News
Tue, 12/13/2022
KU awarded grant to assist in bringing equity and excellence to introductory science classes
LAWRENCE — An interdisciplinary team of professors at the University of Kansas has received a $529,500 grant to improve student success and reduce achievement gaps in undergraduate science education. ...
Fri, 12/09/2022
Two educators receive Chancellors Club Teaching Professorships
LAWRENCE — KU Endowment has announced the 2022 Chancellors Club Teaching Professorships. Mark Mort, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, and Cynthia Colwell, professor of music therapy & music education, are this year’s recipients. ...
Mon, 11/14/2022
CBS Saturday Morning sits down with Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch (Opens in new window)
Watch Chip Taylor in this clip from CBS Saturday morning, as he discusses Monarch Watch and its growth from a research enterprise, to an outreach and educational organization, and finally a conservation organization. Taylor is the founder and Director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas and is retiring and passing the baton to a new director and the next generation of activists working to protect the Monarch butterfly and other insects.
Wed, 11/09/2022
#KUFieldWorks: Studying microbes to understand possibility of life on other planets (Opens in new window)
A team of KU researchers led by Ben Sikes, associate professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, is studying microscopic organisms in extreme environments to see if life is possible beyond Earth. The team’s primary research question is whether microbial communities adapted to extreme environments are more resilient to space-like stresses. The team conducted field collections in the Mojave National Preserve and in the High Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Tue, 10/25/2022
University Distinguished Professor Andrew Townsend Peterson earns three new awards
Two of the grants are sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and one by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. ...
Mon, 10/24/2022
KU EEB doctoral student Camila Meneses earns Best Poster Award at SAGE 2022 (Opens in new window)
The poster is entitled “A New Species of Fringed Forest Gecko, Genus Luperosaurus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), from Sibuyan Island, Central Philippines”.
In an interview, Meneses shares about her work on the amphibians and reptiles that earned her the Best Poster Award at SAGE 2022, describing a new species of one of the rarest endemic Philippine lizards which corresponds to the Sibuyan Island population in central Philippines.
Tue, 10/04/2022
Book launch Oct. 4, 2022, at the Lawrence Public Library
A new book about the fungi of Kansas includes two co-authors from the University of Kansas.
Benjamin Sikes, associate professor with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and associate scientist with Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, along with Caleb Morse, affiliate researcher and collection manager at the Biodiversity Institute, co-authored the update to the first edition with author Sherry Kay.
"This was a labor of love for Sherry Kay and I was glad to have helped get it across the finish line," Sikes said.
An update to the first edition, published nearly 30 years ago, A New Guide to Kansas Mushrooms incorporates new understanding of fungal taxonomy unearthed largely by genetic tools.
Apart from updating species names for a quarter of entries to reflect this new understanding, the new book adds 50 more entries, phylogenetic trees to show broader evolutionary relationships, and more than 1,200 species on the life list, nearly twice the number from the first edition.
Original author Richard Kay suggested his wife, Sherry Kay, could assume the undertaking of revising the book, collaborating with him working as a consultant. After Richard’s death in 2018, Sherry reached out to Sikes and Morse to complete the task.
The book launch takes place Oct. 4, 2022, at the Lawrence Public Library with the Raven on hand with available copies to purchase: https://www.ravenbookstore.com/event/lawrence-public-library-book-launch-new-guide-kansas-mushrooms
Wed, 09/28/2022
Study will predict fate of Western Atlantic mollusks by scouring ancient fossil record
LAWRENCE — Generations from now, will people still jam into beachside food stands for clam rolls and splurge on trays of oysters at swanky restaurants — or will clams, oysters and many other mollusk species soon become victims of human-driven climate change? ...
Mon, 09/26/2022
Bruce Lieberman named director of KU Paleontological Institute
LAWRENCE — Bruce Lieberman, professor in the University of Kansas Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and senior curator in the Division of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum, has been named director of the KU Paleontological Institute. He previously served as interim director from 2005...
Thu, 09/01/2022
Journal of Science highlights Rivers’ Research (Opens in new window)
Dr. Trevor Rivers, assistant teaching professor in KU Biology, has spent valuable time carrying out research on bioluminescent ostracods.
Ostracods have been referred to by many names but are actually tiny crustaceans that light up the dark with their mating displays.
Check out the article for more information, images, and video, which focuses on how these Caribbean crustaceans are shining new light on evolution.
Many of the images and videos in the article were captured by Rivers.
Wed, 08/31/2022
#KUFieldWorks: Predicting future algae blooms to preserve safe drinking water (Opens in new window)
Ted Harris, an assistant research professor with the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, and a team of faculty, student and staff are examining long-term water quality changes in large Kansas lakes, especially changes related to blue-green algae, which can cause harmful algal blooms (HABs). Under certain conditions, cyanobacteria, colloquially known as blue-green algae, can grow rapidly in lakes. When too much of this algae is present, it releases toxins that can harm humans and other animals.
Harris led a number of trips this summer throughout the lakes within the Kansas River basin, including lakes Sebelius, Webster, Kanopolis, Milford, Waconda, Tuttle Creek, Perry and Lovewell.
Harris and his team use sediment to analyze the historical patterns of HABs, which can render water unsafe for consumption. Understanding when and why these blooms take place can help the state forecast and prevent them in the future.
Tue, 08/30/2022
Walters receives NSF grant to support research into the mechanisms and evolution of aging differences between males and females
Associate Professor James Walters, co-PI on the collaborative grant awarded by the National Science Foundation, will help discover how multiple biological processes contribute to differences in aging between females and males and uncover their evolutionary history.
In many animals, either females or males age faster or have a longer lifespan. This aging difference has significant implications for biodiversity, conservation, agriculture, and human health.
The grant is for approximately $12.5 million over 5 years with nearly $1 million coming to KU to support Walters’ research.
This grant also helps establish KU as part of a large, collaborative Biology Integration Institute (BII) to focus on this area of research.
Lead institute is the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
Mon, 08/22/2022
Teaching Innovation Award Presented in Honor of EEB Emeritus Professor Chris Haufler
The Christopher Haufler KU Core Innovation Award was presented to members of the Department of Philosophy at the Center for Teaching Excellence Event on Aug. 18.
This departmental teaching innovation award is in honor of EEB Emeritus Christopher Haufler.
The EEB department is thankful for Haufler's years of dedication to teaching excellence.
The award was presented to the Department of Philosophy for Philosophy 150: Philosophical Communication.
Accepting the award were Sarah Robins and Brad Cokelet.
Thu, 08/18/2022
EEB faculty members recognized for teaching excellence!
Professor Paulyn Cartwright was awarded the Ned N. Fleming Trust Award for teaching excellence.
EEB PhD recipient and now assistant teaching professor in KU Undergraduate Biology, Victor Gonzalez, was awarded the Bob & Kathie Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award.
Professor Mark Mort was awarded and will receive the Chancellors Club Teaching Professorship Award at a later date.
Award recipients were recognized August 18 at the KU Teaching Summit.
Wed, 08/17/2022
New principles for biological fieldwork will build equity for researchers and local communities
Mon, 08/15/2022
Agusto Receives NSF Grant
Dr. Folashade Agusto, associate professor in EEB, received 1 of 8 National Science Foundation awards on Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models (IHBEM). Agusto is the primary investigator, and this award will be in collaboration with the University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute as well as George Mason University, The Inter American University of Puerto Rico, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Tue, 08/09/2022
KU College awards Baumgartner Professorship in Biology
LAWRENCE — The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University of Kansas has announced the inaugural award of the Baumgartner Professorship in Biology to Paulyn Cartwright, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. ...
Wed, 07/20/2022
Idea of ice age 'species pump' in the Philippines boosted by new way of drawing evolutionary trees
Tue, 07/19/2022
Justin Blumenstiel Receives Mentor Award
Congratulations to Justin Blumenstiel. He’s the recipient of the 2022 Grant Goodman Undergraduate Mentor Award! This award honors faculty whose mentorship continues to support and inspire students long after they leave the classroom.
Wed, 07/13/2022
Congratulations to three EEB professors for recent awards
Victor H. Gonzalez Betancourt received the Bob & Kathie Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award.
Mart Mort received the Chancellors Club Teaching Professorship.
Paulyn Cartwright received the Ned Fleming Trust Award.
Congratulations on your well-deserved achievements!
Thu, 07/07/2022
University of Kansas names five new distinguished professors
LAWRENCE – Five University of Kansas professors have joined elite company by being named distinguished professors. Sharon Billings and Marta Caminero-Santangelo received the designation of University Distinguished Professor, while Jie Han, Peter Ukpokodu and Lisa Wolf-Wendel received the designation of Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor. ...
Wed, 06/29/2022
Billings receives Byron A. Alexander Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award
Congratulations to Dr. Sharon Billings, recipient of the Byron A. Alexander Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award. This award is given to honor a faculty member who demonstrates exceptional effort, care, and guidance in advising graduate students.
Tue, 06/07/2022
Nine Jayhawks receive Undergraduate Research Awards for summer
LAWRENCE — This summer, nine University of Kansas students will receive an Undergraduate Research Award (UGRA). UGRA recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects. ...
Thu, 05/12/2022
Center for Undergraduate Research honors students, mentors
LAWRENCE — In early May, the University of Kansas Center for Undergraduate Research honored the winners of the Courtwright Award for Undergraduate Research Excellence and the Undergraduate Research Mentor Awards. ...
Mon, 05/02/2022
KU's 'I Am Striving Series': Featuring Paulyn Cartwright (Opens in new window)
Paulyn Cartwright, professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, shares what inspires her research and work, along with her goals for that research.
Watch a video and read a story about how Cartwright uses her study subject, jellyfish and their relatives, to help understand the evolutionary biology of other animals.
"My primary goal as an educator and as a researcher is to broaden participation in science," Cartwright said.
Tue, 04/26/2022
Honoring Women in Science
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Biodiversity Institute & KU Natural History Museum celebrated women in science on Saturday, March 26.
Local scientists set up booths for the day, including Maggie Wagner, ecology and evolutionary biology assistant professor, and Ph.D. student Ceyda Kural, to share their science expertise with the community.
Those attending were able to participate in hands-on experiments, learn about different careers in science, and also learn about women scientists from around the globe.
Kural is specifically interested in plant microbe interactions, as well as phenotypic changes across environmental gradients.
Wagner and Kural talked with visitors about how plants have microbiomes that are important for their health, just like people do. They also had microscopes set up where visitors could view fungi colonizing grass roots.
The booth also included hands-on activity where visitors could plate out plant roots and leaves on agar, to take home and observe fungal growth over the next few days.
Tue, 04/26/2022
Join us for the EEOB Pizza Social!
Are you thinking about declaring the EEOB major or are you curious about EEOB?
Join us for pizza and meet EEOB majors and professors Friday, May 6, 2022!
The undergraduate committee is planning a Stop Day event for our EEOB major from 12 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Friday, May 6, 2022.
The event will take place outside the first floor west entrance to Haworth Hall.
Questions? Contact Dr. Fola Agusto by email at fbagusto@ku.edu.