Category Science & Technology
UW stem cell pioneer Thomson earns innovation award
A prestigious scientific honor adds to the legacy of stem cell pioneer James Thomson.
Chemical engineer receives prestigious Korean honor
Sangtae Kim, who has held both faculty and leadership positions at the UW–Madison, has received the 2013 Ho-Am Prize in Engineering, the highest honor from South Korea for research accomplishments in science, engineering, technology and math fields.
Thin clouds drove Greenland’s record-breaking 2012 ice melt
If the sheet of ice covering Greenland were to melt in its entirety tomorrow, global sea levels would rise by 24 feet.
Puzzle of how spiral galaxies get their arms comes into focus
Despite their common morphology, how galaxies like ours get and maintain their characteristic arms has proved to be an enduring puzzle in astrophysics. How do the arms of spiral galaxies arise? Do they change or come and go over time?
Céline Cousteau to speak at Earth Day conference
Marine conservation advocate and filmmaker Céline Cousteau will be a featured speaker at the seventh annual Nelson Institute Earth Day Conference on Monday, April 15.
Researchers discover the brain origins of variation in pathological anxiety
New findings from nonhuman primates suggest that an overactive core circuit in the brain, and its interaction with other specialized circuits, accounts for the variability in symptoms shown by patients with severe anxiety.
School of Veterinary Medicine, UW Veterinary Care to hold open house
The UW School of Veterinary Medicine and UW Veterinary Care, the school's veterinary medical teaching hospital, will host an open house on Sunday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With 400th Ph.D. grad, UW–Madison celebrates a half century of fusion energy
In the 1930s and '40s, many researchers studied ways to use fusion, the reaction in which atomic nuclei collide, fuse and release energy, to develop atomic weapons. Later, those same brilliant minds began to focus on beneficial applications of fusion, including developing plants that would produce electrical energy for society.
Research uses muscle activity to move virtual objects
A team at UW–Madison says it has developed, for the first time, a way to move virtual objects in an immersive virtual reality environment through the use of muscle activity.
Expanded Science Expeditions opens doors to UW–Madison research
Ana Garic spends her days in a University of Wisconsin–Madison lab studying a public health problem with real impact in Wisconsin communities — which is why it feels so good to invite the public onto her turf for the campus’ annual Science Expeditions open house to be held April 5-7.
Wisconsin Science Festival 2013 announces dates, call for presenters
After more than tripling attendance last year, the Wisconsin Science Festival is coming back for year three with plans for more activities at more sites that reach more people. The organizers announced today the 2013 festival will be held September 26-29 and issued an open call for presenters, communities, organizations and sponsors to get involved.
Energy institute fueling innovation in new facility
Gazing out at the roughly 60,000 cars that cross the intersection at the Wisconsin Energy Institute’s (WEI’s) doorstep, the reason the building exists is clear — energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels — and WEI’s research is poised to address the problem.
Engineering students win 2013 Clean Snowmobile Challenge
A group of UW–Madison College of Engineering students took first place in the internal combustion division of the SAE 2013 Clean Snowmobile Challenge, their fifth time doing so in the 14-year history of the competition.
Dalai Lama to lead ‘Change your Mind Change the World 2013’ event May 15
Event organizers today announced that the Dalai Lama will visit Madison on May 15, 2013, to lead "Change your Mind Change the World 2013," a series of panel discussions with thought leaders from a variety of fields, including neuroscience, economics and sustainability, moderated by Arianna Huffington and Daniel Goleman.
Adaptive ski project gives people with disabilities a new chance to participate
Back in 2005, "sit-skis" for cross-country skiers with disabilities were expensive, uncomfortable and largely unavailable - except to a handful of Paralympic athletes, at price tags of more than $2,000. Today, more than 300 sitting-position skis, with an adaptable, user-friendly design, enable a much wider group of people with lower-body limitations to participate in the popular winter sport, at a cost of only about $250 per ski.
Small differences in how a technology is defined can make a big difference in how the public feels about it
Even small tweaks in how scientists describe scientific breakthroughs can significantly change how the public perceives their work, a new study indicates.
‘Ninja parasites’ elude immune response through molecular mimicry
In feudal-age Japan, cunning, unorthodox mercenaries known as ninjas were notorious for using disguise, deception, and stealth to infiltrate enemy fortifications. In the world of modern parasites, certain organisms - dubbed "ninja parasites" by Professor Timothy Yoshino - use similar tactics, in a biological and chemical sense, to trick their way past the immune systems of their hosts.
Speakeasy Science: Space Place tees up science for grown-ups
Line up your baby sitter for the evening of Friday, March 8, and lift off for a night of fun and science at UW–Madison’s Space Place for the first edition of Speakeasy Science.
Man-made material pushes the bounds of superconductivity
A multi-university team of researchers has artificially engineered a unique multilayer material that could lead to breakthroughs in both superconductivity research and in real-world applications.