News

Wed, 04/02/2025

Global Climate Teach-in to bring together perspectives related to climate change, offers opportunities to build community

For the fourth year, KU is participating in the Worldwide Climate Education Week, led by Bard College. Five events offer opportunities to come together in different settings around education about the climate crisis.

Thu, 03/27/2025

KACEE Recognizes Bob Hagen for Two Decades of Leadership in Field-Based Learning

Environmental Studies faculty member awarded 2025 Excellence in Conservation and Environmental Education award.

Fri, 02/28/2025

Megan Kaminski is one of three fellows joining the Office of Faculty Affairs to support and expand programming initiatives

Three program fellows from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences have joined the Office of Faculty Affairs to support and expand programming initiatives.

Fri, 01/17/2025

Environmental Studies Faculty and Alumni Contribute to Museum Exhibit on Water’s Impact

Scott Schulte, Associate Professor of Practice for the Environmental Studies Program, and Ian Fannin-Hughes, a PSM graduate and adjunct faculty member, collaborated with Heartland Conservation Alliance partners to create Ripples: Water, Community, and You. Now on display at the Johnson County Museum, the exhibit explores the region's water history, including how past decisions shaped today's landscapes—such as the choice that preserved Edwards Campus by avoiding a reservoir project.

Mon, 11/25/2024

A Bountiful Season on the Prairie

Dr. Kelly Kindscher is featured in the latest edition of KU Giving Magazine talking about the latest edition of his book, “Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide."

Thu, 10/24/2024

Open Access Week

"(Open reviews and open publishing) makes it a process where everybody is visible, everybody is part of that work of getting that research out into the world ... Open Access can be really powerful at any stage of your career." 🎙️Shannon O'Lear,

Fri, 09/27/2024

KU Kudos: Faculty and staff achievements, September 2024

It's time to celebrate Jayhawk colleagues' achievements: KU News Service staff accepted submissions and combed websites, social media and newsletters for recent external honors and awards for current faculty and staff at the Lawrence, Edwards and Medical Center campuses and affiliates.

Wed, 09/18/2024

Fall equinox tour of KU medicinal garden planned Sept. 22

The public is invited to the fall semiannual tour of the University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 on the autumnal equinox.

Mon, 09/16/2024

Shannon

The University of Kansas is proud to announce 16 faculty members from the Lawrence and KU Medical Center campuses as recipients of KU’s annual teaching awards.

Tue, 08/13/2024

Poet and Professor Megan Kaminski Leads City of Lawrence’s Transit Poet Laureate Program

Megan Kaminski, a poet and professor, will lead the Ride and Write Workshop for Lawrence’s Transit Poet Laureate program on Aug. 30. She aims to inspire participants to connect with their community through poetry while riding an electric bus. Selected poems will be featured on city buses.

Wed, 05/08/2024

University plans summer makeover for Potter Lake

This summer, Potter Lake is getting a makeover for its 113th birthday. A major project will begin in May to dredge the lake, rebuild portions of the original edge wall, and improve the spillway and sediment basin. Part of the work will be to collect turtles, frogs and reptiles and relocate them to a pond in KU’s West District.

Fri, 03/29/2024

HLC: Professor, librarian co-teach students to create open access podcast

KU continues efforts for reaffirmation of accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission, whose peer review team will visit in 2025. Criterion 3 focuses on teaching and learning, particularly in quality, and level of resources and support. One such example of Criterion 3 in action is Environmental Geopolitics, a class where students learn to communicate their research through podcasting and publishing their work.

Fri, 02/09/2024

University announces 2024 Truman scholarship nominees

Three outstanding University Honors students have been selected as the KU nominees for Harry S. Truman Scholarships. The prestigious national awards, which provide up to $30,000 for graduate study, are given to college juniors for leadership in public service.

Tue, 01/23/2024

55 students receive Undergraduate Research Awards for spring 2024

UGRA recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects. Students apply for UGRAs by writing a four-page research proposal under the guidance of a mentor. Faculty reviewers evaluate the applications based on the merit of the applicant’s proposal and a recommendation from the mentor.

Wed, 11/29/2023

KU professor leads students in prescribed burn at Lecompton prairie (Opens in new window)

About three dozen students and community members gathered Wednesday morning to place Good Fire and spend time in community on the land. ...

Fri, 01/27/2023

New immersive learning program will explore the culture, environment and diversity of Kansas

Wed, 08/17/2022

Nine KU students receive Undergraduate Research Awards for fall

LAWRENCE — This fall, nine University of Kansas students will receive an Undergraduate Research Award (UGRA). UGRA recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects. ...

Thu, 07/07/2022

University of Kansas names five new distinguished professors

LAWRENCE – Five University of Kansas professors have joined elite company by being named distinguished professors. Sharon Billings and Marta Caminero-Santangelo received the designation of University Distinguished Professor, while Jie Han, Peter Ukpokodu and Lisa Wolf-Wendel received the designation of Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor. ...

Thu, 06/16/2022

Take a solstice garden tour with the KU community (Opens in new window)

Kelly Kindscher, scientist with the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, will offer an informal tour of the KU Native Medicinal Plant Garden at this special event.

Mon, 05/10/2021

Students win awards at online Undergraduate Research Symposium

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Center for Undergraduate Research has announced the winners of its 24th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. The event took place online this year and went live April 24. Over 190 students shared their undergraduate research and creative projects that they have been working on throughout...

Thu, 04/22/2021

Pacific Northwest’s ‘forest gardens’ were deliberately planted by Indigenous people (Opens in new window)

For decades, First Nations people in British Columbia knew their ancestral homes—villages forcibly emptied in the late 1800s—were great places to forage for traditional foods like hazelnuts, crabapples, cranberries, and hawthorn. A new study reveals that isolated patches of fruit trees and berry bushes in the region’s hemlock and cedar...

Wed, 04/21/2021

Two students selected for Beckman Scholars Program

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas students Claire Dopp and Sarah Noga have been selected to participate in the 2021 Beckman Scholars Program. ...

Tue, 03/30/2021

Environmental Studies Students discuss climate crisis on KKFI (Opens in new window)

Thu, 01/14/2021

KU, K-State faculty named recipients of Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards

LAWRENCE — Four faculty members at two Kansas universities have been identified as recipients of the Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards, the state higher education system’s most prestigious recognition for scholarly excellence. ...

Thu, 12/03/2020

KU scientists create new environmental video series for kids

LAWRENCE – University of Kansas scientists are creating a new monthly series of environmental videos for elementary students, made available on Facebook and YouTube for use by teachers and parents. The videos meet K-12 Kansas Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and come in both English and Spanish language versions. ...

Wed, 09/23/2020

Ambitious project spanning 5 states, 8 institutions will focus on intermittent streams

Fri, 09/18/2020

New book documents Arikara Tribe’s traditional use of plants

LAWRENCE — A new book by University of Kansas faculty member Kelly Kindscher and three co-authors is the first published compilation of traditional plant uses of the Arikara Tribe. The work, "Sahnish (Arikara) Ethnobotany," serves as a regional ethnobotany of the Arikara, one of the most influential tribes on the...

Wed, 07/22/2020