IPSR News
Recent News Items
New NSF grant to fund water management data ecosystem in Kansas
The U.S. National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator has awarded $650,000 to a team led by University of Kansas scientists to develop a water management data ecosystem that collects water quality and quantity data, models it with machine learning algorithms, and makes insights available on a dashboard for local government officials and state government agencies. KU researchers will work with Viaanix, an Internet of Things technology company, and officials from the Kansas Water Office for the project, titled "Improving Water Quality and Equity through Sensor Data and Machine Learning Models."
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/news/article/new-nsf-grant-to-fund-water-management-data-ecosystem-in-kansas
Book examines history of standardized tests, why they persist
For the past 50 years, standardized tests have been the norm in American schools, a method proponents say determines which schools are not performing and helps hold educators accountable. Yet for the past 20 years, it has become clear that testing has failed to improve education or hold many accountable, according to a University of Kansas researcher whose new book details its history. "An Age of Accountability: How Standardized Testing Came to Dominate American Schools and Compromise Education" by John Rury, professor emeritus of educational leadership & policy studies at KU, tells the story of how testing became a central focus of American education policy roughly from 1970 to 2020.
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/2023/10/25/book-examines-history-standardized-tests-how-they-failed-american-schools-why-they
Kansas Economic Policy Conference to address urgent workforce needs
Each year, the Kansas Economic Policy Conference convenes community and industry leaders, policymakers and scholars. On Oct. 19, the conference will address workforce needs for Kansas.
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/2023/10/16/kansas-economic-policy-conference-address-urgent-workforce-needs
State efforts to increase food stamp use are working
Moves by state governments to improve access to food stamps have been very effective in increasing the number of retirees and people with disabilities who get the benefits, according to new research from Donna K. Ginther and Michael Easterday.
Link(s): https://crr.bc.edu/state-efforts-to-increase-food-stamp-use-are-working/
https://www.nber.org/programs-projects/projects-and-centers/retirement-and-disability-research-center/center-papers/nb22-11
Two KU doctoral students receive Fulbright-Hays dissertation award
Two doctoral candidates at the University of Kansas have been awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Award, receiving a combined $92,000 to conduct research in South America. Pere DeRoy, a doctoral candidate in women, gender & sexuality studies, received $51,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to travel to Guyana for 10 months to study reproductive health. DeRoy is an IPSR doctoral fellow. Micah Unruh, a doctoral candidate in ecology & evolutionary biology, received $41,000 to travel to Chile to research soil carbon storage.
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/2023/09/21/two-ku-doctoral-students-receive-fulbright-hays-dissertation-award
New Kansas Statistical Abstract offers relevant state information
The 57th edition of the Kansas Statistical Abstract, an annually-released compendium of data about Kansas, is now available. The KSA publishes data in 17 sections ranging from agriculture to vital statistics and health. These data help community leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, and others make informed decisions about how Kansas is changing.
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/2023/09/12/new-kansas-statistical-abstract-offers-relevant-state-information-including-expanded-data
KU professor named editor of premier Latinx issues journal
A University of Kansas professor has been appointed as the new editor-in-chief of Latino Studies, the premier journal exploring issues facing Latino/a/x people across the United States. Marta Caminero-Santangelo teaches courses in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences covering U.S. Latinx literature, literature of social justice and 20th- and 21st-century U.S. literature. She joined the faculty in 1997 and currently is chair of the Department of English. She was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2022. Her editorship began July 1 and makes KU the new home of the journal.
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/2023/07/17/ku-professor-named-editor-premier-latinx-issues-journal
KU researcher leading project to quantify care economy, make stats available in central location
A University of Kansas professor is leading a new project to collect data on the care economy to quantify the often underrecognized work of providing care for others and make the information available in a central location to help policymakers, researchers, nonprofits and others access this vital economic data. “The Care Board” will gather existing statistics on the care economy and provide a dashboard for access to the data and produce new data on the work Americans do every day to provide care for their families and communities. The project is supported by a two-year, $762,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Misty Heggeness, associate professor of public affairs & administration and co-director of the Kansas Population Center in KU’s Institute for Policy & Social Research, is principal investigator for the project.
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/2023/04/17/ku-researcher-leading-project-quantify-care-economy-make-stats-available-central-location
In‘zhúje‘waxóbe project featured at upcoming community event
Join the In‘zhúje‘waxóbe project leadership at 3 p.m. April 1 at Lawrence Public Library Auditorium for a public presentation on the In‘zhúje‘waxóbe / Sacred Red Rock project funded by the Mellon Foundation Monuments Project Initiative.
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/2023/03/24/sacred-red-rock-project-featured-upcoming-community-event
Research on broadband in Kansas recommends statewide strategy to improve infrastructure
University of Kansas researchers have completed a two-year study of broadband access in Kansas. Their newly published report, "Broadband in Kansas: The Challenges of Digital Access and Affordability," documents extensive challenges within the current broadband landscape in the state and recommends a comprehensive strategy to address these challenges.
Link(s): https://news.ku.edu/2023/03/22/research-broadband-kansas-recommends-statewide-strategy-improve-infrastructure