Experts share knowledge at ‘Whys and Wows!’

University experts will again team up this winter to bring learning alive for schoolchildren during “Whys and Wows!” at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

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The event Monday, Feb. 21, is part of UW–Madison On The Road, a statewide series of events that continues the university’s tradition of service to the state.

Faculty and staff have organized more than a dozen interactive talks and hands-on workshops that highlight the excitement of discovery.

Last year, more than 1,800 students and adults attended the first “Whys and Wows!” program by faculty and staff.

“We are thrilled to be a partner in ‘Whys and Wows!’ for a second year,” says Jeffrey Wendorf, senior director of programs and outreach for the Wisconsin Alumni Association. “Bringing together university experts with the great exhibits at the museum has proven to be a great combination for learning.”

Museum leaders enthusiastically support the event. “The Milwaukee Public Museum’s walk-through exhibits and galleries provide a unique educational backdrop for UW–Madison faculty to share their research,” says museum President William Moynihan. “This creative partnership offers parents and teachers an exciting environment to present interactive learning to children of all ages.”

Among other presentations this year, visitors will get the chance to:

• Learn about “memory metals” that bounce back after you bend them and other “materials of the future,” from engineering graduate student Becky Torrisi.
• Get a map’s-eye view of southeast Wisconsin from geographer Zoltan Grossman, who creates unique maps on state history.
• Extract DNA from a plant in a hands-on experiment led by Thomas Zinnen, biotechnology outreach coordinator.