Almanac

Sold-out holiday science program to be televised
While the popular holiday lectures by chemistry professor Bassam Shakhashiri were sold out for Dec. 6 and 7, the show can be seen on Wisconsin Public Television at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 25, and again at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 28.

Volleyball team loses in second round of NCAA tourney
Wisconsin traveled to College Station, Texas, on Dec. 5-6, for first and second-round matches of the 2003 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship. The Badgers advanced to the second round with a win over 22nd-ranked Arizona, but then lost to 11th-seeded Texas A&M to end their season at 22-11.

Ice cream honors Ag Hall
A new Babcock ice cream flavor commemorates the centennial of Agricultural Hall at the end of Henry Mall: Ag Hallberries on Henry Malt. The flavorful treat features a pink sweet cranberry-based ice cream with malted milk balls and a ribbon of fudge. To gather ideas for flavors and names, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences e-mailed 13,000 college alumni, faculty, academic staff, classified staff and students. They received suggestions from 24 states and six other countries: Trinidad/Tobago, Switzerland, Finland, New Zealand, Japan and Iceland. Ag Hallberries on Henry Malt is available at the Babcock Hall Dairy Store.

Library posts 2nd-best sale
Drawing visitors from as far away as Kansas, the Friends of the UW–Madison Libraries book sale was the second largest ever, raising $21,096.98 after sales tax. The next sale is March 3-6.

Proceeds will benefit campus libraries and patrons through grants, book restoration and purchasing, equipment, lectures and grants to UW–Madison students who are doing research at Memorial Library.

Throughout the weekend, 45 to 50 volunteers sold or gave away 98 percent of the books, emptying 500-515 boxes.

Axe to go to Hall of Fame
The original Paul Bunyan Axe, given annually to the winner of the football game between Wisconsin and Minnesota, is being donated to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

According to legend, lumberjack Paul Bunyan once wielded the axe, which the Wisconsin letterwinners’s organization (the National W Club) created in 1948.

The Badgers and Golden Gophers have met on the gridiron 113 times. The score of every game is painted on the handle, which is running out of room and becoming unstable. UW–Madison’s W Club created a sturdier axe in 2000.

The University of Minnesota earned possession of the trophy this season after a 37-34 triumph on Nov. 8. Minnesota leads the all-time series 59-46-8. The schools have met every year since a 17-17 tie in 1907.

Backward Glance
From Wisconsin Week of Dec. 15, 1993: University officials anticipate a wave of Badger mania as the football team prepares to head to Pasadena, Calif., for the university’s first Rose Bowl appearance since 1963. … For the first time, faculty and staff are allowed to use dial-up modems to access WiscWorld. … The Faculty Senate approves the formation of the Teaching Academy, a place where teachers and scholars can debate issues unique to a research university. … Two campus committees look at the viability of older buildings on campus. The Athletic Board concludes the Field House is no longer suited for major athletics events. The Campus Planning Committee approves a $11.4 million renovation of the Red Gym, with plans to convert it to a student services and visitors center.