UW-Madison Science Alliance Updater
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Monday 24 April 2023
Hi Everyone
What a couple of weeks it’s been. Last night the Northern Lights put on an extraordinary show to add to the glow from Science Expeditions two weekends ago, and from Earth Day and Engineering Expo this weekend. Looking ahead, in two weeks we’ll have UW Family Gardening Day on the 6th of May. With graduation on May 12/13 we’ll be shifting to the final few weeks of end-of-the-year school fieldtrips to campus, and then take a breath or two before switching over to summer programs.
Amid the action and attractions, the past 10 days have also given us at least two speeches to ponder here in the land of Numen Lumen. On April 14 the chancellor gave her investiture speech. You can read it here and watch it here. She invoked the achievements of researchers Tom Brock and Harry Steenbock as the foundation for the title of her speech: The Multiplier Effect. This is a theme and a meme with which many of us can resonate: to expand and share with many is also at the heart of our outreach & public service mission.
On April 17 Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the research journal and magazine (his apt description) Science spoke at the Discovery Building. Entitled “How Science Lost America and How to Get It Back,” you can watch the speech here at the WISL YouTube site. Of the many jewels in the speech, I’ll highlight this one, from timestamp 49:21:
I suggest from the outreach events exemplified in the past two weeks, and from the themes of these two speeches, that we might derive that our work is both multiplicative and exponential: to extend and to share with many, and to be an exponent for the human endeavor that is the scientific enterprise as a way of probing the unknown, of inventing a just future, and of making decisions in the face of uncertainty.
Tom Zinnen
Coming Up This Week and This Coming Month
1. The UW-Madison Science Alliance meets Mondays at 10:00 am by Zoom. Our next meeting is today, Monday, April 24, by zoom and in person in Room 1120 on the first floor of the Wisconsin Energy Institute
The Zoom link for the spring meetings of Science Alliance will continue to be: https://zoom.us/my/glbrc.weieducation.vmr?pwd=L2Q0L0g0S3lEd2gyazNscjA1d2JYZz09
The draft agenda for April 24, 2023 at 10 am includes:• Welcome• Updates
• Additional Reports & Reviews: the 21st Annual UW Science Expeditions April 14-16, 2023
• UW Family Gardening Day May 6
• Reports & Reviews from Engineering Expo April 21-22, the Earth Day Open House at Forest Products Lab April 22, and other weekend events
• Mark your calendars for 22nd Annual UW Science Expeditions April 5, 6 & 7, 2024
•Possible additional destinations for 2024?
• Other Business
• Meetings schedule for May through August
• Meet next on Monday, May 1, 2023, 10 am, by zoom.
As with the #Updater, the Science Alliance meeting notes are also archived on https://science.wisc.edu/science-alliance/.
2. Recurring Programming Events Coming This Week and Soon
• Saturday Science Workshops at UW Space Place nearly every Saturday, from 10 am to 11 am.
These family-friendly events are always free and open to the public every Saturday morning during the school year. This program is held in person only at UW Space Place, 2300 S. Park St, Madison. The workshop starts promptly at 10:00 and is typically over by 11:00.
• Badger Talks: Watch in-person, or online live or in archive at https://www.facebook.com/BadgerTalks/live_videos/ and check the schedule for Badger Talks LIVE and In-Person Badger Talks live or online are listed at https://badgertalks.wisc.edu/events/. Also, check out the current schedule of In-Person Badger Talks occurring in communities across Wisconsin. And you can join the new BadgerTalks Facebook page here.
• “Wednesday Nite @ The Lab” series of public science talks 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. On April 26 Jack Zinnen of the Illinois State Natural History Survey of the University of Illinois will speak on “The Biodiversity of the Midwestern Commercial Plant Trade” with an emphasis on native prairie plants.
• PLATO Frontiers in Life Sciences takes place at UW Space Place, 2300 S. Park St, on Wednesdays at 1pm. Zoom at https://go.wisc.edu/27448v . On April 26 Jack Zinnen of the Illinois State Natural History Survey of the University of Illinois will speak on “The Biodiversity of the Midwestern Commercial Plant Trade” with an emphasis on native prairie plants.
3. Come to UW Family Gardening Day Saturday May 6, 10am – 1pm
April showers bring May flowers – and also this opportunity to explore campus gardens, greenhouses, and related facilities. Visit the DC Smith Greenhouse (465 Babcock Dr.), Allen Centennial Garden (620 Babcock Dr.), Steenbock Library/BioCommons (550 Babcock Dr.) and Wisconsin Energy Institute (1552 University Ave.). Explore hands-on activities with seeds, plants and soil. Ask questions of Master Gardeners. Discover books for all ages about gardening, plants, soil, water and more. Take home plants and seeds for your own garden (while supplies last).
Plus: Get your passport to Babcock Ice Cream.
4. News from Edgewood College
There are two upcoming workshops at Edgewood College in collaboration with GearBox Labs, Inc. The May 6th workshop is for students and the May 20th workshop is for educators. All workshops are FREE and more information can be found here: https://store.gearboxlabs.org/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=263
Thank you so much!
Sarah Stoehr, MA
ROSE Project Coordinator, Edgewood College
5. Opportunities to Share Science with the Public in May at the Discovery Building, 330 N. Orchard St
Hello! We have some exciting opportunities to share science with the public coming up that we’d love to have you be a part of. Read on for all the details. 😊
May 3 EXPO (hands-on science activities)
Audience: 500 elementary aged students from MMSD in grades 1, 4, 6
Location: Discovery Building
Timing: 2 shifts (you can sign up for 1 shift or both!)
Shifts: 10:00-11:30am AND/OR 12:00-1:30pm
May 3 JUNIOR SCIENCE CAFÉ (informal conversations about your science career, led by student questions)
Audience: small groups of 6th graders
Location: Discovery Building
Timing: 4 shifts (you can sign up for 1, 2, 3 or all shifts!)
Shifts: 10:15-10:45am, 10:45-11:15am, 12:15-12:45pm, 12:45-1:15pm
To sign up for either opportunity, click here, or reply to this email to let me know.
https://warf.wufoo.com/forms/z1bvrk8b15i7rtl/
Questions? Reach out to Val Blair at vblair@morgridge.org
6. Support the 34th Annual Juneteenth Celebration!
Greetings from Kujichagulia MCSD!
We are planning the 34th Annual Juneteenth Celebration! We are excited about the event. We have achieved a significant milestone; national holiday status for Juneteenth. We are still bouncing back from COVID-19 Pandemic and its impact on our everyday lives. As we deal with record inflation and financial uncertainty, we embrace the essence of Juneteenth, liberation and transformation! We have been here as a community and nation. In the presence of hope and despair, we resiliently choose hope! Let’s pull together again this year to support Kujichagulia Madison Center for Self Determination as it plans this year’s event.
We are reaching out to you to support the Celebration through financially, personally and by sharing information within your networks. We benefit from however you choose to render your support. Please find attached our various packets to help inform your choice(s) of support.
For questions and information please reach out to the Juneteenth Planning Committee at kujijuneteenth@gmail.com or visit our www.kujimcsd.org or https://www.facebook.com/KujichaguliaMadison for additional information.
Harambee,
Annie Weatherby-Flowers and The Juneteenth Implementation Committee
7. Ag Discovery Day May 2 at State Fair Park
Kari Schoenike is the Agriculture Education Manager at Wisconsin State Fair Park planning the first Ag Discovery Day at the Fair Park, scheduled for May 2, 2023. They’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from area schools and have about 1000 students plus their teachers and chaperones scheduled to attend. The goal of the day is for students to immerse themselves in agriculture and experience hands-on learning. If your program would have staff or volunteers available to host 2 learning stations focused on ag-related topics at this event (the same station content, just delivered in two locations; because of the large response, we are running 2 concurrent locations of the same stations), please contact Kari Schoenike. Thanks for your consideration!
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Kari Schoenike (she/her)Agriculture Education ManagerWisconsin State Fair ParkP: 414.266.7150 C: 414.640.7661 E: kari.schoenike@wistatefair.com |
8. Check Out the 2022-2023 “Family Science Nights” Opportunities:
https://gasch.genetics.wisc.edu/outreach/family-science-nights/
The Calendar of upcoming science outreach at schools is at https://teamup.com/ks37f37f6a8028e6d0
Researchers & Outreachers, if you’d like to help with Family Science Nights over the coming months, please sign up here.
Parents & Teachers, if you’d like help in inviting UW researchers & outreachers to participate in your Family Science event, please sign up here.
9. UW Arboretum Spring Events
Saturday work parties, Sunday walks, and night walksSaturday 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/
Taking a self-guided stroll is one way to explore the Arboretum on your own terms. Some of the most popular routes include the Grady Tract Loop, the Curtis Prairie, or a five mile loop through the whole arboretum. Always remember to stay on the paths to preserve wild plants + wear appropriate shoes.
You can also take one of the free guided nature walks offered for different skill levels and ages on a weekly basis. Most meet at the Visitor’s Center, located right in the heart of the arboretum.
Nature Walks — Every Sunday at 1 p.m., learn about the land, plants, and animals from local naturalists.
Nature Hikes — On the first and third Sundays of the month, adults are invited on these longer walks.
Family Nature Walks — On the second Sunday of the month, families can explore the arboretum with a guide.
Garden Strolls — On the fourth Sunday of the month, gently-paced strolls are offered with wheelchair-accessible routes.
And the fun doesn’t stop there. Check out the calendar for monthly night walks, seasonal birding hikes + more family-friendly events.
The arboretum is open daily from 4 a.m.-10 p.m. and is always free.
UW Arboretum Events
See Arboretum events calendar for details and registration: https://arboretum.wisc.edu/visit/events/
10. Events from Madison Friends of Urban Nature
You for helping to publicize Madison FUN Bird and Nature Adventures, now entering our 10th Year!
Your support for these volunteer-led year-round weekly outings helps make Madison a welcoming, vibrant and healthy place for both people and nature.
WHAT ARE BIRD AND NATURE ADVENTURES?
* Join the FUN with Friends of Urban Nature on Parks and Partners co-sponsored outings!
* Free Naturalist Guided outings are offered in local parks and natural areas year round
* Outings are fun, welcoming, diverse, accessible and family and kid friendly
* Enjoy healthy nature recreation with a bit of fascinating nature education
HOW CAN WE JOIN THE FUN?
* Just show up, no registration unless noted
* Dress for an outdoor walk, outings are rain or shine unless weather is dangerous
* See monthly outing publicity at http://CityofMadison.com/Parks/Events/Bird-Nature.cfm and co-sponsor social media
* Find trail maps, fun facts and activities at http://Tinyurl.com/MadisonFUNAdventures
* Connect with parks, environmental and friends groups for more great activities
* Support natural areas in every yard, park and neighborhood for kids, birds, bees, and wildlife!
THANKS EVERYBODY!
Thanks for helping connect Madison area Communities and Kids with Nearby Nature!
Paul Noeldner
Volunteer Madison FUN Coordinator
Wisconsin Master Naturalist Instructor
136 Kensington Maple Bluff
For more events, see https://cityofmadison.com/parks/events/bird-nature.cfm