News

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.

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.

Thu, 03/21/2024

Red Hot Graduate Research: Friday, March 22, 4 to 5:30 p.m., Watson Library, 3 West (Opens in new window)

EEB and the BI research highlighted once again at Red Hot Research! Plan to attend to see EEB's Keana Tang present. Red Hot Graduate Research introduces KU scholars 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.

Wed, 03/06/2024

Tang receives MAGS Distinguished Thesis Award

Keana Tang, PhD Candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow with the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at KU, has been awarded the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Distinguished Thesis Award for the Biological Sciences. The award recognizes and rewards the recipient’s distinguished scholarship and research. Tang will receive an honorarium of $750 from MAGS, plus $500 toward travel expenses to attend the MAGS annual meeting.

Thu, 02/29/2024

KU students to present at Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol

KU students will join their peers from other Kansas Board of Regents public four-year universities to deliver in-person poster presentations March 1 at the Kansas Capitol Rotunda in Topeka.

Wed, 02/28/2024

Red Hot Research: 4-5:30 PM Friday, March 1 (Opens in new window)

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. The event takes place Friday, March 1, 2024, from 4-5:30 PM at Watson Library, 3 West. One of this week’s presenters includes Kelly Matsunaga, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and Biodiversity Institute.

Tue, 02/27/2024

2024 Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference at KU May 20–31 (Opens in new window)

iDigBio, the Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA), and The University of Kansas's Biodiversity Research Institute are delighted to announce the 2024 Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference, 29-31 May, with this edition of the conference again offering both in-person and virtual participation. The overall theme for the 2024 conference will be Synthesizing & Harmonizing Data for Integrated Biodiversity Research.

Wed, 01/31/2024

EEB’s Katya Mack featured in UC Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Newsletter (Opens in new window)

The publication “Gene regulation helps species thrive in new climates” is highlighted in the Winter 2024 edition.

Thu, 01/25/2024

Timm receives Jackson Award for Outstanding Service (Opens in new window)

The American Society of Mammalogists recognizes Dr. Robert M. Timm, professor emeritus, as the 2023 recipient of the Hartley H. T. Jackson Award. Timm joined the KU Natural History Museum as curator-in-charge of mammals in 1986 and as a faculty member in the Department of Systematics and Ecology, and went on to serve in a variety of roles while at KU. His research has focused on ecology, evolution, and in recent years conservation of mammals, and in host–parasite interactions.

Tue, 01/23/2024

55 students receive Undergraduate Research Awards for spring 2024

UGRA recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects. Students apply for UGRAs by writing a four-page research proposal under the guidance of a mentor. Faculty reviewers evaluate the applications based on the merit of the applicant’s proposal and a recommendation from the mentor.