Science Outreach on Campus
Sharing Science With Wisconsin

UW-Madison Science Alliance Updater – March 1, 2021

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UW-Madison Science Alliance Updater
1 March 2021  
 
Hi Everyone,
 
Ah, March 1.  The first day of Meteorological Spring every year.  The Opening Day of Week 2 of the Big Melt this year.  The temperatures they are a-changing.
 
When I was a kid, every February my Grandpa and Grandma Deutsch would go for a three-week drive starting from Dixon, Illinois and heading to Florida one year, to Louisiana and Texas the next, to Arizona the third, and then back to Florida to re-set the cycle.  Grandpa Deutsch said that leaving around February 10 and coming home around March 1 cut the gut outa winter, especially since he calculated using the astronomical seasons that dragged winter out another three weeks til the spring equinox.
At our house my parents taped a big US map to the wall in the kitchen so that we could trace my grandparents’ travels day by day, and year by year.   For me the map became a source of travel-envy and wanderlust: alas, by age 13 I’d ventured only as far west as Davenport, Iowa; as far south as Champaign, Illinois; as far east as Chicago; and as far north as Milwaukee. That wall map, with its different colors of pencil tracing the routes of each succeeding year, became a chart of treks to parts unknown, at least unknown to me. 
 
Maps help us see where we might go, help us share with others what we’ve learned on our travels, and help us inspire others to go discovering themselves.  To help people to see, to share, and to inspire have also been the aspirations of the yearly UW Science Expeditions maps of campus whereon we mark our Destinations for Explorations.  This year, we’ll have a newer way to plot out our online Destinations as well as our Outdoor places where X really does Mark The Spot.  But the invitation to our visitors is the same :  Come explore!
 
If you’re a researcher or outreacher in the sciences on campus, I hope you’ll register to share your science during the UW Science Expeditions Open House coming up on April 9 to 11.  It’d be great to have you be a part of the chart that welcomes visitors to explore the people, places & programs in science here at UW-Madison.  
 
Thanks again!
 
Tom Zinnen
 
 
Note: please visit https://science.wisc.edu/science-alliance/ for the Updater archive.
 
Notable This Week
 
1.  Science Alliance meets weekly by Webex at 10:00 am Mondays, including March 1. Email Liz Jesse at ejesse2@wisc.edu or Tom Zinnen at zinnen@biotech.wisc.edu to receive the link. The meeting notes are archived on https://science.wisc.edu/science-alliance/.   
 
The draft agenda for Monday, March 1 at 10am includes:
 
  • Welcome
  • Updates
  • Science Expeditions Campus-wide Open House April 9-11:  
  • Other announcements or topics  
 
2.  Please invite your colleagues in research & outreach to participate in the 
2021 UW Science Expeditions Open House on April 9, 10 and 11.
 
Exploration Stations: online, live or recorded.  
Online Tours of Destinations for Explorations.  
Science Spectaculars. 
Outdoor Events in Person or Online.
 
3.  Programming Events coming this week and soon:
  • The UW Now Livestream.  Tuesday March 2 at 7pm CST.  “Restaurants Today and in the Future” featuring:
    Craig Culver — cofounder and former chief executive officer of Culver Franchising System, Inc.
    Kim Ruhl — associate professor of economics, and associate director of the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy (CROWE)
    Gabriel Stulman — chief executive officer and founder of Happy Cooking Hospitality
    Caitlin Suemnicht — chief operating officer of Food Fight Restaurant Group
  • “Wednesday Nite @ The Lab” public science seminar, by Zoom.  Wednesdays at 7 pm CT.  Every Wednesday night, 50 times a year.   Adrian Treves, Nelson Institute, “Wolf Policy and Its Effects on Illegal Killing, Human Tolerance, and Recovery”
 

4.  Upcoming Lineup for Wednesday Nite @ The Lab online by zoom starting at 7pm Central.  
Schedule and descriptions at https://science.wisc.edu/wednesday-nite-at-the-lab/

March 3  Adrian Treves, Nelson Institute. “Wolf Policy and Its Effects on Illegal Killing, Human Tolerance, and Recovery” Register at https://go.wisc.edu/240r59
 
March 10  Kerri Coon, Bacteriology.  “Why Mosquitoes Love You (and Other Things You Never Knew about Mosquitoes and Their Microbiome)” Register at https://go.wisc.edu/240r59
March 17  Corinna Burger, Neurology.  “Use It or Lose It: the Role of Environmental Enrichment in Cognitive Aging” Register at https://go.wisc.edu/240r59
 
 
5.  The Arboretum Lectures and Classes

 WINTER ENRICHMENT VIRTUAL LECTURE SERIES

The 2021 lectures will be virtual on Thursday mornings, February 4 through April 8, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Lectures are $10 each and advance registration is required. 7 or more lectures for $70. Talks will begin promptly at 10 a.m. (CST). Note: the Winter Enrichment lectures are free to students and that link is also on the website.  We’d love students to participate! Winter Enrichment online registration form»

March 4. Holy Ground: Working with Faith and Indigenous Leaders to Build Resilience. Dekila Chungyalpa, Director, Loka Initiative, Center for Healthy Minds, UW–Madison. Register by February 28.

 March 11. Beyond the Clinical Walls: Environmental Determinants of Health. Jamie Ferschinger, Director, and Stephanie Mercado, Neighborhood Revitalization Coordinator, Department of Environmental Health, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. Register by March 7.

 March 18. Climate Change and Wisconsin’s Forests: What We Know, What We Expect, and How to Adapt. Stephen Handler, Climate Change Specialist, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Register by March 14.

 March 25. Treaty Rights, Culturally Important Beings, and Indigenous-led Climate Adaptation in the Ojibwe Ceded Territories. Robert Croll, Policy Analyst and Climate Change Program Coordinator, and Hannah Panci, Climate Change Scientist, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Register by March 21.

 April 1. Using Markets to Achieve Conservation: Examples from the Field. Dominic Parker, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Applied Economics, UW–Madison. Register by March 28.

 April 8. Climate Change, Reality versus Development: Global South and Worldwide Perspective. Marie-Josée Paula Houénou, specialist in climate change and environmental law and strategies, and city advisor, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow at UW–Madison. Register by April 4.

 ARBORETUM VIRTUAL CLASSES

  Tuesdays, March 2 and 9, 6:30–8 p.m.
Writing Your “Marshland Elegy” 
In this two-part class, we will interpret Aldo Leopold’s “Marshland Elegy” through the contemporary lens of unprecedented loss of species and ecological diversity. Session is two classes, March 2 and 9. Instructor: Troy Hess. Fee: $15 for session. Space is limited. Registration required by February 25. Register online»
6.  Madison Makes! A Virtual Showcase of Local Makers presented by Monona Terrace


Have you taken on a new creative project during this pandemic, or reignited your passion for an existing hobby?  If you’ve found enrichment in making and creating during these challenging times, we’d like to hear from you! Madison Makes is a new virtual event occurring on March 6, which will showcase videos of Madison area people who love to create and want to share it with others. 

7.  The Wisconsin Energy Institute’s Virtual 2021 KidWind Challenge is March 6.
 
KidWinds’ “Careers in Wind Energy Panel”
Saturday, March 6th, 2021 – 10:00am CST
Learn more and register here.
Or live at Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/events/1313793578989659
Wind Energy is expanding in Wisconsin and across the United States, and with that growth comes a massive demand for workers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wind Turbine Technician is the fastest growing occupation, but employment opportunities in the industry reach beyond the wind farm. From manufacturing to research, communications to construction, job opportunities exist across a wide variety of interests and skill sets.

Join this panel discussion to hear from folks working in the wind energy industry. Learn about their career pathways, hear stories from the field, and get your questions answered!

Moderator

• Samara Hamze, Energy Education Specialist, WI K-12 Energy Education Program, UW–Stevens Point

 
Speakers

• Justin Barrett, Wind Energy Technology instructor at Lakeshore Technical College
• Vanessa Tutos, Director of Governmental Affairs, EDP Renewables North America LLC
• Joe Brunner, Senior Staff Engineer at Invenergy
• Heidi Tinnesand, Mechanical Engineering Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

 

KidWinds’ “Wind Energy Fact Check!”  Saturday, March 6, 2021 – 3:00pm CST
Learn more and register here   
Or live at Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/177202930859504
Wind energy is quickly becoming mainstream across the United States, supplying about 7 percent of the country’s electricity in 2019 (and more than 40 percent in some states!). Yet for those who are less familiar with wind energy, there may be some misconceptions about wind turbines’ impact to the surrounding environment and community. Join us to hear from a panel of experts as they address some common concerns and discuss what is known about wind energy’s true impact on the economy, health, and the environment.

Moderator

• Scott Williams, Research and Education Coordinator, Wisconsin Energy Institute, UW–Madison


Speakers

• Jim Tinjum, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW–Madison
• Sarah Johnston, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics, UW–Madison
• Mark Werner, Director, Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services

 

Allison Bender 

Outreach Coordinator
Wisconsin Energy Institute | Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
608.890.0946   (I’m working from home. Please use 608-931-3358)
agbender@wisc.edu
1552 University Ave, Madison WI, Room 2160
University of Wisconsin – Madison
(she, her, hers)

 
 
8. School of Pharmacy Outreach Events

MARCH 13, 2021 |  9:30 AM – 11:45 AM CST

APRIL 10, 2021 | 9:30 AM  – 11:45 AM CST

Please join us online for our UW–Madison School of Pharmacy PharmD Spring Open House virtual event, designed for those who are interested in exploring the Doctor of Pharmacy program at UW–Madison. These events will feature an Admissions Q&A, PharmD student panel, and overview of the curriculum and co-curricular opportunities. Registration is required.
1. Curriculum and Experiential Learning — Find out how our curriculum and experiential learning opportunities help differentiate our students through specialization.
2. Opportunities for Co-Curricular Learning — Learn about student orgs and co-curricular activities that can enhance PharmD students’ development and preparation for career success.
3. Admissions Overview — Join this session to learn more about the PharmD admissions process, application timeline, prerequisites, and the selection criteria.  
4. Student Panel — What is it like to be a pharmacy student at UW–Madison? Learn more during this Q&A with current students.
9.  Wonders of Physics Goes Online for 2021
After 37 years of physics presentations to the public, The University of Wisconsin – Madison is this year sponsoring a physics video competition for teachers and students.

We invite you to submit a 2-minute video demonstrating a physics concept. Awards will be given for the best videos, and winners will be posted on our website and edited into a longer video to be shown on public television.

We encourage submissions from students and teams, but for legal reasons, anyone under the age of 18 must work under the supervision of a parent, guardian, or teacher who will submit the video on their behalf. This could be a fun educational project for families or for physics classes during this period of social distancing.

The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2021. You can find more information at https://wonders.physics.wisc.edu/contest/.

 
10.  Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers is sponsoring the “Wisconsin Water Week Essay Contest” with levels at grades PK-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12.  Entries are due on April 1.
 
11.  The Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies is excited to invite you and your STS colleagues to four virtual events that we are co-hosting this spring – “Science and Technology in the Hispanic World” – a special seminar series prepared in collaboration between the Holtz Center and Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program. The first event is scheduled for Tuesday, February 2 at noon CST.


How does global science and technology affect Hispanic societies and ecosystems? How does cultural inheritance of hispanic societies inform citizens’ attitudes towards science driven technological projects? How do science and technology from the North mobilize indigenous science to resist undesired transformations? What are the culturally specific debates and conflicts that emerge in various local contexts where science and technology bring changes? This series features renown scholars and activists to introduce us to science and technology driven social debates in Spain, Mexico, Paraguay and Nicaragua.

More information and access details will be provided as each event approaches.

Tuesday, March 23, 12-1 pm, via Zoom

Paraguay:   Kregg Hetherington: “Agribiopolitics: Plants and humans in the age of monocrops in Paraguay”
Event details


Tuesday, April 20, 12-1 pm, via Zoom

Nicaragua:   Birgit Muller “Facing the Environmental Mission: Small Farmers in Nicaragua and the Agro-Ecological Challenges of the Neoliberal Food Regime”

Jamie Adcock
Communications Specialist
University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Holtz Center for Science & Technology Studies
sts.wisc.edu | @HoltzCenter | Facebook

12.  Announcing  Wisconsin Water Week on March 8-12 and World Water Day on March 22
 
I also want to draw special attention to the  #water2me Art Contest for Youth. We noticed that opportunities for middle school and high school existed at the state/regional level, but there wasn’t anything for 5th grade and younger, so we’re piloting this as an opportunity for young people to engage in World Water Day this year. In this socially-distanced time we’re in, we were able to figure out a way to display a few selected entries (voted on by the staff of the sewerage district) on highway billboards!
 

Feel free to pass on any of this in whatever way makes sense.

Best,

Catherine Harris
Pollution Prevention Specialist
Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
1610 Moorland Road • Madison, WI 53713-3398
Direct: 608-867-6426 • General: 608-222-1201 ext. 115
Email: catherineh@madsewer.org• madsewer.org