Tag College of Letters & Science
Lovely ‘snowfakes’ mimic nature, advance science
Exquisitely detailed and beautifully symmetrical, the snowflakes that David Griffeath makes are icy jewels of art.
UW faculty recognized by American Academy of Microbiology
Two members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty are among 72 scientists from around the world who have been elected fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Four faculty awarded prestigious Sloan Fellowships
Four members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty are among 118 scientists, mathematicians and economists from around the country who have been awarded prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships.
Graduate student wins national leadership award
A University of Wisconsin–Madison graduate student has received a prestigious national award recognizing future leaders in higher education.
French master’s program opens doors to work opportunity
The Professional French Masters Program at UW–Madison is one of the only program in the country that offers a graduate degree that combines language skills with study in other academic areas.
Researchers cite President’s role in reducing racism
President Obama spurred a dramatic change in the way whites think about African-Americans before he had even set foot in the Oval Office, according to a new study.
Project explores mechanics of major earthquake faults
CHICAGO - Deep-sea drilling into one of the most active earthquake zones on the planet is providing the first direct look at the geophysical fault properties underlying some of the world's largest earthquakes and tsunamis. The Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) is the first geologic study of the underwater subduction zone faults that give rise to the massive earthquakes known to seismologists as mega-thrust earthquakes.
UW-Madison computer scientist named to national engineering academy
A University of Wisconsin–Madison professor is among 65 engineers and nine foreign associates elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2009. Gurindar (Guri) Sohi, John P. Morgridge professor and E. David Cronon professor of computer sciences, has been ranked among the most distinguished engineers in the nation, peer-elected for their exceptional contributions to engineering research, practice or education.
Graduate student’s software innovation helps harness brainstorming
One success of the UW–Madison Reaccreditation Project gave rise to an even bigger challenge: namely, what to make of tens of thousands of open-ended observations about the university’s future? One clever software solution, developed by math graduate student Erik Andrejko, may end up finding a useful home with any organization in the throes of strategic planning.
The Wisconsin Experience: Delta Program makes big impact on UW teaching culture
Teachers teach, students learn and researchers study. But the Delta Program in Research, Teaching and Learning turns teachers into students, students into teachers and both into researchers.
New evolutionary biology option looks to the future of science
Charles Darwin would be proud of the way the biology major has evolved during the last academic year.
Predicting the future spread of infectious-disease vectors
As global warming raises concerns about potential spread of infectious diseases, a team of researchers has demonstrated a way to predict the expanding range of human disease vectors in a changing world.
Early childhood stress has lingering effects on health
Stressful experiences in early childhood can have long-lasting impacts on kids' health that persist well beyond the resolution of the situation.
UW-Madison sociologist named to key NSF post
Cora Marrett, University of Wisconsin–Madison emeritus professor of sociology and former UW System senior vice president for academic affairs, has been named acting deputy director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) effective Jan. 18.
Study: Can nature’s leading indicators presage environmental disaster?
Economists use leading indicators - the drivers of economic performance - to take the temperature of the economy and predict the future. Now, in a new study, scientists take a page from the social science handbook and use leading indicators of the environment to presage the potential collapse of ecosystems.
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.
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.
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.
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.