Featured news at KU


Our top featured stories

A researcher examines a plastic lab on a chip.
Foundation Distinguished Professor Steve Soper is leading a team of researchers who are developing nanotechnology that can identify diseases and health anomalies by analyzing the structure of proteins involved in the disease down to the individual amino acid level. This approach could change how doctors detect, monitor and treat complex diseases, such as the many forms of cancer.

Other featured news

A photo of a man in a wheelchair lifting a dumbbell with his right arm in a fitness center.

Researchers land grant to test effectiveness, sustainability of fitness program for individuals with disabilities

Researchers in the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas will evaluate a community fitness program that has been adapted for individuals with mobility disabilities. The program will set up a randomized control trial to see if Functional Fitness is more effective at long-term use, improving mobility, strength and other factors.
Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.

KU Libraries name 2026 Shulenburger Award recipients, honor contributions to open scholarship

Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.
A closeup photo of a an adult's hand holding a child's hand.

KU researchers will evaluate program aimed at supporting adoptive families

Researchers in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare have received a $1.8 million federal grant to evaluate FosterAdopt Connect, a program that supports adoptive parents and children to prevent disruptions or dissolutions of adoptions among families in Kansas and Missouri.
Spruce populate the view from the Shég’ Xdaltth’i’ site, with the Alaska Range in the distance.

Bering Land Bridge base camp reveals what life was like nearly 14,000 years ago

In a new article, Kelly Graf, professor of anthropology at the University of Kansas, highlights the research her team did excavating an early base camp in Beringia from 13,800 years ago, revealing important information about late-glacial peopling and settling-in behavior in this far northern setting.

Research



In a new documentary, a professor of sociology at the University of Kansas weaves together personal testimony, historical analysis and creative artistic expression to illuminate the layered realities of racial trauma in AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) communities.
Stephen Ware, a University of Kansas professor of law, has written the book “Principles of Negotiation, Mediation, and Other Processes of Dispute Resolution,” a book aimed at helping law students and practitioners understand how to negotiate, the different approaches and why it’s a vital skill.
Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.
Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.

Kansas Communities



Researchers in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare have received a $1.8 million federal grant to evaluate FosterAdopt Connect, a program that supports adoptive parents and children to prevent disruptions or dissolutions of adoptions among families in Kansas and Missouri.
El Centro, a Latino-led, Latino-serving nonprofit organization based in Kansas City, Kansas, is leading an initiative to create a comprehensive, community-led portrait of the Latino experience in Kansas with the KU Center for Community Health and Development.
Class photo outside the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.
Community members and law enforcement personnel filled Integrity Hall at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on Oct. 23 to watch 21 students graduate and become the newest members of the law enforcement community.

Economic Development



The website, partner.ku.edu, serves as a gateway to KU’s business-focused resources, connecting employers with world-class research, core laboratories, workforce training and top talent.
The Center for Workplace Excellence supports career development in the Greater Kansas City area, helping businesses and nonprofit organizations strengthen workforce skills, improve organizational effectiveness and navigate today’s rapidly changing workplace environment.
sunflowers blue sky
State lawmakers, experts and policymakers will convene at the University of Kansas for its 50th Kansas Economic Policy Conference. The 2026 event on Oct. 29 will address the “Future of the Kansas Economy,” with a talk by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly.

Student experience and achievement



This fall the University Theatre is staging a sci-fi rom-com by Aphra Behn, a 17th century writer whose success inspired a future generation of women authors. Performance, direction and design work by both undergraduate and graduate students shine in “The Emperor of the Moon: A Farce,” which has been brought forward in time to the 1950s.
Kenzie Besgrove, a University of Kansas junior in speech-language-hearing, was named a member of the 2026-2027 Newman Civic Fellow cohort. Newman programming emphasizes personal, professional and civic growth that empowers fellows to collaborate effectively and create large-scale positive change.
Aerial perspective of students crossing Jayhawk Boulevard to Wescoe Hall on the University of Kansas Lawrence campus.
Eighteen Jayhawks are leading service projects in partnership with community and campus partners as part of the Center for Service Learning's Trailblazers Mini-Grant program. Throughout the academic year, students connect monthly for cohort training and group problem-solving.

Campus news



The University of Kansas will host its 114th Homecoming, sponsored by Central Bank, Oct. 19-25. The week culminates with the KU football game against Baylor on Oct. 24 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
The University of Kansas School of Music will present its annual Vespers concerts Dec. 6, with performances at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Lied Center of Kansas. Tickets are now available.
Members of the KU Marching Jayhawks perform in front of a football crowd.
The University of Kansas will announce the recipients of the 2026 Fred Ellsworth Medallion and the 2026 Homecoming Awards at the Oct. 24 football game. The honorees include alumni, volunteers, students and faculty recognized for their leadership, service and commitment to KU.

Latest news

A researcher examines a plastic 'lab on a chip'

Connected by nanotech: KU researcher leads $4 million, multistate NSF grant to decode diseases

Foundation Distinguished Professor Steve Soper is leading a team of researchers who are developing nanotechnology that can identify diseases and health anomalies by analyzing the structure of proteins involved in the disease down to the individual amino acid level. This approach could change how doctors detect, monitor and treat complex diseases, such as the many forms of cancer.
Aerial perspective of students crossing Jayhawk Boulevard to Wescoe Hall on the University of Kansas Lawrence campus.

Students lead community-minded service projects through KU Trailblazers Program

Eighteen Jayhawks are leading service projects in partnership with community and campus partners as part of the Center for Service Learning's Trailblazers Mini-Grant program. Throughout the academic year, students connect monthly for cohort training and group problem-solving.
A photo of a man in a wheelchair lifting a dumbbell with his right arm in a fitness center.

Researchers land grant to test effectiveness, sustainability of fitness program for individuals with disabilities

Researchers in the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas will evaluate a community fitness program that has been adapted for individuals with mobility disabilities. The program will set up a randomized control trial to see if Functional Fitness is more effective at long-term use, improving mobility, strength and other factors.
Class photo outside the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.

364th Basic Training Class graduates from Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center

Community members and law enforcement personnel filled Integrity Hall at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center on Oct. 23 to watch 21 students graduate and become the newest members of the law enforcement community.