UW-Madison Science Alliance Updater
For 1 November 2021
Hi Everyone,
Michael Wines writing last week in the NY Times reported the University of Florida blocked three professors from working with a group bringing a lawsuit to overturn the state’s new law restricting voting rights. The core of the claim by the university is that as an employer it has the power to block an employee from participating in a lawsuit against the state because the suit would be adverse to the university’s interests as a state institution.
In recent years some federal & state government agencies have muzzled scientists from speaking on policies affecting climate change or even using the phrase, state university scholars have been the last line of publicly-funded researchers with the freedom (and therefore perhaps with the duty) to write down and to speak up to share with the public their professional opinions and analyses.
During covid, which now has reaped the lives at least 740,000 Americans and 5,000,000 people worldwide in the last 22 months, we have watched as government-agency scientists of many fields have tiptoed through feats of linguistic jujitsu to avoid triggering the opprobrium of elected or appointed officials.
The voting rights case in Florida underscores two principles for me that the public health angles of covid also emphasized. First, it’s vital to include the social and behavioral sciences in our work in science outreach and in our justifications for the mission of sharing insights & expertise of university researchers.
Second, at least as I was taught, the public service mission of the public university is an obligation to the public, not to the university.
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 November 1.
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
- Selecting a Date for Science Immersion Day at UW-Madison with SLALN
- Other announcements or topics
- Next Meeting: November 8 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. This week (Nov 3): Paul Hutson of the School of Pharmacy on the new Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances
- 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. On November 3 Taylor Seale of UW-Madison Dane County Extension speaks on “Positive Youth Development at the Intersection of Arts & Public Health.”
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 PointerMultimedia DesignerWisconsin Institute for DiscoveryZoom Roomshe/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
For Educators:
KidWind Coaches’ Happy HoursPreparing 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 HEREJanuary 13, 2022, 4:00 – 5:00 pm Central. REGISTER HEREClimate Action Simulation Game for Educators This WeekNovember 4th, 4:00 – 5:30 pm CentralAs 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 CoordinatorWisconsin Energy Institute | Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center608.890.0946 agbender@wisc.edu1552 University Ave, Madison WI, Room 2160University of Wisconsin–MadisonPronouns: she, her, hers
8. UW Arboretum Fall Events, provided by Susan Day
Virtual and in-person classes:
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.
Thank you,
Abigail Martin | Program Manager
p: 920-726-6009 a: 7001 Gass Lake Road | Manitowoc, WI 54220
11. A Mid-Winter’s Day Garden Series Starts January 22
Allen Centennial Garden, in partnership with the Friends of Allen Centennial Garden, offers an annual Saturday morning winter program series during January and February on garden-related topics for ACG Friends and volunteers as well as the general public. Last year’s programs were virtual, and we will be using that format again in early 2022. They are free for the Friends and volunteers but there is a fee for other attendees. Hold the date: the first session will be held January 22, 2022. More information on registering is forthcoming.
Jane CramerFriends of Allen Centennial Garden