Environmentally friendly gas cans still available
Environmentally friendly gasoline containers are available to Dane County residents free when they exchange their old gas cans as part of a program funded by UW–Madison.
New treatment may curb IV-based infections
Inserted through the skin and into a vein, long-term intravascular devices such as IV catheters deliver to patients a range of life-saving medications, nutrition and fluids, among other uses. But these life-saving devices also can provide a furtive pipeline for germs from the external world to gain access to the bloodstream of patients. A new finding at UW–Madison may help solve this medical conundrum.
$3.4 million directed to key MS study
In an effort to develop new techniques to repair and protect the nervous system in multiple sclerosis patients, including the use of human stem cells, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has awarded $3.4 million to a team of UW–Madison scientists.
UW-Madison in drivers’ seat of national transportation center
With $16 million in funding over five years from the U.S. Department of Transportation, UW–Madison transportation engineers will drive their research, education and technology-transfer efforts to the national level. President Bush will sign the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Act: A Legacy for Users" Wednesday in Aurora, Ill. The bill designates UW–Madison as one of 10 National University Transportation Centers charged with advancing research on critical national transportation issues and expanding the workforce of transportation professionals.
Leary selected as interim director of UW Press
Sheila Leary, a 22-year veteran of university press book publishing, has been selected as interim director of the University of Wisconsin Press, effective Aug. 22. In announcing the selection, Graduate School Dean Martin Cadwallader notes that Leary will bring a wealth of experience and leadership skills to the job.
Study suggests broader damage from fetal alcohol syndrome
The chemical pathways by which alcohol causes neurological cell death in chick embryos overlap with the pathways that give alcohol its addictive properties, a UW–Madison fetal alcohol researcher announced in a study published this month in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Social Security turns 70
Social Security, the centerpiece of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, will turn 70 on Saturday, Aug. 13. The milestone carries added significance at the UW–Madison, recognized as the intellectual home of the landmark legislation.
Chamberlin Hall renovation project celebrated
Chancellor John Wiley will dedicate the newly renovated Chamberlin Hall during a two-day physics symposium there on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 12 -13. The building is the new home to the UW–Madison physics department.
America’s public forests landlocked by sea of development
America's national forests are beginning to resemble "islands" of green wilderness, increasingly trapped by an expanding sea of new houses, a UW–Madison forestry researcher reports at the 90th annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting in Montreal, Canada.
Soil scientist named Arboretum director
Kevin McSweeney, a professor of soil science at the UW–Madison, has been named the new director of the UW–Madison Arboretum, a 1260-acre green oasis in the heart of Madison.
Scientists zero in on drugs’ sweet spots
Employing a simple new technique to manipulate the sugars that power many front-line drugs, a team of Wisconsin scientists has enhanced the anti-cancer properties of a digitalis, a drug commonly used to treat heart disease.
Students asked to think outside the box during moving days
Every August, thousands of students move in and out of downtown apartments. In an effort to minimize the mess and maximize the benefit to the community, UW–Madison and a coalition of local partners, including the City of Madison, Goodwill Industries and St. Vincent de Paul, are working together on the Moving Days campaign to encourage students to donate usable items to local charities.
Ugandan AIDS professionals to speak
Two workers on the front lines of the AIDS crisis in Uganda will hold an information discussion on the subject Tuesday, Aug. 9 at UW–Madison.
Stunden honored for IT leadership
Ann Stunden, director of the Division of Information Technology (DOIT) at UW–Madison, has received a 2005 award for information technology leadership from the national organization EDUCAUSE.
UW expertise helps land a $1.6 million grant for Wisconsin
A system built by the UW–Madison Division of Information Technology (DoIT) played a key role in winning $1.6 million in federal research funding for Wisconsin health agencies.
Center for Integrated Ag Systems Selected as a Pesticide Reduction Champion
The UW–Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems has been selected by the EPA as a Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program Champion for 2005. This designation honors CIAS for its efforts to reduce pesticide risk through sustainable agricultural practices such as Integrated Pest Management and organic farming. CIAS also received this national honor in 2003.
Study may expand applied benefits of super-hard ceramics
A discovery reported in the August 5 issue of Science could speed the design of materials that approach the hardness of diamond yet remain supple enough to be worked like metal.
WAA seeks nominations for distinguished alumni awards
The Wisconsin Alumni Association is calling for nominations for its top honors, the Distinguished Alumni Award and Distinguished Young Alumni Awards. Since 1936, WAA has been presenting the awards during Alumni Weekend festivities in May to the most prestigious graduates of the UW–Madison.
Madison World Music Festival to be held Sept. 15-17
Following the success of last year's World Music Festival, this year's festival will be held on campus from Thursday, Sept. 15-Saturday, Sept. 17, with encore performances by three of the groups at the Willy Street Fair on Sunday, Sept. 18.
Art, astronomy mix at Washburn Observatory
Starry Transit, an exhibition organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) in partnership with the Department of Astronomy, will feature an installation of new, site-specific sculptural works by Wisconsin artist Martha Glowacki.