Wisconsin Institute for Discovery

Commencement
2025-12-14 10:00 - 12:30 (America/Chicago)
CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu

Understanding and Fixing a Broken Heart with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
2025-12-16 13:00 - 14:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Featuring Dr. Tim Kamp and introduced by Lih-Sheng “Tom” Turng, Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Every month, WID labs and Discovery Fellows present their exploration of complex systems, focusing on resilience, robustness, and adaptability. A colleague in a different discipliine introduces each talk from their perspective. The talks take place int he Orchard View Room and are open to the public. There is also a virtual viewing options.

Indigenous Language Table
2025-12-17 13:00 - 14:15, 2026-01-21 13:00 - 14:15, 2026-01-28 13:00 - 14:15, 2026-02-04 13:00 - 14:15, 2026-02-11 13:00 - 14:15, 2026-02-18 13:00 - 14:15 | 1145 Discovery Building
A safe place to practice indigneous languages. An Indigenous Language Table supports learners in developing spoken skills beyond the classroom, building community, strengthening purpose, and normalizing Indigenous languages through representation. It welcomes former students and ongoing learners, community members from classes or self study, and anyone interested in Indigenous languages and people.
CONTACT: 316-4325, lredeagle@wisc.edu
URL: https://illuminatingdiscovery.wisc.edu/indigenous-language-table/

Exams End
2025-12-18
*Note: actual end time may vary.*
CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu

Software Carpentry
2026-01-12 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-13 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-14 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-15 09:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-16 09:00 - 13:00
Researchers learning unix shell, git/GitHub, Python. Software Carpentry aims to help researchers get their work done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic research computing skills. This hands-on workshop will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. This workshop teaches intro to the unix shell, git/GitHub, and python. Registration required.
CONTACT: 815-383-3279, sarah.stevens@wisc.edu
URL: https://uw-madison-datascience.github.io/2026-01-12-uwmadison-swc/

Faculty Meeting
2026-01-15 13:00 - 14:30 | Board Room, Discovery Building
CONTACT: mturrubiarte@wisc.edu

WID Seminar Series:
2026-01-16 10:00 - 11:15 | Orchard View Room 3280, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
Federico Rey.
CONTACT: media@wid.wisc.edu
URL: https://wid.wisc.edu/all-events/wid-seminar-series/
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/98293855424

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
2026-01-19
*Note: actual end time may vary.*
No classes. University offices are closed..
CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu

Spring Semester Instruction Begins
2026-01-20

Crossroads of Ideas: How Failure Fuels Innovation
2026-01-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Part I in our Productive Failure Mini-Series

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.

Crossroads of Ideas:
2026-01-28 19:00 - 20:00 | 3rd Floor Orchard View Room, Discovery Building
How Failure Fuels Innovation. Part I in our Productive Failure Series
URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crossroads-of-ideas-why-failure-fuels-innovation-tickets-1975643154859

Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
2026-01-30 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-02-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
FREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through Improv

This 2-hour workshop is designed for graduate students, post-docs, staff, and faculty in STEM related fields who want to sharpen their ability to communicate effectively and adaptively. In research and industry alike, ideas often need to be shared in real time with diverse audiences- from colleagues and collaborators to decision-makers and the public. This session provides a lively, low-stakes space to build confidence in handling the unexpected and the ability to pivot one’s communication. Through fun applied improv practice, participants will experiment with spontaneous speaking, respond to mistakes, and network.

Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
2026-01-30 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-02-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
FREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through Improv

Deploying RAG (cloud vs. GB10): WattBot 2025 case study
2026-02-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Orchard View Room, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
ML+X Forum.
CONTACT: endemann@wisc.edu
URL: https://forms.gle/Pjx18MUjReYTDLTd7
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/92639425571?pwd=[REDACTED]

CHTC Researcher Forum
2026-02-17 14:00 - 16:30 | 7th Floor Seminar Room, Morgridge Hall
Connect with the CHTC research computing community! Hear about what we’re working on, how other users are leveraging compute resources, and share your feedback and your research!. The CHTC Researcher Forum is an annual event to connect CHTC users, announce new and exciting updates, and hear from our users. You’ll hear about what we’re working on, how other users are leveraging compute resources, and have the opportunity to share your feedback and your research!
All CHTC users (undergraduate, graduate, postdoc, staff, PI) and those in the research computing community are invited to attend. Registration is encouraged.
CONTACT: chtc@cs.wisc.edu
URL: https://chtc.cs.wisc.edu/uw-research-computing/researcher-forum-2026

ML+Coffee: GB10/DGX-Spark, "OpenScholar" RAG, and more
2026-02-18 09:00 - 11:00 | 1145 Discovery Building
ML+X Networking & Coworking.
CONTACT: endemann@wisc.edu
URL: https://forms.gle/dHavKeyBTt5TgXKC8

Crossroads of Ideas: The Upside of AI Failure
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
What failure in AI can teach us, and how it can inspire innovation, critical thinking, and resilience.

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.

Crossroads of Ideas:
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:00 | H.F. DeLuca Forum, Discovery Building
Upside of AI Failure. Part II in our Productive Failure Mini-Series
What failure in AI can teach us, and how it can inspire innovation, critical thinking, and resilience.
URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crossroads-of-ideas-the-upside-of-ai-failure-tickets-1975825908480

WID Seminar Series:
2026-02-24 13:00 - 14:15 | Orchard View Room 3280, Discovery Building (Also offered online)
Rob Nowak.
CONTACT: media@wid.wisc.edu
URL: https://wid.wisc.edu/all-events/wid-seminar-series/
ONLINE: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/98293855424
