All eyes are on Churchill Downs this week as the horse racing industry prepares for the 148th Kentucky Derby. Associate Professor of History Katherine Mooney is available to provide expert commentary to reporters covering the event.

Students and scholars from Florida State University and Florida A&M University met on April 7 for “Focus on the Gulf,” the first collaborative event in the FAMU and FSU Gulf Scholars Programs.

A wealth of our knowledge about how the climate works is due to the interest of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), said Ron Doel, a Florida State University associate professor who researches the history of science and technology. He is available to comment on how interest from the U.S. military funded Earth sciences research that has shaped our current understanding of climate change.

Saying Angel Purganan has a broad range of interests is a bit of an understatement. When the Tampa, Fla., native graduated from Florida State University this spring, it was with dual degrees in philosophy and political science and minors in Middle Eastern studies and history.

The past has always been part of Sarah Patterson’s future. “I think there are several motivations that drive me to focus on history,” said the two-time Florida State history alumna. “In part, I’m very curious. Doing historical research allows me to ask questions and then go look for answers. It’s an unending process of learning.”

Anasa Hicks is an assistant professor of Caribbean history in the Department of History, part of Florida State University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

As millions of people across the United States prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, Florida State University experts are available to talk with reporters working on articles about gratitude, the myth and reality of the holiday and the role turkeys have played for Indigenous peoples long before Europeans settled the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.

Florida State University Professor of History Kurt Piehler is the director of the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience. He is available to comment on the Atlantic Charter, how it shaped post-WWII history and its effect on the relationship between the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

Sam Holley-Kline is a postdoctoral scholar in the Florida State University Department of History, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. His book manuscript, “In the Shadow of El Tajín: Life and Labor on a Mexican Archaeological Site,” explores indigenous histories silenced during archaeological excavation and reconstruction.

Paul Renfro is an assistant professor in the Department of History, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. His interest in American family values and social norms pushed him to craft his first book, “Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State,” as well as his upcoming book, an analysis of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who became a public figure in the fight against the stigma of HIV/AIDS.

All eyes are on Louisville, Kentucky, this weekend for the annual Run for the Roses. The 147th Kentucky Derby will take place Saturday, May 1, at the famed Churchill Downs with 20 horses competing for the first leg of the Triple Crown.

One day, when James P. “Jim” Jones, was still teaching at Florida State University, he wasn’t feeling particularly well: He passed out in class and bumped his head on a wall. Everything turned out fine but Jones insisted on memorializing the event, using a marker to draw a black circle where he hit his head and joking, “This will be the mark I leave on the university.”