News

Emporia State University is honoring the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger on the 40th anniversary of the explosion that claimed the lives of all aboard. A week of activities beginning Monday, Jan. 26 is led by the McNair Scholars Program in collaboration with the Peterson Planetarium and other ESU departments. The McNair Scholars Program, a federal initiative created in 1989 by Congress to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral studies, is named after Challenger mission specialist Dr. Ronald McNair. Christa McAuliffe, a teacher, was also an astronaut aboard the ill-fated shuttle.

Celebrate the 165th birthday of the State of Kansas in January when Emporia State’s Prophet Aquatic Research and Outreach Center teams up with the David Traylor Zoo of Emporia for a fun and educational Science Saturday all about the Sunflower State! The event will be Saturday, Jan. 24, from 10 a.m. to noon at the David Traylor Zoo Education Center.

The Kansas Board of Regents appointed Dr. Matt Baker as Emporia State University’s 19th president Thursday.

Four high schools were filled with festive atmospheres as five seniors from three Kansas counties learned on Dec. 8 and 9 that they have full-ride scholarships to Emporia State University to pursue their career goals. A sixth student was awarded a unique scholarship for science education. Each of the students learned the news during assemblies at their high schools.

Emporia State University associate professor Erika Martin, in collaboration with Whitney Davidson, has released “The Adapted Biology Lab Manual,” an innovative and affordable digital resource designed to make science accessible, and enjoyable, for high school students who are blind or have low vision.

King Lake on the Emporia State University campus will receive its first stock of rainbow trout for the 2025-26 season after Thanksgiving. The first of three stockings will happen around Dec. 1. This is thanks to an ongoing partnership between the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) and the university.

Emporia State University and the Kansas Association of Community Colleges made history Thursday, Nov. 20, with a new partnership to benefit higher education students in Kansas. The partnership is an articulation agreement between ESU and all 19 Kansas community colleges.

An Emporia State alum returns to campus on Monday for the second session of the Forensic Science Seminar Series.

Emporia State University and the Peterson Planetarium invite audiences of all ages to explore the legendary Star of Bethlehem in a special program debuting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22.

Variety and creativity are the themes at Emporia State’s Prophet Aquatic Research and Outreach Center in November with STEM-related events that include learning about rocks, arts and crafts with wire and storytime for younger students.