Category Society & Culture
New professor brings precision data to the dairy barn
The same technology that alerts a self-driving car that there’s a pedestrian in the crosswalk could also warn a dairy farmer that a calf is getting sick — even if that calf is mingled among dozens of healthy ones.
Social Problems Initiative projects selected
The topics range from farm-raised crickets as a food source to decreasing sedentary behavior in older adults. The two-year grants support research that promotes economic prosperity, enhances social and psychological well-being, and improves health outcomes.
First female valedictorian became renowned suffragist
Clara Bewick Colby was among the first class of six women at the University of Wisconsin to graduate with bachelor’s degrees. Later, large crowds would attend her speeches on women’s rights.
35th annual Distance Teaching & Learning Conference explores broader access to higher education
When the Distance Teaching & Learning Conference was launched in 1985, “distance education” meant sending VHS tapes to students through the mail. The tools may have changed, but the mission remains the same for the 35th annual conference.
Meet ‘The Monarch’
The newly unveiled statue, "The Monarch," celebrates the 150th anniversary of women receiving degrees at UW–Madison and was designed by artist Victoria Reed to represent female empowerment and influence.
Students facing finals get dog therapy
With Finals Week looming, students showed up to pet dogs and relax May 3, at a Paws and Relax de-stress session hosted by the University Bookstore.
4 faculty chosen for next cohort of Diversity Liaison Project
Four faculty members have been chosen for the Diversity Liaison Project, which provides a hands-on approach to offering more opportunities for campus leaders to actively engage with matters of diversity, equity and inclusion and to implement best practices in the classroom and beyond.
Tune in to WFAA’s podcast with commencement speaker J.J. Watt
J.J. Watt once dominated Camp Randall with his defensive skills as he played football for the Wisconsin Badgers. On May 11 he returns in a very different role: spring commencement speaker!
Pandey, Wendland land American Council of Learned Societies Fellowships
Both plan to use their fellowships to work on writing books. Nandini Pandey's will be called "Diversity and Difference in Imperial Rome," and Claire Wendland's is "Partial Stories: Maternal Death in a Changing African World."
Science goes to the comics at Saturday showcase
It started with a mispronounced word and the idea of superhero proteins it inspired. A few doodles later and Jaye Gardiner, Kelly Montgomery and Khoa Tran realized they had landed on a fresh way to communicate their work as scientists.
UW astrophysicists simulate the sounds of stars to reveal their secrets
“A cello sounds like a cello because of its size and shape,” says Jacqueline Goldstein, a graduate student in the astronomy department. “The vibrations of stars also depend on their size and structure.”
Four UW–Madison student teams among final round “Smart Cities-Smart Futures” winners
The competition promotes innovative ideas to enhance quality of life, improve working environments, expand transportation networks and living spaces, inspire creative city planning and promote sustainable energy solutions in Wisconsin.
Commencement spotlight: ‘Exceptional’ grad to enter Air Force Nurse Corps as one of its youngest members
On May 11, Delora Prange will graduate from UW–Madison with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. A few weeks later, at age 21, she is expected to become one of the youngest members of the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps.
UW–Madison student receives Udall Scholarship to further environmental work
Her goal, she says, is to create egalitarian learning opportunities and learning spaces so that all children have access to environmental education and the outdoors.
Research by team of grad students cited in Mueller Report
When news stories started coming out about Twitter accounts from Russia pretending to be American citizens during the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections, some UW–Madison graduate students undertook research to see how U.S. media handled those tweets.
Professor will study digital political ads with Carnegie Fellowship
Young Mie Kim, a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been named a 2019 Andrew Carnegie Fellow by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for her research on how targeted ads influence elections.
UW Changes Lives: Advice, research boosts Wisconsin potato growers
Wisconsin has a healthy potato industry, ranking in the top 5 nationally. It’s bolstered by support from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, ranging from supplying seed potatoes to advice on growing to research into pests.
Phi Kappa Phi inducts 152 members, announces nine fellowships
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 by a group of students who felt a need for an honor society that would recognize excellence across the whole range of academic disciplines.
Food safety subject of Go Big Read book
Deborah Blum’s “The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century,” pays tribute to Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley and his work to ensure our food is safe.
Lands We Share project about six state farms wraps up with Madison exhibit
Focusing on the intersection of farming, land, race, and ethnicity in the state, this initiative of the Wisconsin Farms Oral History Project set out with a goal of bringing people from diverse backgrounds together; people often separated despite living and working in the same towns or regions.