No Y in fungi
Ari Jumpponen's "Mushroom Bois" lab gives students hands-on experience with one of nature's most important organisms
By Tommy Killian
Division of Communications and Marketing
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Ari Jumpponen, university distinguished professor and associate director of the Division of Biology, studies fungi and their vital roles in ecosystems.
His research focuses on fungal ecology and fungus-plant interactions, exploring how environmental conditions shape microbial communities.
Using advanced genomics tools, his lab investigates fungi in diverse environments — from prairie soils affected by climate change to forests, streams and other changing landscapes.
Through hands-on learning, students work alongside Jumpponen to better understand the hidden world of mushrooms and their impact on our environment.
Related Stories
Eat your words
Through each dish and poem in Traci Brimhall's new cookbook, the stories, flavors and voices that define Kansas communities are celebrated.
Fighting cancer by building nature's most complex molecule from scratch
Vidya Nadar’s journey in the Three Minute Thesis Competition takes her from the Little Apple to the national stage —illustrating why communicating...
Out of this world research
Amir Bahadori offers a look at one of the most critical challenges in space exploration — and how K-State is working to solve it.