Stories indexed under: College of Letters & Science

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  • Core sample Project explores mechanics of major earthquake faults Feb. 15, 2009 CHICAGO - Deep-sea drilling into one of the most active earthquake zones on the planet is providing the first direct look at the geophysical fault properties underlying some of the world's largest earthquakes and tsunamis. The Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment (NanTroSEIZE) is the first geologic study of the underwater subduction zone faults that give rise to the massive earthquakes known to seismologists as mega-thrust earthquakes.
  • UW-Madison computer scientist named to national engineering academy Feb. 12, 2009 A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor is among 65 engineers and nine foreign associates elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2009. Gurindar (Guri) Sohi, John P. Morgridge professor and E. David Cronon professor of computer sciences, has been ranked among the most distinguished engineers in the nation, peer-elected for their exceptional contributions to engineering research, practice or education.
  • Graduate student’s software innovation helps harness brainstorming Feb. 11, 2009 One success of the UW-Madison Reaccreditation Project gave rise to an even bigger challenge: namely, what to make of tens of thousands of open-ended observations about the university’s future? One clever software solution, developed by math graduate student Erik Andrejko, may end up finding a useful home with any organization in the throes of strategic planning.
  • Social Work to launch part-time master's program next fall Feb. 10, 2009 Many college students want to finish their degree and get a job as soon as they can after graduation, while others anticipate graduate school and earning a master's degree or doctorate in their field.
  • The Wisconsin Experience: Delta Program makes big impact on UW teaching culture Feb. 3, 2009 Teachers teach, students learn and researchers study. But the Delta Program in Research, Teaching and Learning turns teachers into students, students into teachers and both into researchers.
  • New evolutionary biology option looks to the future of science Jan. 28, 2009 Charles Darwin would be proud of the way the biology major has evolved during the last academic year.
  • Photo of Porter Predicting the future spread of infectious-disease vectors Jan. 27, 2009 As global warming raises concerns about potential spread of infectious diseases, a team of researchers has demonstrated a way to predict the expanding range of human disease vectors in a changing world.
  • Photo of child and woman Early childhood stress has lingering effects on health Jan. 26, 2009 Stressful experiences in early childhood can have long-lasting impacts on kids' health that persist well beyond the resolution of the situation.
  • UW-Madison sociologist named to key NSF post Jan. 20, 2009 Cora Marrett, University of Wisconsin-Madison emeritus professor of sociology and former UW System senior vice president for academic affairs, has been named acting deputy director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) effective Jan. 18.
  • Photo of a boat docked on a northern Wisconsin lake Study: Can nature’s leading indicators presage environmental disaster? Jan. 5, 2009 Economists use leading indicators - the drivers of economic performance - to take the temperature of the economy and predict the future. Now, in a new study, scientists take a page from the social science handbook and use leading indicators of the environment to presage the potential collapse of ecosystems.
  • Portion of cover of Sorkin's book Author examines relationship between Enlightenment, religion Dec. 18, 2008 In researching the relationship between Judaism and Enlightenment thought, David Sorkin found significant misunderstanding about the relationship between the Enlightenment and religion in general.
  • Image of collection specimen Bringing modern roots to a traditional collection Dec. 18, 2008 Ken Cameron joined the faculty earlier this year as an associate professor of botany and director of the Wisconsin State Herbarium. He cites the botany department — one of a relative few remaining university botany departments, most having folded into larger biology departments — as a strong draw, along with the mix of teaching, research and administrative duties offered by his joint appointment.
  • Photo of Antarctic ice shelf Study: Did early climate impact divert a new glacial age? Dec. 16, 2008 The common wisdom is that the invention of the steam engine and the advent of the coal-fueled industrial age marked the beginning of human influence on global climate.
  • Smeeding brings expertise to poverty research institute Dec. 10, 2008 Tim Smeeding knows something about horses, and about success. He strides to his office chalkboard, and in an animated style, picks up a piece of chalk and starts scribbling away. An equation comes into view: “Success = an idea, the money, and the horses to get it done.” Smeeding, the new director of the Institute for Research on Poverty, has lived out that equation many times.
  • Research study image Cave’s climate clues show ancient empires declined during dry spell Dec. 4, 2008 The decline of the Roman and Byzantine empires in the Eastern Mediterranean more than 1,400 years ago may have been driven by unfavorable climate changes.
  • Image form research Fast molecular rearrangements hold key to plastic's toughness Nov. 27, 2008 Plastics are everywhere in our modern world, largely due to properties that render the materials tough and durable, but lightweight and easily workable. One of their most useful qualities, however - the ability to bend rather than break when put under stress - is also one of the most puzzling.
  • Curiosities: What food was served at the original Thanksgiving celebration? Nov. 26, 2008
  • Kramer honored for research in end-of-life care Nov. 20, 2008 Research done by University of Wisconsin-Madison social work professor Betty Kramer on end-of-life care has won her the Distinguished Researcher Award from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
  • Innovative government ideas, programs sought for Gladfelter competition Nov. 20, 2008 Public workers with innovative ideas on how to improve the quality and efficiency of government in Wisconsin are invited to compete for the Lloyd D. Gladfelter Awards.
  • UW-Madison students bring geography awareness to local schools Nov. 17, 2008 In celebration of Geography Awareness Week (through Nov. 22), geography and education students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have teamed up to teach geography lessons to K-5 classes in the Madison area.