Syndicated to: Wisc.edu
Morgridge gift celebrated with new ice cream flavor
In honor of the remarkable $100 million dollar gift from alumni John and Tashia Morgridge, an equally amazing flavor has been developed by Babcock Hall Dairy Plant to celebrate. Read More
School of Education’s Underwood to return to faculty
After nearly a decade leading UW–Madison’s School of Education, Dean Julie Underwood announced today that she is stepping aside from her post in August 2015 to return to the faculty. Read More
Morgridge scientists find way to ‘keep the lights on’ for cell self-renewal
One remarkable quality of pluripotent stem cells is they are immortal in the lab, able to divide and grow indefinitely under the right conditions. It turns out this ability also may exist further down the development path, with the workhorse progenitor cells responsible for creating specific tissues. Read More
Interactive map shows where traffic deaths are occurring
UW–Madison’s Traffic Operations and Safety Lab (TOPS) has partnered with Madison news website Channel3000.com and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to create an interactive map that plots the locations of fatal traffic accidents in Wisconsin dating back to 2001. Read More
Budget in Brief offers a transparent look at UW–Madison’s budget
Seeking to increase transparency and accessibility of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s revenues and expenditures, Chancellor Rebecca Blank asked staff to create the Budget in Brief, a slimmed-down booklet that breaks the university’s $2.9 billion annual budget into digestible chunks. Read More
WisCEL invites faculty and staff to collaborate on active-learning courses
The Wisconsin Collaboratory for Enhanced Learning (WisCEL) is inviting faculty and staff interested in teaching active learning and technology-enhanced courses to apply for space during the fall 2015 semester by December 1. Read More
‘Flight simulator’ for surgeons: Project joins computer science with medicine
University of Wisconsin–Madison computer science and medical researchers have teamed up to create a sophisticated new simulator to help surgical students practice detailed procedures before operating on live patients. Read More
New master’s program in energy conservation is first of its kind
A new professional master's program will launch at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in fall 2015 and become the first in the world specifically designed to train analytically minded students to evaluate energy efficiency and other resource-conservation initiatives. Read More
Some campus streets partly closed for Madison Marathon this weekend
The UW–Madison Police Department is welcoming thousands of athletes and spectators from all over the country to the 2014 Madison Marathon on Sunday, and asks runners, residents and visitors to keep in mind that many downtown roads will have lane restrictions because of the race. 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
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
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
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