Category Science & Technology
With deer season on horizon, lab ramps up for CWD testing
Chronic wasting diesease (CWD), an infectious neurological disease, has been found in both wild and captive deer in at least 24 Wisconsin counties, mostly in the southern half of the state.
Noted educator, scientist and entrepreneur Mark Cook dies at 61
“His work embodied the Wisconsin Idea, seeking advances and solutions in the areas of health and agriculture," says a colleague. "He was also a man of integrity, who felt a deep sense of service and commitment."
UW–Madison ranked in top 5 for federal support for graduate students
A recent survey released by the National Science Foundation (NSF) ranks the University of Wisconsin–Madison fifth among universities and colleges receiving federal fellowship support.
Renewable energy flooring takes a step forward at Union South
A research team of UW engineers has installed a 96-square-foot, high-tech prototype that uses cheap, abundant wood pulp to harness the energy of footsteps and convert it into electricity.
Campus museums recreate ‘cabinet of natural history’ digitally
The centralized database will link five museums’ combined 9 million-plus specimens that span all seven continents, the moon and Mars.
Magnetic fields in distant galaxy are new piece of cosmic puzzle
A new study provides hints about how magnetic fields have grown into galactic-sized structures since the beginning of the universe.
App helps farmers make the most of their corn harvest
A new smartphone app developed at UW–Madison could save farmers time and money during the fall feed-corn harvest and make for more content, productive cows year-round.
UW–Madison team earns Hyperloop competition innovation award
The team, made up mainly of UW–Madison undergraduate engineering students, was among the top competitors at the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition II completed Sunday in California.
Interdisciplinary faculty build data science future in new institute
The institute, housed at UW–Madison’s Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, will develop fundamental techniques for handling increasingly massive data sets in shorter times.
Badgerloop heading to California for SpaceX Hyperloop competition
Friday through Sunday, Aug. 25-27, a team of UW–Madison students hopes it can clock the highest speed on the one-mile SpaceX Hyperloop test track during the Hyperloop Competition Weekend II at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
Charles Bentley, pioneering UW–Madison glaciologist, dies
Bentley was among the first scientists to measure the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the late 1950s. His findings resonate today as marine ice sheets are particularly vulnerable to melting and collapse in climate change scenarios.
Amid environmental change, lakes surprisingly static
Researchers found that over recent decades, water quality of lakes in the Midwest and Northeast has not overwhelmingly degraded or improved. But the meaning of these results depends on your perspective.
‘Virtual dairy farm brain’ aims to help farmers make smarter decisions
A UW team has set out to create an app to integrate all of a farm’s data streams in real time and use artificial intelligence to allow farmers to more easily analyze the information.
Course explores new field at intersection of genomics and society
Jason Fletcher is researching how public policy intersects with genetic data, what our genes can predict about how society functions, and how we should use this data responsibly — an area of study dubbed "social genomics."
Reflective art installation displays beauty, intrigue of genetics
Pictures obtained from Ahna Skop’s exploration of the cell — as well as striking images from other UW–Madison research projects — will serve as a basis for a traveling art exhibit, “Genetic Reflections.”
Coding for equity: UW senior works to make the tech industry more inclusive
UW-Madison senior Katie Zutter is working to help solve issues of gender bias and inequity in computer science, and she finds that inequities in tech only fuel her to push for change.
Swab the deck and grab the microscope: Wisconsin educators sail Lake Michigan
A dozen educators from Minnesota and Wisconsin have set sail from the Port of Milwaukee on a one-of-a-kind professional development workshop aboard the sailing vessel Denis Sullivan.
Biochemistry labs mentor high school youth apprentices
“For students interested in science and research, it’s great for them to learn how things work at a top-tier institution like UW–Madison early on.”
Survey captures global picture of air pollution’s effects on birds
Researchers sorted through nearly 70 years of the scientific literature to assess the state of knowledge of how air pollution directly affects the health, well-being, reproductive success and diversity of birds.
Attitudes on human genome editing vary, but all agree conversation is necessary
While about two-thirds of respondents expressed support for using gene editing to treat diseases, only one-third favored using the technology for enhancement, such as creating "designer babies."