News

The University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UKSRC) and the University of Kentucky Department of Civil Engineering partnered with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) to host the 20th anniversary Central and Eastern European Conference on Health and the Environment (CEECHE). This year’s theme, “Seeking Solutions for Environmental Exposures and Disease Risks”, brought approximately 100 researchers from 16 countries together from July 15 to 19, 2024, to focus on developing solution-oriented research and collaborations to grapple with common, yet increasingly complex, challenges associated with legacy and emerging pollution.

David Lu, completed his summer internship at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) headquarters in Washington, D.C. in August. Lu was able to arrange a tour of a cleanup site near his hometown in Western Kentucky.

Dr. Kevin Pearson, professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, RSP co-director, and Deputy Director of UKSRC, is a member of UK ASCEND, a new project at the University of Kentucky expanding new avenues to develop community-engaged health equity research expertise among early-stage investigators.

US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT: Dr. Kelly Pennell, UKSRC Director, was interviewed for a story in U.S. News and World Report, "What Are Leaking Underground Storage Tanks and How Are They Being Cleaned Up?"

Hollie Swanson, Ph.D., will be serving as a member of the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) Review Committee. The committee is responsible for the scientific review of multiple grant mechanisms at the NIEHS.

The University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UKSRC), in collaboration with the Department of Civil Engineering and the University of Aristotle in Thessaloniki, Greece, and sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), are the proud organizers of the 2024 Central and Eastern European Conference on Health and the Environment (CEECHE) to be held July 15-19, 2024 at the University of Aristotle in Thessaloniki, Greece. 

Durham is currently researching environmental toxins and their potential impacts on colon cancer at the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center. 

Hollie Swanson spoke to WKYT about the affect of rapid temperature changes on the home and human health.

Details of contamination remain murky as the town begins what could be a long remediation period.

Kelly Pennell, Director of the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UKSRC), and Professor of Civil Engineering, along with Angela Gutierrez, UKSRC liaison, and Elena Moseley, a high school student enrolled in the Math Technology Science Center (MTSC) at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington who works in Pennell Research Group, represented UKSRC at the University of Kentucky College of Engineering's annual open house, E-Day on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

Nearly every person in the United States has been exposed to per- and polyfluorinated alky substances (PFAS) at some point in their life. These “forever chemicals” are the focus of a targeted investigation by University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UKSRC) researchers who are working collaboratively with community partners to protect Kentuckians.

For this "UK at the Half," University of Kentucky College of Engineering Professor Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Ph.D., and doctoral student Rollie Mills, discuss the medical face mask membrane they have developed. The membrane can capture and deactivate the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on contact.

Over the last two years, Benjamin Bratten, a high school senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, has been working to study sewer pipe leakage and cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) emissions. He has had a “secret weapon” on his side: AROMA-VOC. Bratten works with Kelly Pennell, Director of the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center, where they have access to cutting-edge research tools including AROMA-VOC.

Tune in on Thursday, February 17 11am EST and 8pm EST on 88.9 WEKU.

Molly Frazar is the 24th recipient of the Karen Wetterhahn Memorial Award, which recognizes one outstanding graduate student or postdoctoral researcher who exemplifies qualities of scientific excellence.

Dr. Kelly Pennell (UKSRC’s Director) was interviewed for a story about a report claiming Henderson County officials downplayed a chemical exposure at an area company.

UK SRC PI Kevin Pearson receives the UK Office of Institutional Diversity's 2020 Inclusive Excellence Recognition Award. 

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UK-SRC) a five-year, $8.7 million grant to conduct research aimed at better understanding and minimizing the negative health and environmental impacts of chlorinated organic compounds found at Superfund sites across the Commonwealth and the U.S.

On January 30, 2020, UK's internal news source UKNow published a story and video featuring the work of Dr. Pan Deng, Project 1 Postdoctoral Trainee. The article and video discuss Dr. Deng's research which shows that a diet high in fiber could possibly reverse the adverse effects that environmental toxins have on cardiovascular health.

On July 10th and 11th, the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UK SRC) hosted trainees from the University of Louisville Superfund Research Center for a two-day event that included information exchange among trainees from both centers, group presentations and discussion, tours of some of UK’s labs, and a full day visit to Whitesburg, Kentucky, 

The UK Superfund Research Center’s Community Engagement Core (CEC) works with communities to develop strategies that give people the opportunity to actively engage in good nutrition and physical activity to protect their health from environmental pollution.

Mike Petriello has received the prestigious Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This highly competitive career development award offers postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to accelerate their transition to independence.

On June 10th – 14th, CEECHE 2018 brought nearly 200 scientists from 18 different countries to Kraków, Poland, to engage in discussions addressing health and environmental issues. Two NIEHS Superfund Research Programs, the University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UK SRC) and the Louisiana State University Superfund Research Center, collaborated to organize the conference.

The BerryCare program is a collaboration between the UK SRC's CEC and the Cooperative Extension to create sustainable, affordable, and accessible sources of blackberries while also increasing physical activity through gardening. 

Congratulations to UK SRC’s Dr. Dibakar Bhattacharyya, winner of the 2018 Sturgill Award! The Sturgill Award is named in honor of William B. Sturgill, who contributed to higher education in Kentucky through his gifts and services. This prestigious award is presented annually to a graduate faculty member for outstanding contributions to UK Graduate education.

UK SRC undergraduate trainee Joshua Preston was featured in a UKNow news story on March 8, 2018. In 2017, the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) selected Joshua as one of the 45 national recipients of its prestigious Astronaut Scholarship.