Research


Featured research news

A KU energy and environmental law expert has published an article outlining how open definitions of "energy communities" can help the transition to renewable sources of energy.
A KU energy and environmental law professor has published a new study arguing that keeping an open definition of energy communities, or those traditionally dependent on fossil fuel energies, can help ease the transition to renewables. The paper is part of ongoing work in energy justice and transition.

Science and Technology



With a new two-year grant of $250,000 per year from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, Anita Saraf currently is analyzing samples of noninfectious mosquito saliva in the fight against “arboviruses” — viruses spread by arthropods like mosquitoes.
University of Kansas paleontologist Bruce Lieberman co-wrote “Macroevolutionaries,” a collection of natural history essays, with fellow paleontologist Niles Eldredge in the tradition of their late Harvard mentor and famed science popularizer, Stephen Jay Gould.
Photograph of the new Limnonectes cassiopeia species on white background
Researchers from the University of Kansas have published findings in the journal Ichthyology & Herpetology describing a new species of fanged frog, named Limnonectes cassiopeia, from the Philippine island of Luzon.

Health and Well-Being



An analysis of a national health survey showed individuals with pre-existing disabilities who contracted COVID suffered long COVID at much higher rates than their nondisabled peers. This exacerbates existing barriers to health care access and inequities in health, requiring an adjustment of health policy, researchers say.
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.
Medical personnel exchanging surgical tools in OR.
A study from a University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design researcher shows a better-designed operating room shaves time off of orthopedic surgery, implying better outcomes and reduced costs.

Teaching, Learning and Behavior



Hyunjoo Kim, the 2024 ATLAS fellow, will research the use of graph theory to create a more detailed map of student understanding.
The Center for Educational Opportunity Programs at the University of Kansas is the recipient of two federal grants totaling $21.8 million over seven years. These grants will provide critical support to middle and high school students in Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools and Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri.
A group of students debating a topic.
Teaching argumentation is a key part of the common core standards in education. But a new study finds that encouraging empathy, instead of the traditional approach of winning, produces more well-rounded argumentation and writing in students.

Arts, Architecture and Humanities



KU researchers received an NEH Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities grant to fund their project, AI & Digital Literacy: Toward an Inclusive and Empowering Teaching Practice, an in-person institute administered in partnership with the National Humanities Center, in June 2025.
A fascinating new book chronicling transformation on the plains of Kansas and western Colorado uses repeat photography — contemporary re-creations of 1870s photos — to reveal startling changes to the landscape.
Murphy Hall exterior
A new book from a University of Kansas associate professor of music serves as an illustrated introduction to the field of music therapy for beginners, covering definitions, methods and theories.

Business, Economics and Innovation



In a new paper, Michael Lash, assistant professor of business at the University of Kansas, proposes a novel approach for incorporating human experts in machine learning models. This increases reliance, trusting and sense-making of the explanations returned by artificial intelligence.
In a new working paper, Kevin Pisciotta, assistant professor of finance at KU, finds that not only does online sports betting lead to increased betting activity, it also leads to higher credit card balances, less available credit and a reduction in net investments.
Sorghum field in Kansas, farm in distance
The Kansas Statistical Abstract 2023 is now available online. This data compendium is published annually by the Institute for Policy & Social Research at KU. It includes information on a wide range of topics about Kansas, with information in downloadable tables, maps and graphs.

Law, Politics and Society



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."
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.
A KU energy and environmental law expert has published an article outlining how open definitions of "energy communities" can help the transition to renewable sources of energy.
A KU energy and environmental law professor has published a new study arguing that keeping an open definition of energy communities, or those traditionally dependent on fossil fuel energies, can help ease the transition to renewables. The paper is part of ongoing work in energy justice and transition.