
March 2026
What's Inside Policy Careers Education Funding Junior Academy Community From our Science Partners More from KAS Calendar Policy Austin McMasters, KAS Science Policy Specialist Bills that are moving in the 2026 Legislative Session The KAS Policy Committee identifies bills that we think are potentially high-impact, where scientific input may be valuable. Find bills we're following at our website and our Advocacy Toolkit for scientists. It's easy to call the General Assembly's toll-free message line at 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message for a legislator about any piece of legislation. Two of our high - priority bills: HB723: Establishes permanent funding for the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund SB178: Prevents Ky from setting environmental regulations higher than Federal (2nd reading, to rules 2/26) Bills that have been moving (so far): HB2- Restrictions on medicaid eligibility (Floor amendments 18 and 19 added 2/26) HB103- Makes water fluoridation optional (delivered to Senate 2/06) HB111: Stipulates that animal health decisions can only be made by farmer and their veterinarian (Delivered to Senate 2/23) HB139: Authorizes voter purges & imposes other voting restrictions (Delivered to Senate 2/20) HB176- Limits on prior authorization requirements from health insurance companies (Delivered to senate 1/22) HB309: Bans meat grown from animal tissue cultures(2nd reading, to rules 2/5) HB366: Applies Child porn laws to computer-generated child porn (Delivered to Senate 1/29) HB455: Restricts AI in mental healthcare (Delivered to Senate 2/24) HB490: Allows for removal of postsecondary staff/faculty for financial reasons (Delivered to Senate 2/18) HB498: Adult Workforce Diploma Pilot Program Fund (2nd reading, to rules 2/12) HB593: Regulates data centers, utility costs (Reported favorably, 1st reading, to calendar 2/26) SB29: Prohibits fees and requirements of solid waste disposal facilities under certain conditions (Delivered to House 1/22) SB49: Requires and encourages proper disposal of batteries (Delivered to House 1/22) SB57: Assigns costs of Nuclear Reactor application & permitting to taxpayers (Posted for passage in Regular Orders of The Day for March 2) SB72: States healthcare workers may decline to provide services if it violates their conscience, without providing for alternative care (Delivered to Senate 2/17) SB137: Addresses provisional licenses for physicians with licenses in other countries (2nd reading, to rules 2/26) SB155: Establishes procedures for animal health emergencies and quarantines. (Delivered to House 2/13) KAS visits with legislators We visited Frankfort last week to let legislators know how KAS scientists can help them with research, and to chat about how science & technology policy fellowships work in other states. Do you want to survey candidates about their Stance on Science? The Scientist Network Advancing Policy is welcoming scientists from every state to develop surveys for candidates in local and state races, to inform voters. Find out more and tap in: https://snapcoalition.org/initiatives/stance-on-science Science Policy Committee Welcomes you The Science Policy committee will meet Wednesday, March 11 at 12:30pm ET on Zoom. All are welcome. Email Science Policy Specialist Austin McMasters (policy@kyscience.org) for the zoom link or more information, and Follow our Policy work at the KAS website. Careers Women in STEM Mentoring Event March 5 KAS is celebrating International Womens' Day with a virtual Mentoring event. Thursday, March 5, 9:30-11:20am ET. Register here We welcome women of all backgrounds to this practical interactive virtual mentoring event. We'll mix up participants in small groups and you will meet colleagues from near and far to chat about your careers in STEM. This will be a great opportunity to discuss your career, ask questions, share your experiences and learn from others' experiences together with an international panel of women mentors and scientists. The program will include interactive Mentoring Circles, Real-life cases, Career Mapping, as well as open discussion forums on "Mentor Matching" and "Unspoken Rules of Science" In 2025, we hosted a Symposium on Women Mentors, Women Mentees. Details & Recordings Check out our KAS Jobs Board Disaster Resilient Communities Training Opportunity The University of Washington’s Center for Disaster Resilient Communities is offering a hands-on training program in environmental and public health disaster research methods and skills for up to 25 advanced graduate students and early career hazards and disaster researchers from across the United States. This training program aims to provide a launchpad for scholars to build on and carry out their own disaster and hazards research projects as well as opportunities for interdisciplinary networking and mentorship. This fellowship includes a weeklong in-person intensive at the University of Washington Seattle Campus from July 27-31, 2026 followed by a year of online monthly workshops all of which include research and professional support from program faculty. Please visit our program web page for details. Application deadline is March 27, 2026 (9 PM PDT) Need-based travel stipends are available. Contact: Juliette Randazza at jrandazz@uw.edu (cc'ed) with any questions. Professional Development Resources for KAS members Learn new skills, advance your careers, and make a greater impact. Check our our Professional Development Resources at the KAS website. If you know of resources you would like to share with fellow scientists, send them our way. Education Science for Everyone! Digital Accessibility Guidance Are you working on creating Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant documents, websites, videos or social media content? Here are some helpful instructions Real Science PD for Teachers K-12 Teachers - If you're looking to spend some time with scientists this summer and earn professional development credits, check out our 2026 STEM Educators' PD listing Teachers- Shadow a Scientist this summer KAS has travel funding for K-12 teachers to actively participate as a field assistant or an up-close observer of relevant, real-world research addressing climate resilience in Kentucky. Scientists will host a teacher for just one day or longer, whether at a Kentucky Field Station, a laboratory, a climate research site, or elsewhere. Researchers are studying weather, water, paleontology, geology, flooding, landslides, social resilience, and more. Researchers are located all over Kentucky, See projects and researchers here. KAS can also help you secure professional development credits. Sign up here to shadow a climate scientist Summer Camp Directory and Scholarship Applications Find a summer camp experience near you in our STEM Summer camp listing. KAS is offering some scholarships this summer. We start reviewing applications March 1st, and will consider later applications as funds allow. KAS' Scholarship application here. KAS Education and Engagement Team welcomes 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 on March 6 (and each first Friday) at 10 am ET. All are welcome! Email our Executive Director Amanda Fuller to get added to the list. Funding Undergraduate Research Experience Proposals due March 13 Kentucky Faculty members -- NSF EPSCoR wants to give you money. Consider applying for undergraduate research funds! Funds can be summer research or during the school year. Research should tie into broad themes encompassed by the CLIMBS grant about climate resiliency: Faculty can apply for these funds (up to $7500 per student) by March 13. Information: https://kynsfepscor.uky.edu/reporting/undergraduate-research-experience/ Application info: https://kynsfepscor.uky.edu/get-funding/ Apply: https://uky.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_39r5iHBXyfYtyJM Kentucky One Health Seed Grants Up to $50,000 per award. Applications due April 1 Details Kentucky Healthcare Scholarships For students pursuing healthcare fields - scan this list to se if you are eligible. Several deadlines are approaching in March! Lasker Foundation Media makers-- win $5000 for your video showcasing your passion for biology and medicine. medical students, residents, graduate students or early-career professionals are eligible. Details at: https://laskerfoundation.org/education/video-contest/ More Funding Opportunities Check out our list of Funding Opportunities - some deadlines are quickly approaching! Junior Academy KAS calling for Junior Academy champions and supporters Did you meet Junior Academy students at our Annual Meeting? Consider joining a team of KAS members to champion the Kentucky Junior Academy of Science program and reach more students. Email us to Join our KJAS Committee to support our middle and high school scientists. Kentucky's delegates to the 2026 American Junior Academy of Science Community Science Fairs in Kentucky Saturday, March 28, 2026. Kentucky Science & Engineering Fair, at Eastern Kentucky University. Faculty and Professional Judges Needed Friday, March 6 & Saturday March 7 East Kentucky Regional Science Fair at Big Sandy March 7. Louisville Regional Science & Engineering Fair March 7. Central Kentucky Science & Engineering Fair Planetarium News EKU plans to demolish their planetarium. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to reopen U of L's planetarium, closed since 2020. Link your Kroger card to get Community Rewards for KAS If you shop at Kroger, did you know that you can link your card to KAS to earn us small Community rewards with every purchase? Log in at kroger.com to link your rewards card to the Kentucky Academy of Science. We get quarterly payments from Kroger based on our members' purchases and small donations add up! Thank you! From our Science Partners Anthropologists and Sociologists of Kentucky (ASK) Call for Abstracts ASK invites proposals for papers, posters, panels, roundtables, or workshops for our 57th annual meeting, Saturday, April 11th, 2026. Centre College, Danville. We welcome abstract submissions from any branch or subdiscipline of anthropology, sociology, and from related fields. We encourage work from disciplinary professionals, joint work between professionals and their students, and outstanding original student work. Registration covers parking, light breakfast, coffee/tea, and lunch on April 11th. Contact: ASK President Jeff Shenton Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Centre College jeffrey.shenton@centre.edu (859) 238-6182 Connect with other Scientific Organizations in Kentucky Anthropologists & Sociologists of Kentucky American Chemical Society (ACS), Lexington or Louisville or Kentucky Lake or Owensboro American Society for Microbiology (ASM) in Kentucky/ Tennessee or at UK Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy Club Geological Society of Kentucky Kentucky Paleontological Society Kentucky Psychological Association Louisville Amateur Astronomers Mathematical Association of America, Kentucky chapter Sigma Xi - chapters in Kentucky Did we miss any? Send info to executivedirector@kyscience.org Kentucky Infrasructure Network for Biomedical Research (KY-INBRE) Offers free trainings, and funding opportunities- check out their monthly news EPSCoR/ IDeA News, training and funding opportunities from Established Program for Stimulating Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and Institutional Development Award (IDeA) NASA- KY Funding and training opportunities, Teaching materials, internships: https://nasa.engr.uky.edu/ More from KAS Remember KAS in your Will or Trust KAS' programs advancing the sciences in Kentucky are possible because of donations from Kentuckians who have been champions for science and science education. How to include the Kentucky Academy of Science in your will or trust, or donate now. Thank you! Like and follow the Kentucky Academy of Science Stay updated on all things KAS! kyscientists Kentucky Academy of Science kyscience kentuckyscience KAS Channel Calendar Bench Talk: The Week in Science Podcast Every Mon 7:30pm, Tue 11:30am, Wed 7:30am; Listen or participate at forwardradio.org/bench-talk Women in STEM Mentoring Symposium Event 03/05/2026 Posters at the Capitol 03/05/2026 KAS Education & Engagement Committee 03/06/2026 Regional Science Fairs - Big Sandy, Lexington, Louisville 03/07/2026 KAS Science Policy Committee meeting 03/11/2026 UK Sky Talk 03/12/2026 Honey Bee Education Days - click to see info flyer & locations March 12, 24, 25, 27, 28; April 11, 16, 18 Deadline to submit abstracts, Sigma Xi Student Research Showcase 03/13/2026 Virtual Bioinformatics Workshops - Deadline to apply 03/16/2026 Darwin Lecture at UK 03/26/2026 KAS Education & Engagement Committee 04/03/2026 KAS Science Policy Committee meeting 04/08/2026 UK Sky Talk 04/09/2026 Mathematical Association of America (KY Chapter) Annual Meeting 04/10/2026- 04/11/2026 Anthropologists and Sociologists of Kentucky 57th Annual Meeting 04/11/2026 DARE-KY Annual Symposium 2026 at KSU - Soilless Agriculture 04/21/2026
KAS Newsletter* - March 2026