News

Fri, 07/28/2023

Young artists of Van Go unveil 20 new benches

For Van Go apprentice artist Barack Bennett-Robinson, drawing from emotion is part of making meaningful art. Bennett-Robinson created a bench for local conservation organization Monarch Watch. The bench memorializes Sarah Schmidt, who had worked at Monarch Watch for several years. Sarah, her husband Tyler and their daughter Lula were killed last year while camping in Iowa.

Thu, 07/27/2023

More plastic found in some lakes than in ocean ‘garbage patches,’ study finds

A recent study found that some lakes around the world contain as much, if not more, plastic than polluted ocean gyres, also known as "garbage patches." Researchers tested samples from 38 lakes and reservoirs on every continent except Antarctica.

Wed, 07/12/2023

Global study details microplastics contamination in lakes and reservoirs

Around 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year. But that is not the only water source where plastic represents a significant intrusion. ...

Wed, 07/05/2023

Professor spreads the gospel of ‘good fire’ through an eco-cultural lens

A pyromaniac is someone unhealthily obsessed with the destructive power of fire. Melinda Adams instead is pulled toward the term pyromantic – a lover of “good fire” for the benefits it can bring to people, communities and the environment as a whole. ...

Wed, 06/07/2023

The Alien Seagrass

Christopher Rogers, associate research professor, is a collaborator on this study of the Virgin Islands seagrass beds ecosystem, filmed for this video by Virgin Islands NSF EPSCoR. For the project, Christopher is doing all the crustacean identifications and the statistical analyses of invertebrate biodiversity between native seagrass beds, invasive seagrass beds and mixed seagrass beds.

Tue, 06/06/2023

Kansas science teachers visit KU Field Station this week

This week, 16 middle school science teachers from Kansas have converged at the KU Field Station, just north of Lawrence. They are spending three days together working with University of Kansas scientists to explore resources and gain new ideas to take into their classrooms. ...

Fri, 06/02/2023

Annual summer tour of KU medicinal garden set for June 21

The public is invited to the summer semiannual tour of the University of Kansas Native Medicinal Plant Garden at 6:30 p.m. June 21, on the summer solstice. ...

Thu, 06/01/2023

Manipulating plant microbiomes in the field

In this episode of the British Ecological Society's "Applied in 5" podcast, Lydia Groves of the Journal of Applied Ecology interviews Assistant Research Pro. Liz Koziol about her recent article that was shortlisted for the Southwood Prize 2022, which celebrates early career ecologists.

Thu, 05/18/2023

Lawrence High students growing milkweed to help monarchs

In this column contributed to the Lawrence Times, Allie Lippe-Mackey, who teaches biology, astronomy and geology at Lawrence High School, describes a daylong school event with Monarch Watch staff, who taught students about monarchs and the role of milkweed in their life cycle.

Thu, 05/11/2023

Native fungi amendment shows promising results in organic crops

Can fungi used in restoring native landscapes boost organic crop production, too? ...

Tue, 05/09/2023

A walking labyrinth in Lawrence

Eminent American artist Janine Antoni’s “here-ing” labyrinth at the KU Field Station aims to foster listening, wholeness and healing of the body and the land.

Mon, 05/01/2023

Six students receive Kansas Biological Survey Student Research Awards for 2023

The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research at the University of Kansas has awarded $6,500 in funding this spring for student research to be conducted this year. The research center’s 2023 Student Research Awards are providing six graduate students with funding in support of their ecological research. ...

Mon, 04/24/2023

Cloned saltwater creatures hatched from decades-old eggs turn out to be new species

Associate Research Professor Christopher Rogers and international colleagues "unraveled" the mystery of two “undescribed” groups of brine shrimp Kazakhstan and Tibet and discovered a new species in the process. (Photo: Alireza Asem)

Fri, 04/14/2023

Haskell, University of Kansas work to bring underrepresented communities into lab sciences

This story about student research through KU’s Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) leads with the work of Dori Summers, of the Baer Ecology Lab, on native grasses used in restoration of plowed land.

Tue, 04/11/2023

When a Kansas county wants people to plant milkweed but a city makes them rip it out

Across the Midwest, some city codes threaten people with fines for having milkweed on their property. But experts say many places have dropped those rules to support monarchs with urban and suburban butterfly gardens.

Fri, 04/07/2023

Kansas Biological Survey to host public forums about native grazing lands

In April, the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research will host two free public forums in Douglas County about native grazing lands. The first forum will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 20 at Worden Cornerstone Church west of Baldwin City. The second forum will take place at...

Wed, 04/05/2023

KU scientist named a fellow of Ecological Society of America

Jim Bever, University of Kansas Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, is one of seven scientists across the U.S. who have been named fellows of the Ecological Society of America (ESA)...

Tue, 03/14/2023

Plant Health 101: How To Improve Crops Using Genomics & Genetics

In this episode of Finding Genius, Maggie Wagner, an assistant scientist at our research center and an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, discusses plant genetics and microbiome science, including her research on the genetic basis of plants' interactions with their environment in both natural and agricultural systems.

Wed, 02/01/2023

All over the map: KU project highlights "incredible variety" of Kansas environment

This article, published in the "Rock Chalk Review" section of the Winter 2023 issue (paper and online to subscribers) of Kansas Alumni Magazine, is a version of the Nov. 16, 2022, KU News release on the Mapping Kansas Ecosystems website developed by Dana Peterson and Jennifer Moody.

Thu, 01/26/2023

Monarch butterfly numbers plummet despite recovery last winter, but 1 year never tells the whole story

The number of monarch butterflies that have survived the migration to Mexico this fall appears to have plummeted.

Fri, 01/20/2023

Experts in ecosystem resilience, ground-penetrating radar and social systems receive KU research achievement awards

University of Kansas researchers increasing understanding of child welfare, geology and ecology have received this year’s Steven F. Warren Research Achievement Award and the KU Research Staff & Postdoctoral Achievement Awards. ...

Thu, 12/08/2022

Keystone pipeline spills in Kansas, dirtying creek and causing oil prices to spike

one of our scientists added to coverage of the spill: more specific info is needed to understand the effect of oil in local waters. ...

Fri, 12/02/2022

Couple establishes professorship in support of Monarch Watch with $1.4M gift, encourages others to support the cause

With a desire to find more time for writing and experiments, Orley “Chip” Taylor, University of Kansas professor emeritus of ecology & evolutionary biology, says it’s time to step aside — but not before making sure Monarch Watch, the program he founded in 1992, is well-positioned for the future. Chip...

Tue, 11/29/2022

Kansas scientists are testing jacuzzi-like water jets to save a reservoir

Fri, 11/25/2022

Learning to live with toxic algal blooms in Kansas

Toxic blue-green algae threaten cattle and have collectively robbed Kansans of thousands of hours of recreation. They drain millions from lake-based economies when outbreaks close lakes to public access. Drinking water is susceptible to the toxin, too, rendering it smelly and foul-tasting.

Thu, 11/17/2022

The world’s roots are getting shallower

Plant roots act as engineers for Earth’s surface, breaking up bedrock, transporting water and nutrients, and stabilizing landscapes. They’re so important that scientists have hypothesized that their evolution, beginning around 415 million years ago, altered landscapes and the course of Earth’s history.

Wed, 11/16/2022

KU researchers launch new Kansas ecosystems online teaching tool

Dana Peterson hopes the new ArcGIS StoryMap Mapping Kansas Ecosystems will 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. ...

Sat, 11/12/2022

Meet the students working to keep the endangered monarch butterfly population alive

Fri, 11/04/2022

Farm safety

With all the dangers that farmers need to be aware of when working on their farms, there are several ways that farming can become a hazardous operation. This episode of Real Ag covers Farm Safety in Kansas through visits with farmers and the Kansas Farm Bureau.

Tue, 11/01/2022

Program helps Native students bridge from Haskell to KU to careers in science

Kynser Wahwahsuck is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas. For as long as she can remember, she has known that the tribe struggles to provide drinking water on the reservation — situated on 150,000 acres of tribal land about 60 miles north of Topeka — because of its...

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