University of Wisconsin–Madison

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PSL: Still making amazing instruments after all these years

A century ago, physicists used a tabletop “cloud chamber” to explore the motion of otherwise invisible particles. Today, they need giant machines to explore the bizarre frontiers of modern physics. And significant components of the most important modern physics experiments in China, Switzerland, the United States and the South Pole can trace their roots to a lab across the road from a cornfield near Stoughton, Wisconsin — the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Physical Sciences Laboratory, or PSL.

Campus does anything but cease in the summer

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is host to boundless opportunities, happenings, changes and more — even when school’s out for the summer. Whether you were around to experience some of the new developments yourself, or taking a break from the everyday bustle of campus life, there was no shortage of activity at the university over the summer.

New tradition welcomes students to Camp Randall, captures a “W” snapshot

Camp Randall won’t host its first football game of the season until Saturday, Sept. 6, but its field will see plenty of action a couple of days before kickoff. This Thursday, Sept. 4, first-year students will meet at Camp Randall from 5:30-7:30 p.m. to take part in a slew of activities, including the main attraction — when they will flow onto the field to form the shape of the UW’s Motion W for an ambitious snapshot.

Gary Andersen: Settling in

Behind Gary Andersen’s office desk, there’s a framed picture of Andersen hugging wife Stacey after his 2010 Utah State team upset BYU, 31-16, snapping a 10-game losing streak in the series that dated back to 1993. “That’s the one picture,” said Andersen, the second-year Wisconsin coach, “that completely keeps me grounded.”

New director right at home — literally — in University Housing

The mission statement of University Housing really resonated with Jeff Novak: “Be the place where everyone wants to live” — to the point where “everyone” includes Novak himself. Novak has been on campus for just a few weeks, but he is already feeling at home in his new position as director of University Housing for UW-Madison.

Animated spot looks forward, reflects on why UW-Madison matters

While there’s a break in action during the Wisconsin-LSU football game, UW-Madison will take 30 seconds to turn its eyes forward — emphasizing that the university serves not only to improve lives today, but also to move society toward a better future. The new institutional spot, titled “Reality Forward,” will premier nationally Saturday on ESPN and run during other UW sporting events throughout the academic year.

A touching story: The ancient conversation between plants, fungi and bacteria

The mechanical force that a single fungal cell or bacterial colony exerts on a plant cell may seem vanishingly small, but it plays a heavy role in setting up some of the most fundamental symbiotic relationships in biology. In fact, it may not be too much of a stretch to say that plants may have never moved onto land without the ability to respond to the touch of beneficial fungi, according to a new study led by Jean-Michel Ané, a professor of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Marsha Mailick Q & A

Marsha Mailick recently talked with University Communications’ Terry Devitt about the administrative changes to come, the experiences that have prepared her for her new role, and the challenges UW–Madison faces in the areas of research and graduate education.