Tag College of Letters & Science

Wisconsin scientists land major infectious disease awards

December 19, 2006

The holidays have arrived early for two young University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty members. Cancer researcher Robert Kalejta and chemist Helen Blackwell have learned that they are each the recipients of prestigious Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Awards from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Brain’s ‘fear center’ may underlie autistic behaviors

December 12, 2006

The brain's emotional center is unusually small in autistic males with the most severe behavioral impairments, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers reported this month.

Project looking for the next great Wisconsin playwright

December 8, 2006

Submissions of original, full-length plays are being accepted for the Wisconsin Wrights New Play Project, a joint initiative of the University of Wisconsin Division of Continuing Studies, the University Theater and the Madison Repertory Theater created to foster the development of new works by Wisconsin playwrights.

Researchers clear way to stronger glass

December 7, 2006

Look at your window - not out it, but at it. Though the window glass looks clear, if you could peer inside the pane you would see a surprising molecular mess, with tiny particles jumbled together any which way. Now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a new glass-making technique that eliminates some of that mess.

Controlling confusion: Researchers make insight into memory, forgetting

December 4, 2006

Why do we forget? Do memories decay on their own, or are they harmed by interference from similar memories? Using a technique called "transcranial magnetic stimulation," brain researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison may have found the answer.

Study: Political ad time trumps election coverage on the tube

November 21, 2006

In the month leading up to the 2006 mid-term elections, local television news viewers got considerably more information about campaigns from paid political advertisements than from news coverage, a new University of Wisconsin–Madison study shows.

PAVE trains students in sexual assault awareness

November 1, 2006

When Jenny Hansen's friend told her the story of an unwanted sexual experience, she didn't call it rape, saying, "I shouldn't have drank so much." Hansen repeatedly tried to explain to her friend that the incident wasn't her fault. But no matter what Hansen said, her friend just kept blaming herself. At that moment, Hansen decided join the fight against sexual assault. She went through Promoting Awareness and Victim Empowerment (PAVE) training and became a PAVE facilitator.

UW historian helps PBS paint vivid picture of the California Gold Rush

November 1, 2006

As an historian, Susan Lee Johnson finds few subjects of American history more irresistible than the California Gold Rush, a movement that unfolded so fast and furiously that it must seem like watching history get shot from a cannon.

La Follette School hosts 900 public policy experts

November 1, 2006

The Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will welcome more than 900 public policy experts to a national conference this week at the Monona Terrace Convention Center.

Professor receives YWCA award

October 26, 2006

Michael Thornton, faculty director of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Morgridge Center for Public Service and professor of Afro-American and Asian American Studies, received the individual Racial Justice Award from the Madison YWCA at its fifth annual Racial Justice Conference on Oct. 19.

Journalism students map coverage of Halloween on State Street

October 26, 2006

As the celebration of Halloween on State Street unfolds this weekend, a corps of University of Wisconsin–Madison journalism students will cover the event live under the guidance of professional reporters.

Institute for Research on Poverty marks 40 years of innovative work

October 24, 2006

The University of Wisconsin–Madison's Institute for Research on Poverty — the nation's first poverty research center — next month marks 40 years of studying why Americans live in poverty and what can be done to end it.

Professor receives prestigious award for contributions to chemistry

October 23, 2006

A University of Wisconsin–Madison scientist has won the 2005 Harrison Howe Award, a prize that annually honors outstanding contributions to the field of chemistry.

Initiative fosters teacher training in less commonly taught languages

October 6, 2006

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the University of Wisconsin–Madison Language Institute and the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages a three-year, $345,000 grant to launch the National Online Less Commonly Taught Languages Teacher Training Initiative.

Computer scientist spearheads $30 million ‘Open Science Grid’

September 25, 2006

University of Wisconsin–Madison computer scientists will play a central role in the expansion of a national "Open Science Grid" (OSG), an interconnected computing infrastructure that provides scientists with a massive infusion of computing power and storage capacity to solve large, data-intensive challenges in science.

Webcasts bring together language educators, K-12 teachers

September 19, 2006

In a unique partnership, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Language Institute and the Wisconsin Association for Language Teachers will sponsor several live webcasts of the Language Institute's 2006-07 lecture series, "National Standards and Instructional Strategies for Language Teaching."

Economist warns of dangers of federal budget deficits

August 25, 2006

A "painful period of world economic adjustment appears inevitable" unless the White House and Congress can develop a workable plan to ease federal budget deficits, according to an article co-authored by a University of Wisconsin–Madison economist in the current edition of The International Economy.

Young chemist wins hefty corporate award

August 23, 2006

A scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has been awarded a prestigious "Focused Giving Grant" by Johnson & Johnson, the internationally recognized manufacturer of pharmaceutical and heath care products.

Program works to build diverse new generation of computer scientists

August 16, 2006

A novel freshman-level program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison called Wisconsin Emerging Scholars in Computer Science is working to counter a remarkable absence of women and underrepresented groups in the field.