Featured news at KU


Our top featured stories

Artwork depicting man riding on a turtle's back across the sea, with a bronze bell in tow.
Where does the triangular relationship among dragons, bells and water come from, and how has it been portrayed and explained through the centuries? Sherry Fowler, professor in the Kress Foundation Department of Art History at the University of Kansas, explores those questions in “Buddhist Bells and Dragons: Under and Over Water, In and Out of Japan.”

Other featured news

Artwork depicting man riding on a turtle's back across the sea, with a bronze bell in tow.

Author follows Japanese bells under sea, around world in new book

Where does the triangular relationship among dragons, bells and water come from, and how has it been portrayed and explained through the centuries? Sherry Fowler, professor in the Kress Foundation Department of Art History at the University of Kansas, explores those questions in “Buddhist Bells and Dragons: Under and Over Water, In and Out of Japan.”
A doctor vaccinates the arm of a teen.

‘Muslim Ban’ decreased preventative care for children of Middle Eastern ancestry, study finds

In a new study, David Slusky, professor of economics at the University of Kansas, evaluates the impact of the 2017 “Muslim Ban” on preventive care use among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) ancestry children in the U.S., finding decreased well-visits and associated vaccinations.
Large-scale language model AI concept illustration of a human brain made of computer parts.

Researcher talks nonsense to ChatGPT to understand how it processes language

A new study appearing in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One from a psycholinguist at the University of Kansas explores how ChatGPT, the popular artificial-intelligence chatbot, responded to nonwords.
An image of a baseball being thrown by a pitcher, shown in the background.

Study finds pitchers have thicker UCLs in elbows than other baseball players, factors that risk common injury

A University of Kansas study measured the thickness of the UCL in throwing and nonthrowing elbows of both pitchers and position players of a college baseball team. The study can showed arm slot is not correlated with UCL thickness, contradicting a common belief of throw angle contributing to the common injury.

Research



A new study appearing in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One from a psycholinguist at the University of Kansas explores how ChatGPT, the popular artificial-intelligence chatbot, responded to nonwords.
Chris Koliba, a government scholar, has published a study that outlines how truth, science and reason were developed as the basis for democracy. The article also points out how truth and honesty have faded as the basis for democracy in recent decades and outlines how it can be reclaimed as the foundation of responsible government.
Green-hued image of mountains with silhouettes of vehicles and bears in the foreground
A University of Kansas professor is headed to Lake Tahoe this summer to continue his experiments refining the best types of nature-conservation signage. Jeremy Shellhorn and colleagues emphasize the importance of “telegraphic messaging” and proper tone in the effectiveness of designing warning signs in bear country.

Kansas Communities



University of Kansas leadership broke ground on major renovations at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center near Hutchinson on May 23, part of a bold campus master plan to support its competency-based curriculum and to expand programs to meet the training needs of partners in public safety.
KU has received funding from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to team with Workforce Partnership and the Kansas City Public Library to expand a program that works with women leaving incarceration and those who have left to provide technology and career training and learn about online security. The program has also shown it reduces recidivism rates.
Group of people standing in a line facing camera in prairie setting with milkweed blooming in foreground.
Ten secondary school science teachers from Kansas will take part in the Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute, an immersive program that gives secondary educators the chance to work with KU scientists to explore resources and gain new ideas for their classrooms.

Economic Development



The University of Kansas School of Business received a $10 million gift commitment from an anonymous donor that ensures the construction of a new entrepreneurship hub building that benefits the greater KU community by teaching students to solve problems in meaningful ways. The new gift supplements the donor's lead gift of $50 million in 2023.
The University of Kansas ranked 37th among public institutions in the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2024, a list published by the National Academy of Inventors. The list showcases universities that play a pivotal role in advancing the innovation ecosystem and driving economic growth in the United States. KU ranked 59th among all universities.
Lab assistant holds up computer chip in blue light.
The University of Kansas is a powerful engine of economic growth and job creation for the state of Kansas, according to a new study detailing the university’s impact.

Student experience and achievement



At the initiation of the U.S. Department of State, the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble will represent the United States at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, Japan, as part of a landmark international tour from June 25-July 5.
The University of Kansas Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society has initiated 95 new members. Election to Phi Beta Kappa recognizes a student’s high academic achievement while pursuing a broad and substantive liberal arts curriculum.
Alexa Magstadt
Alexa Magstadt of Shawnee is the University of Kansas’ most recent Astronaut Scholar, an award that provides a scholarship up to $15,000 and access to an Astronaut Scholar conference, mentorship, professional development, networking and recognition.

Campus news



Chancellor Douglas A. Girod has approved the promotion and award of tenure, where indicated, for 44 individuals at the University of Kansas Lawrence and Edwards campuses and 114 individuals at the KU Medical Center campus.
The University of Kansas has selected Jide Wintoki, Capitol Federal Professor of Finance, as the next dean of the KU School of Business. Wintoki first joined the school in 2008, and he currently serves as its associate dean of graduate programs. He will begin his new role July 1.
Silhouettes of two figures facing each other in busy nighttime cityscape; illustration.
A group of scholars will convene at the University of Kansas from July 19 to 21 to discuss the state of civility in contemporary politics. KU faculty are among the speakers at the free, in-person conference, which organizers hope will establish an international network of scholars working in this field.

Latest news

Artwork depicting man riding on a turtle's back across the sea, with a bronze bell in tow.

Author follows Japanese bells under sea, around world in new book

Where does the triangular relationship among dragons, bells and water come from, and how has it been portrayed and explained through the centuries? Sherry Fowler, professor in the Kress Foundation Department of Art History at the University of Kansas, explores those questions in “Buddhist Bells and Dragons: Under and Over Water, In and Out of Japan.”
Alexa Magstadt

KU undergraduate from Shawnee named Astronaut Scholar for 2025-2026

Alexa Magstadt of Shawnee is the University of Kansas’ most recent Astronaut Scholar, an award that provides a scholarship up to $15,000 and access to an Astronaut Scholar conference, mentorship, professional development, networking and recognition.
KU Law Professor Alex Platt

KU Law professor’s article selected as a Top 10 Corporate and Securities Article of 2024

Alex Platt, University of Kansas professor of law, has received one of the highest honors in the field of corporate and securities law. His article, “The Administrative Origins of Mandatory Disclosure,” was selected as one of the Top 10 Corporate and Securities Articles of 2024 by the Corporate Practice Commentator.
A doctor vaccinates the arm of a teen.

‘Muslim Ban’ decreased preventative care for children of Middle Eastern ancestry, study finds

In a new study, David Slusky, professor of economics at the University of Kansas, evaluates the impact of the 2017 “Muslim Ban” on preventive care use among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) ancestry children in the U.S., finding decreased well-visits and associated vaccinations.