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Yong Zhao, arms folded across chest, standing in front of the KU School of Education and Human Sciences building on the Lawrence campus.

KU scholar forms Courageous Minority movement, international group to create conditions for educational revolution

Merhynchites bicolor, a leaf-rolling weevil species recorded in east and central Kansas.

KU team plans US network for high-quality reference genome sequencing

Bala Subramaniam and Nakisha Mark standing next to a scientific instrument.

KU researchers awarded $10 million grant to advance sustainable chemical manufacturing

A $10 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation was awarded to a team of University of Kansas scientists to establish a research hub that will transform chemical manufacturing by developing fundamental design principles to make these products in a sustainable manner.

Science and Technology

New review explores how faint ‘glow’ from plants could transform global monitoring of photosynthesis

New work co-written by a University of Kansas researcher examines how solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence can help scientists measure photosynthetic activity, connecting processes inside individual plant cells with observations of entire ecosystems from space.

Theories of when people first entered American continents evaluated for compatibility with genomic evidence

Jennifer Raff, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Kansas, reviewed various models for early migrations into the Western Hemisphere, considering their compatibility with genetic, archaeological and environmental evidence.
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Bala Subramaniam and Nakisha Mark standing next to a scientific instrument.

KU researchers awarded $10 million grant to advance sustainable chemical manufacturing

A $10 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation was awarded to a team of University of Kansas scientists to establish a research hub that will transform chemical manufacturing by developing fundamental design principles to make these products in a sustainable manner.
More Science and Technology

Health and Well-Being

Research finds sibling aggression to be common, though often dismissed as ‘normal’

Although sibling aggression is widespread and can shape people for years, it hasn’t been studied well by psychological researchers. In a new study, KU researchers have found roughly 1 in 6 children reported using or threatening physical force to dominate a sibling, while about 1 in 8 said they had threatened or bullied a sibling to get something.

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.
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A photo of a man in a wheelchair lifting a dumbbell with his right arm in a fitness center.

Researchers land grant to test effectiveness, sustainability of fitness program for individuals with disabilities

Researchers in the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas will evaluate a community fitness program that has been adapted for individuals with mobility disabilities. The program will set up a randomized control trial to see if Functional Fitness is more effective at long-term use, improving mobility, strength and other factors.
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Teaching, Learning and Behavior

KU researcher proposes techniques for communicators to recognize, avoid inherent biases in AI

Mugur Geana, a professor of journalism & mass communications at KU, has contributed a chapter to a new book about the inherent biases in large language models. He proposes how communications professionals can recognize those biases and avoid repeating them in their own work.

KU Libraries name 2026 Shulenburger Award recipients, honor contributions to open scholarship

Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.
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Yong Zhao, arms folded across chest, standing in front of the KU School of Education and Human Sciences building on the Lawrence campus.

KU scholar forms Courageous Minority movement, international group to create conditions for educational revolution

Yong Zhao, an education researcher at the University of Kansas, has organized a group of scholars across five continents dedicated to reimagining education in the age of artificial intelligence. Zhao published new work about the cause in the academic journal Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education.
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Arts, Architecture and Humanities

‘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.

New novel ‘Sunlight Finds You’ explores how a first love can affect one’s entire life

In a new novel, Laura Moriarty, a professor of English at the University of Kansas, crafts a coming-of-age tale set in 1950s Florida. It has been selected as a featured book for “The Today Show.” Moriarty will give talks at several events across Kansas this month.
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Headshots Emily Case and Michael Vitevitch over a stylized background including Watson Library.

KU Libraries name 2026 Shulenburger Award recipients, honor contributions to open scholarship

Michael Vitevitch and Emily Casey, two University of Kansas faculty members whose work expands access to scholarship through public engagement, open publishing and research resources, have been named recipients of the 2026 Shulenburger Award for Innovation and Advocacy in Scholarly Communication by KU Libraries.
More Arts, Architecture and Humanities

Business, Economics and Innovation

Grocery returns lead to greater customer engagement and increase in sales, research finds

In new research, Kissan Joseph, Crown/Sherr Professor at the University of Kansas School of Business, finds that following a product return at a grocery store, customer engagement rises significantly, driving a 40.1% increase in subsequent sales.

Startups’ co-innovation outcomes depend on venture capitalist type, study finds

Independent venture capitalists tend to trigger more frequent, less impactful but more novel co-inventing outcomes by their portfolio startups, new research finds. KU business researcher Kaushik Gala also found that corporate venture capitalists tend to trigger less frequent, more impactful but less novel inventive outcomes.
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An Artificial Intelligence Voice Assistant device sits on a mantel with smartphone and car keys.

Humanlike design of AI voice assistants helps users disregard security risks, study finds

New research from Andrew Chen, Ronald G. Harper Professor at the University of Kansas School of Business, finds that humanlike voice qualities significantly increase perceived enjoyment of artificial intelligence-based voice assistants, which in turn reduces both perceived security risk and user intention to discontinue using the tool.
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Law, Politics and Society

KU Law professor writes book on negotiation skills

Stephen Ware, a University of Kansas professor of law, has written the book “Principles of Negotiation, Mediation, and Other Processes of Dispute Resolution,” a book aimed at helping law students and practitioners understand how to negotiate, the different approaches and why it’s a vital skill.

New Care Board data release offers up-to-date insights on care within households and in the labor market

Newly released data on The Care Board will expand the type of data and methods available for understanding the care economy in the United States. Developed by researchers at the University of Kansas, the Care Board publishes statistics from several high-quality sources to show the magnitude of care work inside homes and care jobs as a share of the national economy.
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A young Asian woman wears a COVID mask while staring into the distance.

New documentary chronicles link between racial trauma, mental health experienced by Asian American communities

In a new documentary, a professor of sociology at the University of Kansas weaves together personal testimony, historical analysis and creative artistic expression to illuminate the layered realities of racial trauma in AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) communities.
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