Category Society & Culture
COVID-19 canceled their variety show; students raised $341,000 for charity anyway
Members of the group Humorology say the coronavirus pandemic only heightened their fundraising resolve. Donations will benefit children who might otherwise go hungry.
Chancellor: UW plans for a safe return this fall
Chancellor Blank explains how the university will operate this fall to ensure students receive a full educational program while maintaining the safety of the campus community.
Meeting new demand for comfort food, SpaghettiOs were created by UW grad
Fifty-five years ago, Donald Goerke — asked to develop an easy-to-eat meal for children — created one of the classics: the "neat round spaghetti you can eat with a spoon."
Spring commencement 2020: A virtual party heard round the world
“You have all received a superior education here — not in my kitchen, at Wisconsin,” joked the keynote speaker, author James Patterson. “There’s never been a better time to make use of everything you learned in school. You are prepared for this."
Math research produces better way to identify gerrymandering
UW mathematicians are analyzing how algorithms, not just maps, are used to gerrymander political districts. They hope to expose techniques that politicians might use to create biased districts, and use that knowledge to prevent it.
Student to student: Best moments of the school year, from snow to roses
We had our first snow back in October, our football team made it to the Rose Bowl and in-person instruction was suspended due to COVID-19. Despite the tumult, UW–Madison students had plenty of favorite memories from the year.
Phi Beta Kappa inducts 134 seniors in 2020
These initiates embody excellence in both depth and breadth of study in the liberal arts and sciences. Approximately 5 percent of the Letters & Science senior class is inducted into the liberal arts and science scholar society.
Seniors to make most of online commencement, celebrating at home
“My mom is going to cook a huge gorgeous meal, we are going to drink champagne, watch the ceremony, and cry."
Fashion show moves to Sunday
Students in the Textile and Fashion Design program will show their creations on Facebook at 7 p.m. Central Time Sunday in School of Human Ecology's annual fashion show, "Threads 2020: React."
Virtual symposium addresses key resource during pandemic: clean water
COVID-19 may have forced the event to go virtual, but it also brought the importance of its topic into sharp focus. “You can’t wash your hands if you don’t have water,” says Water@UW–Madison's Matt Ginder-Vogel.
Airman of the Year, a UW–Madison senior, is helping with state’s COVID-19 response
Alex King enlisted in the Wisconsin Air National Guard in September of 2016 — the same month he began classes at UW–Madison as a freshman. He’s juggled school work and military training ever since, excelling at both.
Student to student: At opposite ends of the country, roommates motivated by the same #Badgerpride
When UW–Madison suspended in-person instruction for the semester, we each returned to our homes -- Christine to Queens, N.Y. on the east coast, me to Los Angeles on the west coast. We are approximately 2,700 miles apart from each other.
Nine projects win Wisconsin Idea Fellowships
The projects, which are all rooted in the concept of addressing needs identified by community partners, range in topic from food insecurity, the disparity in education, civic responsibility and more.
Student forges special bond with commencement speaker James Patterson, her childhood reading hero
Marie Aguirre has become friends with Patterson and his wife Susan. She’s also been a recipient of their generosity — the couple supported her college studies with a generous scholarship.
Academy adds new members from UW who ‘expand the boundaries of knowledge’
Six UW–Madison faculty — a bioethicist, psychologist, philosopher, historian, geographer and chemist — have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Educational engineering games take stay-at-home kids to the next level
UW–Madison engineers and Field Day Lab game designers have developed options for productive screen time for kids at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
National scholarship will allow student to pursue graduate studies in early reading cognition
Lauren Schilling is among 18 college juniors nationwide selected to receive a 2020 Beinecke Scholarship, which provides $34,000 for graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences.
Badger Talks examines personal finance in a pandemic
Should you tap your retirement savings? Borrow or lend money? J. Michael Collins offers advice on these and other financial matters under the strain of current economic conditions.
Photo story: A day in the life of a student at home
"The greatest realization that I’ve come to is that technology is not advanced enough, nor will it ever be, to replace human interaction. My most memorable learning experiences involve people in one way or another."
How to show gratitude? With pizza!
Employees at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene at UW–Madison have remained busy running thousands of tests for COVID-19 in the state. On Thursday, a group called "Stay Home! Send Pizza!" sent pizza to the lab's about 50 employees, in gratitude