New process transforms wood, crop waste into valuable chemicals
Scientists today disclosed a new method to convert lignin, a biomass waste product, into simple chemicals. The innovation is an important step toward replacing petroleum-based fuels and chemicals with biorenewable materials, says Shannon Stahl, an expert in "green chemistry" at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Student inventors get boost to commercialize color 3-D printing, iPhone app
Applying a similar approach to the 3-D printer, a group of University of Wisconsin–Madison students are commercializing a device that adds color to a printer that now dominates the market. Their business idea was one of two student projects to receive an Igniter grant from the university’s Discovery to Product (D2P) office. Read More
Professor wins national honor for expanding access to education
She may be an expert on Jane Austen and 19th century literature, but University of Wisconsin–Madison English Professor Emily Auerbach's real passion is helping people use education as a springboard out of poverty. Read More
They know the drill: UW leads the league in boring through ice sheets
Hollow coring drills designed and managed by UW–Madison’s Ice Drilling Design and Operations (IDDO) program are used to extract ice cores that can analyze the past atmosphere. Shaun Marcott, an assistant professor of geoscience at UW–Madison, was the first author of a paper published today in the journal Nature documenting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere between 23,000 and 9,000 years ago, based on data from an 11,000-foot hole in Antarctica. Read More
Recent sightings: Night fright
Ghouls and goblins galore brought out the screams from visitors during the UW Saddle & Sirloin Haunted House held in the Horse Barn on Oct. 29. Admission to the event was $1 or a canned-food donation, with proceeds going to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin. The event continues Oct. 30 at 7. Read More
Report, experts analyze surging STEM activity at UW–Madison
A recent report on instructional activity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines at the University of Wisconsin–Madison shows significant advances in enrollment and degrees since 2000, which campus experts attribute to a number of factors, including job placement, greater career opportunities and enhanced teaching methods. Read More
Fall impressions: A season of campus beauty
Temperatures drop, leaves turn, days shorten and sometimes life slows down enough to contemplate next steps. "Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons," author Jim Bishop once wrote. On a campus known for its beauty, this season certainly rivals others for making us look around and take notice. Read More
Hans Schneider, leading mathematician, dies
Hans Schneider, the UW–Madison James Joseph Sylvester professor emeritus of mathematics who devoted his life to the revival of the classical field of linear algebra, died of esophageal cancer Tuesday, Oct. 28. He was 87. Read More
Photos: BadgerThon A Cappella Showcase
Six student a cappella groups harmonized for a cause last Thursday, Oct. 23, during the BadgerThon A Cappella Showcase. The groups sang to a sellout audience of 300 people at the H.F. DeLuca Forum in the Discovery Building. The event — organized by BadgerThon, a philanthropic student organization at UW–Madison that raises funds, awareness and support for the American Family Children's Hospital (AFCH) — raised more than $3,600 for AFCH. Read More
Alumnus, Coca-Cola executive Ben Deutsch to speak at December commencement
Ben Deutsch, vice president for corporate communications at The Coca-Cola Company, will deliver the charge to graduates at UW–Madison’s winter commencement ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 21 at the Kohl Center. Read More
Plump turtles swim better: First models of swimming animals
For the first time, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Florida Atlantic University (FAU), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have measured the forces that act on a swimming animal and the energy the animal must expend to move through the water. Read More
Get ready to vote – now, or on Nov. 4
Election Day is less than a week away: Are you prepared? Make sure you’ve got the information and registration you need before Tuesday, Nov. 4. Read More
Advisory RE: ELECTION NIGHT EXPERTS
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Wisconsin voters will go to the polls to elect candidates for governor and attorney general, along with the U.S. House of Representatives and state Legislature. Read More
WISCIENCE to expand possibilities for science education, outreach
The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Institute for Biology Education is announcing its expansion to become the Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement, or WISCIENCE. The new mission extends across the natural sciences and expands responsibility for facilitating cross-campus collaboration and coordination in the areas of science outreach and support for groups underrepresented in science. Read More
Mayor Soglin and international experts to discuss future of cities at UW Energy Summit
MEDIA ADVISORY 10/27/2014 Read More
Photos: 2014 Homecoming Parade
Under clear skies and (relatively) warm October temperatures, thousands of Badger faithful lined downtown streets for the 2014 Homecoming Parade. The annual parade is one of many Homecoming week activities sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA). Read More