I&D

• Research on human embryonic stem cells marks 10-year milestone Nov. 6, 2008 Ten years ago today (Nov. 6, 1998), the publication in the journal Science of a short paper entitled "Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Derived from Human Blastocysts" rocked biology - and the world - as the all-purpose stem cell and its possibilities were ushered into the limelight.
• For food industry leaders, a meeting worth its salt Nov. 5, 2008 It's no secret that Americans eat too much salt, a habit linked to numerous health problems. At first glance, the solution seems simple: stop eating so much of the stuff. But, as it turns out, salt-a.k.a. sodium chloride-can't easily be cut from the American diet.
• Student entrepreneurs working to green the economy Nov. 4, 2008 While some students use college as a transition into the "real world," an increasing number of student entrepreneurs have asked themselves, "Why wait?"
• Stretching silicon: A new method to measure how strain affects semiconductors Nov. 3, 2008 UW-Madison engineers and physicists have developed a method of measuring how strain affects thin films of silicon that could lay the foundation for faster flexible electronics.
• Journalism students tackle real-time election coverage Nov. 3, 2008 As a history-making race for the White House enters its final hours, a group of University of Wisconsin-Madison journalism students are busy crafting pre-election coverage and preparing to cover Election Day with a campus bent.
• Doughnuts, politics and a look into Wisconsin's views and values Oct. 31, 2008 A knot of older men gather around a table in a Madison-area bakery each morning to laugh, crack wise, talk about politics over doughnuts and warm themselves with round after round of hot coffee.
• High-schooler teams with UW researchers to help Madison improve bike parking Oct. 29, 2008 It wasn't a bad gig for Kira McCoy. The high school student from Denver spent two weeks in July bicycling the length and breadth of Madison, getting plenty of sun and exercise and a good look at a community where she may attend college. But those were the perks, not the mission.
• Sea urchin yields a key secret of biomineralization Oct. 27, 2008 The teeth and bones of mammals, the protective shells of mollusks, and the needle-sharp spines of sea urchins and other marine creatures are made-from-scratch wonders of nature.
• Obama leading all Midwest states in Big Ten Battleground Poll Oct. 23, 2008 As the race for the White House enters its final days, the Big Ten Battleground Poll shows Barack Obama holds significant leads over John McCain in eight crucial Midwest states.
• Engineering teamwork gives bridge building a lift Oct. 22, 2008
• History of Wisconsin's wolf policy filled with compromise, meddling Oct. 20, 2008 To some, last month's federal decision that put the gray wolf back on the endangered species list in the Great Lakes region was an unmitigated triumph. Siding with the Humane Society of the United States and other groups, the court ruling placed the wolf once again under federal protection after it was removed from the list last March.
• Evolution’s hand detailed in Hawaiian lobeliads Oct. 16, 2008 A team led by UW-Madison botanists Thomas Givnish and Kenneth Sytsma details the evolutionary history of a diverse tropical group of flowering plants long viewed as one of the plant world's most dramatic examples of adaptive radiation, the phenomenon of new species arising from a single ancestor to occupy a multitude of ecological roles.
• Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English Oct. 16, 2008 Joseph Salmons has always been struck by the pervasiveness of the argument. In his visits across Wisconsin, in many newspaper letters to the editor, and in the national debates raging over modern immigration, he encounters the same refrain:
• Wisconsin Advertising Project analyzes tone of ads in White House race Oct. 16, 2008 During the Wednesday (Oct. 15) presidential debate, both candidates made claims about the tone of the other's television advertising campaign.
• Reservoirs promote spread of aquatic invasive species Oct. 15, 2008 The latest "damming" evidence suggests that manmade reservoirs are facilitating the spread of invasive species in Wisconsin lakes.
• Exhibition reveals passion for African arts Oct. 14, 2008 For those who believe a tidy, antiseptic workplace free of distractions improves productivity, a visit to Henry Drewal’s office in the Elvehjem Building will challenge that notion.
• New images yield clues to seasons of Uranus Oct. 13, 2008 Speaking in Ithaca, N.Y., today (Oct. 13) at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences, a team led by UW-Madison researcher Lawrence Sromovsky shared crisp new Keck II telescope images of Uranus as it changed seasons.
• U.S. culture derails girl math whizzes Oct. 10, 2008 A culture of neglect and, at some age levels, outright social ostracism, is derailing a generation of students, especially girls, deemed the very best in mathematics, according to a new study.
• Courses help growing railroad industry stay on track Oct. 9, 2008 there are few undergraduate or graduate programs in the United States that teach engineers to design, build and maintain railroads that are safe, efficient and consumer-oriented. However, UW-Madison offers a comprehensive continuing education program.
• Restoring order: UW Arboretum runoff solutions combine ecology and engineering Oct. 8, 2008 In spring 2008, a class of undergraduate and graduate engineering students studied a section of Wingra Marsh to learn more about the hydroecologic effects of the massive stormwater inflow. "Stormwater management infrastructure throughout the Arboretum is failing due to age and increased flows of runoff from the surrounding watershed," says David Liebl, a UW-Madison engineering professional development faculty associate who chairs the Arboretum stormwater committee.