Featured news at KU


Our top featured stories

Vapor smoke being exhaled. Stock image.
A new study from the University of Kansas shows that additives common to commercially available vaping devices, vitamin E and CBD, soften a vital lung surfactant at high enough concentrations, at least in a simplified lab model.

Other featured news

Stock photo of vapor smoke being exhaled

Study finds common vaping additives disrupt lung-surfactant film in lab model

A new study from the University of Kansas shows that additives common to commercially available vaping devices, vitamin E and CBD, soften a vital lung surfactant at high enough concentrations, at least in a simplified lab model.
Students working in a studio at a large control board to produce the "Good Morning Indian Country" broadcast.

‘News Desert U’ book explores what happens when ‘universities own the news’

The new book “News Desert U” examines six university community partnerships in which faculty and students produce news for communities that have lost coverage. The book’s authors, including a University of Kansas journalism faculty member, explore lessons learned and argue for more support from universities to faculty who are leading such efforts.
The KU project team visits Upriver Dam in Spokane, Washington, in August 2023

Four years later, KU researchers continue their work strengthening American dams

Nearly four years after launching a federally funded research initiative to strengthen American dams and levees, University of Kansas engineers are demonstrating how that work is delivering measurable benefits to Kansas infrastructure, workforce development and public safety.
A collage of characters from the Nigerian epic film Aníkúlápó are assembled.

‘Nollywood’ film industry still tethered to patriarchal stereotypes despite progress of female characters, expert says

In a new article, Abisola Akínsìkù, a doctoral candidate in English at the University of Kansas, uses feminism as a conceptual lens to interrogate how female characters are portrayed in the burgeoning “Nollywood” film industry of Nigeria.

Research



University of Kansas researcher Ilya Vakser and colleagues at Stony Brook University and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research will use a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to expand knowledge of macromolecular systems using artificial intelligence.
A University of Kansas physicist played a leading role in a CERN study showing that two rival explanations for how gluons behave inside atomic nuclei can now be experimentally distinguished.
Students working in a studio at a large control board to produce the "Good Morning Indian Country" broadcast.
The new book “News Desert U” examines six university community partnerships in which faculty and students produce news for communities that have lost coverage. The book’s authors, including a University of Kansas journalism faculty member, explore lessons learned and argue for more support from universities to faculty who are leading such efforts.

Kansas Communities



The KU Transportation Center supports the roads, routes and relationships that strengthen the Sunflower State. Part of the School of Engineering, the center has partnered with transportation professionals, transit providers and local governments throughout Kansas.
The 2025 Kansas Statistical Abstract will be available online Sept. 1. This data compendium is published annually by the Institute for Policy & Social Research at the University of Kansas and includes information on a wide range of topics about Kansas.
Three people sitting together and laughing
The University of Kansas Office of Community Impact has announced 26 inaugural champions and hubs that support community-engaged scholarship and collaboration across Kansas.

Economic Development



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.
The National Academy of Inventors ranks the University of Kansas 39th among public universities for the number of utility patents granted in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year the University of Kansas is listed among the United States’ top 100 institutions receiving patents.
Person soldering wires in an electrical engineering laboratory
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.

Student experience and achievement



The University Honors Program recognized two faculty members and a student for their contributions to the program during Honors Convocation, an annual celebration for first-year honors students, which took place Aug. 23 at the Burge Union.
Fifty-two University of Kansas Theatre & Dance students, including 34 Kansans, were honored for academic merit and potential for the 2026-27 academic year. Jayhawks were awarded approximately $210,00 in scholarships.
A top-down perspective of a student painting the Kettle Mural in Watson Library.
KU Libraries collaborated with students from the Department of Design for a new mural in The Kettle in Watson Library. The public is invited to an opening reception at 4 p.m. Sept. 24 to celebrate the work and partnership.

Campus news



The University of Kansas will welcome home one of its own this fall when KU alumna and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara returns to Lawrence for a public event celebrating the 2026-27 KU Reads: A Common Book Experience selection.
The University of Kansas is hosting the second annual Falling into AI Summit from Sept. 22-24, bringing together leaders from KU, KU Medical Center, Google, Amazon Web Services, Apple and artificial intelligence industry partners to explore how AI is transforming education, healthcare, research, workforce development and society.
KU banner with text: One of America's top research universities
The University of Kansas has announced 15 faculty members from the Lawrence and KU Medical Center campuses as recipients of KU’s annual teaching awards. They will be honored at a public reception Oct. 13 at the Jayhawk Welcome Center.

Latest news

Stock photo of vapor smoke being exhaled

Study finds common vaping additives disrupt lung-surfactant film in lab model

A new study from the University of Kansas shows that additives common to commercially available vaping devices, vitamin E and CBD, soften a vital lung surfactant at high enough concentrations, at least in a simplified lab model.
Fraser Hall on KU-Lawrence Campus

KU to host inaugural Democracy Day, featuring presentations by university researchers

The Center for Democratic Governance at the University of Kansas is hosting its first annual Democracy Day “Teach-In” Event on Sept. 18 in the Alderson Auditorium of the Kansas Union.
Historic limestone wall of Marvin Hall beside the glass exterior of the John C. Gaunt Forum at the University of Kansas. The image highlights the contrast between traditional stone architecture and contemporary glass construction, with reflections visible in the Forum's facade under a partly cloudy sky.

KU Architecture Lecture Series to explore contemporary architectural practice in Mexico

Award-winning architects from some of Mexico’s most influential contemporary practices will visit the University of Kansas this fall as part of the Architecture Lecture Series, “Re-Generations.” Through four public presentations, speakers will share perspectives on design, urbanism and the evolving role of architecture in shaping communities and culture.
Students working in a studio at a large control board to produce the "Good Morning Indian Country" broadcast.

‘News Desert U’ book explores what happens when ‘universities own the news’

The new book “News Desert U” examines six university community partnerships in which faculty and students produce news for communities that have lost coverage. The book’s authors, including a University of Kansas journalism faculty member, explore lessons learned and argue for more support from universities to faculty who are leading such efforts.