Category Science & Technology
Robotic space rovers keep getting stuck. UW engineers have figured out why.
The researchers’ discovery resulted from their work on a NASA-funded project to simulate the VIPER rover, which had been planned for a lunar mission. Read More
A new kidney — free of daily meds
Shawn Wiederhoeft is a pretty regular guy in his 30s. The Madison native works as a video game developer and maintains an active lifestyle. Read More
Quantum Leaps in Education
Artificial intelligence is here to stay. Here's how UW–Madison students are grappling with its promise — and perils. Read More
Meet the ‘weird’ sea spider that’s mapping the evolution of eight-legged creatures
UW–Madison researchers and their international colleagues have published the first high-quality genome of a sea spider species, providing a key reference point for the evolutionary traits of many related animals. Read More
UW professor emeritus who paved the way for at-home colon cancer testing and other screenings earns national recognition
Earlier this month, the Bayh-Dole Coalition awarded James Dahlberg the American Innovator Award, recognizing his commitment to advancing federally funded inventions from the laboratory to real-world applications. Read More
UW researchers develop personalized cancer vaccines that slow tumor recurrence in mice
The approach could theoretically apply to any cancer that tends to recur, such as pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma, the most common and extremely aggressive brain tumor. Read More
UW–Madison physicists play key role in international observatory
Physics professor Keith Bechtol and his research group have been key players in bringing the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile to the main stage. Now its state-of-the-art telescope has started taking its first images of the night sky. Read More
Fossil corals point to possibly steeper sea level rise under a warming world
Newly uncovered evidence from fossil corals found on an island chain in the Indian Ocean suggests that sea levels could rise even more steeply in our warming world than previously thought. Read More
Measuring gases around young stars, astronomers unlock major clues to planet formation
UW–Madison astronomers and international collaborators have produced the most accurate measurement of the gases swirling around young stars and their changing mass over time. The discovery offers clues to how different types of planets form. Read More
UW innovations are helping farmers produce crops with less fertilizer. A pause in federal funds is threatening the research.
Thanks to federal support, UW researchers are engineering beneficial bacteria and breeding more-resilient crops with the aim to minimize farmers’ reliance on synthetic fertilizers, increase their cost savings and help protect the environment. Read More
Flying High, Virtually
There’s a growing student interest in aerospace engineering, as well as strong career prospects in the aerospace industry. Enter: A state-of-the-art flight simulator, housed in the College of Engineering’s Flight Simulator Laboratory. Read More
UW–Madison researchers find hidden genetic clues upping cardiovascular disease risk
Understanding how the change in the genome increases risk for CAD is a step toward potentially preventing its damaging effects and perhaps one day developing therapeutic strategies to block the risky changes in arteries. Read More
Computer Sciences capstone prepares to scale experiential learning for students
It’s March 10, and mid-semester presentations are underway in the Computer Sciences capstone course. Dressed in textbook business casual, senior Bill Zhu is addressing 100… Read More
UW Tech Exploration Lab student projects highlight innovation, emerging technologies
Bold ideas, creative problem solving and community impact were at the heart of 24 student projects launched this past semester at the Tech Exploration Lab. Read More
The real costs of research funding cuts
UW–Madison could lose tens of millions of dollars in annual research support due to a proposed change in federal funding. But what’s really at stake? The university’s ability to advance life-saving research and innovation. Read More
UW biochemists engineered a poplar tree that produces a high-demand industrial chemical. It was a surprise discovery only made possible by sustained investment in research.
Professor Brian Fox has engineered a genetic alteration to poplar trees to help them produce an industrial chemical commonly used as a preservative and an ingredient for synthetic fibers. Read More
UW–Madison chemistry professor Martin Zanni elected to National Academy of Sciences
Only 120 American and 30 international scientists are elected to the academy each year for what the academy describes as their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Read More
A UW biochemistry researcher is studying effective treatments for the next pandemic. Federal funding changes are slowing the work.
UW–Madison biochemistry professor Robert Kirchdoerfer is studying the structure of coronaviruses like COVID-19 to better understand how they work and to help develop drugs that protect against them. Read More
Meet some of the notable UW–Madison graduates of spring 2025
So many mortarboards, so many impressive students. This weekend, thousands of UW–Madison graduates will become the newest members of the worldwide Badger alumni network. Many have already left a lasting impact — on campus and far beyond. Here are just a few. Consider them a small subset of the excellence of the UW–Madison Class of 2025. Read More
Beyond the weather forecast: 5 ways UW satellite technology helps save lives
The University of Wisconsin–Madison may be the birthplace of satellite meteorology, but scientists on campus have never stopped developing new ways for space-based instruments to protect and improve the lives of people back on Earth. Read More