Baldwin grants fund seven innovative projects

A trip to the stars and a journey through other cultures began with chitchat at a reception in Lathrop Hall when a space scientist and a Native American scholar compared notes.

Patty Loew, assistant professor of life sciences communications, had just returned from speaking to about 125 Native American inmates at the federal prison in Oxford about tribal creation stories, many of which involve the heavens. She was telling Sanjay Limaye, senior scientist at the Space Science and Engineering Center, about her experience.

“Sanjay was curious about creation stories, and after I told him one, he said, ‘Jeez, that sounds like the Big Bang Theory,'” Loew recalls, noting that the intersections between Native American culture and space science captivated them both.

“The next thing we knew, they were taking the tablecloths off the tables and everyone but us was gone,” she says.

That conversation two years ago grew into an idea to present space science to Native American students in a culturally relevant way.

Their idea now will become reality – bringing that knowledge into Native American schools in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest – through funding provided by the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment.

Their project was one of seven new projects funded by the grants, which are intended to advance the Wisconsin Idea through new and innovative initiatives and create new partnerships to benefit communities. (See below for a full list of projects.)

“The Wisconsin Idea concept is a wonderful one, a lofty idea. It’s one thing to say you value it, and another one to fund it and show that commitment, and that’s what these grants do,” Limaye says.

Provost Peter Spear says the endowment is a valuable engine to help integrate UW–Madison knowledge into communities. One of the university’s strategic priorities is amplifying the Wisconsin Idea, he notes.

“These grants have funded projects around the state and beyond in health, science education, public policy, economic development, culture and the arts,” Spear says. “They allow us to be more engaged in our community and to show that we embrace the priorities of state citizens.”

Limaye and Loew’s project will bring space science to Native American communities in the upper Midwest through creating a visiting scientist program, hosting a cross-cultural Native American and space science conference at a reservation, and developing a book suitable for middle- and high school-aged Native Americans.

The conference, planned for sometime in 2006, will bring together space scientists and Native American elders to share their knowledge, says Loew.

Limaye says the commonality between indigenous stories and scientific knowledge is compelling.

“We have a gateway that makes space science meaningful to these students,” says Limaye. “There’s one creation story that is based on setting a grain of sand spinning, and the grain of sand gets bigger and bigger. From a grain of sand, it creates a world. It is no different from current thinking, in many ways. It is incredible.”

Loew, an enrolled member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, says many Native American creation stories begin in the stars.

Combining the way Western science views the world with the more holistic way native peoples view the natural world will enhance both scientific and cultural knowledge, she says.

“Although some people look at these stories literally and some look figuratively, the stories really offer insight and wisdom into the cultural values of the people who came up with them,” Loew says.

Rosalyn Pertzborn, education consultant on the project, says she first envisioned developing a student publication involving the topic as an undergraduate in the School of Education more than 20 years ago.

“We are bringing the native view of the universe together with current science without framing them as inconsistent philosophies,” Pertzborn says. “I hope the project will spark some interest in the students to take up science careers or inspire their innate curiosity about their home in the universe from a broader set of cultural perspectives.”

Other Projects

Here are summaries of the other six projects funded by the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment:

• Addressing the Needs of Spanish-Speaking Women With Breast Cancer and Their Caregivers in Wisconsin with Online Health Education and Support: To improve the treatment experience for Wisconsin’s growing Spanish-speaking community, a culturally appropriate online health education system for women with breast cancer will be developed and translated into Spanish. The Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) program was developed by a multidisciplinary group of academics, health-care practitioners and patients from UW–Madison. This project will add Spanish-speaking women to other underserved demographic groups already benefiting from CHESS. Project leader: Bret R. Shaw, associate researcher, College of Engineering.
• Connecting Biology, Cultures and Classrooms With Gene Chips: This program will develop workshops to create connections with Wisconsin high school students – as well as regional and international students – who are traditionally underrepresented in science education. The program will develop a simplified gene chip and written instructional materials to launch students into the integrated process of gene discovery and continue to expand Wisconsin’s leading role in the biotechnology industry. Project leaders: James Nienhuis, professor, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; Patrick J. Krysan, assistant professor, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
• Earth Partnership for Schools in Milwaukee’s Central City: Expanding the Model for Schoolyard Restoration: World-renowned for its ecological restoration work, the UW–Madison Arboretum will partner with Milwaukee’s Urban Ecology Center to conduct an Earth Partnership for Schools program for K-12 teachers from 10 Milwaukee central-city schools. Multidisciplinary teams of teachers will participate in a summer institute and a winter workshop. Teachers will work with their students to plan, plant, tend, manage and study their school restoration sites through activities that engage them in the ecological-restoration process. Project leaders: Elizabeth P. McCann, EPS program manager, Arboretum/Graduate School; Molly Fifield Murray, Arboretum outreach manager, Arboretum/Graduate School
• High School and Middle School Science Olympiad Outreach Program: This program will develop outreach programs at Wisconsin middle schools and high schools to encourage increased involvement in science and math. The program will use UW–Madison students as mentors, allowing them to develop their outreach and leadership skills. The primary focus will be increasing the number of schools participating in Science Olympiad teams. Over time, the program will be extended to students in grades K-6 in collaboration with the Madison Children’s Museum. Project leaders: Paul S. Peercy, dean, College of Engineering; Patrick V. Farrell, associate dean, College of Engineering
• Hmong Literacy, Language and Jobs Project: Through a collaboration among several university, community and state entities, this program will extend the resources of UW–Madison with Dane County’s Hmong community. The program will focus on workplace literacy-skills training, skill development and culture acclimation. A subgroup of participants will be trained to restore and repair furniture at UW–Madison’s surplus resale program. The sale proceeds will be used to support job placement and create a minority-owned, self-sustaining recycling and restoration business. Project leaders: Donald A. Schutt, director, Office of Human Resources Development; Marlys A. Macken, professor, College of Letters and Science
• Western Wisconsin Cultural Initiative: This program will bring arts programming and supplemental education to under-funded school district music programs in western Wisconsin. A brass trio ensemble will expose smaller farming communities to music via hands-on work with K-12 students and evening community concerts. Ensemble members will offer cross-disciplinary studies with music as a pretext, incorporating video and audio multimedia presentations with musical presentations. Project leaders: Todd James Schendel, Collins Fellow, College of Letters and Science/Graduate School; Amy S. Schendel, Collins Fellow, College of Letters and Science/Graduate School