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Annalise Guthrie standing in front of large tree smiling and holding a clump of soil with roots

KU doctoral student receives Cobell Fellowship

A painting from depicts Jews from Imperial Russia with their bags packed looking across the ocean in hope of finding freedom and reuniting with fellow Jews in the United States.

Restrictions on emigration equally important as immigration in shaping European borders, research finds

Whiskey distillers discuss their process at a panel discussion at KU's Spencer Research Library

Engineering professor charts unexpected career path from thermodynamics to whiskey barrels

Chris Depcik, University of Kansas professor of mechanical engineering, has created a solution to help distillers better predict how spirits mature inside a barrel.

Science and Technology

Airborne electromagnetic survey of Ogallala aquifer conditions planned in southwest Kansas

Beginning in late May and continuing until late July, residents of southwest Kansas may see a low-flying helicopter towing a large hexagonal frame. This aerial arrangement is part of a project to map groundwater conditions in the Ogallala aquifer in Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District (GMD) 3.

Four students receive Kansas Biological Survey Student Research Awards for 2026

The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at KU has awarded $4,000 in funding this spring for student research to be conducted in the coming academic year. Four students will receive assistance through the research center’s 2026 Student Research Awards.
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Megan Kaminski stands in prairie setting.

Poet and scholar argues attention to place is one of the most urgent practices of our time

“Living Roots: The Promise of Perennial Foods” (Princeton University Press) makes a cultural argument as much as an agricultural one: that perennial foods — crops that return year after year, building deep root systems and healthier soil — represent not just a different way of farming but a different way of belonging to the earth. The collection includes a contribution from Megan Kaminski, poet and professor of environmental studies at the University of Kansas.
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Health and Well-Being

Research aims to identify underlying causes for linked mental health issues

A researcher from the University of Kansas has led a large-scale study of veterans to better understand how psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders are connected.

KU researchers enhance training for the Kansas health care workforce to prevent substance use disorders

Researchers in the KU School of Social Welfare have updated training materials that prepare health care providers to prevent, identify and treat substance use disorders across Kansas. SBIRT — Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment — is an evidence-based approach to talking with people about their substance use.
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3D render illustration of a natural killer body cell in response to a coronavirus cell

Study reveals common mutation linked to autoimmune diseases may protect people from viral infections

New research from the University of Kansas shows a “risk gene” linked to higher odds of developing autoimmune diseases such as diabetes or lupus may also provide a survival advantage fighting viral infections like coronavirus.
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Teaching, Learning and Behavior

Study analyzes environmental impacts of academic conference travel, encourages rethinking alternatives

A study led by a University of Kansas researcher has analyzed the environmental effects of air travel to academic conferences. The study does not call for an end to academic travel but rather to rethink how such gatherings are arranged and held, especially in fields like social welfare, that are dedicated to environmental justice.

Restrictions on emigration equally important as immigration in shaping European borders, research finds

In a new article, Erik Scott, the John P. Black Professor of History at the University of Kansas, challenges the traditional focus on immigration to look at how restrictions on emigration have helped define the borders of Central and Eastern Europe since the 19th century.
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Seen from the back of a classroom, a student raises his hand as the teacher calls on him from the chalkboard.

Study shows comprehension intervention, working memory predict math achievement in English learners

University of Kansas professor Michael Orosco led a study that found an intervention designed to improve students' reading comprehension boosted math achievement. Additionally, his research tied strong working memory to word problem-solving abilities.
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Arts, Architecture and Humanities

Poetry translator serves as cross-cultural ambassador for latest project, ‘Last Stops of the Night Journey’

A University of Kansas professor says his latest translation of an Italian poetry collection, like all his work, is driven by his love of literature. Patrizio Ceccagnoli will give a reading for Milo De Angelis’ “Last Stops of the Night Journey” on April 28.

Composer elevates voices of women poets on new recording

A University of Kansas professor has released a new album, “Three Silent Things: Vocal Chamber Music by Ingrid Stölzel,” featuring the settings of female poets’ writing, including one by Kansas native aviator Amelia Earhart.
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Three paintings by Barry Fitzgerald, side by side

Home on the range: Kansas sabbatical inspires artist

Barry Fitzgerald is returning to Lindsborg to show paintings he made while spending a month at the nearby Red Barn Studio. It was his first artistic residency after a long and successful career as an illustrator.
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Business, Economics and Innovation

Marketing expert develops framework providing retailers strategies for organizing around ecosystems

In a new article, Murali Mantrala, the Ned Fleming Professor of Marketing at the University of Kansas, provides a practical framework for how retailers can deploy an ecosystem-centric strategy focusing on interdependent sets that jointly create and capture customer value.

States that imposed total abortion bans spend millions more in nutritional food programs, research finds

Lilly Springer, doctoral candidate in economics at the University of Kansas, found that states that implemented total abortion bans by the start of 2023 experienced a 1.6% increase in the overall birth rate. They also experience 4.3% and 2.1% increase in monthly postpartum women and formula-fed infant WIC participation, respectively, leading to an additional $6.9 million in food costs.
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A newspaper displays the image of a bar graph that is showing a decline.

Decline in local newspapers reshapes corporate social responsibility, research finds

In a new article, Jun Ho Lee, assistant professor of strategy and international business at the University of Kansas, finds that the decline of local newspapers reduces both external oversight and public visibility, weakening the demand for companies to maintain corporate social responsibility engagement.
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Law, Politics and Society

Scholar sketches a Jewish economic theology

A University of Kansas religious studies scholar has written a new chapter on Jewish economic theology for the St. Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. Samuel Brody starts with the biblical injunction against lending money at interest and sketches historical Jewish highlights stretching from the rabbis of the Talmud to the medieval sage Maimonides to Karl Marx.

Research finds efforts to end child marriage in Malawi leave out local knowledge, culture

University of Kansas researchers propose viewing the problem through an African feminist lens that would engage culture, local customs and knowledge to address an issue that has persisted despite legal reforms.
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Globe with highlights and graphics in the background like the type a news broadcast might use for world news.

Study finds people more cynical toward news more likely to believe misinformation

A study led by the University of Kansas explored news skepticism, news trust and misinformation. Results showed people with more news knowledge had more news skepticism, but those with more news cynicism were more likely to believe misinformation. The results can help improve media literacy and fight misinformation, the authors said.
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