Wisconsin Institute for Discovery to Host Conference Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance Crisis
Tiny Earth’s 2018 symposium will feature experts on the front lines of the antimicrobial resistance crisis.
Stories
Air Force-Backed Center to Make Machine Learning More Independent, Predictable, Secure
Much remains mysterious in the realm of machine learning. The next generation of machine learning algorithms is expected to not only bolster national defense capabilities, but also benefit civilians.
WID Researchers Looking to the Future with UW2020 Awards
Investigators from WID are among the recipients of the latest round of UW2020 awards.
Kinetic Modeling of Virus Growth in Cells
A new paper in Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews describes how the steps of virus reproduction contribute to timing and productivity of cell infection.
Applying Control Theory to Algorithm Design Earns Laurent Lessard an NSF CAREER Award
Laurent Lessard is working to improve the algorithms and computer software that keep the modern world running smoothly.
UW Carbone Scientists Present at Annual Cancer Research Conference
One of the UW Carbone Cancer Center members presenting is WID’s Peter Lewis. His work focuses on how genes are turned on and off during embryonic development, and how misregulation in those genes can lead to some childhood cancers.
Undergraduate Nathan Wang Receives Goldwater Scholarship
The scholarship recognizes promising undergraduates who plan to pursue a PhD or MD/PhD followed by a research career in engineering, mathematics, or the natural sciences.
When Communicating with Color, Balance Can Be a Path to Accuracy
Karen Schloss and Laurent Lessard are working on a method for matching colors to people’s expectations to send the right message — starting with the best colors for waste and recycling bins.
Award-Winning WID Faculty & Fellows Hit the Ground Running in 2018
WID’s world-class faculty are regularly recognized with awards and honors from their departments, campus, agencies, and professional associations. In 2018, researchers at WID have already received awards for outstanding research contributions, service, and work in diversity.
WID Researchers Receive Awards to Fund Cancer Research
Mark Klein and Peter Lewis were recognized for their cancer research awards from The Ride, sponsored by the UW Carbone Cancer Center, at a recent Wisconsin Men’s Hockey game.
Small But Mighty: Nanoparticles Can Deliver More Types of Drugs, More Safely
WID researcher Shaoqin Sarah Gong is working to more safely deliver a variety of drugs to treat cancer, heart disease and even blindness.
Multifunctional Plant Enzymes Promote Protein Production
Newly characterized roles for plant histone deacetylases have implications for growth and development. The Zhong Lab explores the influence of the enzymes in both transcription and translation.
From WPR: Wisconsin Educators Look To Cultivate A New Generation Of Scientists And Antibiotics
The project Includes Hands-On Lab Work Testing Soil
Wisconsin Instructors Engaging Students in the Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance
Instructors from schools across the state are getting their hands dirty in the search for antibiotics by joining a new program.
New Hope for Stopping an Understudied Heart Disease in its Tracks
Biomedical engineering professor and Discovery Fellow Kristyn Masters and colleagues identified the early stages of a process that may eventually cause aortic stenosis, a severe narrowing of the aortic valve that reduces blood flow to the body and weakens the heart.
Wisconsin Teachers Converge on Madison in Search of Antibiotics
Instructors from eight UW System schools and more than a dozen other colleges and universities are taking a week out of their January break to meet in Madison in search of a crucial discovery — antibiotics.
Building Better Tools for the Big Data Boom
WID researchers are engaging in fundamental mathematical and statistical research to support the development, testing, and fine-tuning of tools for the future, finding new ways to make sense of the mountains of data that are available in the 21st century and bringing into view important applications on the horizon.
All-in-One Repair Kit Makes CRISPR Gene Editing More Precise
Error rates as high as 50 percent are a problem when the goal is to correct typos in the DNA that cause genetic disease. Now, a team of researchers led by WID’s Kris Saha has made the fix less mistake-prone.
Tools for Discovery: Sam Rikkers
Sam Rikkers was born and raised in south central Wisconsin but has managed to make his mark in far-flung places. A graduate of Columbia University with a Master of International Affairs, he has served the Peace Corps in Zambia, earned a Law Degree from the University of Wisconsin and served …
Mastodons, Brains, and a View of Mars: How the Wisconsin Science Festival Helps Bring Kids and Science Together
The Wisconsin Science Festival was a roaring success, with every corner of the Discovery Building containing something for people to see, hear, touch or manipulate.
Scientists Struggle with Sexism and Racism: ‘We Think These Bias Studies Don’t Apply to Us’
The Washington Post writes about the harsh realities faced by women and minorities in science presented by WID Director Jo Handelsman at the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington, D.C.
Randolph Ashton Continues Research into Causes of Lou Gehrig’s Disease
In August 2017, Randolph Ashton received almost $800,000 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of NIH, to continue a five-year research study of Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS), after successfully completing its first phase.
Communication and Policy the Focus of Two Science Festival Events
WID Director Jo Handelsman and the Catalysts for Science Policy were instrumental in assembling fantastic panels for mini-symposia about science policy and science communication geared toward graduate students, postdocs, and faculty but open to anyone interested in science.
Weaning Crops from Nitrogen Fertilizers: Examining Evolution’s Innovations
WID researcher Sushmita Roy and collaborators at UW–Madison and the University of Florida will use a $7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study how some plants partner with bacteria to create usable nitrogen and to transfer this ability to the bioenergy crop poplar.
Catalysts for Science Policy Group Finds New Home at WID, Focuses on Forensic Science Policy
CaSP is joining with the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery to amplify its voice on science policy issues. On October 4 in the Discovery Building, they host a panel on improving forensic science policy.