Regular Affiliate Institutions

• Lumins Associates
• Kentucky Wesleyan College
• University of the Cumberlands
• Wood Hudson Cancer Research Laboratory

The 2019 KAS Annual Meeting will be hosted at Berea College!

Purchase a Kentucky Nature License Plate and support the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund!

$10 from each plate goes to the Land Conservation Fund, and funds have now been protected from the Bevin administration's sweeps that seized much of the other funding for land purchases in Kentucky
Details HERE
Kentucky lags behind our neighboring states with only 7% of our land protected for conservation. Your contributions help! Thank you!

Kyle Watson won our Social Media Photo contest with this spirited photo of the Kentucky Wesleyan College delegation!

See more photos of the Annual Meeting (and find out who crashed our poster session....)

We want to thank WKU for hosting the 2018 Annual Meeting! We had 623 people register, representing more than 24 different institutions, and we had 398 poster & paper presentations! That's a lot of science!

 

Congratulations to our student competition winners! Find photos of winners HERE
 

1st place	Agricultural Sciences	Poster	Sarah	Rhodes	Asbury
1st place	Agricultural Sciences	Poster	Riley	Mabe	Murray
1st place	Agricultural Sciences	Poster	Kaeden	Mollet	Murray
1st place	Agricultural Sciences	Poster	Marcus	Robertson	Murray
2nd place	Agricultural Sciences	Poster	Megan	Mccoun	KSU
3rd place	Agricultural Sciences	Poster	River	Dowell	Murray
1st place	Agricultural Sciences	Oral	Tavin	Marshall	KSU
1st place	Anthrolopology /Sociology	Poster	Dee	Broomhead	NKU
2nd place	Anthrolopology / Sociology	Poster	Alessa	Rulli	NKU
3rd place	Anthrolopology / Sociology	Poster	Delaney	Gilliam	NKU
3rd place	Anthrolopology / Sociology	Poster	Lyndsey	McNabb	NKU
1st place	Anthrolopology / Sociology	Oral	Amanda	Lilly	NKU
1st place	Botany	Poster	Wendy	Cecil	WKU
1st place	Botany	Oral	Kiana	Mattingly	Bellarmine
1st place	Botany	Oral	Robert	Day	Bellarmine
1st place	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Poster	Meg	Dillingham	WKU
2nd place	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Poster	Kateryna	Nabukhotna	Berea
3rd place	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Poster	Matthew	Knerr	WKU
1st place	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Oral	Erin	Clayton	Murray
2nd place	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Oral	Chann	Han	Berea
3rd place	Cellular and Molecular Biology	Oral	Justin	Rabe	NKU
1st place	Chemistry: Analytical & Physical	Poster	Brittney	Nelson	Murray
3rd place	Chemistry: Analytical & Physical	Poster	Elizabeth	Hedrick	WKU
1st place	Chemistry: Analytical & Physical	Oral	Yacine	Choutri	Berea
2nd place	Chemistry: Analytical & Physical	Oral	Alexander	Thome	Murray
2nd place	Chemistry: Analytical & Physical	Oral	Ryan	Lamb	WKU
3rd place	Chemistry: Analytical & Physical	Oral	Corbin	Arrasmith	NKU
1st place	Chemistry: Organic / Inorganic	Poster	Samantha	Sims	Murray
2nd place	Chemistry: Organic / Inorganic	Poster	Shino	Sleeper	WKU
2nd place	Chemistry: Organic / Inorganic	Poster	Hayley	VanMeter	WKU
3rd place	Chemistry: Organic / Inorganic	Poster	Seth	Klaine	WKU
1st place	Chemistry: Organic / Inorganic	Oral	Ayanav	Roy	NKU
2nd place	Chemistry: Organic / Inorganic	Oral	Quynh	Nguyen	NKU
3rd place	Chemistry: Organic / Inorganic	Oral	Michael	James	Berea
1st place	Computer & Informational Sciences	Poster	Brian	Luciano	UK
2nd place	Computer & Informational Sciences	Poster	Luke	de Castro	Henry Clay High School
3rd place	Computer & Informational Sciences	Poster	Richard	Pike	WKU
1st place	Computer & Informational Sciences	Oral	Michael	Murray	UK
1st place	Computer & Informational Sciences	Oral	Kelsey	Cole	UK
2nd place	Computer & Informational Sciences	Oral	Stephen	Goins	Bellarmine
3rd place	Computer & Informational Sciences	Oral	Harrison	Inocencio	UK Department of Computer Science
1st place	Ecology	Poster	Renae	Steinberger	EKU
2nd place	Ecology	Poster	Ramon	Guivas	Asbury
3rd place	Ecology	Poster	Natalie	Holsclaw	NKU
3rd place	Ecology	Poster	Allison	Jones	NKU
1st place	Ecology	Oral	Sarah	Benton	U of L
2nd place	Ecology	Oral	Emma	Reasoner	Berea
1st place	Engineering	Oral	Akira	King	Morehead
2nd place	Engineering	Oral	Katerina	Winters	Morehead
3rd place	Engineering	Oral	Jean-Pierre	Amoakon	Georgetown
1st place	Environmental Science	Poster	Christopher	Padgett	WKU
2nd place	Environmental Science	Poster	Jennifer	Van Antwerp	WKU
3rd place	Environmental Science	Poster	Isabel	Chumbler	WKU
1st place	Environmental Science	Oral	Evan	Hendrickson	WKU
1st place	Geography	Poster	Ariel	Smith	KSU
1st place	Geography	Poster	Jacouri	Burns	KSU
2nd place	Geography	Poster	Logan	Twohey	U of L
3rd place	Geography	Poster	Meri	Koskelainen	EKU
1st place	Geography	Oral	Dallas	McKinney	WKU
2nd place	Geography	Oral	Tori	Farrow	KSU
1st place	Geology	Poster	Daniel	Martin	NKU
1st place	Geology	Poster	Constance	Brown	NKU
2nd place	Geology	Poster	Marie	White	Murray
1st place	Geology	Oral	Madison	Howard	Morehead
2nd place	Geology	Oral	Mitchell	Grothaus	Morehead
1st place	Health Sciences	Poster	Kristen	Miller	WKU
2nd place	Health Sciences	Poster	Nicole	Creeden	Murray
3rd place	Health Sciences	Poster	Kristen	Eads	WKU
1st place	Health Sciences	Oral	Samuel	Adams	NKU
2nd place	Health Sciences	Oral	Yeongha	Oh	Berea
1st place	Mathematics	Oral	Jeremiah	Halter	Morehead
2nd place	Mathematics	Oral	Ethan	Caudill	Morehead
1st place	Microbiology	Poster	Samuel	Chang	WKU
2nd place	Microbiology	Poster	Anmol	Sandhu	WKU
3rd place	Microbiology	Poster	Sahil	Chhabra	WKU
1st place	Microbiology	Oral	Colin	Hartman	NKU
2nd place	Microbiology	Oral	William	Fenske	EKU
3rd place	Microbiology	Oral	Clarissa	Gearner	WKU
Honorable Mention	Microbiology	Oral	Ashley	Wentworth	NKU
1st place	Physics & Astronomy	Poster	Brendan	Evans	WKU
2nd place	Physics & Astronomy	Poster	Alexander	Banaszak	WKU
3rd place	Physics & Astronomy	Poster	Alex	Henson	WKU
1st place	Physics & Astronomy	Oral	Rebecca	Mikula	Morehead
2nd place	Physics & Astronomy	Oral	Casey	Christian	Morehead
3rd place	Physics & Astronomy	Oral	Lauren	Cooper	WKU
1st place	Physiology and Biochemistry	Poster	Nyasha	Gombami	Berea
2nd place	Physiology and Biochemistry	Poster	Allison	Harper	Berea
3rd place	Physiology and Biochemistry	Poster	Zackery	Hill	Pikeville
1st place	Physiology and Biochemistry	Oral	Issac	Domenech	Berea
2nd place	Physiology and Biochemistry	Oral	David	Kelley	Wood Hudson
3rd place	Physiology and Biochemistry	Oral	Daisy	DiVita	NKU
1st place	Psychology	Poster	Victoria	Nash	Morehead
2nd place	Psychology	Poster	Yabsira	Ayele	Berea
3rd place	Psychology	Poster	Allison	Ludwig	Morehead
1st place	Psychology	Oral	Sydney	Wheeler	WKU
1st place	Science Education	Poster	Shelby	Diener	NKU
2nd place	Science Education	Poster	Olivia	Santangelo	WKU
1st place	Science Education	Oral	Hannah	Brewer	Morehead
1st place	Zoology	Poster	Maddie	Stanback	UK
2nd place	Zoology	Poster	Jonathan	Eisenhour	Morehead
1st place	Zoology	Oral	Samuel	White	Murray
2nd place	Zoology	Oral	Rachel	Prokopius	NKU
3rd place	Zoology	Oral	Natalie	Mercer	KWC

 

Platinum Level

Gold Level


 
Morning Break Sponsor

Afternoon Break Sponsor

Bronze Level


In Kind

WKU Office of Research and Creative Activity

We appreciate your feedback and we are already working on implementing some of  your suggestions for 2019!
Congratulations to Emma Higgins who won the drawing for a $25 gift card!

Your fellow KAS members produce a weekly podcast bringing science to the airwaves- Listen whenever you like at www.forwardradio.org or contribute to the show! Contact Dave Robinson if you have a story to share. Forward Radio is a non-profit, community-supported radio station.
You can also check out special coverage of the KAS Annual meeting in the November 12 episode!

Our Science Speakers Bureau has grown to 167 members! Recent requests for speakers have come in from Central and Western Kentucky and from Louisville.
Help us get the word out! Tell your schools, libraries, and civic organizations about this great resource, or let us know where we can reach out and send announcements. The Speakers Bureau is open to our Graduate & Professional members. If you'd like to join, log in and follow links to Update your Profile.

Our Breakfast with Science Teachers event  with the Kentucky Science Teachers Association in November was a great conversation!  Nine members of our Speakers Bureau joined us and shared what they do; Patrick Goff from KSTA shared his experiences doing video-chats in his classroom with scientists all over the world. Teachers learned about how to invite local scientists into their classroom, in person or virtually, and teachers and scientists alike got excited about some online tools like @Realscientists on Twitter.

Watch for more collaborations between scientists & teachers, like at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Berea!

 

In 2019, the Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science is transitioning to all-digital format. Articles will be published on an issue-in-progress model, which means faster publishing for authors and easy access.  We've also dropped page charges, so authors will be able to publish for free in the Journal!

 Submit your manuscript to our co-editors, Dr. Kelly Watson and Dr. Wally Borowski at EKU.  Find out more and access issues at our website

The Markey Cancer Center (MCC) has established a new educational pipeline program: the MCC Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) Program. First established as the Career Training in Oncology Program (CTOP) in 2016, the program offers Appalachian Kentucky high school and undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Kentucky the opportunity to gain cancer research, clinical, outreach and education experiences that will enrich their interest in pursuing a cancer-focused career.
Applications are due March 1. High School and undergraduate students can find out more about eligibility and apply here

Read more about the initiative
 

We are pleased to announce that the Kentucky Academy of Science is now a partner member of KOFS - the Kentucky Organization of Field Stations.  KOFS is a grassroots organization established to support and promote the understanding of natural systems through education, research, and outreach in Kentucky.  Membership is open to any organizations and individuals with an interest in the natural areas of the state.  Currently, the KOFS network includes 21 field stations and serves numerous partner and individual members.  A newsletter highlighting current events at member stations is distributed three times per year, and the annual meetings is held at one of the member stations in late February or early March (see below).  For more information about becoming a KOFS member, a list of participating stations, and other information about KOFS, visit kentuckyfieldstations.wordpress.com
 
 KOFS meeting at Bernheim Forest, 1-2 March 2019
 
The annual meeting of the Kentucky Organization of Field Stations (KOFS) will take place at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest on March 1 and 2.  Activities begin with a pizza dinner followed by a video presentation and/or campfire discussion the evening of March 1.  Saturday morning Andrew Berry, forest manager of Bernheim, will provide an overview of the field station and lead a hike after breakfast.  Mid-morning business discussions will include summaries of recent efforts related to outreach, education, and research.  This year's featured speakers are Michaela Rogers and Shelby Fulton, of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves respectively, who will discuss pollinator monitoring and conservation in the state.  Presentations of student research conducted at KOFS member stations will follow lunch, and the meeting will conclude at approximately 5:00 PM following discussions of any new business.  The meeting is open to any interested individuals and organizations.  More information and meeting registration....
 

Interested in mentoring a high-school student over the summer? Louisville and Kentucky Science Pathways are summer internship programs at the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky that match enthusiastic young scientists with interested STEM faculty. The 8-week programs runs June-August, requiring the student to complete a minimum of 20 hrs a week. The program does not provide a stipend, so there is no extra cost to the lab hosting the student. For more information, please visit the respective sites below:
 
Louisville Science Pathways (University of Louisville)
Kentucky Science Pathways (University of Kentucky) 
 

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) positions are paid summer research positions for undergraduates, funded by the National Science Foundation.  REUs are excellent stepping stones to research jobs, to graduate school, or other careers in the sciences!

Applications are due in February - check the website for details about each program.

The KAS website has details about REU opportunities in Kentucky, and a link to search for REU positions all over the USA

REU opportunities in Kentucky:

• Disturbance Ecology in Central Appalachia at EKU
• Theoretically Interesting Molecules, NKU and other sites
• The Parker Academy: Investigating the Intersection of Freedom, Social Justice, Archaeology, History, and Geography at NKU
• A Multidisciplinary Research Experience in Engineered Bioactive Interfaces & Devices at UK, Chemical and Materials Engineering
• Summer Program in the Biochemical Sciences at UK
• Interdisciplinary Micro/Nano-manufacturing Program Addressing Challenges Today (IMPACT)  at U of L

Find out more HERE

Surveying candidates on science issues!
KAS has posted results of a survey for state candidates in the 2018 election - some of them got elected! Check out our candidates responses HERE
Thank you Trent Garrison and his Science Policy class at NKU for putting this together and sharing with our membership!

Blogging!
A first step in a better science education is reconceptualizing science

Podcasting & Starring in videos!
KAS has a gallery of videos and podcasts from our members- check out some of our latest work here and send us yours
 

Mosquito Mate, a pest-control company in Lexington, was recently highlighted on Science Friday as their chemical-free mosquito control meth ods are being replicated in more states.  Mosquito mate releases male Asian tiger mosquitoes (the daytime-biting ones) that are infected with naturally-occurring Wolbachia bacteria, and when they mate with females the resulting eggs are sterile. The method was developed at the University of Kentucky and has been so successful that it's now spreading to other states.

ORSANCO Technical Committee and Commission meeting
02/12/2019- 02/14/2019
The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission  (ORSANCO) did not make a decision in October about relaxing pollution standards for the Ohio River but may take up the question again at the February meeting. Watch for details at http://www.orsanco.org

American Junior Academy of Science
02/13/2019- 02/17/2019
Six delegates from the Kentucky Junior Academy of Science will participate in the 2019 American Junior Academy of Science meeting in Washington DC. The meeting offers students a chance to present their research to their peers and to meet professional scientists. The AJAS is a program of the National Association of Academies of Science (NAAS) and the annual meetings of both AJAS and NAAS are held in conjunction with the  AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Annual Meeting.

Posters at the Capitol
02/21/2019
February 21, 2019 will mark the eighteenth annual Posters-at-the-Capitol program. With unique research projects on display, Posters-at-the-Capitol helps to increase understanding of the important role undergraduate research plays in the education of our students among those responsible for higher education funding in Kentucky.

Providing undergraduates with the opportunity to engage in scholarly, research, and creative work is important to our students’ educational experience and professional development. We encourage faculty to have their students participate in Posters-at-the-Capitol to help those in Kentucky who fund higher education understand why these experiences are so important. If you are an undergraduate, we urge you to tell your story to your hometown and university legislators so that other Kentucky students can enjoy and benefit from the kind of experience you have had.

Kentucky Organization of Field Stations Annual meeting
03/01/2019- 03/02/2019
Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest, Clermont, KY

Integrating Civic Engagement into undergraduate STEM curriculum
03/08/2019- 03/09/2019
The workshop will be facilitated by Glenn Odenbrett, SENCER* Leadership Fellow and founding Director of the Office of Student Community Service at Case Western University and the Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship Through Education Network (GLISTEN) at the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement.  
Registration is open HERE

Workshop goals are to provide participants with:
-a conceptual framework for integrating civic engagement with undergraduate STEM coursework
-strategies and activities to apply this framework to revising or developing a STEM course incorporating civic engagement or based on civic engagement
-the opportunity to engage in intensive curricular development/revision
Participants will learn about strategies and tools for integrating civic engagement with STEM courses they are currently teaching or plan to teach. Small group work by discipline groups, if feasible (e.g., life sciences, engineering) facilitated by coaches to begin applying strategies and tools, and develop plan for detailed follow-up.
The workshop will be facilitated by Glenn Odenbrett, SENCER* Leadership Fellow and founding Director of the Office of Student Community Service at Case Western University and the Great Lakes Innovative Stewardship Through Education Network (GLISTEN) at the National Center for Science and Civic Engagement. He can be reached at gxo2@case.edu.
The event will take place on Friday March 8th at Northern Kentucky University Griffin Hall Digitorium from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm.
There will be an optional additional day on Saturday March 9th (location tbd) that will be more intensive with Mr. Odenbrett and the coaches from 8:30-12 noon.
Registration is discounted for members of the Ky Campus Compact