Category State & Global
Students take leadership venture to South Africa
After more than 40 hours of traveling, 30 University of Wisconsin–Madison students arrived last week in Cape Town, South Africa to start a two-week adventure in South Africa's capital city that will include a leadership seminar and service projects.
Undergrad team debuts in genetic engineering competition
For the first time, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison undergraduates participated in the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM), held this fall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Foreign ozone emissions lower U.S. air quality
When it comes to environmental impacts, no nation is an island. A recent study from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison finds that up to 15 percent of U.S. air pollution comes from Asian and European sources.
New Antarctica research season kicks off
The approach of winter in the northern hemisphere means that summer is coming to Antarctica - still bitterly cold, but just warm enough to let scientists make progress on ongoing studies. A number of UW–Madison researchers are awaiting the call.
UW-Madison scientists guide human skin cells to embryonic state
In a paper to be published Nov. 22 in the online edition of the journal Science, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers reports the genetic reprogramming of human skin cells to create cells indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells.
Reprogramming the debate: stem-cell finding alters ethical controversy
When University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers succeeded in reprogramming skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells, they also began to redefine the political and ethical dynamics of the stem-cell debate, a leading bioethicist says.
Beowulf’s world comes to life in new book
A new Hollywood film opening in theaters Friday, Nov. 16, employs special effects wizardry to tell the story of Beowulf, but a just-released illustrated edition of the epic tale from a UW–Madison English professor comes much closer to showing us the world where the action takes place.
UW-Madison political scientist chosen to observe Australian elections
Kenneth Mayer, a University of Wisconsin–Madison political scientist, will travel to Australia as part of an international delegation observing that nation's federal elections on Saturday, Nov. 24.
Global engineering forum targets looming engineering shortage
The United States and the world face severe shortages of engineers by the year 2025, according to research based on U.S. Bureau of Labor data. The challenge of developing leaders in the changing engineering and technical workforce will be explored during the third annual University of Wisconsin–Madison Engineering Executives Forum.
WISC-TV to air series on UW–Madison alumnus, Nazi resister
This week, WISC-TV (News 3) will take an in-depth look at Milwaukee native and University of Wisconsin–Madison alumnus Mildred Fish Harnack and her amazing journey into Nazi Germany-a journey that started with a chance meeting on the UW–Madison campus.
New test can curb losses of potatoes in storage
UW-Madison researcher Zahi K. Atallah has developed a test that helps farmers identify in their fields potato crops that will not store as long as others, resulting in fewer crop losses.
Health toll of climate change seen as ethical crisis
The public health costs of global climate change are likely to be the greatest in those parts of the world that have contributed least to the problem, posing a significant ethical dilemma for the developed world, according to a new study.
Speaker to discuss environmental justice in Latino communities
Devon Pena, a scholar-activist who has studied social and environmental issues in Mexican-American communities of the West, will give a free public lecture Monday, Nov. 12, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.