Join me for the Chancellor’s Inaugural Research Symposium on April 19

The mission of the University of Kansas is to educate leaders, build healthy communities and make discoveries that change the world. Two weeks from today, we have an opportunity to see this mission on display in a special way.

On April 19, I will host the Chancellor’s Inaugural Research Symposium, a TED Talk-style showcase of KU research and innovation, at the Edwards Campus from 9-11 a.m. This symposium will treat guests to presentations from four of KU’s top translational scientists who are improving lives and developing new technologies through trailblazing research.

The four faculty presenters – Cory Berkland, Kristi Neufeld, Lisa Stehno-Bittel and Scott Weir – will discuss how their research benefits individuals, communities and society. They will be joined by keynote speaker Carl Peck, who himself is a proud KU alumnus, a former director of the Center for Drug Evaluation & Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the founder and director of NDA Partners.

I am delighted that John Colombo, interim vice chancellor for research in Lawrence, and Rick Barohn, vice chancellor for research at the medical center, will co-host the symposium with me. Entertainment will be provided by the Kansas Jazzhawks under the direction of Robert Walzel, dean of the School of Music.

The symposium is free and open to the public, and we expect guests from KU and the Kansas City business community.

The symposium is one of nearly a dozen activities we have scheduled around my upcoming inauguration. These events include community service opportunities, social activities, concerts, building dedications and more. In addition to the symposium, I hope you’ll join me for each of these opportunities to celebrate KU.

Those of you familiar with Professors Berkland, Neufeld, Stehno-Bittel and Weir are likely already inspired by their research. The work they are doing – like the work so many of you are doing – embodies the University of Kansas’ special role in improving our world. We are a community of diverse scholars doing work across the spectrum of academic disciplines, but we are united in our pursuit of knowledge and our obligation to share it with society.

Thank you for being part of our mission. I look forward to seeing you at the symposium.

Respectfully,

Douglas A. Girod

Chancellor
University of Kansas