Illuminating Discovery Hub
Events from this organizer
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Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesFREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through ImprovThis 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.
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Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesFREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through Improv
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Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesFREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through ImprovThis 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.
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Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesFREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through Improv
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Crossroads of Ideas: The Upside of AI Failure
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesWhat 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 [...]
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SoundWaves: Macro Scale
Hamel Music Center 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, United StatesThis academic year, SoundWaves is exploring scales. In this second edition, we will be zooming out to the macro scale!
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Crossroads of Ideas: When Antibiotics Fail
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesPart 3 in the productive failure miniseries!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.
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Crossroads of Ideas: Memory in Motion
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesArt, Science, and the Living Nature of Memory- featuring Viviane Silveras, John Yin, and hosted by Guy Thorne.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 [...]
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SoundWaves: Astronomical Scale
Hamel Music Center 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, United StatesThis academic year, SoundWaves is exploring scales. In this final edition, we will be zooming WAY out to the Astronomical scale!SoundWaves combines scientific lectures about the world with live classical music performances. Each event revolves around a theme, exploring it first from many scientific angles and then through the lens of music. The program starts and concludes with a live performance of music related to the evening’s theme.On April 24, 2026, SoundWaves wraps up the academic year of exploration of scale with Astronomical Scale. How can we understand the hugeness of the universe? How do we build the robotics to explore [...]
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Sci-prov
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesScience Meets Improv ComedyJoin the Illuminating Discovery Hub and Amalgam Improv for an evening fusing science and spontaneous improv comedy like no other at Sci-Prov!Sci-prov combines science and improv in creative, funny, and never before seen ways. Scientists will present their work in short, digestible presentations followed by brief Q&A, all of which can become fodder for the improv scenes. The improv scenes are created on the fly & unique to each show.Light refreshments and cash bar available. Tickets are free and registration is requested to ensure adequate seating.Parking: The closest parking ramps to the Discovery building are Lot 80 (Union [...]
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Sci-prov: The Workshops – Message Crafting (Fall Session)
Discovery Building - Room 1145 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, United StatesFree workshop! Better science communication through improv. This fall workshop will focus on message crafting!Workshop Topic: Message CraftingThis workshop focuses on individuals practicing the delivery of their own messages. Activities focus on refining their messages without jargon, varying timelengths, enhancing stories with emotion, and pivoting when needed.This workshop will take place in room 1145 in the Discovery Building.Space is limited - RSVP required!These 2-hour workshops are 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 [...]
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Sci-prov: The Workshops – Listening & Empathy (Fall Session)
Discovery Building - Room 1145 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, United StatesFREE WORKSHOP! Better science communication through improv. This workshop will focus on listening and empathy!Workshop Topic: Listening + EmpathyThis workshop focuses on absorbing information from colleagues and listening for understanding. Activities focus on listening to partners beyond words and distilling messages to core values and beliefs for building bridges with collaborators and the public.emotion, and pivoting when needed.This workshop will take place in room 1145 in the Discovery Building.Space is limited - RSVP required!These 2-hour workshops are 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 [...]
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Crossroads of Ideas: Funding the Future of Science
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesPart of the 2026 Wisconsin Science Festival!Crossroads of Ideas: Funding the Future of ScienceHow America Funds Discovery – Research, Innovation, and What Comes NextTuesday, October 20 – 7pm – Discovery Building, Deluca ForumHow we fund research shapes what questions get asked, which ideas have the opportunity to grow, and how discoveries move into the world. For decades, the U.S. has relied heavily on a university-centered model, but the landscape of research funding is evolving, with new approaches and priorities emerging.Join us for a conversation about the future of research funding in America. Panelists Sam Rikkers (Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.), Dorota Brzezinska [...]
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Sci-prov: The Show
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, Orchard View Room, Madison, WI, United StatesWhere Science Meets Improv Comedy! Learn, laugh, improv.Join the Illuminating Discovery Hub and Amalgam Improv for an evening fusing science and spontaneous improv comedy like no other at Sci-Prov!Sci-prov combines science and improv in creative, funny, and never before seen ways. Scientists will present their work in short, digestible presentations followed by brief Q&A, all of which can become fodder for the improv scenes. The improv scenes are created on the fly & unique to each show.Light refreshments and cash bar available. Tickets are free and registration is requested to ensure adequate seating.We value inclusion and access for all participants. If [...]
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SoundWaves: Origins – The Birth of Everything
Hamel Music Center 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, United StatesJoin us for the first in the new series of SoundWaves where will explore the origins of life, the universe, and everything!Where do we come from? Where does anything come from? This new series of SoundWaves brings together leading academic researchers and live music to explore origins at every scale - from the birth of the universe to the first human communities. Each edition pairs scholars from distinct disciplines with a musical program to answer the oldest questions we know.This event will take place in Collins Recital Hall in the Hamel Music Center.This first SoundWaves event of the year launches our [...]
