Category Science & Technology
Line-skipping business takes top honors at UW–Madison innovation competition
Selected from among 35 student teams and student-led start-up companies, LineLeap received the $15,000 Qualcomm grand prize in the 2018 Transcend Madison Innovation Competition.
Tribal forests in Wisconsin are more diverse, sustainable
Researchers found that many of the differences between tribal and nontribal forests can be traced back to the lower density of deer on the tribal lands.
Four computer-science business ideas win, and one already has customers
Competitions that encourage entrepreneurship are fundamental to economic and social progress in Wisconsin, the contest organizer says.
How talking more can make you better at listening — to foreign languages
The typical foreign language class spends much of its time listening to fluent speakers, but new UW research shows that the students should spend more time talking.
Snowfall patterns may provide clues to Greenland Ice Sheet
A new UW–Madison study describes a unique method to measure snowfall on the Greenland Ice Sheet that could help answer some key questions.
Grad student researches native bee habitats in urban areas
In surveying Madison’s native bee populations, Vera Pfeiffer hopes to provide a better, more informed context for policies that can make the habitats we share with pollinators more biodiverse.
26 UW–Madison students awarded prestigious NSF fellowships
The NSF fellowship program selects high-potential scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers, providing awardees with support for graduate research training in STEM fields.
Waisman Center welcomes a center leader to director position
Qiang Chang, a longstanding member of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Waisman Center’s leadership team, has been named the new director of the center following a nationwide search.
Here is how a cat can hinder children learning new words
A new study found that familiar objects more interesting to children reduced their ability to learn new words associated with novel objects.
Researcher follows dairy cows’ carbon footprints from barn to field
A study by UW–Madison dairy scientists, engineers and agronomists to see how a cow’s breed and forage consumption affect the greenhouse gases generated by her gut and her manure.
Science Expeditions welcomes public to campus April 6–8
For three days this weekend, you can dive beneath the waves to explore shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, search for ghostly particles using a billion tons of ice and discover how we might grow food on Mars.
Is there life adrift in the clouds of Venus?
An international team of researchers led by planetary scientist Sanjay Limaye of UW–Madison’s Space Science and Engineering Center lays out a case for the atmosphere of Venus as a possible niche for extraterrestrial microbial life.
UW Sea Grant Institute awards $2.8 million in research grants
The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute—which is dedicated to the sustainable use of Great Lakes resources through research, education and outreach — has announced the award of $2.8 million in research dollars for 2018-20.
Spiders and scorpions have co-opted leg genes to build their heads
New research shows that the common house spider and its arachnid relatives have dispensed with a gene involved in creating segmented heads, instead recycling leg genes to accomplish the task.
Decades of research identify source of galaxy-sized stream of gas
The answer will help astronomers understand how galaxies, including the Milky Way, form and change over time.
Liquid-to-glass transition process gains clarity
While a combination of trial and error and scientific research helped refine glassmaking processes over time, controlling the creation of metallic glasses at the atomic level remains an inexact endeavor. “Our job,” says Paul Voyles, “is to build fundamental understanding by adding more data.”
When communicating with color, balance can be a path to accuracy
UW-Madison Researchers found that the best colors to use for waste bins are shades of white for paper, red for plastic, pale blue-green for glass, dark grey for metal, dark green for compost, and black for trash.
UW professor leads national study on effectiveness of mentoring in STEMM
The National Academy of Sciences study focuses on undergraduate and graduate mentoring of individuals traditionally marginalized in STEMM.
UW-Madison expands GIS professional programs to meet workforce needs
With demand spiking for GIS experts, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is significantly expanding its flexible and accelerated GIS programs for busy working professionals.
‘Free-range scientist’ Steve Carpenter remains inspired, inspiring — even in retirement
It’s been nearly six months since he officially stepped down as director of the UW–Madison Center for Limnology, but there's still much science left to do.