Category Society & Culture
Obama portraits break new ground artistically and culturally, UW expert says
From the day Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald were announced as the artists charged with painting former President Barack Obama and First lady Michelle Obama, Leslie Smith III waited in suspense for the reveal.
Chat tool simplifies tricky online privacy policies
A UW–Madison researcher has helped develop a unique online chatbot that can answer, in simple language, questions about specific privacy policies without requiring users themselves to weed through all of the fine print.
Roses are red; write a love poem this Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to think outside the heart-shaped chocolate box by putting pen to paper and writing a love poem. Here are some tips.
At forum, praise for #MeToo — and a call for men to step up
A call for men to be part of the solution was a major theme of the event, which provided timely context to the current national reckoning on sexual harassment and assault.
New seminar seeks to connect students across racial, religious boundaries
A new 5-session seminar called the "Necessity of Now" is aiming to bring students from different backgrounds together. The goal is to have tough, yet meaningful conversations.
“The Discussion Project” cultivates engaging, welcoming classroom conversations across campus
Leading a high-quality discussion isn’t easy, but instructors have much more control over the outcome than they might think.
Snow and cold? No problem for Badgers
Winter hit the UW–Madison campus in full force this week, with plenty of snow and dropping temperatures, but students are a hardy bunch.
‘Lift as you climb’: Celebrating the life and legacy of Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ DeWalt
DeWalt, who died Nov. 20, led the nationally-known Precollege Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) talent development program for 15 years as its director.
Medals for mettle: UW–Madison place in Olympic history
At the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, UW–Madison graduate George Coleman Poage of La Crosse won two bronze medals, becoming the first African American to win Olympic medals.
Six from UW–Madison are 2018 academy fellows
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters recognized professors in the fields of environmental history, geochemistry, geology, limnology, medicine and political science.
Wisconsin Idea Seminar brings UW to state
The five-day immersive tour helps UW–Madison faculty and academic staff engage with Wisconsinites, build relationships, and learn about the educational, industrial, social and political realities of the state.
People taking note of music hall construction and its surprising features
The facility will handle a wide range of performances — from intimate recitals, to ensembles, to groups of 100 or more musicians and singers. And what look like wagon-wheel windows are actually not windows at all.
Hora receives national book honor from AAC&U for ‘Beyond the Skills Gap’
UW-Madison’s Matthew Hora is being honored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) with its 2018 Frederic W. Ness Book Award, which is given to the work that best contributes to the understanding and improvement of liberal education.
Model, actor, dancer and deaf activist Nyle DiMarco to visit campus Jan. 30
Model and actor Nyle DiMarco will be coming to UW–Madison Jan. 30 to talk about his journey and being an activist for the Deaf community.
American Family Insurance funds a counselor to work with Odyssey Project students
To help participants solve problems, the Odyssey Project has hired a new counselor with seed money from American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation.
As Wisconsin tries to lure young adults, how do certain communities succeed?
A study of places that are attracting more residents found that it was always about proximity to cities, and about housing, schools and outdoor amenities.
Students give UW high marks for encouraging critical thinking, leadership
The National Survey of Student Engagement shows UW–Madison students gave high scores in the four areas of growth laid out in the Wisconsin Experience — intellectual curiosity, empathy and humility, relentless curiosity and purposeful action.
New robots, old stereotypes: Why do so many robots embody Asian women?
According to a UW professor, Asian-featured fembots are just the newest twist in the longstanding cultural “fetishization and overt sexualization of Asian women.”
Report: Focusing on advanced energy sensors and controls could mean 44,000 jobs for Wisconsin
With targeted investments and forward-looking policies, Wisconsin could capitalize on its strengths in sensors and controls for the advanced energy industry to drive economic growth and support over 44,000 jobs annually.
Cakes make for delicious, approachable science outreach
For 14 years, Ahna Skop, a professor of genetics, has baked a cake to celebrate each of her lab’s academic publications and graduating students.