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Transylvania professors bring science out of the classroom and into the taproom for West Sixth Science Pub, and the public is invited

Posted on October 12, 2012July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—One of Lexington’s newest hot spots, West Sixth Brewing, is just blocks away from Transylvania University, in an old bread factory turned microbrewery and community creative space. It offers a variety of beer made on site, food from local food trucks and now…science lectures? “In Lexington we have gallery hops, music concerts, poetry readings and Civil War roundtables, which are all fantastic,” said Kirk Abraham, associate professor of exercise science at Transylvania. “However, science topics are generally not a part of our public discourse. I wanted to take science out of the classroom and into a relaxed setting, where people who are not experts can be part of the conversation.” To remove the academic formality of lectures in a class room, Abraham created the West Sixth Science Pub, which takes science topics out of the labs and into the taproom on the third Monday of each month from 6-7 p.m. Upcoming topics range from preventing diabetes with wine to preventing ACL injuries. All talks are free and open to the public. The science pub concept has taken off in other states and it’s not uncommon in Oregon to have over 100 people attend a science pub talk and people are often lined up at the door when it opens. Abraham hopes the West Sixth Science Pub will generate the same kind of interest in the Lexington community. “I hope anyone who has a general interest in science will attend

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Transylvania’s 2012 entering class is second largest in school history, sets records for diversity; retention rate is highest ever

Posted on October 4, 2012July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University President R. Owen Williams announced today that this year’s entering class of 350 is the second largest in school history, tied last year’s class as the most academically prepared and set school records for geographic and racial/ethnic diversity. Transylvania also set a new school record for freshman to sophomore retention, with 88 percent of last year’s entering class returning this fall. The national average for freshman to sophomore retention rates at private, nonprofit colleges is 79 percent, according to the College Board. Total enrollment is 1,074 students. Transylvania’s high retention rate can be attributed to many factors, including a student/faculty ratio of 11:1 and an average class size of 14, with no classes having more than 35 students and 47 percent of classes having fewer than 10 students. Members of the class of 2016 have an average ACT of 27, a middle 50 percent ACT range of 24-30 and an average GPA of 3.72. Forty-one percent were ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class. They include 34 students who took part in either the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program or the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts. Geographically, the class is the most diverse in 38 years and includes 99 students from outside Kentucky who make up 28 percent of the class. Ohio led the way in out-of-state students, followed by Tennessee, Indiana and three states in a tie—Florida, Texas and West Virginia. Twelve

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Expert nutritionist Marion Nestle to speak at Transylvania Tuesday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.; free and open to the public

Posted on October 3, 2012July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Marion Nestle, one of the nation’s top experts on nutrition, will give the fall 2012 Kenan Lecture Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Haggin Auditorium in the Mitchell Fine Arts Center. The presentation, titled “Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health,” is free and open to the public. Nestle, a specialist in the politics of food and dietary choice, is the Paulette Goddard Professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, where she researches the connection between scientific and societal influences on dietary advice and practices. Her book “Food Politics” has won awards from the Association of American Publishers, the James Beard Foundation and World Hunger Year, and “What to Eat” was named one of Amazon’s top 10 books of 2006 and called a “must read” by “Eating Well” magazine. Nestle has a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley, where she received the 2011 National Public Health Hero award. In addition to her tenure at NYU, she is the visiting professor in the Cornell University Division of Nutritional Sciences. She was senior nutrition policy adviser for the Department of Health and Human Services and a managing editor for the 1988 Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health. She has been a member of the FDA Food Advisory Committee and Science Board, the United States Department of Agriculture/Department of Health

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Transylvania alum and Fulbright Scholar receives award for public diplomacy from U.S. Ambassador to South Korea

Posted on October 2, 2012July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania graduate, Rachael Williams, former Fulbright Scholar in South Korea, has been honored for her work in public diplomacy. The U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Sung Kim, presented Williams an award at the conclusion of a three-day Youth Diplomacy Program for 24 Korean secondary students. Williams has coordinated the program since 2010. The program emphasizes the role diplomacy plays in resolving global conflicts, English language acquisition, leadership and careers in diplomacy. Students listened to guest speakers, participated in small-group discussions and in a mock United Nations session. The students were selected through a highly competitive application process open to schools throughout the Korean peninsula. A Murray, Kentucky native, Williams graduated from Transylvania in 2009. Following graduation she served as a Fulbright Scholar in South Korea. The Fulbright program is a prestigious international exchange program designed to increase mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries, supported by the U.S. Department of State. As a Fulbright Scholar, Williams was the curriculum director of Camp Fulbright, an English language immersion program. She also mentored incoming Fulbright grantees, volunteered at a community orphanage and taught North Korean defectors. Williams is currently enrolled in the School for International Training in Vermont and plans to fulfill her practicum requirement in South Korea next year. She also works in World Learning’s International Education and Development Program Office as a student assistant.

Transylvania University receives $5 million grant from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust to establish merit scholarship program

Posted on October 1, 2012July 14, 2020 by Office of Marketing and Communications

LEXINGTON, Ky.—President R. Owen Williams announced today that Transylvania University has received a $5 million restricted endowment matching grant from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust to establish the William R. Kenan, Jr. Endowment Fund for Student Scholarships. It is one of the largest single gifts the university has ever received. The endowment supports the awarding of Kenan Scholarships to incoming Transylvania students based on merit. The awards will provide substantial scholarships to highly academically talented students. Members of the fall 2013 entering class will be the first to receive the scholarships. “This new scholarship program is a significant addition to the group of merit scholarships that we are able to offer outstanding students from across the country,” said Williams. “We appreciate very much the generosity of the trustees of the Kenan Charitable Trust in making this award and for their belief in the value of a Transylvania liberal arts education.” The conditions of the grant require that Transylvania raise an additional $5 million over the next three years to fully establish the endowment. Transylvania, founded in 1780, is the nation’s 16th oldest institution of higher learning and is consistently ranked in national publications as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Read the Lexington Herald-Leader story about the grant.