KU Discoveries

Understanding plant disease could help protect prairies in Kansas. Ecology & evolutionary biology graduate student Yalone Woodruff and colleagues in the Bever/Schultz lab are studying disease transmission in rosinweed as part of this effort.

KU researchers are developing an early warning system for harmful algal blooms, studying proteins in opiate use disorder, documenting freshwater mussels in the Wakarusa River Valley; designing fossil-themed exhibits for visitors of the Lehigh-Portland State Park in Iola, Kansas, and more — all with the aid of external funding awarded in May and June.   

As generative AI tools become increasingly common in research workflows, questions continue to emerge about how AI may affect intellectual property and technology commercialization.

To help KU researchers navigate these issues, the KU Center for Technology Commercialization has added new inventor FAQs covering:

The guidance also highlights important considerations regarding the use of proprietary information and unpublished research data in AI systems.

Review inventor FAQs on our website for more information. Still have questions? We’re here to help: kuctc@ku.edu

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 or tap the button below this month's story to nominate a deserving candidate from any unit at KU.

Laci Ulrich | Grant Coordinator | Life Span Institute

Research breakthroughs depend on more than ideas. They require careful coordination, financial oversight and ongoing support. Grant coordinators like Laci Ulrich provide this foundation by helping to manage funding, coordinate logistics and ensure projects run smoothly — enabling researchers to focus on making discoveries. 

Ulrich works in KU’s Life Span Institute, a research center working to improve health, development and quality of life for individuals and communities in Kansas and beyond. Ulrich started her KU career in March 2004 as a grant specialist in the Office of Research and joined LSI as a grant specialist in April 2012. She was promoted to grant coordinator in 2015. 

“Laci consistently goes above and beyond in her support of both the LSI central office and the principal investigators she works with,” said Jennifer Holwick, associate director of finance & planning at LSI. “Laci is knowledgeable, dependable and always approachable.”

As a grant coordinator, Ulrich helps researchers use funding they receive from external agencies. This includes purchasing supplies, coordinating travel and paying invoices. Grant coordinators also help manage scholarships for graduate research assistants and ensure funded projects comply with policies and procedures. 

"Laci has been more than willing to go the extra mile for my projects. Even though I know that my support of her time is relatively minimal, I have felt like she works with me 1.0 FTE and then some,” a faculty member wrote in one of Ulrich’s evaluations. “Laci has happily done cost comparisons, completed ‘rush’ tasks to get me materials faster than they could be shipped — and has even managed complicated returns when I made errors in ordering.

“In short, we could use more people like Laci at KU."

Colleagues note that Ulrich is collaborative in her work. She assists others when they are out of office or handling demanding projects. Ulrich also supervises and helps train new grant coordinators. 

“She handles her responsibilities with professionalism and a positive attitude, making her a valued resource for everyone she supports,” Holwick said. “In addition to excelling in her own work, she is always willing to step in and help her coworkers when workloads become especially heavy.”  

Three assistant professors in KU’s School of Engineering earned a National Science Foundation Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award, one of the nation’s highest honors for early career faculty:

Eleven of KU Engineering’s 20 assistant professors hold CAREER awards.

INTERNAL FUNDING

New Faculty Research Development Awards are designed to help new faculty accelerate their scholarship and start building a sustainable research program soon after their arrival on campus. 

Congratulations to the 2026 recipients:

RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

National Aeronautics & Space Administration has announced that beginning Aug. 5, 2026, all “covered individuals” named on NASA grant and cooperative agreement proposals will be required to certify that they have completed research security training prior to proposal submission. Certification will be included when completing the required biographical sketch and current and pending (other) support forms.

Covered individual is defined by NASA as “any principal investigator (PI) (regardless of level of effort), any co-PI (regardless of level of effort), and only co-investigators (co-I) proposing to spend 10 % or more of their time in any given year on a NASA-funded award.”

To fulfill this training requirement, researchers must complete the 1-hour Research Security Training Combined Course available on the CITI training platform.

Enroll in the 1-Hour Research Security Combined Course

Click the link above to enroll in the course directly. The course will appear under the “My Courses” tab after signing into CITI using your KU SSO credentials. If you have never signed into CITI using your KU ID, you will be prompted to create an account.

For any questions or issues accessing CITI Program or the Research Security Course, please contact rcrtraining@ku.edu.

Many other federal agencies have previously announced similar requirements, with effective dates listed below:

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

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