News releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/3/08

CONTACT: Joanne Berg, (608) 262-3964, jeberg@em.wisc.edu

ZIMMERMAN REMEMBERED AS VIBRANT, COMMITTED TO A CAREER IN HEALTH CARE

MADISON - Brittany Sue Zimmerman, a University of Wisconsin-Madison senior from Marshfield who was found slain in her downtown apartment Wednesday, is fondly remembered as a driven student on the path to a bright career in health care.

A memorial vigil for Zimmermann has been scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 6 on Library Mall. UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam will lead the ceremony, along with student representatives from Associated Students of Madison, the Wisconsin Union Directorate and the Union Council.

The event will provide music and an opportunity for students to send a condolence message to Brittany's family. The rain location will be Great Hall in Memorial Union.

Zimmermann was a third-year senior in the medical microbiology and immunology department, planning to graduate in Spring 2009. After graduation, according to her personal Web page, she planned to get a master's degree in public health and a doctorate in infectious disease. She was on the Dean's List in fall 2005 and spring 2006.

Zimmermann worked for the UW-Madison registrar's office for the past three years as a part-time student employee in its imaging division. Registrar Joanne Berg says she was a bright, engaging student.

She was one of the first students hired in the imaging area, Berg says, and was instrumental in organizing the work done by other student workers. The area she worked in scans and indexes documents for later retrieval.

"She was doing a job that some may describe as fairly routine - sitting in a room and processing paper," says Berg. "She always made the best of it. She came to work with a smile on her face, she enjoyed her co-workers and was enthusiastic about work and about her future.

"The mood here is very sober," adds Berg. "Everyone is in kind of in shock. There is a lot of angst and concern."

Berg notes that Zimmermann took the past semester off to concentrate on her studies, "because she wanted to get into med school or grad school. But she continued to come around and stay in contact. This is such a tragedy."

Staff from Zimmerman's home department added that Zimmerman had a strong academic record in a very rigorous and competitive major, which focuses on infectious diseases and health.

Reporters seeking additional information on Zimmerman may contact Berg today at (608) 262-3964, jeberg@em.wisc.edu.
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