Stories
Sustainability Study in Italy Makes Impact on Rising Senior
Even a short trip can make a big impact. UW–Madison senior Morgan Ramsey, a communications intern at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, spent two weeks studying abroad in Italy and calls it one of her most immersive experiences. The jam-packed program, UW Sustainable Food Systems in Italy and the World, is a 2-credit field experience through CALS and IAP. Open to all students who complete a 1-credit prep course, it draws majors from global health to psychology.
UW Tech Exploration Lab Student Projects Highlight Innovation, Emerging Technologies
At a recent open house for the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Tech Exploration Lab at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID) a partnership between the Wisconsin School of Business bold ideas and community impact come to life through the Tech Exploration Lab. Kevin Ponto and Jon Eckhardt, brought deep expertise in design thinking and entrepreneurship to support students in turning innovative ideas into real-world solutions.
UW Researchers Developing App to Easily Assess Home for Accessibility Improvements
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery researcher Kevin Ponto was featured on Channel3000 to discuss the development of an app designed to easily assess homes for accessibility improvements. Along with Professor Jung-Hye Shin, chair of UW’s Design Studies Department, they developed the Augmented Reality Home Assessment Tool, or ARHAT. The app aims to make it easier to identify accessibility enhancements using mobile devices.
App under development at UW could make it easier, more affordable to ‘age in place’
Researchers are using augmented reality to help make homes safer for older adults through a tool called ARHAT—the Augmented Reality Home Assessment Tool. ARHAT guides users through a process to measure key features of a living space and suggests accessibility improvements. By streamlining what can be a clunky and expensive process, the tool supports a more affordable, community-based approach to home safety. The project is led by Jung-hye Shin and Kevin Ponto from the Department of Design Studies and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, alongside occupational therapist and kinesiology professor Beth Fields.
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24 Hours with WID
The Wisconsin Institute for Discovery is abuzz 24 hours per day. From “eureka” moments in the middle of the night to methodical pipetting in the middle of the day, to gathering diverse ideas from across the globe in the early evening, something is always happening in our interdisciplinary sphere. Enjoy a sampling of the important work we do in each of these 24 hours and please come back periodically as we refresh with new profiles.
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