Looking back at 2001
In the wider world, the events of one terrible day overshadowed the latter part of 2001. It was much the same on campus, yet in most corners of this community, learning continued, pehaps even more urgently as we sought to understand past events and peer into the future. Meanwhile, campus researchers continued to announce new discoveries that brought accompanying new hopes for a brighter future. Here’s a look back at some of the news made and milestones passed at UW–Madison in 2001.
January
In the wake of controversy over presidential balloting in 2000, the Trace Research and Development Center staff demonstrate easy-to-use voting machine designs at a Capitol Hill event on electronic voting technology. The Trace technology, called EZ Access, is a low-cost technique that is easy to use for the average citizen, an aging population and people with disabilities.
Texas convict Christopher Ochoa is exonerated for a rape and murder he did not commit. Clinical associate professors of law Keith Findley and John Pray, along with three UW law students, lead the effort to convince authorities to test DNA evidence that proved Ochoa was not guilty. Ochoa’s exoneration is the first for the Wisconsin Innocence Project, run by Findley and Pray out of the Law School’s Frank J. Remington Center.
The newly completed genomic sequence of E. coli O157:H7 reveals how these potentially deadly bacteria are armed with a surprisingly wide range of genes that may trigger illness. A team of more than two dozen scientists from the Genome Center announce the completed genome in the journal Nature.
Reading the telltale chemical signature of a mineral sample determined to be the world’s oldest known terrestrial material, university scientists reconstruct a portrait of early Earth. Instead of being a roiling ocean of magma, Earth was cool enough to have water, continents and conditions that could have supported life. Moreover, the age of the 4.4-billion-year-old sample also undermines accepted views on the formation of the moon.
February
Food scientist Srinivasan Damodaran patents a biochemical process that could turn carp into a cash crop. Damodaran has developed a technique to turn dried and chemically stabilized fish proteins into a new class of hydrogels, the material that captures and holds moisture in diapers and scores of commercial products. The advance provides the first biodegradable hydrogel for diapers.
The ability to identify a note on the musical scale without a single reference point – known as absolute or perfect pitch – is a rarity even among musicians, but new studies with infants suggest that everyone may begin life with this remarkable talent. Psychologist Jenny Saffran, director of the Infant Learning Laboratory, discovers this latest evidence of the complex architecture babies use to acquire knowledge. The work provides another example of how infants and adults hear and process sounds in fundamentally different ways.
Third Wave Technologies, Inc. and the university announce a collaboration that will encourage new research to identify and treat genetic origins of disease. UW–Madison researchers receive broad access to Third Wave’s Invader operating system for single nucleotide polymorphism detection and gene expression analysis. The deal will provide Third Wave with future opportunities for technology development and product commercialization.
The Milwaukee Public Museum and university team up for the third annual “Whys and Wows!,” a day of exhibits and hands-on learning at the museum. A dozen interactive talks and workshops by UW–Madison faculty and staff are geared to children of all ages. The program is part of UW–Madison On The Road, an annual series of visits to Wisconsin’s major cities that build on the tradition of the Wisconsin Idea.
The university hosts a series of events that highlight many opportunities for international study, travel , service and employment generated from the campus. Expanding international education is a cornerstone of the university’s strategic plan.
March
An estimated 14,000 filmgoers converge in Madison March 29-April 1, to take in 110 films from 21 countries during the third annual university-organized Wisconsin Film Festival.
A novel telescope, buried deep in the Antarctic ice at the South Pole, detects and tracks high-energy neutrinos from space, setting the stage for a new field of astronomy that promises a view of some of the most distant, enigmatic and violent phenomena in the universe.
Wisconsin astronomers acquire a new eye on the sky, working through the WIYN consortium to acquire and operate a 0.9-meter telescope atop Kitt Peak, Ariz. The move paves the way for Wisconsin students to gain valuable experience conducting major observing programs on a big telescope.
Some of UW–Madison’s most creative explorations, from furniture as art to fuel-efficient trucks, are displayed during the “UW Day” showcase of how the UW System benefits students and the state. The event draws more than 1,500 invited guests and others to the Monona Terrace Convention Center.
A new class takes 25 students where the blues actually happens. Ronald Radano’s Blues Legacies course meets in Luther’s Blues Club, the nexus of live blues music in Madison.
April
The university heightens its commitment to continuing education as the Wisconsin Alumni Association and the Division of Continuing Studies launch a joint Alumni Learning Program.
The W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior opens in the Waisman Center. The lab uses sophisticated brain imaging exclusively to study emotions and a wide range of mental health issues.
David McDonald, current chair of the Athletic Board, is been named special assistant to the chancellor for athletics, helping to oversee key day-to-day operations of the athletic department. McDonald, who will place special emphasis on rules compliance and academic requirements, will serve in this new capacity during the university’s self-imposed three-year probation in connection with the university’s investigation and report to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA ) released in April.
The Land Tenure Center plans to assist the Sahelian countries of Africa in sustainable development and natural resource management efforts. The targeted region includes Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal. The Sahel’s ecology makes these countries prone to high rates of deforestation and other problems, and conflicts over land and resource use are rising in all the countries.
Among the many distinguished speakers to appear on campus in 2001, former presidential candidate and consumer activist Ralph Nader and political activist Afeni Shakur speak in mid-April as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series at the Wisconsin Union Theater. Nader was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century for his crusades against corporate negligence and government indifference. Shakur is a former Black Panther and mother of rap superstar Tupac, who was shot and killed in September 1996.
The Center for the Humanities presents its first Humanities Festival, “Jane Austen in the 21st Century,” featuring more than 30 events and 30 speakers covering topics including Austen as a teenager, Austen and war, and Austen in cyberspace.
May
Three faculty members – Larry L. Bumpass, Stephen R. Carpenter and F. Fleming Crim – are elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Charlene Barshefsky, U.S. trade representative during the Clinton administration, offers advice and encouragement to new graduates during spring commencement. Barshefsky received a UW bachelor’s degree in political science in 1972.
Ten interdisciplinary proposals are selected for the latest round of the strategic hiring program, which is helping chart new territory in teaching and research. The “cluster hire” proposals, chosen from a campuswide application process that attracted more than 70 proposals, will add 29 new faculty positions. The program has authorized a total of 100 new interdisciplinary faculty hires across campus. “This program has helped us revitalize our intellectual talent and organize ourselves around solving problems for Wisconsin and the world,” says Chancellor John Wiley.
The Dalai Lama’s deep interest in scientific knowledge that intersects with the spiritual aspects of Buddhism brings him to the university, one of the world’s foremost centers on emotion research. He attends a conference organized by Richard Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry.
Robert Pinsky, poet laureate of the United States 1997-2000, speaks on campus as the library system marks the acquisition of its six-millionth book.
June
University Research Park receives approval to acquire property in the Town of Middleton for much-needed future development space. The park will purchase about 113 acres of land for $4.4 million.
The “corpse flower,” a rare plant native to Sumatra, attracts thousands of visitors to a Birge Hall Greenhouse No. 8, blossoms after growing to a height of just over 100 inches.
Scientists in the Applied Superconductivity Center in the College of Engineering are hopeful about the commercial potential for magnesium-diboride, a recently discovered high-temperature superconducting metal, with their new evidence that alloying enables the metal to carry very high electric current at a high magnetic field.
University students explore the historical meanings of the Civil Rights Movement in a traveling class to be convened at locations throughout the South. “Freedom Ride: The Sites and Sounds of the Civil Rights Movement” is a class marking the 40th anniversary of the Freedom Rides, a campaign to challenge segregation and Jim Crow laws.
July
The famed Babcock Dairy Store reopens to the public after undergoing a major renovation.
The university receives the 2001 Digital Government Award for higher education for its My UW–Madison Web portal. The honor recognizes the most innovative, effective and accessible Web-based solutions for streamlining the business of government.
In a conference in Amsterdam, environmental scientist Navin Ramankutty and others describe how over the past 300 years, in an ever-accelerating process, humans have reshaped Earth’s surface. The impact promises to be at least as severe as global climate change.
Kathleen Poi, interim executive director of University Health Services, is appointed to the position permanently.
August
The university, already at the forefront of efforts to reduce high-risk drinking, announces plans to expand late-night alternatives to the bar scene and address issues of binge drinking, associated high-risk behavior and the campus’ reputation as a party school.
Gov. Scott McCallum sign the 2001-03 biennnial budget bill, which includes funding for the university’s BioStar building projects and the Madison Initiative public-private funding partnership.
A one-year trial of free rides on campus buses begins, with the possibility of continuing the no-fare policy beyond the first year for campus “L” and “LN” routes.
The chilled water systems that cool campus buildings are unable to keep up with demand of recent extreme heat and humidity, forcing Physical Plant officials to declare a chilled water emergency and shut down air conditioning to many buildings.
September
In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the campus sponsors a Library Mall program for the the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance that attracts 20,000 people. The university cancels classes Sept. 14 and athletic events scheduled that weekend are cancelled or postponed. Through the rest of the year, faculty, staff and students organize teach-ins and other events to discuss and examine related issues.
Mark Guthier, assistant director for program services for the Indiana Memorial Union at Indiana University, is selected as director of the Wisconsin Union. Guthier, 36, replaces Theodore (Ted) Crabb, who retire Jan. 5 after 33 years as director.
The National Institutes of Health and the WiCell Research Institute, Inc., of Madison announce agreement on research use of WiCell’s existing five human embryonic stem cell lines. The agreement meets the criteria articulated by President George Bush. Officials say the agreement will accelerate a field of research with great potential to improve public health.
The incoming freshman class is the largest and most academically talented in the university’s 153-year history. The class was chosen from 20,330 applications, another school record. Applications rose 8.7 percent over the previous year and have increased 55 percent since 1991.
October
The College of Letters and Science and School of Education announce that they will join University Housing in opening a multicultural learning community in Witte Residence Hall.
Undergraduate student loan debt has leveled off, and the percentage of graduating students with debt is also decreasing, according to the Office of Student Financial Services. The average loan debt was $15,140, down $810 from the previous year.
After nearly four years of hard work, the initial class of high school participants in the university’s PEOPLE partnership celebrate graduation. Designed for multicultural/disadvantaged students, the program is a way for the university to increase diversity and identify students with strong academic potential. Currently, 190 high school students are involved, with 45 in the first graduating class.
Researchers at UW Medical School’s McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research find the receptor that anthrax toxin binds to in order to enter cells. The finding represents a major advance in understanding exactly how anthrax kills host cells, leading quickly to death.
The University and UW Colleges expand a pilot program to meet the growing demand for an undergraduate degree from UW–Madison. The Connections Program offers applicants “dual admission” to UW–Madison and one of 13 two-year UW Colleges campuses. “Connections” students study for two years on a UW Colleges campus, then transfer to Madison if they remain in good academic standing.
The university establishes a support network for members of the community affected by a recent infection of E. coli bacterium. The outbreak is linked to a tailgate event held at the UW Stock Pavilion prior to a football game Oct. 6.
Final fall enrollment numbers reveal the largest student population since 1992: 41,511 students including 28,831 undergraduates and 6,099 new students, the largest group of new undergraduates in school history.
Peter Spear takes over as provost. As the university’s second-in-charge, Spear assists the chancellor in implementing the university’s new strategic plan, which includes among its priorities: promoting diversity and encouraging respect toward everyone on campus, regardless of race, religion or job.
The university and Dane County launch a new, student-generated campaign designed to help prevent sexual assault that carries the theme “I have the Courage, We have the Power to stop sexual assault.”
A new $4 million endowment will fund 16 School of Music graduate fellowships in the College of Letters and Science. The gift from Paul J. Collins, a 1958 graduate of the School of Business, honors his mother, Adele Stoppenbach Collins, who graduated from the School of Music in 1929 with a degree in music performance.
November
In a set of meticulous experiments, university scientists demonstrate the ability of human embryonic stem cells to develop into nascent brain cells and, seeded into the intact brains of baby mice, further develop into healthy, functioning neural cells. The process shows promise for brain repair techniques.
Michael Knetter is named business dean. The Wisconsin native grew up in Rhinelander and completed his undergraduate studies in economics and mathematics at UW-Eau Claire.
The university is slated to receive $15 million in federal funding for the first phase of a groundbreaking, Antarctica-based neutrino telescope. Ice Cube, as the observatory is known, is a next-generation subatomic particle telescope to measure and chart the path of neutrinos, the smallest particles of matter, as they pass from space through the earth.
Two Wisconsin companies born of UW–Madison research, DNASTAR of Madison and Gala Design of Sauk City, are selected as winners of the Sixth Annual Tibbetts Awards by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The awards recognize companies as “models of excellence” and leaders in innovation, job creation, growth and technology applications that have important social impact.
Gilles Bousquet is named international studies dean. He is a longtime university professor and administrator.
December
The common antibiotic minocycline, long used to treat infections in humans, may have potential as a treatment for multiple sclerosis, a devastating disease of the central nervous system. Study results suggest that minocyclinecould significantly decrease the severity of disease attacks or even block the onset of relapses, says Ian D. Duncan, neurology professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine.
Without the help of fossils or any other record from the distant past, scientists from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute say they have identified what may represent a common ancestor of all animals on Earth, a microscopic organism with key genetic traits that, until now, have been found only in true animals.
The university unveils a new institutional identity program that includes a new logo to replace the UW–Madison wordmark used since 1990 on institutional publications, Web sites, letterhead and other items.
Master chef, restaurateur, author and alumnus Charlie Trotter addresses mid-year graduates at commencement.
The university shifts to an Internet-based system for the distribution of student grade reports. Free paper copies are still available on request.