The Wisconsin Week Wire — February 7, 2007
Top News
Dean: Biosciences can transform state economy
Few people have a better firsthand take on the value of university-industry collaboration than Molly Jahn, the new dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Research
Satellite leftovers to fuel weather, climate research
A spool of 1,600 gold threads formed the insides of a beer can-sized component in a space-bound refrigerator. The UW–Madison center responsible for the unit recently sold the leftover gold to fund remote-sensing research.
Physicists find way to ‘see’ extra dimensions
Peering backward in time to an instant after the big bang, UW–Madison physicists have devised an approach that may help unlock the hidden shapes of alternate dimensions of the universe.
On Campus
Events calendar
Center to be named for real-estate legend
Almost 600 alumni and friends have generated nearly $11 million in donations for the Center for Real Estate, which will be named in honor of the late James Graaskamp, a legendary figure in real-estate education.
Global legal studies center approved
The Academic Planning Council has approved a joint initiative to establish a Global Legal Studies program as an official UW–Madison center.
Undergraduate invention competitions slated for Feb. 8–9
Inventions conceived and built by undergraduate students will be the center of attention at the annual Innovation Days competitions, to be held Feb. 8–9 in the Mechanical Engineering Building.
Morgridge Center celebrates 10th anniversary with service conference
The Morgridge Center for Public Service will recognize its 10th anniversary this spring with a public conference on Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10, that will highlight university service at the local, state and national levels. UW–Madison alumni John and Tashia Morgridge will provide the opening welcome for the conference and will participate in events that will take place at the Memorial Union and the Armory and Gymnasium. Registration deadline is Thursday, March 1. The conference is $25 for the public but free to UW–Madison students. For more information, visit the conference site.
‘Lighten Up’ on Feb. 14
Although teams can register for Lighten Up Wisconsin until Thursday, March 15, members of the campus community are encouraged to put together teams before the campus kickoff on Wednesday, Feb. 14. To be held from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center (the Shell), the event will showcase campus support for the program through activities including a mass weigh-in. Teams of up to 10 people will have the opportunity to get on a large scale at the same time to gauge their team weight. To learn more about Lighten Up Wisconsin, visit Lighten Up Wisconsin.
Darwin Day planned for Feb. 10
The 198th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth will be celebrated on Saturday, Feb. 10, at UW–Madison. Talks by UW–Madison and UW–Milwaukee professors will be featured from 9 a.m.–noon in 3650 Humanities. After lunch, activities will move to the Geology Museum in Weeks Hall for an afternoon of displays that will explore how evolution is important to medicine and agriculture, among other evolutionary topics. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit Darwin Day.
Prominent communication arts professor dies
Edwin Black, professor emeritus of communication arts, died Jan. 13 in League City, Texas. Black joined the Department of Communication Arts in 1967, where he taught until his retirement in 1994. He served two terms as chair of his department, was associate dean for the humanities at the Graduate School, sat on the UW Press publication board and was a member of the executive committee of the Institute for Research in the Humanities. Black is survived by his wife, Sharon Ruhly. Contributions in Black’s memory can be submitted to the Houston Grand Opera, 510 Preston St., Houston, TX 77002.
Milestones
UW–Madison scholars included in ‘canon’ of legal thought
The writings of two faculty members and a Law School graduate have been chosen as among the 20 most important works of American legal thought since 1890 and featured in a just-published book.
Veterinary diagnostic lab head chosen
Thomas McKenna, an animal disease expert with 12 years of experience dealing with the implications of livestock diseases at national and international levels, has been chosen to the lead the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Community
Falling milk prices cause tough 2006 for Wisconsin farmers
A larger-than-expected downturn in prices for milk weighed heavily on Wisconsin’s farm economy, according to UW–Madison agricultural economists in their annual Status of Wisconsin Agriculture report.