As the first month of 2020 comes to an end, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite KU stories of 2019.

What does it mean to commemorate a moment in time? For Professor of Communication Studies Dave Tell, commemorating the legacy of the murder of Emmett Till has taken him on a journey from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago. As part of the Emmett Till Memory Project, Tell has worked with Till's family to help shepherd his story and to preserve his memory. 

By now you've heard about climate change affecting weather cycles and sea levels, but a less discussed element of rising carbon dioxide levels is changes to vegetation. Associate Dean for Science Research Joy Ward and her team are seeking answers to questions about how plants respond under different climate conditions by simulating carbon dioxide levels in a lab setting. 

Learn more about Associate Dean Ward's research and how she first became interested in working with plants on our latest episode of Unwinding.

Housing thousands of costumes from decades of productions, the Costume Shop turns out new designs each season for KU's Department of Theatre & Dance. Go inside this creative space to see where it all gets stitched together.

If you spent any time on social media this summer, you probably heard that United States government agencies confirmed the existence of video footage of UFOs taken by military aircraft. The videos reignited speculation about the presence of alien life visiting Earth.

Comprising five stories and 130,000 sq. ft. of space, Chalmers Hall provides the perfect home for visual art students to create and learn. See where students get hands on learning in everything from painting and drawing to textiles and fibers.

Our new video series, I am Seeking, highlights what our faculty are seeking with their research. From finding new ways to treat addiction, to looking for signs of alien life in rocks on earth, or searching for new ways to diagnose cancer, our faculty are innovators and explorers seeking answers and solutions to a myriad of questions.

What does human trafficking look like? Most of us have seen stories of captivity play out on big or small screen with familiar casts of villains and victims. Compelling drama, perhaps, but the reality is far more complicated, and closer to home, than we might like to imagine. Make no mistake, says KU researcher Hannah Britton: it’s happening in the Heartland, and often in plain sight.

Fengxue Zhang, a junior from Hays, is studying economics, political science, and creative writing. After moving to the United States from China as a child, Fengxue jumped from major to major before finding a home in the College.

In addition to her studies, Fengxue is a Student Advisory Board member of the Dole Institute, the Co-Curation Director for TEDxKU, and the Public Relations Director for the Chinese Students and Scholars Friendship Association. Learn more about Fengxue in our latest student feature.

When most of us imagine a “lab,” familiar images and associations come to mind: sterile spaces equipped with white coats and Petri dishes, beakers, glass test tubes and granulated cylinders galore. Spaces where life-changing discoveries are made, no doubt — but Katie Rhine and her dedicated team of fellow scholars had something else in mind.

Our new video series, I am Seeking, highlights what our faculty are seeking with their research. From elevating African-American playwrights, to looking for signs of alien life in rocks on earth, or finding new ways to treat addiction, our faculty are innovators and explorers seeking answers and solutions to a myriad of questions. Learn how Foundation Distinguished Professor of chemistry Steven A. Soper’s research is benefiting Kansas and the world as he and his team seek to develop new tools to diagnose cancer.

What’s the foundation of a city? For urban planner Ward Lyles, the spaces we inhabit are defined as much by an approach to life, and the people we encounter, as they are by the systems and physical structures that make up a sound infrastructure. The way he sees it, the true bedrock of a strong community lies in a simple, yet immensely powerful, guiding principle: compassion.