Featured news at KU


Our top featured stories

Buffalo graze in a pasture with snow-capped mountains in the distance.
Rebekka Schlichting, KU assistant professor of the practice in journalism & mass communications, is producing two documentary films that chronicle Indigenous work to reclaim traditions and boost Natives working in film industry.

Other featured news

Woman holding camera recording fashion show with model on runway

Crowdsourcing proves more accurate than retail-buying experts at predicting fashion demand

In a new paper, Murali Mantrala, the Ned Fleming Professor of Marketing at the University of Kansas, finds that crowdsourced forecasts from ordinary customers are more accurate than those of expert fashion buyers. The research also determines an ideal crowd size and composition for predicting demand for fashion items in retail buying decisions.
Adult guiding child's hand on laptop keyboard.

Study: ChatGPT needs expert supervision to help parents with children’s healthcare information

New research from the University of Kansas Life Span Institute highlights a key vulnerability to misinformation generated by artificial intelligence and a potential model to combat it.
Wind farm in rural Kansas, clear sky

KU researchers build interactive atlas that gathers Kansas wind energy regulations, information for all 105 counties

The Kansas Energy Transition Atlas is a GIS-powered website that gathers wind energy regulations for all of the state's 105 counties and allows users to find information including laws guiding development and the number of turbines and transmission lines in a county. Users can print their own detailed maps.
Mushroom on forest floor

$1.5M grant will create global macro-network of plant-fungal research

A new project led by the University of Kansas will bring together scientists throughout the world who study the interactions between plants and microscopic fungi. A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support the creation of a global transdisciplinary network to address the grand challenges within the realm of plant-fungal interactions.

Research



New research from the University of Kansas Life Span Institute highlights a key vulnerability to misinformation generated by artificial intelligence and a potential model to combat it.
Rana Esfandiary, assistant professor in the University of Kansas Department of Theatre & Dance, researched the jazz age to create a set for "Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill," opening Oct. 8 at KCRep.
Woman holding camera recording fashion show with model on runway
In a new paper, Murali Mantrala, the Ned Fleming Professor of Marketing at the University of Kansas, finds that crowdsourced forecasts from ordinary customers are more accurate than those of expert fashion buyers. The research also determines an ideal crowd size and composition for predicting demand for fashion items in retail buying decisions.

Kansas Communities



A new research center in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare will elevate health-related research, training and collaboration. The Center for the Advancement of Health Equity is committed to improving health, behavioral health and long-term care systems, as well as promoting health equity and access.
The Kansas Statistical Abstract 2023 is now available online. This data compendium is published annually by the Institute for Policy & Social Research at KU. It includes information on a wide range of topics about Kansas, with information in downloadable tables, maps and graphs.
Wind farm in rural Kansas, clear sky
The Kansas Energy Transition Atlas is a GIS-powered website that gathers wind energy regulations for all of the state's 105 counties and allows users to find information including laws guiding development and the number of turbines and transmission lines in a county. Users can print their own detailed maps.

Economic Development



For the second year in a row, the University of Kansas has landed a spot on the National Academy of Inventors' top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents list. The 2023 list showcases universities that play a pivotal role in advancing the innovation ecosystem within and beyond the United States.
Research expenditures spanning all KU campuses increased to $368.6 million in 2023, capping nearly a decade of steady expansion. Last year alone, externally funded research at KU supported the salaries of 4,372 people, and the university spent $78.9 million in 97 Kansas counties on research-related goods and services, according to a report from the Institute for Research on Innovation & Science.
Douglas A. Girod, chancellor of the University of Kansas (left), and Akira Nagasaki, Deputy Head of Mobility Business Division, Panasonic Energy (right)
Panasonic Energy and the University of Kansas today announced that they have signed an agreement aimed at promoting the development of next-generation technologies and the cultivation of specialist expertise in the field of lithium-ion batteries.

Student experience and achievement



John Marshall, Lawrence, and Graham Revare, Prairie Village, reached the championship final at the JW Patterson Debate Tournament, hosted by the University of Kentucky Sept. 28-30, taking second place in a field of more than 100 teams from across the country.
KU's Undergraduate Research Award recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects. Nineteen Jayhawks received an award for fall 2024.
Fraser Hall in fall
A current University of Kansas graduate student, two seniors and a recent graduate have been endorsed for prestigious fellowships for study in the United Kingdom with the support of KU's Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships.

Campus news



The University of Kansas School of Music is inviting everyone to celebrate a major milestone this year as the beloved annual Vespers Concert turns 100. Concerts will take place Dec. 8 at the Lied Center of Kansas.
The Kansas Board of Regents awarded three current KU scholars and one former KU professor as Faculty of the Year for 2024. This program recognizes the outstanding contributions of faculty at state universities to teaching, student success, research and Kansas communities.
wind turbine in field
On Oct. 24, the Institute for Policy & Social Research will convene the 2024 Kansas Economic Policy Conference: Powering the Future of Kansas. Every year, the conference brings together community and industry leaders, policymakers, and scholars to discuss an issue of urgent importance to the state.

Latest news

Woman holding camera recording fashion show with model on runway

Crowdsourcing proves more accurate than retail-buying experts at predicting fashion demand

In a new paper, Murali Mantrala, the Ned Fleming Professor of Marketing at the University of Kansas, finds that crowdsourced forecasts from ordinary customers are more accurate than those of expert fashion buyers. The research also determines an ideal crowd size and composition for predicting demand for fashion items in retail buying decisions.
Buffalo graze in a pasture with snow-capped mountains in the distance.

KU professor producing films documenting Indigenous work to reclaim traditions

Rebekka Schlichting, KU assistant professor of the practice in journalism & mass communications, is producing two documentary films that chronicle Indigenous work to reclaim traditions and boost Natives working in film industry.
Handshake superimposed over illustration of state of Kansas map

KU researchers partner with state to build capacity to employ Kansans with disabilities

A project that is a partnership between the state of Kansas and researchers at the KU Life Span Institute, initiated one year ago, is exploring ways to increase the capacity in the state to employ people with disabilities in jobs that meet higher thresholds for wages and other factors, with potential to improve opportunities and quality of life.
wind turbine in field

Kansas Economic Policy Conference to address the future of energy in Kansas

On Oct. 24, the Institute for Policy & Social Research will convene the 2024 Kansas Economic Policy Conference: Powering the Future of Kansas. Every year, the conference brings together community and industry leaders, policymakers, and scholars to discuss an issue of urgent importance to the state.