News
Mon, 08/21/2023
Dataset revolutionizes understanding of beta barrels, promising targets for vaccine development
LAWRENCE — Examples of infections tied to gram-negative bacteria include pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound-site infections and meningitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ...
Thu, 07/06/2023
KU Kudos: Jayhawk faculty and staff achievements, summer 2023
LAWRENCE — It's time to celebrate Jayhawk colleagues' achievements: KU News Service accepted submissions and combed websites, social media and newsletters for recent external honors and awards for current faculty and staff at the Lawrence, Edwards and Medical Center campuses and affiliates. Have something to share? Submit by Aug. 11...
Mon, 06/19/2023
2023 Biology Students Vote for their Favorite Professor
Congratulations to Dr. Gerrit de Boer! The graduating class of 2023 Biology students voted Dr. Gerry de Boer their favorite professor.
Fri, 05/19/2023
Botanical Society of America names Haylee Nedblake as 2023 Recipient of Kaplan Award (Opens in new window)
Congratulations to EEB Graduate Student Haylee Nedblake, winner of this year’s Donald R. Kaplan Dissertation Award in Comparative Morphology. The annual award of up to $10,000 may be used to support equipment and supplies, travel for research and to attend meetings, and for summer support. Nedblake’s proposal: Evolution of bee-exclusionary corolla width differences in Penstemon.
Tue, 05/16/2023
Congratulations to Ashley Wojciechowski!
EEB Graduate Student Ashley Wojciechowski is the recipient of the 2023 Kenneth B. Armitage Graduate Teaching Award. For the Spring 2023 semester, Wojciechowski worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant with Drs. Kris Holder and Jae Young Choi for BIOL350 (Principles of Genetics). “I am still so blown away and incredibly grateful for this teaching award,” Wojciechowski said.
Wed, 05/10/2023
Registration Due Friday May 12: Join this course for an Introduction to Restoration Ecology
Interested in field and restoration ecology and methods? This 3-week course will explore restoration ecology principles, experimental design, and field data collection methods: BIOL 418/EVRN 420: Field Ecology: Introduction to Restoration Ecology. The class will take place June 6 – June 22 on
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 7:30 – 11:30 AM. Prerequisites include: 400 level ecology course or some lab/field background in ecology. Contact the instructors for more information: Ceyda Kural ceyda.kural@ku.eduor Reb Bryant reb.l.bryant@gmail.com. Transportation to and from the KU Field Station will be provided. Counts as 2 lab credits.
Wed, 05/10/2023
#KUFieldWorks: Monitoring bat viruses to prevent the next pandemic (Opens in new window)
In a remote, mountainous rainforest in Central America, researcher Jocelyn Colella and colleagues recently conducted fieldwork monitoring zoonotic diseases. In this Q&A from the Office of Research, the KU professor discusses how most emerging diseases in humans come from nonhuman mammals and how her work's aim is to identify zoonotic pathogens in the wild — before they find us.
Tue, 05/02/2023
EEB’s Vaishnavi Verma receives first place
EEB Master’s student Vaishnavi Verma won first place for Master Students for her poster at the Kansas Entomological Society Meeting in April. The title of her poster “Does aggression level co-vary between male and female Drosophila melanogaster?”. The conference was hosted by the Kansas Academy of Science / Kansas Entomological Society. “I would first like to thank my advisor, Jenny Gleason, for all her continued support and patience. She believed in me and pushed me to present my research with confidence. I would also like to thank this opportunity that KAS/KES Society gave me to present my work. Receiving this prestigious award was a moment of pure joy and validation for my hard work and dedication. It was an honor to be recognized for my achievements and it motivates me to continue striving for excellence in my field.”
Tue, 04/25/2023
U.S. News & World Report ranks 37 KU graduate programs in top 50 among public schools
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has 37 graduate programs in the top 50 among public universities – including nine programs in the top 10 – in the 2024 rankings from U.S. News & World Report, released today. ...
Mon, 04/24/2023
Study Reptiles & Amphibians in the Field this Summer!
Interested in biodiversity and field biology? Field herpetology (BIOL418, Class # 76829) is an upper-level course that offers three lab credits over two weeks in late May and early June. The course is centered around scientific field work with local reptiles and amphibians. Students will learn reptile and amphibian identification,...
Wed, 04/12/2023
KU, Haskell students to present research projects at 23rd annual symposium
LAWRENCE – Research on the evolution of immunity, historical trauma and social determinants of health in Native American communities, use of microfluidics for diagnostics, communication strategies of bacteria, soil microbe effects on maize growth and effects of social behavior and stress on brain signaling will be among student work presented...
Mon, 04/10/2023
Congratulations to Graduate Research Fellowship Recipients!
Two EEB students have received prestigious Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation! The students are Taylor Conway, current student pursuing her PhD in Dr. Rob Unckless’s lab and Austin Nguyen, current EEOB undergraduate and joining the EEB PhD program in Fall 2023 to work in Dr. Kelly Matsunaga’s lab. Nguyen’s GRFP title is "Investigating Homology, Heterochrony, and Trait Evolution in the Cypress Family." Conway's GRFP title is "Death throes of the Y chromosome: The genetic causes and evolutionary consequences of a dispensable Y chromosome."
Thu, 03/23/2023
Celebrate Women in Science March 25 at the KU Natural History Museum! (Opens in new window)
In honor of Women's History Month in March, the KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum invite you to the 2nd annual Celebration of Women in Science event at the museum! Come meet KU scientists, learn about scientific techniques, view specimens and try fun, hands-on experiments at Exploration Stations throughout the museum! Learn about women scientists from around the world and explore a variety of careers in science. This is a free, all-ages event and refreshments will be served. Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Wed, 03/08/2023
Check out the KU IT March Newsletter (Opens in new window)
The latest newsletter from KU Information Technology offers tips on how to avoid scams during tax season as well as information about a new log-in prompt for Duo multifactor authentication.
Thu, 02/23/2023
Plan to Attend the April 25 University Research Awards Event! (Opens in new window)
All members of the KU community are invited to attend the annual University Research Awards event at 7 p.m. on Tuesday April 25 at the Burge Union. The Office of the Chancellor asks that you RSVP in advance so they have a headcount for food and beverages. This event is an opportunity to celebrate great research happening across our campuses and highlight some of KU’s most outstanding researchers. In particular, the ceremony will honor EEB's very own, Vadim Karatayev, postdoctoral researcher, who will receive the Research Postdoctoral Annual Achievement Award.
Tue, 02/21/2023
Researchers plan center to track mammal pathogens in the wild to warn of coming pandemics
Fri, 02/17/2023
Donors give more than $3.2M in 24 hours on sixth annual One Day. One KU.
LAWRENCE — A chill may have filled the air in Lawrence on Feb. 16, but the warm spirit of Jayhawks worldwide made the sixth annual One Day. One KU. giving day an inspiring success. ...
Tue, 02/07/2023
A fossil fruit from California shows ancestors of coffee and potatoes survived cataclysm that killed the dinosaurs
Fri, 01/20/2023
Experts in ecosystem resilience, ground-penetrating radar and social systems receive KU research achievement awards
Thu, 01/19/2023
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) opportunity in Summer 2023
The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Kansas Biological Survey are recruiting students to participate in Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) opportunity in Summer 2023. The REU opportunities are part of the New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute, a National Science Foundation funded initiative. Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program and deadline to apply is February 28, 2023.
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.