A team of researchers led by Judy Wu, Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, is searching for a way to develop better solar panels and biofuels. They hope to boost the performance of solar energy capture by better understanding photosynthesis in plant life.

Robert Rowland, professor of communication studies, will present an examination of presidential campaign rhetoric called "The Audacity of Hope or a Maverick You Can Trust" from 2 to 4 p.m. on October 12 at Spooner Hall.

KU's Structural Biology Center, known as SBC, is at the center of an emerging biosciences research complex. Two new wings, under construction since 2006, will be dedicated at a special Homecoming Week ceremony. A public open house will follow.

Browse photos of KU's main Lawrence campus as the seasons begin to change and leaves begin to fall. Considered one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation, KU occupies 1,000 acres on and around Mount Oread in Lawrence.

For Emily Cressy, a forward on the women's soccer team, seeing is believing — especially when it comes to applause. Cressy is deaf, so her teammates reward her standout plays by giving her the sign-language version of clapping and cheering, which she sees a lot.

A KU graduate is in the center of the nation's financial storm. Sheila Bair, chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, is an Independence, Kan., native who earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1975 and a law degree in 1978 at KU.

KU debaters Brett Bricker and Nate Johnson won the prestigious University of Kentucky Invitational debate tournament held Oct. 1 and 2 in Lexington. They are first KU team to win the Kentucky round robin, which has been hosted annually since 1972.

A record-breaking 30,102 students enrolled at KU in fall 2008, which includes the largest and most diverse freshman class in its history. The freshman class, whose enrollment is 4,483, earned a record-high average ACT composite score well above the national average.