Tag College of Letters & Science
Remembering ‘forgotten’ presidents on Presidents Day
Two words: Millard Fillmore. Who? He was president of the United States from 1850-1853, yet you won't find him carved on Mount Rushmore. Turns out, not all American presidents have legacies - or even names - that are as familiar as George Washington.
Tess Hauser was ‘heart and soul’ of Wisconsin Longitudinal Study
Taissa S. “Tess” Hauser, a key scientific figure in one of the longest and most respected sociological studies ever undertaken, passed away in Washington D.C. last month.
Anthony Shadid Award will recognize ethical journalism
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Journalism Ethics is seeking applications for the first national Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics.
War on Poverty anniversary leads to release of national poverty report card
Income inequality is on the rise, according to a national report card co-authored by Timothy Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Fish forced into the ‘foraging arena’ when lakes lose their trees
In attempts to predict what climate change will mean for life in lakes, scientists have mainly focused on two things: the temperature of the water and the amount of oxygen dissolved in it. But a new study from University of Wisconsin researchers is speaking for the trees - specifically, the dead ones that have toppled into a lake's near shore waters.
UW professor’s best-selling book adapted for PBS documentary on poisoning
Once upon a time in America if you wanted to get away with murder, poison was the way to go.
Recent Sightings: Fossil fun
Undergraduate and staff tour guide Michael Schiltz talks with first-grade students about bone fossils and replicas of several dinosaur and mammoth skeletons on display at the UW–Madison Geology Museum.
IceCube named 2013 Breakthrough of the Year for neutrino discovery
Less than one month after reporting the first evidence for cosmic neutrinos, the IceCube project received the 2013 Breakthrough of the Year award from the British magazine Physics World.
Curb magazine celebrates the legacy, culture and community of Wisconsin
A barren prairie changed by war but filled with memories, a dairy-waste plant powering more than 3,000 homes and the celebration of Native American storytelling through technology are among the stories told in this year's Curb magazine.
‘Dictionary of American Regional English’ returning to the field, virtually
Between 1965 and 1970, graduate students from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and other institutions hit the road to capture the unique character of the way Americans speak.
UW-Madison senior wins Rhodes Scholarship
University of Wisconsin–Madison senior Drew Birrenkott has been awarded a 2014 Rhodes Scholarship. He joins an elite group of students that have received one of the top honors in higher education.
Author Ruth Ozeki brings ‘A Tale for the Time Being’ to UW–Madison
Ruth Ozeki sees her work as a collaborative effort. She writes novels, but she says it’s her readers who finish the job.
Now you see it: Airplane images reveal sand dunes in heart of Badger State
Newly created laser images of central Wisconsin show fields of dunes, most of which have never been seen before, that were blowing in the wind as recently as about 11,000 years ago.
The sun also flips: 11-year solar cycle wimpy, but peaking
In a 3-meter diameter hollow aluminum sphere, Cary Forest, a University of Wisconsin–Madison physics professor, is stirring and heating plasmas to 500,000 degrees Fahrenheit to experimentally mimic the magnetic field-inducing cosmic dynamos at the heart of planets, stars and other celestial bodies.
Standing up to Socrates: Philosophy major invites more women to the table
When Macy Salzberger joined the Socratic Society, an undergraduate club for University of Wisconsin–Madison students interested in discussing philosophy, she was hoping to find like-minded friends eager to engage with her on complex topics: contemporary ethics, the nature of consciousness, and more. What she found, instead, was a fierce style of argument—and hardly any women.
The chemistry of color: Energy researcher develops dye-based solar cells
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers working at the intersection of basic and applied science focus on key factors like cost, environmental impacts ... and sometimes, color.