Tag Research
Researchers study vital ‘on/off switches’ that control when bacteria turn deadly
No matter how many times it’s demonstrated, it’s still hard to envision bacteria as social, communicating creatures. But by using a signaling system called “quorum sensing,” these single-celled organisms radically alter their behavior to suit their population. Helen Blackwell, a professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has been making artificial compounds that mimic the natural quorum-sensing signals, including some that block a natural signal from binding to its protein target.
Down syndrome helps researchers understand Alzheimer’s disease
The link between a protein typically associated with Alzheimer's disease and its impact on memory and cognition may not be as clear as once thought, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Waisman Center. The findings are revealing more information about the earliest stages of the neurodegenerative disease.
Crone set to guide Graduate School into new era
This past week, Interim Dean Wendy Crone took time to answer a few questions about the mission and priorities of the Graduate School in its new configuration.
Project prepares collection for 21st-century challenge of invasive species
At the Wisconsin State Herbarium, director Kenneth Cameron is spearheading a new, three-year project to “digitize” images and data on aquatic and wetland plants, mollusks and fish from the Great Lakes basin. The $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will also be disbursed to natural history museums at UW campuses in Stevens Point, Milwaukee and La Crosse, and in every other Great Lakes state. Together, these institutions expect to digitize 1.73 million specimens related to Great Lakes invasives.
Blank GE Healthcare visit highlights partnerships in Milwaukee area
Chancellor Rebecca Blank is beginning her second year leading the University of Wisconsin–Madison much as she began her first year – by reaching out across the state to talk about the positive impact the state’s flagship university has throughout Wisconsin.
Yogic breathing shows promise in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
One of the greatest casualties of war is its lasting effect on the minds of soldiers. This presents a daunting public health problem: More than 20 percent of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a 2012 report by RAND Corp.
Census Bureau Research Data Center to be established at UW–Madison
The potential for interdisciplinary research is about to expand considerably throughout the state of Wisconsin, thanks to Census Bureau approval for construction of a branch Research Data Center, or RDC, on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus.
In directing stem cells, study shows context matters
In a new study, a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison has added a new wrinkle to the cell differentiation equation, showing that the stiffness of the surfaces on which stem cells are grown can exert a profound influence on cell fate.
New motor under development by UW–Madison spinoff
A tabletop motor using an entirely new driving principle is under development at the headquarters of C-Motive Technologies, a startup business that is commercializing technology from the College of Engineering at UW–Madison.
PSL: Still making amazing instruments after all these years
A century ago, physicists used a tabletop “cloud chamber” to explore the motion of otherwise invisible particles. Today, they need giant machines to explore the bizarre frontiers of modern physics. And significant components of the most important modern physics experiments in China, Switzerland, the United States and the South Pole can trace their roots to a lab across the road from a cornfield near Stoughton, Wisconsin — the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Physical Sciences Laboratory, or PSL.
Campus does anything but cease in the summer
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is host to boundless opportunities, happenings, changes and more — even when school’s out for the summer. Whether you were around to experience some of the new developments yourself, or taking a break from the everyday bustle of campus life, there was no shortage of activity at the university over the summer.
A touching story: The ancient conversation between plants, fungi and bacteria
The mechanical force that a single fungal cell or bacterial colony exerts on a plant cell may seem vanishingly small, but it plays a heavy role in setting up some of the most fundamental symbiotic relationships in biology. In fact, it may not be too much of a stretch to say that plants may have never moved onto land without the ability to respond to the touch of beneficial fungi, according to a new study led by Jean-Michel Ané, a professor of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Marsha Mailick Q & A
Marsha Mailick recently talked with University Communications’ Terry Devitt about the administrative changes to come, the experiences that have prepared her for her new role, and the challenges UW–Madison faces in the areas of research and graduate education.
No easy path, Mailick eager to take on one of university’s toughest jobs
If Marsha Mailick is at all intimidated by the prospect of taking on one of the hardest jobs on the UW–Madison campus, there is no hint of it in her demeanor, as she navigates the familiar territory of Bascom Hall.
UW center teams up with five states to address asphalt issues
More than 80 percent of major roads in the United States are still surfaced with asphaltic mixtures - and the liquid asphalt, a byproduct of oil refining, remains a bit of a chemical mess, an inconsistent, complex mix of hydrocarbons. So to understand how different kinds of asphalt will hold up under the weight of vehicles and the punishment of the elements, road engineers must use physical methods, from ovens to hydraulic testing devices, to inflict stress and extreme temperatures upon the mixtures.
After 13 years, Cadwallader steps down from top research post
In 1990, when first appointed as an associate dean in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School, geographer Martin Cadwallader had no idea what was over the horizon. Twenty-four years later, after rising through the leadership ranks and serving for 13 years as dean of the Graduate School and vice chancellor for research, Cadwallader prepares to step down from one of the university’s most critical posts. At the end of August he willreturn to the faculty and a cherished role as teacher and scholar.