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New smartphone app helps students with eating disorders at KU, with potential for broader reach
LAWRENCE — Researchers at the University of Kansas are carrying out ongoing clinical trials of a promising new app that’s been shown already to help KU students living with an eating disorder, one of the deadliest mental illnesses. With these encouraging initial results, the Building Healthy Eating and Self-Esteem Together for University Students, or “BEST-U,” app soon could be expanded beyond KU’s campus to other universities.
KU physicist appointed to help prepare next Long Range Plan on Nuclear Science
LAWRENCE — Daniel Tapia Takaki, University of Kansas associate professor of physics & astronomy, was appointed to serve on the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee earlier this year. The appointment carries the responsibility to provide official advice to the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation on the nuclear science program and initiatives, including nuclear data.
Complex motivations of Chinese wartime scientists revealed in new research
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas history professor’s latest article, titled “The National Scientific Imperative in Wartime China and the Complex Motivations of Individual Scientists,” deals with the institutional and rhetorical efforts by the Chinese government in the 20th century to develop scientific activity and the wide-ranging ways in which scientists engaged with that framework. J. Megan Greene’s article appears in Asian Review of World Histories.
Global Scholars to present research April 27
LAWRENCE — Covering diverse topics, seven University of Kansas seniors will present their internationally focused research at the Global Scholars Research Symposium from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 27. The event is the culmination of the Global Scholars program, which is in its 12th year. The scholars include students from Olathe, Shawnee and Topeka.
Full stories below.
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Contact: Brendan Lynch, KU News Service, 785-864-8855, [email protected], @BrendanMLynch
New smartphone app helps students with eating disorders at KU, with potential for broader reach
LAWRENCE — Researchers at the University of Kansas are carrying out ongoing clinical trials of a promising new app that’s been shown already to help KU students living with an eating disorder, one of the deadliest mental illnesses. With these encouraging initial results, the Building Healthy Eating and Self-Esteem Together for University Students, or “BEST-U,” app soon could be expanded beyond KU’s campus to other universities.
Kelsie Forbush is leading the project. She’s a professor of psychology, a senior scientist at KU’s Life Span Institute and director of the CARE and COPE labs, which focus on researching and treating eating disorders, respectively. Forbush and her colleagues hope to assess whether the BEST-U app is effective for college students who face barriers to accessing care.
“People have difficulty getting treatment for their eating disorder and difficulty affording it,” Forbush said. “There really aren’t that many providers on college campuses who specialize in eating disorders, so often they refer students to the community. Here, for instance, there aren’t many providers in Lawrence, so they’ll refer to Kansas City. The issue is that waitlists are long and there are challenges with transportation.”
Forbush and her team wanted a scalable approach to address the high need that also was tailored to students.
“So, we did a long needs-based assessment, trying to figure out what would be a good fit for students and researching what’s already been done,” she said.
The psychology researchers settled on an evidence-based approach, guided self-help cognitive behavior therapy, to underpin their app. But they cut some of the time-consuming workbook reading involved in traditional guided self-help CBT.
“I was very concerned students wouldn’t do it if we gave them another book,” Forbush said. “There are already so many books that they’re reading as students. I was influenced by research coming from the U.K. showing you could treat people with binge-spectrum eating disorders in as little as 12 weeks and get the same result as a full 20-week intervention. So the idea was to develop an intervention for college students that’s fully mobile, health-based and takes lessons we give people in traditional CBT — but puts them in the app, makes them short, interactive, fun and engaging.”
The BEST-U interface includes videos, interactive quizzes, short questions and surveys to track progress each week. The app is paired with a trained BEST-U coach with whom participants meet for 25 to 30 minutes each week, either in-person or via telehealth.
“We were intent on creating a mobile, brief, powerful intervention,” Forbush said. “We wanted to meet college students where they are, reduce barriers to access — if they can’t get to us because it’s difficult to get across campus, they can do the telehealth.”
Students are randomized to partake in the BEST-U intervention or a waitlist control, where they’ll participate in the research as control subjects while awaiting the subsequent 12-week intervention (less time than it takes to be evaluated at many treatment centers).
So far, data from the BEST-U intervention show significant declines in eating-disorder behaviors, according to the KU researcher.
“We found large reductions in binge eating and behaviors like purging and compulsive exercise,” Forbush said. “We found reductions in body dissatisfaction — they were happier with their body. Then, we also found reduced impairment such that they’re reporting better ability to engage with their family and friends and complete their academic responsibilities.”
What’s more, these positive changes from participation are still evident during the team’s three- and six-month follow-up sessions.
“I was so excited to see this short intervention is also a powerful one,” Forbush said. “At least for our six-month follow-up, it seems like they’re maintaining those benefits.”
With successful results already from the KU-based trial, the team currently is submitting scholarly papers for peer review, hoping to share findings with the broader research community. They’re also expanding the kinds of personnel who provide coaching by teaming up with medical providers at KU’s Watkins Health Services. Next, the investigators will apply for a larger grant to bring the BEST-U intervention to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, where collaborator and former KU postdoctoral researcher Kara Christensen serves as an assistant professor of psychology.
Past that, Forbush aims to see BEST-U available as widely as possible.
“My goal is really to scale up,” she said. “We could get this to many universities to address this gap in providers relative to need. A study recently showed the student-to-counselor ratio at many universities is 1,900-to-1. Eating disorders on college campuses have really increased since the pandemic, and people deserve to get care. It impacts their ability to function and achieve academically during college. Twelve weeks is not much time to help people get back on track. We think this is a scalable, impactful intervention.”
Students at KU interested in participating may contact [email protected] or take the online eligibility survey.
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Contact: Heather Anderson, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, 785-864-3667, [email protected], @KUCollege
KU physicist appointed to help prepare next Long Range Plan on Nuclear Science
LAWRENCE — Daniel Tapia Takaki, University of Kansas associate professor of physics & astronomy, was appointed to serve on the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) earlier this year. The appointment carries the responsibility to provide official advice to the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation on the nuclear science program and initiatives, including nuclear data.
“This is a special time to be a member of NSAC, because it has the charge to prepare the next Long Range Plan on Nuclear Science,” Tapia Takaki said.
The Long Range Plan (LRP) provides the framework for a coordinated effort in advancing the nation’s nuclear science program for the next decade. Besides identifying and prioritizing the most compelling scientific questions and opportunities, this document discusses the need for experimental and computing facilities and the development of instrumentation and advanced technologies, the efforts on workforce, education and outreach in nuclear science, and the impact of nuclear science in other fields. The LRP also indicates the resources and funding levels needed for the United States to maintain its world leadership in nuclear science. This document has input from many members of the community, and it is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
“This appointment is a testament to Dr. Tapia Takaki’s expertise and leadership in nuclear physics. He and fellow committee members will help shape the field’s future by advising the federal agencies that set research and funding priorities in this area,” said Simon Atkinson, vice chancellor for research. “I am grateful to Daniel for his service in this role and pleased by this recognition of KU research.”
Tapia Takaki will visit the Washington, D.C., area about four times a year and has already started his service on the writing committee. Tapia Takaki first visited on March 7 and will serve in this special government employee role until 2026.
NSAC reports to the director of the DOE Office of Science and to the assistant director of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Science at NSF.
Tapia Takaki is a high-energy nuclear physicist. His group works for the ALICE Collaboration at CERN in Geneva and for the future Electron Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, New York. His research is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Nuclear Physics, as well as by the DOE EPSCoR program. He is also the program lead of the Inter-American Network of Networks of QCD challenges jointly funded by the NSF AccelNet program, and NSF EPSCoR. He has served on several advisory boards, including at the Spencer Museum of Art.
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Contact: Jon Niccum, KU News Service, 785-864-7633, [email protected]
Complex motivations of Chinese wartime scientists revealed in new research
LAWRENCE — When countries are at war, they often require and expect the support of scientists in their efforts. When those countries are simultaneously engaged in their own nation-building efforts, as was the case in Nationalist China during World War II, they become even more dependent on those scientists to conduct applied research, develop industry and engage in modernization projects that align with the state’s developmental and defensive goals. How scientists saw themselves fitting into this process is the subject of new research.
“During war — especially when it’s a sort of ‘total war’ situation — there’s an expectation that everybody is going to somehow engage in this. But, of course, not everyone’s political interests align with those of the state,” said J. Megan Greene, professor of history at the University of Kansas.
Her article titled “The National Scientific Imperative in Wartime China and the Complex Motivations of Individual Scientists” deals with the institutional and rhetorical efforts by the Chinese government in the 20th century to develop scientific activity, and the wide-ranging ways in which scientists engaged with that framework. It appears in Asian Review of World Histories.
“There are all these expectations for scientists,” Greene said.
“But it’s also the case that humans are humans, and they do what they want to do. The larger world, and especially the state, is saying, ‘You’ve got to contribute. You’ve got to be part of this. You should use your knowledge for the good of the nation.’ But there are pure scientists who are responding, ‘I think what I’m doing is for the good of the nation even if it doesn’t have an immediate application.’”
Greene notes her study indicates nationalism was often a byproduct of engagement in scientific research and practical scientific activities during the war rather than motivating such engagement. While some research scientists and social scientists looked for projects they felt would contribute to the national good, others devised ways of describing what they were doing so that their work would be understood as being inspired by nationalistic sentiment.
The American stereotype of the Chinese is that they excel at science and math. Was this narrative a calculated endeavor by the Chinese government after World War II?
“There was certainly a strategic effort to improve math and science education before and during the war, but that’s not about everybody being good at math and science; it’s about having everybody getting the basics to be able to do the kind of technical engineering — bridge building, rice growing, whatever — that needs to be done in order to modernize and transform China,” she said.
Greene’s recent book titled “Building a Nation at War: Transnational Knowledge Networks and the Development of China During and After World War II” (Harvard University Asia Center, 2022) focuses on Chinese efforts to cultivate science, industry and agriculture from 1938 to 1949, with an emphasis on transnational technical training and industrial development programs. It was while working on the book that she realized there was “all this extra stuff that didn’t fit into the book.”
She uncovered fascinating stories involving individuals such as Tang Peisong, a physiologist and biochemist who began the war making gas masks and ended up proposing radical blueprints for a utopian world in which scientific principles would govern the global agricultural economy.
“I realized that I can’t lose these people,” she said. “I’ve learned about them. They’re doing such interesting stuff. That was really what motivated this article.”
The scientists she examined all migrated to remote and less modern parts of western China as Japan attacked and occupied the eastern coastal areas. She found that whether they were sociologists, geologists or food scientists, they proved eager to use their skills and continue researching in their new environments, where modern scientific laboratories did not exist prior to the war. Their motivations for this work, however, were sometimes practical, sometimes personal.
“Of course, everybody thought of themselves as contributing to the war effort,” she said. “But some were merely taking advantage of an opportunity, and whatever it is they’re doing, they might be able to frame it as useful for the nation-building effort or the war effort. They’re thinking, ‘I’m interested in plant biology. There are plants here. So I’m going to study them because I can.’”
Fluent in Chinese, Greene has lived in Taiwan multiple times. The Baltimore native is now in her 21st year at KU, where she specializes in the history of modern China and Taiwan.
Greene said the main takeaway of her article lies in the complexity of motivations scientists faced during a very challenging period in China’s history.
“We can’t expect that an entire nation of people is going to rally around a particular cause in the same way,” she said. “We should anticipate some people will push back with selfish motivations, while others push back because they feel they’re being railroaded into something that isn’t who they are and what they should be doing and what they do best.”
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Contact: Christine Metz Howard, International Affairs, [email protected], @KUintlaffairs
Global Scholars to present research April 27
LAWRENCE — Covering diverse topics from around the world, seven seniors will present their internationally focused research at the Global Scholars Research Symposium this week. The event is the culmination of the Global Scholars program, which is in its 12th year.
The public is invited to attend the symposium, which will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 27 at the Burge Union, Forum A. A reception will follow the short presentations.
The symposium will highlight the seniors’ research on a range of topics, including women’s experiences during the Sri Lankan Civil War, depictions of moral honesty in Confucian texts, Chinese foreign policy and the production process of biodiesel and its global environmental impact.
The seniors presenting are members of the 2021 cohort of Global Scholars. As sophomores the group members were selected for their demonstrated interest in global and international studies and potential for continued high academic achievement and leadership. As part of the program, students participated in the semester-long seminar course Sociocultural Foundations of Mind and Experience taught by Glenn Adams, professor of psychology, and worked on research projects with an international dimension.
“We will be recognizing an exceptionally talented group of students who have persevered to complete international research projects despite several difficult years due to the pandemic,” said Elizabeth MacGonagle, director of the Global Scholars program. “I am impressed with their dedication, and I am excited to see the culmination of their hard work.”
The following are the Global Scholar students who will be presenting:
1. Dulani Hannadige, a global & international studies and sociology major with a minor in women, gender & sexuality studies, is mentored by Brian Lagotte, assistant teaching professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Center for Global & International Studies. Her research presentation is “Women’s Differential Experiences of the Sri Lankan Civil War.” Hannadige is from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and her parent is Dinusha Kumarajeewa.
2. Virginia Hannahan, a philosophy major, is mentored by Brad Cokelet, associate professor of philosophy. Her research presentation is “Honesty: Confucian Insights for Contemporary Debates.” Hannahan is from Fairhope, Alabama, and her parents are Tommy and Bridget Hannahan.
3. Poonam Keshary, a molecular, cellular & developmental biology major on the pre-medicine track, and Miranda McDaniel, a psychology major, are mentored by Adams. Their joint research presentation is “Alternative Sources of Well-being: Evidence from Ghana.” Keshary is from Olathe, and her parents are Sudhira Keshary and Jyoti Raj Keshary. McDaniel is from Omaha, Nebraska, and her parents are Ross and Angela McDaniel.
4. Jimin Park, a global & international studies and political science major, is also mentored by Lagotte. His research presentation is “Social Identity Theory and Chinese Foreign Policy.” Park is from Topeka, and his parents are Sangyoub Park and Sunyoung Cheong.
5. Emma Russin, a civil engineering major, is mentored by Adams. Her research presentation is “Defining Water Resilience in a Rapidly Changing Society.” She is from Orono, Minnesota, and her parents are Mike and Catherine Russin.
6. Marah Shulda, a chemical engineering major with a minor in global & international studies, is mentored by Susan Williams, Charles E. & Mary Jane Spahr Professor and chair of the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering. Her research presentation is “Biodiesel Production on an International Scale and Associated Environmental Impacts.” Shulda is from Shawnee, and her parents are Marlys and Brian Shulda.
More information can be found in the Global Scholars Symposium program.
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