Tag College of Letters & Science
Author examines relationship between Enlightenment, religion
In researching the relationship between Judaism and Enlightenment thought, David Sorkin found significant misunderstanding about the relationship between the Enlightenment and religion in general. Read More
Bringing modern roots to a traditional collection
Ken Cameron joined the faculty earlier this year as an associate professor of botany and director of the Wisconsin State Herbarium. He cites the botany department — one of a relative few remaining university botany departments, most having folded into larger biology departments — as a strong draw, along with the mix of teaching, research and administrative duties offered by his joint appointment. Read More
Study: Did early climate impact divert a new glacial age?
The common wisdom is that the invention of the steam engine and the advent of the coal-fueled industrial age marked the beginning of human influence on global climate. Read More
Smeeding brings expertise to poverty research institute
Tim Smeeding knows something about horses, and about success. He strides to his office chalkboard, and in an animated style, picks up a piece of chalk and starts scribbling away. An equation comes into view: “Success = an idea, the money, and the horses to get it done.” Smeeding, the new director of the Institute for Research on Poverty, has lived out that equation many times. Read More
Cave’s climate clues show ancient empires declined during dry spell
The decline of the Roman and Byzantine empires in the Eastern Mediterranean more than 1,400 years ago may have been driven by unfavorable climate changes. Read More
Fast molecular rearrangements hold key to plastic’s toughness
Plastics are everywhere in our modern world, largely due to properties that render the materials tough and durable, but lightweight and easily workable. One of their most useful qualities, however - the ability to bend rather than break when put under stress - is also one of the most puzzling. Read More
Curiosities: What food was served at the original Thanksgiving celebration?
Plucked from his own time in the autumn of 1621 and deposited at a “traditional” Thanksgiving dinner today, a Plymouth, Mass. Pilgrim would have gawked… Read More
Kramer honored for research in end-of-life care
Research done by University of Wisconsin–Madison social work professor Betty Kramer on end-of-life care has won her the Distinguished Researcher Award from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Read More
Innovative government ideas, programs sought for Gladfelter competition
Public workers with innovative ideas on how to improve the quality and efficiency of government in Wisconsin are invited to compete for the Lloyd D. Gladfelter Awards. Read More
UW-Madison students bring geography awareness to local schools
In celebration of Geography Awareness Week (through Nov. 22), geography and education students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have teamed up to teach geography lessons to K-5 classes in the Madison area. Read More
La Follette School notes 25 years with special issue of policy report
The Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs is marking its 25th anniversary with an expanded issue of the La Follette Policy Report that showcases Wisconsin public affairs research. Read More
UW historian’s interview with PBS canceled
William (Will) Jones, an associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, will be a guest on the PBS television series "Bill Moyers Journal" at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7. Read More
Professor spends 25 years making ‘prejudice puzzle’
In the 1980s, when equal rights were becoming a cultural norm in America, many psychology researchers encountered people who would respond in interviews that they were not prejudiced, yet their actions would still reflect a bias. The pessimists in the field would conclude that they simply were lying. But UW–Madison psychology professor Patricia Devine saw things differently. Read More
Political scientists offer post-election perspectives
University of Wisconsin–Madison political science professors Katherine Cramer Walsh and Barry Burden provided their perspectives on the historic nature of Tuesday's presidential election and the massive turnout of voters across the nation. Read More
Journalism students tackle real-time election coverage
As a history-making race for the White House enters its final hours, a group of University of Wisconsin–Madison journalism students are busy crafting pre-election coverage and preparing to cover Election Day with a campus bent. Read More
Doughnuts, politics and a look into Wisconsin’s views and values
A knot of older men gather around a table in a Madison-area bakery each morning to laugh, crack wise, talk about politics over doughnuts and warm themselves with round after round of hot coffee. Read More
Wisconsin Advertising Project analysis
The Wisconsin Advertising Project today released an analysis showing that Democrat Barack Obama outspent Republican John McCain on television advertising nearly 3-to-1 between Oct. 21 and Oct. 28. Read More
Obama leading all Midwest states in Big Ten Battleground Poll
As the race for the White House enters its final days, the Big Ten Battleground Poll shows Barack Obama holds significant leads over John McCain in eight crucial Midwest states. Read More
Evolution’s hand detailed in Hawaiian lobeliads
A team led by UW–Madison botanists Thomas Givnish and Kenneth Sytsma details the evolutionary history of a diverse tropical group of flowering plants long viewed as one of the plant world's most dramatic examples of adaptive radiation, the phenomenon of new species arising from a single ancestor to occupy a multitude of ecological roles. Read More
Wisconsin Advertising Project analyzes tone of ads in White House race
During the Wednesday (Oct. 15) presidential debate, both candidates made claims about the tone of the other's television advertising campaign. Read More