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. We welcome you to subscribe to our periodic newsletters, support WID or follow us on instagram!

Nicole Anderson, Graduate Student, Baum Lab
It’s midnight and Nicole is running simulations from her computer.
Read more

The Yin Lab, Chemical and Biological Engineering
At 1am, most of us sleep, but the living world inside our lab incubators is wide awake. Cells are dividing, viruses are invading, and infections are spreading.
Read more

Rupa Sridharan, Associate Professor, Sridharan Lab
It’s 2AM and Dr. Rupa Sridhara has a “eureka” moment.Read more

Bryce Sprecher, Research Assistant, Virtual Environments Group
The middle of the night is a good time to start setting up data processing for long photogrammetry renders of 3D models.Read more

Chung-Yin Lin, Graduate Assistant, Turng Lab
The peaceful and calming atmosphere in the Discovery Building in the wee hours of the morning helps Chung-Yin to focus.
Read more

Hinųksgu Silé Shigley, member of the Indigenous Language Table
As the sun comes up, Silé starts up the coffee pot and thinks, “It’s time to check in on Radio WAZI.”
Read more

Francesca Long, Outreach Specialist, ID Hub
When many of us are still slugging our first cup of coffee, Francesca Long is on her way into the building to prepare for a special event connecting the public with science happening at WID.Read more

Natalia Rosario Melendez, Grad Student, Handelsman Lab, Plant Pathology
It’s time to “wake up the lab.” Natalia enjoys the low lighting at 7am.
Read more

Marcela Tabima, Principal Scientist, Saha Lab
Dr. Tabima gets right to work in the lab.
Read more

John Yin, Principal Investigator, Professor
First thing in the morning, John Yin is building momentum for the rest of the day.Read more

Minah Park, PhD, Entrepreneurship Science Lab
It’s 10am and Minah Park is crossing things off her list.
Read more

Nan Jiang, Graduate Student, Yin Lab
It’s late morning and Nan Jiang is researching defective interfering particles (DIPs) which may be harnessed to develop novel antiviral therapeutics.
Read more

Josephine Putnam, Research Intern, Tiny Earth
At noon, Josephine is getting into her “flow state” while she handles her samples.Read more

Azka Ahmed, Graduate Student, May Lab
At 1pm, Azka Ahmed works on experiments or analyzes data at her desk.
Read more

Dekun Zhou, Research Assistant, Del Pia Lab
At 2pm you will find Dekun Zhou thinking about theoretical proofs or doing numerical results to gain ideas.Read more

Ross Schwartz, Research Specialist, Saha Lab
At 3pm, the Saha lab is fairly lively with activity and so is Ross Schwartz.Read more

Rob Spenceley, Trainee - INTEGRATE
Rob and the INTEGRATE team are working together in the afternoons to survey literature, catalogue industrial robots, and analyze data.Read more

Austin Hall, Graduate Student, Handelsman Lab
Around 5pm, Austin Hall makes overnight cultures of bacteria for experiments the next day.
Read more

Andrew Hanus, Illuminating Discovery Hub Director
It extends the workday, but Andrew Hanus has gathered the 8 graduate students and 2 faculty who comprise the Kohler Fellows cohort for a meeting.
Read more

Jo Handelsman, Director, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Once a month Jo Handelsman is at an online research meeting with scientists in Singapore.Read more

Sam Mulrooney, Outreach Program Manager, Illuminating Discovery Hub
Sam is hosting science/art fusion events.
Read more

Colin Hemme, Communications chair for Catalysts for Science Policy (CaSP)
Colin is editing a podcast for “In a Perfect Policy.”
Read more

Sonya Sankaran, Science Illustrator, Muralist
It’s time to wind down and rest for Sonya. Her work can be very physical and she needs to regenerate.
Read more

Xiaoya Zhang, Graduate Assistant, Sridharan Lab
Xiaoya connects with many family and friends across different time zones.Read more


