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Category Science & Technology

Startup focuses on reliable, efficient cooling for computer servers

March 20, 2014

In a dark, windy room on the top floor of Engineering Hall on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, racks of computers are processing information for a college that relies, like all technical fields, on massive computing power. The noise comes from multiple fans located inside each computer case and from the large air conditioner that drives currents through the room to remove waste heat from the processors. Read More

In the lab, scientists coax E. coli to resist radiation damage

March 17, 2014

Capitalizing on the ability of an organism to evolve in response to punishment from a hostile environment, scientists have coaxed the model bacterium Escherichia coli to dramatically resist ionizing radiation and, in the process, reveal the genetic mechanisms that make the feat possible. Read More

Study suggests potential association between soy formula and seizures in children with autism

March 13, 2014

A University of Wisconsin–Madison researcher has detected a higher rate of seizures among children with autism who were fed infant formula containing soy protein rather than milk protein. Read More

Small scale, large potential: An expert weighs in on the future of microfluidics

March 13, 2014

More than a decade ago, David Beebe wrote that the field of microfluidics had the potential to significantly change modern biology. Now Beebe, an expert in the field, has written a high-level perspective on the state of microfluidics for the journal Nature. Read More

Stem cell advance yields mature heart muscle cells

March 3, 2014

A team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers has induced human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to differentiate toward pure-population, mature heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes. Read More

Sardis dig yields enigmatic trove: ritual egg in a pot

March 3, 2014

Sardis has given up another treasure in the form of two enigmatic ritual deposits, which are proving more difficult to fathom than the coins for which the city was famous. Read More

Seed dispersal gets a test in carved-out ‘habitat corridors’

February 24, 2014

Field ecologists go to great lengths to get data: radio collars and automatic video cameras are only two of their creative techniques for documenting the natural world. So when a group of ecologists set out to see how wind moves seeds through isolated patches of habitat carved into a longleaf pine plantation in South Carolina, they twisted colored yarn to create mock seeds that would drift with the wind much like native seeds. Read More

New, inexpensive production materials boost promise of hydrogen fuel

February 21, 2014

Generating electricity is not the only way to turn sunlight into energy we can use on demand. The sun can also drive reactions to create chemical fuels, such as hydrogen, that can in turn power cars, trucks and trains. Read More

‘Cabinet of curiosities’ captures nature through work of artists and scientists

February 21, 2014

Of all the places Sierra Swenson expected to end up during her first semester at college, precious few were lined with jars full of preserved reptiles. Read More

Vibration energy the secret to self-powered electronics

February 20, 2014

A multi-university team of engineers has developed what could be a promising solution for charging smartphone batteries on the go - without the need for an electrical cord. Read More

Author, journalist Williams named Science Writer in Residence

February 20, 2014

Florence Williams, a prolific, award-winning author and science journalist, has been named the spring 2014 Science Writer in Residence for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More

The next dimension: 3D color printer wins innovation competition

February 17, 2014

Spectrom, an attachment for 3D printers that will allow users to incorporate seamless, on-demand color into the 3D printing process, won both the $10,000 Schoofs Prize for Creativity and the $2,500 Tong Prototype Prize at the 20th annual Innovation Days competition. Read More

Experienced executive LaBelle to lead Office of Corporate Relations

February 13, 2014

Susan LaBelle, a veteran private sector executive and economic development leader who has taught in the UW–Madison master's in biotechnology program, has been selected to head the university's Office of Corporate Relations (OCR). Read More

For athletes, Beyond the Game opens doors to science

February 13, 2014

Badger football player Melvin Gordon knows something about testing the laws of physics. On a football Saturday, Gordon, a star running back, can be seen squeezing through an impossibly small hole for a first down, or launching himself into the end zone with a gravity-defying leap. Read More

Innovation Days marks 20 years of undergrad entrepreneurship Feb. 13-14

February 10, 2014

University of Wisconsin–Madison undergraduates are greeting the 20th anniversary of the Innovation Days competition with inventions that range from healthcare to agriculture to exercise for amputees. Read More

Prolific chemistry student wins Churchill Scholarship

February 4, 2014

As a child, Joshua Shutter's introduction to chemistry came through library books, learning to make rock candy and bottle rockets. Read More

UW-Madison flu expert recognized for research excellence

February 3, 2014

Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a professor of virology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine known for his groundbreaking work on influenza, has received the 2014 Excellence in Research Award from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). Read More

Distinguished Lecture Series announces spring lineup

January 30, 2014

The first speaker of the spring 2014 Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series is Lawrence Krauss. This award-wining physicist will speak on Wednesday, February 12, in Varsity Hall, Union South, at 7:30 p.m. Read More