Run for the KAS Governing Board
Consider a leadership role with the Kentucky Academy of Science! Nominate a colleague or yourself to run for a seat on our Governing Board. Terms are 4 years. The board meets quarterly, twice in person and twice by Conference call. Read Bios of current board members, and read full descriptions of board member responsibilities in our Bylaws
Open positions include:
- Biological Division Representative
- Vice President - succeeds to President-Elect, President, Past President
Ballots will be sent to ALL members in late September and winners will be announced at the Annual meeting in November.
KAS members interested in nominating colleagues for these vacant positions (or individuals willing to volunteer to be placed on the ballot) should provide name, e-mail address/phone number for each candidate, and indicate the leadership position of interest. We will need a 300 word bio to include on the ballot (which we can request from third-party nominated candidates). We require at least two candidates for the ballot for each position and we appreciate our members' assistance in identifying willing candidates for these vacancies.
Any member may nominate another qualified member for Governing Board service.
Please send nominations by Sept 15 to KAS Past President Jennifer Birriel.
Join the KAS listserv
KAS has set up a listserv so our members can talk to each other, to share science-related news & announcements, offers, requests, questions and answers. We are excited about fostering more conversations within our scientific community!
Opt In to the listserv:
Log In at the KAS website ( https://kyscience.org/)
In the Member Menu, go to Communication / Message Boards
Click to Opt In to the KAS Member Listserv (and choose the Daily Digest option if you prefer)
To post to the listserv, send a message to kyscience@memberleap.com
Update your contact info for our Member Directory
Do you have a new job title, address, or would you like to update your Section membership? If you're a graduate student or professional, maybe you'd like to sign up for our Speakers Bureau? Log in and keep your KAS membership info current. KAS Members have exclusive access to the Member Directory. |
KAS Annual Meeting November 1 & 2 at Berea College
KAS member Dan Phelps featured in Ark documentary We Believe in Dinosaurs
KAS member Dan Phelps is featured in the new documentary We Believe in Dinosaurs.  It tackles a cultural divide between creationists and scientists examining the ark park in Williamstown, Kentucky. KAS will be showing the film at the Annual meeting in Berea in November, and hosting a talk back with Dan. More...
Shout out to our Volunteers!
KAS members have been stepping up to help with Education & Outreach this summer!
Many thanks to:
Kentucky Science Pathways at UK
Fara Williams
Luc Dunoyer
Youth Science Summit Louisville
Jennifer Doyle
Noppadon "Tik" Sathitsuksanoh
Axel Brandt
Amanuel Beyin
Larry Gettelman
Nonah Oleson
Nancy Martin 
Binod Basyal
Katie Lynch
Craig Grapperhaus
Abhinav Kumar Maurya
Jonathan Holland
Steve Yanoviak
LaRue County Library
Lee Ann Bledsoe
Would you like to volunteer to share your science in the community? Send us an email and let us know! If you're a KAS Member, you can Log in and Edit your profile to join the Science Speakers Bureau, or you can join our Public Engagement Team to get Science out to public events, to the media, or on the radio.
Are you already sharing your science?
Historian’s Corner
Marilyn Akins The first volume[1] of the Kentucky Journal of Science contains highlights of the organizational meeting and the first ten Annual Meetings of the Academy. 
In the call for the creation of the organization note was made that “at least seventeen other states” (pg. 21) had State Academies. The importance of sharing among the sciences was also stressed: “Science is essentially mutualistic – successes in one branch are hailed with delight by those interested in other branches. … Thus you obtain, from the diversified program, the grain from the chaff…” (pg. 21) Other reasons for the creation of the Academy included “good fellowship” (pg. 21) and promoting the State’s interests “by the co-operation of these people who are interested in the welfare of its citizens (pg. 22).
The organizational meeting was held on May 8, 1914[2]. A committee was set up to draft a constitution and by-laws. Three were presented: “Some Interesting Features of the Ossification of Bones” by Dr. J. W. Pryor, with illustrations by lantern slides; “Theories of Thermal and Electrical Conductivity” by Dr. N. F. Smith; and “The Significance of the Scientific Work of the Experimental Station to the Agricultural Prosperity of the State” by Dr. Joseph H. Kastle. Two addresses were also included; “The Work of the Bureau of Mines” by Van H. Manning, Assistant Director of the Bureau; and “Science and the State” by Dr. Stanley Coulter from Purdue University.
The Second Annual Meeting was held on May 15, 1915. The Treasurer reported a balance of $2. Sixty-five people were nominated for membership. Papers were given included topics from physics, geology (about faults in KY), and agriculture (minerals and drainage and another on minerals and plant growth). The invited speaker was Dr. Dayton C. Miller from the Case School of Applied Science. His talk was  “The Science of Musical Sounds” and “was illustrated with slides and models and experimental demonstrations with the Phonodeik.”
A glimpse of the state of physics at that point in time can be given in N. F. Smith’s paper on the “Relation between Matter and Radiant Energy” where he noted: “Let no one think that the problem is completely solved, for there are many contradictions and inconsistencies. … In spite of the confusion and uncertainty of the present, we may feel confident that real progress is being made toward and ultimate solution of the great problems of present-day physics – the structure of matter and its relation to radiant energy.” (pg. 28)
Between the second and third annual meetings, the Council (equivalent of the Executive Committee) met and agreed to recommend the first Saturday of May as the fixed date of the Annual Meetings and developed a resolution to present to the member that favored “the use of the Centigrade Thermometer scale in government publications” (pg. 34). Although there was discussion about having the annual meeting in April instead of May, the resolution to use centigrade instead of Fahrenheit was unanimously adopted.
[1] All information from the Transactions of the Kentucky Academy of Science, Volume One (1914 – 1923).
[2] The first mention of the organizational meeting had it set for April, but the minutes correspond to the date in May.
KAS Journal is now All- Digital
KAS Members and member institutions have full digital ac  cess, as you always have, but now it's easier than ever.
Search the Journal from our website or from your own library's catalog. Issues prior to 2005 are archived at our website too.
This transition means faster publication for authors- Check out our submission guidelines and get in touch with our co-editors Kelly Watson and Wally Borowski about submitting a manuscript.
What's Next?
What do you want to see in the Journal? How do you think we can improve it and how can it better serve our members? We'd love to hear your suggestions. Get in touch with President-Elect Frank Ettensohn with your ideas.
Nominate a colleague for the 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).
Find out about our past winners
Find out more about this award and how to nominate someone
Please send nominations by September 30 to KAS Vice President Trent Garrison
Call for reviewers - KAS grants & awards
 We are looking for members to get involved on our Grants & Awards committee.
Award reviewers will evaluate nominees for our Science Education & Outreach award; Grant reviewers will evaluate applications for our various Research and Outreach grants. Reviewers typically handle fewer than 10 applications, and most reading happens over winter break.
If you're interested, email KAS Executive Director Amanda Fuller
KAS is Developing a Code of Conduct
KAS is developing a Code of Conduct for our members and events, so that we can provide a welcoming, professional and collegial environment at all times. We'll be asking members for your input into this process so watch for an update!
Check out & Contribute to the Bench Talk Podcast
Happy Birthday to the Bench Talk podcast! KAS Members produce this podcast weekly and YOU can be part of it! Share your science with the world!
If you can record as little as 5-7 minutes about your work, Bench Talk would like to include it in the weekly show! You can make a recording on a smartphone or laptop and send it to them.
Listen to a recent episode and hear more about the BenchTalk team
Listen to this episode for:
Scott Miller's 'August Night Sky'
A story about the 'City on Science' public journal club initiative in Louisville,
A story from a shellfish biologist at the University of Venice about how shellfish may help mitigate impacts of climate change
Have a listen and contribute! We want to hear from you! Please get in touch with Dave Robinson for more information.
(Bonus podcast goodness: Catch Tamara Sluss at U of L talking about Harmful Algal Blooms on a recent episode of Sustainability Now)
ORSANCO votes to weaken some Pollution Control Standards in Ohio River
ORSANCO (the Ohio River Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission) voted in June to adopt voluntary pollution control standards, effectively weakens pollution control standards for the entire Ohio River basin.
Read more from WFPL
Find ORSANCO's revised standards HERE
Kentucky Aquatic Resources Fund
 Kentucky Waterways Alliance administers the Kentucky Aquatic Resources Fund, which pays for research, monitoring, propagation, and habitat enhancement projects benefitting Threatened and Endangered Species in Kentucky. Find out more at
https://kwalliance.org/what-we-do/restoration/karf/
Contact Ward Wilson, Executive Director at Kentucky Waterways Alliance for more information.
SE Regional IDeA Meeting invites health researchers
Whitney T. Rogers 
The SE Regional IDeA Meeting will be held on November 6-8th, 2019 at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. IDeA is an NIH funded program to develop faculty and institutional research capabilities. Participants will get updates from the NIH about the program and to see what type of research is being done across the 7 regional states as well as to see what resources are available. Most of the IDeA programs have core facilities that other people in the IDeA network can use for free or at a reduced cost. This is a great opportunity to network with investigators from IDeA-INBREs (such as KBRIN in Kentucky), COBREs, and CTRs as well as the Pediatric Clinical Trials Research Networks in the 7 surrounding states and to learn about the exciting research and resources available through the NIGMS-IDeA Program. Everyone, especially students, are encouraged to submit abstracts for poster sessions and short oral presentations. Platform sessions will be selected from abstracts submitted. Detailed information about the meeting and registration can be found at https://seidea19.com.
Kentucky Science Center News
Andrew Spence 
Greetings from the Kentucky Science Center! We would like to extend a special invitation for you to join us in October for High School STEM+H Day at NKU.
High School STEM+H Day is a collaboration between Cincinnati Museum Center, Northern Kentucky University and Kentucky Science Center. On Friday, October 25th we expect over 300 students in grades 9-12 to converge on NKU’s campus to take part in hands-on STEM+H demonstrations, team-building challenges, and unique opportunities learning directly from industry professionals, college professors and local STEM+H leaders.
We would like to extend a special invitation to KAS members to join us in October! There are several ways to get involved with High School STEM+H Day:
- Send us a proposal! Are you an an expert in a growing STEM+H field? Do you have a passion for educating others about STEM+H or STEM+H careers? Consider sharing your expertise with our students as a session leader
- Students or faculty or other professionals can participate as speed-mentors
- Become a corporate sponsor! Your support allows us to offer students free admission to this event
- Become an individual sponsor! Your personal contribution can bring a student to this event and give them the chance to interact with and learn from industry professionals
Nationally, we expect to see STEM+H jobs grow 9-22% between 2014 and 2024. Help us prepare students to fill them! Thank you.
KAS member Laura Sullivan-Beckers' new species discovery
 Laura Sullivan-Beckers from Murray State University credits several serendipitous factors to her identification of a treehopper previously unknown to science, Hebetica sylviae
Read About it here
Upcoming Regional Meetings for the 2020 -2025 Environmental Education Master Plan
Do you think Kentucky students deserve strong environmental education? The Kentucky Environmental Education Council is seeking input from environmental education providers of all ages and types! We are developing the fifth Environmental Education Masterplan for Kentucky. We are inviting you to attend one of the 4 meetings that will be held across the State. Below are dates times and location for the meetings.
Details here
Tuesday, August 20, 1-4 PM
Southern regional meeting
Somerset
Somerset CTC, Meece Hall Auditorium, Room #120
Thursday, August 22, 1-4 PM
Eastern regional meeting
Prestonsburg
Big Sandy CTC (Johnson Building) Room#102
Communicating Science on Wikipedia
Call for Panelists for Young Frankenstein panel Sept 28
Kentucky Science Center is looking for panelists to share content with a 21+ audience on Saturday, September 28 at 9:00pm following a screening of the 1974 classic Young Frankenstein! This event is our second film for an exclusive adult audience this year, and all patrons will receive two complementary drink tickets to a cash bar. We’re looking for experts with connections to the themes in this film: creating life, synthetic biology, neuroscience, electricity, grave robbing, etc. Slides that can shared on our 4-story screen are preferred, but there are no formal requirements, other than an interest to share quirky yet science-rich content. For approximately 45 minutes following the film, we’ll host a discussion with a combination of prepared questions and audience Q&A.
Interested in participating? Email Andrew Spence, Manager of Public Programs and Events at andrew.spence@louisvilleky.gov
Panelists will receive free admission to the event!
Remembering Bill Bryant 1943-2019
KAS remembers Dr. Bill Bryant, who served as KAS President in 1996 as part of a long career as a biologist. 
A Celebration of Bill’s life will be held Sunday September 8th beginning at 3:00 PM at the Lawrenceburg First Christian Church, 300 S. Main St., Lawrenceburg, KY. A time of visitation will be held prior to the service from 1 – 3 PM at the church.
Memorials are suggested to The Nature Conservancy of KY, 114 Woodland Ave., Lexington, KY 40502; Anderson County Historical Society, 108 E. Woodford St., Lawrenceburg, KY 40342; First Christian Church, 300 S. Main St., Lawrenceburg, KY 40342.
Read more about Bill Bryant's life |
