News
Authors unearth layers of meaning in ‘West Side Story’
New perspectives in “The Cambridge Companion to ‘West Side Story'” surprise even its co-editor, a KU professor emeritus of music who has made a career out of studying the Broadway musical.
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Fri, 08/23/2024
Kansas Department of Commerce grant helps bolster KU startup ecosystem
A $500,000 Forging Opportunities for Research, Growth & Entrepreneurship grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce will help KU create software, infrastructure and financial mechanisms needed to bridge the gap between academia and industry, growing the state’s economy while enhancing the university’s teaching and research missions.
Fri, 08/23/2024
Campanile area upgrades improve access, aesthetic and functionality
As the fall semester begins, a refreshed vision of the Campanile area is starting to take shape. Construction crews over the summer have replaced aging pavement in the plaza area and surrounding sidewalks and stairways. Stone repairs and upgrades to the electric panel and service entry will begin in the fall, as well as new landscaping efforts.
Fri, 08/23/2024
KU faculty honored with 2024 College Awards
Faculty contributions in research, teaching and mentoring were recognized this spring with a series of awards from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Kansas.
Wed, 08/21/2024
University of Kansas awarded $26 million for new Engineering Research Center from National Science Foundation
KU is the lead institution for a new National Science Foundation Gen-4 Engineering Research Center — Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) — that will focus on developing sustainable refrigerants to address climate change. EARTH is led by Foundation Distinguished Professor Mark Shiflett in the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering at the KU School of Engineering.
Wed, 08/21/2024
Higher Learning Commission accepts KU’s Quality Initiative
After years of development and implementation, the University of Kansas’ Quality Initiative has been approved by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Wed, 08/21/2024
KU Natural History Museum announces fall programming
The KU Natural History Museum has a full lineup of science-themed public events this fall for both youths and adults. The programs will cover various topics, including STEM activities related to snakes and fossils, as well as public presentations about the evolutionary biology of jellyfish and the importance of caring for natural history collections.
Wed, 08/21/2024
Erik Scott named inaugural John P. Black Professor of History
A KU faculty member since 2012, Erik Scott is a leading scholar of modern Russia, the Soviet Union and the global Cold War. He is the inaugural John P. Black Professor of History, noted for his award-winning scholarship.
Mon, 08/19/2024
Cultural historian available to discuss significance of Democratic National Convention
Cultural historian David Farber of the University of Kansas is available to discuss the significance of the Democratic National Convention.
Mon, 08/19/2024
New KU faculty and staff choir forming this fall
A new KU faculty and staff choir titled the Bales Choral Society is being formed this fall. Employees can meet other faculty and staff from across the university while singing choral music in the resonant space of the world-class Bales Recital Hall, located on the northwest side of the Lied Center of Kansas.
Mon, 08/19/2024
Study details 'eco-necrotourism' and how public land managers can address psychological aspects of disappearing wonders
Last chance tourism, or visiting natural sites before they disappear or are altered permanently by climate change, is a growing phenomenon. In a new law review article, a KU scholar examines the literature of tourism, psychology, law and policy to recommend what park managers can do to prepare for and manage the grief and growing visits that come with "eco-necrotourism."
Mon, 08/19/2024
Two ‘ultra-musicians’ will premiere works atop mountain
Stephanie Zelnick, professor of clarinet, is out to prove wind players can benefit from extreme athletes’ training methods. She and a partner will give a concert atop Mount Elbert in Colorado, premiering two new pieces for clarinet duo, as part of her long-term research project on how altitude affects wind musicians.
Mon, 08/19/2024
KU Law students selected for Douglas County Legal Diversity Fellowship
Two University of Kansas School of Law students have been selected as the 2024-2025 fellows for the Douglas County Legal Diversity Fellowship. Nathan Felema and Rossiel Reyes, both second-year law students, will be working with local businesses in Douglas County during the upcoming academic year.
Fri, 08/16/2024
KU Alumni Association invites campus, community partners to participate in Homecoming 2024
KU will host its 112th Homecoming from Oct. 14 to 20. KU Alumni Association will hold a Homecoming Preview on Aug. 20 in the Jayhawk Welcome Center and invites any university or Lawrence community partner interested in hosting an event to attend. The association has also announced its student-led Homecoming Steering Committee.
Thu, 08/15/2024
2024 Lelon Capps Lecture will explore culture, learning and community in mathematics classrooms
The School of Education & Human Sciences will welcome Dorothy White, professor of mathematics education at the University of Georgia, as the 2024 Lelon Capps featured lecturer. White will present “Embracing Students’ Cultures to Foster Learning and Community in Mathematics Classrooms” at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 9.
Thu, 08/15/2024
New book explores how punk virus continues to infect new generations
Nearly 50 years after its creation, punk rock “manifests and mutates across the arts, infecting culture, lifestyles and even national heritage,” said Iain Ellis, KU lecturer in English and author of a new book on the music form.
Wed, 08/14/2024
Larger teams in academic research worsen career prospects, study finds
In a new paper, Donna Ginther, the Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of Kansas, reveals that individuals who finish their doctorate in situations where the average team in their field is larger have worse career options.
Wed, 08/14/2024
University honors June 2024 Employees of the Month
A longtime plumber known for his leadership and willingness to step in during an emergency and a machinist who develops complex equipment for the Department of Physics & Astronomy have been honored as KU's June Employees of the Month.
Wed, 08/14/2024
Dole Institute announces fall 2024 season programming
The Dole Institute of Politics has announced its fall 2024 programming lineup, which features engaging, informative discussions featuring world-class practitioners and experts, including former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, retired senior U.S. diplomat Susan Thornton, Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty and former members of Congress.
Tue, 08/13/2024
KU Libraries announce centennial celebration of Watson Library with fall activities, website
A Jayhawk Boulevard landmark and perpetual place of discovery and welcome, Watson Library will celebrate 100 years at the heart of the KU community with a slate of fall activities and programs.
Mon, 08/12/2024
KU Kudos: Faculty and staff achievements, summer 2024
Read about KU employees' recent external honors and awards from all university campuses.
Mon, 08/12/2024
Communication studies expert can comment on Kamala Harris' DNC speech
Robin Rowland points out the number of challenges Kamala Harris faces in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Fri, 08/09/2024
HLC: Academic program assessment process revamped to better evaluate student learning
Criterion 4 focuses on the evaluation and improvement of teaching and learning at institutions. KU has particularly focused on building a culture of continuous improvement to increase efficiency and ensure accountability, one aspect of which has been updating the academic program assessment process.
Tue, 08/06/2024
University of Kansas announces summer-fall 2023, spring 2024 graduates
The names of more than 6,500 graduates at the University of Kansas for summer and fall 2023 and spring 2024 have been announced by the University Registrar. Many graduates and candidates for degree celebrated by participating in KU Commencement, which took place May 12.
Tue, 08/06/2024
Researchers leverage AI to help business provide nutritious choices in American food deserts
KU's Tera Fazzino, along with a multidisciplinary group of researchers across several institutions, will help create an artificial-intelligence-powered digital tool, called the NOURISH platform, to help businesses and startups operating in food deserts give more nutritious choices to an estimated 24 million Americans.
Mon, 08/05/2024
One year after newspaper raid, KU journalism professor can discuss chilling effect, influence on rural journalists
Stephen Wolgast can discuss the one-year anniversary of the Marion County Record raid by police. He has been following the aftermath of the case and conducted a study on the effects the raid had on other rural Kansas journalists.
Wed, 07/31/2024
New dashboard shows the scope and uses of federal funding streams in Kansas
The Institute for Policy & Social Research at the University of Kansas published a new data dashboard showing the flow of federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into Kansas. As of March 2024, over $11.5 billion has been expended across the state through programs funded by the CARES Act and ARPA.
Mon, 07/29/2024
KU paleontologist David Burnham resumes final excavation of the juvenile tyrannosaur
Paleontologists from the University of Kansas are back in Montana this summer for their final excavation of a rare dinosaur fossil: a juvenile tyrannosaur.
Fri, 07/26/2024
Dimitrije Cabarkapa receives young investigator award from National Strength and Conditioning Association
Dimitrije Cabarkapa, associate director of the Jayhawk Athletic Performance Laboratory, has been honored with the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s 2024 Terry J. Housh Outstanding Young Investigator Award.
Fri, 07/26/2024
New translation of Ovid’s ‘Heroides’ offers insight into ‘ancient fan fiction’
In a new translation of Ovid’s “Heroides,” Tara Welch, a professor of classics at the University of Kansas, examines the Roman poet’s seminal work. A collection of 15 letters written by women to the men who have left them behind, “Heroides” (translated as “The Heroines”) can be described as “ancient fan fiction.”
Wed, 07/24/2024
KU experts can comment on 2024 elections, related topics
As a contentious U.S. election season heads toward November, University of Kansas experts are available to discuss with media the candidates, key issues, procedures and narratives of the 2024 races.