Friday, March 7, 2025

In this edition:
Stand up for science | Record research | Eating disorders intervention   
Autism conference |  New awards | People in the news 

Have a news story, publication, event or staff highlight for us? Submit it by 5 p.m. March 17 here.

Hi, all. Today, March 7, is Stand Up for Science. In some locations such as Washington, D.C., there are rallies and community events. Individuals are also posting about the impact of science on social media platforms such as Bluesky and Facebook using #StandUpForScience. If you would like to get involved with advocating for science today — or at any time — we've added tips to talk about your work through social media, as referenced in the resources section below and on the Life Span website. The tips offered are for researchers but also apply to anyone who has a stake in research and the funding for it (here's mine). 

The social media guidance echoes remarks made recently by Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, who will be visiting KU March 26. As a guest on Science Friday recently, he talked about the importance of speaking up for science and telling stories about what science makes possible: "I think there’s sometimes a worry that speaking out publicly is going too far. It’s going over a limit. I just think that scientists in general, we like the safe space of our laboratories and our research ecosystems. But there is certainly something important about participating in the public discussion, the public discourse."

I know that for many of you it has been an incredibly stressful winter. Yet as the stories several of you have shared recently demonstrate, there's also joy and pride in the work that you do. If you have the energy to put yourself and your experience into the world to help people understand why research investment matters, I hope that you will. 

-Jen Humphrey, associate director for strategic communications

The KU Office of Research announced at the end of February that KU research and development expenditures spanning all KU campuses increased to $546.1 million in fiscal year 2024, surpassing the half-billion-dollar mark for the first time in university history. This record high represents a 17% increase year over year and the ninth consecutive year of research growth for the university.

The reverberations of that growth extend far beyond KU to benefit people throughout the Sunflower State and beyond. Last year alone, research expenditures at KU supported the salaries of 5,595 people.

An economic analysis of the activity of the KU Life Span Institute indicates an estimated $30 million impact on the Kansas economy.  In FY2024, LSI employed 489 researchers and staff.

Additionally, the university spent $86.5 million in 91 Kansas counties on research-related goods and services in fiscal year 2024, according to a report from the Institute for Research on Innovation & Science. Vendors in 19 of those counties received more than $102,000 in purchases.

Read more about the economic impact of research.

Eating disorders are the most common mental health concern on college campuses, yet there is a serious shortage of treatment providers. A new program leveraging the phone to increase treatment access for college students experiencing eating disorders is expanding after a pilot program’s positive results at the University of Kansas where most participants saw recovery.

The BEST-U program, an 11-week treatment underpinned by guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), has shown “most participants were fully recovered from their eating disorder” at KU, according to Life Span Institute researcher Kelsie Forbush, professor of clinical child psychology at KU and co-principal investigator of a new $715,516 grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand the program to train non-mental health care professionals within student health settings to deliver the treatment.

 Her co-principal investigator is Kara Christensen-Pacella, an assistant professor from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, who was previously a researcher and therapist on the pilot trial. The expanded study will take place at both KU and UNLV.

Read more about the project.

Autistic individuals and their families will join researchers, educators, clinicians, professionals and students at the 2025 Autism Across the Life Span conference on March 14 at the Edwards campus of the University of Kansas in Overland Park. 

The one-day conference, presented every other year by the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (KCART), fosters connections between the scientific community and stakeholders in autism research such as autistic individuals, families and professionals.

Sean Swindler, director of community program development and evaluation at KCART, said organizers hope to build upon the record number of 200 participants that attended the 2023 conference. This year, 16 breakout sessions will cover topics ranging from self-care for caregivers, neurodiversity in the workplace, alternatives to guardianship, and eating behaviors, among others.

Researchers who are recruiting for study participants for projects that would appeal to the conference audience may submit flyers or postcards to the LSI central office by Tuesday, March 11 for display at a table at the event.

Read more about the conference or visit the event website.

The KU Office of Faculty Affairs recently announced that Michael Amlung, associate director for training at the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment and director of the Addictions Lab at KU, is one of three Spring 2025 Fellows with Megan Kaminski and Alcides Velasquez (pictured above, left to right). Among other goals, the program aims to grow and develop academic leadership at KU. 

Additionally, the Kansas Consortium Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence recently announced Amlung as one of four 2025 awardees for a program that supports KU faculty engaged in national security research as they prepare competitive proposals for external funding opportunities. The project Amlung will pursue is entitled, “Initial Validation of Novel Risk-Taking Simulations in Intelligence and Military Contexts.”

The Lawrence Journal-World interviewed Sean Smith about the recently announced AI-SCORE project led by Smith, Bruce Fey and Samantha Goldman. 

CNN talked with Tera Fazzino for an article on ways to reduce consumption of hyper-palatable foods. Additionally, STAT interviewed Fazzino about ultra-processed foods and calls for regulation by consumer advocacy groups. 

The Lawrence Times quoted Christina Holt of the KU Center for Community Health and Development in an article about challenges faced by the Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center in Lawrence.

Kelsie Forbush was interviewed by the Lawrence Journal-World about the recently announced grant for the BEST-U project. 

KUCD announced that Jenny Kurth received the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Special and Inclusive Education Research (SIER) Special Interest Group Distinguished Researcher Award for 2025. Kurth was nominated by colleague Alison Zagona.

The Kansas Reflector  highlighted efforts to study and resolve the disability waiver waitlist in Kansas, and noted the partnership between the Kansas Department of Disability and Aging with the KU Center on Disabilities.

Karrie Shogren was quoted in an article in the Independent, shared on MSN.com, about the harm of cuts to education grants intended to support research and assistance for students with disabilities.

The online media publication All News Press quoted Calissa Leslie-Miller about research she authored on parents and their use of Chat GPT for health questions about children.  

Congratulations to the following researchers whose awards were recently announced by the KU Office of Research. Grants are listed by primary investigator, title and sponsor: 

Christopher Cushing, "Personalized Mobile Health Platform to Promote Physical Activity in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cystic Fibrosis," Alfred I. Dupont Hospital for Children of The Nemours Foundation.

Peggy Kemp, "Act Early Ambassadors: State or Territorial Liaisons to CDCs, Learn the Signs. Act Early. Program," American Academy of Pediatrics.

Amy McCart, "OK Aware East Year 5," Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Howard Wills,  "Collaborative to Improve Classroom Engagement and Outcomes for Native American and Rural Students," U.S. Department of Education.

Events
Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the Science family of journals, will visit KU and offer a talk 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 26 in the Burge Union, Forum C. RSVP online.

Jomella Watson-Thompson is among panelists who will participate in Public Health After Dark, an event focused on data about violence in the county and violence prevention, 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27 at the Lawrence Public Library. 

Save the date for a trivia night fundraiser 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, benefiting the Autism Society of the Heartland and the National Fragile X Foundation, and sponsored by KU autism and Fragile X researchers.

The KU Center on Disabilities is co-sponsoring “The Ride Ahead,” a film that will be shown at Liberty Hall 4-6:30 p.m., Monday, April 28. The film is co-directed by the subject and star, Samuel Habib, and his father, Dan Habib. More information available through KUCD.

Training, Town Hall and Professional Development

The GAIN (Global Autism Interactive Network) is offering a workshop for clinicians and researchers involved in the diagnostic assessment of ASD 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. today, March 7, and Friday, March 14. The workshops can help clinicians understand how social communication abnormalities, restricted and repetitive behaviors, and developmental histories of children with ASD may be similar or different compared to children with other diagnoses. Register here.

The next Lawrence and Edwards Campus virtual town hall will be 4 p.m. Monday, March 10. Members of the KU community can watch the town hall livestream at the Provost Office website. Questions can be submitted in advance. 

The Frontiers Virtual Roadshow will be 1 - 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 11. Learn how Frontiers Clinical & Translational Science Institute — a partnership between local health care systems and academic institutions, including the University of Kansas — can assist you in your research. Frontiers offers education and training programs, access to resources, opportunities to collaborate with other institutions across the country, funding and more. Register on Zoom

Join Lisa Hallberg for the next REDCap meeting 1 p.m. on the 3rd Thursday of the month (March 20th) on Zoom (passcode: 2025).

KU’s required online training for cybersecurity needs to be completed by March 25. Locate the course in the KU MyTalent system or search your inbox for a message dated Feb. 19.

Scientists and those who support research activities are the people who are in the best position to talk about the impact of research, particularly when funding cuts are in the news. When the National Institutes of Health first announced a reduction of indirect costs to a 15% cap in February, for example, Dr. Jeff Burns wrote about the cuts on Facebook. Burns, who co-directs KU’s Alzheimer’s center at the KU Medical Center, connected to cuts to his own work: 

"Cutting indirect rates doesn’t just trim a budget line — it makes research harder to conduct, slowing scientific discovery and the development of treatments that help people. For my own work in Alzheimer’s disease, this means fewer studies, fewer discoveries, and fewer opportunities to change lives. I work alongside hundreds of clinicians, scientists, students, and staff who have dedicated their careers to tackling this disease. But dramatically and suddenly cutting indirect support shakes the very foundation that allows us to take on these big scientific challenges." 

If you’ve been considering using your social media to advocate for research, we’ve provided four tips with prompts and resources to guide you. The full article and details are available on the Life Span Institute website. Next week, we will add content to the site for explaining indirect costs and expand it to include additional resources.

1. Choose a platform where you are most comfortable being yourself.

You have a lot of choices for platforms, including  Bluesky, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and more. You probably have your favorites, and generally, we recommend using platforms you are comfortable and familiar with. 

2. Highlight human impact.

Researchers are accustomed to the careful language required for academic journals. However, you are in the best position to explain the human impact of your work — how it matters to your lab group, students, or the people who depend on the research. 

Ideas: Use who, what, where, when, why and how questions to help you tell the human impact of your work: Who is impacted by your research? What would it look like if your work were to disappear? Where do you work? When do people most need the information or resources your work provides? How could lives be changed?
 

3. Share stories. 

Numbers and data are important to good science, but when it comes to communicating with others, stories, especially ones that are personal, are necessary to help people connect to the work you do. Stories also “stick” with people and help them retain information. While experts often don’t insert themselves into narratives about their work, doing so can help build trust.  

Ideas: Consider the stories behind your research: What happened when you first got into your field? Who was a mentor who inspired you to choose your field or mentor others? Is there an individual with a condition you met through your research who made a lasting impression? 

4. Post from your perspective.

Make it clear that you are speaking on your behalf. Personal posts should avoid making statements on behalf of the University of Kansas or the Life Span Institute. The KU Free Speech website and the KU faculty and staff freedom of speech reference guide have more information. 

Ideas: Describe your role at KU. State that you want to offer a personal story about how science or research is important to you.

Connections is produced by communications staff at the Life Span Institute for affiliated researchers, staff and students. 

Writing and editing by Jen Humphrey, Mindie Paget, Brendan Lynch and Christina Knott
Art by Christina Knott, Adobe Stock and KU Office of Research

Please submit news, kudos, achievements and other items for consideration here.

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