Tag College of Letters & Science
Nanotechnology meets biology and DNA finds its groove
UW-Madison scientists have developed a quick, inexpensive and efficient method to extract single DNA molecules and position them in nanoscale troughs or "slits," where they can be easily analyzed and sequenced. The technique, which according to its developers is simple and scalable, could lead to faster and vastly more efficient sequencing technology in the lab, and may one day help underpin the ability of clinicians to obtain customized DNA profiles of patients. Read More
Physicists find way to ‘see’ extra dimensions
Peering backward in time to an instant after the big bang, physicists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have devised an approach that may help unlock the hidden shapes of alternate dimensions of the universe. Read More
Silicon medicines may be effective in humans
University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have shown that silicon — the stuff of computer chips, glass and pottery — may have extraordinary therapeutic value for treating human disease. Read More
Supercomputer to power climate change study
Climate researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have been given unprecedented access to one of the world's most powerful supercomputers to better understand the causes and consequences of abrupt climate change. Read More
UW-Madison acquires rare plant from dinosaur age
A relic plant that once co-existed with dinosaurs has taken up residence in the University of Wisconsin–Madison botany greenhouses. Read More
40 years ago, UW researcher changed our view of the world
Forty years ago this month, thanks to an inventive University of Wisconsin–Madison scientist, our view of the world was changed forever. Read More
Wisconsin scientists land major infectious disease awards
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. Read More
Brain’s ‘fear center’ may underlie autistic behaviors
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. Read More
Project looking for the next great Wisconsin playwright
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. Read More
Researchers clear way to stronger glass
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. Read More
Controlling confusion: Researchers make insight into memory, forgetting
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. Read More
Study: Political ad time trumps election coverage on the tube
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. Read More
PAVE trains students in sexual assault awareness
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. Read More
UW historian helps PBS paint vivid picture of the California Gold Rush
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. Read More
La Follette School hosts 900 public policy experts
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. Read More
Professor receives YWCA award
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. Read More
Journalism students map coverage of Halloween on State Street
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. Read More
Institute for Research on Poverty marks 40 years of innovative work
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. Read More
Professor receives prestigious award for contributions to chemistry
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. Read More
Initiative fosters teacher training in less commonly taught languages
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. Read More