Tag College of Letters & Science
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English
Joseph Salmons has always been struck by the pervasiveness of the argument. In his visits across Wisconsin, in many newspaper letters to the editor, and in the national debates raging over modern immigration, he encounters the same refrain:
Reservoirs promote spread of aquatic invasive species
The latest "damming" evidence suggests that manmade reservoirs are facilitating the spread of invasive species in Wisconsin lakes.
Exhibition reveals passion for African arts
For those who believe a tidy, antiseptic workplace free of distractions improves productivity, a visit to Henry Drewal’s office in the Elvehjem Building will challenge that notion.
World’s largest computing grid ready for data
The technological advancements surrounding the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - the new particle accelerator near Geneva, Switzerland - are not just about the physics.