Category Science & Technology
Explore over 100 virtual events at the 10th annual Wisconsin Science Festival
Activities will include experiments, live Q&A with scientists, demonstrations, performances, podcasts, behind-the-scenes tours and more — along with up-to-the-minute information on what researchers are learning about COVID-19.
Astronomers model, determine how disk galaxies evolve so smoothly
Using advanced computer simulations, scientists from UW, Iowa State and IBM are learning how galaxies get their characteristic structure — super-bright centers fading away to dark edges.
Interview: Keys to a successful COVID-19 vaccine
The race to develop a vaccine for the virus that causes COVID-19 will represent the largest global vaccination effort since the fight against polio nearly 70 years ago. That historical perspective is important, says Morgridge Institute virology investigator Paul Ahlquist.
Coldest Northern Hemisphere temperature, first recorded by UW–Madison, officially confirmed
Nearly 30 years after recording a temperature of minus 93.2 degrees Fahrenheit in Greenland, the measurement has been verified as the coldest recorded temperature in the hemisphere.
Stem cells can repair Parkinson’s-damaged circuits in mouse brains
UW neuroscientists led by Su-Chun Zhang found that neurons derived from stem cells can connect with native neurons and restore motor functions. But more research is needed to translate the findings from mice to people.
Fitter increases the benefits of wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic
A team of UW–Madison engineers has developed a simple and inexpensive do-it-yourself fitter that ensures a tighter mask seal around the wearer’s nose, mouth and face.
New vaccine strategy harnesses ‘foot soldier’ T-cells to provide protection against influenza
Researchers believe the same approach can be applied to several other respiratory pathogens, including the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
New national imaging center has potential to transform medicine
The National Institutes of Health will provide $22.7 million over six years to create a national research and training hub at UW–Madison that will give scientists across the country access to this game-changing technology.
The Grainger Foundation pledges $32 million to UW–Madison College of Engineering
The funding is aimed at attracting a diverse pool of students and faculty leaders and to create the Grainger Dean of the College of Engineering endowment.
Research reveals an enormous planet quickly orbiting a tiny, dying star
While there have been hints of large planets orbiting close to white dwarfs in the past, the new findings are the clearest evidence yet that these bizarre pairings exist.
Meet the campus innovators launching successful companies in an unprecedented time
While the global pandemic has challenged business owners across many sectors, startup companies helped by UW–Madison's UW–Madison’s Discovery to Product program have managed to demonstrate resilience.
Massive halo finally explains stream of gas swirling around the Milky Way
Astronomers have solved a 50-year-old puzzle, discovering that the halo of warm gas surrounding the Magellanic Clouds likely acts as a protective cocoon.
Wisconsin corn maze features resilient tardigrade
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, look kind of like a cross between a bear and a caterpillar, are known for their incredible resilience. As such, they're the perfect organism for 2020.
UW–Madison and UW Health selected as sites to test new COVID-19 vaccine
They are among the first sites in the country to study whether an investigational vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca can prevent the disease.
UW, collaborators win federal quantum information science funding
UW–Madison solidified its standing as a leader in the field when the federal government announced Q-NEXT as a funded center through the National Quantum Initiative Act.
UW experts design masks for campus from scratch
The masks were designed by the university’s experts in textiles, filtration and infectious disease, and manufactured by one of Wisconsin’s oldest companies.
Understanding how birds respond to extreme weather can inform conservation efforts
The results of this study could help conservationists target their efforts to vulnerable species, as well as locations where extreme weather events are predicted.
NSF Physics Frontier Center for neutron star modeling to include UW–Madison
The center expands the reach and depth of existing capabilities in modeling some of the most violent events known in the universe: the mergers of neutron stars and their explosive aftermath.
When bomb tore through Sterling Hall 50 years ago, he was inside: ‘I still have flashbacks’
Bill Evans remembers feeling the building shudder, then seeing a wave of dirt and dust blow by a lab door. He immediately reported that something terrible had happened.
At University Hospital, damage and shock in aftermath of 1970 Sterling Hall bombing
The blast shattered most of the hospital's east-facing windows, including those in the intensive care unit. “Our assignment was to pick glass off of patients,” remembers a nursing student.