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UW team’s plants return to Earth after growing in space
Researchers at Simon Gilroy's lab in the Department of Botany at the University of Wisconsin–Madison expect to greet a truck this afternoon that is carrying small containers holding more than 1,000 frozen plants that germinated and grew aboard the International Space Station. Read More
Search committee seeks team builder as next Graduate School dean
The search for the next dean of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Graduate School is officially underway. Read More
Greater use of social media gets science, scientists noticed, study says
In September, a group of UW–Madison professors and their colleagues published a study in the journal Journalism & Mass Communications Quarterly showing a connection between “h-index” — a measure of the quality of a researcher’s work and influence — and whether the scientists interact with reporters and get mentioned on Twitter. Read More
Letters & Science launches initiative to prepare liberal arts students for careers
The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s College of Letters & Science has launched a new, coordinated approach to preparing students for careers. Read More
UW-Madison scientist receives award to save babies, a diaper at a time
She woke up in her hospital room feeling nothing short of desperation. Katie Brenner remembered giving birth to a tiny daughter hours earlier but the doctors and nurses had whisked the preterm infant away for care. She hadn’t seen little Ruthie since. “I want to meet my daughter,” the normally polite Brenner demanded of the hospital staff. Her little girl is now a healthy 6-year-old and for that, Brenner is thankful. But she knows the story ends much differently for too many families. Doing something about it has inspired her scientific career. Read More
Recent sightings: Living Our Visions
The Memorial Union's Wheelhouse Studios hosted an outreach pottery sampler course Nov. 4 in partnership with LOV-Dane, a grassroots organization of individuals with disabilities, families and community members who strive to build fulfilling, community-centered lives for all citizens. Read More
UW sleep scientists win $7.7 million grant to study “local” sleep
The mystery of how some parts of some animals’ brains can sleep while they are awake – and whether the phenomenon occurs in humans -- will be studied in depth thanks to a large center grant from the National Institutes of Health. Read More
Badgers, Gophers team up for epilepsy awareness
On Nov. 29, the Wisconsin Badgers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers will battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Even as the two teams clash on the gridiron, they will collaborate on a joint effort to axe epilepsy. To show support for Minnesota coach Jerry Kill and the one in 26 people who will develop epilepsy in their lifetime, Badger and Gopher players will mark epilepsy awareness month by wearing purple stickers on their helmets. Fans are encouraged to wear both their team colors and something purple. Read More
Focus will turn from buildings to landscapes in new campus master plan
Work is beginning on updating the 2005 campus master plan, a massive undertaking done once a decade. With each master plan, there are lessons learned from previous plans and opportunities for stakeholders to give input about their visions for campus. Read More
New process transforms wood, crop waste into valuable chemicals
Scientists today disclosed a new method to convert lignin, a biomass waste product, into simple chemicals. The innovation is an important step toward replacing petroleum-based fuels and chemicals with biorenewable materials, says Shannon Stahl, an expert in "green chemistry" at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Recent sightings: Halloween on Bascom
Costumed faculty, staff and students from the UW–Madison Dance Department parade across Bascom Hill on Hallowen Friday, Oct. 31. The event was held in honor of two of the department's newly tenured professors, Kate Corby and Chris Walker. Read More
Student inventors get boost to commercialize color 3-D printing, iPhone app
Applying a similar approach to the 3-D printer, a group of University of Wisconsin–Madison students are commercializing a device that adds color to a printer that now dominates the market. Their business idea was one of two student projects to receive an Igniter grant from the university’s Discovery to Product (D2P) office. Read More
Professor wins national honor for expanding access to education
She may be an expert on Jane Austen and 19th century literature, but University of Wisconsin–Madison English Professor Emily Auerbach's real passion is helping people use education as a springboard out of poverty. Read More
They know the drill: UW leads the league in boring through ice sheets
Hollow coring drills designed and managed by UW–Madison’s Ice Drilling Design and Operations (IDDO) program are used to extract ice cores that can analyze the past atmosphere. Shaun Marcott, an assistant professor of geoscience at UW–Madison, was the first author of a paper published today in the journal Nature documenting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere between 23,000 and 9,000 years ago, based on data from an 11,000-foot hole in Antarctica. Read More
Recent sightings: Night fright
Ghouls and goblins galore brought out the screams from visitors during the UW Saddle & Sirloin Haunted House held in the Horse Barn on Oct. 29. Admission to the event was $1 or a canned-food donation, with proceeds going to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin. The event continues Oct. 30 at 7. Read More
Report, experts analyze surging STEM activity at UW–Madison
A recent report on instructional activity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines at the University of Wisconsin–Madison shows significant advances in enrollment and degrees since 2000, which campus experts attribute to a number of factors, including job placement, greater career opportunities and enhanced teaching methods. Read More
Fall impressions: A season of campus beauty
Temperatures drop, leaves turn, days shorten and sometimes life slows down enough to contemplate next steps. "Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons," author Jim Bishop once wrote. On a campus known for its beauty, this season certainly rivals others for making us look around and take notice. Read More
Hans Schneider, leading mathematician, dies
Hans Schneider, the UW–Madison James Joseph Sylvester professor emeritus of mathematics who devoted his life to the revival of the classical field of linear algebra, died of esophageal cancer Tuesday, Oct. 28. He was 87. Read More
Statement of Darrell Bazzell on UW–Madison employee pay
Classified employees, graduate assistants and student employees are essential members of the campus community. We greatly appreciate what they do on a daily basis to help the university achieve its educational and research missions. Read More