2025 Graduate Student Fall Fundraiser

Tue, 10/28/2025

Sharon Renee Suppes

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.

This year, donations are needed for two primary purposes:

1. Professional Development Travel Scholarships: As student biologists, we aim to share our research with the broader scientific community, learn and practice new skills, and network with a diversity of peers, collaborators, and potential future employers. The high cost of travel associated with pursuing these important opportunities, however, is often prohibitive, especially in light of recent cuts to state and federal funding. To support student biologists in these endeavors, the EEB GSO awards 2–4 travel scholarships annually to help fund national and international travel to summer courses, research expeditions, and scientific conferences.

2. Award-Winning Science Programming in Kansas Communities: As an organization, we are dedicated to sharing our knowledge with the broader Kansas community and sparking excitement for biology in people of all ages through scientific programming. We organize both long-term projects and one-day events, including scientific demonstrations, hands-on activities, and formal and informal presentations to groups throughout the Lawrence, Topeka, and Kansas City areas. The EEB GSO is a proud community partner of local Title 1 elementary schools, 4-H of Douglas County, and the Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri. These programs have reached hundreds of people of all ages, and while they certainly benefit our community, they also allow us to develop the crucial skill of communicating science to a broad and diverse audience. A variety of consumable materials are necessary for these programs to be successful, including crafting supplies for making nature journals, salt and soap for looking at DNA, and invertebrate specimens for teaching Kansas students about marine biology, to name but a few. By making a gift to support our award-winning scientific programming, you are promoting continued science outreach efforts in local Kansas communities by allowing the students who lead them to obtain the supplies needed to make these efforts a success.

By making a gift to EEB GSO, you are directly impacting student success by helping to provide the opportunity for a student to learn, share research, and grow as a scientist. Thank you for your support!

Learn more about the EEB GSO: https://eeb.ku.edu/graduate-student-organization-gso

Learn more about our award-winning outreach efforts: https://outreachkueeb.wordpress.com/