Scientific organizations are made for moments like these. KAS and other societies are the fabric of our scientific community, and the Kentucky Academy of Science has been building that community for 110 years. We are 5000 members strong! We are advocating to protect research budgets, academic freedom, and higher education, and together we are strong. How can we help you and your colleagues in this moment?  Pick up the phone or email me. We are YOUR scientific community. 

Keep Doing Science.  Doing what you do best can be the best response to real and perceived threats.

Tell people about what you do as a scientist. KAS is ramping up our efforts to share the science our members do (keep reading to find out more!). Share your scientific life with neighbors, roommates, family members, folks in your community organizations or religious communities.  If you have a story you want us to share, reach out to us!

Take care of yourself and each other. Reach out to friends and colleagues to enjoy a cup of coffee together or go for a walk. 

Get involved or stay involved with other scientific societies. Many national organizations have been providing strong leadership and represent millions of scientists like you.  Join KAS' Policy Team which meets Wednesday June 11 @ 12:30ET- this a group of folks like you who are committed to bringing more science into the public policy arena. Email us if you want to join.

Show up and speak up, if you are able to. We know the threats to international students and researchers are at a level never seen before. These colleagues are understandably apprehensive right now. If you can advocate on their behalf and help keep them safe, please do. Kentucky's scientific community is a welcome place for ALL Y'ALL! 

Stay informed. KAS is doing our best to share news as it comes, but I encourage you to follow the news (and take a break when you need to!).  Two I've found useful:

Come Together. Mark your calendar for November 21-22 for KAS' Annual Meeting at the University of Louisville.  I guarantee we'll have a lot to talk about!

The workshop will begin at 12:30pm on Tuesday, June 10 and conclude at 12:30pm on Wednesday, June 11.

Hotel accommodations (if required), materials for activities, and a $300 stipend will be provided to all participants. Registration for the workshop will close on Friday, May 9 at 11:59 pm.

The primary objective of this workshop is to provide a series of plug-and-play mini-modules (5-15 minutes in length) that can be directly incorporated into high school STEM courses and directly matched with a KY Next Generation Science Standard.  Details and registration

Kentucky is at risk for earth, environmental, and weather hazards. Join faculty and students from University of Kentucky for a three-day camp to learn about how earth and environmental scientists research hazards in our state like flooding, landslides, tornadoes, earthquakes, drought, and water quality concerns. 
 
Students will get hands-on experience with the methods and data used to help try to predict these costly and dangerous threats including modern technologies like drones, virtual reality, and GIS. Each camp will be tailored to regional concerns so that students can leave the week ready to help their families and community prepare for and respond to natural hazards.
 
Thanks to funding from the KY NSF EPSCoR CLIMBS project, this camp is free and open to eligible students. Lunch and snacks will be provided each day. Registration is limited to 20 students per camp.
 

Eligibility: Rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade Kentucky residents are eligible. If you have specific questions about the program and eligibility, reach out to enviropods@uky.edu

2025 Dates:
June 24th-26th - Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library (10 AM to 5 PM)
July 15th-17th - Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort (10 AM to 5 PM)
July 29th-31st - Perry County Public Library in Hazard (10 AM to 5 PM)
Depending on library operating hours, earlier drop off may be an option.

Registration: Register here.

Source: https://ees.as.uky.edu/enviropods

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Field Paleontology Institute - Register by June 14

Sponsored by the Falls of the Ohio State Park from June 24—26, 2025, 9 AM—4 PM
Held at the Interpretive Center 201 West Riverside Dr., Clarksville, IN 47129

This professional development is geared for science educators, especially earth and life science, grades 2 and up.
June 24—Focus on fossil preservation, rock types with fossils, geological time, extinction, exploring the Falls of the Ohio fossil beds, tools & etiquette for collecting.
June 25—Collecting & identifying Mississippian fossils in the field, paleoecology
and constructing ancient food webs.
June 26—Collecting & identifying Ordovician fossils in the field, reconstructing the
Ordovician fossil community, and paleontology resources.
Cost is $25.
Preregister with the following information to Alan Goldstein at: agoldstein@dnr.in.gov
Name, School, Grade & Subject, Email, Cell #

Deadline is June 14. This is the last FPI Alan is hosting as he retires later this year.

We've curated a variety of opportunities for our members to learn new skills, advance your careers, and have more impact in the world. Check our our Professional Development Resources at the KAS website. Many of them are free or cheap. If you know of resources you would like to share with fellow scientists, send them our way! 

Kentucky Teachers, we have assembled a few STEM PD opportunities for you too, to get experience side by side with scientists this summer.

Check KAS' Summer 2025 Science PD for teachers

 

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Education and Engagement Team

Our Education & Engagement team makes connections with K-12 Teachers, Kentucky field stations, supports the Junior Academy, and connects with other partners around the state.

E&E meets next on June 23 at 10am ET. All are welcome! Email our Executive Director Amanda Fuller to get added to the list.

The Cornell Advancing Science and Policy Club, along with Science Homecoming, are encouraging scientists to share their story and their work in local newspapers across the country during the week of June 16th. There have been several workshops to share details about the initiative and the final workshop is this week! 
 

Workshop June 6th, 12pm ET, led by Dr. Katherine Xue, assistant professor at UC Irvine who has written for The New Yorker, Harvard Magazine, and The Conversation. 

More information & register to participate

The Senate is considering a budget bill that includes deep cuts to research and threatens nonprofit organizations.  Find the latest updates here

Senator Mitch McConnell's office
Senator Rand Paul's office

From Science: NSF abolishes 37 divisions

Save NSF Coalition  has Tools to Take Action
Save NSF is a coalition of concerned scientists and allies who are working to save funding for scientific grants through the U.S. National Science Foundation. 

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is one of the most successful pests around. Due to their high reproduction rate and tendency to remain well hidden, they can infest almost any house or building within a few months.
 
Cockroaches are considered particularly important structural pests because they are a risk to human health, introducing allergens that can trigger asthma attacks. They can also contaminate food, counters, dishes, and cookware with harmful germs.
 
Unfortunately, cockroaches have an ally: evolution. Individual cockroaches have minute genetic differences, some of which may make them less sensitive to insecticides. These differences can provide an extra edge when exposed to insecticide, improving survival and the likelihood they will pass these traits on.
 
Johnalyn Gordon, Sudip Gaire, and KAS member Zachary DeVries, from the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky, collaborated with scientists from Auburn University to investigate the resistance of German cockroaches to household spray insecticides. Their results were published in the Journal of Economic Entomology.

Illustration by: Angel Gonzalez-Napoleoni

What federal money should be going out that has been held up?  Check out this tracker 

Who stands to lose most from the Trump Administration's threats to science? Find out more
 

Join our KJAS Working Group to support our middle and high school scientists.

Join the Thomas More University Biology Field Station for the second annual “Raisin’ Hellbenders on the River: Concert for Conservation” on Saturday, July 26 from 3-9 PM at the Field Station (8309 Mary Ingles Hwy, California, KY 41007).

The day will have live bluegrass music, lab tours (where you can meet hellbenders–north America’s largest amphibian!), free kayak rentals, food trucks, and MadTree beverages. This day of fun and fellowship on the Ohio River supports the Field Station’s conservation and outreach programs. Purchase tickets online at tmuky.us/concertrsvp. This event is open to the public and serves as a great way for folks to learn more about our research, conservation, and education! Contact Molly Williams, Field Station Manager, at williamsm@thomasmore.edu, for any questions.

The new American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Institutional Memberships provide universities, corporations and similar institutional partners with a new, visible way to engage with AAAS’ leadership opportunities and member community and access professional development tools, among other benefits. One of the key benefits of the program is unlimited Elemental Memberships for faculty, staff, students and employees at the participating institution. Individuals who claim an Elemental Membership gain access to professional connections and leadership opportunities through participation in AAAS Sections, as well as AAAS resources and activities tailored to public engagement and professional growth. They can also build their eligibility toward AAAS-members-only honors and awards.

The Association of Science & Technology Centers (ASTC) has released findings from a recent survey, identifying the following opportunities:

• Increase public awareness of the impact of recent federal actions on their interests (including their current everyday lives and their economic future)
• Close gaps in public understanding of how science and technology are impacted by federal policy
• Strengthen and expand the opportunity for the public to engage with the scientific community

Kentucky scientists, we can help! Do you have a story to share about how federal policy has impacted YOUR work as a scientist, or would you like to share your science with a broader public audience?
KAS wants to share your stories on our social media channels, on the Bench Talk podcast, and in other media outlets. Get in touch with Melissa Dougherty, our Science Communication Specialist,

Learn more & watch ASTC's presentation of their findings
Download the ASTC slides

offers free trainings, and funding opportunities- check out their monthly news

News, training and funding opportunities from Established Program for Stimulating Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and Institutional Development Award (IDeA)

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Save the date!

We are excited to welcome long-time KAS Member Wilson Gonzalez-Espada as a summer intern to our Science Communications team! 
 

Wilson Gonzalez-Espada is a Professor of Physics and Science Education in the Department of Engineering Sciences at Morehead State University, where he teaches physical science classes for general and pre-service teacher education programs. His research interests include attrition and diversity in STEM, assessment, science communication, and socio-scientific issues.

Dr. Gonzalez-Espada is enrolled in COMM 647, a summer internship course where he is getting hands-on training on the science communication process at the Kentucky Academy of Science. In addition to collaborating with the newsletter, he will develop KAS Board member profiles and write summaries of Kentucky-related research for STEM outreach.

Wilson joins Melissa Dougherty, KAS' Science Communication Specialist, to tell more stories about Kentucky scientists. Do you want to share your science? Contact our Science Communication team: scicomm@kyscience.org
 

Bench Talk: The Week in Science Podcast
Published Weekly on Mondays! 
Union of Concerned Scientists MindLab, a weekly mindfulness space
Held weekly on Wednesdays

KAS Science Policy Committee meeting
06/11/2025

Datacenter Impacts on Municipal Energy, Water, and Air Systems- webinar from AAAS EPI Centetr
06/11/2025

UK Sky Talk
06/12/2025

KAS Education & Engagement Committee
06/23/2025

KAS Science Policy Committee meeting
07/09/2025

UK Sky Talk
07/10/2025

Teach Climate Network Summer Institute for Teachers
07/14/2025- 07/15/2025

Raisin’ Hellbenders on the River: Concert for Conservation
07/26/2025

KAS Education & Engagement Committee
07/28/2025