www.kyscience.org

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 (

)

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

If you have something to share in the monthly KAS newsletter, get in touch with our Newsletter editor,

Vaccine rollout continues in the state and as of the end of February, about 

 have been vaccinated. We should soon transition to Phase 1C, which includes several essential workers and high-risk individuals. Please remain vigilant and to practice social distancing, when possible, and to

.

A third vaccine has been approved by the FDA for emergency use in the US! Find out more about vaccines under development and keep updated by visiting this

. 

For more information about  services and updates in our state, visit the official

. 

Several bills are moving as we send this. The Legislative message line is

.

Find other updates on our

page.

, an anti-vaccination bill which we oppose, has passed the Senate and has had a first reading in the house.

(anti-renewable energy) and

(rolling back water quality regulations) have passed the house and are scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor. 

I want to thank everyone who has worked hard over the last several weeks compiling Kentucky science legislation. Many of you have put in countless volunteers hours, and it is appreciated.   

Thanks to this effort, and our collaboration with Kentuckians for Science Education, we were able to publish this work and even have our first Facebook-live episode featuring local science legislation experts (more to come!).   

We are down to our last five weeks of the Kentucky general assembly. Bills are moving fast. If you are interested in helping us keep track of bills, please let us know! We would love to have your help on the Education and Advocacy committee; it is certainly a learning experience.

Join is this March for another Bench Talk Live! This time, we venture into space and hear from local experts about, perhaps, one of the most enigmatic objectives in the known Universe - black holes.   

When A Black Hole Went on a Holiday
Dr. Maryam Dehghanian

Astrophysics, University of Kentucky

Space Science Center, Morehead State University

Join us on March 26th at 11 am to 2 pm EDT for the 

Follow the link below or

.

Registration for the

is currently open. This is going to be the second virtual meeting of the Junior Academy. Deadline for registration and abstract and research paper submission is March 29th.

Photo from the most recent in-person meeting in 2019.

is open to ANY middle or high school science student in Kentucky. It offers student scientists an opportunity to present their original research to the community. Presentations are evaluated based on a

. Students present in the following categories:

• Behavioral & Social Science
• Biological Topics
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Computer Science & Mathematics
• Earth & Space Science
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Microbiology
• Physics
• Zoology

Awards are given in each category, and three overall winning projects are chosen from Life Sciences and Physical Sciences. 

provides financial support for these students to participate in the

meeting the following February, as follows: Two first place winning projects receive up to $1000.00 per project; Two Second and two third place winning projects receive up to $750 per project.  Funding will also be available for up to 2 chaperones (no more than one per school), up to a limit of $500/person. In the case of team projects the amount is to be shared among team members.

The Junior Academy begun in the 1930's to foster an interest in science for high school students in Kentucky.  KJAS eventually expanded to include middle school students. The Junior Academy holds its scientific meeting each April. Participating students present their original work and also elect Kentucky Junior Academy officers to promote KJAS.

For more information please contact

• Predatory Effects of Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) Tadpoles on Freshwater Invertebrate Communities; Brady Parlato (Eastern Kentucky University)
• Effects of Fire on Arthropod Communities in a Temperate Deciduous Forest; Kane Lawhorn (University of Louisville)

• Eastern Kentucky Light at Night Education Project; James Kevin Adkins (Morehead State University)

• Studying Structural Dynamic Properties of KCNE3 in Lipid Bilayers: An Undergraduate Summer Research Project;  Indra Sahu (Campbellsville University)

• Variability Associated with Maxillary Infrazygomatic Area in the Subjects with Different Race, Growth Pattern & Gender;  Nandakumar Janakiraman (University of Louisville)
• Designing Practical Internet of Things (IoTs) - Based Intelligent Air Quality Monitoring Systems for Livestock Producers; Gang Sun (Northern Kentucky University)
• Urban Dendrochronology and Anthropogenic Influences on Forests Across the Urban-Rural Gradient; Maegen Rochner (University of Louisville)
• Analyzing Recent Spatio-Temporal Rainfall Erosivity Patterns and Trends Across Kentucky; Christopher Day (University of Louisville)

Learn more about these grants and how you can apply by following

. Watch the same page for the next application cycle.  

The new Volume 821 (2020) is now complete and available on our website

Members have full access

.

Wer'e expanding

to serve you better!

• Dr. Frank Ettensohn is serving as our Editor in Chief
• Dr. Walter Borowski is our Associate Editor for Physical and Life Sciences
• Dr. Shauna Reilly is our Associate Editor for Social Sciences & Science Education

Loren Taylor, Kate Slankard, and Andrew Stump

Calvin Andries and Brad Ruhfel

Kimberly H. Breitenbecher and Jessica Sellers.

of the Kentucky Academy of Science 6-7 November 2020- Virtual Meeting Summary

Also check out the past volumes and consider submitting the our journal. The 

accepts submissions throughout the year.  We accept submissions for Research Articles, Review articles, Opinion articles, and Book Reviews.

In February, delegates from the

participated in the

's virtual meeting. You can check out their interactive electronic posters by following this link: 

Following are the KY delegations and their respective projects:

• Shirlin Kingston: Electrospinning Lignin into Nanofibers for Use as Efficient Anode Material in Lithium-Ion Batteries
• Varun Chandrashekhar: Automatic Portable Phoropter and Auto Focus Glasses using an Integrated Variable Focal Liquid Lens
• Romith Paily: Testing Accuracy of Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeter Under a Linac Machine
• Brian Schwartz: Removing ladder fuels (debris that acts as a fire conduit) can decrease the spread of forest fires.
• Shreyas Kar: Machine Learning Algorithms for Early Detection of Parkinson's Disease

Also check out the posters of other participating academies. This

will take you to a directory of participating states or you can visit the

homepage for projects by category.

Many of us look forward to the changing of seasons from winter into spring. Another thing to anticipate is the annual

(KJAS) meeting. In keeping with the model we used last year, we will again hold our meeting in a virtual setting. The virtual platform allows more students from across the state to participate which in turn creates the need for more of our members to help as judges. If you are able to help our students this year, the meeting will be held on Saturday, April 17th. 

Help us spread the word to high school and middle school students to register for this exciting opportunity. The top six high school projects are invited to represent KJAS by attending the national meeting. At that time, they will not only present their projects to students, faculty, and professionals, but they are also inducted as Fellows in the American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS).

Additional details on judging, registration, and awards are available

: 

Please contact  Kentucky Junior Academy Director

 or KAS Executive Director

for more information.

The

is undertaking a review of the Kentucky Academic Science Standards, per KRS 158.6453. The review process involves a team of teachers, higher education leaders, business and community leaders.

KAS been invited to have a representative on the Review Committee and we are pleased that

will serve this role representing KAS. Les is a professor of Chemistry at

and is the SKyTeach Science Co-Director at WKU, training middle and high school science and math teachers. Thank you, Les!

We are looking forward to following this process and hope to share updates with our members as the process continues.

Find out more about the

, which Kentucky adopted in 2014 as our K-12 science standards.  

The

promotes the study of nature and natural sciences. Members enjoy nature, and seek to expand and share knowledge of our state’s natural history with others.

and support research grants for students.

KSNH provides funds for students engaged in natural history and biodiversity research in Kentucky. Request for proposals for 

 is currently active and deadline for submissions is 

. For more information about the application,

.  

Send us your job announcements and we will share them! We also maintain a list of job postings on our

.

Featured this month:

is hiring a seasonal part-time Land Stewardship Technician to work on stewardship and restoration projects, community science, and education and outreach. The position will start in May and end in late July/early August. A full job description and announcement are

. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 2nd. Resumes and cover letters should be emailed to

.

Kentuckians for Science Education