Annual Meeting
Registration and Abstract Submission is now open
Join your fellow scientists at the University of Louisville, November 21-22.
Annual Meeting Highlights
- Hundreds of oral and poster presentations
- Friday "Lab Crawl" tours at U of L
- Keynote from Dr. Joel Brown
- Special Sessions on Nuclear Energy, Federal Funding, Science Policy, and Aerospace
- Junior Academy activities and STEM Careers Lunch on Friday
- Reception and Open House at the Speed School of Engineering's 15,000 square foot Maker Space
- Find Annual Meeting details here
Register
Registration is now open. Early Registration deadline is Oct 13. Details
Submit Your Abstract
After you register, you'll receive a link to submit your abstract. Submission deadline is October 13. Details
Kentucky Junior Academy of Science
We welcome K-12 Teachers and students to participate for free. We'll have special hands-on activities for Junior Academy participants, and a STEM Careers lunch on Friday where students can connect with scientists and mentors. Middle school and high school students who are doing research are invited to submit abstracts and present their research. Top presenters are invited to represent Kentucky at the American Junior Academy of Science. Details
 Thank You to our Sponsors!
University of Louisville School of Medicine
University of Louisville Graduate School
University of Louisville Center for Engaged Learning
Join Us as a Sponsor or Exhibitor
Be part of Kentucky's largest gathering of scientists!
Details and Registration here for Sponsors & Exhibitors
Education
Deadline extended to Oct. 15: Nominate a Scientist for KAS' Excellence in Science Education & Outreach Award
The KAS Excellence in Science Education & Outreach Award provides recognition for unique  activities, educational programs, or approaches that have increased the involvement, engagement, and sustainability of science in the Commonwealth. The annual award is open to individual KAS members or groups of KAS members (e.g. from the same institution/organizations or various institutions/organizations who are KAS members and have worked together collaboratively on Education and Public Outreach initiatives). Nominations are due October 15, 2025.
Details and nomination form
Bring the Physics Petting Zoo to your classroom in Eastern or Central Kentucky
The Department of Physics & Astronomy at UK has received a small grant from the Division of Condensed Matter Physics of the American Institute of Physics that will pay for round trip shipping for their Physics Petting Zoo to visit classrooms in Eastern and Central Kentucky, for up to two weeks.
We will be most interested in the venues that do some of these things:
- Put the Physics Petting Zoo in front of a lot of interested people, or many classroom groups or in several schools;
- Use it as part of a Science Fun Night;
- Use it as the basis for a classroom learning experience that extends over several days.
Information about the Physics Petting Zoo
Application form and instructions
Poster you can share
Professional Development Resources for KAS members
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!
Education and Engagement Team invites your participation!
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 November 7 at 10 am ET. All are welcome! Email our Executive Director Amanda Fuller to get added to the list.
Policy
KAS Exploring a Science & Technology Policy Fellowship program
Science and technology policy fellowships place professional STEM graduate degree-holders in state government to provide nonpartisan scientific expertise to support policymakers in developing evidence-based legislation. These positions are generally held for 1 or 2 years and allow scientists to gain public policy experience, address complex issues like technology regulation and public health, and serve as a vital link between scientific research and state policy. At the federal level, AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) serve Congress and federal agencies. Sixteen states have similar fellowships, including Indiana, West Virginia, and Missouri. Kentucky has the opportunity to secure new matching funds to launch a science policy fellowship. To learn more, contact Austin McMasters, policy@kyscience.org
Science Policy Special Sessions and Meetup at the Annual Meeting
Hear from local scientists involved in science policy work in a Special Session at our Annual Meeting this November, and connect will colleagues interested in Policy at our Friday evening Meetup!
Policy enthusiasts will also want to check out or Special Session on Nuclear Energy
Details about the KAS Annual Meeting
Science Policy Committee Invites your Participation!
Funding
KAS Research Grants are Open, due Nov 15
Those eligible for these modest monetary awards are post-secondary instructors in the first five years of their careers. Funding is for career-enhancing opportunities not provided by applicants’ employers. Examples include professional memberships, conference travel, journal subscriptions, research equipment or software, and subvention costs for publication.
Each year, KAS will give out two Early Career Equity Professional Development Awards of up to $500 each. Funds will be provided directly to awardees (not through their institutions) and will need to be reported as awards for tax purposes. The only obligations of awardees are (1) to use all funds as intended within one year and (2) to write a one-page letter to KAS within one year of receiving the funds stating how the award contributed to the awardee’s career as an instructor in the natural, physical, or social sciences and 3) provide documentation of how funds were used.
How to Apply
By November 15, please apply via the link on the KAS website. The application includes:
- Current CV
- One-page, single-spaced statement of what you are requesting and how it will contribute to your developing career in ways not monetarily supported by your employer and how this award in turn enables you to encourage others in their learning about science in Kentucky.
Details about all KAS grant categories
Marcia Athey and Botany Funds
Special Research Program for faculty, This is our most competitive category
Undergraduate Research, 2 types (these are usually less competitive!)
- Undergraduate Supply grants
- Undergraduate Summer Research Grants
Athey Science Education & Outreach Grant ** less competitive, and K-12 Educators are eligible to submit proposals
Early Career Professional Development Award
Did you know?
We have funding available for our members on our website!
Check out our Funding Opportunities today - some deadlines are quickly approaching!
Federal Funding
Research
Is Wind Energy Feasible in Kentucky?
Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, KAS Summer 2025 Intern
As the world moves away from fossil fuels for energy generation, with their atmosphere-warming emissions and health-threatening pollutants, renewable energy sources are being researched and implemented. One of them is wind energy, described by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory as "one of the largest sources of clean, renewable energy in the United States, making it essential to a future carbon-free energy sector."
In a recent study, Larry Holloway and Dan Ionel (University of Kentucky) and Aron Patrick (PPL Corporation in Louisville, KY) argue that new advancements in wind turbines and wind energy storage will allow Kentucky to tap this renewable source, particularly as a complement to solar power. Their findings were published in the Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science.
Read the rest of the article at the link below!
New articles from the Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science
"Soil Loss Analysis of North Fork Kentucky River Basin Utilizing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE)". Samir Pahari and Nahid D. Gani.
"Measuring Eastern Bluebird Embryo Heart Rate in the Field Using a Digital Egg Monitor". Lindsey A. Walters, Marissa Tendam, and Caitlin Thornberry.
Check out these articles and others from the Journal
Community
Cancer in Appalachia: A Collection of Youth-told Stories, Volume Two
A new collection features fictional short stories and poems by high school and undergraduate  students from Appalachian Kentucky who participate in the Markey Cancer Center’s Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) program.
Details about the book
On Nov. 7 from 1-3 p.m., a book panel event in the Great Hall at UK’s Special Collections Research Center will feature four student authors — Caylee Caudill, Tessa Goble, Kameron Jackson and Matthew Sanders — who will read sections of their stories and answer questions. UK students, faculty and staff along with community members are welcome to attend this free event to learn about the students’ perspectives on the cancer crisis in Appalachian Kentucky and about their writing process.
AAAS call for postdoc and student abstracts
Be part of the 2026 AAAS Annual Meeting in Phoenix where we will highlight opportunities for scientists, policy makers, and the citizenry to work together and explore how science and policy can be developed at scale for impact.
Postdoc Talks: 10 minute solo presentations can include discoveries, innovation, or policy. Deadline: October 17, 2025.
Student E-posters: For undergraduate or graduate students. Deadline: October 17, 2025.
Questions: meetings@aaas.org
NCUR 2026 is Now Accepting Abstract Submissions
Are you looking for
- the conference that celebrates undergraduate researchers in all fields of study
- the opportunity to network with the larger research community
- the chance to enhance one's resume by presenting at the only national UR conference
- a space that's also for faculty and mentors to share their invaluable insights and initiatives
Then make sure you submit to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2026, held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia, from April 13-15, 2026.
The deadline to submit is December 5, 2025.
Learn How To Submit
Travel + Lodging Information
Please reach out with any questions at NCUR@CUR.org
Calling All Faculty, Mentors, Postdocs, and Grad Students
NCUR receives thousands of student abstracts in all academic disciplines, and so we need hundreds of volunteers from all disciplines to serve as abstract reviewers for NCUR 2026. Please note: Undergraduate students are not eligible to serve as abstract reviewer volunteers.
Become an NCUR Abstract Reviewer
The deadline to volunteer is November 14, 2025.
Lights Out initiative by the National Audubon Society
This initiative asks the public to turn off unnecessary lights, or set lights to motion detect, between 11 pm and 6 am during peak migration months: September and October, to help bird populations migrate more safely and effectively. Learn more at https://www.louisvilleaudubon.org/lights-out.html.
From our Science Partners
More from KAS
 The Kentucky Academy of Science is seeking candidates for the KAS Governing Board. New terms begin January 1, 2026. The ballot will go to all KAS members at the beginning of November, and we plan to introduce new board members at the Annual Meeting November 21 & 22. Open positions include:
- Vice President (this is s 4-year term, succeeding to President-Elect, President, and Past President)
- Biological Sciences Representative (4 year term)
What do board members do?
Board members oversee the budget and the Executive Director, and set the strategy and mission of KAS Meetings are quarterly, mostly by zoom. All board members are expected to serve on one of our Committees. Find out more in the KAS BylawsWho are the other Board Members?
Meet them here
If you are interested in one of these positions, or have questions, please contact KAS Past President Noel Novelo ( noel.novelo@kysu.edu) by October 15 and include a 200 word bio for the ballot by October 20. Thank you!
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