Discovery Building
WID Seminar Series:
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesUniversity Driven EntrepreneurshipRemote option available
Crossroads of Ideas: The Upside of AI Failure
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, 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 [...]
Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesFREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through Improv
Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, 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.
Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesFREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through Improv
Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, 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.
Crossroads of Ideas: How Failure Fuels Innovation
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesPart I in our Productive Failure Mini-SeriesFailure 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.
Understanding and Fixing a Broken Heart with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesFeaturing Dr. Tim Kamp and introduced by Lih-Sheng "Tom" Turng, Professor, Mechanical EngineeringEvery 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.
Crossroads of Ideas: Quantum Frontiers
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesPresented in celebration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.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 [...]
Crossroads of Ideas: Living and Learning with Animals
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesFrom the mellowest Labrador to the wiliest coyote, experts in animal behavior & wildlife management discuss human interactions with canines.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.
WID Seminar Series
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesConnecting natural and artificial intelligence in cognition and neuroscienceCollaborative Complex Systems: The Year of Discovery FellowsRob Nowak, WID Discovery Fellow and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering introduces Tim Rogers, WID Discovery Fellow, professor of Psychology.
Michelle Thaller: Cosmic Treasures
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesChasing Asteroids for Clues to the Origins of LifeJoin Michelle Thaller, former NASA science communicator, for an evening exploring the origins of life. Thaller, in conversation with Eric Wilcots, Dean of the College of Letters & Sciences and Professor in the Dept of Astronomy, will talk about the OSIRIS-REx mission – an audacious project to return a sample from an asteroid. No problem, right? Just chase down a small rock 200 million miles away, traveling literally faster than a speeding bullet, vacuum up a sample of its surface, and shoot it back to Earth. The story turned out to be more [...]
Crossroads of Ideas: Threading the Story of Earth’s Oldest Rocks
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesAncient geology meets modern creativity! Scientists studying the Earth’s oldest rocks collab with a textile artist to bring them to life!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 [...]
Finding Your Place in Science
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesA reflective workshop on belonging, identity, and the paths of science, guided by Madison author, editor, and writing mentor. All Welcome.Finding Your Place in Science: A Writing Workshop to Explore Scientific IdentityOct. 20, 3 pm, Location: 1145 Discovery BuildingLight snacks providedMichelle Wildgen is an editor, teacher, and writer of literary fiction and essays, as well as the author of four novels and cofounder of the Madison Writers’ Studio.A scientific identity – essentially, whether a person feels they belong in the world of science —is associated with longevity and success in STEM-related fields. But what does it mean to belong in science? [...]
Sci-prov
Discovery Building 330 North Orchard Street, De Luca Forum, Madison, WI, United StatesScience Meets Improv Comedy in this special Wisconsin Science Festival edition! Presented in partnership with Amalgam Improv.Join the Wisconsin Science Festival 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. In this special, fusion event, scientists Rachael Shields and Amy Koike will present their work in short, digestible presentations followed by brief Q&A, all of which will become fodder for the improv scenes. The improv scenes are created on the fly, unique to each show, and performed by a troupe of [...]
