Category State & Global
UW–Madison VisPy data visualization project awarded Chan Zuckerberg Initiative grant
A programmer is working to make scientific data easier to picture, from creating images of spiral galaxies based on theoretical data to visualizing satellite imagery.
COVID-19 canceled their variety show; students raised $341,000 for charity anyway
Members of the group Humorology say the coronavirus pandemic only heightened their fundraising resolve. Donations will benefit children who might otherwise go hungry.
South Pole neutrino detector uses computing capabilities to aid COVID-19 research
The Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center is providing some of its available computing resources to help researchers understand how the virus compromises human immune systems and reproduces.
Meeting new demand for comfort food, SpaghettiOs were created by UW grad
Fifty-five years ago, Donald Goerke — asked to develop an easy-to-eat meal for children — created one of the classics: the "neat round spaghetti you can eat with a spoon."
Badger brothers: Saving lives and striving for a healthier world
Identical twin physicians Jesse and Joel Charles say COVID-19 "has revealed a deep unfairness," affecting the disabled, the mentally ill, and communities of color more severely than others.
Study confirms cats can become infected with and may transmit COVID-19 to other cats
Researchers advise that people with symptoms avoid contact with cats, and cat owners should keep their pets indoors to limit contact with other people and animals.
The UW Now: Experts discuss economic impact of COVID-19
Join a livestream and Q & A with a panel of experts from the UW community Tuesday at 7 p.m. CDT.
Math research produces better way to identify gerrymandering
UW mathematicians are analyzing how algorithms, not just maps, are used to gerrymander political districts. They hope to expose techniques that politicians might use to create biased districts, and use that knowledge to prevent it.
Wisconsin Partnership announces $2.2 million in grants in response to COVID-19
The funded projects include 11 community-led initiatives that support a wide range of efforts across the state to address the immediate health needs of Wisconsin’s diverse urban and rural communities.
Virtual symposium addresses key resource during pandemic: clean water
COVID-19 may have forced the event to go virtual, but it also brought the importance of its topic into sharp focus. “You can’t wash your hands if you don’t have water,” says Water@UW–Madison's Matt Ginder-Vogel.
Nine projects win Wisconsin Idea Fellowships
The projects, which are all rooted in the concept of addressing needs identified by community partners, range in topic from food insecurity, the disparity in education, civic responsibility and more.
Report finds regional health, economic factors are key to reopening Wisconsin economy
“Policymakers will need to balance the health risks of relaxing social distancing guidelines with the economic costs of maintaining the restrictions,” says Professor Noah Williams. “We provide metrics to help inform decisions on those tradeoffs."
Academy adds new members from UW who ‘expand the boundaries of knowledge’
Six UW–Madison faculty — a bioethicist, psychologist, philosopher, historian, geographer and chemist — have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Educational engineering games take stay-at-home kids to the next level
UW–Madison engineers and Field Day Lab game designers have developed options for productive screen time for kids at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
National scholarship will allow student to pursue graduate studies in early reading cognition
Lauren Schilling is among 18 college juniors nationwide selected to receive a 2020 Beinecke Scholarship, which provides $34,000 for graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences.
Researchers at UW–Madison lead data science coalition to aid with COVID-19
Early modeling results show that the speed of viral transmission has slowed since Wisconsin's first “Safer at Home” executive order, demonstrating that social distancing is necessary to stop the spread of the disease.
WARF commits $100K to scaling up COVID solutions
The new UW/WARF COVID-19 Accelerator Challenge is intended to speed development of prototypes and concepts that can be deployed in 6-12 months.
Badger Talks examines personal finance in a pandemic
Should you tap your retirement savings? Borrow or lend money? J. Michael Collins offers advice on these and other financial matters under the strain of current economic conditions.
UW–Madison engineer works with local health leaders to develop COVID-19 prediction models
The models use a swath of relevant, research-based parameters to predict the number of cases of in the region.
Extension offers guidance on operating a farm during the pandemic
While much of the negative impact on agriculture by COVID-19 is out of farmers' control, there are things they can do now to reduce or prevent the impact of the virus on the health and productivity of their farm.