August 2025

In this issue

Research highlights  |  Innovation spotlight  |  New awards  |  Unsung heroes
Faculty kudos  |  Research development  |  Nuts & bolts  |  Upcoming events

Informed by the voices of more than 2,000 Kansans, the United to Transform report outlines a path toward a more connected, effective and sustainable statewide response to the opioid epidemic and other substance use crises. KU’s Center for Public Partnerships & Research prepared the report at the request of Sunflower Foundation to support and inform the work of Kansas Fights Addiction.

“What I’m calling for in this article is a reorientation of how humans see their own place in nature and the responsibility we have for not making our own existence dominant over the natural world,” said John Head, Robert W. Wagstaff Distinguished Professor of Law.

Can artificial intelligence truly exhibit morality? Currently, the field of AI ethics is debating whether these machines should be treated as moral agents capable of making ethical decisions. KU philosophy graduate student Oluwaseun Damilola Sanwoolu addresses the topic in a new paper that appears in the journal AI and Ethics.

“What we found is salespeople need to be aware they’re not going to drive the entire interaction. Buyers don’t want to talk about stuff they can easily find out.” The new B2B selling paradigm relies on a mix of digital and human touchpoints that must be orchestrated by the salesperson to add value over all stages of the purchase journey.

To be their best at serving all types of clients, music therapists must know something about and be able to play many different types of music. Far more important than their instrumental virtuosity is their musical flexibility, responsiveness and intent to help clients, according to KU researchers.

The University of Kansas Center for Technology Commercialization (KUCTC) has selected six promising research projects for its inaugural Rock Chalk Ready  program, a universitywide initiative designed to mature early-stage innovations and position them for commercialization success.

Supported by a FORGE grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce, Rock Chalk Ready reflects a collaborative One KU approach, inviting participation from innovators on KU’s Lawrence and Medical Center campuses. The program aims to de-risk technologies and business concepts by providing funding, guidance and connections to resources across KU’s innovation ecosystem.

“We were thrilled to see the enthusiastic response from our research community to the Rock Chalk Ready program,” said Cliff Michaels, director of KUCTC. “We expect these funds will help these innovators make meaningful advances over the next six to 12 months and remove some of the risks inherent in early-stage innovations.” 

KU researchers are fighting addiction in Kansas, testing thermal effects on concrete infrastructure, evaluating Kansas reservoirs for harmful pathogens, analyzing vehicle features in fatal crashes, and more — all with the aid of external funding awarded in July. 

Behind every successful award are teams of KU research support staff who help investigators identify opportunities, prepare and submit complicated proposals under strict deadlines, help manage finances and compliance for funded projects, and more. They are the unsung heroes of KU research, greasing the wheels of innovation and discovery.

In each issue of KU Discoveries, we shine a spotlight on a research support staff member deemed particularly outstanding by colleagues. Click the button below this month's story to nominate a deserving candidate from any unit on campus.

Shelby Schellenger | Reference Coordinator | Spencer Research Library

Researchers often turn to libraries to explore manuscripts and other materials, but navigating specialized repositories sometimes requires assistance. That’s where Shelby Schellenger comes in.

Schellenger is the reference coordinator for the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, which includes rare and unique items ranging from 4,000-year-old cuneiform tablets to more than one million historical photographs. He has worked in the library since October 2019.

“His capable professionalism, timely helpfulness, unflappable calmness and respectful enthusiasm go a long way toward helping our researchers have a positive experience at or with the library,” said Caitlin Klepper, head of public services at the library.

Schellenger oversees the reading room where researchers come to view items in person. He must be nimble because students, faculty and members of the public can make requests upon arrival or in advance. Between July 2024 and June 2025, Schellenger responded to more than 500 patron inquiries via the library’s general reference email account and more than 160 inquiries to his personal email. His years of experience with the collections also make him a reference point for colleagues at the library.

"Shelby is often the first person I go to when I have collections questions. He shows attention to collection contents, checking the integrity of items and flagging anything for review,” a colleague said. “There have been many cases in the past 1.5 years where I have seen Shelby identify candidates to review and send to conservation. I imagine he sees collections more than anyone, and it shows in his knowledge and attention to collection materials."

Schellenger has handled unexpected challenges — ranging from mundane to newsworthy — during his tenure at the library. He often troubleshoots technology issues, such as document scanning and microfilm viewing; and he has been involved in database migration and website updates. Social distancing requirements during the pandemic presented unique challenges. Schellenger and his colleagues helped develop protocols to allow students and researchers to complete their studies as public health guidelines changed.

“In the years that I’ve worked with Shelby,” Klepper said, “he’s been extremely effective in all areas of this work.”

Please join us for the first Collaborative Research Luncheon of the 2025-26 academic year!

This public humanities-focused session will open with a lightning panel featuring Diane Mutti Burke, co-director of the Center for Digital & Public Humanities at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Sarah Bishop, founder and CEO of Coneflower Consulting. Burke and Bishop bring deep expertise in the public humanities, and both have secured funding to support this interdisciplinary field. Semi-structured conversation with colleagues focused on opportunities in the public humanities will follow the panel.

Collaborative Research Luncheon No. 1 | Public Humanities
Tuesday, Sept. 9 | 12 – 1:30 p.m. | Malott Room, Kansas Union
Register today

Collaborative Research Luncheons welcome KU faculty across all ranks and disciplines to expand professional networks and open new pathways to research excellence that transcend the traditional silos of academic thought, foster interdisciplinary connection, and jump-start novel collaborations. Previously hosted by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the series has moved to the Office of Research and will include up to 12 opportunities for scholars to eat, network and think critically about research on diverse and relevant topics.

RESEARCH INTEGRITY

Emails from the myDisclosure system — send from disclose@certify.ku.edu — will be distributed by Sept. 7, asking you to complete your disclosure profile update. Sept. 30 is the due date to submit your disclosure profile update in myDisclosures.

Helpful reminders:

The Final Friday Human Research Ethics series relaunches this month after a summer hiatus. Please save the following dates and join us this fall:

Register for individual sessions or the entire series at the link below. Each one-hour session begins at 11:30 a.m.

Are you planning to conduct human subjects research? Research involving human subjects must be approved by KU's Human Research Protection Program. Examples of activities that require HRPP review:

Our Human Subjects Research Basics guide provides of overview of everything you need to know about obtaining approval at KU for human subjects research.

RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

Over the summer, Award Management Services designed a one-stop shop for KU principal investigators and those who assist PIs with sponsored award administrative tasks. The Researcher Toolbox provides quick links to common financial forms, easy navigation of sponsored award policies and resources, and a comprehensive list of services supported by AMS.

As of July 12, the annual progress reporting process for U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science awards will include release of a public progress report to “share the scientific accomplishments, highlight the publications and other products, identify the research participants and partners, and describe the impacts and benefits to the nation.”

Learn more about the portions of the progress report that will be displayed in the public progress report and where to direct questions. 

NASA has implemented a new webform for submitting required research performance progress reports (RPPR). Effective Aug. 13, 2025, all RPPRs must be submitted via Grant/Cooperative Agreement Research Performance Progress Report Submission.

The cover page is created during webform submission, and the required data elements for the cover page are included as part of the process.

Please note that the required RPPR format and instructions for NASA grants are outlined in the NASA Grants & Cooperative Agreement Manual (.pdf), Section 29.1: Performance Report Requirements.

To avoid delays in review and approval, please ensure that your report follows the required format and is submitted through the webform. If you have questions, please contact your assigned AMS staff member.

Questions? Comments? Content suggestions?
Mindie Paget  |  Office of Research  |  mpaget@ku.edu

KU Office of Research
Strong Hall | 1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045

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