KU Field Station

Researchers in field examine orange butterfly milkweed

Research-ready

Researchers from the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Conservation Genetics Lab (Christine Edwards, principal investigator, left) visited to study Mead’s milkweed populations; here they examine butterfly milkweed.

During the 2023 season, research activity at the KU Field Station continued its increase toward pre-pandemic levels. The number of active research projects at the Field Station varies annually and includes many long-term studies, some requiring extensive infrastructure.

In 2023, 53 projects were active, engaging 78 researchers from 13 different research units or departments across KU, and 15 external institutions, agencies and organizations. The projects included:

  • faculty (26 internal, 10 external);
  • staff (11 internal and three external);
  • postdoctoral researchers (three internal, one external);
  • graduate students (15 internal and six external);
  • undergraduate students (three from KU); and
  • student interns engaged in our research community (13 from KU).

In addition, a team of research technicians from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), of which the Field Station is part, continued regular visits to monitor species and atmospheric conditions.

In our first full year with an education program coordinator for the KU Field Station, public programming included 77 events reaching more than 2,700 people. These events included K–12 programs (19), volunteer opportunities (11) and diverse programming that provided opportunities to explore the natural wonders of Kansas ecosystems (47) through various formats.

The Field Station's Armitage Education Center was open for retreats and planning sessions for KU faculty and staff, and the public trail system and the KU Native Medicinal Plant Garden were open dawn to dusk for individual visitors, special events and tours.

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