Category Science & Technology
UW-Madison ‘Gaia Project’ creates environmental learning, action project for faculty and staff
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Gaia Project, a program devoted to helping faculty and staff get involved in topics related to climate, energy and sustainability, has launched this semester with more than 100 subscribers already on board. Read More
Curiosities: Why do we dream?
Submitted by Rachel Furlow, 7th grade, Cherokee Middle School Read More
Stem cell summit to convene in Madison
Researchers, business representatives, philanthropists, bioethicists and educators from around the world will be invited to Madison for the World Stem Cell Summit at the Alliant Energy Center on Sept. 22-23, 2008. Read More
Fund for late professor lifts Engineers Without Borders into the black
Katie Simon had a lot to be nervous about in March 2007 when she became the president of the University of Wisconsin–Madison chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), an organization that applies the knowledge of engineers to improving the quality of life for developing communities. Read More
Increased ethanol production to worsen Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’
The rush in the United States to produce corn-based ethanol as an alternative fuel will likely worsen pollution in the Gulf of Mexico and expand the annual "dead zone" that kills fish and other aquatic life, according to new research. Read More
WID established as Graduate School center
In fall 2007, the proposal (1.5 Mb PDF) for the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery was approved by the University Academic Planning Council, establishing the institute as a center within the Graduate School. Read More
Forum today to seek campus, community views on next chancellor
The last of three public forums seeking campus and community perspectives on the qualities and talents needed in the University of Wisconsin–Madison's next chancellor will be held Thursday, March 6 at Union South. Read More
Lowly Icelandic midges reveal ecosystem’s tipping points
A UW–Madison zoologist describes in the journal Nature an ecosystem population dynamics model built on the flies of Iceland’s Lake Myvatn, showing how even slight human-induced changes can irreversibly alter the balance of nature. Read More
Gilson event highlights conflicts of interest in clinical trials
Paul DeLuca, associate dean for research and graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, will speak on conflicts of interest in clinical trials at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 6. Read More
Professor named first scientific director of national nuclear research facility
Idaho National Laboratory has selected University of Wisconsin–Madison nuclear fuels and materials expert Todd Allen to lead its newly created Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) National Scientific User Facility. Read More
Bacteria unlock secrets that may aid cancer treatment
The murky flasks of bacteria growing in Ben Shen’s lab may change how we look at both chemistry and chemotherapy. Read More
Earlier plantings underlie yield gains in northern corn belt
U.S. farmers plant corn much earlier today than ever before and it seems to be paying off, at least in the north. Earlier plantings could account for up to half of the yield gains seen in some parts of the northern Corn Belt since the late 1970s, a new study has found. Read More
UW students help El Salvadoran towns build wastewater system
New Year's Eve in Nejapa, El Salvador, looks a lot like the Fourth of July. At Griselda Guzman's house, homemade fireworks lighted the front yard, where the guests dancing outside her pale yellow home included 11 University of Wisconsin–Madison engineering students and three advisers. Read More
Celebrating Leopold’s legacy
To celebrate the Aldo Leopold legacy, people are invited to the Arboretum Visitor Center, 1207 Seminole Highway, from 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, for “Madison Reads Leopold,” part of Aldo Leopold Weekend. Leopold Weekend is a statewide event that honors Leopold’s contributions to our understanding of the environment. Read More
Biochemist Kimble elected National Academy councilor
Judith Kimble, a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor of biochemistry and genetics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, has been elected to a three-year term as councilor for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Read More
Can RFID technology promote a safer blood supply?
Radio frequency identification technology, or RFID, has inspired many novel applications of late, including efforts to study magazine reader patterns, access restricted areas, locate stolen vehicles and track luggage at major airports. Read More
Stem cell pioneer James Thomson to steer regenerative medicine at MIR
The Morgridge Institute for Research, the private, not-for-profit side of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, is announcing the appointment of world-renowned stem cell pioneer and researcher James Thomson as the first member of its multidisciplinary scientific leadership team. Read More
Morgridge Institute launches Web site
The Morgridge Institute for Research launched a new Web site today, Feb. 25, 2008. Read More
Campus influenza cases on the rise
Since the beginning of February, there has been a marked increase in the number of students coming to University Health Services (UHS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison with influenza-like illness and laboratory-confirmed influenza. Read More
Off the hook: Stronger soft-plastic fishing lure reels in raves
Working with University of Wisconsin–Madison engineering and business school faculty and students, a Wisconsin entrepreneur has perfected a fiber-reinforced fishing lure that may prevent millions of pounds of toxic plastics from polluting waters nationwide. Read More