Category Society & Culture
Hip-hop choreographer Duane Lee Holland Jr. to join Dance Department faculty
"We hope with this addition to the faculty we will craft deep, integrative, and long lasting changes in the way in which diversity is conceived and implemented in our curriculum," said department chair Kate Corby. "Duane's versatility as a teacher and artist, along with his warm and professional engagement with students, will be a great benefit."
June 1 jazz concert to celebrate John Schaffer, former School of Music director
In recognition of his contributions to music in Madison, particularly toward reinvigorating the local jazz scene, the Greater Madison Jazz Consortium's Jazz Junction Benefit Concert on June 1 will this year honor Schaffer upon his retirement.
A day in the life of a student tour guide, the red-polo-wearing ambassador for thousands of campus visitors
Often the first point of contact between the UW and the roughly 80,000 people who visit it each year, student tour guides wear many hats: trivia savants, de facto university ambassadors, academic advisors, elementary school teachers and dad joke connoisseurs.
Using motorcycles and 55-cent payments, Uganda groups maps route to health care in remote villages
By helping organize monthly clinics and lending to motorcycle buyers who are obligated for 18 months to transport health care workers, a nonprofit has connected health-care providers and patients in remote villages in Uganda.
New professor brings precision data to the dairy barn
The same technology that alerts a self-driving car that there’s a pedestrian in the crosswalk could also warn a dairy farmer that a calf is getting sick — even if that calf is mingled among dozens of healthy ones.
Social Problems Initiative projects selected
The topics range from farm-raised crickets as a food source to decreasing sedentary behavior in older adults. The two-year grants support research that promotes economic prosperity, enhances social and psychological well-being, and improves health outcomes.
First female valedictorian became renowned suffragist
Clara Bewick Colby was among the first class of six women at the University of Wisconsin to graduate with bachelor’s degrees. Later, large crowds would attend her speeches on women’s rights.
35th annual Distance Teaching & Learning Conference explores broader access to higher education
When the Distance Teaching & Learning Conference was launched in 1985, “distance education” meant sending VHS tapes to students through the mail. The tools may have changed, but the mission remains the same for the 35th annual conference.
Meet ‘The Monarch’
The newly unveiled statue, "The Monarch," celebrates the 150th anniversary of women receiving degrees at UW–Madison and was designed by artist Victoria Reed to represent female empowerment and influence.
Students facing finals get dog therapy
With Finals Week looming, students showed up to pet dogs and relax May 3, at a Paws and Relax de-stress session hosted by the University Bookstore.
4 faculty chosen for next cohort of Diversity Liaison Project
Four faculty members have been chosen for the Diversity Liaison Project, which provides a hands-on approach to offering more opportunities for campus leaders to actively engage with matters of diversity, equity and inclusion and to implement best practices in the classroom and beyond.
Tune in to WFAA’s podcast with commencement speaker J.J. Watt
J.J. Watt once dominated Camp Randall with his defensive skills as he played football for the Wisconsin Badgers. On May 11 he returns in a very different role: spring commencement speaker!
Pandey, Wendland land American Council of Learned Societies Fellowships
Both plan to use their fellowships to work on writing books. Nandini Pandey's will be called "Diversity and Difference in Imperial Rome," and Claire Wendland's is "Partial Stories: Maternal Death in a Changing African World."
Science goes to the comics at Saturday showcase
It started with a mispronounced word and the idea of superhero proteins it inspired. A few doodles later and Jaye Gardiner, Kelly Montgomery and Khoa Tran realized they had landed on a fresh way to communicate their work as scientists.
UW astrophysicists simulate the sounds of stars to reveal their secrets
“A cello sounds like a cello because of its size and shape,” says Jacqueline Goldstein, a graduate student in the astronomy department. “The vibrations of stars also depend on their size and structure.”
Four UW–Madison student teams among final round “Smart Cities-Smart Futures” winners
The competition promotes innovative ideas to enhance quality of life, improve working environments, expand transportation networks and living spaces, inspire creative city planning and promote sustainable energy solutions in Wisconsin.
Commencement spotlight: ‘Exceptional’ grad to enter Air Force Nurse Corps as one of its youngest members
On May 11, Delora Prange will graduate from UW–Madison with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. A few weeks later, at age 21, she is expected to become one of the youngest members of the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps.
UW–Madison student receives Udall Scholarship to further environmental work
Her goal, she says, is to create egalitarian learning opportunities and learning spaces so that all children have access to environmental education and the outdoors.
Research by team of grad students cited in Mueller Report
When news stories started coming out about Twitter accounts from Russia pretending to be American citizens during the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections, some UW–Madison graduate students undertook research to see how U.S. media handled those tweets.
Professor will study digital political ads with Carnegie Fellowship
Young Mie Kim, a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been named a 2019 Andrew Carnegie Fellow by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for her research on how targeted ads influence elections.