The Latest
Tiny Earth In Action
The Tiny Earth Summer Symposium 2025, held June 11 and 12, brought together a record-breaking group of student researchers and instructors for two days of science, storytelling, and community. This year’s symposium featured 96 students and 26 instructors from 27 institutions across 11 U.S. states and 2 countries, reflecting the growing reach of the Tiny Earth network.
Sustainability Study in Italy Makes Impact on Rising Senior
Even a short trip can make a big impact. UW–Madison senior Morgan Ramsey, a communications intern at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, spent two weeks studying abroad in Italy and calls it one of her most immersive experiences. The jam-packed program, UW Sustainable Food Systems in Italy and the World, is a 2-credit field experience through CALS and IAP. Open to all students who complete a 1-credit prep course, it draws majors from global health to psychology.
UW Tech Exploration Lab Student Projects Highlight Innovation, Emerging Technologies
At a recent open house for the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Tech Exploration Lab at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) a partnership between the Wisconsin School of Business bold ideas and community impact come to life through the Tech Exploration Lab. Kevin Ponto and Jon Eckhardt, brought deep expertise in design thinking and entrepreneurship to support students in turning innovative ideas into real-world solutions. One project, Ember AI, developed by computer science students Kathan Reddy and Shobhin Basu, created an algorithm using computer vision, a type of AI, to identify and track stray embers. Reddy says working with co-director Kevin Ponto helped them fast-track development: “Every time we talked to Kevin, we instantly made like two weeks’ worth of progress.” Alzheimer’s app creator Aarya Deshpande credits Eckhardt for helping him connect with senior dementia researchers to refine the app, which combines health tools with memory preservation features such as photos of family members and details of their relationship to the user. Deshpande says he considers the app to be “interdisciplinary,” with both a “health side and a research side.” Through his own research, Deshpande created the initial prototype for the app and connected Eckhardt who encouraged him and putt him in touch with four UW–Madison senior dementia scientists who offered guidance and feedback.
UW Researchers Developing App to Easily Assess Home for Accessibility Improvements
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery researcher Kevin Ponto was featured on Channel3000 to discuss the development of an app designed to easily assess homes for accessibility improvements. Along with Professor Jung-Hye Shin, chair of UW’s Design Studies Department, they developed the Augmented Reality Home Assessment Tool, or ARHAT. The app aims to make it easier to identify accessibility enhancements using mobile devices.
