Category Science & Technology
Christmas Lecture, a Madison holiday tradition, returns
Chemistry Professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri will celebrate a 42-year tradition with his holiday demonstration, “Once Upon a Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri.” Read More
Biochemist Har Gobind Khorana, whose UW work earned the Nobel Prize, dies
Biochemist Har Gobind Khorana, who received the Nobel Prize for research he conducted while at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, died Wednesday, Nov. 9 in Concord, Mass. at age 89. Read More
Satellite technology enables rapid, accurate mapping of forest harvest in upper Midwest
Using satellite images, Mutlu Ozdogan, an assistant professor of forest and wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is automatically generating maps showing where trees have been harvested in the form of clear-cut areas over five-year intervals. Read More
Forum focuses on storing spent nuclear fuel
Not all of the fallout from last March's disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was radioactive. There was also considerable policy fallout, as the crisis caused many to rethink the safety of nuclear power. Read More
UW professors honored by American Chemical Society
Four University of Wisconsin–Madison professors have won awards from the American Chemical Society (ACS) in recognition of research excellence. They will be honored at a ceremony next March at the society’s 243rd national meeting in San Diego. Read More
UW study will explore anemia
To say a pregnant woman is eating for two leaves out a few guests at the table - trillions of them, according to Christopher Coe, a University of Wisconsin–Madison psychology professor who will soon begin studying anemia with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Read More
Two named to receive 2011 Champion Awards
Douglass Henderson and Margaret Harrigan have been selected as winners of the 2011 Champion Awards, presented by the Women's Philanthropy Council (WPC) of the University of Wisconsin Foundation at the council's biennial forum on Nov. 2. Read More
Climate change and the oxymoron of sustainable growth
Climate change, often viewed as a burden for future generations, is, in fact, a problem at hand, and a significant one, contends Rudy M. Baum, editor-in-chief of Chemical & Engineering News. Read More
Study evaluates bat deaths near wind turbines
It's something of an ecological murder mystery - countless numbers of bats are turning up dead near wind farms. But what is killing them? Read More
Launch of new satellite will sharpen weather observations
From a launching pad at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base our newest weather satellite rose into orbit this morning, buoyed by know-how from the University of Wisconsin–Madison's atmospheric and space science community. Read More
Microscope will give UW researchers powerful view of molecular structures
A successful campus-wide partnership will bring to the University of Wisconsin–Madison a powerful new electron microscope equipped to produce high-resolution, three-dimensional images of a wide range of biological samples. Read More
Fungus causes deadly bat disease: last doubts removed
Scientists have proven that the fungus Geomyces destructans causes white-nose syndrome, a fast-spreading and highly lethal disease of bats. Read More
Treasured campus murals conserved for future generations
Art conservators are painstakingly preserving a set of historic, wall-size John Steuart Curry works surrounded by the gutted and rebuilt Biochemistry Building on Henry Mall. Read More
Deaf children: Study shows significant language progress after two cochlear implants
An ongoing study of 45 deaf children who had two cochlear implants finds that their language skills are within the normal range. Cochlear implants replace the eardrum by delivering an electric signal from a microphone to the auditory nerves located in the cochlea in the inner ear. Read More
Rennie to be science writer in residence
John Rennie, a veteran science journalist, blogger and editor, has been named the Fall 2011 University of Wisconsin–Madison Science Writer in Residence. Read More
Science writer in residence assesses science publishing
John Rennie is the fall, 2011 UW–Madison science writer in residence. He will be on campus the week of Oct. 23 and will give a public lecture on the "tumultuous state of science publishing" at 4 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Memorial Union. Read More
Astronomers discover how mysterious blue straggler stars stay young
Mysterious "blue stragglers" are old stars that appear younger than they should be: they burn hot and blue. Several theories have attempted to explain why they don't show their age, but, until now, scientists have lacked the crucial observations with which to test each hypothesis. Read More
Patience paying off for long-term diabetes project
A decade of research in any field presents challenges, but for Alan Attie's lab group, years of persistence have opened up a new avenue to understanding diabetes. Read More
Slide show: Northwoods partners
The complex interplay between the earth's climate on global and local levels drives UW–Madison atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor Ankur Desai's research. In September, students from the soils and waters course at the College of the Menominee Nation in Keshena, Wis., joined Desai's team to get a look at the high-tech methods researchers use to monitor carbon flux — the movement of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in and out of plants, water and soil. Read More