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Tag College of Letters & Science

Child psychologist to appear on “Office Hours”

September 11, 2009

Child psychologist and researcher Jenny Saffran will appear Monday on the Big Ten Network's weekly half-hour talk show "Office Hours" to discuss recent findings in how babies learn language.

Goldstein, WPRI to provide new polling, insight

September 10, 2009

As part of a new partnership, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI) are joining forces to conduct frequent, detailed polling of Wisconsinites.

Potato blight reveals some secrets as genome is decoded

September 9, 2009

Late blight caused the 19th century famine that sparked a wave of emigration from Ireland to the United States, but the disease has also infected tomatoes and potatoes this year. Potatoes, the world's fourth-largest food crop, were raised on 65,500 acres in Wisconsin in 2007. If a potato field is not treated with pesticide, late blight can destroy the crop in a few days.

Surgeon returns after five decades to complete elusive bachelor’s degree

September 9, 2009

Consider the four-year plan, the five-year plan and the not-to-be-forgotten six-year pace to the bachelor's degree, and then get a look at Richard Smith's transcripts.

UW-Madison welcomes new faculty

September 9, 2009

Alongside the slew of incoming freshmen, another group of new Badgers is making a debut at the University of Wisconsin–Madison this fall.

Science and media disconnect? Maybe not, says a new study

September 9, 2009

The prevailing wisdom among many scientists and scientific organizations is that, as a rule, scientists are press shy, and those who aren't are mavericks.

Chancellor’s lecture launches Year of the Humanities

September 8, 2009

A lecture that delves into the songs and sexuality of ancient Greek drinking parties and a talk on the 1989 German revolution that brought down the Berlin Wall are just two events that will mark the Year of the Humanities on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus.

Intersection of art and business examined in ‘Art as Business as Art’ course

September 8, 2009

On his recent whistle-stop "Arts in Crisis" tour, the Kennedy Center's Michael Kaiser bemoaned how much more money goes into training artists to be good artists than to be good managers of their own careers.

Historic Washburn Observatory prepares to reopen

September 3, 2009

The Washburn Observatory, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's gate to the heavens, will open later this month following a careful two-year renovation that preserved its hilltop charm and historic significance.

Monkeys get a groove on, but only to monkey music

September 1, 2009

Music is one of the surest ways to influence human emotions; most people unconsciously recognize and respond to music that is happy, sad, fearful or mellow. But psychologists who have tried to trace the evolutionary roots of these responses usually hit a dead end. Nonhuman primates scarcely respond to human music, and instead prefer silence.

‘Office Hours’ provides update on state of the economy

August 31, 2009

Get an update on where the economy is headed by watching “Office Hours,” a half-hour weekly talk show on the Big Ten Network, which airs at 4 p.m. EST/3 p.m. CDT today (Monday, Aug. 31).

Chazen features mezzotints, silver pieces in exhibits

August 31, 2009

Don’t let the big dig on University Avenue where the Peterson Building used to be keep you from visiting the Chazen Museum of Art. The museum is open for visitors, and two current exhibits there are worth a look: “Mezzotints, Prints of Darkness” and “Delight in Design: Indian Silver for the Raj.”

UW-Madison’s ‘good ideas’ get lift from stimulus funds

August 26, 2009

The university has drawn more than $38 million in funding for more than 120 research projects and programs from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The work is spread across the range of academic disciplines, including public health, computer science, psychology, economics and engineering. Funding comes from agencies such as NSF, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Engineered protein-like molecule protects cells against HIV infection

August 17, 2009

With the help of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and molecular engineering, researchers have designed synthetic protein-like mimics convincing enough to interrupt unwanted biological conversations between cells.

Curiosities: How big is space?

August 17, 2009

Space is probably infinite, but we can see only the part that contains stars or galaxies whose light has been able to reach us, says…

Chemistry faculty, staff named inaugural fellows of chemical society

August 13, 2009

Four University of Wisconsin–Madison chemistry faculty and staff are among a group of 162 distinguished chemists, teachers and entrepreneurs selected by the American Chemical Society (ACS) as the inaugural class of ACS fellows.

Mass communications students and faculty reap bumper crop of awards

August 6, 2009

Graduate students and faculty in the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Joint Program in Mass Communications landed several awards - the most in recent memory - at a national conference for journalism educators this week.

Curiosities: How many galaxies have humans discovered?

August 3, 2009

“We don’t know,” says Ed Churchwell, professor of astronomy. “We know it’s a very large number.” It’s in the hundreds of billions, Churchwell…

Will a well-mixed, warmer lake doom invasive fish?

July 30, 2009

The rainbow smelt, an invasive fish that threatens native species such as walleye and perch, may soon be feeling the heat - literally.

Database architect wins IEEE award

July 30, 2009

David DeWitt, professor emeritus of computer science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has been honored for his work with database systems.