The Wisconsin Week Wire — September 6, 2006
Top News
New ‘Think’ campaign encourages respect, inclusive campus climate
Members of the UW–Madison community are being encouraged to “Think” about using the power of respect and positive action to promote a welcoming and inclusive campus climate.
Anticipation plays powerful role in human memory
Probing into how memories of disturbing emotional events form, UW–Madison researchers have found that the mere anticipation of a fearful situation can fire up two memory-forming regions of the brain — even before the event has occurred.
Innovative course helps hip hop into the classroom
Youth Speaks-Wisconsin, a program by the new Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives in the School of Education, is using the appeal of hip hop and spoken word to reach out to K-12 students.
Research
Astronomers provide fresh look at nearby galaxy
An international team of astronomers, including scientists at UW–Madison, has created two striking images of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy nestled next to the Milky Way.
Hubble captures rare, fleeting shadow on Uranus
With the help of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have captured a rare sight in the solar system: a glimpse of Uranus as one of its moons, Ariel, and its shadow traverse the disk of the planet. UW–Madison space scientist Lawrence Sromovsky led the team that made the observations.
Researchers find new way to ‘sweeten’ key drugs
Probing a class of enzymes routinely used to synthesize some of nature’s most potent drugs, a team of Wisconsin scientists has found a new way to expand on nature’s chemical creativity to make critical anticancer agents and antibiotics.
Features
Achoo! Pollen counter measures what’s making you sneeze
Medical researcher Rose Vrtis is responsible for gathering the information that can make or break an allergy-sufferer’s day.
On Campus
Events calendar
Employee Matters
Forum to offer perspectives on post-9/11 world
On the fifth anniversary of 9/11, the Division of International Studies and the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy will co-sponsor a panel discussion on “Perspectives on a Post-9/11 World.”
Ironman Triathlon to limit traffic on campus Sept. 10
The Ford Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon will be held on Sunday, Sept. 10, and for the fifth year, the run portion of the competition will include parts of campus, including the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path.
Concerts, events mark Johansen centennial year
This year marks the centennial of Gunnar Johansen’s birth in Denmark, and the School of Music will commemorate the occasion with a weekend of events honoring Johansen’s memory and achievements. Johansen joined the UW–Madison faculty in 1939 as the nation’s first musical artist-in-residence.
WAA seeks nominations for Distinguished Alumni Awards
The Wisconsin Alumni Association is calling for nominations for its top honors, the Distinguished Alumni Award and Distinguished Young Alumni Award.
Computing security grows on UW–Madison students
When it comes to safe computing practices, UW–Madison students need some improvement. A new DoIT computing survey shows trends in technology use.
Nighttime is the right time for Arts Night Out!
A string quartet will play with fire, ceramics will get smoking hot and dancers will burn up the floor at “Arts Night Out!” on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Milestones
Multicultural Orientation Reception marks 25 years
The Multicultural Orientation Reception, which welcomes students of all races, ethnicities and backgrounds into the campus community, will mark its 25th anniversary at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, in Memorial Union (check Today in the Union for location).
Community
WARF launches new programs for promising compounds
In conjunction with the Keck-UW Comprehensive Cancer Center Small Molecule Screening Facility, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation is launching a new initiative for assay development and small-molecule screening.
Academy holds Middle East series
The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters will hold the weekly lecture series “Understanding the Middle East” this fall, intended to shed light on the problems of the Middle East and examine possible solutions.