Melissa Schoenlein recognized for excellence with 2023-24 Teaching Assistant Awards

The Capstone Teaching Award recognizes dissertators at the end of their graduate program with an outstanding teaching record over the course of their UW–Madison tenure, WID is proud to have our own Melissa Schoenlein be one of the honored recipients.

Pours & Prose – A Celebration of Wine and Wine People

Pours and Prose is an exclusive, interactive wine tasting and appreciation event with WID Writer in Residence Michelle Wildgen. This event will be on February 23, 2024 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM and held at the beautiful Discovery Building. Get your tickets now!

Through undergraduate research, engineer predicts the path, impact of viral mutations

Schwab joined the lab of John Yin, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. That decision led Schwab to a three-year research career that has culminated in the publication of a new paper in the journal Virus Evolution.

Stem cell technology developed at UW–Madison leads to new understanding of Autism risks

Technology developed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to grow “rosettes” of brain and spinal tissue gives scientists new ways to study the growing human brain, including a recent study of how genetic mutations linked to autism affect early stages of human brain development. “This technology gives us access to an embryonic model of human central nervous system development that we would otherwise not have access to,” says Randolph Ashton, WID researcher.

2 NWTC students found a new antibiotic in soil at Pamperin Park

Two Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) students made a groundbreaking discovery of a new antibiotic in the soil at Pamperin Park in Howard, WI. This research is part of the Tiny Earth project, a global network of instructors and students committed to uncovering novel antibiotics from soil microorganisms.

Tiny Earth Winter Symposium at Lambeau Field offers giant perspective on antibiotic discovery

Students from areas across the state and nation will present their findings at the Tiny Earth in Titletown research symposium in the Lambeau Field Atrium on Monday, December 11, 2023. The event will showcase the collaborative and innovative efforts of students across the state, working together to mitigate the global public health crisis of antibiotic resistance. ““It’s a great opportunity to showcase the value of partnerships to mitigate large problems to a wide audience,” says UW-Green Bay Biology Prof. Brian Merkel, teacher of the course at UW-Green Bay and chair of the event.

Artificial Imagination: Exploring the Convergence of Arts and AI

Division of the Arts Director Chris Walker helms this year’s installment of the popular “Big Ideas for Busy People” event “Am AI Art Too? – How AI is Transforming the Creative Process.” Walker will explore how rapid technological advancements have propelled art and creative expression into new territory on Tuesday night, October 17.

L. lactis: The Unsung Hero of Wisconsin’s World-Famous Cheese

CaSP is bringing awareness a hardworking microbe Lactococcus lactis, which is the bacterium used to make cheese. Join policymakers, scientists, dairy, and industry leaders for a night showcasing Wisconsin’s overlooked hero and hear why Wisconsin should designate L. lactis as its official state microbe on October 24, at 5:00 PM at the Discovery Building. This event is free and open to the public.

Genetic Symphonies: The Building Hox of Life

The Marie Christine Kohler Fellows are proud to announce the opening of the “Genetic Symphonies: The Building Hox of Life” exhibit, currently located at the UW–Madison Genetics Department. Graduate students Katharine Hubert and Sharon Tang created the interactive Art+Science Fusion exhibit at UW Makerspace during their participation in the Marie Christine Kohler Fellowship at the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery (WID).

Connecting Climate Change and the Soil-Loss Crisis

Climate Change Coalition of Door County is focusing on soil during its 10th-anniversary celebration, The World We Make and is excited to have Dr. Handelsman as the event’s guest and speaker on September 20th n Bailey’s Harbor, WI. She will talk about soil’s role as a powerful carbon reducer, sustainable farming policies and practices to reduce soil erosion.

Computational tool helps uncover gene networks of cell fate

New computation tools described in a recent study published in Nature Communications, may provide key insights that will aid researchers to construct a more precise view of what drives cellular identity. “We are trying to understand the causal mechanisms of how cells transition from one state, e.g., a pluripotent state to a more differentiated state, e.g. a skin or nerve cell and vice versa. We want to know how different normal cell types emerge and what might lead to cells becoming aberrant.” says Sushmita Roy. To gain such an understanding “we are developing computational tools that can integrate large-scale molecular profiles measured for each individual cell in a population of thousands of cells to define these GRNs” says Roy.

Jo Handelsman Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Congratulations Jo Handelsman! The National Academy of Sciences was founded in 1863 as a result of an Act of Congress that was approved by Abraham Lincoln, the NAS is charged with “providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology and provide scientific advice to the government ‘whenever called upon’ by any government department.”

Wisconsin Institute for Discovery Announces 2023 Cultivating Connections Expo

The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) is excited to announce the 2023 Cultivating Connections expo, to be held on April 12, 2023, from 2:00 – 5:30 pm at the Discovery Building. The expo will feature a panel discussion on the importance of diverse mentorship in STEM, a dance performance from …

Federal Earmark Expands Student-led Search for New Antibiotics

Scientists worldwide are using authentic research experiences to engage college students in discovering new antibiotics. The Tiny Earth initiative, based at the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery, has already trained thousands of students in 30 countries. Congressionally Directed Community Project Funds will now provide $1 million to expand the program and reach even more students. This was part of the $1.7 trillion federal spending package that was signed into law by President Biden in December 2022.