Rachel Smith is fascinated by the beetles. Water beetles, to be exact. As a biology major with an emphasis on ecology, evolution, and organismal biology, Rachel spends her days working alongside fellow KU entomologists on all things related to insect biodiversity and ecology.

You've probably heard about the recent boost in popularity for the KU Beekeeping Club (KUBC), who signed up nearly 300 Jayhawks at this fall's Hawkfest and Unionfest alone. Not only is the club experiencing rapid growth in membership; they've also found success as a small business, making use of their members' wide-ranging talents to sell everything from honey and lip-balm to stickers and t-shirts.

You’ve checked out the Top Six Reasons to Take a Summer Class and realize summer classes are a great idea. We’ve rounded up ALL of the 164 summer classes in the KU Core. You’re welcome. Take a look, see what you need to fill, and enroll away. (Reminder! When in doubt, talk to your advisor.)

The opportunities and applications that can stem from subjects like Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing seem to be endless in a world where technology grows at a rapid pace. KU's Avary Kolasinski has utilized her love for these subjects to produce meaningful research and to program theoretical results. The applications of this research affect a variety of fields including but not limited to physics and computer science.

Water is all around us, and there's a lot of it. More than 2.7 million miles of streams and rivers exist in the U.S. alone, in fact. We're surrounded by H20 in America, and yet there are still large gaps in our understanding of the state and trends of the water cycle, which can have seriously devastating ramifications. James Coll wants to fill that data void, and his research in KU Geography's Ph.D. program centers on ways that drone technology can help scholars measure and categorize that cycle.

Growing up in Kansas City, Courtland Triplett always knew he wanted to bring positive change to the world but struggled to find the right path to achieve that goal. After carefully considering his options, he found that path in government, and at KU, he discovered a program and people dedicated to equipping him with the tools necessary to tackle real-world problems faced by communities at home and across the globe.

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.

How are social norms about gender and sexuality perpetuated through portrayals of robots and other digital entities in sci-fi storytelling? What can these treatments in popular media tell us about the societies in which we live, and how can scholars challenge these narratives?

Why Marlon's a Hawk to Watch: