Almanac

(Almanac lists facts, figures and miscellany of campus interest. Know something, or want to know? Call us: 262-3846, or e-mail: wisweek@news.wisc.edu.)

Dramatists illuminate dome
Expertise and innovation from a theater lighting specialist has helped bring Wisconsin’s capitol dome to light for the holidays. Linda Essig, professor of lighting design, worked with theater alumni John Hyatt, Ethan Aberg and Kent Newbold to design and implement the rainbow effect on the dome this holiday season. The project, begun at the behest of the Madison Business Improvement District last summer, presented a host of tough technical challenges for Essig and her collaborators; she says the weather, existing fixtures and logistical concerns conspired to complicate the project for all concerned. The Capitol’s dome is lighted each night from sundown (4:30 p.m.) to dawn through Jan. 1.

20 years of weather satellite research
Up on the rooftop, forecasters pause — to celebrate 20 years of advances in satellite meteorology that has changed the nature of weather research. The Space Science and Engineering Center will celebrate major technological and organizational achievements in satellite meteorology Thursday, Dec. 14, on top of the Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences building, 1225 W. Dayton St. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, a UW–Madison and federal partnership based in weather satellite technology. The rooftop remarks at 2:15 p.m. by NASA’s Jim Dodge and SSEC researcher Liam Gumley will be followed by talks in the State Historical Society’s auditorium by scientists William L. Smith and W. Paul Menzel. And a 4 p.m. reception in the Pyle Center’s Lakeside Alumni Lounge, 702 Langdon St., features a plaque presentation to CIMSS Director Steven Ackerman.

Gallery named for Watrous
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters‘ new gallery in the Overture Center in Madison will be named after the late, distinguished art historian and artist, James S. Watrous. The designated exhibition space for works by state and local artists honors Watrous (1908-1999), whose career as a teacher, art historian, painter, author, muralist and mosaicist was devoted to serving the University of Wisconsin. The James S. Watrous Gallery will be on the top level of a multistory rotunda that will serve as the main entry area to the Overture Center, the $100 million arts complex slated to open on Madison’s State Street in 2004. The Wisconsin Academy Gallery, 1922 University Ave., is a showcase for Wisconsin visual artists.

Wheaton cuts a CD
Vocalist Jan Wheaton, director of Campus Information, Assistance and Orientation, has released her first CD with Harris Lemberg on piano, “Love’s 3 Faces,” featuring jazz and pop standards of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s Cost: $15. Information, ordering: 831-7795; 21 Oak Grove Drive; Madison, WI 53717.

WebCT use jumps
There were 134 active WebCT courses during the spring 2000 semester, and the number jumped to 204 courses this past fall. Course requests are still coming in. To learn more about WebCT use on campus, visit: http://www.doit.wisc.edu/news/newsitem.cfm?filename=387.

Backward glance
From Wisconsin Week, Dec. 5, 1990: A record 17.3-inch snowfall closes campus for the first time since the late 1970s. … Former Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega visits campus. … State government imposes a hiring freeze on the university. … The capital budget includes money for a genetics/biotechnology building and the first steps of the Red Gym renovation.