Category Employee News
Water’s reaction with metal oxides opens doors for researchers
A multi-institutional team has resolved a long-unanswered question about how two of the world’s most common substances interact. In a paper published recently in the journal Nature Communications, Manos Mavrikakis, professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and his collaborators report fundamental discoveries about how water reacts with metal oxides Read More
McKenna to retire from Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
They say blood is thicker than water. So much so, that even the volume of water in all of Madison's lakes is still too thin for Thomas McKenna, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL). After seven years in the role, he is officially retiring from the lab and moving to Massachusetts to be closer to his grown daughters. Read More
Fundamental plant chemicals trace back to bacteria
A fundamental chemical pathway that all plants use to create an essential amino acid needed by all animals to make proteins has now been traced to two groups of ancient bacteria. The pathway is also known for making hundreds of chemicals, including a compound that makes wood strong and the pigments that make red wine red. Read More
UW-Madison continues trend of large entering class from Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin–Madison will likely welcome its second largest class of Wisconsin-resident freshmen since 2005 this fall, with enrollment of state residents expected to be near 3,700. Read More
Mangelsdorf looks forward to listening, leading
Sarah Mangelsdorf has been told about “Jump Around.” She’s enjoyed time on the Terrace for cheese curds and a view of Lake Mendota. And she’s run to Picnic Point a few times. “I consider myself doing an ethnography,” Mangelsdorf says. “You really can’t come in from the outside and have a vision for a place you don’t yet truly understand.” Read More
Turnout for first-ever classified congressional election surpasses expectations
The results are in from the first-ever classified staff congressional election. Voting took place July 7 through July 21. Read More
Bus passes and transportation permits on sale online
Online sales of employee bus passes and transportation permits for the 2014-15 academic year has begun at the Transportation Services website. Read More
Mining bacterial blueprints yields novel process for creation of fuel and chemical compounds
A team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has identified the genes and enzymes that create a promising compound — the 19 carbon furan-containing fatty acid (19Fu-FA). The compound has a variety of potential uses as a biological alternative for compounds currently derived from fossil fuels. Read More
Research team warns against overlooking Great Lakes’ currents
The history of the Great Lakes is one of people who underestimate their destructive power, often with tragic results. From two massive waves that smashed into Chicago’s harbors in 1954 to a rip current that drowned a young swimmer in Port Washington, Wisconsin, in 2012, Lake Michigan and its neighbors have a track record of catching people off guard with dangerous currents. Read More
Pre-college programs open doors for leadership roles
Whether their connections were social, academic or professional, former participants in UW–Madison's summer residence programs through University Housing say the camps were essential for creating future opportunities. Read More
Drilling in the dark: Biological impacts of fracking still largely unknown
As production of shale gas soars, the industry's effects on nature and wildlife remain largely unexplored, according to a study by a group of conservation biologists published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment on August 1. Read More
PEOPLE high school students celebrate completing pre-college program
Scholars from one of the most successful long-term diversity pipelines to higher education in the nation, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's PEOPLE (Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence), will be recognized for their accomplishments at an annual banquet on Friday, Aug 1., at noon. Read More
Tricking plants to see the light may control the most important twitch on Earth
Copious corn growing in tiny backyard plots? Roses blooming in December? Thanks to technology that the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Richard Vierstra has been developing for years, these things may soon be possible. And now, new findings out of the genetics professor’s lab promise to advance that technology even further. Read More
UW-Madison Day brings slice of campus to state fair
For the fourth consecutive year and sixth year overall, UW–Madison will host its own day at the Wisconsin State Fair as a way to promote education and give back to the community. Read More
Sims: Diversity Framework does not relate to grading
The following is a July 21 statement of Professor Patrick Sims, Chief Diversity Officer and interim vice provost for Diversity and Climate: The idea that… Read More
Study shows role of media in sharing life events
To share is human. And the means to share personal news — good and bad — have exploded over the last decade, particularly social media and texting. But until now, all research about what is known as "social sharing," or the act of telling others about the important events in our lives, has been restricted to face-to-face interactions. Read More
New imaging agent provides better picture of the gut
A multi-institutional team of researchers has developed a new nanoscale agent for imaging the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This safe, noninvasive method for assessing the function and properties of the GI tract in real time could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of gut diseases. Read More
Wisconsin plastics industry has roots in modest, multitalented UW–Madison professor
“The Graduate” is a running joke in the plastics industry. In that 1967 Dustin Hoffman movie, a character famously — and accurately — summarized the future in one word: “Plastics.” The movie may have been influential, but Tom Mohs, founder of the Madison plastics manufacturer Placon, says he owes nothing to it. “I was already buying my second thermoforming machine when the movie came out,” says Mohs. “No, I owe it to Ron Daggett.” Read More
Grant generates increased access, network training to Dairyland Initiative
The Dairyland Initiative - a UW School of Veterinary Medicine outreach program that works with farmers to optimize cow comfort, health and milk production - has received a renewal grant of $50,000 from the Dean Foods Foundation. The grant will allow the initiative to continue providing free access to its web-based resources for dairy farmers across the country and create a network of trained, certified consultants for planning and facilitating new welfare-friendly designs. Read More
Town meets gown to explore Wisconsin’s Trempealeau mounds
Why did migrants from Cahokia, the large mound city near St. Louis, move to the present-day village of Trempealeau in western Wisconsin to build flat-topped mounds about 1,000 years ago? That question has intrigued Danielle Benden, senior curator in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Anthropology, for more than a decade. Read More