Dear Supporter,
September is off to a great start! Thanks to our outreach efforts last month, weâre seeing a wave of new students exploring our galleries. Plus, KU football has returned to Lawrence, bringing a renewed energy and more museum visitors to campus during the weekends.
While the Jayhawks are away this weekend for our rivalry matchup against the University of Missouri on Saturday, September 6, itâs still a great time to visit the museum! If youâre downtown for a watch party or just out and about during halftime, take a walk up Mount Oread and explore our four floors of exhibits. Plus, donât miss your final chance to see the iconic Panorama Gallery before it closes for renovations on September 8.Â
The Panorama will undergo exciting updates, including a new climate control system, upgraded lighting, and new glass panes. These improvements are part of a larger effort to preserve this beloved space for generations to come. We look forward to reopening the gallery in early 2026.
After that, the real fun begins: fundraising to restore the historic wildlife displays that have inspired thousands of visitors over the last century. To learn more about the Panorama's history and how you can help preserve it for the future, please visit our website.Â
Sincerely,Â
Natalie Vondrak
Communications CoordinatorÂ
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Monarch Watch
Fall Open House
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September 13 | 9 a.m.-2 p.m.Â
Foley Hall (KU West Campus)
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We're supporting our friends at Monarch Watch. We'll have butterfly specimens on display and offer a monarch-inspired bracelet-making activity. On a good day, over 20 species of butterflies visit the garden, so bring your cameras! It is well worth a visit. Learn More »
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September 21 | 2-4 p.m.Â
KU Natural History Museum
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Join us outside Dyche Hall to learn how researchers conduct fieldwork. Dig for fossils like a paleontologist, collect insects like a biologist, measure the weather like a meteorologist, and more. This outdoor event is fun for all ages! Learn More »
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| Science on Tap with Rebecca Whelan
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September 24 | 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Free State Brewing Company
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Grab a pint and learn how researchers in KUâs Department of Chemistry are advancing the science behind ovarian cancer detection using biomarkers, a measurable biological molecule that provides critical insights into health and disease. Learn More »
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Curating Collections: Mammalogy
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The Biodiversity Institute houses over 11 million biological specimens and 2 million archaeological artifacts from around the worldâeach with a story just waiting to be shared!
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Cottontail Rabbits, Viruses, and the KU Mammalogy Collection
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These abnormal skin growths on the rabbit's head and neck are caused by Shope papilloma virus, a disease specific to rabbits and transmitted by mosquitos. A recent outbreak in the Fort Collins area has been widely covered by the news media. But what hasn't been widely publicized is that the KU Mammalogy collection holds the world's largest and most historically significant collection of rabbits affected by this disease.
Although the growths had been observed since the early 1900s, the disease was first described by Richard Shope in 1933 based on a specimen from Iowa. Using historical specimens from the University of Kansas and by acquiring new specimens, Curator Emeritus Robert Timm and colleagues successfully identified the virus in a 100-year-old preserved Kansas eastern cottontail in the KU collection and confirmed that different strains exist across the United States with the disease being most prevalent in the Midwest. Read More »
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See a full list of recent publications at the end of this newsletter.
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Cellophane bees on KU's Lawrence campus are built for chilly spring weather
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A study led by Victor Gonzalez, KU Entomology research associate, examined local cellophane bees (Colletes inaequalis)âa solitary, groundânesting species native to North America that emerges before snowmelt. The study sheds light on how species will fare during climate change and builds on KUâs long history of bee research. Read More »
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| New details on catfish biology surface in two-volume series
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Gloria Arratia, KU Ichthyology's resident research affiliate, served as editor and contributor to the recently published Catfishes: A Highly Diversified Group, a two-volume reference. Learn more about her passion for studying Siluriformes in the KU News article. Read More »
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| KU Paleontology explores primate origins in Big Bend National Park
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In a recent interview with Marfa Public Radio, Vertebrate Paleontology Curator Chris Beard discussed how his research in Big Bend, Texas, is helping to address a major gap in the fossil record of early primate evolution. His team has uncovered notable fossils in the areaâincluding Chiromyoides and a previously unknown true primate species. Their work could help reveal whether primates originated in Asia or North America. Read More »
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Game day parking on campus
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Home KU football games are back this fall, which means free public parking for museum visitors is limited to Lot 90, adjacent to Capitol Federal Hall (1654 Naismith Drive). This lot fills up quickly, so if you plan a visit on game day, we encourage you to use rideshare services or the free Lawrence Transit buses. Route 43 stops at the Kansas Union!
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Sunflower Summer brings new visitors to the museum
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Weâre excited to share that 552 visitors explored the KU Natural History Museum between July 12 and August 8 through the Kansas Tourism Sunflower Summer program. For more than half of these visiting groups, it was their first time at the museum and hopefully not their last.
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| Membership prices increasing in 2026
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Take advantage of our affordable membership rates before they increase in January 2026. The price change is due to our participation in the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Passport Program. Stay tuned for more details coming soon. Not a member? Join today.
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Staff & Student Spotlights
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Stay up-to-date with current activities and events by following us
on your favorite social media channels.
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In late summer, members of our Vertebrate Paleontology division spent three weeks in Turkey searching for fossil mammals. The fossil sites ranged in age from the late Paleocene to the middle Eocene and represent a unique island ecosystem with many endemic species. The KU team included VP Curator Chris Beard, graduate student Kristen Miller, and Johan Knoff, a post-baccalaureate researcher and research affiliate. See more photos »
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The KU Paleobotany team proudly represented their division at the Annual Botany Conference in Palm Springs, California, last month. Every student either presented a lecture or a poster, with two walking away with awards. Keana Tang won the Maynard Moseley Award, which is given to the student who delivers the best presentation in either the Developmental & Structural or Paleobotanical sessions. Austin T. Nguyen won the Katherine Esau Award, which is given to the student who delivers the best presentation in the Developmental & Structural session.
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Congratulations to Invertebrate Paleontology Senior Curator Bruce Lieberman for receiving an Outstanding Honors Teaching Award for the departmental honors course Biology 101. Read More »
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The last BIO3 Seminar was packed with students, staff, and faculty all in support of Mammalogy Curator Jocelyn Colella's promotion and tenure talk. Colella discussed her research on mammalian biorepositories and how they can inform conservation efforts and impact One Healthâan integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.
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During our Hawk Week events, we engaged with hundreds of new and returning students on campusâshowcasing specimens, promoting our exhibits, and sharing that the Natural History Museum is free to explore for all KU students. Watch the video »
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Congratulations to KU Herpetology master's student Hannah Som for successfully defending her thesis on salinity tolerance in island frogs. Hannahâs research focused on the crab-eating frog (Fejervarya) from the Philippine Archipelago. Her defense drew an enthusiastic crowd both in the Herpetology Lab and online.
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Members Event at the McGregor HerbariumÂ
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Sunday, October 19 | 2-4 p.m.
McGregor HerbariumÂ
2045 Constant Ave, Lawrence, KS 66047
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Join us for an exclusive tour of the McGregor Herbarium and discover how staff and volunteers in the KU Botany Division prepare plant, lichen, and fungus specimensâfrom the field to the herbarium cabinet. Event registration is required and opens on September 8. Space is limited, and the tour is open only to current KU Natural History Museum members.
Not a member yet? Learn how to join and read the full event description here.
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The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the universityâs programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or online and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or online.
©2024 The University of Kansas
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