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Airborne electromagnetic survey of aquifer conditions planned in west-central Kansas
Through funding from the Governor’s Office and the Kansas Water Office, GMD1 and the Kansas Geological Survey — working with Aqua Geo Frameworks LLC of Fort Laramie, Wyoming — have planned helicopter flights to develop a better understanding of the Ogallala aquifer. It’s part of a project to map groundwater conditions in the Ogallala aquifer in Western Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 1. In 2024, AGF performed 2,500 miles of similar airborne electromagnetic surveys in Northwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 4.
KU Department of Theatre & Dance announces 2025 award winners
The University of Kansas Department of Theatre & Dance recognized 30 students as recipients of its year-end awards for academic merit and contributions to departmental performances and its culture. “As teachers, celebrating our students’ outstanding achievements is always the highlight of our year,” said Henry Bial, professor and chair. “This year, with so many challenges facing both higher education and the arts, we are especially proud of our Jayhawks for their perseverance and commitment to excellence.”
Researchers sue New Jersey to obtain DNA evidence in Lindbergh baby kidnapping case
University of Kansas historian Jonathan Hagel is a plaintiff in a case against the state of New Jersey about the handling of the Charles Lindbergh archive. The lawsuit seeks to force the state police to allow DNA testing on envelopes used by the kidnapper(s) to send a series of ransom notes. “My larger interest is, ‘How does this moment of the Great Depression continue to be relevant?’ The Lindbergh case is a crucial chapter to that.”
Full stories below.
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Contact: Jim Butler, 785-864-2116, [email protected]
Airborne electromagnetic survey of aquifer conditions planned in west-central Kansas
LAWRENCE — Beginning in mid-June and continuing until early July, residents of west-central Kansas may see a low-flying helicopter towing a large hexagonal frame. This unusual arrangement is part of a project to map groundwater conditions in the Ogallala aquifer in Western Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 1.
Through funding from the Governor’s Office and the Kansas Water Office, GMD1 and the Kansas Geological Survey, working with Aqua Geo Frameworks LLC of Fort Laramie, Wyoming, have planned the helicopter flights to develop a better understanding of the Ogallala aquifer. In 2024, AGF performed 2,500 miles of similar airborne electromagnetic surveys in Northwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 4.
Scientific equipment will hang below the helicopter 100 to 200 feet above ground. The equipment is designed to map geologic structures and groundwater resources to depths of 1,000 feet below land surface. The helicopter will be flown at about 50 mph by pilots who are specially trained for low-level flying and have a great deal of experience with airborne electromagnetic surveys. Flights will not occur over residential areas and other buildings, livestock feeding operations or wind turbines.
The Ogallala aquifer is the principal water resource for agricultural, industrial and municipal use in GMD1. Intensive pumping of water from the aquifer over the last 60-plus years has resulted in large groundwater level declines in Wallace, Greeley, Wichita, Scott and Lane counties. The information obtained in these flights will allow GMD1 and the Kansas Geological Survey to better assess the nature and continuity of water-yielding materials in the aquifer.
The ultimate objective of the project is to obtain information that will assist GMD1 in developing strategies for charting more sustainable paths for the Ogallala aquifer in the district, according to project organizers.
For further information about the planned survey, contact Katie Durham, GMD1 manager ([email protected], 620-872-5563), Jim Butler of the Kansas Geological Survey ([email protected], 785-864-2116), or Jared Abraham of Aqua Geo Frameworks ([email protected], 303-905-6240). A video describing previous airborne electromagnetic surveys in Nebraska is available on the GMD1 website.
The Kansas Geological Survey is a nonregulatory research and service division of the University of Kansas. KGS scientists study and provide information about the state’s geologic resources and hazards, including groundwater, oil and natural gas, critical materials, and earthquakes.
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Research at KU powers 54 active startups with more than half based in Kansas.
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Contact: Lisa Coble-Krings, 785-864-5685, [email protected]
KU Department of Theatre & Dance announces 2025 award winners
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Department of Theatre & Dance recognized 30 students as recipients of its year-end awards for academic merit and contributions to departmental performances and its culture.
“As teachers, celebrating our students’ outstanding achievements is always the highlight of our year,” said Henry Bial, professor and chair. “This year, with so many challenges facing both higher education and the arts, we are especially proud of our Jayhawks for their perseverance and commitment to excellence.”
The Kilty Kane Award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions made to the University Theatre, was presented to Connor Maloney, of Wichita, who completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design with a classical antiquity minor.
The Kuhlke Humanitarian Award, given in recognition of humanitarian service to the department, was presented to Olly Mitchell, of Wichita, who completed her Bachelor of General Studies degree in Theatre Culture and Society with a dance minor. Both awards are named for actors (Jerome Kilty and Emeritus Professor William Kuhlke) credited with memorable performances as guest artists in Murphy Hall.
The Key Collaborator Award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the University Dance Company, was presented to Anna Shelton, of Hesston, who completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a theatre minor.
The Elizabeth Sherbon Award, named for the retired KU professor who established the dance major at KU, is presented to a sophomore or junior studying dance. This year’s recipient was Molly Stover-Brown, of Wichita, for her outstanding academic and performance achievements.
Many of the awards include financial support, which totals over $30,000. This listing also includes recipients of a hands-on, arts administrative training program within the Department, known as the Loren Kennedy Ambassadorship. Awardees and ambassadors:
Kansas
Katelyn Arnold, Topeka, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Tara Leigh Burgat, Spring Hill, Jump Start Award
Sofia Dunkelberger, Wichita, Loren Kennedy Ambassador Coordinator
Cooper Holmes, Overland Park, Loren Kennedy Ambassador Coordinator
Sean Ingram, Shawnee, Glenn Bickle Award, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
James Kensinger, Topeka, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Olivia Laycock, Wichita, Brian Ten Eyck Davis Award
Connor L. Maloney, Wichita, Kilty Kane Award
Lacey Marr, Shawnee, Marilyn Hunt Scharine Award
Olly G. Mitchell, Wichita, Kuhlke Humanitarian Award
Cade Nelson, Topeka, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
River Ott, Derby, Gerhard Zuther Memorial Award for Dramatic Scriptwriting
Alex Reimer, Paola, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Eliana Rundus, Lawrence, Social Justice Award
Casey Schenk, Topeka, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Madi Seelye, Lawrence, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Anna Shelton, Hesston, Key Collaborator Award
Molly Stover-Brown, Wichita, Elizabeth Sherbon Award
Maya Welde, Overland Park, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Elizabeth Wellman, Lawrence, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Other states and countries
Sergio Alicea Román, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ethel Hinds Burch Awards
Tanner Ashenfelter, Camp Verde, Texas, Laura Louise Pryor Award
Marzi Ashrafian, Iran, Ethel Hinds Burch Award, Joseph R. Roach Dissertation Research Award
Katie Cooley, Plano, Texas, Ethel Hinds Burch Award
Kitty Corum, Kansas City, Missouri, Gerhard Zuther Memorial Award for Dramatic Scriptwriting
Gillian Genardo, Mokena, Illinois, Ethel Hinds Burch Award
Katherine Leverenz, Houston, Texas, Shirley and Tom P. Rea Memorial Award
Camryn Purtle, Harrisonville, Missouri, Loren Kennedy Ambassador
Sloane Smith, Littleton, Colorado, Loren Kennedy Ambassador Emeritus Coordinator
Kennedy Tolar, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jack B. Wright Award
The Department of Theatre & Dance is one of three departments in the School of the Arts. As part of the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the School of the Arts offers fresh possibilities for collaboration between the arts and the humanities, sciences, social sciences, international and interdisciplinary studies.
For more information on the Department of Theatre & Dance, visit the department website. For information about audition opportunities and performances of the University Theatre, visit the KU Theatre website. For the University Dance Company, please visit the department website.
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KU provides fire, rescue and law enforcement training across Kansas.
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Contact: Jon Niccum, 785-864-7633, [email protected]
Researchers sue New Jersey to obtain DNA evidence in Lindbergh baby kidnapping case
LAWRENCE — In 1932, Charles Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of the famous American aviator, was abducted from his home in East Amwell, New Jersey. His corpse was discovered months later. A suspect, German immigrant Bruno Richard Hauptmann, was arrested and eventually executed.
Contemporary media dubbed it both the “crime of the century” and the “trial of the century.”
However, this crime and its subsequent trial have been a beacon for controversy, eliciting numerous discrepancies that call into question whether the man judged responsible acted alone or was even involved.
“People would be surprised to learn how fraught this tragic case was from the beginning,” said Jonathan Hagel, assistant teaching professor of history at the University of Kansas.
That’s why Hagel is a plaintiff in a case against the state of New Jersey about the handling of the Charles Lindbergh archive. His lawsuit, filed in April in Mercer County Superior Court, seeks to force the state police to allow DNA testing on envelopes used by the kidnapper(s) to send a series of ransom notes.
“There were more than a dozen ransom letters overall, and they were sent through the post. According to the forensic experts, the kind of DNA most likely to be preserved is the kind not exposed to air,” Hagel said.
“If Hauptmann’s DNA is on it, then he definitely is not innocent of being involved. But if there is other DNA, that would confirm other people’s involvement. There are those who think we’re likely to find Charles Lindbergh’s DNA on the materials. They believe there was some kind of accident, and he orchestrated this as a way to deflect responsibility.”
One would assume the state of New Jersey might want to resolve such doubts. However, that has not been the case. The state has consistently refused to allow these materials to be tested (even deflecting a previous lawsuit that attempted to gain access).
“My take is that states or police organizations — like any bureaucracy — just like to protect their stuff. They don’t want to be poked or asked questions that they don’t have to answer,” Hagel said. “There are others who think the state police are embarrassed they may have botched it quite badly and been involved in a railroading.”
Lindbergh gained worldwide fame in 1927 when he made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic, from New York to Paris. His plane the Spirit of St. Louis remains one of the most renowned aircraft of all time.
Hagel said, “He’s an iconic American figure. Maybe the most respected person in the world during the 1920s. He stood for a kind of American values, individualism and heroism at a moment when it was seemingly going out of existence. You can put Lindbergh next to people like Babe Ruth or Henry Ford — people who seem to be just so much more powerful and capable than everyone else.”
But, as Hagel noted, Lindbergh also became a spokesperson for the antisemitic, isolationist, America First movement. It led many to regard him as a Nazi sympathizer.
What drew Hagel to this lawsuit was his “oldest and best friend,” Kurt Perhach, who has been obsessed with the Lindbergh kidnapping since he was a child. Perhach also recruited retired schoolteacher Michele Downie and developmental psychologist Catherine Read.
“These are people that Kurt has gotten to know over the years, and he was looking to put together a set of plaintiffs who each represented their own interest in the case. I am the historian. I’m the one who can speak about truth-telling,” Hagel said.
While researching this event, the professor became hooked by the fact that the New Jersey State Police turned over the investigation of the crime to Lindbergh himself.
“That is not standard operating procedure for any kind of major crime, especially a high-profile crime,” Hagel said. “But he had such stature that they were like, ‘You take charge of the investigation.’”
A New York native, Hagel lived in New Jersey for a decade, graduating high school in the borough of Middlesex. He’s taught at KU since 2012. His research focuses on the Great Depression and how fascist and anti-fascist movements define and redefine racism.
“My larger interest is, ‘How does this moment of the Great Depression continue to be relevant?’ The Lindbergh case is a crucial chapter to that,” he said.
So who really kidnapped and killed the Lindbergh baby?
“I don’t like Charles Lindbergh. He’s a fascist. So I question my own judgment in that regard. I would not be shocked if he killed the baby. But I think it’s unlikely he actually did. I think it was more likely a conspiracy of six to eight individuals who were involved, and maybe Hauptmann was one of them,” Hagel said.
It should be noted that Hauptmann maintained his innocence right through his execution by electric chair in 1936.
“The truth is really important,” Hagel said.
“If we have an opportunity, especially for large public institutions like police, like the state government, to do something at little cost and little risk to establish the truth about something that’s important, it should always default to doing it.”
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KU News Service
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Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]
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