UW-Madison Science Alliance Updater
For 27 September 2021
Hi Everyone,
Today is my neighbor’s 12th birthday. Even in ordinary times it is an extraordinary milestone. But in this second year of living covidly, turning 12 is more than a milestone: it is momentous. It is not just a rite of passage, for it also carries the right of vaccination. His mother says she will have him signed up by 8:15 this morning for the soonest available appointment. He’ll likely get the covid vaccine in one arm and the annual flu shot in the other.
Both vaccines are high achievements of science, of public health, and of pharmaceutical infrastructure. Both help preserve the health and save the lives of the person who gets the shots as well as their neighbors, even the neighbors who don’t get vaccinated. Both vaccines are also issues of public policy and at least one is a contentious point of epistemology.
In our current culture wars, the battles over vaccines and boosters and age restrictions underscore the idea that a grasp of the powers & limits of science as a way of knowing, as a way of making decisions in the face of uncertainty, is vital. And I do mean “vital” as in the core sense of “essential for life.” Science is fun; science is also fundamental.
Yet in the 240-odd years of US history, few wedges have carried the sharp and divisive edges borne by Expertise. As scientists at a public land-grant research & extension university, many of us believe that among the most precious things we can share with learners of all ages are the ways we view and do science as a process of exploring the unknown and of inventing the future. Many of us in science outreach will spend the next year or two or few reflecting upon and analyzing and testing how in the future we might engage and communicate and persuade more effectively than we did in a pandemic that so far has killed at least 684,000 of our countrymen at a current rate of over 2,000 people per day.
In another dozen or two dozen years, when he turns 24 or 36, I wonder how my neighbor will look back on this fractious and bitter time. This much I know: he’s got a better shot at still being alive at the beginning of 2045 because he’s getting the covid jab by the end of this week.
Tom Zinnen
Coming Up This Week and This Month
1. During the fall, Science Alliance meets every at 10:00 am Mondays, including today, Monday September 27.
Please note our New Location for our meetings:
Room 1120 Wisconsin Energy Institute, 1552 University Avenue
Please note our new link by Zoom:
The draft agenda includes:
- Welcome
- Updates
- Wisconsin Science Festival
- Presentation by Rachel Ancheta, the Girls Inc STEM Coordinator at the Goodman Community Center
- Other announcements or topics
- Next Meeting: October 4 at 10am
As with the #Updater, the meeting notes are also archived on https://science.wisc.edu/science-alliance/.
2. Experience LabEscape at the Wisconsin Science Festival! World-renowned quantum physicist Professor Alberta Pauline Schrödenberg desperately needs your help — the fate and security of the entire world (and more importantly, her funding!) hang in the balance. You’ll have to search her lab, solve mind-blowing puzzles to reveal clues, and hopefully find a way to complete your mission! More details on this free event can be found here, or you can sign up for LabEscape experience now!
Mallory Conlon
Quantum Science Outreach Program Coordinator
UW-Madison Department of Physics
3. Are you looking for a way to use your interest in and knowledge of science to make a positive impact in the Madison community?
If so, this is the opportunity for you!
The ROSE STEM Fellows Program is coordinated by Edgewood College and involves several schools and community centers in Madison. I have volunteered as a Science Advocate with the program for the past 4 years. I work with one community center and collaborate with them to empower their staff as well as parents to become science leaders. My role is helping them to feel comfortable with science topics and to connect them with science resources. This past year, we focused on COVID, viruses and vaccines and helped families to understand the science so that they could make informed decisions. I would be glad to communicate with anyone interested to provide more details about the program. Science Advocate Pos Desc (1)
Dolly Ledin
4. Opportunities to Share Your Science with Necedah’s “Cardinal After School” by Zoom on Tuesdays throughout the fall. 4:00-4:30pm for grades 3-5. 4:30 to 5:00 for middle school and high school. It’s a good way to share existing activities, as well as to invite the students to help you prototype & hone new activities you’re developing. Contact Liz Jesse (ejesse2@wisc.edu) or Tom Zinnen (zinnen@biotech.wisc.edu) for questions or suggestions. Sign up at the spreadsheet here.
5. “Badger Talks” In-Person Presentations Are Back!
Badger Talks is pleased to announce the opening of the in-person speaker request system! Thank you for your virtual requests over the past several months. We will continue to also offer this opportunity for Wisconsin businesses and organizations who prefer to host speakers virtually at their upcoming event.
It is our goal to bring the University of Wisconsin – Madison to you to help spark ideas and conversations on topics important to your community. Whether you want to hear about the history of the Amish, improve communication in your workplace, or learn about the latest ground-breaking health care research, Badger Talks boasts a roster of 400 UW experts ready to give talks around Wisconsin.
The process is simple: explore our list of categories, or search for speakers/topics using keywords via the search bar; then submit an online talk request. Wisconsin businesses, clubs and organizations are welcome to request up to two talks per calendar year. Please contact us if you would like assistance with identifying a speaker who matches your organization’s interests.
Services are provided at little to no cost for organizations and businesses in Wisconsin in support of The Wisconsin Idea and as part of the UW Connects program housed in the Office of State Relations.
Questions? Feel free to connect with us at badgertalks@uwmad.wisc.edu
6. Programming Events coming this week and soon:
- Badger Talks Live: – https://www.facebook.com/UWConnects/live & https://badgertalks.wisc.edu/events/
- Tuesday, September 28, Noon. “Backstage Pass: Hamel Music Center” featuring Susan Cook, Director, Mead Witter School of Music
- Tuesday, October 5, Noon. October Feature: Welcome to the Wisconsin Science Festival. “Mushrooms & Fungi” featuring Anne Pringle, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Botany and Bacteriology
- Friday, October 8, Noon. “Drawing the Lines: What’s Happening with Redistricting” featuring Barry Burden, Professor and Director of the Elections and Research Center
- Global Health Tuesday, September 28, 4:30-5:30 online, “White Saviorism and Decolonizing Global Health” featuring Anna Kalbarczyk of Johns Hopkins University. Register here. More information at the website of the Global Health Institute and at the website of the Global Health Innovation Club.
- Remember to Post your science outreach events and to Check for other events presented online and available to all at http://today.wisc.edu/events/tag/science
7. Upcoming Lineup for Wednesday Nite @ The Lab online by zoom starting at 7pm Central. WN@TL runs every Wednesday night, 50 times a year.
We have resumed live presentations in Room 1111 Genetics Biotech Center.
You can also tune in by zoom. Register at go.wisc.edu/240r59 or watch the web stream at biotech.wisc.edu/webcams
See the Schedule in pdf format (attached) and read the descriptions at https://science.wisc.edu/wednesday-nite-at-the-lab.
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8. Events from the Wisconsin Energy Institute
For General Public:
Infrastructure, Transportation and Justice
The way we get from place to place touches every aspect of our lives, from the burdens of commuting to the access we have to basic services like health care and food. And it’s inextricably linked to the climate crisis, as transportation makes up more than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Join us virtually on Tuesday, September 28th from 4:30–6:00 p.m. to learn about initiatives in Wisconsin and around the world that are focused on making transportation equitable, clean, and safe. REGISTER HERE
For Educators:
KidWind Educator Workshops
The Wisconsin Energy Institute and Wisconsin’s K-12 Energy Education Program are excited to bring the KidWind Educator Workshop to formal and non-formal educators in communities
across Wisconsin. Join us at one of the scheduled workshops and learn how to
explore the power of wind and solar with your students! You’ll take home a kit of ready-to-use materials and curriculum.
Register here:
Thursday, October 21st, 8 am – 11 am, Pablo Center at the Confluence, Eau Claire, WI
KidWind Coaches’ Happy Hours
Preparing for the 2022 KidWind Challenge or looking to learn more? Join us for a happy hour to chat with other coaches and share ideas. KidWind advisors and organizers will be on hand to answer your questions – from engineering and design tips and tricks, to FAQ about the registration process and what to expect on Challenge Day. Come for the whole hour or just a portion and BYO beverage of choice.
November 18, 2021, 4:00 – 5:00 pm Central. REGISTER HERE
January 13, 2022, 4:00 – 5:00 pm Central. REGISTER HERE
Climate Action Simulation Game for Educators
November 4th, 4:00 – 5:30 pm Central
As global leaders gather in Glasgow to reinvigorate their climate pledges during the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, you too can get a taste of the policy and diplomacy decisions involved in limiting global warming to no more than 1.5° C. Join us on November 4th for a highly interactive, role-playing game. You will negotiate a climate deal to address one of the greatest human and environmental challenges of this century, and you’ll walk away with the resources to bring this experience back to your own classroom.
For more information:
KidWind Coaches’ Happy Hours
Preparing for the 2022 KidWind Challenge or looking to learn more? Join us for a happy hour to chat with other coaches and share ideas. KidWind advisors and organizers will be on hand to answer your questions – from engineering and design tips and tricks, to FAQ about the registration process and what to expect on Challenge Day. Come for the whole hour or just a portion and BYO beverage of choice.
November 18, 2021, 4:00 – 5:00 pm Central. REGISTER HERE
January 13, 2022, 4:00 – 5:00 pm Central. REGISTER HERE
Climate Action Simulation Game for Educators
November 4th, 4:00 – 5:30 pm Central
As global leaders gather in Glasgow to reinvigorate their climate pledges during the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, you too can get a taste of the policy and diplomacy decisions involved in limiting global warming to no more than 1.5° C. Join us on November 4th for a highly interactive, role-playing game. You will negotiate a climate deal to address one of the greatest human and environmental challenges of this century, and you’ll walk away with the resources to bring this experience back to your own classroom.
For more information:
Allison Bender
Outreach Coordinator
Wisconsin Energy Institute | Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
608.890.0946
agbender@wisc.edu
1552 University Ave, Madison WI, Room 2160
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Link to a map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Painted+Forest/@43.5740255,-90.2738505,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x10782e9febe78b0c!8m2!3d43.5740255!4d-90.2738505
Outreach Coordinator
Wisconsin Energy Institute | Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
608.890.0946
agbender@wisc.edu
1552 University Ave, Madison WI, Room 2160
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Pronouns: she, her, hers
9. UW Arboretum Fall Events, provided by Susan Day
Virtual lecture series:
Exploring the Future of Ecosystem Restoration
Tuesdays, October 5, 12, 19, and 26, 7–8:30 p.m.
For the 2021 fall lecture series, we explore the global movement to restore ecosystems. We will learn about international and local efforts and how environmental health and social justice intersect with restoration projects and community well-being.
• October 5, The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration – Hazel Thornton, Programme Officer for the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre
• October 12, Building an Ecosystem of Equity: Advancing Climate Justice to Protect People and Create a Prosperous Planet – Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome, founder of Empowering a Green Environment and Economy, LLC
• October 19, Lindsay Heights: An Urban Restoration Story – Francesca Dawson, community advocate and mentor
• October 26, Re-Indigenizing the UW–Madison Campus – Daniel Cornelius, outreach specialist and deputy director, Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center, UW–Madison Law School
Information and registration: https://arboretum.wisc.edu/learn/adult-education/public-talks/
Virtual and in-person classes:
Birds of the Arboretum (virtual)
Thursday, October 7, 9–11 a.m.
Bluebirds (virtual)
Thursday, October 14, 9–11 a.m.
Owls (virtual)
Thursday, October 21, 9–11 a.m.
Mounds of the Arboretum (in-person)
Saturday, October 30, 1–3 p.m.
Poetry from the Anthropocene (in-person)
Thursday, November 4 and 11, 1–2:30 p.m.
History of the Arboretum’s Lost City (in-person)
Saturday, November 13, 1–3 p.m.
Ecopoetry – Following W.S. Merwin (in-person)
Wednesdays, December 1 and 8, 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Information, registration, and more classes: https://arboretum.wisc.edu/learn/adult-education/classes/
Saturday work parties, Sunday walks, and night walks
Saturday restoration work parties, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.: https://arboretum.wisc.edu/get-involved/volunteer/work-parties/
See the full list of Sunday walks (nature hikes, family walks, and garden strolls), plus monthly night walks, on the Arboretum events calendar:https://arboretum.wisc.edu/visit/events/
10. Come and Observe the Cosmos with Edgewood’s Astronomy Outreach Team at Ernest Hüpeden’s Painted Forest in Valton, WI. We will have guest speakers, activities for kids, and observe the night sky through the 20” Dobsonian Telescope. (Observing will be weather permitting.) To keep up to date with any changes due to weather conditions, and get reminders for the star parties, visit and like our Facebook Page @edgewoodastro
Final Star Party Date: Saturday, October 16, 2021. Talks start @ 7PM, come earlier for family activities
Final Star Party Date: Saturday, October 16, 2021. Talks start @ 7PM, come earlier for family activities
Link to a map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Painted+Forest/@43.5740255,-90.2738505,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x10782e9febe78b0c!8m2!3d43.5740255!4d-90.2738505
Note that you should turn left at the Painted Forest building (looks like a little white church) and proceed up the hill. The telescope will be on the right at the top of the hill.
Edgewood College follows State of Wisconsin current recommendations regarding masking and social distancing in response to COVID-19.
Edgewood College follows State of Wisconsin current recommendations regarding masking and social distancing in response to COVID-19.
11. Schedule of Events for Madison FUN Partners