Science Outreach on Campus
Sharing Science With Wisconsin

UW-Madison Science Alliance Updater – March 29, 2021

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UW-Madison Science Alliance Updater
29 March 2021  
 
Hi Everyone,
 
It’s almost April and the vision for summer, and some hints for fall, are coming into view for outreach on campus.
 
Since mid-March 2020, when the campus locked down, we have not been able to welcome the public to events, field-trips or venues on campus.  There are some happy exceptions:  self-guided tours of the grounds, public visitors in the Chazen by reservation, curbside pickup from various UW food service providers.  Yet overall, it has been a year the locusts have eaten.
 
Last summer even youth camps online were impinged.  This summer, based on the chancellor’s memo from last Wednesday, events for the public on campus continue to not be permitted, and nearly all youth camps in-person on campus have been cancelled; a decision on Badger Sports Camps is forthcoming.  But there may be some summertime thaw:  the Fluno Center plans to re-open on July 5;  we can proceed with on-line events, all of which (even the ones in which UW staff do not take custody) need to be registered with the Office of Youth Protection and Compliance, a new angle.
 
Happily, our colleagues in Extension working with groups off campus will be able to interact directly with the public, with appropriate safeguards as determined by state and local public health guidelines.
 
For the fall, the outlook for instruction and research is becoming clearer, but for the outreach mission—especially for welcoming public visitors to campus events and indoor venues — the prospects are not yet spelled out. 
 
So it is in this light, at this time, that re-affirming both the university’s public outreach mission and the UW’s long tradition of welcoming the public to campus, is a vital part of our work as outreaches. 
 
That’s why, on behalf of the Science Alliance members planning Science Expeditions, I am pleased to ask you to invite your friends & family to spend some time April 9-11 exploring the Science Expeditions events online and outdoors.  As President Charles Van Hise noted in his speech of 1905, all residents of Wisconsin are co-owners of the University of Wisconsin, and I think we all look forward to speeding the day when we can welcome visitors of all ages to take part in, and contribute their talents to, the life of the university. 
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 29. 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 29 at 10am includes:
  • Welcome
  • Updates
    • Round robin
    • Campus policy on public events on campus 
    • Campus policy on youth events on campus
  • Science Expeditions Campus-wide Open House April 9-11:  
    • Online Events Team
    • Outdoor Activities on Campus & Other UW-Madison Sites  
    • Communications & Promotions Team
    • Engineering Expo April 9:  https://engineeringexpo.wisc.edu 
  • Other announcements or topics  
 
2.  Please invite your colleagues in research & outreach to Spread the Word about the 
2021 UW Science Expeditions Open House on April 9, 10 and 11.
 
3.  Programming Events coming this week and soon:
  • The UW Now Livestream.  Next up on Tuesday March 30 at 7pm CT.  “COVID-19 Vaccines and Side Effects” with James Conway, director of the Office of Global Health at the School of Medicine and Public Health;  David O’Connor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine;  Nasia Safdar, medical director of Infection Control at UW Hospital and Clinics
  • “Wednesday Nite @ The Lab” public science seminar, by Zoom.  Wednesdays at 7 pm CT.  Every Wednesday night, 50 times a year.   March 31 features Bill Belcher of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln speaking on the recovery of remains of US marines from the site of the August 1942 First Battle of Makin Island.  Bill Belcher is a collaborated with the Missing in Action Recovery & Identification Project of the UW-Madison Biotech Center.  
 

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 31  Bill Belcher, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Recovery & Identification of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion: The First Battle of Makin Island”
 
April 7 David Gagnon, “The Latest from the Field Day Lab”
Register at go.wisc.edu/240r59
 
April 9  Special #UWScienceExpeditions Friday Night Edition of Wednesday Nite @ The Lab with Tracey Holloway of the Nelson Institute and Bassam Shakhashiri of Chemistry, on issues in Global Warming.
 
 
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

 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.

6.  “Nature, Your Partner in Wellness” with Jane Hawley Stevens, Friday April 23, 4:00 pm CDT.  Register at www.go.wisc.edu/N0Q53X
 
Link at today.wisc.edu: https://today.wisc.edu/events/view/157990


Join Jane Hawley Stevens, 2020 Organic Farmer of the Year and founder of Four Elements Herbals, for a virtual afternoon teatime conversation. 
 
Conversation is open to all online.  However, tea will be available ONLY for residents of these UW Housing Learning Communities: GreenHouse, Women in Science and Engineering, BioHouse, Multicultural, International, and Chadbourne Residential College. Learning Community residents may go to their Housing portal (www.go.wisc.edu/my-housing) to register to get a FREE ! box of Four Elements Herbal Tea delivered to their front desk before the event!
 
For questions or accommodations please contact Sam Wood at sjwood2@wisc.edu

 
 
7. Step Out of the Classroom and Into Translational Science 2021

 
Remote learning doesn’t have to feel disconnected! Because of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Association our Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) is proud to announce the Ambassadors Program — a new program geared towards welcoming newcomers to the world of science and making the field more open and inclusive for everyone. Secondary school classrooms will have the opportunity to experience Translational Science 2021, where they’ll be able to connect with our rich community of researchers and investigators and feel inspired by their revolutionary work.
 
ACTS members, pass on this can’t-miss opportunity on to your network of high school contacts so they can learn more about the endless opportunities that await them within the translational science and clinical research field.
 
What is the Ambassador’s Program?
 Who:   Teachers, students and parents of secondary school students who want to learn more about the field of translational and clinical research.
What:   Encourages young scientists to network with other scholars, engage with science leaders and learn effective scientific communication skills.
When:   Thursday, April 1 from 12:00 – 5:00 PM ET, Friday, April 2 from 12:00 – 3:00 PM ET
How: Interested teachers, science teams and/or students should email info@actscience.org with the subject line “ACTS Ambassadors.”
More: https://www.actscience.org/Translational-Science/Registration/Ambassadors-Program-Proposal-ACTS-National-Meeting

8. School of Pharmacy Outreach Events

  VIRTUAL: UW–Madison PharmD Spring Open House

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 this Thursday 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. 


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, 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” Event details