News
Tue, 07/01/2025
Henry Fitch Memorial Scholarship
Through a generous donation from Biology alumnus Jim Mason, the Henry S. Fitch Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship has been established to support students pursuing studies in the fields of ecology and evolution.
Mon, 06/23/2025
Researchers unearth big possum that lived around 60 million years ago in Texas’ Big Bend National Park
Paleontologists from the University of Kansas have described for the first time a species of Swaindelphys discovered in Texas’ Big Bend National Park, though the ecosystem was drastically different in the Paleocene, when it thrived, than today.
Thu, 06/19/2025
Kansas science teachers to take part in KU Field Station immersive program June 24–26
Ten secondary school science teachers from Kansas will take part in the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute, an immersive program that gives secondary educators the chance to work with KU scientists to explore resources and gain new ideas for their classrooms.
Mon, 06/16/2025
Annual summer solstice tour of KU medicinal garden planned June 20
The public is invited to the summer semiannual tour of the University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden at 7 p.m. June 20, the summer solstice.
Wed, 06/11/2025
University Research Award Spotlight: James Saulsbury
James Saulsbury, postdoctoral researcher in the Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, received the Research Postdoctoral Achievement Award at the University Research Awards ceremony. In the video, Saulsbury talks about his research.
Fri, 05/23/2025
KU announces promotion and tenure for 158 faculty and researchers
Chancellor Douglas A. Girod has approved the promotion and award of tenure, where indicated, for 44 individuals at the University of Kansas Lawrence and Edwards campuses and 114 individuals at the KU Medical Center campus.
Thu, 05/22/2025
Class of 2025 Nominates Stephen Benedict Most Impactful Professor Award Winners
Three winners for the Stephen Benedict Most Impactful Professor Award were announced on Saturday, May 17, 2025 during the Undergraduate Biology Program Recognition Ceremony.
Mon, 01/06/2025
KU campuses to close Monday, January 6, due to inclement weather
The University of Kansas' Lawrence, Edwards and Leavenworth campuses will be closed Monday, January 6, due to winter weather.
Thu, 12/05/2024
Soil health is big business, but KU researchers say many fungal products don't work as promised
There’s no shortage of products designed to grow beneficial fungi that will help your crops or garden. Whether they actually do that, though, is a different matter.
Mon, 12/02/2024
KU Natural History Museum to host a members’ night event featuring research-based exhibits.
Enjoy an evening exploring the natural world with hot chocolate and cookies, and celebrate the grand opening of our newest exhibit, “Fossil Mammals in Turkey.” From fossils to ferrets, there is something for everyone to discover at the KU Natural History Museum during the event Members’ Night: Exploring Research-based Exhibits.
Tue, 10/29/2024
2024 KU EEB Grad Student Fundraiser
The Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Organization (EEB GSO) is seeking your generous support to help our student biologists pursue opportunities for professional development and engage our local Kansas communities in scientific programming.
Tue, 10/22/2024
Science on Tap with Dr. Paulyn Cartwright: Invasion of the Freshwater Jellyfish
This free presentation/Q&A on Wednesday Oct. 23, 7:30-8:30 PM, is open to the public and will be held in the beer hall area at Free State Brewing Company, 636 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS. Please note that seating is limited, so we encourage you to arrive early.
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.
Wed, 09/18/2024
Fall equinox tour of KU medicinal garden planned Sept. 22
The public is invited to the fall semiannual tour of the University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 on the autumnal equinox.
Tue, 09/17/2024
Science on Tap with Dr. Sharon Billings 9/18: The World’s Mountains are Feeling the Heat
Join us at Free State Brewing Company, 7:30-8:30 PM, Wednesday, September 18, for the next Science on Tap event featuring Dr. Sharon Billings, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research. Billings will discuss how forests in the mountains all over the world are changing how they function as the Earth warms.
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.
Wed, 09/11/2024
#KUFieldWorks: Studying past climate change events through fossils
Parker Rhinehart, doctoral candidate in ecology & evolutionary biology, looks to the fossil record to analyze the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, a period of intense climate change that dramatically altered the evolution of life on Earth. “Studying how the PETM impacted fossil species and ecosystems allows us to predict how modern climate change could affect modern ecosystems as global warming continues,” Rhinehart said.
Tue, 09/03/2024
Re-creations of 1870s railway photos reveal profound change to Kansas, Colorado plains
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.
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 KU scientists studying bees in North America and plant pollinators in tropical regions.
Wed, 08/21/2024
Mort receives University Honors Teaching Award
Professor Mark Mort, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, is the recipient of a new award to recognize outstanding teaching of a departmental honors course. Mort is one of two faculty members who will receive this inaugural award. Mort was nominated for his teaching of BIOL 153: Principles of Organismal Biology, honors. Award recipients will be recognized at the fall 2024 Honors Convocation, which takes place 10:00-11:30 AM, Sunday, August 25, 2024, in the Burge Union.
Wed, 08/14/2024
Gleason receives Excellence in Teaching award
Dr. Jennifer Gleason, associate professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is a 2024 recipient of the Ned Fleming Trust Award for Excellence in Teaching. The selection of recipients by a committee of their peers recognizes contributions to the University of Kansas and to its students through outstanding teaching. Dr. Gleason and other recipients of this year’s teaching awards will be recognized at the University Teaching Award celebration held on the Lawrence campus Oct. 8, 2024.
Wed, 07/17/2024
Five standout educators recognized as Kemper Fellows
KU this week is celebrating five outstanding faculty members as winners of the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. Each of the five awardees receives $7,500.
Wed, 07/17/2024
Science On Tap: 7:30-8:30 PM Wednesday, July 24 at Free State Brewing Company
Join us at Free State Brewing Company for the next Science on Tap event featuring Dr. Jorge Soberón, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist in biodiversity modeling at the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum. The presentation, "On Redcoats, Bugs, and the Nopal. A Tale of Science and Commerce," will combine history and science to explain how a tiny cactus-dwelling insect, native to subtropical South America, became a global commodity in the 16th century.
Fri, 05/10/2024
KU announces promotion and tenure for 149 faculty and researchers
Chancellor Douglas A. Girod has approved the promotion and award of tenure, where indicated, for 64 individuals at the University of Kansas Lawrence and Edwards campuses and 85 individuals at the KU Medical Center campuses.
Wed, 05/08/2024
University plans summer makeover for Potter Lake
This summer, Potter Lake is getting a makeover for its 113th birthday. A major project will begin in May to dredge the lake, rebuild portions of the original edge wall, and improve the spillway and sediment basin. Part of the work will be to collect turtles, frogs and reptiles and relocate them to a pond in KU’s West District.
Tue, 04/30/2024
Researchers parse oddity of distantly related bats in Solomon Islands that appear identical
A study of body size in leaf-nosed bats of the Solomon Islands that involved evolutionary biologists from the University of Kansas — who collected specimens, conducted genetic analysis and co-wrote research in the journal Evolution — reveals surprising genetic diversity among nearly indistinguishable species on different islands.
Wed, 04/24/2024
EEB alumnus nominated into the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (Opens in new window)
KU EEB alumnus Rob Anderson, Ph.D. 2001, was recently elected to the rank of Elected Fellow in the AAAS. Anderson is currently a Professor in the Department of Biology at City College of New York, City University of New York. Election as a Fellow honors members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues and is a distinguished lifetime honor within the scientific community. Anderson’s areas of expertise include biology, biodiversity, biogeography, ecology, mammals and modeling.
Mon, 04/22/2024
Dr. Rafe Brown selected as Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2024-2025 for Philippines
Congratulations to Rafe Brown, Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and curator-in-charge of the Herpetology Division of the KU Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum! Brown largely conducts research in the Philippines, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, but he has collaborated on biodiversity research in India, northern Melanesia, the tropical Americas and central Africa. Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbright scholars also play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations.
Mon, 04/08/2024
KU, Haskell students to present research projects at 24th annual symposium
Research on heat shock stress in colorectal cancer, wetland restoration practices’ impact on soil, neurodegeneration of Alzheimer’s disease and other topics will be among the work presented at the 24th annual University of Kansas-Haskell Indian Nations University Student Research Symposium. The event will take place April 12 at Haskell.
Tue, 03/26/2024
Red Hot Research: Friday, March 29, 4 to 5:30 PM, Watson Library, 3 West (Opens in new window)
Plan to attend to see Undergraduate Biology’s Jenny Archibald discuss systematics, taxonomy, species, plant, diversity.
Red Hot Research introduces researchers to the work of their colleagues; prompts questions within current research through the perspectives of many disciplines; and develops collaborative research teams as a result of overlapping interest & expertise.