Category State & Global
New game helps refugee camp kids become academic ‘stars’
Once a refugee himself, senior Joel Baraka has invented "5 STA-Z" — a board game for students across sub-Saharan Africa that turns learning into fun.
UW–Madison recognized for its water- and energy-saving initiatives
The heating and cooling plant improvements stem from an upgraded cleaning system for heat exchangers covering over 50,000 tons of the campus’s central plant chillers.
Bird’s-eye view of geology using drones offers new way to protect groundwater
Researchers at the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey are spending a little less time on the ground and more time in the air — looking at the ground. What they're finding could help improve water quality.
UW–Madison senior among finalists for 2021 Rhodes Scholarship
University of Wisconsin–Madison senior Alex Plum competed this year as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, the oldest and most celebrated college award for…
Researchers videotape hundreds of classrooms in 8 countries to study teaching
Essential to the study’s success are observation systems designed by Courtney Bell, a UW–Madison learning sciences professor who directs the School of Education’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
Banking on patient samples to advance COVID-19 research
In the spring of 2020, when UW–Madison instruction moved online and most research became remote, efforts picked up at the UW Carbone Cancer Center Translational Science Biocore BioBank.
UW alumnus Brandon Taylor one of six finalists for prestigious Booker Prize
Taylor came to UW–Madison pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry but his education, both in and out of the college classroom, inspired him to write “Real Life.”
UW researchers’ evaluation puts MGE net-zero carbon goal on path to limit global warming
If actions similar to the Wisconsin utility's plan were also taken around the world, the researchers say, "it would be effective at keeping the planet under 1.5 degrees warming.”
Native November: In new First-Year Interest Group, students connect with the land through Indigenous lens
Instructor Dan Cornelius is "trying to help students connect to place, so that no matter where they are, they’ll think more deeply about the land and its history.”
Quick, routine coronavirus testing reassures both campus and volunteers
Unlike other testing on campus, which is more likely to attract people who are sick or who believe they’ve been exposed to COVID-19, Jon Temte’s program constantly re-tests a stable population of volunteers — even when they feel fine.
Gene-edited monkey embryos give researchers new way to study HIV cure
A gene that cured a man of HIV a decade ago has been successfully added to developing monkey embryos in an effort to study more potential treatments for the disease.
Early mutation in SARS-CoV-2 virus in Europe led to its domination worldwide
A study shows that the mutant virus is more easily transmitted and grows better within hosts, likely aiding its dominance. The mutation, researchers say, should not interfere with the effectiveness of vaccines against the virus.
Outstanding Women of Color 2020-21
The awards honor faculty, staff, students and community members who have made contributions in social justice, activism and advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged, marginalized populations; community service; scholarly research; and community building.
UW System, Alliant Energy recognize outstanding students, teachers for 2020
UW–Madison senior Dalila Ricci won an honor for students from underrepresented groups pursuing a degree in business or engineering. Faculty Associate Sharon Thoma was singled out for outstanding commitment to student success.
Tracking virus mutations reveals success of stay-at-home orders
A family tree of more than 200 variations in the virus that causes COVID-19 helps explain why two Wisconsin counties had such different early experiences with the pandemic.
UW–Madison to expand COVID-19 testing in spring
To accommodate more regular and frequent COVID-19 testing of all students and employees on campus in the spring semester, UW–Madison will partner with Shield T3, a subsidiary of the University of Illinois System.
Thesis-writing program shares joy of scientific research
The Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy Thesis Award Program’s mission is to both promote science literacy among the public and recruit future generations to careers in scientific research with an approachable look at the latest findings.
Menard family gift supports UW’s Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy
The gift enables the CSLD to promote the "critical understanding of ... constitutionalism and the rule of law, individual rights, and the meaning of freedom and free markets in a flourishing liberal democracy."
‘All Ways Forward’ campaign extended
The multiyear campaign to raise much-needed funding for UW–Madison priorities has been extended until Dec. 31, 2021, Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced Thursday.
New NIH-funded initiative will examine Alzheimer’s disease in people with Down syndrome
Investigators at the Waisman Center, the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and several departments at UW–Madison are involved in the effort, which they say "has the potential to help everyone."