Our Mission

Coal’s central role in America’s history and its ongoing threats in the climate crisis.

For decades coal has been crucial to America’s culture, society, and environment, an essential ingredient in driving out winter’s cold, cooking meals, and lighting the dark. In the coalfields and beyond, Bob Wyss describes how this magical elixir sparked the Industrial Revolution, powered railroads, and built urban skylines, while providing home comforts for families.

Coal’s history and heritage are fundamental to understanding its legacy of threats to America’s well-being. As industry developed so did clashes between powerful tycoons, coal miners, and innocent families. Exploitation and avarice led to victimization, deadly violence, and ultimately the American labor movement. More recently coal has endangered American lives and safety, brought on by two centuries of carbon combustion, and here the threat remains unresolved. This is coal’s most enduring legacy, and Black Gold is pivotal in helping us understand how we got to this point.

Enjoy this unique exhibition of rock music memorabilia from the archive of editor, journalist, and radio disc jockey Ken Best. This personal collection features decades worth of iconic photos, album covers, posters and promotional materials that Best has amassed while writing about music for newspapers in New Jersey and Connecticut and interviewing musicians and authors on the radio at WPKN in Bridgeport and WHUS in Storrs. Highlighted will be 50 photos of major rock ‘n’ roll figures by Connecticut photographer Joseph Sia, including his famous image of Jimi Hendrix at Woolsey Hall in New Haven in 1968, known as “The Shadow,” from Best and Sia’s 1992 book,

(Pomegranate Books).

17 artists across the UConn community have their artwork on display in our Connector Gallery.

UConn and UConn Health faculty, staff, and students from all disciplines are invited to submit striking research images, graphics, or artwork. Winning entries will be displayed in OVPR spaces, transforming our walls into a gallery that celebrates the creativity and diversity of UConn research.

• Showcase the beauty of your research – from stunning microscopy images and bold data visualizations to fieldwork photos and original research-inspired art.
• Share your work with the UConn community
• Celebrate the creativity that drives discovery

Click here for contest details and entry form.

Deadline: November 10, 2025

Questions: Contact research@uconn.edu.

FRAME: A creative, engaging forum showcasing UConn research.