Big Ten Network series to air

The Big Ten Network will debut “Impact the World,” a powerful new original series that shifts the focus from the playing fields to the world stage, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 8:30 p.m. (CST).

The eight-part series travels to all 12 Big Ten universities to spotlight the life-changing influence they have around the globe through research projects that inform the way we live, think, learn and heal.

The show will cover two stories on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. The first, scheduled to air Jan. 17, focuses on Engineers Without Borders, a student-run, non-profit organization that works on five community-development projects around the world. The segment will explore the group’s work as a whole, but will focus primarily on efforts in Rwanda, where UW–Madison’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders has built a rainwater collection tank and is building a health clinic.

The second UW feature, airing Jan. 31, will look at UW Health’s cardiac disease prevention, screening and rehabilitation program, which is one of the first in the country. The physicians who operate the program are considered national leaders and have been responsible for writing some of the major cholesterol-screening guidelines in use today.

Actor Dennis Haysbert hosts the series. The debut show will feature stories from Indiana University, the University of Minnesota and the University of Illinois.