September 2025

In this issue

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

In a University of Kansas engineering research lab, Kalin Baca found the spark that kindled her career as the CEO of a trailblazing Kansas engineering company that is transforming the worldwide refrigeration industry. 

Although Baca’s company is anything but typical, her career path is shared by thousands of people across the Sunflower State.

"The U.S. Military and the Pacific Environment: The Making of an American Lake" focuses on the military's actions in the Pacific from World War II through the Vietnam War, offering essays on the inextricable relationship between the natural world and human warfare. The book is co-edited by Andrew Isenberg and Beth Bailey, both KU distinguished professors of history.

The Kansas Statistical Abstract is published annually by the Institute for Policy & Social Research and includes topics such as agriculture, banking, industry, employment and more.  

For the third consecutive year, select faculty across all KU campuses will be recognized at KU Athletics events for contributions in research, scholarship and creative activity.

Kansas Geological Survey assistant scientist Kate Andrzejewski and her colleagues are examining the Dakota Aquifer System, which is an important groundwater resource for Kansas. To answer pertinent questions about the aquifer, it is essential to understand the rocks that comprise it.

Samanta Orellana, postdoctoral researcher in the KU Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum, describes Central American fungus weevils in areas threatened by human activity and climate change — and digitizes high-quality microscopic photos of specimens for colleagues around the world. 

Orellana is one of five KU postdocs from across disciplines that the Office of Research featured for National Postdoc Appreciation Week, Sept. 15-19. You can also read stories about:

The KU Center for Technology Commercialization is pleased to recognize KU faculty and research directors who were named on one or more U.S. patents issued in fiscal year 2025. These achievements highlight the distinctiveness and impact of KU research, while demonstrating our community’s commitment to advancing discovery.

Patents not only honor inventive contributions but also serve as a vital bridge between university research and real-world applications — strengthening KU’s reputation as a leader in innovation while creating opportunities for commercialization and societal impact.

Please join us in recognizing these KU innovators:

KU researchers are distributing assistive technology for deaf-blind Kansans, assessing the economic impact of solar development in Kansas, surveying the recovery of the Mill Creek aquatic community after an oil spill in Washington County, examining knee and quadricep strength after ligament reconstruction, and more — all with the aid of external funding awarded in August.

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 on campus.

Ann Smith & Lewis Ashworth | Facilities Manager & Custodian
Multidisciplinary Research Building

Many people are involved in graduate student education. Faculty advisors and academic support staff often come to mind first when thinking of this group, but facilities staff are also essential, especially when unexpected situations arise.

Ann Smith and Lewis Ashworth are two such staff. Smith is the facilities manager at the Multidisciplinary Research Building in KU’s West District. She tells students that she’s been at KU as long as KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self — 22 years. Ashworth is a custodian in MRB and has been at KU for 12 years.

“Both Ann and Lew handle their roles and responsibilities of their job with pride and dedication,” said Grant Downes, who earned his doctorate in bioengineering at KU in 2024 and spent much of that time in MRB. “They are two hard-working, caring and friendly coworkers.”

Smith and Ashworth were involved in Downes’s education in multiple ways. One Sunday, the ultra-low-temperature freezer in the lab where Downes was working malfunctioned. He and colleagues had to relocate the samples housed in that freezer to other locations throughout the West District. Smith facilitated the effort with other lab groups. The freezer also needed to be thawed for repairs. Downes and other lab staff created a liquid trap to drain the melting ice, but the trap failed. While the research staff cleaned up most of the water, a lot remained to be removed the next day. But when the researchers showed up, they found that Ashworth had cleaned the remainder of the leak on their behalf.

“This was a lifesaving effort — especially from a physical hazard perspective — at a time when many of us in the lab were stressed from the chaotic events of the night before,” Downes said. “All of our samples were preserved, the lab was clean, and business could proceed as usual.”

Facilities staff also stepped in to help when Downes became the point person for transitioning a KU lab to another university. Smith assisted with tracking equipment, accessing relevant spaces in MRB, and coordinating with movers.

“There were many occasions when I had no idea what to do with certain supplies or who to contact to assist with a specific task of the move,” Downes said. “Ann was my go-to person. She made a very stressful time for any graduate student very smooth and assuring.”

After Downes invited Smith and Ashworth to his dissertation defense, they were inspired to promote joy, well-being and growth for other users of the building. “Mr. B” — as MRB is affectionately called — is now home to a new herb garden created by Smith and Ashworth. MRB staff can enjoy the space after a long day or clip herbs for food or tea during their workday.

“They made my job as a researcher and student not only easy,” Downes said, “but also very enjoyable.”

KU International Affairs has opened nominations for the International Affairs Advisory Board International Research Award that recognizes a KU faculty member who has provided outstanding leadership in international education through research and discovery efforts at KU.  

Visit the KU International Affairs website for criteria and additional information. Nominations and supporting materials should be submitted via email to whitneydenning@ku.edu no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8. 

Please join us for a Collaborative Research Luncheon focused on Transitioning Beyond Animal Models.

The National Institutes of Health has discontinued animal-only funding and, in general, is aiming to reduce its dependency on animal testing. What does this mean for researchers at KU? How can scientists across the university maintain their work in this new environment? 

The luncheon will feature a brief presentation and a panel of experts, both focused on alternatives to animal testing. Semi-structured conversation will follow the panel. 

Collaborative Research Luncheon No. 2:
Transitioning Beyond Animal Models
Friday, Oct. 10 | 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Tim Barton Colloquium, 1010 Capitol Federal Hall
Register today

Panelists and presenters include:

GENERAL

If you oversee student travel as part of KU research, you may qualify as a Campus Security Authority under the Clery Act.

CSAs are responsible for reporting all allegations of crimes specified in the Clery Act that are reported to them. CSAs must know their role and be trained in understanding the Clery Act, why they have been designated as a CSA, and what is required of them as a CSA. 

CSAs who are already designated by KU will be assigned the Clery Act Training when KU’s annual required trainings launch on Oct. 7. Please visit KU’s CSA webpage to learn more about whether you might qualify as a CSA. If you need assistance or have questions, please email cleryact@ku.edu.

RESEARCH INTEGRITY

Annual COI reporting is a requirement of your KU employment or participation in KU research. Your participation in the process is essential and appreciated.

The Final Friday Human Research Ethics series is in full swing for the fall semester. August and September sessions provided an introduction to KU's IRB and an overview of consent best practices, respectively. Please join us for the final fall session in October:

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

RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

KU is implementing Research Security Training (RST) requirements for various federal agencies to comply with Section 10634 of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (42 U.S.C. § 19234), NSPM-33, and the July 9, 2024 Office of Science & Technology Policy memorandum (.pdf). Covered funding agencies include the Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture (.pdf), and Department of Defense (DOD).

The federal RST requirements — and related certifications at submission — must be in effect by Jan. 25, 2026; however, some agencies have already adopted the training requirement:

To fulfill the RST requirement, principal investigators and senior/key personnel must complete the Research Security Training (Combined Course), a 1-hour online course offered through CITI Program. All covered individuals must have completed RST in the 12 months prior to application or RPPR submission.  

Click or tap the button below to enroll in the course directly. The course will appear under the “My Courses” tab after signing into CITI via KU single sign-on. If you have never signed into CITI using your KU ID, you will be prompted to create an account.

Questions or issues? Please email rcrtraining@ku.edu.

To comply with a 2022 directive from the Office of Science & Technology Policy, the National Institutes of Health updated its Public Access Policy (effective July 1, 2025) to require immediate public access to publications and data resulting from federally funded research.

KU Libraries has created the Funder Public Access Policy Guide, a collection of information and resources to help KU researchers comply. While NIH-funded research is the most immediate concern, similar requirements are expected to be in place for all federally funded research by Jan. 1, 2026. 

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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