UW-Madison Science Alliance Updater
For 25 October 2021
Hi Everyone,
Here and now, at the midpoint of the fall term of 2021—the fourth semester in the gauntlet of covid—is an apt time to highlight the regenerative work of inviting young people to advance the science outreach component of the public service mission of their land-grant university. The opportunities, and the range of young people engaged, reflect the breadth of the fields of discovery here at UW-Madison, the 8th largest research university by R&D budget in the US.
For example, last week on Tuesday two undergrad genetics students in the Women In Science & Engineering program led by zoom a computer-based activity on fruit-fly genetics with students in a Necedah afterschool.
On Wednesday the UW Collegiate 4-H club met to plan activities in public service for the academic year. These will include collaborations helping to welcome various UW-Madison 4-H youth groups from around the state to come to campus to engage with many of the people, places and programs in science here.
On Thursday several middle-school 4-H youth joined volunteers from local high schools to help staff Exploration Stations at the inaugural Dane County 4-H “Halloween Science Fright Night” hosted by UW Space Place and the Wisconsin Science Museum.
On Friday evening undergrad and grad student orgs provided Exploration Stations at the “Science On The Square” event of the statewide Wisconsin Science Festival.
During recent centuries two enduring symbols have enlightened the work of higher education: the lamp of learning fueled by olive oil and wicks, and the torch fed by wax and sticks. In the eons before electricity, kerosene and whale oil, these flames gave scholars the light needed to read and write through the night.
Today, these lights also serve as symbols of our regenerative work. It is not merely about passing the torch to a new generation. At its heart, this happy work is about helping young people to kindle their own fires and to fuel their own flames in learning, in research, and in service. It is work that warms all involved, and reflects well on all of us.
Thanks!
Tom Zinnen
Coming Up This Week and This Month
Word of mouth is golden: please share the #Updater with your friends and colleagues!
1. During the fall, Science Alliance meets every at 10:00 am Mondays, including today, Monday October 25.
Please note the location for our fall meetings of Science Alliance:
Room 1120 Wisconsin Energy Institute, 1552 University Avenue
Please note the Zoom link for the fall:
The draft agenda includes:
- Welcome
- Updates
- Wisconsin Science Festival Oct 21-24
- Video from Bernie Traversari of Edgewood College
- Selecting a Date for Science Immersion Day at UW-Madison with SLALN
- Other announcements or topics
- Next Meeting: November 1 at 10am
As with the #Updater, the meeting notes are also archived on https://science.wisc.edu/science-alliance/.
2. Registration is now open for the 2021-2022 Ethics Cartooning Competition! This is a great chance for you to put your musings on paper, and to entertain other people while educating them about research ethics.
All eligible people are encouraged to enter the competition. You need not be a fabulous artist to produce an excellent cartoon – stick figures will do. Also, you can enter with a partner.
The first prize winner receives $3,500 with cash prizes awarded for second and third places.
For more information visit http://morgridge.org/cartooncontest
If you have any questions, please email ethics@morgridge.org.
Thanks!
Morgridge Ethics
3. Programming Events coming this week and soon.
- 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
- Badger Talks Live: – https://www.facebook.com/UWConnects/live & https://badgertalks.wisc.edu/events/
- November Focus: UniverCity Alliance
- Tuesday, November 2, noon. “A Battle Against Blue-Green Algae in Brown County” featuring Michael Cheadle, Mechanical Engineering
- Tuesday, November 16, noon. “Improving Health Outcomes in Adams County through Evidence-Based Decision-Making” featuring Barb Duerst, Masters of Public Health Programs
- Tuesday, November 30, noon. “Waunakee’s Ho Chunk History Project” featuring Jessie Conaway, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
- PLATO Frontiers in Life Sciences Public Science Series Wednesdays at 1pm CT at UW Space Place, 2300 S. Park St, Madison, WI.
- Wednesday Nite @ The Lab Public Science Series every Wednesday night, 50 times a year, at 7pm CT by zoom (go.wisc.edu/240r59) or in person in Room 1111 Genetics Biotech Center, 425 Henry Mall, Madison WI
4. Machine-Learning Community of Practice Launches Nov 9
We are excited to announce that the Data Science Hub is launching its first machine learning community of practice (ML CoP) event on November 9th from 12-1pm in the Discovery Building’s Orchard View Room (in-person and via Zoom).
This monthly recurring event — which we are calling ” ML+X ” — will feature a series of 10-minute lightning talks on applied ML work. It is our hope that this community event will encourage researchers to share their knowledge and resources so that we may all become better ML practitioners. To that end, each presentation will address a series of questions related to the ML methods employed in their work (e.g. how their model was selected over others, how their model was validated, three software/ML tools that were vital to the project, etc.).
Anyone who is applying machine learning in their work is welcome to present! To review the presentation format requirements and apply to present, please fill out this short google form by 11/01/21. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the event organizer — Chris Endemann (endemann@wisc.edu).
Sign-up to join the ML CoP mailing list via this link . We will send a calendar invite to this group containing a zoom link for the meeting as well as a sign-up sheet to participate in-person. Please send an email to endemann@wisc.edu if you have any trouble joining, and he will add you to the group manually.
Please share this event with any colleagues and students (not listed here) who may be interested in attending/presenting.
We look forward to seeing some of you there!
Patricia Pointer
Multimedia Designer
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Zoom Room
she/her/hers
5. Data Science Research Bazaar Coming in February
6. 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.
7. Events from the Wisconsin Energy Institute
This Wednesday, October 27 4:30 pm
For Educators:
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:
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
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
8. UW Arboretum Fall Events, provided by Susan Day
Virtual lecture series:
Exploring the Future of Ecosystem Restoration
Tuesday October 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 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:
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/
9. Schedule of Events for Madison FUN Partners
10. STEM Week at Farm Wisconsin December 28-30, 2021
We invite you to participate in our annual event: STEM Week at Farm Wisconsin, this December 28-30, 2021.
STEM Week at Farm Wisconsin is designed to engage visitors of all ages with hands-on activities in the areas of agriculture science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This year’s event will run for three days – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – while students are on winter break.
At this time, we are seeking businesses, organizations, community groups, and individuals to coordinate an interactive station highlighting STEM in agriculture. Stations may include a demonstration, experiment, craft or activity – the more hands-on, the better!
Potential station ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
- Using Virtual Reality goggles to explore an agriculture industry
- Dissecting a fruit, vegetable, or animal organ
- Demonstrating how to make sausage, jam/jelly, or the perfect loaf of bread
- Using a water testing kit to analyze water samples
- Showcasing how a goat is milked
- Fixing a gear on a piece of agriculture equipment
Participants will be expected to staff their station for the whole day (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) and may plan to attend one, two, or all three days.
Please let me know if you would be interested in participating in our event and/or if you would like to brainstorm possible ideas for a station. Feel free to also spread the word to others you think may be interested in joining us this winter. I have attached a PDF with event details to this email for easy distribution. Call for STEM Week Participation
Thank you,
Abigail Martin | Program Manager
p: 920-726-6009 a: 7001 Gass Lake Road | Manitowoc, WI 54220