News
Mon, 02/17/2025
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Welcomes Jennifer Johnson to Faculty
Assistant Professor of Plant Ecophysiology joins the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and will be conducting research on photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence.
Tue, 02/11/2025
University of Kansas announces fall 2024 honor roll
More than 8,900 undergraduate students at the University of Kansas earned honor roll distinction for the fall 2024 semester.
Fri, 02/07/2025
KU nominates 4 students for Goldwater Scholarship
Four University of Kansas honors students who have been actively involved in undergraduate research during their university careers are competing for Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, regarded as the premier undergraduate award to encourage excellence in science, engineering and mathematics.
Fri, 02/07/2025
Jayhawks named semifinalists for student Fulbright awards
Six University of Kansas students and alumni have advanced to the semifinalist round for Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards, which will provide funding to study, conduct research or teach English abroad for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Fri, 01/31/2025
Eight faculty members awarded Research-Intensive Course Grants for spring 2025
In an effort to provide research opportunities to more students, eight faculty members will work with the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships this spring to redesign portions of their courses to include a larger research or creative component.
Fri, 01/31/2025
Two KU researchers chosen for prestigious early-career presidential award
Two KU professors — Anthony Fehr, associate professor of molecular biosciences, and Gibum Kwon, associate professor of mechanical engineering — were recently chosen for the PECASE Award, the highest honor given by the U.S. government to early-career researchers who show great potential for leading scientific advancements in the 21st century.
Mon, 01/27/2025
49 KU students receive Undergraduate Research Awards for spring
This spring, 49 University of Kansas students received an Undergraduate Research Award (UGRA) from the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships. UGRA recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects.
Tue, 01/07/2025
$2.5M grant will support nature-based study of pathogen resistance in perennial crop systems
A new five-year, $2.5 million grant will support a KU-led project exploring alternative routes to pathogen resistance in a potential perennial oilseed crop, silflower (Silphium integrifolium). The project is funded through the federal program on Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases.
Mon, 12/09/2024
KU professors implement alternative teaching method in biology classrooms
A new article on teaching methods has been published by two University of Kansas professors with the Undergraduate Biology Program.
Mon, 11/25/2024
Molecular Biosciences Welcomes Coral Y. Zhou to Faculty
Assistant professor joins the Department of Molecular Biosciences and aims to conduct research in 3D genome organization in the context of embryogenesis, evolution and human health.
Thu, 11/21/2024
KU Alumni Association honors students, alumnus with 2024 Homecoming awards
Four Jayhawks were recognized during halftime of the University of Kansas-Houston football game Oct. 19 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, concluding a week of festivities for KU’s 112th Homecoming.
Tue, 11/19/2024
Molecular Biosciences Welcomes Allie Graham to Faculty
Assistant Professor of Genomics joins the Department of Molecular Biosciences and aims to conduct research on the extreme selective genetic constraint imposed by low-oxygen environments, across vertebrate (birds, mammals, fish) and invertebrate (crustaceans, insects) systems.
Thu, 10/17/2024
Design-Zyme, KU collaboration results in $3 million SBIR award for Lyme disease vaccine development
The woods can be a place of adventure and beauty, a peaceful escape for a walk. But among the leaves and grass, the threat of ticks can turn a hike into a health-altering encounter with Lyme disease. A recent $3 million Small Business Innovation Research award will fund the research and development of a vaccine to stop Lyme disease in its tracks.
Tue, 10/08/2024
$1.5M grant will create global macro-network of plant-fungal research
A new project led by the University of Kansas will bring together scientists throughout the world who study the interactions between plants and microscopic fungi. A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support the creation of a global transdisciplinary network to address the grand challenges within the realm of plant-fungal interactions.
Wed, 10/02/2024
KU Biology: Inside the Lab with Dr. Jamie Walter
Video: Take an inside look into Dr. Jamie Walter's evolutionary genomics Lab at KU!
Tue, 10/01/2024
19 KU students receive Undergraduate Research Awards for fall
KU's Undergraduate Research Award recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects. Nineteen Jayhawks received an award for fall 2024.
Wed, 09/25/2024
Research shows Asia — not Africa — played cradle to snake superfamily that includes cobras, mambas and many common pet species
Based on the fossil record, it’s been assumed that elapoid snakes, found worldwide, had their origins in Africa. But the new University of Kansas study appearing in Royal Society Open Science — which depends on broad genetic sampling as well as fossils — points instead to Asian origins for these snakes.
Mon, 09/23/2024
KU faculty providing authentic research lab experience in classroom
A new grant of $15,000 from NIH and K-INBRE will expand opportunities for students to have authentic research lab experiences in the classroom. Faculty member Eileen Hotze’s CURE is setting the stage for further implementation in other classrooms.
Tue, 09/17/2024
University Distinguished Professor to explore how today’s ecosystems can help predict Earth’s future in inaugural lecture
University Distinguished Professor Sharon Billings will deliver “Predicting Ecosystems of the Future with the Forests and Grasslands of Today” on Oct. 1 in the Beren Petroleum Conference Center of Slawson Hall G192.
Thu, 09/05/2024
KU leading multi-institutional program to support undergraduate STEM research and student retention
The University of Kansas, in collaboration with five other regional higher education institutions, has been awarded a five-year, $3.5 million National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation grant. The award will establish the Aligning STEM Trainees for Enterprising Research (ASTER) program and fund undergraduate research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Wed, 09/04/2024
New book ‘Macroevolutionaries’ explores intersection of evolution, art and popular culture
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.
Thu, 08/29/2024
KU researcher Victor Gonzalez receives two NSF grants to advance research on bees
The National Science Foundation has awarded two grants totaling more than $600,000 to a team led by University of Kansas scientists studying bees in North America and plant pollinators in tropical regions.
Wed, 08/28/2024
Undergraduate Biology Welcomes Incoming Students
The 2024/2025 Academic year started on a high note on August 25, 2024, with the third annual Biology Welcome Event.
Mon, 08/26/2024
Electrocuting spores, for science
Biological sciences major Kit Savoy knows that if humans are going to thrive in space, they’ll need microbes. 🦠 And since wind and animals are hard to come by in outer space, Savoy built a parallel plate capacitor to see whether electric fields can disperse fungal spores instead. It’s mycology plus astrobiology, with a dash of physics thrown in for good measure. Rock Chalk, Kit!
Wed, 08/14/2024
Rare Corpse Flower Blooms in KU Greenhouse
An endangered Flower bloomed at the University of Kansas Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Greenhouse in Haworth Hall.
Thu, 07/25/2024
Grant Awarded to Discover Aging Genes
Stuart Macdonald received a new NIH National Institute on Aging award to execute large-scale studies to identify genes contributing to lifespan variation in fruit flies
Fri, 07/19/2024
UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES SPRING 2024 AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS
The Undergraduate Biology Department formally recognized the award-winning graduating seniors in its annual Biology Recognition Ceremony on May 11, 2024. The department distributed more than $43,000 in awards and scholarships to students.
Mon, 06/10/2024
Ten KU students receive Undergraduate Research Awards for summer
This summer, ten University of Kansas students received an Undergraduate Research Award (UGRA). UGRA recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship for their work on mentored research and creative projects.
Mon, 06/10/2024
Undergraduate Biology Student Researcher: Alexa Magstadt
"Alexa Magstadt is studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with a minor in Spanish. She is part of the Chancellors Club Scholar, a BioScholar & a Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Dixon Lab."
Fri, 06/07/2024
KU researcher Rafe Brown receives Fulbright Award to the Philippines
Rafe Brown, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to travel to the Philippines to study biodiversity. Brown will spend a year in the Philippines conducting fieldwork to sample amphibians and reptiles. The research studies the biodiversity of a rare stretch of pristine tropical forest that extends from a volcanic peak to the sea.