Campus news Latest News
Soil scientist named Arboretum director
Kevin McSweeney, a professor of soil science at the UW–Madison, has been named the new director of the UW–Madison Arboretum, a 1260-acre green oasis in the heart of Madison.
Scientists zero in on drugs’ sweet spots
Employing a simple new technique to manipulate the sugars that power many front-line drugs, a team of Wisconsin scientists has enhanced the anti-cancer properties of a digitalis, a drug commonly used to treat heart disease.
Students asked to think outside the box during moving days
Every August, thousands of students move in and out of downtown apartments. In an effort to minimize the mess and maximize the benefit to the community, UW–Madison and a coalition of local partners, including the City of Madison, Goodwill Industries and St. Vincent de Paul, are working together on the Moving Days campaign to encourage students to donate usable items to local charities.
Ugandan AIDS professionals to speak
Two workers on the front lines of the AIDS crisis in Uganda will hold an information discussion on the subject Tuesday, Aug. 9 at UW–Madison.
Stunden honored for IT leadership
Ann Stunden, director of the Division of Information Technology (DOIT) at UW–Madison, has received a 2005 award for information technology leadership from the national organization EDUCAUSE.
UW expertise helps land a $1.6 million grant for Wisconsin
A system built by the UW–Madison Division of Information Technology (DoIT) played a key role in winning $1.6 million in federal research funding for Wisconsin health agencies.
Center for Integrated Ag Systems Selected as a Pesticide Reduction Champion
The UW–Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems has been selected by the EPA as a Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program Champion for 2005. This designation honors CIAS for its efforts to reduce pesticide risk through sustainable agricultural practices such as Integrated Pest Management and organic farming. CIAS also received this national honor in 2003.
Study may expand applied benefits of super-hard ceramics
A discovery reported in the August 5 issue of Science could speed the design of materials that approach the hardness of diamond yet remain supple enough to be worked like metal.
WAA seeks nominations for distinguished alumni awards
The Wisconsin Alumni Association is calling for nominations for its top honors, the Distinguished Alumni Award and Distinguished Young Alumni Awards. Since 1936, WAA has been presenting the awards during Alumni Weekend festivities in May to the most prestigious graduates of the UW–Madison.
Madison World Music Festival to be held Sept. 15-17
Following the success of last year's World Music Festival, this year's festival will be held on campus from Thursday, Sept. 15-Saturday, Sept. 17, with encore performances by three of the groups at the Willy Street Fair on Sunday, Sept. 18.
Art, astronomy mix at Washburn Observatory
Starry Transit, an exhibition organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) in partnership with the Department of Astronomy, will feature an installation of new, site-specific sculptural works by Wisconsin artist Martha Glowacki.
South African telescope poses opportunities for U.S. businesses
Thanks to its geography and its clear skies, South Africa has long been a prime location for astronomy. Which is why UW–Madison – plus a dozen other international organizations - signed on a little more than five years ago to help build and fund SALT, the Southern African Large Telescope. Faculty and administrators will travel to this emerging economic powerhouse on the African continent’s southern tip in November when SALT – the largest telescope in the hemisphere - captures its first light. They also hope to open doors to Wisconsin business leaders accompanying them on the trip, nurturing what they foresee as a two-way commercial exchange that will benefit both the Badger State and South Africa.
Engineers chart semiconductors on the scale of atoms
Spanning fewer than a thousand atoms, the electronic devices on semiconductor chips have become so miniscule they defy most efforts to characterize them. Now for the first time, engineers have demonstrated a way to image these vanishingly small devices by mapping them atom by atom.
Three finalists named in CALS dean search
Three finalists for dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences have been forwarded to Chancellor John W. Wiley today (Aug. 1) for his consideration.
Summer undergraduate research scientists to present findings
As part of the 2005 Synchrotron Radiation Center-Research for Undergraduates in Education program, the UW–Madison facility hosted five students this summer from colleges and universities throughout the United States and, in one case, Puerto Rico.
Campus works to preserve air quality on ‘Clean Air Action Days’
Another Clean Air Action Day has been scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 2, and UW–Madison will again employ a number of measures to help safeguard local air quality.
New analysis of pottery stirs Olmec trade controversy
Clearing - or perhaps roiling - the murky and often contentious waters of Mesoamerican archeology, a study of 3,000-year-old pottery provides new evidence that the Olmec may not have been the mother culture after all.
Grainger Hall addition delayed to contain costs
Plans for an addition to Grainger Hall, which will house graduate programs in the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Business, are being redesigned as a cost-saving move after bids for the project came in over budget.
Alvarez to leave coaching after 2005 football season
University of Wisconsin head football coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez, who transformed the Badgers football program into a national powerhouse, announced Thursday that he will step down from his coaching duties at the end of the 2005 season.
PEOPLE completes summer programs with public events
Two events will mark the final week of the summer 2005 Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) Program on the UW–Madison campus. More than 800 PEOPLE students have participated on campus over the past three months.