Student NewsLink
May 7, 2008
The News
Search committee names four finalists for chancellor
Four finalists will advance in the search for a UW-Madison chancellor, with campus visits beginning Monday, May 12.
Alumnae to speak at spring commencement ceremonies
Two high-powered alumnae will speak at the university's spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday-Sunday, May 17-18, at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will deliver the charge to the graduates at the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies on Saturday, May 17. Speaking at the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies on Sunday, May 18, will be Kay Koplovitz, a pioneer in cable TV networks and new media who founded the USA Networks and was the first woman to serve as president of a television network.
New South Campus Union to rejuvenate campus's west side
For 37 years, Union South has turned a cold shoulder to the campus. And the feeling, unfortunately, has been mutual. Unloved and underutilized, Union South's quirky design, and uninviting Soviet-style architecture will give way to a new South Campus Union that planners expect will be a "people magnet" that will invigorate the area.
Registration begins for new WiscAlerts-Text emergency service
UW-Madison is now enrolling users in its emergency text-messaging system, WiscAlerts-Text. The new service will be used to send critical safety information from UW-Madison Police in the event of a real emergency. It will never be used for advertising or spam.
Living & Learning
Time Magazine names Thomson one of 'World's Most Influential People'
Right on the heels of being inducted to the National Academy of Sciences, UW-Madison's James Thomson has been named to Time magazine's list of the "World's Most Influential People."
Students embrace Arabic in new International Learning Community
Arabic script runs along the dormitory hall of the third floor in Adams Hall. To an outsider it looks like an intricate design flowing among the plaster, but to the residents of Baytunaa (meaning "our home"), it provides direction and introductions to their fellow floormates. The Arabic floor in the International Learning Community houses five undergraduate students dedicated to speaking Arabic and learning about the different Arabic-speaking countries and cultures.
Biomedical engineering students design meaningful medical solutions
When junior Claire Flanagan graduates in May 2009 with bachelor's degrees in biomedical engineering and biochemistry, she might display her diploma next to an equally prestigious document: a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Flanagan is among nearly 150 undergraduates who every semester work in teams to design meaningful solutions to problems posed by clients in medicine, academia and industry in a unique design-centered curriculum that challenges students to experience and learn biomedical engineering by solving real-world clinical problems.
Engineering senior turns her hobby into cash
It started off pretty simply. Danielle McIntosh, a senior graduating in biological systems engineering, was intrigued by a friend who brought his Hula Hoop over to her apartment. She and her roommates would try out practicing with the hoop, and she found herself thinking about it even when her friend wasn't around. Two years later, that initial intrigue has mushroomed into Internet sales of hoops that McIntosh manufactures, a cash prize in an invention contest for her car rack for Hula Hoops, and the possibility of expanding her business after graduation.
Wisconsin Basecamp offers wilderness experience for new students
Incoming freshmen and transfer students are invited to participate in Wisconsin Basecamp, a five-day wilderness excursion preceding students' first semester at UW-Madison.
Around Campus
ODOS ceremony to honor students
The Offices of the Dean of Students will hold a ceremony to honor UW-Madison students who passed away during the 2007-08 academic year. There will be seven short individual memorial pieces played on the carillon bells by Lyle Anderson, each followed by a minute of silence to commemorate the life of each student. Students to be remembered include: Andrea Sperka, Tara Grant, Shreya Dixit, Bhagat Dhillon, Michael Mowers, Adam Nickel and Brittany Zimmerman. The ceremony will take place at the Carillon Tower at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 9.
Counseling canines to help reduce study stress
A group of friendly dogs will be inviting students to take a study break from 3-5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, on Library Mall during Counseling and Consultation Services' annual Pet Therapy event. The dogs will be on leashes and accompanied by their owners, all of whom are staff at the counseling center, an arm of University Health Services. Students can chat with counselors about end-of-semester stress and ways of managing it, while relieving immediate stress by petting and playing with the dogs.
UW-Madison research mixes with art, coffee
In May, 14 striking, larger-than-life photographic prints that are both comfortingly organic and starkly abstract will enable to visualize a scientific world that's rarely seen outside the laboratory. "Sights Unseen: Images of the Nanoscale" is an art exhibit featuring research images captured by faculty, staff and students in UW-Madison's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Nanostructured Interfaces and the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center. The exhibit runs throughout May at Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, 1101 Williamson St.
Special Cinematheque event highlights student films
Highlighting works produced in communication arts film and video production courses on campus, this 90-minute program is curated by the instructors of these courses and gives new filmmakers the opportunity to present their films on screen for the first time. 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, 4070 Vilas Hall.
Get a sneak preview of 'The Foot Fist Way'
This uproarious, full-contact comedy featuring one of this year's least likely heroes became a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007, as audiences fell in love with the seriously self-deluded tae kwon do instructor Fred Simmons, who talks a big, macho game but falls to pieces when his wife betrays him. 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 12, Play Circle Theater, Memorial Union.
Notable
Commencement, move-out to cause traffic issues
The southeast area of campus, particularly along West Dayton Street, will be a very busy and congested place on Friday, May 16-Sunday, May 18, due to five commencement ceremonies at the Kohl Center and the end-of-semester move-out at Ogg, Sellery and Witte halls. Motorists who aren't involved in those activities are asked to avoid driving in that area if at all possible on those three days.
Summer Intramurals: sand volleyball, soccer, football
For students staying in Madison for the summer, the Division of Recreational Sports is organizing intramural leagues for sand volleyball, soccer and softball. Signups for all three sports start on June 17 in the Natatorium Program Office.
Opportunities
GUTS hosts drop-in day for students seeking tutors
Worried about finals? Tutors from the Greater University Tutoring Service will be on hand to help students at its Semi-Annual Drop-In Day, and plenty of coffee and donuts will be available to give you an extra boost. 2-8 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, College Library.
Pulling an all-nighter? The student union buildings are, too
From Sunday, May 11, to Tuesday, May 13, Memorial Union and Union South are pulling all-nighters so you have the perfect spot to study. Free snacks will be available and some of the buildings' food counters will stay open all night as well.