Skip to main content

Tag College of Letters & Science

One-man play confronts race issues with examination of lynching victim’s life

January 25, 2010

Patrick Sims' brain is crowded with the lives and chatter of imaginary people. He's been listening to them since they moved in some 12 years ago when he visited America's Black Holocaust Museum on Milwaukee's north side.

Expectant mom’s flu exposure stunts baby’s brain development

January 25, 2010

For expectant mothers, catching even a mild case of the flu could stunt brain development in their newborns, according to a new study conducted in rhesus macaques.

Air-quality improvements offset climate policy costs

January 22, 2010

The benefits of improved air quality resulting from climate change mitigation policies are likely to outweigh the near-term costs of implementing those policies, according to a new study.

Roundtable to explore ethics for investigative journalism outlets

January 20, 2010

Although many industry observers see nonprofit investigative news organizations as the future, the emerging journalism model brings a host of new ethical issues.

TIP/Haiti experts

January 15, 2010

Tens of thousands are feared dead after the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti this week. These UW–Madison experts can provide context and analysis for interested media.

Senior makes her mark in the music industry

January 14, 2010

UW-Madison senior Nika Roza Danilova has garnered an international following under the name Zola Jesus for her experimental caterwauler music.

The story continues off-screen for movies, TV shows

January 14, 2010

Even if you haven't seen "Avatar," you may have caught the movie's trailer on television, heard its characters are blue and 10 feet tall, or know it was directed by James Cameron of "Titanic" and "Terminator" fame. Based on those tidbits, you may have decided you're dying to see the blockbuster or you'd rather watch paint dry.

Study: Second cochlear implant can restore two important facets of binaural hearing

January 11, 2010

Cochlear implants are electronic devices that stimulate auditory nerves directly, bypassing damage in the inner ear, and thus restoring some hearing. Although cochlear implants have revolutionized the treatment of deafness, many users have trouble understanding speech, particularly in crowds.

Property tax increases drive few elderly to move out of their homes

January 7, 2010

Few elderly homeowners are forced to move from their homes because of property tax increases, according to a new study from a University of Wisconsin–Madison public affairs researcher and economists at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

Research: One in 20 Milwaukee renter-occupied households evicted each year

January 4, 2010

Eviction is such a common occurrence in the lives of Milwaukee's urban poor that one renter-occupied household in every 20 is evicted each year, according to research based on an analysis of court records and a year's worth of sociology fieldwork from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Depression saps endurance of the brain’s reward circuitry

December 28, 2009

A new study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion.

Stellar mosh pit, complete with crashing stars, resolves a mystery

December 23, 2009

For almost 50 years, astronomers have puzzled over the youthful appearance of stars known as blue stragglers.

Dental delight! Tooth of sea urchin shows formation of biominerals

December 21, 2009

Some of the most common minerals in biology, including those in bones and shells, have a mysterious structure: Their crystals are positioned in the same orientation, making them behave as one giant crystal, even though they do not look like a faceted crystal.

Interactive animations give science students a boost

December 14, 2009

For a generation of students raised and nurtured at the computer keyboard, it seems like a no-brainer that computer-assisted learning would have a prominent role in the college science classroom.

Stage fright is not an issue for Shakhashiri

December 10, 2009

On Dec. 6, Shakashiri wrapped up the 40th year of his wildly popular Christmas lecture with two packed performances of “Once Upon a Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri.”

Project helps seniors put lives on paper

December 8, 2009

A UW–Madison graduate student leads a workshop that will ultimately help participants at the Madison Senior Center write their own life stories.

Greenhouse gas carbon dioxide ramps up aspen growth

December 4, 2009

The rising level of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be fueling more than climate change. It could also be making some trees grow like crazy.

UW-Madison graduate wins Marshall Scholarship

December 4, 2009

A UW–Madison alumna has been named one of 35 Marshall Scholars.

Rocks, crystals, fossils headline sale at Geology Museum

December 2, 2009

Unique gifts for people fascinated by the beauty of nature will be on sale at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Geology Museum for one day only, Friday, Dec. 4.

Giant collider back in gear, sets record for collision intensity

December 2, 2009

On Nov. 30, the world's largest scientific instrument, the Large Hadron Collider, set a record when it smashed one stream of protons against another and then accelerated the beams to 1.18 trillion electron volts, exceeding the record held by Fermilab in Illinois since 2001.