Category Science & Technology
UW Arboretum hosts native plant gardening conference Sept. 15
Held when the prairies are at their seasonal peak, the conference offers a day of expert-led workshops and tours to help all gardeners, from beginner to experienced, learn to create beautiful restorative landscapes. Read More
Earth’s last magnetic field reversal took far longer than once thought
A reversing field might significantly affect navigation and satellite and terrestrial communication, but the study suggests that society would have generations to adapt to a lengthy period of magnetic instability. Read More
Research looks at how Snapchat filters affect self-image
Graduate student Amy Niu is researching whether selfie-editing filters negatively or positively impact one’s evaluation of self. Read More
Thanks to science, parasite can have sex in mice, not just cats
The work could lead to a vaccine for cats and throws a critical lifeline to scientists who study the parasite by providing a new animal model in which to study it. Read More
Chemical catalysis pioneer James Dumesic wins international energy prize
Dumesic was selected for his pioneering work on novel catalytic processes for converting plant material into advanced fuels, biodegradable plastics, and other renewable chemicals. Read More
Cosmic ray exhibits, conference explore the universe’s mysteries
Event Horizon: portraits of three physicists captured holding an object that inspired their careers, and Messages from the Horizon, which consists of spinning LEDs representing black holes, are on display in the Main Gallery of the Memorial Union. Read More
Wild rice project sows seeds for university, tribal collaboration
A graduate student is working on a project to build connections between the UW and Native American tribes around wild rice protection and restoration efforts. Read More
IceCube: Antarctic neutrino detector to get $37 million upgrade
IceCube, which in 2018 helped unravel one of the oldest riddles in physics and astronomy — the origin of high-energy neutrinos and cosmic rays — has received new funding to expand the detector and its scientific capabilities. Read More
UW lab gears up for another Antarctic drilling campaign
The UW–Madison Physical Sciences Laboratory, which specializes in making customized equipment for UW–Madison researchers, will once again lead drilling operations for the IceCube neutrino observatory. Read More
UW–Madison researchers win presidential award
They have been named winners of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, which honors researchers beginning their careers who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology. Read More
Q & A: Veterinary medicine professor leads largest biomedical coalition
Hannah Carey, a researcher who studies hibernating mammals, is the new president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Read More
Simple ‘smart’ glass reveals the future of artificial vision
UW-Madison engineers have devised a method to create pieces of “smart” glass that can recognize images without requiring any sensors or circuits or power sources. Read More
Sharing control with robots may make manufacturing safer, more efficient
In “shared control,” a human wired with sensors and controls guides a robot’s arms through the course of a task like sorting objects or mixing ingredients according to a recipe. Read More
By dropping, throwing smart phones, students key into a 21st century approach to physics
In Professor Duncan Carlsmith's introductory physics classroom, smartphones are dropped, thrown and strapped to pendulums, and the data from their sensors is used to teach principles of physics. Read More
Heat kills invasive jumping worm cocoons, could help limit spread
New research is good news for ecologists and horticulturalists who are working to slow or stop the spread of the worms. But little remains known about the life cycle of these damaging invaders or how to stop them. Read More
Rural Summer Science Camp expands opportunities, curriculum in its 13th year
The camp, where rural high school students and teachers take a deep dive into science research, is offering a third week this July thanks to support from the National Science Foundation. Read More
Technique pulls interstellar magnetic fields within easy reach
Researchers have developed a more accessible and much cheaper approach to surveying interstellar magnetic fields — one of the most potent forces in nature, which weave through space in our galaxy and beyond. Read More
UW–Madison and WARF again rank high in patents
A survey of the world’s top universities placed the University of Wisconsin–Madison as the seventh-greatest source of U.S. patents, with 157 issued in 2018 to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation for UW inventions. Read More
UW–Madison, chemical society partner to train underrepresented students
Aspiring scientists who previously experienced limited course or research opportunities will build stronger application portfolios for chemistry doctoral programs in the ACS Bridge Program. Read More
UW Changes Lives: Campus-born fertility company seeks to improve women’s health care, Wisconsin economy
What started as a side project in a UW–Madison laboratory is now a successful business that’s closer than ever to giving women a way to help overcome difficulties in conceiving a child. Read More