Service to Kansas 2022

Our research center holds dual status as a KU research unit and a nonregulatory state agency, has longstanding partnerships with other state agencies, working closely with the Kansas Water Office, the Kansas Geological Survey and other entities to address issues of concern to the State and to Kansas communities. A sample of current projects follows.

• Online resource on Kansas landscapes: Dana Peterson, assistant research professor, and Jennifer Moody, researcher, launched the new ArcGIS StoryMap Mapping Kansas Ecosystems to draw attention to the wide range of landscapes across the state and serve as an online resource in classrooms, libraries and homes, for all ages. An embedded web application, Kansas Ecological Systems Map and Field Sites, enables users to explore 49 mapped land cover types. The website grew out of a larger, five-year project: the development of a new Kansas land cover map focused on non-cropland.
  
   
• Disaster preparedness: Jude Kastens, associate research professor, Kansas Applied Remote Sensing program, was part of a Kansas NSF EPSCoR team that received a $24M award ($20M NSF, $4M State of Kansas) to develop tools that help communities with limited resources prepare for and recover from disasters. The project was described in a story released by KU News. KU researchers are collaborating with 16 other colleges and universities in Kansas, as well as professionals from various fields. The principal investigator is Belinda Sturm, professor of civil, environmental & architectural engineering.
  
   
• Drinking water quality: Ted Harris, assistant research professor, and Debbie Baker, researcher, with support from the City of Lawrence, Kansas, began monitoring the water quality of Clinton Lake, to optimize drinking water depth. The lake provides drinking water to more than 100,000 urban and rural residents.
  
   
• Mosquito and tick monitoring: In partnership with the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment (KDHE), Christopher Rogers, associate research professor, has served as the medical entomology expert conducting all the mosquito and tick monitoring for the State of Kansas since 2010.