Archives: Events

In this Crossroads of Ideas conversation, we explore the dynamic life of memory through the artistic lenses of film and painting alongside the analytical lens of science. Featuring Viviane Silvera, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts 2026 Artist in Residence, the event highlights her 2025 Telly Award winning film See Memory which invites audiences to visualize a reality where abstraction, emotion, and evolving ideas converge. Created from more than 30,000 hand-painted stills, See Memory weaves together cutting-edge research and deeply personal storytelling to illuminate how memory works and how it can be reframed.

Moderated by WID researcher, Dr. John Yin, the discussion brings together creative practice and scientific inquiry revealing deeper perspectives on emotion, experience, and the mind itself. Through moving images and thoughtful dialogue, we will consider memory not as something fixed, but as a living process that is continually shaped by how we sense, interpret, and imagine.

Watch Viviane’s film, See Memory, ahead of our Crossroads of Ideas discussion here: https://www.pbs.org/show/see-memory/. While not required, viewing the film will add a wonderful layer of understanding to this event.

How do we manage when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines? What are our options? WID’s Marc Chevrette and Tiny Earth’s Sarah Miller discuss lifesaving drugs: how they are discovered & what we can do to keep them potent.

Failure is part of progress, especially in the fast-moving field of artificial intelligence. This Crossroads of Ideas event, part of our three-part mini-series on “productive failure,” brings together David Fields (UW-Madison Department of East Asian Studies) and Rob Nowak (UW-Madison Computer, Data & Information Sciences) to explore what happens when AI technology falls short. From real-world research that didn’t go as planned to the broader implications for society, this conversation highlights how failures can deepen our understanding, shape future innovation, and help us navigate technology’s role in our lives. Together, they’ll discuss what failure in AI can teach us, and how it can inspire innovation, critical thinking, and resilience.

Failure is often seen as a setback—but in science and entrepreneurship, it can be the spark that drives breakthroughs. In this first installment of our Productive Failure Mini-Series, explore how missteps, unexpected results, and strategic pivots shape discovery, strengthen ideas, and fuel innovation. Through real-world examples from the laboratory and the startup landscape, this conversation reveals how embracing uncertainty and learning from what doesn’t work can open the door to transformative success.

Quantum science might sound like it belongs in the lab or a science fiction novel, but its impact is already woven into our daily lives—from the technology in our phones to the future of computing and medicine. Join the Wisconsin Quantum Institute’s Aws Albarghouthi (Computer Science) and Matthew Otten (Physics) for a moderated discussion with Katerina Moloni, exploring the fascinating science of the quantum world and why understanding it matters for all of us. This Crossroads of Ideas conversation will pull back the curtain on quantum science, revealing its surprising role in shaping the present, and the future, we all share. Presented in celebration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

Join UW–Madison’s Dr. David Drake and Carroll University’s Dr. Mindy Waite for an engaging Crossroads of Ideas conversation exploring the dynamic relationship between humans and animals, both wild and domestic. From what we can teach animals to what they can teach us, how retrofitting animals into the human world has changed our relationships, and discovering new insights into behavior, adaptation, and the possibilities for living together in a changing world. Hosted by Director of the WID – Illuminating Discovery Hub.

Join us for a very special Wisconsin Science Festival edition of Crossroads of Ideas, where ancient geology meets modern creativity. This engaging evening features scientists Tyler Blum, Annie Bauer, and Emily Mixon, who have been studying the Earth’s oldest rocks – Acasta Gneiss (that’s pronounced “nice”) – and collaborating with local textile artist, Leah Evans, to bring 4-billion-year-old stories to life.

In conversation with UW-Madison Geology Museum Associate Director, Brooke Norsted, learn how these researchers and artist have explored deep time, planetary processes, and creative interpretation. Be among the first to experience the unveiling of Leah’s final artwork – an awe-inspiring textile piece created for the Geology Museum. Learn how curiosity, conversation, and collaboration turned billion-year-old rocks into an artistic and scientific celebration of deep time and deeper connections.

This event will take place in the DeLuca Forum in the UW-Madison Discovery Building.

Registration requested

Join us on Earth Day 2025 for a thought-provoking fireside chat featuring experts Hilary Dugan, Manny Teodoro, and Christy Remucal. Delve into the world of PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—often referred to as “forever chemicals.” Our distinguished panel will explore the complex challenges these contaminants pose to our environment and public health, their impact on water systems, and the urgent policy changes needed to safeguard our future. This conversation will shed light on the critical decisions and innovations required to address one of today’s most pressing environmental issues.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

All Crossroads of Ideas sessions are recorded and shared post-event.

This edition of Crossroads of Ideas is taking place in conjunction with UW-Madison Earth Fest, campus-wide April 21-29, 2025.

Join us for Crossroads of Ideas: Communicating through Creativity, a dynamic fireside chat that explores the intersection of art and science in shaping perspectives and values. Featuring Nan Li, an expert in science communication who leverages art to inform and influence public opinion; Casey Fletcher, who focuses on culture, justice, and diversity through creative expression; and mural artist Sonya Sankaran, who bridges the gap by using art as a medium to illuminate scientific concepts. Together, they’ll dive into how creative approaches can deepen our understanding and appreciation of the world around us.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

Part 2 of the Microbiome Miniseries, with Barbara Bendlin and Federico Rey

In this second installment of the Microbiome Miniseries, researchers Barbara Bendlin and Federico Rey will discuss the many factors that can impact brain aging, with a special focus on the gut-brain superhighway and the role that the gut microbiome can have on brain health.

Barbara Bendlin is a faculty member in the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology within the Department of Medicine. She is a member of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute’s Executive Committee and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Executive Committee, leads the Research Education Component in the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, and directs the UW-Madison Neuroscience and Public Policy Program. Dr. Bendlin is a recipient of a 2019 Distinguished Honors Faculty Award and is an associate editor of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Federico Rey started his independent research program in bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013. A major focus of his group is to understand how variations in the gut microbiome composition modulate the effects of diet and the host’s susceptibility to cardiometabolic and cognitive diseases. To address these issues, his team uses a combination of hypothesis-generating, sequencing-centered analyses of microbiomes from humans and mice, followed by proof-of-principle/proof­-of­-mechanism studies in gnotobiotic mouse models of disease and classical bacteriology experiments. The contributions from his team are helping move the field from associations to causal relationships and shedding light on the mechanisms by which gut microbes modulate health.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

All Crossroads of Ideas sessions are recorded and shared post-event. Due to popular request, we will also be livestreaming the Microbiome Mini-series. Please register through the provided link if you intend to join in person or via the livestream link which will be shared upon registration.

Join Dr. Richie Davidson and Dr. Jo Handelsman as they explore the intricate connection between the microbiome and mindfulness, and the immense impact they both have on our wellbeing. This is the third part of our three-part microbiome miniseries!

Dr. Richard Davidson is the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison. Davidson is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought after expert and speaker, leading conversations on well-being on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he served on the Global Council on Mental Health. Time Magazine named Davidson one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2006. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017.

Dr. Jo Handelsman is the Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at UW-Madison, a Vilas Research Professor, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. She previously served as a science advisor to President Barack Obama as the Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) where she served for three years until January 2017, and was on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin and Yale University before that. She received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Obama in 2011 and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

All Crossroads of Ideas sessions are recorded and shared post-event. Due to popular request, we will also be livestreaming the Microbiome Mini-series. Please register through the provided link if you intend to join in person or via the livestream link which will be shared upon registration.

Ready to leave Earthly bounds behind? Join us for an absolutely out-of-this-world Crossroads of Ideas, where astrobiology and astrochemistry come together in cosmic fashion! Plant biologist Dr. Simon Gilroy and astrochemist Dr. Susanna Widicus Weaver are your guides for an evening of star-studded discovery, diving into everything from the surprising resilience of plants in space to the chemistry that could hint at life beyond our planet. Moderated by Eric Wilcots, this event will tackle cosmic questions like: How do plants handle the zero-gravity chaos of space? Could the stars themselves hold the recipe for life? With Gilroy’s upcoming plant experiment on the International Space Station and Weaver’s quest to uncover the secrets of interstellar molecules, this is more than a talk—it’s an invitation to explore life’s mysteries among the stars!

Guest presenters Simon Gilroy, Susanna Widicus Weaver, and moderated by Eric Wilcots.

Dr. Simon Gilroy is a plant biologist whose research seeks to understand how plants and microbes respond to the alien world of spaceflight. He received his bachelor’s degree in botany from the university of Cambridge in England and a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He pursued postdoctoral research at the University of California at Berkeley before becoming a faculty member at PennState and then moving to his current position in the Department of Botany at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2007. He is a fellow of the American Society for the Advancement of Science and a recipient UW-Madison’s Bassam Shakashiri Public Science Engagement Award. He serves on NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee and is currently preparing to send his seventh plant experiment to the International Space Station in March 2025.

Susanna Widicus Weaver, Vozza Professor of Chemistry and Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin, is an expert in prebiotic astrochemistry. Her research, combining laboratory spectroscopy, observational astronomy, and chemical modeling, is aimed at understanding the mechanisms driving interstellar chemistry and the pathways for the formation of life. She received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Illinois Wesleyan University (2000) and her Ph.D. in chemistry at Caltech (2005). She was a postdoctoral fellow in Chemistry and Astronomy at the University of Illinois from 2005-2008. Before moving to Wisconsin in 2020, she was a Professor of Chemistry at Emory University. She is the Provisional Director of the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research at UW-Madison. She is also a member of the Chemical Sciences Roundtable at the National Academy of Sciences.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

Kick off an exciting three-part mini-series on the gut-brain superhighway with UW-Madison researchers Vanessa Sperandio and Maggie Rose Alexander. In this thought-provoking conversation, they will unpack the complex interplay between gut microbes, addiction, and immunity, sharing cutting-edge research and visionary perspectives on how these connections shape the future of brain and gut health in society.

Margaret Alexander is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison in the department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Alexander’s research is focused on understanding the mechanistic interactions between diet, the microbiota, and immune responses and the functional consequences of these interactions for autoimmune diseases. Dr. Alexander did her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Turnbaugh in the department of Microbiology and Immunology. She attended Carleton College for her undergraduate degree in Biology and the University of Utah for her PhD in the lab of Dr. Ryan O’Connell studying immune cell communication.

Vanessa Sperandio is the Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology in the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Robert Turell Professor. She was the Jane and Bud Smith Distinguished Chair in Medicine, and a Professor in the departments of Microbiology and Biochemistry at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She got her bachelors in biology, and her masters and PhD in Molecular Genetics in the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil.

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.

All Crossroads of Ideas sessions are recorded and shared post-event. Due to popular request, we will also be livestreaming the Microbiome Mini-series. Please register through the provided link if you intend to join in person or via the livestream link which will be shared upon registration.