Research

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Three paintings by Barry Fitzgerald, side by side

Home on the range: Kansas sabbatical inspires artist

Students in a classroom taking a pen and pencil test.

New book guides teachers on using best method of assessment to balance research, realities of the classroom

Graphic made up of a cluster of lines and dots, depicting the network studied

Study of nonprofit resilience emphasizes importance of broad-based ties

According to a new study from the University of Kansas, nonprofit organizations that seek to build resilience — or the capability to enact a rapid, robust response to challenges — should cultivate a broad network of relationships and view those ties as assets on par with financial and other important resources.

Science and Technology

KU Ichthyology collection reaches milestone with Missouri Department of Conservation partnership

The University of Kansas Ichthyology Division at the Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum has reached a milestone of more than 45,000 cataloged lots, aided by a substantial collection from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Study: Faced with a hotter future, America needs better data and response plans

A new paper from researchers at the University of Kansas looks at extreme heat events in the United States, arguing a combination of inadequate data and unclear delineation of responsibility among government agencies leaves the nation unprepared for a hotter climate.
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Person wearing jacket pulls holds seed head on end of tall gamagrass stalk and has cut seed heads of gamagrass sticking out of paper bag in large front pocket of jacket; the bag is labeled with the numbers 128 and 302.

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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Health and Well-Being

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.

Study reveals how dreams affect emotions in day-to-day life

A KU clinical psychology scholar sought to test whether emotions experienced within dreams — like fear and joy — change feelings the following morning. Garrett Baber and colleagues published the findings in the peer-reviewed journal Sleep.
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Stock photo of woman's hands with psychologist in consultation office for assessment or evaluation.

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.
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Teaching, Learning and Behavior

Study finds high school journalism leading the way in financial literacy, even if business isn't part of curriculum

Journalism classes usually are not paired with business lessons. While there have been calls for increasing business knowledge in journalism, research from the University of Kansas has found that high school journalists are learning business skills even though they are not a core part of the curriculum.

New philosophical theory of personal well-being introduced in latest ‘Oxford Handbook’

In a new book chapter, Jason Raibley, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Kansas, proposes a new theory of personal well-being in which the most essential building block is having and then realizing personal values through one’s own agency.
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Students in a classroom taking a pen and pencil test.

New book guides teachers on using best method of assessment to balance research, realities of the classroom

"Classroom Assessment in the Real World" guides teachers in the best methods of gauging what their students have learned by balancing best practices with examples on how different approaches work, helping to select the best method for each unique classroom.
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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

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.

Strategies for fixing out-of-control tipping practices revealed in new article

In a new article, Rob Waiser, assistant professor of marketing, examines how tipping — a social process once confined to hospitality — is now appearing in unexpected places and becoming more expensive. But when designed thoughtfully, it can reinforce customer centricity rather than undermine it.
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A hand arranges blocks that represent different aspects of business relationships, from ideas to profitability to manufacturing to sales.

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.
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Law, Politics and Society

KU researcher proposes strategies for political depolarization in, outside classroom

In two recent publications, a University of Kansas communication studies researcher prescribes constructive approaches to political polarization both in the classroom and in society more broadly.

KU research shows JOBS Act backfired, resulting in acquisitions of companies instead of increasing IPOs

Alex Platt, KU School of Law professor, has published research showing that the JOBS Act of 2012, which was intended to revive the IPO market, has had the opposite effect. Instead of making it easier for companies to go public through the IPO process, it has resulted in "dual-track bias," which has led many companies to sell to larger companies instead.
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Several young people's hands hold flags of Malawi in the air, with the sun in the background.

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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