Research

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A photo of an industrial ship with lightning overhead.

Cleaner ship fuel is reducing lightning in key shipping lanes, KU research shows

A photograph of a man holding a sign outside of the Missouri Capital. He is wearing a red T-shirt and holding signs made by Stand Up KC, an organization advocating for better pay for restaurant workers.

KU professor leads project to document history, preserve KC-based movement to fight for better restaurant pay

A woman's hand pulls the book "Swiftynomics" from a handbag.

'Swiftynomics' explores how women power, redefine economy

A new book from KU researcher Misty Heggeness titled "Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy” pairs rigorous data with humor, personal anecdotes and Taylor Swift song titles as chapter subheadings to tell the story of women who have survived and thrived in overlooked ways. It also shares policy prescriptions for a more sustainable workforce.

Science and Technology

Cleaner ship fuel is reducing lightning in key shipping lanes, KU research shows

A University of Kansas researcher found lightning-stroke density — the number of individual lightning discharges, or “strokes,” per square kilometer — to be about 36% lower than before the 2020 IMO sulfur cap. Findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Climate and Atmospheric Science.

KU study shows that species-diverse systems like prairies have built-in protection

Six years into a study on the effect of plant pathogens in grasslands, University of Kansas researchers have the data to show that species diversity — a hallmark of native prairies — works as a protective shield: It drives growth and sustains the health of species-diverse ecosystems over time, functioning somewhat like an immune system.
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Car driving toward tornado in rural Kansas area.

Tornado-forecast system can increase warning lead times, study finds

Today’s tornado warnings rely on radar data and regional spotters. By contrast, the Warn-on-Forecast System synthesizes observational data in real time and runs high-resolution simulations to gauge uncertainties and produce guidance for tornado and severe weather threats well before they form.
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Health and Well-Being

Study shows athletes with better jumping ability generate faster golf club head speed

Researchers from the University of Kansas partnered with Oklahoma State University's golf program to measure jumping ability and its correllation with golf club head speed, finding athletes with better jumping ability were able to generate more speed on their swings.

Fractured family relationships increase susceptibility for polydrug use, study finds

In a new study, Jarron Saint Onge, professor of sociology at the University of Kansas, examines the relationship between using multiple types of drugs and social inequality among low-income Mexican American women.
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A toolbox with tools is positioned next to a globe

From Kansas to the world: KU’s WHO collaboration works to promote global health

By delivering a digital “toolbox” to 300 countries, researchers at the Center for Community Health and Development are bringing life-saving lessons back home to Kansas.
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Teaching, Learning and Behavior

New book aims to make gamification simple for higher education professionals

Two University of Kansas scholars began using gamification in their teacher prep courses and had enough success that they decided to write a book dedicated to helping other educators with the strategy. The result was "Gamification Made Simple: A Guide for Higher Education Professionals."

Grant launches initiative to integrate faith perspectives into health education

The Department of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas received a $60,000, two-year grant from the nonprofit group Interfaith America to create partnerships with community groups addressing the spiritual connection to health issues.
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Children playing with instructional toy at Juniper Gardens Children's Project

Long-running research center in Kansas City celebrated in scholarly journal

Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, part of the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas, is the focus of a special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Education and Treatment of Children.
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Arts, Architecture and Humanities

Childhood stories from ‘Queen of the Harlem Renaissance’ depicted in new book

In a new picture book aimed at younger readers, Giselle Anatol, professor of English at the University of Kansas, offers a joyful tribute to Zora Neale Hurston, the “Queen of the Harlem Renaissance.”

Professor’s ‘Complete Works’ preserves music of pioneering African American bandleader

KU Music scholar Colin Roust has published the first “Complete Works” of early 19th century African American bandleader and composer Francis Johnson. The work includes 282 songs, cotillions, quadrilles, waltzes and quick steps that comprised the popular dance music of Johnson’s day.
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People dancing in the woods

Dances with trees: Choreographer using grant for ongoing nature project

KU dance faculty member Shannon Stewart has received a $10,000 unrestricted grant that comes with one of 53 inaugural State of the Art Prizes from the New York-based Creative Capital Foundation. She'll use the funding in part for an April performance to coincide with the opening of a new nature trail within Baldwin Woods, part of KU Field Station.
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Business, Economics and Innovation

Human-AI interactions stimulate coordination among co-workers and improve team performance, study finds

In a new study, Todd Hall, assistant professor of business at the University of Kansas, finds that human-AI interactions can stimulate relational coordination among co-workers and improve team performance.

'Swiftynomics' explores how women power, redefine economy

A new book from KU researcher Misty Heggeness titled "Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy” pairs rigorous data with humor, personal anecdotes and Taylor Swift song titles as chapter subheadings to tell the story of women who have survived and thrived in overlooked ways. It also shares policy prescriptions for a more sustainable workforce.
More Business, Economics and Innovation
An illustration of a globe made digitally, with continents composed of digital connections to display the connections between lands.

Law expert’s analysis tracks how international trade is being dismantled

Raj Bhala, University Distinguished Professor of Law at KU, has written an analysis outlining how international trade law is being destroyed, not simply changing. His peer-reviewed work, published in the Transatlantic Law Journal, outlines why this is happening and examines if it can be saved.
More Business, Economics and Innovation

Law, Politics and Society

Complex motivations of women gun owners revealed in new book

Margaret Kelley, professor of American studies at the University of Kansas, explores the growing phenomenon and misconceptions regarding women gun owners in middle America in a new book, “A Gun of Her Own: The Everyday Lives of Women Who Shoot.”

KU professor leads project to document history, preserve KC-based movement to fight for better restaurant pay

Tadeo Weiner Davis, assistant professor of social welfare at the University of Kansas, earned a grant to preserve materials of Stand Up KC, a movement dedicated to earning better pay for fast food and casual restaurant workers, and record oral histories of those involved.
More Law, Politics and Society
An illustration of a globe made digitally, with continents composed of digital connections to display the connections between lands.

Law expert’s analysis tracks how international trade is being dismantled

Raj Bhala, University Distinguished Professor of Law at KU, has written an analysis outlining how international trade law is being destroyed, not simply changing. His peer-reviewed work, published in the Transatlantic Law Journal, outlines why this is happening and examines if it can be saved.
More Law, Politics and Society