</noscript> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <a class="show-on-focus" href="#main" id="skip-link">Skip to main content</a> <div class="uw-global-bar" role="navigation"> <a class="uw-global-name-link" href="http://www.wisc.edu">U<span>niversity <span class="uw-of">of</span> </span>W<span>isconsin</span>–Madison</a> </div> <header id="branding" class="uw-header "> <div class="uw-header-container"> <div class="uw-header-crest-title"> <div class="uw-header-crest"> <a href="https://impact.wisc.edu" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" rel="home"><img class="uw-crest-svg" src="https://impact.wisc.edu/content/themes/impact.wisc.edu/images/uw-crest.svg" alt="Link to University of Wisconsin-Madison home page"></a> </div> <div class="uw-title-tagline"> <div id="site-title" class="uw-site-title"> <a href="/" rel="home">State Impact</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <main class="uw-pad-t-l uw-pad-b-xl" id="main"> <div class="stories"> <h1>Stories</h1> <div id="stories-json" data-stories='[{"post":{"id":1098,"ID":1098,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1685132321:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1104","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1099","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"A new 395,000 square foot facility that would replace the 64,000 square foot building at 1410 Engineering Drive would give the College of Engineering the modern space to educate many more students and position the College to stay competitive with its peers nationwide.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"ARTIST'S RENDITION","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"Even before they graduate, UW\u2013Madison engineers tackle real-world problems.","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"13","post_content":"Even before they graduate, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison engineers contribute their expertise to public and private clients around the state in ways that improve lives, protect natural resources and save money. Students gain hands-on experience working with local governments and manufacturers as they tackle real-world problems.\r\n\r\nFrom Rhinelander to Trempealeau County and Cottage Grove, here are just a few examples of UW\u2013Madison College of Engineering students and faculty stepping up to provide Wisconsin communities and businesses with expert information and tangible benefits \u2014\u00a0benefits that could be multiplied in the future with a new,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineeringthefuture.wisc.edu\/\">state-of-the-art engineering building<\/a>\u00a0to support expanded programs and a larger pipeline of Badger engineers.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/tracking-pfas-to-preserve-a-communitys-water-supply\/\"><strong>Protecting Rhinelander\u2019s water supply<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96686\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96686\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96686 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-500x281.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-500x281.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-775x436.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-1600x900.jpeg 1600w\" alt=\"Jim Tinjum and Elliot Draxler doing field work\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/> CEE Associate Professor Jim Tinjum, left, talks to graduate student Elliot Draxler during field work in Rhinelander. Tinjum and Draxler were collecting groundwater samples using a suction lysimeter near the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nRhinelander is one of many municipalities in Wisconsin grappling with a water supply contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, known as \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because they can persist indefinitely in the environment. PFAS are synthetic chemicals associated with health risks, and in 2019, the city shut down two of its wells due to unsafe PFAS levels.\r\n\r\nJames Tinjum and Dante Fratta, both associate professors of civil and environmental engineering, have worked closely with officials in Rhinelander as they track PFAS contamination in the city\u2019s water and search for ways to clean it up.\r\n\r\nTogether with Christopher Zahasky, an assistant professor of geoscience, and a team of students, the engineers are mapping the region\u2019s water table and developing actionable solutions that would keep the city\u2019s water supply safe.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/tracking-pfas-to-preserve-a-communitys-water-supply\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/rowing-in-a-new-direction-bme-design-project-supports-adaptive-exercise\/\"><strong>Designing adaptive gym equipment<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96687\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96687\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96687 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-500x281.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-500x281.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-775x436.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-1600x900.jpeg 1600w\" alt=\"Biomedical engineering undergraduate students Josh Andreatta, Annabel Frake, Tim Tran, Samuel Skirpan and Roxi Reuter\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/> Biomedical engineering undergraduate students Josh Andreatta, Annabel Frake, Tim Tran, Samuel Skirpan and Roxi Reuter have taken a standard rowing machine and modified it so that it\u2019s easily convertible for users in wheelchairs.[\/caption]\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Over the course of several semesters, students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering\u2019s undergraduate design program have been working with Johnson Health Tech, a fitness manufacturer in Cottage Grove, to design gym equipment that works for users with different physical abilities and limitations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nSpecifically, the students have designed and built a prototype for a rowing machine that\u2019s easily convertible for wheelchair users. A couple adaptive rowing machines are already on the market, but they don\u2019t convert to a standard setup. The undergrads spent the spring 2023 semester fine-tuning their prototype to make it more practical to manufacture on a large scale \u2014 a key consideration for creating a marketable piece of equipment.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/rowing-in-a-new-direction-bme-design-project-supports-adaptive-exercise\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/study-liquid-brine-clears-roads-faster\/\"><strong>Optimizing salt use on winter roads<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96688\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96688\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96688 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-500x333.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-1600x1067.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-900x600.jpg 900w\" alt=\"A City of Madison stormwater grate on surrounded by snow\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/> Reducing road salt usage can help keep salt out of Wisconsin\u2019s lakes and streams. Researchers at UW\u2019s Traffic Operations and Safety lab have found liquid brine cleared the state\u2019s highways faster, provided better friction on roadways and reduced overall salt usage.\u00a0PHOTO:\u00a0JEFF MILLER[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nWisconsin is water-rich, and for half the year it\u2019s freezing \u2014\u00a0a difficult combination for policymakers trying to keep winter motorists safe while protecting water quality. That\u2019s because road salt, while a useful tool for melting snow and ice on highways, can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems when it washes into streams and lakes.\r\n\r\nDuring the 2020-2021 winter season, researchers at UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Traffic Operations and Safety (TOPS) lab, housed in the College of Engineering, performed an in-depth analysis of salt use in 10 counties around the state. They concluded that liquid brine clears roads faster than traditional rock salt. Brine also reduces overall salt use by an average of 23%, according to the engineers \u2014\u00a0a potential source of cost savings for counties and municipalities and a clear win for cleaner water.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/study-liquid-brine-clears-roads-faster\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/engineering-students-create-ramp-prototype-to-make-boating-more-accessible\/\"><strong>Making a favorite summer pastime more accessible<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96689\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96689\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96689 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/boat-ramp-story-2-500x281.jpeg\" alt=\"A tabletop model of an accessible boat ramp made from plywood and metal\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/> UW engineering students worked with Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac to design a more accessible boat ramp. The prototype is essentially a height-adjustable ramp that can be used to get into a boat, combined with a door that opens in both directions.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nPublic boat ramps provide easy access to many of Wisconsin\u2019s 15,000 lakes. But the ramps can be difficult or impossible to use for people with mobility issues, including the elderly and wheelchair users.\r\n\r\nWorking with Fond du Lac-based Mercury Marine, a group of UW\u2013Madison engineering students designed a prototype for a remote-controlled ramp that could help users with mobility limitations better access a favorite summer pastime in Wisconsin.\r\n\r\nMembers of the university\u2019s chapter of Society of Women Engineers placed third in a national competition with their accessible boat ramp design.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/engineering-students-create-ramp-prototype-to-make-boating-more-accessible\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/making-a-difference-seniors-design-benefits-wisconsin-company-run-by-high-schoolers\/\"><strong>Designing improvements for a unique Wisconsin manufacturer<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96690\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96690\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"495\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96690 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cardinal-senior-design-team-Fence-Team-crop-IMG_04891-copy-1013x1024-1-495x500.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cardinal-senior-design-team-Fence-Team-crop-IMG_04891-copy-1013x1024-1-495x500.jpeg 495w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cardinal-senior-design-team-Fence-Team-crop-IMG_04891-copy-1013x1024-1-767x775.jpeg 767w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cardinal-senior-design-team-Fence-Team-crop-IMG_04891-copy-1013x1024-1-120x120.jpeg 120w\" alt=\"Students Armando Miracola, Kevin Chang, Reagan Hubbard and Rushi Patel in front of Engineering Hall\" width=\"495\" height=\"500\" \/> Students Armando Miracola, Kevin Chang, Reagan Hubbard and Rushi Patel applied their engineering skills to benefit Cardinal Manufacturing, a unique tech ed program at Eleva-Strum High School.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nUW\u2013Madison mechanical engineering students came to the aid of a unique manufacturer in Strum, a village of about 1,000 in Trempealeau County.\r\n\r\nAs part of their senior design program, the student engineers worked with Cardinal Manufacturing, a company run by tech-ed students at Eleva-Strum High School that provides woodworking, welding, metalworking and other services in the region.\r\n\r\nCardinal sought to professionalize the appearance of its facilities, and UW\u2013Madison engineers designed a custom gate and fence system to enclose its dumpsters and recycling bins. The design needed to be both functional and decorative, which provided students with a technical challenge as they also gained experience working with clients with unique needs and expectations.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/making-a-difference-seniors-design-benefits-wisconsin-company-run-by-high-schoolers\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/rethinking-space-wisconsin-counties-team-up-with-univercity-to-reimagine-facilities\/\"><strong>Rethinking county government buildings<\/strong><\/a>\r\n\r\n<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Through partnerships with UW\u2013Madison\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/univercity.wisc.edu\/\">UniverCity Alliance<\/a>\u00a0program, civil and environmental engineering students helped officials in two Wisconsin counties plan for their future facility needs.\r\n\r\nIn Adams County, students performed an analysis of the county\u2019s aging health and human services building, which is not an ideal space for meeting patients\u2019 needs. County officials are planning to build a new facility and asked the students to analyze the feasibility of repurposing the current facility for different uses. The students analyzed three possible scenarios from a technical design perspective and submitted a report to the county to inform its planning.\r\n\r\nCivil and environmental engineering students also aided Marathon County in its effort to streamline services and consolidate offices. Like in Adams County, students performed an analysis of the county\u2019s physical spaces while also consulting with local officials and a countywide public survey. They ultimately submitted a report for the county to use as it plans its future.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/rethinking-space-wisconsin-counties-team-up-with-univercity-to-reimagine-facilities\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n<div class=\"story-cta\"><\/div>","post_date":"2023-05-26 20:11:33","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Engineering Impact Across the State","post_type":"page","slug":"engineering-impact-across-the-state","_edit_lock":"1685132321:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1104","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1099","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"A new 395,000 square foot facility that would replace the 64,000 square foot building at 1410 Engineering Drive would give the College of Engineering the modern space to educate many more students and position the College to stay competitive with its peers nationwide.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"ARTIST'S RENDITION","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"Even before they graduate, UW\u2013Madison engineers tackle real-world problems.","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-05-26 20:11:33","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"engineering-impact-across-the-state","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-05-26 20:15:59","post_modified_gmt":"2023-05-26 20:15:59","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1098","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"UW Innovation","story":{"id":1098,"ID":1098,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1685132321:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1104","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1099","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"A new 395,000 square foot facility that would replace the 64,000 square foot building at 1410 Engineering Drive would give the College of Engineering the modern space to educate many more students and position the College to stay competitive with its peers nationwide.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"ARTIST'S RENDITION","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"Even before they graduate, UW\u2013Madison engineers tackle real-world problems.","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"13","post_content":"Even before they graduate, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison engineers contribute their expertise to public and private clients around the state in ways that improve lives, protect natural resources and save money. Students gain hands-on experience working with local governments and manufacturers as they tackle real-world problems.\r\n\r\nFrom Rhinelander to Trempealeau County and Cottage Grove, here are just a few examples of UW\u2013Madison College of Engineering students and faculty stepping up to provide Wisconsin communities and businesses with expert information and tangible benefits \u2014\u00a0benefits that could be multiplied in the future with a new,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineeringthefuture.wisc.edu\/\">state-of-the-art engineering building<\/a>\u00a0to support expanded programs and a larger pipeline of Badger engineers.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/tracking-pfas-to-preserve-a-communitys-water-supply\/\"><strong>Protecting Rhinelander\u2019s water supply<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96686\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96686\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96686 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-500x281.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-500x281.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-775x436.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Jim-Tinjum-and-Elliot-Draxler-copy-600w-2048x1152-1-1600x900.jpeg 1600w\" alt=\"Jim Tinjum and Elliot Draxler doing field work\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/> CEE Associate Professor Jim Tinjum, left, talks to graduate student Elliot Draxler during field work in Rhinelander. Tinjum and Draxler were collecting groundwater samples using a suction lysimeter near the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nRhinelander is one of many municipalities in Wisconsin grappling with a water supply contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, known as \u201cforever chemicals\u201d because they can persist indefinitely in the environment. PFAS are synthetic chemicals associated with health risks, and in 2019, the city shut down two of its wells due to unsafe PFAS levels.\r\n\r\nJames Tinjum and Dante Fratta, both associate professors of civil and environmental engineering, have worked closely with officials in Rhinelander as they track PFAS contamination in the city\u2019s water and search for ways to clean it up.\r\n\r\nTogether with Christopher Zahasky, an assistant professor of geoscience, and a team of students, the engineers are mapping the region\u2019s water table and developing actionable solutions that would keep the city\u2019s water supply safe.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/tracking-pfas-to-preserve-a-communitys-water-supply\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/rowing-in-a-new-direction-bme-design-project-supports-adaptive-exercise\/\"><strong>Designing adaptive gym equipment<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96687\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96687\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96687 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-500x281.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-500x281.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-775x436.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-1600x900.jpeg 1600w\" alt=\"Biomedical engineering undergraduate students Josh Andreatta, Annabel Frake, Tim Tran, Samuel Skirpan and Roxi Reuter\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/> Biomedical engineering undergraduate students Josh Andreatta, Annabel Frake, Tim Tran, Samuel Skirpan and Roxi Reuter have taken a standard rowing machine and modified it so that it\u2019s easily convertible for users in wheelchairs.[\/caption]\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Over the course of several semesters, students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering\u2019s undergraduate design program have been working with Johnson Health Tech, a fitness manufacturer in Cottage Grove, to design gym equipment that works for users with different physical abilities and limitations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nSpecifically, the students have designed and built a prototype for a rowing machine that\u2019s easily convertible for wheelchair users. A couple adaptive rowing machines are already on the market, but they don\u2019t convert to a standard setup. The undergrads spent the spring 2023 semester fine-tuning their prototype to make it more practical to manufacture on a large scale \u2014 a key consideration for creating a marketable piece of equipment.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/rowing-in-a-new-direction-bme-design-project-supports-adaptive-exercise\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/study-liquid-brine-clears-roads-faster\/\"><strong>Optimizing salt use on winter roads<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96688\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96688\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96688 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-500x333.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-1600x1067.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/storm-drain-winter-2023-02-02JM-1244-900x600.jpg 900w\" alt=\"A City of Madison stormwater grate on surrounded by snow\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/> Reducing road salt usage can help keep salt out of Wisconsin\u2019s lakes and streams. Researchers at UW\u2019s Traffic Operations and Safety lab have found liquid brine cleared the state\u2019s highways faster, provided better friction on roadways and reduced overall salt usage.\u00a0PHOTO:\u00a0JEFF MILLER[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nWisconsin is water-rich, and for half the year it\u2019s freezing \u2014\u00a0a difficult combination for policymakers trying to keep winter motorists safe while protecting water quality. That\u2019s because road salt, while a useful tool for melting snow and ice on highways, can wreak havoc on aquatic ecosystems when it washes into streams and lakes.\r\n\r\nDuring the 2020-2021 winter season, researchers at UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Traffic Operations and Safety (TOPS) lab, housed in the College of Engineering, performed an in-depth analysis of salt use in 10 counties around the state. They concluded that liquid brine clears roads faster than traditional rock salt. Brine also reduces overall salt use by an average of 23%, according to the engineers \u2014\u00a0a potential source of cost savings for counties and municipalities and a clear win for cleaner water.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/study-liquid-brine-clears-roads-faster\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/engineering-students-create-ramp-prototype-to-make-boating-more-accessible\/\"><strong>Making a favorite summer pastime more accessible<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96689\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96689\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96689 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/boat-ramp-story-2-500x281.jpeg\" alt=\"A tabletop model of an accessible boat ramp made from plywood and metal\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" \/> UW engineering students worked with Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac to design a more accessible boat ramp. The prototype is essentially a height-adjustable ramp that can be used to get into a boat, combined with a door that opens in both directions.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nPublic boat ramps provide easy access to many of Wisconsin\u2019s 15,000 lakes. But the ramps can be difficult or impossible to use for people with mobility issues, including the elderly and wheelchair users.\r\n\r\nWorking with Fond du Lac-based Mercury Marine, a group of UW\u2013Madison engineering students designed a prototype for a remote-controlled ramp that could help users with mobility limitations better access a favorite summer pastime in Wisconsin.\r\n\r\nMembers of the university\u2019s chapter of Society of Women Engineers placed third in a national competition with their accessible boat ramp design.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/engineering-students-create-ramp-prototype-to-make-boating-more-accessible\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/making-a-difference-seniors-design-benefits-wisconsin-company-run-by-high-schoolers\/\"><strong>Designing improvements for a unique Wisconsin manufacturer<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_96690\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_96690\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"495\"]<img class=\"wp-image-96690 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cardinal-senior-design-team-Fence-Team-crop-IMG_04891-copy-1013x1024-1-495x500.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cardinal-senior-design-team-Fence-Team-crop-IMG_04891-copy-1013x1024-1-495x500.jpeg 495w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cardinal-senior-design-team-Fence-Team-crop-IMG_04891-copy-1013x1024-1-767x775.jpeg 767w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cardinal-senior-design-team-Fence-Team-crop-IMG_04891-copy-1013x1024-1-120x120.jpeg 120w\" alt=\"Students Armando Miracola, Kevin Chang, Reagan Hubbard and Rushi Patel in front of Engineering Hall\" width=\"495\" height=\"500\" \/> Students Armando Miracola, Kevin Chang, Reagan Hubbard and Rushi Patel applied their engineering skills to benefit Cardinal Manufacturing, a unique tech ed program at Eleva-Strum High School.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nUW\u2013Madison mechanical engineering students came to the aid of a unique manufacturer in Strum, a village of about 1,000 in Trempealeau County.\r\n\r\nAs part of their senior design program, the student engineers worked with Cardinal Manufacturing, a company run by tech-ed students at Eleva-Strum High School that provides woodworking, welding, metalworking and other services in the region.\r\n\r\nCardinal sought to professionalize the appearance of its facilities, and UW\u2013Madison engineers designed a custom gate and fence system to enclose its dumpsters and recycling bins. The design needed to be both functional and decorative, which provided students with a technical challenge as they also gained experience working with clients with unique needs and expectations.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/making-a-difference-seniors-design-benefits-wisconsin-company-run-by-high-schoolers\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/rethinking-space-wisconsin-counties-team-up-with-univercity-to-reimagine-facilities\/\"><strong>Rethinking county government buildings<\/strong><\/a>\r\n\r\n<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Through partnerships with UW\u2013Madison\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/univercity.wisc.edu\/\">UniverCity Alliance<\/a>\u00a0program, civil and environmental engineering students helped officials in two Wisconsin counties plan for their future facility needs.\r\n\r\nIn Adams County, students performed an analysis of the county\u2019s aging health and human services building, which is not an ideal space for meeting patients\u2019 needs. County officials are planning to build a new facility and asked the students to analyze the feasibility of repurposing the current facility for different uses. The students analyzed three possible scenarios from a technical design perspective and submitted a report to the county to inform its planning.\r\n\r\nCivil and environmental engineering students also aided Marathon County in its effort to streamline services and consolidate offices. Like in Adams County, students performed an analysis of the county\u2019s physical spaces while also consulting with local officials and a countywide public survey. They ultimately submitted a report for the county to use as it plans its future.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/blog\/rethinking-space-wisconsin-counties-team-up-with-univercity-to-reimagine-facilities\/\">Read more.<\/a>\r\n<div class=\"story-cta\"><\/div>","post_date":"2023-05-26 20:11:33","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Engineering Impact Across the State","post_type":"page","slug":"engineering-impact-across-the-state","_edit_lock":"1685132321:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1104","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1099","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"A new 395,000 square foot facility that would replace the 64,000 square foot building at 1410 Engineering Drive would give the College of Engineering the modern space to educate many more students and position the College to stay competitive with its peers nationwide.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"ARTIST'S RENDITION","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"Even before they graduate, UW\u2013Madison engineers tackle real-world problems.","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-05-26 20:11:33","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"engineering-impact-across-the-state","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-05-26 20:15:59","post_modified_gmt":"2023-05-26 20:15:59","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1098","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BME_design_F6A2489-2048x1152-1-1024x576-1-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":1080,"ID":1080,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1685130972:13","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1082","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Aaron Gehrke, a third-generation pharmacist, at Lakeview Pharmacy in Phillips, Wisconsin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Provided photo)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"UW-trained healthcare professionals help keep Wisconsin well","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/health-care-on-the-home-front-uw-grads-remain-in-the-state-to-keep-wisconsin-well\/\">Bill Graf<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"1082"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Where there\u2019s a bandage, there\u2019s a Badger.<\/p>\r\n<p>Thousands of University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison graduates diagnose illnesses, treat patients and fill prescriptions in Wisconsin hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. In fact, doctors, nurses and pharmacists educated and trained in the UW\u2019s health sciences programs are working in every one of the state\u2019s 72 counties.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhen deciding where to work, staying in Wisconsin was always the plan,\u201d says Katey Olsen, who received a bachelor\u2019s degree in nursing in 2020 and joined the staff of the pediatric cancer unit at Children\u2019s Wisconsin in Milwaukee.<\/p>\r\n<p>According to the U.S. Census Bureau\u2019s Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes project, 75% of UW\u2013Madison alumni who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in health professions and related programs from 2001 to 2015 are working in Wisconsin; so are 70% of master\u2019s degree recipients and 56% of graduates with a clinical doctorate in those fields.<\/p>\r\n<p>We checked in with six who stayed:<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Sarah DiMezza, emergency physician, Two Rivers<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94599\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-94599\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/sarah_dimezza_emergency_medicine_baycare_clinic-1-442x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"339\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarah DiMezza<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\u201cRural medicine was always in my plans,\u201d says Sarah DiMezza, who earned her medical degree in UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine (WARM). She is working in the emergency department of BayCare Clinic in Two Rivers and also serves as an EMS medical director.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI always thought it was important to use my knowledge and training to benefit rural populations, so the WARM program was a good fit for me in medical school,\u201d DiMezza says. \u201cNow that I&#8217;m working in emergency medicine, I&#8217;m happy to be doing so in a small community in Wisconsin. Even more so, I am very happy to be working as EMS medical director to the paramedics with Manitowoc Fire and EMTs with Seymour Rescue.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Aaron Gehrke, community pharmacist, Phillips<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94596\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94596\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-500x333.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aaron Gehrke<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Aaron Gehrke is a third-generation pharmacist in northern Wisconsin, having recently joined Lakeview Pharmacy in Phillips \u2014 once owned by his grandfather and now operated by his father. The independent community pharmacy is an important point of health care access in a rural area where patients must sometimes drive long distances to reach their primary care provider, hospital or clinic.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhen I was younger, it was a big treat to go visit my dad and see him working behind the counter,\u201d Gehrke says. \u201cFor me, this is always what I have wanted to do, and it is exciting to know I will carry on the family tradition.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Lawrence Moore, family medicine physician, Milwaukee<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94597\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-94597\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Lawrence-Moore-471x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Lawrence-Moore-471x500.jpg 471w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Lawrence-Moore-964x1024.jpg 964w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Lawrence-Moore-730x775.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lawrence Moore<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Lawrence Moore, who earned medical and public health degrees at UW\u2013Madison, provides patient care and is on the faculty of the Aurora Family Medicine Program in Milwaukee.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhat I love about family medicine is that there are very few &#8220;typical&#8221; cases. One day, I may reassure new parents, insert a woman\u2019s intrauterine device, or help a patient navigate their new cancer diagnosis, and the next day could be completely different,\u201d Moore told the School of Medicine and Public Health\u2019s alumni magazine.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI try to thank every patient for coming to the clinic because each patient has a multitude of options regarding how to spend their time,\u201d he says. \u201cThe clinic encounter means they chose their health.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Katey Olsen, pediatric cancer nurse, Milwaukee<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94683\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94683\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-500x334.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-500x334.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-775x517.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-1600x1068.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-900x600.jpeg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katey Olsen<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Katey Olsen, who received her nursing degree in 2020, works at the MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children\u2019s Wisconsin. A former patient at the center, where she had a cancerous kidney removed and underwent chemotherapy at the age of 5, Olsen loves being able to show kids who are going through similar experiences that if she could beat cancer, they can too.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI was pretty motivated to stay in Wisconsin,\u201d Olsen says. \u201cOne of my goals was to give back to the hospital whose cancer treatment saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Ashley Thomas, trauma center nurse, Madison<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94600\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 412px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-94600 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2022_Nursing-Pin-Recipient_Slides_Thomas-Ashley-768x576-1-e1680100008466.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"402\" height=\"332\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ashley Thomas<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Ashley Thomas graduated in 2022 with a degree in nursing and Spanish, and now works at the UW Health trauma life support center in Madison. \u201cI chose nursing because it is a challenging yet rewarding career that offers interminable learning and the privilege of helping others every day,\u201d she says.<\/p>\r\n<p>As a student, the Seymour, Wisconsin, native was once a health care volunteer in Peru and is an advocate for improving care across cultures. \u201cI have spoken with Wisconsin state senators in regard to the inaccessibility of care for non-English speaking patients, and I am committed to improving matters at the patient\/family level, as well,\u201d Thomas says.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Zoua Yang, hospital pharmacist, Wausau<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94595\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94595\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Zoua-Yang-500x333.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Zoua-Yang-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Zoua-Yang-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Zoua-Yang-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zoua Yang<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Zoua Yang, a pharmacist at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and pharmacy manager at CVS, always knew she wanted to return to her hometown after earning her degree at UW\u2013Madison. \u201cI wanted to give back to the community that gave to me, and be that person, the role model that I had here, for somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt was really important for me to come back and help my Hmong community,\u201d which makes up about 12% of the population in Wausau, Yang says. \u201cI wanted to be a reliable resource for them, to help them with their health care \u2014 translating things, understanding their medications, and just being a connection for them in the community.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2023-04-10 16:49:07","post_excerpt":"Doctors, nurses and pharmacists educated and trained in UW\u2013Madison's health sciences programs are working in every one of the state's 72 counties.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Staying on the home front of healthcare","post_type":"page","slug":"homefront-health-care","_edit_lock":"1685130972:13","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1082","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Aaron Gehrke, a third-generation pharmacist, at Lakeview Pharmacy in Phillips, Wisconsin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Provided photo)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"UW-trained healthcare professionals help keep Wisconsin well","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/health-care-on-the-home-front-uw-grads-remain-in-the-state-to-keep-wisconsin-well\/\">Bill Graf<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"1082","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-10 16:49:07","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"homefront-health-care","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-04-10 16:50:42","post_modified_gmt":"2023-04-10 16:50:42","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1080","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":1080,"ID":1080,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1685130972:13","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1082","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Aaron Gehrke, a third-generation pharmacist, at Lakeview Pharmacy in Phillips, Wisconsin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Provided photo)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"UW-trained healthcare professionals help keep Wisconsin well","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/health-care-on-the-home-front-uw-grads-remain-in-the-state-to-keep-wisconsin-well\/\">Bill Graf<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"1082"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Where there\u2019s a bandage, there\u2019s a Badger.<\/p>\r\n<p>Thousands of University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison graduates diagnose illnesses, treat patients and fill prescriptions in Wisconsin hospitals, clinics and pharmacies. In fact, doctors, nurses and pharmacists educated and trained in the UW\u2019s health sciences programs are working in every one of the state\u2019s 72 counties.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhen deciding where to work, staying in Wisconsin was always the plan,\u201d says Katey Olsen, who received a bachelor\u2019s degree in nursing in 2020 and joined the staff of the pediatric cancer unit at Children\u2019s Wisconsin in Milwaukee.<\/p>\r\n<p>According to the U.S. Census Bureau\u2019s Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes project, 75% of UW\u2013Madison alumni who earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in health professions and related programs from 2001 to 2015 are working in Wisconsin; so are 70% of master\u2019s degree recipients and 56% of graduates with a clinical doctorate in those fields.<\/p>\r\n<p>We checked in with six who stayed:<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Sarah DiMezza, emergency physician, Two Rivers<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94599\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-94599\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/sarah_dimezza_emergency_medicine_baycare_clinic-1-442x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"339\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarah DiMezza<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\u201cRural medicine was always in my plans,\u201d says Sarah DiMezza, who earned her medical degree in UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine (WARM). She is working in the emergency department of BayCare Clinic in Two Rivers and also serves as an EMS medical director.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI always thought it was important to use my knowledge and training to benefit rural populations, so the WARM program was a good fit for me in medical school,\u201d DiMezza says. \u201cNow that I&#8217;m working in emergency medicine, I&#8217;m happy to be doing so in a small community in Wisconsin. Even more so, I am very happy to be working as EMS medical director to the paramedics with Manitowoc Fire and EMTs with Seymour Rescue.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Aaron Gehrke, community pharmacist, Phillips<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94596\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94596\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-500x333.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aaron Gehrke<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Aaron Gehrke is a third-generation pharmacist in northern Wisconsin, having recently joined Lakeview Pharmacy in Phillips \u2014 once owned by his grandfather and now operated by his father. The independent community pharmacy is an important point of health care access in a rural area where patients must sometimes drive long distances to reach their primary care provider, hospital or clinic.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhen I was younger, it was a big treat to go visit my dad and see him working behind the counter,\u201d Gehrke says. \u201cFor me, this is always what I have wanted to do, and it is exciting to know I will carry on the family tradition.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Lawrence Moore, family medicine physician, Milwaukee<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94597\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-94597\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Lawrence-Moore-471x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Lawrence-Moore-471x500.jpg 471w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Lawrence-Moore-964x1024.jpg 964w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Lawrence-Moore-730x775.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lawrence Moore<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Lawrence Moore, who earned medical and public health degrees at UW\u2013Madison, provides patient care and is on the faculty of the Aurora Family Medicine Program in Milwaukee.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhat I love about family medicine is that there are very few &#8220;typical&#8221; cases. One day, I may reassure new parents, insert a woman\u2019s intrauterine device, or help a patient navigate their new cancer diagnosis, and the next day could be completely different,\u201d Moore told the School of Medicine and Public Health\u2019s alumni magazine.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI try to thank every patient for coming to the clinic because each patient has a multitude of options regarding how to spend their time,\u201d he says. \u201cThe clinic encounter means they chose their health.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Katey Olsen, pediatric cancer nurse, Milwaukee<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94683\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94683\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-500x334.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-500x334.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-775x517.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-1600x1068.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Katey-Olsen-Image-900x600.jpeg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Katey Olsen<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Katey Olsen, who received her nursing degree in 2020, works at the MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children\u2019s Wisconsin. A former patient at the center, where she had a cancerous kidney removed and underwent chemotherapy at the age of 5, Olsen loves being able to show kids who are going through similar experiences that if she could beat cancer, they can too.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI was pretty motivated to stay in Wisconsin,\u201d Olsen says. \u201cOne of my goals was to give back to the hospital whose cancer treatment saved my life.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Ashley Thomas, trauma center nurse, Madison<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94600\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 412px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-94600 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2022_Nursing-Pin-Recipient_Slides_Thomas-Ashley-768x576-1-e1680100008466.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"402\" height=\"332\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ashley Thomas<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Ashley Thomas graduated in 2022 with a degree in nursing and Spanish, and now works at the UW Health trauma life support center in Madison. \u201cI chose nursing because it is a challenging yet rewarding career that offers interminable learning and the privilege of helping others every day,\u201d she says.<\/p>\r\n<p>As a student, the Seymour, Wisconsin, native was once a health care volunteer in Peru and is an advocate for improving care across cultures. \u201cI have spoken with Wisconsin state senators in regard to the inaccessibility of care for non-English speaking patients, and I am committed to improving matters at the patient\/family level, as well,\u201d Thomas says.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Zoua Yang, hospital pharmacist, Wausau<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94595\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94595\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Zoua-Yang-500x333.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Zoua-Yang-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Zoua-Yang-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Homefront-Zoua-Yang-900x600.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zoua Yang<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Zoua Yang, a pharmacist at Aspirus Wausau Hospital and pharmacy manager at CVS, always knew she wanted to return to her hometown after earning her degree at UW\u2013Madison. \u201cI wanted to give back to the community that gave to me, and be that person, the role model that I had here, for somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt was really important for me to come back and help my Hmong community,\u201d which makes up about 12% of the population in Wausau, Yang says. \u201cI wanted to be a reliable resource for them, to help them with their health care \u2014 translating things, understanding their medications, and just being a connection for them in the community.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2023-04-10 16:49:07","post_excerpt":"Doctors, nurses and pharmacists educated and trained in UW\u2013Madison's health sciences programs are working in every one of the state's 72 counties.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Staying on the home front of healthcare","post_type":"page","slug":"homefront-health-care","_edit_lock":"1685130972:13","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1082","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Aaron Gehrke, a third-generation pharmacist, at Lakeview Pharmacy in Phillips, Wisconsin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Provided photo)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"UW-trained healthcare professionals help keep Wisconsin well","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/health-care-on-the-home-front-uw-grads-remain-in-the-state-to-keep-wisconsin-well\/\">Bill Graf<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"1082","post_date_gmt":"2023-04-10 16:49:07","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"homefront-health-care","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-04-10 16:50:42","post_modified_gmt":"2023-04-10 16:50:42","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1080","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Homefront-Aaron-Gehrke-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":1041,"ID":1041,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1679510866:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"1068","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1045","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Undergraduate researcher Grace Kreissler holds a clear 3D-printed skull that the researchers created to aid in their investigation of traumatic brain injuries.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"PHOTO: JOEL HALLBERG","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/from-concussions-to-pfas-five-ways-uw-research-is-tackling-real-world-problems\/\">Original story<\/a> by Will Cushman<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"13","post_content":"Scientific research can feel distant from our everyday lives, and indeed it often requires years \u2014 or decades \u2014 of intense study to bring a life-saving medical treatment or useful new technology to fruition. Even in the face of daunting challenges and long timelines, researchers at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison bring their love for learning and passion for problem solving to the task of improving lives.\r\n\r\nFrom advanced materials aimed at making athletes safer to medical discoveries that could one day help treat ailments like blindness, here are just a few examples of UW\u2013Madison research that tackles real-world problems with innovative scientific approaches.\r\n<h2><strong>Making headway on detecting and preventing brain injuries<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nBased in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, a collaborative initiative spanning academia, industry and federal agencies is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/engineers-make-headway-in-tackling-traumatic-brain-injuries\/\">pursuing new strategies<\/a>\u00a0for preventing and better detecting concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. Formed in 2017, the PANTHER research initiative has already made progress in identifying new ways to diagnose brain injuries without obvious symptoms. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/new-carbon-nanotube-based-foam-promises-superior-protection-against-concussions\/\">initiative has also produced<\/a>\u00a0a lightweight, ultra-shock-absorbing foam made from carbon nanotubes that could be used in helmets to better protect athletes from strong blows.\r\n<h2><strong>Getting closer to treating blindness<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93258\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1050\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1050\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/David-Gamm-775x516-1-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"David Gamm leads the lab that developed &quot;organoids&quot; - a collection of cells that can function like retinas.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/> David Gamm leads the lab that developed \"organoids\" - a collection of cells that can function like retinas.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nPeople with vision problems, including blindness, caused by certain degenerative eye disorders could in the not-too-distant future be eligible to take part in new clinical trials aimed at restoring their sight. That\u2019s thanks to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/lab-grown-retinal-eye-cells-make-successful-connections-open-door-for-clinical-trials-to-treat-blindness\/\">research led by scientists<\/a>\u00a0at the UW\u2013Madison McPherson Eye Research Institute. The work recently produced a significant advance in growing retinal cells in a lab. The innovative approach reprogrammed human skin cells into stem cells that can grow into \u201corganoids\u201d that function like retinas. Human clinical trials are the next step for the research.\r\n<h2><strong>Harnessing machine learning to improve medical imaging<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94152\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1046\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1046 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Pancreatic-Cyst-copy-960x540-jpeg-775x436-1-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Medical image of pancreatic cyst.\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/> Researchers think machine learning could improve how medical images are read.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nA group of researchers from the College of Engineering, School of Medicine and Public Health and Department of Computer Sciences are developing algorithms and data processing methods to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/a-closer-look-machine-learning-collaborations-are-helping-to-improve-medical-imaging\/\">improve medical imaging techniques<\/a>\u00a0like CT scans and MRIs. The collaboration, called Machine Learning for Medical Imaging, began in 2018 and has already produced a new way to predict severe asthma progression based on CT scans of lungs. Ongoing projects are aimed at using machine learning to better diagnose aggressive kidney cancer and to predict whether pancreatic cysts have the potential to develop into malignant tumors via CT scan images.\r\n<h2><strong>Improving our understanding of \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 in the environment<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93125\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1060\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1060\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Christy-Remucal-775x436-1-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Researcher Christy Remucal found that Lake Michigan tributary water bodies and their sediment can be sources of chemicals known as PFAS. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN\u2013MADISON\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/> Researcher Christy Remucal found that Lake Michigan tributary water bodies and their sediment can be sources of chemicals known as PFAS. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN\u2013MADISON[\/caption]\r\n\r\nPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals are a growing environmental and health concern in Wisconsin and the world. The chemicals, long used in many consumer products and materials like firefighting foam, are very long-lasting and transport easily through water both above and below ground, a particular concern in water-rich Wisconsin. Researchers from across UW\u2013Madison are at the leading edge of understanding where and how PFAS moves through the environment \u2014 a key first step to mitigating its impacts. Recent work on this front include a study by researchers in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/northeastern-wisconsin-pfas-plume-moves-into-green-bay-via-groundwater\/\">that identified a PFAS plume<\/a>\u00a0flowing into Lake Michigan via Green Bay. Another study from scientists in the Department of Geosciences\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-researchers-working-to-improve-and-simplify-models-for-how-pfas-flows-through-the-ground\/\">offers a simplified method<\/a>\u00a0for forecasting how the chemicals move between the ground surface and the water table.\r\n<h2><strong>Developing life-saving medical devices for newborns<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94153\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1042\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1042\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Atrility_Medical-5F6A1800-1024x576-1-775x436-1-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Phil Terrien and Matt Knoespel first worked on the prototype that became the AtriAmp in spring 2016. Now they\u2019re working for Atrility Medical in University Research Park on Madison\u2019s west side. PHOTO BY TOM ZIEMER\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/> Phil Terrien and Matt Knoespel first worked on the prototype that became the AtriAmp in spring 2016. Now they\u2019re working for Atrility Medical. PHOTO BY TOM ZIEMER[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s not only well-established professors who perform life-altering research at UW\u2013Madison \u2014 undergraduates and young alumni are driving scientific and medical innovations as well. A recent example involves a pair of recent graduates from the Department of Biomedical Engineering who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/biomedical-engineering-alums-find-rhythm-at-design-program-spinoff\/\">leveraged a design project<\/a>\u00a0into a successful medical device company, partnering with faculty in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the School of Business. That startup, called Artrility Medical, is filling a gap in postoperative care for newborns with serious heart defects with a specially designed external pacemaker. The device received FDA approval in 2020 and is already being used in more than a dozen children\u2019s hospitals around the country.","post_date":"2023-03-14 17:29:49","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"From concussions to PFAS: five ways UW research is tackling real-world problems","post_type":"page","slug":"from-concussions-to-pfas-five-ways-uw-research-is-tackling-real-world-problems","_edit_lock":"1679510866:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"1068","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1045","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Undergraduate researcher Grace Kreissler holds a clear 3D-printed skull that the researchers created to aid in their investigation of traumatic brain injuries.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"PHOTO: JOEL HALLBERG","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/from-concussions-to-pfas-five-ways-uw-research-is-tackling-real-world-problems\/\">Original story<\/a> by Will Cushman<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-03-14 17:29:49","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"from-concussions-to-pfas-five-ways-uw-research-is-tackling-real-world-problems","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-22 18:50:09","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-22 18:50:09","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1041","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"UW Innovation","story":{"id":1041,"ID":1041,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1679510866:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"1068","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1045","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Undergraduate researcher Grace Kreissler holds a clear 3D-printed skull that the researchers created to aid in their investigation of traumatic brain injuries.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"PHOTO: JOEL HALLBERG","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/from-concussions-to-pfas-five-ways-uw-research-is-tackling-real-world-problems\/\">Original story<\/a> by Will Cushman<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"13","post_content":"Scientific research can feel distant from our everyday lives, and indeed it often requires years \u2014 or decades \u2014 of intense study to bring a life-saving medical treatment or useful new technology to fruition. Even in the face of daunting challenges and long timelines, researchers at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison bring their love for learning and passion for problem solving to the task of improving lives.\r\n\r\nFrom advanced materials aimed at making athletes safer to medical discoveries that could one day help treat ailments like blindness, here are just a few examples of UW\u2013Madison research that tackles real-world problems with innovative scientific approaches.\r\n<h2><strong>Making headway on detecting and preventing brain injuries<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nBased in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, a collaborative initiative spanning academia, industry and federal agencies is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/engineers-make-headway-in-tackling-traumatic-brain-injuries\/\">pursuing new strategies<\/a>\u00a0for preventing and better detecting concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. Formed in 2017, the PANTHER research initiative has already made progress in identifying new ways to diagnose brain injuries without obvious symptoms. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/new-carbon-nanotube-based-foam-promises-superior-protection-against-concussions\/\">initiative has also produced<\/a>\u00a0a lightweight, ultra-shock-absorbing foam made from carbon nanotubes that could be used in helmets to better protect athletes from strong blows.\r\n<h2><strong>Getting closer to treating blindness<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93258\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1050\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1050\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/David-Gamm-775x516-1-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"David Gamm leads the lab that developed &quot;organoids&quot; - a collection of cells that can function like retinas.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/> David Gamm leads the lab that developed \"organoids\" - a collection of cells that can function like retinas.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nPeople with vision problems, including blindness, caused by certain degenerative eye disorders could in the not-too-distant future be eligible to take part in new clinical trials aimed at restoring their sight. That\u2019s thanks to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/lab-grown-retinal-eye-cells-make-successful-connections-open-door-for-clinical-trials-to-treat-blindness\/\">research led by scientists<\/a>\u00a0at the UW\u2013Madison McPherson Eye Research Institute. The work recently produced a significant advance in growing retinal cells in a lab. The innovative approach reprogrammed human skin cells into stem cells that can grow into \u201corganoids\u201d that function like retinas. Human clinical trials are the next step for the research.\r\n<h2><strong>Harnessing machine learning to improve medical imaging<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94152\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1046\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1046 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Pancreatic-Cyst-copy-960x540-jpeg-775x436-1-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Medical image of pancreatic cyst.\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/> Researchers think machine learning could improve how medical images are read.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nA group of researchers from the College of Engineering, School of Medicine and Public Health and Department of Computer Sciences are developing algorithms and data processing methods to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/a-closer-look-machine-learning-collaborations-are-helping-to-improve-medical-imaging\/\">improve medical imaging techniques<\/a>\u00a0like CT scans and MRIs. The collaboration, called Machine Learning for Medical Imaging, began in 2018 and has already produced a new way to predict severe asthma progression based on CT scans of lungs. Ongoing projects are aimed at using machine learning to better diagnose aggressive kidney cancer and to predict whether pancreatic cysts have the potential to develop into malignant tumors via CT scan images.\r\n<h2><strong>Improving our understanding of \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 in the environment<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93125\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1060\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1060\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Christy-Remucal-775x436-1-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Researcher Christy Remucal found that Lake Michigan tributary water bodies and their sediment can be sources of chemicals known as PFAS. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN\u2013MADISON\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/> Researcher Christy Remucal found that Lake Michigan tributary water bodies and their sediment can be sources of chemicals known as PFAS. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN\u2013MADISON[\/caption]\r\n\r\nPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals are a growing environmental and health concern in Wisconsin and the world. The chemicals, long used in many consumer products and materials like firefighting foam, are very long-lasting and transport easily through water both above and below ground, a particular concern in water-rich Wisconsin. Researchers from across UW\u2013Madison are at the leading edge of understanding where and how PFAS moves through the environment \u2014 a key first step to mitigating its impacts. Recent work on this front include a study by researchers in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/northeastern-wisconsin-pfas-plume-moves-into-green-bay-via-groundwater\/\">that identified a PFAS plume<\/a>\u00a0flowing into Lake Michigan via Green Bay. Another study from scientists in the Department of Geosciences\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-researchers-working-to-improve-and-simplify-models-for-how-pfas-flows-through-the-ground\/\">offers a simplified method<\/a>\u00a0for forecasting how the chemicals move between the ground surface and the water table.\r\n<h2><strong>Developing life-saving medical devices for newborns<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_94153\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1042\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1042\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Atrility_Medical-5F6A1800-1024x576-1-775x436-1-300x169.jpeg\" alt=\"Phil Terrien and Matt Knoespel first worked on the prototype that became the AtriAmp in spring 2016. Now they\u2019re working for Atrility Medical in University Research Park on Madison\u2019s west side. PHOTO BY TOM ZIEMER\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/> Phil Terrien and Matt Knoespel first worked on the prototype that became the AtriAmp in spring 2016. Now they\u2019re working for Atrility Medical. PHOTO BY TOM ZIEMER[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s not only well-established professors who perform life-altering research at UW\u2013Madison \u2014 undergraduates and young alumni are driving scientific and medical innovations as well. A recent example involves a pair of recent graduates from the Department of Biomedical Engineering who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/biomedical-engineering-alums-find-rhythm-at-design-program-spinoff\/\">leveraged a design project<\/a>\u00a0into a successful medical device company, partnering with faculty in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and the School of Business. That startup, called Artrility Medical, is filling a gap in postoperative care for newborns with serious heart defects with a specially designed external pacemaker. The device received FDA approval in 2020 and is already being used in more than a dozen children\u2019s hospitals around the country.","post_date":"2023-03-14 17:29:49","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"From concussions to PFAS: five ways UW research is tackling real-world problems","post_type":"page","slug":"from-concussions-to-pfas-five-ways-uw-research-is-tackling-real-world-problems","_edit_lock":"1679510866:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"1068","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1045","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Undergraduate researcher Grace Kreissler holds a clear 3D-printed skull that the researchers created to aid in their investigation of traumatic brain injuries.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"PHOTO: JOEL HALLBERG","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/from-concussions-to-pfas-five-ways-uw-research-is-tackling-real-world-problems\/\">Original story<\/a> by Will Cushman<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-03-14 17:29:49","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"from-concussions-to-pfas-five-ways-uw-research-is-tackling-real-world-problems","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-22 18:50:09","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-22 18:50:09","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1041","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/F6A1284-1350x900-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":1026,"ID":1026,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678812843:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1027","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1027","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Pedestrians and students walk among the colors of the fall leaves near Bascom Hall.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Bryce Richter","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"Access to UW\u2013Madison","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-introduces-pathway-to-debt-free-education-for-pell-eligible-state-students\/\">Original story<\/a> by Doug Erickson.<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"13","post_content":"The University of Wisconsin\u00ad\u2013Madison has long been committed to ensuring that an education at the state\u2019s flagship public institution is affordable and accessible for Wisconsin residents. Today, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announces a significant strengthening of that commitment with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/pell-pathway\">Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway<\/a>.\r\n\r\nUnder this program, UW\u2013Madison pledges to meet the full financial need for four years for new first-year Wisconsin resident students who qualify for Pell Grants, the federal program that plays a critical role in expanding college access for students in low-income households. Transfer students from Wisconsin meeting the same criteria will receive two years of full-need funding.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison expects over 800 incoming students will be eligible in the upcoming year.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf we are going to live our values of creating real access and opportunity, we need to do more for our students from Wisconsin\u2019s lowest-income households \u2014 our Pell Grant recipients,\u201d Mnookin says. \u201cToday, we are committing to comprehensive support for these students, who come from all parts of the state. Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway will, in most instances, allow recipients to complete a four-year degree without taking on debt to cover their educational expenses.\u201d\r\n\r\nBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway will guarantee grants, scholarships and work-study opportunities sufficient to cover a Pell-eligible student\u2019s full financial need (defined as cost of attendance minus any expected family contribution). The guarantee covers not just tuition and fees, but also housing, meals, books and most other educational expenses.\r\n\r\nBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway also will include funds to ensure that eligible students can be more fully involved and engaged in the many life-changing experiences the university offers, such as study abroad opportunities and summer term courses.\r\n\r\n\u201cBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway is an important additional step in creating access and affordability at UW\u2013Madison,\u201d Mnookin says. \u201cIt will help ensure that the amazing resources of our university and the transformative opportunities offered here are available to students across our state, regardless of their means.\u201d\r\n\r\nBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway expands on the groundbreaking\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a>, now in its fifth year. Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise guarantees scholarships and grants to pay for tuition and segregated fees for Wisconsin residents whose household adjusted gross income is roughly at or below the state median income.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/five-years-in-buckys-tuition-promise-is-building-a-legacy-of-affordability-across-wisconsin\/\">Nearly 5,000 students<\/a>\u00a0have now benefitted from it. Today, UW\u2013Madison is announcing that the eligibility threshold for household income for Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise will be raised from $60,000 to $65,000, meaning even more Wisconsin students will qualify.\r\n\r\nBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway goes beyond Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise by guaranteeing full-need funding for a student\u2019s education at UW\u2013Madison<strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>The university expects that a majority of Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipients will also qualify for Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway and receive full-need funding.\r\n\r\nBoth initiatives are structured as last-dollar awards, meaning UW\u2013Madison first takes into account other funding sources, such as federal and state aid, work-study opportunities, and outside grants and scholarships. After these sources are totaled, the university fills in the funding gap. The additional money contributed by the university comes from private donors and other institutional resources, not taxpayer funds.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe bottom line is, if you are eligible for one of these programs, we\u2019ve got you covered,\u201d says Derek Kindle, vice provost for enrollment management. \u201cWe want to continue to message to our talented and competitive Wisconsin residents that we will help remove any financial barriers to becoming a Badger.\u201d\r\n\r\nAs with Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/badger-promise\/\">Badger Promise<\/a>, eligibility for Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway is straightforward. It will be awarded automatically to students based on information they provide through the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/h\/apply-for-aid\/fafsa\">Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)<\/a>. No separate application is necessary.\r\n\r\nJeff Eide, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, praised Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway, saying it will open opportunities for students across the state.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s another great example of how higher education institutions are working to support Wisconsin Pell Grant recipients,\u201d Eide says.","post_date":"2023-03-07 17:26:43","post_excerpt":"UW\u2013Madison strengthens its commitment to affordability with Chancellor Mnookin's announcement of Bucky's Pell Pathway.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Bucky's Pell Pathway to debt-free education","post_type":"page","slug":"buckys-pell-pathway","_edit_lock":"1678812843:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1027","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1027","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Pedestrians and students walk among the colors of the fall leaves near Bascom Hall.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Bryce Richter","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-introduces-pathway-to-debt-free-education-for-pell-eligible-state-students\/\">Original story<\/a> by Doug Erickson.<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:26:43","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"buckys-pell-pathway","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:28:26","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:28:26","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1026","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"Access to UW\u2013Madison","story":{"id":1026,"ID":1026,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678812843:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1027","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1027","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Pedestrians and students walk among the colors of the fall leaves near Bascom Hall.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Bryce Richter","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"Access to UW\u2013Madison","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-introduces-pathway-to-debt-free-education-for-pell-eligible-state-students\/\">Original story<\/a> by Doug Erickson.<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"13","post_content":"The University of Wisconsin\u00ad\u2013Madison has long been committed to ensuring that an education at the state\u2019s flagship public institution is affordable and accessible for Wisconsin residents. Today, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announces a significant strengthening of that commitment with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/pell-pathway\">Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway<\/a>.\r\n\r\nUnder this program, UW\u2013Madison pledges to meet the full financial need for four years for new first-year Wisconsin resident students who qualify for Pell Grants, the federal program that plays a critical role in expanding college access for students in low-income households. Transfer students from Wisconsin meeting the same criteria will receive two years of full-need funding.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison expects over 800 incoming students will be eligible in the upcoming year.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf we are going to live our values of creating real access and opportunity, we need to do more for our students from Wisconsin\u2019s lowest-income households \u2014 our Pell Grant recipients,\u201d Mnookin says. \u201cToday, we are committing to comprehensive support for these students, who come from all parts of the state. Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway will, in most instances, allow recipients to complete a four-year degree without taking on debt to cover their educational expenses.\u201d\r\n\r\nBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway will guarantee grants, scholarships and work-study opportunities sufficient to cover a Pell-eligible student\u2019s full financial need (defined as cost of attendance minus any expected family contribution). The guarantee covers not just tuition and fees, but also housing, meals, books and most other educational expenses.\r\n\r\nBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway also will include funds to ensure that eligible students can be more fully involved and engaged in the many life-changing experiences the university offers, such as study abroad opportunities and summer term courses.\r\n\r\n\u201cBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway is an important additional step in creating access and affordability at UW\u2013Madison,\u201d Mnookin says. \u201cIt will help ensure that the amazing resources of our university and the transformative opportunities offered here are available to students across our state, regardless of their means.\u201d\r\n\r\nBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway expands on the groundbreaking\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a>, now in its fifth year. Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise guarantees scholarships and grants to pay for tuition and segregated fees for Wisconsin residents whose household adjusted gross income is roughly at or below the state median income.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/five-years-in-buckys-tuition-promise-is-building-a-legacy-of-affordability-across-wisconsin\/\">Nearly 5,000 students<\/a>\u00a0have now benefitted from it. Today, UW\u2013Madison is announcing that the eligibility threshold for household income for Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise will be raised from $60,000 to $65,000, meaning even more Wisconsin students will qualify.\r\n\r\nBucky\u2019s Pell Pathway goes beyond Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise by guaranteeing full-need funding for a student\u2019s education at UW\u2013Madison<strong>.\u00a0<\/strong>The university expects that a majority of Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipients will also qualify for Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway and receive full-need funding.\r\n\r\nBoth initiatives are structured as last-dollar awards, meaning UW\u2013Madison first takes into account other funding sources, such as federal and state aid, work-study opportunities, and outside grants and scholarships. After these sources are totaled, the university fills in the funding gap. The additional money contributed by the university comes from private donors and other institutional resources, not taxpayer funds.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe bottom line is, if you are eligible for one of these programs, we\u2019ve got you covered,\u201d says Derek Kindle, vice provost for enrollment management. \u201cWe want to continue to message to our talented and competitive Wisconsin residents that we will help remove any financial barriers to becoming a Badger.\u201d\r\n\r\nAs with Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/badger-promise\/\">Badger Promise<\/a>, eligibility for Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway is straightforward. It will be awarded automatically to students based on information they provide through the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/h\/apply-for-aid\/fafsa\">Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)<\/a>. No separate application is necessary.\r\n\r\nJeff Eide, executive director of the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance, praised Bucky\u2019s Pell Pathway, saying it will open opportunities for students across the state.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s another great example of how higher education institutions are working to support Wisconsin Pell Grant recipients,\u201d Eide says.","post_date":"2023-03-07 17:26:43","post_excerpt":"UW\u2013Madison strengthens its commitment to affordability with Chancellor Mnookin's announcement of Bucky's Pell Pathway.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Bucky's Pell Pathway to debt-free education","post_type":"page","slug":"buckys-pell-pathway","_edit_lock":"1678812843:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1027","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1027","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Pedestrians and students walk among the colors of the fall leaves near Bascom Hall.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Bryce Richter","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-introduces-pathway-to-debt-free-education-for-pell-eligible-state-students\/\">Original story<\/a> by Doug Erickson.<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:26:43","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"buckys-pell-pathway","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:28:26","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:28:26","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1026","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Campus_Fall_BR21_1096-3-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":1010,"ID":1010,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678815039:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1011","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1011","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"A student talks with a recruiter during the annual Spring Career and Internship Fair held at the Kohl Center on Feb. 5, 2019.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"Economic Impact","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-grads-high-placement-rates-show-that-preparation-pays-off\/\">Original story<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"13","post_content":"New University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison graduates have great success in the job market, with 71 percent of those seeking jobs getting an offer by the time they graduated in 2021-22, according to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tableau.wisconsin.edu\/views\/FirstDestinationSurvey_0\/HomePage?%3Aembed=y&amp;%3AshowAppBanner=false&amp;%3AshowShareOptions=true&amp;%3Adisplay_count=no&amp;%3AshowVizHome=no\">First Destination survey<\/a>.\r\n\r\nMany new UW\u2013Madison graduates also continue their education via graduate or professional school enrollment after completing their bachelor\u2019s degree.\r\n\r\nThe students\u2019 success reflects their hard work and achievement, along with the University\u2019s commitment to preparing students with the skills that employers need.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen employers raise an area of concern, like students needing greater exposure to a specific 3D modeling program, we bring that industry feedback to our academic departments,\u201d says Stephanie Salazar Kann, College of Engineering career services associate director.\r\n\r\nHere we highlight the work done in Business, Nursing and Engineering to prepare students to land their first jobs.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1016\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"640\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1016 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Grainger_Hall_sunrise16_7582-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Grainger Hall, home of the Wisconsin School of Business. Founded in 1900, the school established one of the first five business programs in the nation.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" \/> Grainger Hall, home of the Wisconsin School of Business. Founded in 1900, the school established one of the first five business programs in the nation. PHOTO: JEFF MILLER[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<div id=\"attachment_31555\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><\/div>\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">Wisconsin School of Business: career exploration<\/h2>\r\nThe Wisconsin School of Business\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/business.wisc.edu\/news\/undergraduate-program-launches-the-career-forward-program\/\">Career Forward<\/a>\u00a0program provides undergraduate students with holistic career exploration and development support, according to Melissa Leffin, director of career engagement, and Brett Jones, director of employer engagement in the school\u2019s undergraduate programs. Students have access to one-on-one career coaching; experiential opportunities like career treks, job shadowing and case competitions; and on- and off-campus recruiting events with employers.\r\n\r\nRecruiting roadmaps and an interactive tool called Suitable help students navigate the School\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/business.wisc.edu\/undergraduate\/careers\/pathways\/\">40+ career pathways<\/a>\u00a0and ensure that they are becoming competitive candidates for their ideal internships and jobs.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe School\u2019s Career Engagement team also leverages data, student feedback, and other insights to identify and support trends in student career interest,\u201d says Leffin. \u201cWe work proactively to pursue new industry and alumni partnerships in geographical markets and career pathways that are in high demand.\u201d\r\n\r\nJones says employers recruit at WSB because of the well-rounded students the School produces.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey are seeking students who have deep business acumen in their major and discipline, an analytical approach to problem solving, creativity, collaboration, and inclusive leadership,\u201d says Jones.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1017\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"640\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1017 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Signe_Skott_Cooper_Hall20_5171-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"Signe Skott Cooper Hall is pictured at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on June 7, 2020. The building is home to the School of Nursing. (Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" \/> Signe Skott Cooper Hall, home to the School of Nursing. PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<div id=\"attachment_71242\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><\/div>\r\n<h2>School of Nursing: clinical training is key<\/h2>\r\nGraduates from the nursing school benefit from a high need for nurses, said Kelli Richards, Career Development &amp; Learning Support Manager, and the the nursing major provides students with a professional certification.\r\n\r\nNursing students do clinical rotations as part of their degree, many at UW Health, the Madison VA and SSM Health.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat helps in a few ways,\u201d says Richards. \u201cStudents work with professional nurses and come in contact with nurse managers, which solidifies what they want to do a bit more. Also, they have those contacts to go through the job application process.\u201d\r\n\r\nMany hospitals and clinics hire students in student nurse roles or externships, because students receive enough clinical training that after their first semester in the nursing program, they are qualified to hold those roles.\r\n\r\n\u201cThose jobs pay well, unlike unpaid internships or other summer jobs, and they can work 8-12 hours a week during nursing school or full-time in the summer, and test whether a hospital or clinic is a good fit for them,\u201d says Richards.\r\n\r\nNursing school staff prepare students to take their licensing exams in June after graduation and also hold career programming events weekly to talk about licensure and career-related topics. Richards says the school has strong relationships with recruiters and a dedicated alumni base that regularly returns to campus to mentor students through the school\u2019s alumni mentorship programs and alumni panels. Richards also provides one-on-one appointments for students to come chat about their career plans and licensure.\r\n\r\nNursing students complete as many as five or six hospital, clinical, and public health rotations in their last two years of school and can express preferences for certain areas, like pediatrics or surgery.\r\n\r\n\u201cDuring their first year, they\u2019re usually working at UW Health in a variety of units, being led by a faculty member,\u201d says Richards. \u201cTheir last year in the nursing program, they work directly with an RN who is their preceptor, gaining autonomy. That helps them figure out what they want to do, and then if they interview in an area where they have clinical experience they can talk about that.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1018\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"640\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1018 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Henry_Engr_autumn21_2429-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"People wait for a Madison Metro bus at a transportation stop along Linden Drive and Henry Mall at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison during an autumn sunset on Nov. 2, 2021. On the horizon are vehicles traveling along University Avenue plus Engineering Mall and Engineering Hall. (Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW\u2013Madison)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" \/> Engineering Hall is the backdrop for a peaceful scene. PHOTO: JEFF MILLER[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<div id=\"attachment_85354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><\/div>\r\n<h2>College of Engineering: meeting employers early<\/h2>\r\nThe College of Engineering offers hands-on, well-defined majors that prioritize work-based experience, cooperative education, and internships, says Stephanie Salazar Kann, Engineering Career Services Associate Director. Opportunities to do research and get hands-on experience in makerspace lab areas builds students\u2019 academic and technical acumen.\r\n\r\n\u201cEmployers often tell us they\u2019re looking for students who can work in teams, think critically with others, and communicate with a variety of individuals with different backgrounds,\u201d says Salazar Kann. \u201cStudents practice those skills from their Introduction to Engineering courses all the way to their senior design capstone courses and labs.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe College of Engineering hosts job fairs each semester, where well over 300 employers from local, regional, and national organizations come to campus to recruit engineering students. Undergraduates have the opportunity to meet employers very early in their academic careers, learn about potential jobs directly from the people they hope to work for one day, and stay in touch.\r\n\r\nCollege of Engineering staff ask employers who hire students for summer internships and co-op positions for feedback on students\u2019 skills. Staff want to know if students are regularly demonstrating the ability to make engineering judgements; apply design to produce solutions that meet specific societal needs; communicate effectively on teams; and recognize their ethical and professional responsibilities.\r\n\r\n\u201cAcross the board, our students meet and exceed employers\u2019 expectations,\u201d says Salazar Kann.\r\n\r\nPart of the appeal for students coming into engineering is that they gain such exposure to the latest technology.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey are the builders and creators of advances that we all use and experience every day, and employers appreciate that,\u201d she says. \u201cThat skill set is a way of learning, thinking, and problem solving that allows them to continue to pivot with time and changes. Students don\u2019t necessarily reflect on that right away, but later, they realize their bachelor\u2019s level degree is still keeping their career going even if things are changing.\u201d","post_date":"2023-02-21 17:11:00","post_excerpt":"To help prepare them, students receive hands-on training in real-world skills, experience in professional settings and face-to-face meetings with employers.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Badgers are in demand after graduation. <\/br> How UW is making it happen.","post_type":"page","slug":"badgers-in-demand","_edit_lock":"1678815039:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1011","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1011","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"A student talks with a recruiter during the annual Spring Career and Internship Fair held at the Kohl Center on Feb. 5, 2019.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-grads-high-placement-rates-show-that-preparation-pays-off\/\">Original story<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-02-21 17:11:00","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"badgers-in-demand","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:11:16","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:11:16","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1010","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"Economic Impact","story":{"id":1010,"ID":1010,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678815039:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1011","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1011","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"A student talks with a recruiter during the annual Spring Career and Internship Fair held at the Kohl Center on Feb. 5, 2019.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"Economic Impact","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-grads-high-placement-rates-show-that-preparation-pays-off\/\">Original story<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"13","post_content":"New University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison graduates have great success in the job market, with 71 percent of those seeking jobs getting an offer by the time they graduated in 2021-22, according to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tableau.wisconsin.edu\/views\/FirstDestinationSurvey_0\/HomePage?%3Aembed=y&amp;%3AshowAppBanner=false&amp;%3AshowShareOptions=true&amp;%3Adisplay_count=no&amp;%3AshowVizHome=no\">First Destination survey<\/a>.\r\n\r\nMany new UW\u2013Madison graduates also continue their education via graduate or professional school enrollment after completing their bachelor\u2019s degree.\r\n\r\nThe students\u2019 success reflects their hard work and achievement, along with the University\u2019s commitment to preparing students with the skills that employers need.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen employers raise an area of concern, like students needing greater exposure to a specific 3D modeling program, we bring that industry feedback to our academic departments,\u201d says Stephanie Salazar Kann, College of Engineering career services associate director.\r\n\r\nHere we highlight the work done in Business, Nursing and Engineering to prepare students to land their first jobs.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1016\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"640\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1016 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Grainger_Hall_sunrise16_7582-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Grainger Hall, home of the Wisconsin School of Business. Founded in 1900, the school established one of the first five business programs in the nation.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" \/> Grainger Hall, home of the Wisconsin School of Business. Founded in 1900, the school established one of the first five business programs in the nation. PHOTO: JEFF MILLER[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<div id=\"attachment_31555\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><\/div>\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">Wisconsin School of Business: career exploration<\/h2>\r\nThe Wisconsin School of Business\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/business.wisc.edu\/news\/undergraduate-program-launches-the-career-forward-program\/\">Career Forward<\/a>\u00a0program provides undergraduate students with holistic career exploration and development support, according to Melissa Leffin, director of career engagement, and Brett Jones, director of employer engagement in the school\u2019s undergraduate programs. Students have access to one-on-one career coaching; experiential opportunities like career treks, job shadowing and case competitions; and on- and off-campus recruiting events with employers.\r\n\r\nRecruiting roadmaps and an interactive tool called Suitable help students navigate the School\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/business.wisc.edu\/undergraduate\/careers\/pathways\/\">40+ career pathways<\/a>\u00a0and ensure that they are becoming competitive candidates for their ideal internships and jobs.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe School\u2019s Career Engagement team also leverages data, student feedback, and other insights to identify and support trends in student career interest,\u201d says Leffin. \u201cWe work proactively to pursue new industry and alumni partnerships in geographical markets and career pathways that are in high demand.\u201d\r\n\r\nJones says employers recruit at WSB because of the well-rounded students the School produces.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey are seeking students who have deep business acumen in their major and discipline, an analytical approach to problem solving, creativity, collaboration, and inclusive leadership,\u201d says Jones.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1017\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"640\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1017 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Signe_Skott_Cooper_Hall20_5171-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"Signe Skott Cooper Hall is pictured at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on June 7, 2020. The building is home to the School of Nursing. (Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" \/> Signe Skott Cooper Hall, home to the School of Nursing. PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<div id=\"attachment_71242\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><\/div>\r\n<h2>School of Nursing: clinical training is key<\/h2>\r\nGraduates from the nursing school benefit from a high need for nurses, said Kelli Richards, Career Development &amp; Learning Support Manager, and the the nursing major provides students with a professional certification.\r\n\r\nNursing students do clinical rotations as part of their degree, many at UW Health, the Madison VA and SSM Health.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat helps in a few ways,\u201d says Richards. \u201cStudents work with professional nurses and come in contact with nurse managers, which solidifies what they want to do a bit more. Also, they have those contacts to go through the job application process.\u201d\r\n\r\nMany hospitals and clinics hire students in student nurse roles or externships, because students receive enough clinical training that after their first semester in the nursing program, they are qualified to hold those roles.\r\n\r\n\u201cThose jobs pay well, unlike unpaid internships or other summer jobs, and they can work 8-12 hours a week during nursing school or full-time in the summer, and test whether a hospital or clinic is a good fit for them,\u201d says Richards.\r\n\r\nNursing school staff prepare students to take their licensing exams in June after graduation and also hold career programming events weekly to talk about licensure and career-related topics. Richards says the school has strong relationships with recruiters and a dedicated alumni base that regularly returns to campus to mentor students through the school\u2019s alumni mentorship programs and alumni panels. Richards also provides one-on-one appointments for students to come chat about their career plans and licensure.\r\n\r\nNursing students complete as many as five or six hospital, clinical, and public health rotations in their last two years of school and can express preferences for certain areas, like pediatrics or surgery.\r\n\r\n\u201cDuring their first year, they\u2019re usually working at UW Health in a variety of units, being led by a faculty member,\u201d says Richards. \u201cTheir last year in the nursing program, they work directly with an RN who is their preceptor, gaining autonomy. That helps them figure out what they want to do, and then if they interview in an area where they have clinical experience they can talk about that.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1018\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"640\"]<img class=\"wp-image-1018 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Henry_Engr_autumn21_2429-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"People wait for a Madison Metro bus at a transportation stop along Linden Drive and Henry Mall at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison during an autumn sunset on Nov. 2, 2021. On the horizon are vehicles traveling along University Avenue plus Engineering Mall and Engineering Hall. (Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW\u2013Madison)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" \/> Engineering Hall is the backdrop for a peaceful scene. PHOTO: JEFF MILLER[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<div id=\"attachment_85354\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><\/div>\r\n<h2>College of Engineering: meeting employers early<\/h2>\r\nThe College of Engineering offers hands-on, well-defined majors that prioritize work-based experience, cooperative education, and internships, says Stephanie Salazar Kann, Engineering Career Services Associate Director. Opportunities to do research and get hands-on experience in makerspace lab areas builds students\u2019 academic and technical acumen.\r\n\r\n\u201cEmployers often tell us they\u2019re looking for students who can work in teams, think critically with others, and communicate with a variety of individuals with different backgrounds,\u201d says Salazar Kann. \u201cStudents practice those skills from their Introduction to Engineering courses all the way to their senior design capstone courses and labs.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe College of Engineering hosts job fairs each semester, where well over 300 employers from local, regional, and national organizations come to campus to recruit engineering students. Undergraduates have the opportunity to meet employers very early in their academic careers, learn about potential jobs directly from the people they hope to work for one day, and stay in touch.\r\n\r\nCollege of Engineering staff ask employers who hire students for summer internships and co-op positions for feedback on students\u2019 skills. Staff want to know if students are regularly demonstrating the ability to make engineering judgements; apply design to produce solutions that meet specific societal needs; communicate effectively on teams; and recognize their ethical and professional responsibilities.\r\n\r\n\u201cAcross the board, our students meet and exceed employers\u2019 expectations,\u201d says Salazar Kann.\r\n\r\nPart of the appeal for students coming into engineering is that they gain such exposure to the latest technology.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey are the builders and creators of advances that we all use and experience every day, and employers appreciate that,\u201d she says. \u201cThat skill set is a way of learning, thinking, and problem solving that allows them to continue to pivot with time and changes. Students don\u2019t necessarily reflect on that right away, but later, they realize their bachelor\u2019s level degree is still keeping their career going even if things are changing.\u201d","post_date":"2023-02-21 17:11:00","post_excerpt":"To help prepare them, students receive hands-on training in real-world skills, experience in professional settings and face-to-face meetings with employers.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Badgers are in demand after graduation. <\/br> How UW is making it happen.","post_type":"page","slug":"badgers-in-demand","_edit_lock":"1678815039:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"1011","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"1011","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"A student talks with a recruiter during the annual Spring Career and Internship Fair held at the Kohl Center on Feb. 5, 2019.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-grads-high-placement-rates-show-that-preparation-pays-off\/\">Original story<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-02-21 17:11:00","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"badgers-in-demand","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:11:16","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:11:16","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=1010","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Career_Fair_Kohl19_9168-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":954,"ID":954,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1681229562:9","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"951","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"955","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"School of Pharmacy Professor Paul Hutson (left), with School of Medicine and Public Health collaborators Assistant Professor Christopher Nicholas (center) and Professor Randall Brown (right). The researchers have launched two first-in-kind clinical trials for treating substance use disorders with the psychedelic pharmaceutical psilocybin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Sally Griffith-Oh","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/two-first-in-kind-clinical-trials-explore-psilocybin-for-substance-misuse\/\">Katie Gerhards<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK448203\/#:~:text=Three%20million%20US%20citizens%20and,States%20are%20dependent%20on%20heroin.\">Three million people<\/a> in the United States have had opioid use disorder, and another <a href=\"https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/publications\/research-reports\/methamphetamine\/what-scope-methamphetamine-misuse-in-united-states\">1.5 million people<\/a> have dealt with methamphetamine misuse within the last year alone.\r\n\r\nBut two new groundbreaking clinical trials out of the <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.wisc.edu\/new-center-for-psychoactive-substances-research-accelerates-the-search-for-therapeutics\/\">UW Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances<\/a> (TCRPS), housed within the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison School of Pharmacy, aim to address these pressing issues with a promising psychoactive agent: psilocybin.\r\n\r\nThe drug has shown encouraging results for patients with depression and with tobacco and alcohol misuse. Now, a UW\u2013Madison research team is investigating the use of psilocybin to aid in decreasing opioid and methamphetamine misuse.\r\n\r\nThe team includes <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.pharmacy.wisc.edu\/sopdir\/paul_hutson\/index.php\">Paul Hutson<\/a> \u2014 professor in the School\u2019s Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research Division and founding director of the TCRPS \u2014 as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fammed.wisc.edu\/directory\/4454\/\">Randall Brown<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fammed.wisc.edu\/directory\/18154\/\">Christopher Nicholas<\/a>, faculty in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.\r\n\r\nThe pair of clinical trials represent groundbreaking firsts in their use of psilocybin and their flexible design.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe already have evidence that psilocybin can do some remarkable things to improve the patient\u2019s ability to gain and process important insights about their lives and experiences,\u201d says Hutson, a co-investigator on both studies. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to see what it can do along those same lines for patients struggling with substance abuse, many of whom have overlapping mental health conditions.\u201d\r\n\r\nBoth trials are open-label, single-arm trials, meaning there is no control group or placebo. The goals of the trials are to test for safety and feasibility \u2014 once established, this groundwork will allow for future studies about the treatment\u2019s effectiveness.\r\n\r\nEvery participant in these trials will undergo a psychological screening and at least six hours of preparatory counseling. Participants will then receive at least one 25 milligram dose of psilocybin and be observed for eight hours by two therapists in the School of Pharmacy\u2019s dedicated <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.wisc.edu\/testing-innovative-mental-health-treatments\/\">clinical research facility<\/a> \u2014 an unparalleled space that resembles a living room, decked out with the comforts of home plus monitoring technology to ensure study replicability.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93150\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-93150 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-1600x1067.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-900x600.jpg 900w\" alt=\"The room that houses the psychedelic testing is warmly lit with soft white walls and honey wood paneling. A cream sofa with throw pillows faces a brown armchair, and the wood floor is mostly covered with an area rug. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trial participants will spend eight hours of observation in the School of Pharmacy\u2019s clinical research facility (pictured) under the observation of two therapists. <span class=\"credit\">Sally Griffith-Oh<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93151\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-large wp-image-93151\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-1600x1067.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-900x600.jpg 900w\" alt=\"Another view of the psychedelic testing room shows two brown arm chairs with a round wooden end table in between. The space is decorated to resemble a living room.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">On the surface, the clinical research facility resembles a comfortable living room, but it\u2019s well equipped with monitoring technology to ensure study replicability. <span class=\"credit\">Sally Griffith-Oh<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nAfter monitoring, participants will spend the night in the clinical research unit at UW Hospital, followed by an integration, or debriefing, session with a psychologist before they\u2019re discharged.\r\n\r\n\u201cTo be optimally therapeutic, psychedelic drugs need to be integrated with an adequate preparation and screening of patients to confirm that they are appropriate to receive these medications, that they are attended by trained therapists and that they then have one or more integration sessions afterward so they can have some guided interpretation of their experience,\u201d says Hutson. \u201cWe also recognize the need to provide subsequent support of the patients to reinforce desired behavioral and lifestyle changes. That can be a challenge in this patient population.\u201d\r\n\r\nFour weeks after the first dose, participants will have the option to take a second dose of either 25 or 50 milligrams, based on whether they received an adequate psychedelic experience the first time.\r\n\r\n\u201cA component that\u2019s remarkably different than other psilocybin studies is this option of increasing the dose, for both the opioid and methamphetamine studies,\u201d says Hutson. \u201cThat\u2019s uncommon and will test the idea of whether there\u2019s a dose response to outcomes from psychedelics.\u201d\r\n\r\nParticipants in drug trials often face stringent eligibility criteria, but the UW\u00ad\u2013Madison team is rethinking historic exclusionary conditions in favor of including persons more representative of those abusing opioids or methamphetamine.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf we\u2019re going to recruit a sample of patients that\u2019s more helpful to clinical practice in terms of how generalizable it is, we need to do careful thinking about this balance of eligibility and what issues are likely to affect safety,\u201d says Brown.\r\n\r\nParticipants\u2019 final follow-up visit is two months after the last dose, at which time patients\u2019 psychedelic experiences and any changes in substance use will be evaluated.\r\n\r\nHistorically, clinical trials addressing methamphetamine use disorder see many participants drop out, compromising the results. Clinical trials are quite rigorous and time consuming, so these two studies are designed to be as flexible as possible.\r\n\r\nThe team is recruiting individuals who are actively using methamphetamine \u2014 another aspect of the study that breaks new ground. Typically, participants in substance misuse trials have detoxed and been stabilized. Studying active users will enable the researchers to take a closer look at how addiction and psilocybin impact the brain through MRI scans. Scans will be taken before and after each psilocybin dose to acquire early data on how networks in the brain associated with addiction, mental health and well-being may change across the course of the study.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ll hopefully be able to correlate these changes in various outcome measures, whether it\u2019s mood, addiction-related constructs, well-being or emotional measures,\u201d says Nicholas, the principal investigator of the methamphetamine study.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93143\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-large wp-image-93143\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-1024x768.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-775x581.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-1600x1200.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-608x456.jpg 608w\" alt=\"A close-up shot of a psilocybin prescription bottle sitting on a wooden table\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The vial in which the psilocybin capsules are delivered to the School of Pharmacy for clinical research. <span class=\"credit\">Sally Griffith-Oh<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe clinical trial exploring psilocybin for opioid use disorder, led by Brown, also marks new territory.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe opioid use disorder study is really the first of its kind,\u201d says Brown. \u201cThere hasn\u2019t been any study of psilocybin in the setting of opioid use disorder.\u201d\r\n\r\nStudying those who misuse opioids requires some additional considerations for safety because of risks associated with overdose and mortality that goes along with fentanyl and similar drugs, Brown says. Preventing withdrawal symptoms with buprenorphine can help individuals avoid using far riskier street drugs.\r\n\r\nThe opioid use disorder study got underway in 2021, and the methamphetamine use disorder study is beginning recruitment. Although both studies are in their early stages, the research team expects they will add to the scientific and cultural understanding of psilocybin. One of the myths the team hopes to dispel is that a treatment with psilocybin is simply trading one drug for another.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere\u2019s no evidence that psilocybin and LSD are addictive agents,\u201d says Hutson.\r\n\r\nAnd despite encouraging findings across a range of conditions, the clinical environment \u2014 not just psychedelics themselves \u2014 is key to patient success.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey\u2019re not a quick fix,\u201d says Nicholas. \u201cThey have the potential to be very helpful for a number of mental health and substance use disorders, but it\u2019s a full package treatment that involves counseling before and after to prepare and make sense of these experiences.\u201d","post_date":"2023-01-06 18:20:44","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Pioneering clinical trials explore psychedelic treatments for drug use disorders","post_type":"page","slug":"pioneering-psychedelic-treatments","_edit_lock":"1681229562:9","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"951","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"955","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"School of Pharmacy Professor Paul Hutson (left), with School of Medicine and Public Health collaborators Assistant Professor Christopher Nicholas (center) and Professor Randall Brown (right). The researchers have launched two first-in-kind clinical trials for treating substance use disorders with the psychedelic pharmaceutical psilocybin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Sally Griffith-Oh","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/two-first-in-kind-clinical-trials-explore-psilocybin-for-substance-misuse\/\">Katie Gerhards<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-01-06 18:20:44","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"pioneering-psychedelic-treatments","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:29:24","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:29:24","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=954","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"UW Innovation","story":{"id":954,"ID":954,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1681229562:9","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"951","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"955","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"School of Pharmacy Professor Paul Hutson (left), with School of Medicine and Public Health collaborators Assistant Professor Christopher Nicholas (center) and Professor Randall Brown (right). The researchers have launched two first-in-kind clinical trials for treating substance use disorders with the psychedelic pharmaceutical psilocybin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Sally Griffith-Oh","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/two-first-in-kind-clinical-trials-explore-psilocybin-for-substance-misuse\/\">Katie Gerhards<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK448203\/#:~:text=Three%20million%20US%20citizens%20and,States%20are%20dependent%20on%20heroin.\">Three million people<\/a> in the United States have had opioid use disorder, and another <a href=\"https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/publications\/research-reports\/methamphetamine\/what-scope-methamphetamine-misuse-in-united-states\">1.5 million people<\/a> have dealt with methamphetamine misuse within the last year alone.\r\n\r\nBut two new groundbreaking clinical trials out of the <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.wisc.edu\/new-center-for-psychoactive-substances-research-accelerates-the-search-for-therapeutics\/\">UW Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances<\/a> (TCRPS), housed within the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison School of Pharmacy, aim to address these pressing issues with a promising psychoactive agent: psilocybin.\r\n\r\nThe drug has shown encouraging results for patients with depression and with tobacco and alcohol misuse. Now, a UW\u2013Madison research team is investigating the use of psilocybin to aid in decreasing opioid and methamphetamine misuse.\r\n\r\nThe team includes <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.pharmacy.wisc.edu\/sopdir\/paul_hutson\/index.php\">Paul Hutson<\/a> \u2014 professor in the School\u2019s Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research Division and founding director of the TCRPS \u2014 as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fammed.wisc.edu\/directory\/4454\/\">Randall Brown<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fammed.wisc.edu\/directory\/18154\/\">Christopher Nicholas<\/a>, faculty in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.\r\n\r\nThe pair of clinical trials represent groundbreaking firsts in their use of psilocybin and their flexible design.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe already have evidence that psilocybin can do some remarkable things to improve the patient\u2019s ability to gain and process important insights about their lives and experiences,\u201d says Hutson, a co-investigator on both studies. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to see what it can do along those same lines for patients struggling with substance abuse, many of whom have overlapping mental health conditions.\u201d\r\n\r\nBoth trials are open-label, single-arm trials, meaning there is no control group or placebo. The goals of the trials are to test for safety and feasibility \u2014 once established, this groundwork will allow for future studies about the treatment\u2019s effectiveness.\r\n\r\nEvery participant in these trials will undergo a psychological screening and at least six hours of preparatory counseling. Participants will then receive at least one 25 milligram dose of psilocybin and be observed for eight hours by two therapists in the School of Pharmacy\u2019s dedicated <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.wisc.edu\/testing-innovative-mental-health-treatments\/\">clinical research facility<\/a> \u2014 an unparalleled space that resembles a living room, decked out with the comforts of home plus monitoring technology to ensure study replicability.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93150\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-93150 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-1600x1067.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-11-900x600.jpg 900w\" alt=\"The room that houses the psychedelic testing is warmly lit with soft white walls and honey wood paneling. A cream sofa with throw pillows faces a brown armchair, and the wood floor is mostly covered with an area rug. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Trial participants will spend eight hours of observation in the School of Pharmacy\u2019s clinical research facility (pictured) under the observation of two therapists. <span class=\"credit\">Sally Griffith-Oh<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93151\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-large wp-image-93151\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-775x517.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-1600x1067.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-900x600.jpg 900w\" alt=\"Another view of the psychedelic testing room shows two brown arm chairs with a round wooden end table in between. The space is decorated to resemble a living room.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">On the surface, the clinical research facility resembles a comfortable living room, but it\u2019s well equipped with monitoring technology to ensure study replicability. <span class=\"credit\">Sally Griffith-Oh<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nAfter monitoring, participants will spend the night in the clinical research unit at UW Hospital, followed by an integration, or debriefing, session with a psychologist before they\u2019re discharged.\r\n\r\n\u201cTo be optimally therapeutic, psychedelic drugs need to be integrated with an adequate preparation and screening of patients to confirm that they are appropriate to receive these medications, that they are attended by trained therapists and that they then have one or more integration sessions afterward so they can have some guided interpretation of their experience,\u201d says Hutson. \u201cWe also recognize the need to provide subsequent support of the patients to reinforce desired behavioral and lifestyle changes. That can be a challenge in this patient population.\u201d\r\n\r\nFour weeks after the first dose, participants will have the option to take a second dose of either 25 or 50 milligrams, based on whether they received an adequate psychedelic experience the first time.\r\n\r\n\u201cA component that\u2019s remarkably different than other psilocybin studies is this option of increasing the dose, for both the opioid and methamphetamine studies,\u201d says Hutson. \u201cThat\u2019s uncommon and will test the idea of whether there\u2019s a dose response to outcomes from psychedelics.\u201d\r\n\r\nParticipants in drug trials often face stringent eligibility criteria, but the UW\u00ad\u2013Madison team is rethinking historic exclusionary conditions in favor of including persons more representative of those abusing opioids or methamphetamine.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf we\u2019re going to recruit a sample of patients that\u2019s more helpful to clinical practice in terms of how generalizable it is, we need to do careful thinking about this balance of eligibility and what issues are likely to affect safety,\u201d says Brown.\r\n\r\nParticipants\u2019 final follow-up visit is two months after the last dose, at which time patients\u2019 psychedelic experiences and any changes in substance use will be evaluated.\r\n\r\nHistorically, clinical trials addressing methamphetamine use disorder see many participants drop out, compromising the results. Clinical trials are quite rigorous and time consuming, so these two studies are designed to be as flexible as possible.\r\n\r\nThe team is recruiting individuals who are actively using methamphetamine \u2014 another aspect of the study that breaks new ground. Typically, participants in substance misuse trials have detoxed and been stabilized. Studying active users will enable the researchers to take a closer look at how addiction and psilocybin impact the brain through MRI scans. Scans will be taken before and after each psilocybin dose to acquire early data on how networks in the brain associated with addiction, mental health and well-being may change across the course of the study.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ll hopefully be able to correlate these changes in various outcome measures, whether it\u2019s mood, addiction-related constructs, well-being or emotional measures,\u201d says Nicholas, the principal investigator of the methamphetamine study.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93143\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-large wp-image-93143\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-1024x768.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-775x581.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-1600x1200.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Psilocybin-vial-608x456.jpg 608w\" alt=\"A close-up shot of a psilocybin prescription bottle sitting on a wooden table\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The vial in which the psilocybin capsules are delivered to the School of Pharmacy for clinical research. <span class=\"credit\">Sally Griffith-Oh<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe clinical trial exploring psilocybin for opioid use disorder, led by Brown, also marks new territory.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe opioid use disorder study is really the first of its kind,\u201d says Brown. \u201cThere hasn\u2019t been any study of psilocybin in the setting of opioid use disorder.\u201d\r\n\r\nStudying those who misuse opioids requires some additional considerations for safety because of risks associated with overdose and mortality that goes along with fentanyl and similar drugs, Brown says. Preventing withdrawal symptoms with buprenorphine can help individuals avoid using far riskier street drugs.\r\n\r\nThe opioid use disorder study got underway in 2021, and the methamphetamine use disorder study is beginning recruitment. Although both studies are in their early stages, the research team expects they will add to the scientific and cultural understanding of psilocybin. One of the myths the team hopes to dispel is that a treatment with psilocybin is simply trading one drug for another.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere\u2019s no evidence that psilocybin and LSD are addictive agents,\u201d says Hutson.\r\n\r\nAnd despite encouraging findings across a range of conditions, the clinical environment \u2014 not just psychedelics themselves \u2014 is key to patient success.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey\u2019re not a quick fix,\u201d says Nicholas. \u201cThey have the potential to be very helpful for a number of mental health and substance use disorders, but it\u2019s a full package treatment that involves counseling before and after to prepare and make sense of these experiences.\u201d","post_date":"2023-01-06 18:20:44","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Pioneering clinical trials explore psychedelic treatments for drug use disorders","post_type":"page","slug":"pioneering-psychedelic-treatments","_edit_lock":"1681229562:9","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"951","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"955","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"School of Pharmacy Professor Paul Hutson (left), with School of Medicine and Public Health collaborators Assistant Professor Christopher Nicholas (center) and Professor Randall Brown (right). The researchers have launched two first-in-kind clinical trials for treating substance use disorders with the psychedelic pharmaceutical psilocybin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Sally Griffith-Oh","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/two-first-in-kind-clinical-trials-explore-psilocybin-for-substance-misuse\/\">Katie Gerhards<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2023-01-06 18:20:44","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"pioneering-psychedelic-treatments","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:29:24","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:29:24","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=954","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Hutson_Clinical-Therapy-Room-41-scaled-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":555,"ID":555,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678210066:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_content":"","_hero_content":"field_58e695e8ad64f","primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"field_577d30a18b0e1","primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"Default","_primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"field_577d1da785a49","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"field_589c9a754b7a0","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"field_589c9a9d4b7a1","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"The National Science Foundation on Nov. 20 released its 2017 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, showing that UW\u2013Madison\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ncsesdata.nsf.gov\/herd\/2017\/html\/herd2017_dst_20.html\">placed 6th in its rankings<\/a>. In last year\u2019s HERD survey report, capturing 2016 data, UW\u2013Madison also ranked 6th.\r\n\r\nData on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 2017 expenditures show the university remains a research powerhouse with more than $1.19 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards.\r\n\r\nOverall R&amp;D expenditures from all sources increased by 3.1 percent from the last survey, however, this increase was unevenly spread among categories. Federal expenditures for UW\u2013Madison saw a 0.6 percent increase from the previous fiscal year and totaled nearly $571 million in spending. UW\u2013Madison also saw increases in the areas of business (7.3 percent), nonprofit (8.8 percent) and institutional funds (9.1 percent), and all other sources (7.4 percent).\u00a0 R&amp;D expenditures from state and local government funding was the one source of funds that decreased for UW\u2013Madison in fiscal year 2017 (down 11.3 percent from the previous fiscal year).\r\n\r\n\u201cUW\u2013Madison has seen an increase in research expenditures for two years now and that is good news,\u201d says\u00a0Norman Drinkwater, interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cResearchers at UW\u2013Madison have received several large collaborative multi-investigator grants fueling that increase and we expect this upward funding trajectory to continue.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0HERD survey\u00a0is the primary source of information on research and development expenditures at American universities and colleges. Tabulating expenditures is one way to measure academic research activity. The survey collects information on R&amp;D expenditures by field of research and source of funds and also gathers information on types of research expenses and number of R&amp;D personnel. The survey is an annual census of institutions that expended at least $150,000 in separately budgeted R&amp;D in the fiscal year.\r\n\r\nIn fiscal 2017, 644 universities responded to the survey.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison had been in the top five in the nation in research spending every year since 1972, the year the survey started, until it dropped to 6th in fiscal year 2015 after experiencing a three-year decline in federal expenditures.\r\n\r\nFunding for academic research at UW\u2013Madison comes primarily from the federal government as well as institutional funds; additional sources include state and local government, industry, nonprofit organizations, and foundations that support the university. The two most significant private contributors of research support to UW\u2013Madison are the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.warf.org\/\">Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation<\/a>\u00a0(WARF) and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportuw.org\/\">UW Foundation<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWhile the amount of state and local support for research is relatively small, research investments by state and local government remain an important contributor to the research enterprise, augmenting and positioning key programs.\r\n\r\nAlthough the HERD Survey tracks expenditures, UW\u2013Madison also has recently received dozens of large awards that are indicators of its success in generating extramural funding.\r\n\r\nTo date, the first rounds of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/research.wisc.edu\/funding\/uw2020\/\">UW2020\u00a0<\/a>projects have generated more than $25 million in extramural funding. This initiative seeks to fund research projects that have the potential to fundamentally transform a field of study. UW2020 is underwritten by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) with combined funding from other sources.\r\n\r\n\u201cUW2020 is accomplishing exactly what we had hoped it would, especially in terms of providing projects the runway so that they are more successful when submitted for external funding consideration,\u201d Drinkwater explains.\r\n\r\nExamples of recent major awards include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The U.S. Department of Energy selecting the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center for an additional five years of funding to develop sustainable alternatives to transportation fuels and products currently derived from petroleum. Already the recipient of roughly $267 million in DOE funding, GLBRC represents the largest federal grant ever awarded to UW\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Department of Medicine has one of the premier asthma research programs in the country. Childhood Origins of ASThma (COAST) is a program project grant funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). COAST\u00a0focuses on the contributions of both genetic and environmental (viral infections) factors on the origins of asthma and allergic disease in a Wisconsin birth cohort of nearly 300 children who have been followed for 10-15 years.\u00a0The current grant amount is about $11.7 million for five years.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The IceCube Upgrade is a midscale National Science Foundation project with an estimated total award of $23 million that will be managed through a cooperative agreement with UW\u2013Madison \u2014 home institution of the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, the team that led IceCube construction and currently operates the observatory.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer\u2019s Prevention has been awarded a five-year, $19 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to enable in-depth study of molecular hallmarks of the disease in the brain and spinal fluid.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Space Science and Engineering Center secured $8.2 million in funding from NASA \u2014 a cooperative relationship dating back to the mid-1950s \u2014 that has been crucial in developing observational systems to serve and protect the citizens of Wisconsin and around the world.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Engineers from UW\u2013Madison have received an estimated $9.3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for advanced nuclear energy research.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Researchers with two UW\u2013Madison plasma fusion experiments have received $10.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Foxconn Technology Group plans to invest $100 million in engineering and innovation research at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\u201cResearch is a very competitive environment, but the future for R&amp;D at UW\u2013Madison is bright,\u201d says Drinkwater. \u201cThat\u2019s because our robust research culture makes it possible for us to attract the best and brightest scholars from students to staff and faculty.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn fact, UW\u2013Madison\u2019s faculty recruitment efforts for 2017\u201318 have resulted in the largest group of new faculty hired in six years at the university, with 112 accepted offers out of 176 offers.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is our faculty and a dedicated staff that compete nationally for the research dollars that spur new knowledge and invention, and support our mission in unique and powerful ways,\u201d Drinkwater says.","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"field_5745f89f07744","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"0","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"field_58121dc5c4f4d","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":["text_block"],"_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":"field_56a8d83a184a9","primary_content_area":["one_column_content_layout"],"_primary_content_area":"field_56a66cfb6ddaf","lower_content_area":"","_lower_content_area":"field_5762f248ae50f","hero_image":"754","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The National Science Foundation has ranked UW\u2013Madison eighth among the nation's public and private universities in its 2021 fiscal year Higher Education Research and Development data. Pictured:Lake Mendota and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including Bascom Hill and Bascom Hall, are pictured in an aerial photograph.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter\/UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"Economic Impact","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-increases-research-expenditures-by-16-million-retains-top-10-research-institution-ranking\/\">Original story<\/a> by Natasha Kassulke<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"754","uw_auto_excerpt":"The National Science Foundation on Nov. 20 released its 2017 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, showing that UW\u2013Madison\u00a0placed 6th in its rankings. In last year\u2019s HERD survey report, capturing 2016 data, UW\u2013Madison also ranked 6th. Data on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 2017 expenditures show the university remains a research powerhouse with more than $1.19 billion&hellip;","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"The National Science Foundation has released its 2021 fiscal year <a href=\"https:\/\/ncses.nsf.gov\/pubs\/nsf22311\">Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) data<\/a><u>,<\/u> and the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison has again ranked eighth in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ncses.nsf.gov\/pubs\/nsf23304\">national research rankings for public and private universities<\/a>. UW\u2013Madison ranked eighth in the last survey covering the 2020 fiscal year. The rankings are the first to include a full fiscal year reflecting pandemic impacts.\r\n\r\nBetween July 2020 and the end of June 2021, the university increased its annual research expenditures over the previous year, reporting more than $1.38 billion in annual expenditures across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards. It represents an increase of $16.1 million over fiscal year 2020.\r\n\r\n\u201cToday\u2019s announcement is a testament to the hard work and innovation of our UW\u2013Madison research community,\u201d says UW\u2013Madison Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. \u201cI am pleased we sustained and even slightly improved our research productivity during a period severely impacted by COVID-19, and I look forward to supporting, exploring and expanding research opportunities across all our divisions, to make our impressive research enterprise even stronger.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe HERD survey is an annual census of institutions that spend at least $150,000 on separately budgeted research and development in a fiscal year and is the primary source of such expenditure data at American universities and colleges. It is one way to measure academic research activity.\r\n\r\nThe survey collects information on expenditures by research field and funding source. It also compiles information on types of research expenses and the number of research and development personnel. In fiscal year 2021, more than 909 universities responded to the survey.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe HERD rankings are one way to measure our academic research activity at UW\u2013Madison,\u201d says Steve Ackerman, vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cLooking ahead, we will be intensifying our efforts to maximize our survey performance in future years. Though we value the HERD survey results and consider them important indicators of our success as a research institution, we also look to various other metrics to paint a fuller picture of our faculty, staff and student innovation achievements.\u201d\r\n\r\nSome of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s largest research expenditures in fiscal year 2021 include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>$26.9M for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (Department of Energy)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>$11.2M for the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>$10.4M for the multi-study, multi-center initiative Inner City Asthma Consortium (National Institutes of Health)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>$2.7M for the Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (National Science Foundation)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>$2.2M for the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin\/Center for Dairy Research Dairy Research Applications Program. (Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nWhile academic research funding at UW\u2013Madison comes primarily from federal government and institutional support, state and local government, industry, nonprofit organizations and foundations also support the university. The two most significant non-profit contributors of research funding to UW\u2013Madison are the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.warf.org\/\">Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportuw.org\/\">UW Foundation<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are grateful to WARF and UW Foundation for their continued investment in our research initiatives, including new cross-disciplinary campus research competitions to address some of society\u2019s greatest challenges,\u201d Ackerman says. \u201cUW\u2013Madison\u2019s success is fueled by creative and analytical inquiry inspired by the Wisconsin Idea.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor academic year 2022-2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warf.org\/news\/warf-announces-annual-grant-for-university-research\/\">WARF announced a total of $130 million across all grant categories and programs<\/a> for UW\u2013Madison. The base grant, supporting research during the current fall and upcoming spring and summer semesters, is $66.1 million.\r\n\r\nFiscal year 2022 was also a banner year for grant getters at UW\u2013Madison, in which extramural research and public service award dollars grew by $80 million, or 6%, compared to fiscal year 2021.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison has also recently received other prestigious ratings that are leading indicators of its research and scholarly success:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Last month, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities designated UW\u2013Madison an <a href=\"https:\/\/go.wisc.edu\/iep-release\">Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) University<\/a>, based on the university\u2019s commitment to economic engagement, including its focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, technology transfer, talent and workforce development and public service and community engagement.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Marcel Schreier, professor in chemical and biological engineering and affiliate faculty in chemistry, was one of 20 early-career scientists in the U.S. chosen in 2022 for a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-chemical-engineer-schreier-wins-prestigious-packard-fellowship\/\">Packard Fellowship<\/a>, becoming UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 18th<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Monica Kim, associate professor of history and a historian of the United States and international and diplomatic history, was recently awarded a 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uws-monica-kim-named-macarthur-fellow\/\">MacArthur Fellowship<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Three UW\u2013Madison researchers were <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-researchers-honored-for-inventions\/\">recently named Fellows with the National Academy of Inventors<\/a>: Jo Handelsman, director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and Vilas research professor; Susan Hagness, department chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Justin Williams, professor of biomedical engineering.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","post_date":"2022-12-15 09:13:31","post_excerpt":"The National Science Foundation released its Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) data for the 2020 fiscal year in December 2021, and the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison again ranked 8th in the national research rankings for public and private universities, as it did in the prior year. Between July 2019 and the end of June 2020, the university increased its annual expenditures over the prior year by nearly $67 million, reporting more than $1.3 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields. About half of the funding for those expenditures comes from federal awards.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW retains top 10 national research ranking, increases research expenditures","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-retains-research-ranking","_edit_lock":"1678210066:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_content":"","_hero_content":"field_58e695e8ad64f","primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"field_577d30a18b0e1","primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"Default","_primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"field_577d1da785a49","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"field_589c9a754b7a0","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"field_589c9a9d4b7a1","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"The National Science Foundation on Nov. 20 released its 2017 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, showing that UW\u2013Madison\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ncsesdata.nsf.gov\/herd\/2017\/html\/herd2017_dst_20.html\">placed 6th in its rankings<\/a>. In last year\u2019s HERD survey report, capturing 2016 data, UW\u2013Madison also ranked 6th.\r\n\r\nData on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 2017 expenditures show the university remains a research powerhouse with more than $1.19 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards.\r\n\r\nOverall R&amp;D expenditures from all sources increased by 3.1 percent from the last survey, however, this increase was unevenly spread among categories. Federal expenditures for UW\u2013Madison saw a 0.6 percent increase from the previous fiscal year and totaled nearly $571 million in spending. UW\u2013Madison also saw increases in the areas of business (7.3 percent), nonprofit (8.8 percent) and institutional funds (9.1 percent), and all other sources (7.4 percent).\u00a0 R&amp;D expenditures from state and local government funding was the one source of funds that decreased for UW\u2013Madison in fiscal year 2017 (down 11.3 percent from the previous fiscal year).\r\n\r\n\u201cUW\u2013Madison has seen an increase in research expenditures for two years now and that is good news,\u201d says\u00a0Norman Drinkwater, interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cResearchers at UW\u2013Madison have received several large collaborative multi-investigator grants fueling that increase and we expect this upward funding trajectory to continue.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0HERD survey\u00a0is the primary source of information on research and development expenditures at American universities and colleges. Tabulating expenditures is one way to measure academic research activity. The survey collects information on R&amp;D expenditures by field of research and source of funds and also gathers information on types of research expenses and number of R&amp;D personnel. The survey is an annual census of institutions that expended at least $150,000 in separately budgeted R&amp;D in the fiscal year.\r\n\r\nIn fiscal 2017, 644 universities responded to the survey.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison had been in the top five in the nation in research spending every year since 1972, the year the survey started, until it dropped to 6th in fiscal year 2015 after experiencing a three-year decline in federal expenditures.\r\n\r\nFunding for academic research at UW\u2013Madison comes primarily from the federal government as well as institutional funds; additional sources include state and local government, industry, nonprofit organizations, and foundations that support the university. The two most significant private contributors of research support to UW\u2013Madison are the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.warf.org\/\">Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation<\/a>\u00a0(WARF) and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportuw.org\/\">UW Foundation<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWhile the amount of state and local support for research is relatively small, research investments by state and local government remain an important contributor to the research enterprise, augmenting and positioning key programs.\r\n\r\nAlthough the HERD Survey tracks expenditures, UW\u2013Madison also has recently received dozens of large awards that are indicators of its success in generating extramural funding.\r\n\r\nTo date, the first rounds of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/research.wisc.edu\/funding\/uw2020\/\">UW2020\u00a0<\/a>projects have generated more than $25 million in extramural funding. This initiative seeks to fund research projects that have the potential to fundamentally transform a field of study. UW2020 is underwritten by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) with combined funding from other sources.\r\n\r\n\u201cUW2020 is accomplishing exactly what we had hoped it would, especially in terms of providing projects the runway so that they are more successful when submitted for external funding consideration,\u201d Drinkwater explains.\r\n\r\nExamples of recent major awards include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The U.S. Department of Energy selecting the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center for an additional five years of funding to develop sustainable alternatives to transportation fuels and products currently derived from petroleum. Already the recipient of roughly $267 million in DOE funding, GLBRC represents the largest federal grant ever awarded to UW\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Department of Medicine has one of the premier asthma research programs in the country. Childhood Origins of ASThma (COAST) is a program project grant funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). COAST\u00a0focuses on the contributions of both genetic and environmental (viral infections) factors on the origins of asthma and allergic disease in a Wisconsin birth cohort of nearly 300 children who have been followed for 10-15 years.\u00a0The current grant amount is about $11.7 million for five years.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The IceCube Upgrade is a midscale National Science Foundation project with an estimated total award of $23 million that will be managed through a cooperative agreement with UW\u2013Madison \u2014 home institution of the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, the team that led IceCube construction and currently operates the observatory.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer\u2019s Prevention has been awarded a five-year, $19 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to enable in-depth study of molecular hallmarks of the disease in the brain and spinal fluid.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Space Science and Engineering Center secured $8.2 million in funding from NASA \u2014 a cooperative relationship dating back to the mid-1950s \u2014 that has been crucial in developing observational systems to serve and protect the citizens of Wisconsin and around the world.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Engineers from UW\u2013Madison have received an estimated $9.3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for advanced nuclear energy research.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Researchers with two UW\u2013Madison plasma fusion experiments have received $10.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Foxconn Technology Group plans to invest $100 million in engineering and innovation research at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\u201cResearch is a very competitive environment, but the future for R&amp;D at UW\u2013Madison is bright,\u201d says Drinkwater. \u201cThat\u2019s because our robust research culture makes it possible for us to attract the best and brightest scholars from students to staff and faculty.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn fact, UW\u2013Madison\u2019s faculty recruitment efforts for 2017\u201318 have resulted in the largest group of new faculty hired in six years at the university, with 112 accepted offers out of 176 offers.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is our faculty and a dedicated staff that compete nationally for the research dollars that spur new knowledge and invention, and support our mission in unique and powerful ways,\u201d Drinkwater says.","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"field_5745f89f07744","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"0","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"field_58121dc5c4f4d","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":["text_block"],"_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":"field_56a8d83a184a9","primary_content_area":["one_column_content_layout"],"_primary_content_area":"field_56a66cfb6ddaf","lower_content_area":"","_lower_content_area":"field_5762f248ae50f","hero_image":"754","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The National Science Foundation has ranked UW\u2013Madison eighth among the nation's public and private universities in its 2021 fiscal year Higher Education Research and Development data. Pictured:Lake Mendota and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including Bascom Hill and Bascom Hall, are pictured in an aerial photograph.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter\/UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-increases-research-expenditures-by-16-million-retains-top-10-research-institution-ranking\/\">Original story<\/a> by Natasha Kassulke<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"754","uw_auto_excerpt":"The National Science Foundation on Nov. 20 released its 2017 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, showing that UW\u2013Madison\u00a0placed 6th in its rankings. In last year\u2019s HERD survey report, capturing 2016 data, UW\u2013Madison also ranked 6th. Data on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 2017 expenditures show the university remains a research powerhouse with more than $1.19 billion&hellip;","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-12-15 09:13:31","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-retains-research-ranking","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:30:02","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:30:02","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=555","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"Economic Impact","story":{"id":555,"ID":555,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678210066:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_content":"","_hero_content":"field_58e695e8ad64f","primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"field_577d30a18b0e1","primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"Default","_primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"field_577d1da785a49","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"field_589c9a754b7a0","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"field_589c9a9d4b7a1","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"The National Science Foundation on Nov. 20 released its 2017 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, showing that UW\u2013Madison\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ncsesdata.nsf.gov\/herd\/2017\/html\/herd2017_dst_20.html\">placed 6th in its rankings<\/a>. In last year\u2019s HERD survey report, capturing 2016 data, UW\u2013Madison also ranked 6th.\r\n\r\nData on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 2017 expenditures show the university remains a research powerhouse with more than $1.19 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards.\r\n\r\nOverall R&amp;D expenditures from all sources increased by 3.1 percent from the last survey, however, this increase was unevenly spread among categories. Federal expenditures for UW\u2013Madison saw a 0.6 percent increase from the previous fiscal year and totaled nearly $571 million in spending. UW\u2013Madison also saw increases in the areas of business (7.3 percent), nonprofit (8.8 percent) and institutional funds (9.1 percent), and all other sources (7.4 percent).\u00a0 R&amp;D expenditures from state and local government funding was the one source of funds that decreased for UW\u2013Madison in fiscal year 2017 (down 11.3 percent from the previous fiscal year).\r\n\r\n\u201cUW\u2013Madison has seen an increase in research expenditures for two years now and that is good news,\u201d says\u00a0Norman Drinkwater, interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cResearchers at UW\u2013Madison have received several large collaborative multi-investigator grants fueling that increase and we expect this upward funding trajectory to continue.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0HERD survey\u00a0is the primary source of information on research and development expenditures at American universities and colleges. Tabulating expenditures is one way to measure academic research activity. The survey collects information on R&amp;D expenditures by field of research and source of funds and also gathers information on types of research expenses and number of R&amp;D personnel. The survey is an annual census of institutions that expended at least $150,000 in separately budgeted R&amp;D in the fiscal year.\r\n\r\nIn fiscal 2017, 644 universities responded to the survey.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison had been in the top five in the nation in research spending every year since 1972, the year the survey started, until it dropped to 6th in fiscal year 2015 after experiencing a three-year decline in federal expenditures.\r\n\r\nFunding for academic research at UW\u2013Madison comes primarily from the federal government as well as institutional funds; additional sources include state and local government, industry, nonprofit organizations, and foundations that support the university. The two most significant private contributors of research support to UW\u2013Madison are the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.warf.org\/\">Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation<\/a>\u00a0(WARF) and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportuw.org\/\">UW Foundation<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWhile the amount of state and local support for research is relatively small, research investments by state and local government remain an important contributor to the research enterprise, augmenting and positioning key programs.\r\n\r\nAlthough the HERD Survey tracks expenditures, UW\u2013Madison also has recently received dozens of large awards that are indicators of its success in generating extramural funding.\r\n\r\nTo date, the first rounds of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/research.wisc.edu\/funding\/uw2020\/\">UW2020\u00a0<\/a>projects have generated more than $25 million in extramural funding. This initiative seeks to fund research projects that have the potential to fundamentally transform a field of study. UW2020 is underwritten by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) with combined funding from other sources.\r\n\r\n\u201cUW2020 is accomplishing exactly what we had hoped it would, especially in terms of providing projects the runway so that they are more successful when submitted for external funding consideration,\u201d Drinkwater explains.\r\n\r\nExamples of recent major awards include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The U.S. Department of Energy selecting the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center for an additional five years of funding to develop sustainable alternatives to transportation fuels and products currently derived from petroleum. Already the recipient of roughly $267 million in DOE funding, GLBRC represents the largest federal grant ever awarded to UW\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Department of Medicine has one of the premier asthma research programs in the country. Childhood Origins of ASThma (COAST) is a program project grant funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). COAST\u00a0focuses on the contributions of both genetic and environmental (viral infections) factors on the origins of asthma and allergic disease in a Wisconsin birth cohort of nearly 300 children who have been followed for 10-15 years.\u00a0The current grant amount is about $11.7 million for five years.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The IceCube Upgrade is a midscale National Science Foundation project with an estimated total award of $23 million that will be managed through a cooperative agreement with UW\u2013Madison \u2014 home institution of the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, the team that led IceCube construction and currently operates the observatory.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer\u2019s Prevention has been awarded a five-year, $19 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to enable in-depth study of molecular hallmarks of the disease in the brain and spinal fluid.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Space Science and Engineering Center secured $8.2 million in funding from NASA \u2014 a cooperative relationship dating back to the mid-1950s \u2014 that has been crucial in developing observational systems to serve and protect the citizens of Wisconsin and around the world.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Engineers from UW\u2013Madison have received an estimated $9.3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for advanced nuclear energy research.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Researchers with two UW\u2013Madison plasma fusion experiments have received $10.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Foxconn Technology Group plans to invest $100 million in engineering and innovation research at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\u201cResearch is a very competitive environment, but the future for R&amp;D at UW\u2013Madison is bright,\u201d says Drinkwater. \u201cThat\u2019s because our robust research culture makes it possible for us to attract the best and brightest scholars from students to staff and faculty.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn fact, UW\u2013Madison\u2019s faculty recruitment efforts for 2017\u201318 have resulted in the largest group of new faculty hired in six years at the university, with 112 accepted offers out of 176 offers.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is our faculty and a dedicated staff that compete nationally for the research dollars that spur new knowledge and invention, and support our mission in unique and powerful ways,\u201d Drinkwater says.","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"field_5745f89f07744","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"0","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"field_58121dc5c4f4d","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":["text_block"],"_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":"field_56a8d83a184a9","primary_content_area":["one_column_content_layout"],"_primary_content_area":"field_56a66cfb6ddaf","lower_content_area":"","_lower_content_area":"field_5762f248ae50f","hero_image":"754","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The National Science Foundation has ranked UW\u2013Madison eighth among the nation's public and private universities in its 2021 fiscal year Higher Education Research and Development data. Pictured:Lake Mendota and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including Bascom Hill and Bascom Hall, are pictured in an aerial photograph.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter\/UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"Economic Impact","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-increases-research-expenditures-by-16-million-retains-top-10-research-institution-ranking\/\">Original story<\/a> by Natasha Kassulke<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"754","uw_auto_excerpt":"The National Science Foundation on Nov. 20 released its 2017 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, showing that UW\u2013Madison\u00a0placed 6th in its rankings. In last year\u2019s HERD survey report, capturing 2016 data, UW\u2013Madison also ranked 6th. Data on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 2017 expenditures show the university remains a research powerhouse with more than $1.19 billion&hellip;","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"The National Science Foundation has released its 2021 fiscal year <a href=\"https:\/\/ncses.nsf.gov\/pubs\/nsf22311\">Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) data<\/a><u>,<\/u> and the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison has again ranked eighth in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ncses.nsf.gov\/pubs\/nsf23304\">national research rankings for public and private universities<\/a>. UW\u2013Madison ranked eighth in the last survey covering the 2020 fiscal year. The rankings are the first to include a full fiscal year reflecting pandemic impacts.\r\n\r\nBetween July 2020 and the end of June 2021, the university increased its annual research expenditures over the previous year, reporting more than $1.38 billion in annual expenditures across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards. It represents an increase of $16.1 million over fiscal year 2020.\r\n\r\n\u201cToday\u2019s announcement is a testament to the hard work and innovation of our UW\u2013Madison research community,\u201d says UW\u2013Madison Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. \u201cI am pleased we sustained and even slightly improved our research productivity during a period severely impacted by COVID-19, and I look forward to supporting, exploring and expanding research opportunities across all our divisions, to make our impressive research enterprise even stronger.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe HERD survey is an annual census of institutions that spend at least $150,000 on separately budgeted research and development in a fiscal year and is the primary source of such expenditure data at American universities and colleges. It is one way to measure academic research activity.\r\n\r\nThe survey collects information on expenditures by research field and funding source. It also compiles information on types of research expenses and the number of research and development personnel. In fiscal year 2021, more than 909 universities responded to the survey.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe HERD rankings are one way to measure our academic research activity at UW\u2013Madison,\u201d says Steve Ackerman, vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cLooking ahead, we will be intensifying our efforts to maximize our survey performance in future years. Though we value the HERD survey results and consider them important indicators of our success as a research institution, we also look to various other metrics to paint a fuller picture of our faculty, staff and student innovation achievements.\u201d\r\n\r\nSome of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s largest research expenditures in fiscal year 2021 include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>$26.9M for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (Department of Energy)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>$11.2M for the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>$10.4M for the multi-study, multi-center initiative Inner City Asthma Consortium (National Institutes of Health)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>$2.7M for the Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (National Science Foundation)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>$2.2M for the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin\/Center for Dairy Research Dairy Research Applications Program. (Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nWhile academic research funding at UW\u2013Madison comes primarily from federal government and institutional support, state and local government, industry, nonprofit organizations and foundations also support the university. The two most significant non-profit contributors of research funding to UW\u2013Madison are the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.warf.org\/\">Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportuw.org\/\">UW Foundation<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are grateful to WARF and UW Foundation for their continued investment in our research initiatives, including new cross-disciplinary campus research competitions to address some of society\u2019s greatest challenges,\u201d Ackerman says. \u201cUW\u2013Madison\u2019s success is fueled by creative and analytical inquiry inspired by the Wisconsin Idea.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor academic year 2022-2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warf.org\/news\/warf-announces-annual-grant-for-university-research\/\">WARF announced a total of $130 million across all grant categories and programs<\/a> for UW\u2013Madison. The base grant, supporting research during the current fall and upcoming spring and summer semesters, is $66.1 million.\r\n\r\nFiscal year 2022 was also a banner year for grant getters at UW\u2013Madison, in which extramural research and public service award dollars grew by $80 million, or 6%, compared to fiscal year 2021.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison has also recently received other prestigious ratings that are leading indicators of its research and scholarly success:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Last month, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities designated UW\u2013Madison an <a href=\"https:\/\/go.wisc.edu\/iep-release\">Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) University<\/a>, based on the university\u2019s commitment to economic engagement, including its focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, technology transfer, talent and workforce development and public service and community engagement.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Marcel Schreier, professor in chemical and biological engineering and affiliate faculty in chemistry, was one of 20 early-career scientists in the U.S. chosen in 2022 for a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-chemical-engineer-schreier-wins-prestigious-packard-fellowship\/\">Packard Fellowship<\/a>, becoming UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 18th<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Monica Kim, associate professor of history and a historian of the United States and international and diplomatic history, was recently awarded a 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uws-monica-kim-named-macarthur-fellow\/\">MacArthur Fellowship<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Three UW\u2013Madison researchers were <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-researchers-honored-for-inventions\/\">recently named Fellows with the National Academy of Inventors<\/a>: Jo Handelsman, director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and Vilas research professor; Susan Hagness, department chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Justin Williams, professor of biomedical engineering.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","post_date":"2022-12-15 09:13:31","post_excerpt":"The National Science Foundation released its Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) data for the 2020 fiscal year in December 2021, and the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison again ranked 8th in the national research rankings for public and private universities, as it did in the prior year. Between July 2019 and the end of June 2020, the university increased its annual expenditures over the prior year by nearly $67 million, reporting more than $1.3 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields. About half of the funding for those expenditures comes from federal awards.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW retains top 10 national research ranking, increases research expenditures","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-retains-research-ranking","_edit_lock":"1678210066:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_content":"","_hero_content":"field_58e695e8ad64f","primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"field_577d30a18b0e1","primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"Default","_primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"field_577d1da785a49","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"field_589c9a754b7a0","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"field_589c9a9d4b7a1","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"The National Science Foundation on Nov. 20 released its 2017 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, showing that UW\u2013Madison\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ncsesdata.nsf.gov\/herd\/2017\/html\/herd2017_dst_20.html\">placed 6th in its rankings<\/a>. In last year\u2019s HERD survey report, capturing 2016 data, UW\u2013Madison also ranked 6th.\r\n\r\nData on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 2017 expenditures show the university remains a research powerhouse with more than $1.19 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards.\r\n\r\nOverall R&amp;D expenditures from all sources increased by 3.1 percent from the last survey, however, this increase was unevenly spread among categories. Federal expenditures for UW\u2013Madison saw a 0.6 percent increase from the previous fiscal year and totaled nearly $571 million in spending. UW\u2013Madison also saw increases in the areas of business (7.3 percent), nonprofit (8.8 percent) and institutional funds (9.1 percent), and all other sources (7.4 percent).\u00a0 R&amp;D expenditures from state and local government funding was the one source of funds that decreased for UW\u2013Madison in fiscal year 2017 (down 11.3 percent from the previous fiscal year).\r\n\r\n\u201cUW\u2013Madison has seen an increase in research expenditures for two years now and that is good news,\u201d says\u00a0Norman Drinkwater, interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cResearchers at UW\u2013Madison have received several large collaborative multi-investigator grants fueling that increase and we expect this upward funding trajectory to continue.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0HERD survey\u00a0is the primary source of information on research and development expenditures at American universities and colleges. Tabulating expenditures is one way to measure academic research activity. The survey collects information on R&amp;D expenditures by field of research and source of funds and also gathers information on types of research expenses and number of R&amp;D personnel. The survey is an annual census of institutions that expended at least $150,000 in separately budgeted R&amp;D in the fiscal year.\r\n\r\nIn fiscal 2017, 644 universities responded to the survey.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison had been in the top five in the nation in research spending every year since 1972, the year the survey started, until it dropped to 6th in fiscal year 2015 after experiencing a three-year decline in federal expenditures.\r\n\r\nFunding for academic research at UW\u2013Madison comes primarily from the federal government as well as institutional funds; additional sources include state and local government, industry, nonprofit organizations, and foundations that support the university. The two most significant private contributors of research support to UW\u2013Madison are the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.warf.org\/\">Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation<\/a>\u00a0(WARF) and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.supportuw.org\/\">UW Foundation<\/a>.\r\n\r\nWhile the amount of state and local support for research is relatively small, research investments by state and local government remain an important contributor to the research enterprise, augmenting and positioning key programs.\r\n\r\nAlthough the HERD Survey tracks expenditures, UW\u2013Madison also has recently received dozens of large awards that are indicators of its success in generating extramural funding.\r\n\r\nTo date, the first rounds of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/research.wisc.edu\/funding\/uw2020\/\">UW2020\u00a0<\/a>projects have generated more than $25 million in extramural funding. This initiative seeks to fund research projects that have the potential to fundamentally transform a field of study. UW2020 is underwritten by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) with combined funding from other sources.\r\n\r\n\u201cUW2020 is accomplishing exactly what we had hoped it would, especially in terms of providing projects the runway so that they are more successful when submitted for external funding consideration,\u201d Drinkwater explains.\r\n\r\nExamples of recent major awards include:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>The U.S. Department of Energy selecting the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center for an additional five years of funding to develop sustainable alternatives to transportation fuels and products currently derived from petroleum. Already the recipient of roughly $267 million in DOE funding, GLBRC represents the largest federal grant ever awarded to UW\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Department of Medicine has one of the premier asthma research programs in the country. Childhood Origins of ASThma (COAST) is a program project grant funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). COAST\u00a0focuses on the contributions of both genetic and environmental (viral infections) factors on the origins of asthma and allergic disease in a Wisconsin birth cohort of nearly 300 children who have been followed for 10-15 years.\u00a0The current grant amount is about $11.7 million for five years.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The IceCube Upgrade is a midscale National Science Foundation project with an estimated total award of $23 million that will be managed through a cooperative agreement with UW\u2013Madison \u2014 home institution of the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, the team that led IceCube construction and currently operates the observatory.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer\u2019s Prevention has been awarded a five-year, $19 million renewal grant from the National Institutes of Health to enable in-depth study of molecular hallmarks of the disease in the brain and spinal fluid.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The Space Science and Engineering Center secured $8.2 million in funding from NASA \u2014 a cooperative relationship dating back to the mid-1950s \u2014 that has been crucial in developing observational systems to serve and protect the citizens of Wisconsin and around the world.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Engineers from UW\u2013Madison have received an estimated $9.3 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for advanced nuclear energy research.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Researchers with two UW\u2013Madison plasma fusion experiments have received $10.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Foxconn Technology Group plans to invest $100 million in engineering and innovation research at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\u201cResearch is a very competitive environment, but the future for R&amp;D at UW\u2013Madison is bright,\u201d says Drinkwater. \u201cThat\u2019s because our robust research culture makes it possible for us to attract the best and brightest scholars from students to staff and faculty.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn fact, UW\u2013Madison\u2019s faculty recruitment efforts for 2017\u201318 have resulted in the largest group of new faculty hired in six years at the university, with 112 accepted offers out of 176 offers.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is our faculty and a dedicated staff that compete nationally for the research dollars that spur new knowledge and invention, and support our mission in unique and powerful ways,\u201d Drinkwater says.","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"field_5745f89f07744","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"0","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"field_58121dc5c4f4d","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":["text_block"],"_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":"field_56a8d83a184a9","primary_content_area":["one_column_content_layout"],"_primary_content_area":"field_56a66cfb6ddaf","lower_content_area":"","_lower_content_area":"field_5762f248ae50f","hero_image":"754","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The National Science Foundation has ranked UW\u2013Madison eighth among the nation's public and private universities in its 2021 fiscal year Higher Education Research and Development data. Pictured:Lake Mendota and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including Bascom Hill and Bascom Hall, are pictured in an aerial photograph.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter\/UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-increases-research-expenditures-by-16-million-retains-top-10-research-institution-ranking\/\">Original story<\/a> by Natasha Kassulke<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"754","uw_auto_excerpt":"The National Science Foundation on Nov. 20 released its 2017 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey data, showing that UW\u2013Madison\u00a0placed 6th in its rankings. In last year\u2019s HERD survey report, capturing 2016 data, UW\u2013Madison also ranked 6th. Data on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s 2017 expenditures show the university remains a research powerhouse with more than $1.19 billion&hellip;","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-12-15 09:13:31","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-retains-research-ranking","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:30:02","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:30:02","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=555","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Aerial_Campus18_9673-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":960,"ID":960,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678210085:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"961","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"961","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Postdoctoral research associate Komal Chawla studies the architected vertically aligned carbon nanotube foam in the lab.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Joel Hallberg","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/new-carbon-nanotube-based-foam-promises-superior-protection-against-concussions\/\">Original story<\/a> by Adam Malecek","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Developed by University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison engineers, a lightweight, ultra-shock-absorbing foam could vastly improve helmets designed to protect people from strong blows.\r\n\r\nThe new material exhibits 18 times higher specific energy absorption than the foam currently used in U.S. military combat helmet liners, as well as having much greater strength and stiffness, which could allow it to provide improved impact protection.\r\n\r\nPhysical forces from an impact can inflict trauma in the brain, causing a concussion. But helmet materials that are better at absorbing and dissipating this kinetic energy before it reaches the brain could help mitigate, or even prevent, concussions and other traumatic brain injuries.\r\n\r\nThe researchers\u2019 industry partner, helmet manufacturer Team Wendy, is experimenting with the new material in a helmet liner prototype to investigate its performance in real-world scenarios.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis new material holds tremendous potential for energy absorption and thus impact mitigation, which in turn should significantly lower the likelihood of brain injury,\u201d says Ramathasan Thevamaran, a UW\u2013Madison professor of engineering physics who led the research.\r\n\r\nThe team detailed its advance in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2352431622001754?dgcid=author\">paper recently published online<\/a> in the journal Extreme Mechanics Letters.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92300\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 334px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\" wp-image-92300\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Architected-VACNT-theva-copy2-Foam-crop-464x500.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 324px) 100vw, 324px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Architected-VACNT-theva-copy2-Foam-crop-464x500.jpeg 464w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Architected-VACNT-theva-copy2-Foam-crop-950x1024.jpeg 950w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Architected-VACNT-theva-copy2-Foam-crop-719x775.jpeg 719w\" alt=\"Illustration of the new material, which has a novel architecture that consists of numerous micrometer-scale cylinder structures, each made of many carbon nanotubes.\" width=\"324\" height=\"349\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The new material has a novel architecture that consists of numerous micrometer-scale cylinder structures, each made of many carbon nanotubes. These structures give the material its extraordinary shock absorbing properties. <span class=\"credit\">Diagram courtesy Ramathasan Thevamaran<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe new material is an architected, vertically aligned carbon nanotube foam. To create it, the researchers started with carbon nanotubes \u2014 carbon cylinders just one atom thick in each layer \u2014 as the basic building blocks.\r\n\r\nCarbon nanotubes already have exceptional mechanical properties, and to further enhance their performance, the researchers designed a material with unique structural features across multiple length scales. The material\u2019s novel architecture consists of numerous micrometer-scale cylinder structures, each made of many carbon nanotubes.\r\n\r\nDiscovering the new foam\u2019s ultimate optimal design parameters \u2014 such as the thickness of the cylinders, their inner diameter and the gap between adjacent cylinders \u2014 was no small task. The researchers systematically conducted experiments where they varied each parameter and studied all the possible combinations.\r\n\r\n\u201cSo we took a few different thicknesses, and then tested that with every diameter size and every possible gap, and so on,\u201d Thevamaran says. \u201cAltogether, we looked at 60 different combinations and conducted three tests on each sample, so 180 experiments went into this study.\u201d\r\n\r\nThey uncovered a clear winner. Cylinders with a thickness of 10 micrometers or less, arranged close to each other, produced a foam with the best shock-absorbing properties.\r\n\r\n\u201cI expected the overall properties to improve due to our interactive architecture, but I was surprised by how dramatically the properties were enhanced when the cylinders were 10 micrometers thick,\u201d Thevamaran says. \u201cIt was due to an unusual size effect that emerged in the process-structure-property relations. The effect was very pronounced, and it turned out to be quite advantageous for the properties we were targeting.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn addition, the new material can remain robustly shock-absorbing at both very high and very low temperatures because of its carbon nanotube building blocks, making it useful for applications in a wide range of extreme environments.\r\n\r\nThe researchers, including Komal Chawla, UW\u2013Madison postdoctoral research associate, and graduate students Abhishek Gupta and Abhijeet S. Bhardwaj, are patenting their innovation through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The university-industry collaboration was part of the UW\u00ad\u2013Madison-led PANTHER program, an interdisciplinary research initiative that is developing solutions to enable better detection and prevention of traumatic brain injuries.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Grants from the U.S. Office of Naval Research under the PANTHER program (N000142112044) and the Army Research Office (W911NF2010160) supported the research.<\/em>","post_date":"2022-11-18 18:30:59","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison engineers develop new material to protect against concussions","post_type":"page","slug":"nanofoam-to-protect-against-tbi","_edit_lock":"1678210085:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"961","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"961","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Postdoctoral research associate Komal Chawla studies the architected vertically aligned carbon nanotube foam in the lab.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Joel Hallberg","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/new-carbon-nanotube-based-foam-promises-superior-protection-against-concussions\/\">Original story<\/a> by Adam Malecek","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-18 18:30:59","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"nanofoam-to-protect-against-tbi","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:30:21","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:30:21","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=960","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"UW Innovation","story":{"id":960,"ID":960,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678210085:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"961","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"961","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Postdoctoral research associate Komal Chawla studies the architected vertically aligned carbon nanotube foam in the lab.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Joel Hallberg","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/new-carbon-nanotube-based-foam-promises-superior-protection-against-concussions\/\">Original story<\/a> by Adam Malecek","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Developed by University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison engineers, a lightweight, ultra-shock-absorbing foam could vastly improve helmets designed to protect people from strong blows.\r\n\r\nThe new material exhibits 18 times higher specific energy absorption than the foam currently used in U.S. military combat helmet liners, as well as having much greater strength and stiffness, which could allow it to provide improved impact protection.\r\n\r\nPhysical forces from an impact can inflict trauma in the brain, causing a concussion. But helmet materials that are better at absorbing and dissipating this kinetic energy before it reaches the brain could help mitigate, or even prevent, concussions and other traumatic brain injuries.\r\n\r\nThe researchers\u2019 industry partner, helmet manufacturer Team Wendy, is experimenting with the new material in a helmet liner prototype to investigate its performance in real-world scenarios.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis new material holds tremendous potential for energy absorption and thus impact mitigation, which in turn should significantly lower the likelihood of brain injury,\u201d says Ramathasan Thevamaran, a UW\u2013Madison professor of engineering physics who led the research.\r\n\r\nThe team detailed its advance in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2352431622001754?dgcid=author\">paper recently published online<\/a> in the journal Extreme Mechanics Letters.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92300\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 334px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\" wp-image-92300\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Architected-VACNT-theva-copy2-Foam-crop-464x500.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 324px) 100vw, 324px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Architected-VACNT-theva-copy2-Foam-crop-464x500.jpeg 464w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Architected-VACNT-theva-copy2-Foam-crop-950x1024.jpeg 950w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Architected-VACNT-theva-copy2-Foam-crop-719x775.jpeg 719w\" alt=\"Illustration of the new material, which has a novel architecture that consists of numerous micrometer-scale cylinder structures, each made of many carbon nanotubes.\" width=\"324\" height=\"349\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The new material has a novel architecture that consists of numerous micrometer-scale cylinder structures, each made of many carbon nanotubes. These structures give the material its extraordinary shock absorbing properties. <span class=\"credit\">Diagram courtesy Ramathasan Thevamaran<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe new material is an architected, vertically aligned carbon nanotube foam. To create it, the researchers started with carbon nanotubes \u2014 carbon cylinders just one atom thick in each layer \u2014 as the basic building blocks.\r\n\r\nCarbon nanotubes already have exceptional mechanical properties, and to further enhance their performance, the researchers designed a material with unique structural features across multiple length scales. The material\u2019s novel architecture consists of numerous micrometer-scale cylinder structures, each made of many carbon nanotubes.\r\n\r\nDiscovering the new foam\u2019s ultimate optimal design parameters \u2014 such as the thickness of the cylinders, their inner diameter and the gap between adjacent cylinders \u2014 was no small task. The researchers systematically conducted experiments where they varied each parameter and studied all the possible combinations.\r\n\r\n\u201cSo we took a few different thicknesses, and then tested that with every diameter size and every possible gap, and so on,\u201d Thevamaran says. \u201cAltogether, we looked at 60 different combinations and conducted three tests on each sample, so 180 experiments went into this study.\u201d\r\n\r\nThey uncovered a clear winner. Cylinders with a thickness of 10 micrometers or less, arranged close to each other, produced a foam with the best shock-absorbing properties.\r\n\r\n\u201cI expected the overall properties to improve due to our interactive architecture, but I was surprised by how dramatically the properties were enhanced when the cylinders were 10 micrometers thick,\u201d Thevamaran says. \u201cIt was due to an unusual size effect that emerged in the process-structure-property relations. The effect was very pronounced, and it turned out to be quite advantageous for the properties we were targeting.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn addition, the new material can remain robustly shock-absorbing at both very high and very low temperatures because of its carbon nanotube building blocks, making it useful for applications in a wide range of extreme environments.\r\n\r\nThe researchers, including Komal Chawla, UW\u2013Madison postdoctoral research associate, and graduate students Abhishek Gupta and Abhijeet S. Bhardwaj, are patenting their innovation through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The university-industry collaboration was part of the UW\u00ad\u2013Madison-led PANTHER program, an interdisciplinary research initiative that is developing solutions to enable better detection and prevention of traumatic brain injuries.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>Grants from the U.S. Office of Naval Research under the PANTHER program (N000142112044) and the Army Research Office (W911NF2010160) supported the research.<\/em>","post_date":"2022-11-18 18:30:59","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison engineers develop new material to protect against concussions","post_type":"page","slug":"nanofoam-to-protect-against-tbi","_edit_lock":"1678210085:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"961","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"961","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Postdoctoral research associate Komal Chawla studies the architected vertically aligned carbon nanotube foam in the lab.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: Joel Hallberg","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/new-carbon-nanotube-based-foam-promises-superior-protection-against-concussions\/\">Original story<\/a> by Adam Malecek","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-18 18:30:59","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"nanofoam-to-protect-against-tbi","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:30:21","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:30:21","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=960","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Komal-Chawla-postdoc-CNT-foam-1050x700-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":986,"ID":986,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1681844927:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"987","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"988","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Justin Boutilier, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, whose research harnesses optimization and machine learning techniques to improve healthcare quality, access and delivery.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo courtesy Justin Boutilier","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/drone-delivered-defibrillators-could-save-lives\/\">Original story<\/a> by Tom Ziemer","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"Special delivery: Drone-delivered defibrillators could save lives - UW\u2013Madison State Impact","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"988","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"Redefinining flight for life: AEDs (automated external defibrillators) on drones? Justin Boutilier, assistant professor of industrial & systems engineering, is imagining new ways to save lives.","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"As a kid, <a href=\"https:\/\/directory.engr.wisc.edu\/ie\/Faculty\/Boutilier_Justin\/\">Justin Boutilier<\/a> would sometimes get roped into helping his dad, a paramedic and firefighter, perform automated external defibrillator demonstrations in and around his hometown of Niagara Falls, Canada.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf a kid can use an AED, so can you,\u201d he says, recalling one of his dad\u2019s messages during those visits to local office buildings or hotel conference rooms.\r\n\r\nTwo decades later, Boutilier, now an assistant professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/departments\/industrial-systems-engineering\/\">industrial and systems engineering<\/a> at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, is trying to help reimagine how AEDs can save more lives.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/pubsonline.informs.org\/doi\/10.1287\/msom.2022.1092\">In a paper published in the journal Manufacturing &amp; Service Operations Management<\/a>, Boutilier details the framework for designing a network of AED-outfitted, autonomous flying drones, which could allow the life-saving devices to more quickly reach people experiencing cardiac arrest. In out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, survival rates drop by as much as 10% for each minute that passes without treatment, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34678334\/\">according to a previous analysis coauthored by Boutilier<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cAmbulances are not fast enough for this, especially in non-urban areas, so drones are just such a good fit,\u201d says Boutilier, whose research harnesses optimization and machine learning techniques to improve healthcare quality, access and delivery. \u201cThey\u2019re super fast with straight-line flight. And then AEDs are a relatively light payload, so it suits the drone. The best applications for drones in healthcare are things that are light and where time is of the essence.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe idea of drone-delivered AEDs may sound futuristic, but it\u2019s slowly gained traction since Boutilier and Timothy Chan, Boutilier\u2019s graduate school advisor at the University of Toronto and co-author on the new study, first saw a video of a team from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands showcasing a prototype in 2016.\r\n\r\nIn January 2022, an off-duty doctor <a href=\"https:\/\/everdrone.com\/news\/2022\/01\/04\/for-the-first-time-in-medical-history-an-autonomous-drone-helps-save-the-life-of-a-cardiac-arrest-patient\/\">used an AED delivered by an autonomous drone to save a 71-year-old man\u2019s life<\/a> in Sweden \u2014 the first such documented successful rescue \u2014 as part of a nascent program in the Scandinavian country. The company Drone Delivery Canada has also conducted tests with simulated cardiac arrest situations in Ontario in recent years.\r\n\r\nBoutilier is hopeful research like his, which draws on cardiac arrest and emergency response time data from a more than 10,000-square-mile area around Toronto, will help nudge the technology closer toward mainstream implementation.\r\n\r\nIn the paper, he and Chan present system designs for either improving average response time or curbing the range of slowest response times. Between those two options, they estimate that such a drone network could produce a 42% to 76% higher survival rate among people experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, with up to 144 lives saved each year within that geographical area. And, they note, a modest number of drones can have a significant effect; per their analysis, one base with three drones could improve average response time in Toronto by one minute.\r\n\r\nBoutilier says policymakers will need to consider both moral dilemmas \u2014 prioritizing average response time would lead to a larger concentration of drones in urban areas \u2014 and logistical hurdles such as flight regulations and navigational challenges in crowded cities.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhereas rural areas are much easier for drones to fly, and response times are historically worse, so the improvements you\u2019ll make will be big, potentially,\u201d he says. \u201cBut there\u2019s not going to be as many cardiac arrests.\u201d\r\n\r\nBoutilier is now pursuing funding with collaborators at Purdue, the University of Illinois, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina to investigate more models for system designs while also exploring ways to ensure people can effectively use drone-delivered AEDs.\r\n\r\n\u201cI think there are still a lot of questions about the design of drones, what\u2019s the best way for a human to interact with a drone both safely and efficiently, so people are comfortable with it,\u201d he says. \u201cHistorically, AEDs have seen such limited use, even when they\u2019re put in public places. I think we need to be careful with drones to make sure we don\u2019t end up in a similar situation, that we figure out what we need to do to make these usable by bystanders.\u201d","post_date":"2022-11-12 20:31:08","post_excerpt":"Justin Boutilier, an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at UW\u2013Madison, is reimagining how drones and AEDs (automated external defibrillators) can help save lives.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Drone-delivered defibrillators could save lives","post_type":"page","slug":"drone-delivered-defibrillators-could-save-lives","_edit_lock":"1681844927:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"987","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"988","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Justin Boutilier, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, whose research harnesses optimization and machine learning techniques to improve healthcare quality, access and delivery.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo courtesy Justin Boutilier","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/drone-delivered-defibrillators-could-save-lives\/\">Original story<\/a> by Tom Ziemer","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"Special delivery: Drone-delivered defibrillators could save lives - UW\u2013Madison State Impact","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"988","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"Redefinining flight for life: AEDs (automated external defibrillators) on drones? Justin Boutilier, assistant professor of industrial & systems engineering, is imagining new ways to save lives.","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-12 20:31:08","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"drone-delivered-defibrillators-could-save-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-04-18 19:11:10","post_modified_gmt":"2023-04-18 19:11:10","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=986","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"UW Innovation","story":{"id":986,"ID":986,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1681844927:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"987","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"988","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Justin Boutilier, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, whose research harnesses optimization and machine learning techniques to improve healthcare quality, access and delivery.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo courtesy Justin Boutilier","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/drone-delivered-defibrillators-could-save-lives\/\">Original story<\/a> by Tom Ziemer","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"Special delivery: Drone-delivered defibrillators could save lives - UW\u2013Madison State Impact","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"988","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"Redefinining flight for life: AEDs (automated external defibrillators) on drones? Justin Boutilier, assistant professor of industrial & systems engineering, is imagining new ways to save lives.","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"As a kid, <a href=\"https:\/\/directory.engr.wisc.edu\/ie\/Faculty\/Boutilier_Justin\/\">Justin Boutilier<\/a> would sometimes get roped into helping his dad, a paramedic and firefighter, perform automated external defibrillator demonstrations in and around his hometown of Niagara Falls, Canada.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf a kid can use an AED, so can you,\u201d he says, recalling one of his dad\u2019s messages during those visits to local office buildings or hotel conference rooms.\r\n\r\nTwo decades later, Boutilier, now an assistant professor of <a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/departments\/industrial-systems-engineering\/\">industrial and systems engineering<\/a> at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, is trying to help reimagine how AEDs can save more lives.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/pubsonline.informs.org\/doi\/10.1287\/msom.2022.1092\">In a paper published in the journal Manufacturing &amp; Service Operations Management<\/a>, Boutilier details the framework for designing a network of AED-outfitted, autonomous flying drones, which could allow the life-saving devices to more quickly reach people experiencing cardiac arrest. In out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, survival rates drop by as much as 10% for each minute that passes without treatment, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34678334\/\">according to a previous analysis coauthored by Boutilier<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cAmbulances are not fast enough for this, especially in non-urban areas, so drones are just such a good fit,\u201d says Boutilier, whose research harnesses optimization and machine learning techniques to improve healthcare quality, access and delivery. \u201cThey\u2019re super fast with straight-line flight. And then AEDs are a relatively light payload, so it suits the drone. The best applications for drones in healthcare are things that are light and where time is of the essence.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe idea of drone-delivered AEDs may sound futuristic, but it\u2019s slowly gained traction since Boutilier and Timothy Chan, Boutilier\u2019s graduate school advisor at the University of Toronto and co-author on the new study, first saw a video of a team from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands showcasing a prototype in 2016.\r\n\r\nIn January 2022, an off-duty doctor <a href=\"https:\/\/everdrone.com\/news\/2022\/01\/04\/for-the-first-time-in-medical-history-an-autonomous-drone-helps-save-the-life-of-a-cardiac-arrest-patient\/\">used an AED delivered by an autonomous drone to save a 71-year-old man\u2019s life<\/a> in Sweden \u2014 the first such documented successful rescue \u2014 as part of a nascent program in the Scandinavian country. The company Drone Delivery Canada has also conducted tests with simulated cardiac arrest situations in Ontario in recent years.\r\n\r\nBoutilier is hopeful research like his, which draws on cardiac arrest and emergency response time data from a more than 10,000-square-mile area around Toronto, will help nudge the technology closer toward mainstream implementation.\r\n\r\nIn the paper, he and Chan present system designs for either improving average response time or curbing the range of slowest response times. Between those two options, they estimate that such a drone network could produce a 42% to 76% higher survival rate among people experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, with up to 144 lives saved each year within that geographical area. And, they note, a modest number of drones can have a significant effect; per their analysis, one base with three drones could improve average response time in Toronto by one minute.\r\n\r\nBoutilier says policymakers will need to consider both moral dilemmas \u2014 prioritizing average response time would lead to a larger concentration of drones in urban areas \u2014 and logistical hurdles such as flight regulations and navigational challenges in crowded cities.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhereas rural areas are much easier for drones to fly, and response times are historically worse, so the improvements you\u2019ll make will be big, potentially,\u201d he says. \u201cBut there\u2019s not going to be as many cardiac arrests.\u201d\r\n\r\nBoutilier is now pursuing funding with collaborators at Purdue, the University of Illinois, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina to investigate more models for system designs while also exploring ways to ensure people can effectively use drone-delivered AEDs.\r\n\r\n\u201cI think there are still a lot of questions about the design of drones, what\u2019s the best way for a human to interact with a drone both safely and efficiently, so people are comfortable with it,\u201d he says. \u201cHistorically, AEDs have seen such limited use, even when they\u2019re put in public places. I think we need to be careful with drones to make sure we don\u2019t end up in a similar situation, that we figure out what we need to do to make these usable by bystanders.\u201d","post_date":"2022-11-12 20:31:08","post_excerpt":"Justin Boutilier, an assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at UW\u2013Madison, is reimagining how drones and AEDs (automated external defibrillators) can help save lives.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Drone-delivered defibrillators could save lives","post_type":"page","slug":"drone-delivered-defibrillators-could-save-lives","_edit_lock":"1681844927:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"987","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"988","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Justin Boutilier, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, whose research harnesses optimization and machine learning techniques to improve healthcare quality, access and delivery.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo courtesy Justin Boutilier","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/drone-delivered-defibrillators-could-save-lives\/\">Original story<\/a> by Tom Ziemer","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"Special delivery: Drone-delivered defibrillators could save lives - UW\u2013Madison State Impact","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"988","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"Redefinining flight for life: AEDs (automated external defibrillators) on drones? Justin Boutilier, assistant professor of industrial & systems engineering, is imagining new ways to save lives.","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary_large_image","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-12 20:31:08","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"drone-delivered-defibrillators-could-save-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-04-18 19:11:10","post_modified_gmt":"2023-04-18 19:11:10","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=986","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/justin_boutilier-1050x700-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":980,"ID":980,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678210125:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"981","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"981","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"David Gamm's laboratory developed a way to grow organoids that resemble the retina.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/lab-grown-retinal-eye-cells-make-successful-connections-open-door-for-clinical-trials-to-treat-blindness\/\">Original story<\/a> by Chris Barncard for University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new study, completing a \u201chandshake\u201d that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.\r\n\r\nOver a decade ago, researchers from the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison developed a way to grow organized clusters of cells, called organoids, that resemble the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. They coaxed human skin cells reprogrammed to act as stem cells to develop into layers of several types of retinal cells that sense light and ultimately transmit what we see to the brain.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe wanted to use the cells from those organoids as replacement parts for the same types of cells that have been lost in the course of retinal diseases,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waisman.wisc.edu\/staff\/gamm-david\/\">David Gamm<\/a>, the UW\u2013Madison ophthalmology professor and director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute whose lab developed the organoids. \u201cBut after being grown in a laboratory dish for months as compact clusters, the question remained \u2014 will the cells behave appropriately after we tease them apart? Because that is key to introducing them into a patient\u2019s eye.\u201d\r\n\r\nDuring 2022, Gamm and UW\u2013Madison collaborators published studies showing that dish-grown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2022\/february\/photoreceptor-cells-replicate-key-vision-function\/\">retinal cells called photoreceptors respond like those in a healthy retina<\/a> to different wavelengths and intensities of light, and that once they are separated from adjacent cells in their organoid, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2022\/june\/uw-eye-research-stem-cell-photoreceptors\/\">they can reach out toward new neighbors<\/a> with characteristic biological cords called axons.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93134\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-93134\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/retinal_neurons-500x377.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/retinal_neurons-500x377.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/retinal_neurons-1024x772.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/retinal_neurons-775x584.jpg 775w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"377\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proof of synapses connecting pairs of retinal cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells comes from the red coloring of infection by a modified rabies virus passed from one cell with a yellow nucleus across the synapse to a cell that glows only red. <span class=\"credit\">UW\u2013Madison image courtesy Gamm Laboratory.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cThe last piece of the puzzle was to see if these cords had the ability to plug into, or shake hands with, other retinal cell types in order to communicate,\u201d says Gamm, whose new results on successful connections between the cells <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2213418120\">was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/a>.\r\n\r\nCells in the retina and brain communicate across synapses, tiny gaps at the tips of their cords. To confirm that their lab-grown retinal cells have the capacity to replace diseased cells and carry sensory information like healthy ones, the researchers needed to show that they could make synapses.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.waisman.wisc.edu\/staff\/zhao-xinyu\/\">Xinyu Zhao<\/a>, UW\u2013Madison professor of neuroscience and co-author of the new study, worked with the Gamm lab\u2019s cells to help study their ability to form synaptic connections. They did this using a modified rabies virus to identify pairs of cells that could form the means to communicate with one another.\r\n\r\nThe research team, including graduate students and co-first-authors Allison Ludwig and Steven Mayerl, broke apart the retinal organoids into individual cells, gave them a week to extend their axons and make new connections, exposed them to the virus, and then took a peek. What they saw were many retinal cells marked by a fluorescent color indicating a rabies infection had infected one across a synapse successfully formed between neighbors.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been quilting this story together in the lab, one piece at a time, to build confidence that we\u2019re headed in the right direction,\u201d says Gamm, who patented the organoids and co-founded Madison-based Opsis Therapeutics, which is adapting the technology to treat human eye disorders based on the UW\u2013Madison discoveries. \u201cIt\u2019s all leading, ultimately, to human clinical trials, which are the clear next step.\u201d\r\n\r\nAfter they confirmed the presence of synaptic connections, the researchers analyzed the cells involved and found that the most common retinal cell types forming synapses were photoreceptors \u2013 rods and cones \u2013 which are lost in diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, as well as in certain eye injuries. The next most common cell type, retinal ganglion cells, are degenerate in optic nerve disorders like glaucoma.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat was an important revelation for us,\u201d says Gamm. \u201cIt really shows the potentially broad impact these retinal organoids could have.\u201d\r\n\r\n<em>This research was supported by federal grants from the National Institutes of Health (U01EY027266, U24EY029890, MH116582, U54HD090256, P50HD105353 and F30EY031230), the Department of Defense (W81XWH-20-1-0655), the Sandra Lemke Trout Chair in Eye Research, and the RRF Emmett A. Humble Distinguished Directorship of the McPherson ERI.<\/em>","post_date":"2022-11-04 20:08:12","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"New research on lab-grown eye cells may lead to clinical trials to treat blindness","post_type":"page","slug":"retinal-cell-research","_edit_lock":"1678210125:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"981","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"981","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"David Gamm's laboratory developed a way to grow organoids that resemble the retina.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/lab-grown-retinal-eye-cells-make-successful-connections-open-door-for-clinical-trials-to-treat-blindness\/\">Original story<\/a> by Chris Barncard for University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-04 20:08:12","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"retinal-cell-research","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:31:09","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:31:09","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=980","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"UW Innovation","story":{"id":980,"ID":980,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678210125:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"981","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"981","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"David Gamm's laboratory developed a way to grow organoids that resemble the retina.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/lab-grown-retinal-eye-cells-make-successful-connections-open-door-for-clinical-trials-to-treat-blindness\/\">Original story<\/a> by Chris Barncard for University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new study, completing a \u201chandshake\u201d that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.\r\n\r\nOver a decade ago, researchers from the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison developed a way to grow organized clusters of cells, called organoids, that resemble the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. They coaxed human skin cells reprogrammed to act as stem cells to develop into layers of several types of retinal cells that sense light and ultimately transmit what we see to the brain.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe wanted to use the cells from those organoids as replacement parts for the same types of cells that have been lost in the course of retinal diseases,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.waisman.wisc.edu\/staff\/gamm-david\/\">David Gamm<\/a>, the UW\u2013Madison ophthalmology professor and director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute whose lab developed the organoids. \u201cBut after being grown in a laboratory dish for months as compact clusters, the question remained \u2014 will the cells behave appropriately after we tease them apart? Because that is key to introducing them into a patient\u2019s eye.\u201d\r\n\r\nDuring 2022, Gamm and UW\u2013Madison collaborators published studies showing that dish-grown <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2022\/february\/photoreceptor-cells-replicate-key-vision-function\/\">retinal cells called photoreceptors respond like those in a healthy retina<\/a> to different wavelengths and intensities of light, and that once they are separated from adjacent cells in their organoid, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2022\/june\/uw-eye-research-stem-cell-photoreceptors\/\">they can reach out toward new neighbors<\/a> with characteristic biological cords called axons.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_93134\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-93134\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/retinal_neurons-500x377.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/retinal_neurons-500x377.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/retinal_neurons-1024x772.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/retinal_neurons-775x584.jpg 775w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"377\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proof of synapses connecting pairs of retinal cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells comes from the red coloring of infection by a modified rabies virus passed from one cell with a yellow nucleus across the synapse to a cell that glows only red. <span class=\"credit\">UW\u2013Madison image courtesy Gamm Laboratory.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cThe last piece of the puzzle was to see if these cords had the ability to plug into, or shake hands with, other retinal cell types in order to communicate,\u201d says Gamm, whose new results on successful connections between the cells <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2213418120\">was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/a>.\r\n\r\nCells in the retina and brain communicate across synapses, tiny gaps at the tips of their cords. To confirm that their lab-grown retinal cells have the capacity to replace diseased cells and carry sensory information like healthy ones, the researchers needed to show that they could make synapses.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.waisman.wisc.edu\/staff\/zhao-xinyu\/\">Xinyu Zhao<\/a>, UW\u2013Madison professor of neuroscience and co-author of the new study, worked with the Gamm lab\u2019s cells to help study their ability to form synaptic connections. They did this using a modified rabies virus to identify pairs of cells that could form the means to communicate with one another.\r\n\r\nThe research team, including graduate students and co-first-authors Allison Ludwig and Steven Mayerl, broke apart the retinal organoids into individual cells, gave them a week to extend their axons and make new connections, exposed them to the virus, and then took a peek. What they saw were many retinal cells marked by a fluorescent color indicating a rabies infection had infected one across a synapse successfully formed between neighbors.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been quilting this story together in the lab, one piece at a time, to build confidence that we\u2019re headed in the right direction,\u201d says Gamm, who patented the organoids and co-founded Madison-based Opsis Therapeutics, which is adapting the technology to treat human eye disorders based on the UW\u2013Madison discoveries. \u201cIt\u2019s all leading, ultimately, to human clinical trials, which are the clear next step.\u201d\r\n\r\nAfter they confirmed the presence of synaptic connections, the researchers analyzed the cells involved and found that the most common retinal cell types forming synapses were photoreceptors \u2013 rods and cones \u2013 which are lost in diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, as well as in certain eye injuries. The next most common cell type, retinal ganglion cells, are degenerate in optic nerve disorders like glaucoma.\r\n\r\n\u201cThat was an important revelation for us,\u201d says Gamm. \u201cIt really shows the potentially broad impact these retinal organoids could have.\u201d\r\n\r\n<em>This research was supported by federal grants from the National Institutes of Health (U01EY027266, U24EY029890, MH116582, U54HD090256, P50HD105353 and F30EY031230), the Department of Defense (W81XWH-20-1-0655), the Sandra Lemke Trout Chair in Eye Research, and the RRF Emmett A. Humble Distinguished Directorship of the McPherson ERI.<\/em>","post_date":"2022-11-04 20:08:12","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"New research on lab-grown eye cells may lead to clinical trials to treat blindness","post_type":"page","slug":"retinal-cell-research","_edit_lock":"1678210125:13","_edit_last":"13","_thumbnail_id":"981","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"981","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"David Gamm's laboratory developed a way to grow organoids that resemble the retina.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/lab-grown-retinal-eye-cells-make-successful-connections-open-door-for-clinical-trials-to-treat-blindness\/\">Original story<\/a> by Chris Barncard for University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-04 20:08:12","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"retinal-cell-research","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:31:09","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:31:09","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=980","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/David-Gamm-1050x700-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":942,"ID":942,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678210295:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"945","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Thousands of first-year students enjoy picnic food and conversation during the Chancellor\u2019s Welcome Lunch held outside on the lawn of the Gordon Dining and Event Center at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison on Sept. 6, 2022.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Jeff Miller \/ UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"Serving Wisconsin","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-fall-enrollment-reflects-strong-growth-ongoing-commitment-to-wisconsin-families\/\">Original story<\/a> by Doug Erickson for University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"945"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Starting at age 7, Matthew Rilling could predict at least one gift he\u2019d receive every Christmas: a UW\u2013Madison sweatshirt from his grandparents.\r\n\r\nThe Rilling family <em>really<\/em> wanted a Badger, and they pinned their hopes on Matthew to be the first. He didn\u2019t disappoint. He applied to 27 colleges and got accepted to all of them, including UW\u2013Madison. The other 26 never really had a chance.\r\n\r\n\u201cJust like me, my family thinks UW\u2013Madison is one of the best universities in the world.\u201d says Rilling, of Omro, Wisconsin, a business major studying finance, investment and banking. \u201cI can\u2019t stress enough how happy I am to be here.\u201d\r\n<div id=\"attachment_91208\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-91208\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-500x333.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-775x515.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-1600x1064.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-900x600.jpg 900w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Freshman Matthew Rilling is pictured in a portrait in front of Bascom Hall. <span class=\"credit\">Photo: <a href=\"mailto:photos@uc.wisc.edu\">Althea Dotzour<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nRilling is one of 8,628 new freshmen on campus this fall. The incoming class maintains UW\u2013Madison\u2019s strong commitment to Wisconsin families \u2014 almost 800 of these new freshmen from Wisconsin, including Rilling, will have their tuition covered through <a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a>, now in its fifth year. The program guarantees scholarships and grants to cover tuition and segregated fees for Wisconsin resident students whose household adjusted income is $60,000 or less. Incoming freshmen receive four years of tuition, transfer students two years.\r\n\r\n\u201cOne of the things that has most impressed me about UW\u2013Madison is its commitment to affordability and accessibility, especially for our home state students,\u201d says Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who began Aug. 4. \u201cThese are core priorities for me, so I look forward to working with the campus community to maintain crucial initiatives like Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise and to expand on them wherever we can.\u201d\r\n<h2><strong> Increase in interest<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-91239\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-1024x326.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-1024x326.png 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-500x159.png 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-775x247.png 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-1600x510.png 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"326\" \/>\r\n\r\nThis year\u2019s new freshman class of 8,628 is the largest in the institution\u2019s history, up 1.9% over last year\u2019s class of 8,465. The university did not set out to break this record \u2014 it offered admission to almost 3,000 fewer freshman applicants this fall than the prior year. However, of those admitted, a greater percentage chose to attend UW\u2013Madison.\r\n\r\nThe incoming freshmen were selected from a record 60,260 applicants, up 11.9% from 53,829 the prior year. Total campus enrollment is a record 49,886, up 4.1% from 47,932 last year. Enrollment figures are based on the 10th day of classes, the official student census for reporting purposes.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are continuing to see an increase in demand for an education at UW\u2013Madison, which is a testament to the outstanding education and student experience offered here,\u201d says Provost Karl Scholz. \u201cThis robust interest will help ensure that Wisconsin\u2019s flagship university remains a key driver of economic advancement for state students and an essential provider of skilled workers for Wisconsin employers.\u201d\r\n<h2><strong>Wisconsin focus<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nIn 2015, UW\u2013Madison committed to continue enrolling at least 3,600 Wisconsin residents in each upcoming freshman class. This year\u2019s freshman class includes 3,787 Wisconsin resident students. This figure is especially significant given the stagnant number of Wisconsin high school graduates.\r\n\r\nSeparately, a Board of Regents enrollment policy measures UW\u2013Madison\u2019s commitment to the state by considering three groups of students together: Wisconsin students; Minnesota reciprocity students (who pay in-state tuition amounts); and transfer students from both states.\r\n\r\nUnder this Board of Regents policy, UW\u2013Madison must enroll a combined minimum of 5,200 new undergraduate students from these groups each calendar year, based on a three-year rolling average. For calendar year 2022, UW\u2013Madison exceeds this number by hundreds, enrolling 5,635 students.\r\n<h2><strong>Supporting college affordability<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA total of 932 students new to campus this fall are receiving Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise \u2014 794 are freshmen and 138 are transfer students.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_91222\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-91222\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-500x469.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-500x469.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-1024x961.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-775x727.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-1600x1502.jpeg 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"282\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">D\u2019Marion Jackson<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cFinancial aid was my No. 1 consideration in choosing a college, and no other school I applied to offered me something like that right off the bat,\u201d says freshman D\u2019Marion Jackson, a Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipient from Racine, Wisconsin. He hasn\u2019t declared a major yet but is interested in English, psychology and social work.\r\n\r\nThe freshman class includes 1,404 students receiving need-based financial assistance through the Federal Pell Grant program \u2014 the highest number in a freshman class to date. Pell Grants play a critical role in expanding college opportunity for students from low-income households.\r\n<h2><strong>Freshmen diversity<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nThe freshman class is the most racially and ethnically diverse in the university\u2019s history.\r\n\r\nThere are 1,431 underrepresented students of color, up from 1,251 last year. These students comprise 16.6% of the freshman class, up from 14.8% last year. Both the number and percentage of underrepresented students of color are all-time highs.\r\n\r\nThere are 2,695 new freshmen in the broader category of all students of color, up from 2,133 last year. These students comprise 31.2% of the freshman class, up from 25.2% last year. Both the number and percentage in this category are record highs.\r\n\r\nElise Pyatskowit, of Shawano, Wisconsin, is one new UW\u2013Madison freshman. She identifies as white and Native American through the Menominee Indian Tribe. Pyatskowit is the recipient of a Mercile J. Lee Scholarship and hopes to become a nurse. The scholarships are designed to attract and support academically talented and outstanding individuals from underrepresented groups. Recipients receive full tuition and a $400 book stipend per semester.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_91220\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-91220\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-500x378.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-500x378.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-1024x775.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-775x586.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-1600x1210.jpeg 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"378\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elise Pyatskowit <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Rich Montour<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cBasically, my goal is to graduate with as little debt as possible, and this scholarship is going to help me do that,\u201d says Pyatskowit.\r\n\r\nInternational students comprise 8.6% of the new freshman class, down from 9.5% last year.\r\n<h2><strong>Other enrollment trends<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_91232\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-91232 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-1024x445.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-1024x445.png 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-500x217.png 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-775x337.png 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-1600x695.png 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"445\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Halei Heinzel, John Baron and Akash Tayade.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nAbout 16% of the new freshmen and 25% of new transfer students identify as first-generation students, defined as neither parent having a four-year college degree.\r\n\r\n\u201cTo be part of UW\u2013Madison really <em>means<\/em> something, especially if you\u2019re like me, the first person in my family to go to college.\u201d says Halei Heinzel, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, who is majoring in dairy science with hopes of becoming a veterinarian.\r\n\r\nHeinzel grew up watching Badger hockey games and fell in love with the UW\u2013Madison campus as a high school FFA member judging poultry at the Animal Sciences Building. She attended UW\u2013River Falls her freshman year, then completed the Farm and Industry Short Course program at UW\u2013Madison last year. This fall, she\u2019s one of 1,154 new transfer students on campus, up from 1,136 last fall.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison continues to attract students from all over the country and the world for undergraduate, graduate and professional studies. Akash Tayade, of Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India, is in his first semester at UW\u2013Madison, pursuing a master\u2019s degree through the Information School that focuses on data analytics.\r\n\r\n\u201cOne of my top priorities was rankings, and UW\u2013Madison has a good reputation in computer science,\u201d Tayade says. \u201cI also really like that the program I\u2019m in requires an internship. That was appealing to me and another reason I chose UW\u2013Madison.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe number of graduate and professional students on campus this fall is 12,651, up from 12,458 last fall. One of those new students is John Baron, who is back on campus this fall to pursue a PhD in kinesiology after earning a master\u2019s degree in the same field from UW\u2013Madison in 2020.\r\n\r\n\u201cI had a really good experience getting my master\u2019s degree here and knew the same could be true for a PhD,\u201d says Baron, of Cleveland, Ohio. \u201cUW\u2013Madison has such a strong reputation as a high-powered research university. A degree of any sort from here carries a lot of respect and weight.\u201d","post_date":"2022-10-10 18:31:41","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison enrollment reflects strong growth, commitment to Wisconsin families","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-enrollment-2022","_edit_lock":"1678210295:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"945","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Thousands of first-year students enjoy picnic food and conversation during the Chancellor\u2019s Welcome Lunch held outside on the lawn of the Gordon Dining and Event Center at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison on Sept. 6, 2022.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Jeff Miller \/ UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-fall-enrollment-reflects-strong-growth-ongoing-commitment-to-wisconsin-families\/\">Original story<\/a> by Doug Erickson for University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"945","post_date_gmt":"2022-10-10 18:31:41","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-enrollment-2022","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:31:25","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:31:25","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=942","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"Serving Wisconsin","story":{"id":942,"ID":942,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678210295:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"945","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Thousands of first-year students enjoy picnic food and conversation during the Chancellor\u2019s Welcome Lunch held outside on the lawn of the Gordon Dining and Event Center at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison on Sept. 6, 2022.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Jeff Miller \/ UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"Serving Wisconsin","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-fall-enrollment-reflects-strong-growth-ongoing-commitment-to-wisconsin-families\/\">Original story<\/a> by Doug Erickson for University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"945"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Starting at age 7, Matthew Rilling could predict at least one gift he\u2019d receive every Christmas: a UW\u2013Madison sweatshirt from his grandparents.\r\n\r\nThe Rilling family <em>really<\/em> wanted a Badger, and they pinned their hopes on Matthew to be the first. He didn\u2019t disappoint. He applied to 27 colleges and got accepted to all of them, including UW\u2013Madison. The other 26 never really had a chance.\r\n\r\n\u201cJust like me, my family thinks UW\u2013Madison is one of the best universities in the world.\u201d says Rilling, of Omro, Wisconsin, a business major studying finance, investment and banking. \u201cI can\u2019t stress enough how happy I am to be here.\u201d\r\n<div id=\"attachment_91208\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-91208\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-500x333.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-775x515.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-1600x1064.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Rilling_Matthew_hs22_6990-900x600.jpg 900w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Freshman Matthew Rilling is pictured in a portrait in front of Bascom Hall. <span class=\"credit\">Photo: <a href=\"mailto:photos@uc.wisc.edu\">Althea Dotzour<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nRilling is one of 8,628 new freshmen on campus this fall. The incoming class maintains UW\u2013Madison\u2019s strong commitment to Wisconsin families \u2014 almost 800 of these new freshmen from Wisconsin, including Rilling, will have their tuition covered through <a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a>, now in its fifth year. The program guarantees scholarships and grants to cover tuition and segregated fees for Wisconsin resident students whose household adjusted income is $60,000 or less. Incoming freshmen receive four years of tuition, transfer students two years.\r\n\r\n\u201cOne of the things that has most impressed me about UW\u2013Madison is its commitment to affordability and accessibility, especially for our home state students,\u201d says Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who began Aug. 4. \u201cThese are core priorities for me, so I look forward to working with the campus community to maintain crucial initiatives like Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise and to expand on them wherever we can.\u201d\r\n<h2><strong> Increase in interest<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-91239\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-1024x326.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-1024x326.png 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-500x159.png 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-775x247.png 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/2022-Enrollment-Graphic-1600x510.png 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"326\" \/>\r\n\r\nThis year\u2019s new freshman class of 8,628 is the largest in the institution\u2019s history, up 1.9% over last year\u2019s class of 8,465. The university did not set out to break this record \u2014 it offered admission to almost 3,000 fewer freshman applicants this fall than the prior year. However, of those admitted, a greater percentage chose to attend UW\u2013Madison.\r\n\r\nThe incoming freshmen were selected from a record 60,260 applicants, up 11.9% from 53,829 the prior year. Total campus enrollment is a record 49,886, up 4.1% from 47,932 last year. Enrollment figures are based on the 10th day of classes, the official student census for reporting purposes.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are continuing to see an increase in demand for an education at UW\u2013Madison, which is a testament to the outstanding education and student experience offered here,\u201d says Provost Karl Scholz. \u201cThis robust interest will help ensure that Wisconsin\u2019s flagship university remains a key driver of economic advancement for state students and an essential provider of skilled workers for Wisconsin employers.\u201d\r\n<h2><strong>Wisconsin focus<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nIn 2015, UW\u2013Madison committed to continue enrolling at least 3,600 Wisconsin residents in each upcoming freshman class. This year\u2019s freshman class includes 3,787 Wisconsin resident students. This figure is especially significant given the stagnant number of Wisconsin high school graduates.\r\n\r\nSeparately, a Board of Regents enrollment policy measures UW\u2013Madison\u2019s commitment to the state by considering three groups of students together: Wisconsin students; Minnesota reciprocity students (who pay in-state tuition amounts); and transfer students from both states.\r\n\r\nUnder this Board of Regents policy, UW\u2013Madison must enroll a combined minimum of 5,200 new undergraduate students from these groups each calendar year, based on a three-year rolling average. For calendar year 2022, UW\u2013Madison exceeds this number by hundreds, enrolling 5,635 students.\r\n<h2><strong>Supporting college affordability<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA total of 932 students new to campus this fall are receiving Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise \u2014 794 are freshmen and 138 are transfer students.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_91222\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-91222\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-500x469.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-500x469.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-1024x961.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-775x727.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/DMarion-Jackson-scaled-e1665429200838-1600x1502.jpeg 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"282\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">D\u2019Marion Jackson<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cFinancial aid was my No. 1 consideration in choosing a college, and no other school I applied to offered me something like that right off the bat,\u201d says freshman D\u2019Marion Jackson, a Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipient from Racine, Wisconsin. He hasn\u2019t declared a major yet but is interested in English, psychology and social work.\r\n\r\nThe freshman class includes 1,404 students receiving need-based financial assistance through the Federal Pell Grant program \u2014 the highest number in a freshman class to date. Pell Grants play a critical role in expanding college opportunity for students from low-income households.\r\n<h2><strong>Freshmen diversity<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nThe freshman class is the most racially and ethnically diverse in the university\u2019s history.\r\n\r\nThere are 1,431 underrepresented students of color, up from 1,251 last year. These students comprise 16.6% of the freshman class, up from 14.8% last year. Both the number and percentage of underrepresented students of color are all-time highs.\r\n\r\nThere are 2,695 new freshmen in the broader category of all students of color, up from 2,133 last year. These students comprise 31.2% of the freshman class, up from 25.2% last year. Both the number and percentage in this category are record highs.\r\n\r\nElise Pyatskowit, of Shawano, Wisconsin, is one new UW\u2013Madison freshman. She identifies as white and Native American through the Menominee Indian Tribe. Pyatskowit is the recipient of a Mercile J. Lee Scholarship and hopes to become a nurse. The scholarships are designed to attract and support academically talented and outstanding individuals from underrepresented groups. Recipients receive full tuition and a $400 book stipend per semester.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_91220\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-91220\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-500x378.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-500x378.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-1024x775.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-775x586.jpeg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Elise-Pyatskowit-1600x1210.jpeg 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"378\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elise Pyatskowit <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Rich Montour<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cBasically, my goal is to graduate with as little debt as possible, and this scholarship is going to help me do that,\u201d says Pyatskowit.\r\n\r\nInternational students comprise 8.6% of the new freshman class, down from 9.5% last year.\r\n<h2><strong>Other enrollment trends<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_91232\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-91232 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-1024x445.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-1024x445.png 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-500x217.png 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-775x337.png 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heinzl-Tayade-Baron-1600x695.png 1600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"445\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Halei Heinzel, John Baron and Akash Tayade.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nAbout 16% of the new freshmen and 25% of new transfer students identify as first-generation students, defined as neither parent having a four-year college degree.\r\n\r\n\u201cTo be part of UW\u2013Madison really <em>means<\/em> something, especially if you\u2019re like me, the first person in my family to go to college.\u201d says Halei Heinzel, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, who is majoring in dairy science with hopes of becoming a veterinarian.\r\n\r\nHeinzel grew up watching Badger hockey games and fell in love with the UW\u2013Madison campus as a high school FFA member judging poultry at the Animal Sciences Building. She attended UW\u2013River Falls her freshman year, then completed the Farm and Industry Short Course program at UW\u2013Madison last year. This fall, she\u2019s one of 1,154 new transfer students on campus, up from 1,136 last fall.\r\n\r\nUW\u2013Madison continues to attract students from all over the country and the world for undergraduate, graduate and professional studies. Akash Tayade, of Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India, is in his first semester at UW\u2013Madison, pursuing a master\u2019s degree through the Information School that focuses on data analytics.\r\n\r\n\u201cOne of my top priorities was rankings, and UW\u2013Madison has a good reputation in computer science,\u201d Tayade says. \u201cI also really like that the program I\u2019m in requires an internship. That was appealing to me and another reason I chose UW\u2013Madison.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe number of graduate and professional students on campus this fall is 12,651, up from 12,458 last fall. One of those new students is John Baron, who is back on campus this fall to pursue a PhD in kinesiology after earning a master\u2019s degree in the same field from UW\u2013Madison in 2020.\r\n\r\n\u201cI had a really good experience getting my master\u2019s degree here and knew the same could be true for a PhD,\u201d says Baron, of Cleveland, Ohio. \u201cUW\u2013Madison has such a strong reputation as a high-powered research university. A degree of any sort from here carries a lot of respect and weight.\u201d","post_date":"2022-10-10 18:31:41","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison enrollment reflects strong growth, commitment to Wisconsin families","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-enrollment-2022","_edit_lock":"1678210295:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"945","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Thousands of first-year students enjoy picnic food and conversation during the Chancellor\u2019s Welcome Lunch held outside on the lawn of the Gordon Dining and Event Center at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison on Sept. 6, 2022.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Jeff Miller \/ UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-fall-enrollment-reflects-strong-growth-ongoing-commitment-to-wisconsin-families\/\">Original story<\/a> by Doug Erickson for University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"945","post_date_gmt":"2022-10-10 18:31:41","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-enrollment-2022","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:31:25","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:31:25","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=942","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Welcome_Lunch22_9207-1050x700-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":896,"ID":896,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1681160308:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","_thumbnail_id":"899","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"898","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Active fires in the U.S and Canada on Sept. 27, 2022 as indicated by NOAA-20\u2019s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. SSEC is providing low latency data to NASA to support earlier wildfire detection.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: NASA\/FIRMS US\/Canada","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"The Wisconsin Idea","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/articles\/14676\/\">Original story<\/a> by Jean Phillips<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>The University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison Space Science and Engineering Center is providing fast turn-around satellite data to NASA as part of a push for timelier tracking and monitoring of wildfires. The \u201clow-latency data\u201d is sent within a minute of observation.<\/p>\r\n<p>A specialized satellite ground station on the UW\u2013Madison campus receives data, and SSEC Distinguished Scientist Liam Gumley is leading the program.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve refined our ability to obtain data directly from the satellite and receive it on the ground, a process known as direct broadcast,\u201d says Gumley. \u201cNow, from Earth observation to wildfire detection is less than 60 seconds.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Four other ground stations across the U.S. also receive satellite data for wildfire monitoring. These low-latency data \u2013 information processed quickly to speed decision making \u2013 from U.S. Earth observation satellites are a new addition to the NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS).<\/p>\r\n<p>NASA developed FIRMS to provide satellite-based detections of active fires in the U.S. and Canada. Once a fire is detected, NASA can coordinate with decision makers at other agencies to respond to and continuously monitor the fire and inform the public.<\/p>\r\n<p>An expert in satellite data, including algorithm development and real-time data receiving and processing, Gumley has been on the leading edge of efforts to get satellite-derived information to those who need it sooner.<\/p>\r\n<p>Read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/appliedsciences.nasa.gov\/our-impact\/story\/monitoring-fires-fast-acting-data\">fire detection<\/a> on NASA&#8217;s website.<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2022-09-29 16:17:52","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW data helps NASA detect wildfires faster","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-data-helps-nasa-detect-wildfires-faster","_edit_lock":"1681160308:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","_thumbnail_id":"899","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"898","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Active fires in the U.S and Canada on Sept. 27, 2022 as indicated by NOAA-20\u2019s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. SSEC is providing low latency data to NASA to support earlier wildfire detection.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: NASA\/FIRMS US\/Canada","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/articles\/14676\/\">Original story<\/a> by Jean Phillips<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-29 16:17:52","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-data-helps-nasa-detect-wildfires-faster","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-04-10 21:00:50","post_modified_gmt":"2023-04-10 21:00:50","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=896","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"The Wisconsin Idea","story":{"id":896,"ID":896,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1681160308:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","_thumbnail_id":"899","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"898","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Active fires in the U.S and Canada on Sept. 27, 2022 as indicated by NOAA-20\u2019s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. SSEC is providing low latency data to NASA to support earlier wildfire detection.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: NASA\/FIRMS US\/Canada","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"The Wisconsin Idea","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/articles\/14676\/\">Original story<\/a> by Jean Phillips<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>The University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison Space Science and Engineering Center is providing fast turn-around satellite data to NASA as part of a push for timelier tracking and monitoring of wildfires. The \u201clow-latency data\u201d is sent within a minute of observation.<\/p>\r\n<p>A specialized satellite ground station on the UW\u2013Madison campus receives data, and SSEC Distinguished Scientist Liam Gumley is leading the program.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve refined our ability to obtain data directly from the satellite and receive it on the ground, a process known as direct broadcast,\u201d says Gumley. \u201cNow, from Earth observation to wildfire detection is less than 60 seconds.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Four other ground stations across the U.S. also receive satellite data for wildfire monitoring. These low-latency data \u2013 information processed quickly to speed decision making \u2013 from U.S. Earth observation satellites are a new addition to the NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS).<\/p>\r\n<p>NASA developed FIRMS to provide satellite-based detections of active fires in the U.S. and Canada. Once a fire is detected, NASA can coordinate with decision makers at other agencies to respond to and continuously monitor the fire and inform the public.<\/p>\r\n<p>An expert in satellite data, including algorithm development and real-time data receiving and processing, Gumley has been on the leading edge of efforts to get satellite-derived information to those who need it sooner.<\/p>\r\n<p>Read more about <a href=\"https:\/\/appliedsciences.nasa.gov\/our-impact\/story\/monitoring-fires-fast-acting-data\">fire detection<\/a> on NASA&#8217;s website.<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2022-09-29 16:17:52","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW data helps NASA detect wildfires faster","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-data-helps-nasa-detect-wildfires-faster","_edit_lock":"1681160308:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","_thumbnail_id":"899","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"898","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Active fires in the U.S and Canada on Sept. 27, 2022 as indicated by NOAA-20\u2019s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite. SSEC is providing low latency data to NASA to support earlier wildfire detection.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Photo: NASA\/FIRMS US\/Canada","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/articles\/14676\/\">Original story<\/a> by Jean Phillips<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-29 16:17:52","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-data-helps-nasa-detect-wildfires-faster","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-04-10 21:00:50","post_modified_gmt":"2023-04-10 21:00:50","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=896","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/FIRMS-US-CA_24hrs@-100.040.04z-crop-944x629-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":877,"ID":877,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1685130981:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","uw_auto_excerpt":"Students in UW\u2013Madison&#8217;s MS in Biotechnology study science, business, policy and law to prepare for careers leading in the burgeoning biotech economy. About two-thirds of graduates remain in Wisconsin. In 2002, collaborators from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and leading regional biotech companies, with support from then-Governor Tommy Thompson, launched&hellip;","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"883","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Students in UW\u2013Madison\u2019s MS in Biotechnology study science, business, policy and law to prepare for careers leading in the burgeoning biotech economy. About two-thirds of graduates remain in Wisconsin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Submitted photo","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/20-years-after-founding-ms-in-biotech-drives-wisconsins-biosciences-economy\/\">Original story<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"881"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"In 2002, collaborators from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and leading regional biotech companies, with support from then-Governor Tommy Thompson, launched the <a href=\"https:\/\/ms-biotech.wisc.edu\/\">Master of Science in Biotechnology<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThe wide-ranging curriculum in science, business, regulatory policy and law aimed to prepare students to succeed in the state\u2019s nascent biotechnology industry.\r\n\r\nTwenty years later, \u201cWisconsin has emerged as a powerhouse,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/ms-biotech.wisc.edu\/staff\/zimmerman-kurt-j\/\">Kurt Zimmerman<\/a>, Master of Science in Biotechnology program director. \u201cThere was a significant investment made, with the promise there\u2019d be an economic return to the state, along with the medical advances biotech offers. The state\u2019s support made it possible for the MS in Biotechnology to launch very quickly, in a way that really matched the pace of progress happening in the field at that time.\u201d\r\n\r\nToday, the program continues to build Wisconsin\u2019s biosciences industry, prepare students to drive the industry forward, establish strong industry partnerships and advance life-saving discoveries.\r\n\r\nAbout two-thirds of the program\u2019s graduates, who now number more than 400, have remained in Wisconsin, helping to build the biotech industry, working at established companies like Promega, Labcorp, Exact Sciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Aldevron, and Illumina, as well as startups.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe MS in Biotechnology fills a need for employees with various backgrounds who want to understand the larger context of how the biotech industry works,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forwardbiolabs.org\/team\">Jessica Martin Eckerly<\/a>, CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forwardbiolabs.org\/\">Forward BIOLABS<\/a> and an alumnus of the program who is now an instructor in it. \u201cStudents learn about and practice scenarios from both startup and larger company perspectives. I have hired graduates of the program, and I\u2019m a graduate myself. We\u2019ve talked about how instrumental the program was in helping us understand industry drivers, business practices, and opportunities.\u201d\r\n\r\nMany of Wisconsin\u2019s most successful biotech companies today began as startups with ties to UW or the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and either grew into established homegrown companies or have been acquired by global biotech companies as valued additions to their operations. Says <a href=\"https:\/\/ms-biotech.wisc.edu\/staff\/husk-bryan\/\">Bryan Husk<\/a>, associate director of the program, \u201cWe\u2019ve become a global player as a result of local success. Skilled biotech talent with cross-functional leadership knowledge is at a premium.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne recent graduate, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/victor-jarjue-ms-mls-ascp-cm-15141b88\/\">Victor Jarjue<\/a>, is a product manager at Verona-based biotech startup <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gentueri.com\/\">Gentueri<\/a>. He entered the program hoping to build upon his undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences and his career experience as a medical laboratory scientist. Jarjue planned to work on the research and development of clinical assays for the diagnosis of diseases after graduation.\r\n\r\nOne semester into the program, product development captured his interest, and he changed plans.\r\n\r\n\u201cI gained an appreciation for all the business development processes and regulatory activities that go into the development of a biotechnology product, from concept to market release,\u201d Jarjue says.\r\n\r\nThat led to his current role as a product manager at Gentueri, where he\u2019s mostly involved in product development, he says. He works closely with all departments to ensure that Gentueri\u2019s products meet user needs and comply with regulatory requirements.\r\n\r\nHusk notices two exciting trends in Wisconsin\u2019s biotech economy: biotechnology companies establishing sites in Madison and hiring local talent, and global life sciences companies who are hiring Madison employees to work virtually for them. In many cases, companies headquartered outside of Madison \u2014 like Illumina, Luminex, and Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals \u2014 decide to invest in Madison, which they have designated as a growth region with a strong talent pool.\r\n\r\n\u201cIllumina, which is headquartered in San Diego, built a biomanufacturing facility in University Research Park, and their executives have been so pleased with their Wisconsin investment that they\u2019re announcing job openings here that were previously only offered in California,\u201d says Husk. \u201cI have enjoyed building strong relationships with industry partners, as companies place increasing value on human and intellectual capital and resources for growth.\u201d\r\n\r\nProgram staff intend to maintain the program\u2019s quality and rigor and stay ahead of the curve, rolling out new professional certificates and industry competency badges in future growth areas related to biotechnology and human health. The program also supports an entry-level <a href=\"https:\/\/pdc.wisc.edu\/degrees\/applied-biotechnology\/\">online MS in Applied Biotechnology<\/a> degree and a <a href=\"https:\/\/pdc.wisc.edu\/capstone-certificates\/applied-bioinformatics\/\">Capstone Certificate in Applied Bioinformatics<\/a>, in partnership with UW Extended Campus.\r\n\r\nThe MS in Biotechnology program also continues to grow, admitting its two largest cohorts in the past two years.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled it\u2019s had a global impact, drawing talent to Wisconsin and building our reputation,\u2019 says Zimmerman. \u201cMajor companies, like Aldevron, Arrowhead, and Illumina are putting down footprints, and we can help deliver the workforce to their large facilities and support the investment they\u2019re making in Wisconsin.\u201d\r\n\r\nZimmerman says that the early promise of the program has been realized.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere was a promise made to the state by the Wisconsin state government and UW\u2013Madison that investing in biotechnology would pay dividends, and that investment has advanced medical discoveries, while creating new companies and jobs.\u201d Zimmerman says.","post_date":"2022-09-29 15:17:04","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"20 years in, biotech Master's program pays dividends for Wisconsin","post_type":"page","slug":"20-years-in-biotech-masters-program-pays-dividends-for-wisconsin","_edit_lock":"1685130981:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","uw_auto_excerpt":"Students in UW\u2013Madison&#8217;s MS in Biotechnology study science, business, policy and law to prepare for careers leading in the burgeoning biotech economy. About two-thirds of graduates remain in Wisconsin. In 2002, collaborators from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and leading regional biotech companies, with support from then-Governor Tommy Thompson, launched&hellip;","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"883","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Students in UW\u2013Madison\u2019s MS in Biotechnology study science, business, policy and law to prepare for careers leading in the burgeoning biotech economy. About two-thirds of graduates remain in Wisconsin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Submitted photo","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/20-years-after-founding-ms-in-biotech-drives-wisconsins-biosciences-economy\/\">Original story<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"881","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-29 15:17:04","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"20-years-in-biotech-masters-program-pays-dividends-for-wisconsin","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:28:55","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:28:55","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=877","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"UW Innovation","story":{"id":877,"ID":877,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1685130981:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","uw_auto_excerpt":"Students in UW\u2013Madison&#8217;s MS in Biotechnology study science, business, policy and law to prepare for careers leading in the burgeoning biotech economy. About two-thirds of graduates remain in Wisconsin. In 2002, collaborators from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and leading regional biotech companies, with support from then-Governor Tommy Thompson, launched&hellip;","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"883","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Students in UW\u2013Madison\u2019s MS in Biotechnology study science, business, policy and law to prepare for careers leading in the burgeoning biotech economy. About two-thirds of graduates remain in Wisconsin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Submitted photo","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"UW Innovation","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/20-years-after-founding-ms-in-biotech-drives-wisconsins-biosciences-economy\/\">Original story<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"881"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"In 2002, collaborators from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and leading regional biotech companies, with support from then-Governor Tommy Thompson, launched the <a href=\"https:\/\/ms-biotech.wisc.edu\/\">Master of Science in Biotechnology<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThe wide-ranging curriculum in science, business, regulatory policy and law aimed to prepare students to succeed in the state\u2019s nascent biotechnology industry.\r\n\r\nTwenty years later, \u201cWisconsin has emerged as a powerhouse,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/ms-biotech.wisc.edu\/staff\/zimmerman-kurt-j\/\">Kurt Zimmerman<\/a>, Master of Science in Biotechnology program director. \u201cThere was a significant investment made, with the promise there\u2019d be an economic return to the state, along with the medical advances biotech offers. The state\u2019s support made it possible for the MS in Biotechnology to launch very quickly, in a way that really matched the pace of progress happening in the field at that time.\u201d\r\n\r\nToday, the program continues to build Wisconsin\u2019s biosciences industry, prepare students to drive the industry forward, establish strong industry partnerships and advance life-saving discoveries.\r\n\r\nAbout two-thirds of the program\u2019s graduates, who now number more than 400, have remained in Wisconsin, helping to build the biotech industry, working at established companies like Promega, Labcorp, Exact Sciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Aldevron, and Illumina, as well as startups.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe MS in Biotechnology fills a need for employees with various backgrounds who want to understand the larger context of how the biotech industry works,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forwardbiolabs.org\/team\">Jessica Martin Eckerly<\/a>, CEO of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forwardbiolabs.org\/\">Forward BIOLABS<\/a> and an alumnus of the program who is now an instructor in it. \u201cStudents learn about and practice scenarios from both startup and larger company perspectives. I have hired graduates of the program, and I\u2019m a graduate myself. We\u2019ve talked about how instrumental the program was in helping us understand industry drivers, business practices, and opportunities.\u201d\r\n\r\nMany of Wisconsin\u2019s most successful biotech companies today began as startups with ties to UW or the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and either grew into established homegrown companies or have been acquired by global biotech companies as valued additions to their operations. Says <a href=\"https:\/\/ms-biotech.wisc.edu\/staff\/husk-bryan\/\">Bryan Husk<\/a>, associate director of the program, \u201cWe\u2019ve become a global player as a result of local success. Skilled biotech talent with cross-functional leadership knowledge is at a premium.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne recent graduate, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/victor-jarjue-ms-mls-ascp-cm-15141b88\/\">Victor Jarjue<\/a>, is a product manager at Verona-based biotech startup <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gentueri.com\/\">Gentueri<\/a>. He entered the program hoping to build upon his undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences and his career experience as a medical laboratory scientist. Jarjue planned to work on the research and development of clinical assays for the diagnosis of diseases after graduation.\r\n\r\nOne semester into the program, product development captured his interest, and he changed plans.\r\n\r\n\u201cI gained an appreciation for all the business development processes and regulatory activities that go into the development of a biotechnology product, from concept to market release,\u201d Jarjue says.\r\n\r\nThat led to his current role as a product manager at Gentueri, where he\u2019s mostly involved in product development, he says. He works closely with all departments to ensure that Gentueri\u2019s products meet user needs and comply with regulatory requirements.\r\n\r\nHusk notices two exciting trends in Wisconsin\u2019s biotech economy: biotechnology companies establishing sites in Madison and hiring local talent, and global life sciences companies who are hiring Madison employees to work virtually for them. In many cases, companies headquartered outside of Madison \u2014 like Illumina, Luminex, and Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals \u2014 decide to invest in Madison, which they have designated as a growth region with a strong talent pool.\r\n\r\n\u201cIllumina, which is headquartered in San Diego, built a biomanufacturing facility in University Research Park, and their executives have been so pleased with their Wisconsin investment that they\u2019re announcing job openings here that were previously only offered in California,\u201d says Husk. \u201cI have enjoyed building strong relationships with industry partners, as companies place increasing value on human and intellectual capital and resources for growth.\u201d\r\n\r\nProgram staff intend to maintain the program\u2019s quality and rigor and stay ahead of the curve, rolling out new professional certificates and industry competency badges in future growth areas related to biotechnology and human health. The program also supports an entry-level <a href=\"https:\/\/pdc.wisc.edu\/degrees\/applied-biotechnology\/\">online MS in Applied Biotechnology<\/a> degree and a <a href=\"https:\/\/pdc.wisc.edu\/capstone-certificates\/applied-bioinformatics\/\">Capstone Certificate in Applied Bioinformatics<\/a>, in partnership with UW Extended Campus.\r\n\r\nThe MS in Biotechnology program also continues to grow, admitting its two largest cohorts in the past two years.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled it\u2019s had a global impact, drawing talent to Wisconsin and building our reputation,\u2019 says Zimmerman. \u201cMajor companies, like Aldevron, Arrowhead, and Illumina are putting down footprints, and we can help deliver the workforce to their large facilities and support the investment they\u2019re making in Wisconsin.\u201d\r\n\r\nZimmerman says that the early promise of the program has been realized.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere was a promise made to the state by the Wisconsin state government and UW\u2013Madison that investing in biotechnology would pay dividends, and that investment has advanced medical discoveries, while creating new companies and jobs.\u201d Zimmerman says.","post_date":"2022-09-29 15:17:04","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"20 years in, biotech Master's program pays dividends for Wisconsin","post_type":"page","slug":"20-years-in-biotech-masters-program-pays-dividends-for-wisconsin","_edit_lock":"1685130981:13","_edit_last":"13","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","uw_auto_excerpt":"Students in UW\u2013Madison&#8217;s MS in Biotechnology study science, business, policy and law to prepare for careers leading in the burgeoning biotech economy. About two-thirds of graduates remain in Wisconsin. In 2002, collaborators from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and leading regional biotech companies, with support from then-Governor Tommy Thompson, launched&hellip;","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"883","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Students in UW\u2013Madison\u2019s MS in Biotechnology study science, business, policy and law to prepare for careers leading in the burgeoning biotech economy. About two-thirds of graduates remain in Wisconsin.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Submitted photo","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/20-years-after-founding-ms-in-biotech-drives-wisconsins-biosciences-economy\/\">Original story<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"881","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-29 15:17:04","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"20-years-in-biotech-masters-program-pays-dividends-for-wisconsin","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-03-07 17:28:55","post_modified_gmt":"2023-03-07 17:28:55","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=877","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MSBiotech-Biomanufacturing-lab-1050x700-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":892,"ID":892,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673546949:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"893","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"893","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Bascom Hall is pictured in an aerial view of the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison campus.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW\u2013Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/admin.news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-moves-up-u-s-news-list-ranked-38th-overall-and-10th-best-public\/\">Original story<\/a> by K\u00e4ri Knutson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>The University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison has been ranked 38th overall and 10th among public institutions (both in three-way ties) in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/best-colleges\/rankings\/national-universities\">U.S. News &amp; World Report\u2019s 2022-23 rankings<\/a> of best colleges.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-ranked-42nd-overall-and-14th-best-public-college-by-u-s-news\/\">Last year<\/a>, UW\u2013Madison was ranked 42nd in a five-way tie and 14th among public institutions.<\/p>\r\n<p>The rankings, released today, include 440 national doctoral universities and are in the 2022-2023 edition of America\u2019s Best Colleges.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cAs one of the world\u2019s top universities, UW\u2013Madison delivers a high-quality education that provides life-long value to our students,\u201d said Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. \u201cWhile rankings are only one measure of excellence, I\u2019m pleased to see so many areas of our success reflected.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>U.S. News gathers data from and about each school regarding undergraduate academic reputation, student excellence, faculty resources, expert opinion, financial resources, alumni giving, graduation and retention rates, graduate rate performances and social mobility. Each indicator is assigned a weight based on U.S. News\u2019 judgments about which measures of quality matter most.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison continues to perform especially well in peer reputation and was ranked 28th overall and seventh among public institutions for the second year in a row.<\/p>\r\n<p>The university also moved up in several categories including 51st in Financial Resources, up from 52<sup>nd<\/sup> last year, and 57<sup>th<\/sup> in Student Excellence, up from 59<sup>th<\/sup> last year.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison continues to improve in Faculty Resources and was ranked 84<sup>th<\/sup> overall, up from 107<sup>th<\/sup> last year. The university has risen 63 places in this ranking category in the past four years. Institutions ranking highly in this category are those with high faculty compensation and small class size along with highly qualified faculty and instructional staff.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe know how valuable our faculty members are, and that&#8217;s why we have prioritized recruiting and retaining outstanding people to enhance our educational programs,\u201d says John Karl Scholz, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. \u201cThat commitment, along with our extraordinary University and Academic Staff, continues to bolster the university\u2019s standings in these rankings.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The six factors used to calculate the Faculty Resources portion of the ranking are: index score for class size, advantaging institutions with smaller class sizes; the proportion of instructional staff with the highest degree in their field; the student:faculty ratio; the proportion of faculty who are full time; and faculty salary, which is defined as the average faculty pay (salary only) for assistant, associate and full professors in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years, adjusted for regional differences in the cost of living based on open source data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities December 2021 dataset.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison maintained its ranking of 39th in Graduation and Retention Rates for the second year in a row with an 89 percent six-year graduation rate and a 95 percent first-year retention rate.<\/p>\r\n<p>U.S. News also evaluated undergraduate engineering, business, computer science programs and nursing.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s undergraduate engineering program ranked 13th overall (three-way tie), up from 15th overall last year (four-way tie), and 7th (two-way tie) among public doctoral-granting institutions for the third year in a row.<\/p>\r\n<p>Ranked programs include 21st (two-way tie) in biomedical engineering, ninth (two-way tie) in chemical engineering, 14th in civil engineering, 16th in computer engineering, 15th (three-way tie) in electrical engineering, 25th (two-way tie) in environmental engineering, 12th (two-way tie) in industrial\/manufacturing\/systems engineering, 14th in materials engineering and 20th (three way-tie) in mechanical engineering.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s undergraduate business program ranked 19th overall (four-way tie) and ninth (four-way tie) public, both for the second year in a row. It was ranked first in both real estate and insurance\/risk management (two-way tie).<\/p>\r\n<p>Other ranked specialties include eighth in marketing, 17th in accounting, 24th (four-way tie) in finance and 30th (six-way tie) in management.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s undergraduate computer science program ranked 16th overall (seven-way tie), up from 18th last year, and eighth (four-way tie) among public universities, up from ninth last year. UW\u2013Madison was ranked 23rd (three-way tie) in artificial intelligence, sixth in computer systems, 17th (four-way tie) in data analytics and 11th (two-way tie) in programming.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s undergraduate nursing program ranked 22nd (seven-way tie) overall and 17th (five-way tie) among public universities.<\/p>\r\n<p>Other categories\u202finclude:<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Best colleges for veterans: <\/strong>18th overall and 10th among publics (both in three-way ties), up from 20th overall and 14th among publics last year. Institutions included on this list must be certified for the GI Bill, participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program or be a public institution that charges in-state tuition to all out-of-state veterans, must have enrolled a minimum of 20 veterans and active service members in the 2021-22 academic year and must be ranked in the top half of the institution\u2019s overall U.S. News ranking category.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Best value schools: <\/strong>23rd among publics, based on a ratio of quality to price (overall rank divided by net cost), the percentage of undergraduates receiving need-based scholarships or grants and the percent of a school\u2019s total cost of attendance that was covered by the average need-based scholarship or grant aid.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Academic programs to look for: <\/strong>Institutions are nominated by presidents\/chancellors\/provosts and enrollment management\/admissions leaders in several student experience areas, including Study Abroad, ranked 25th overall (five-way tie) and fifth among publics (four-way tie), and First Year Experience, ranked 42nd (seven-way tie) overall and sixth among publics.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Schools with the most international students<\/strong>: UW\u2013Madison is listed as a school with the most international students, with international students making up 10 percent of the student body. U.S. news does not rank this metric in its publication, but UW\u2013Madison had the 53rd highest percentage of international students among national universities.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.wisc.edu\/tag\/rankings\/\">Find out more about UW\u2013Madison's rankings.<\/a><\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2022-09-12 18:52:40","post_excerpt":"In the 2022-2023 edition of America\u2019s Best Colleges, UW\u2013Madison was ranked 38th out of 440 national doctoral universities overall and received high marks in a variety of other categories.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison improves rankings, named 10th best public university","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-improves-rankings-named-10th-best-public-university","_edit_lock":"1673546949:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"893","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"893","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Bascom Hall is pictured in an aerial view of the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison campus.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW\u2013Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/admin.news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-moves-up-u-s-news-list-ranked-38th-overall-and-10th-best-public\/\">Original story<\/a> by K\u00e4ri Knutson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-12 18:52:40","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-improves-rankings-named-10th-best-public-university","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-09-30 19:08:54","post_modified_gmt":"2022-09-30 19:08:54","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=892","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":892,"ID":892,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673546949:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"893","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"893","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Bascom Hall is pictured in an aerial view of the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison campus.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW\u2013Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/admin.news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-moves-up-u-s-news-list-ranked-38th-overall-and-10th-best-public\/\">Original story<\/a> by K\u00e4ri Knutson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>The University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison has been ranked 38th overall and 10th among public institutions (both in three-way ties) in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/best-colleges\/rankings\/national-universities\">U.S. News &amp; World Report\u2019s 2022-23 rankings<\/a> of best colleges.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-ranked-42nd-overall-and-14th-best-public-college-by-u-s-news\/\">Last year<\/a>, UW\u2013Madison was ranked 42nd in a five-way tie and 14th among public institutions.<\/p>\r\n<p>The rankings, released today, include 440 national doctoral universities and are in the 2022-2023 edition of America\u2019s Best Colleges.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cAs one of the world\u2019s top universities, UW\u2013Madison delivers a high-quality education that provides life-long value to our students,\u201d said Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. \u201cWhile rankings are only one measure of excellence, I\u2019m pleased to see so many areas of our success reflected.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>U.S. News gathers data from and about each school regarding undergraduate academic reputation, student excellence, faculty resources, expert opinion, financial resources, alumni giving, graduation and retention rates, graduate rate performances and social mobility. Each indicator is assigned a weight based on U.S. News\u2019 judgments about which measures of quality matter most.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison continues to perform especially well in peer reputation and was ranked 28th overall and seventh among public institutions for the second year in a row.<\/p>\r\n<p>The university also moved up in several categories including 51st in Financial Resources, up from 52<sup>nd<\/sup> last year, and 57<sup>th<\/sup> in Student Excellence, up from 59<sup>th<\/sup> last year.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison continues to improve in Faculty Resources and was ranked 84<sup>th<\/sup> overall, up from 107<sup>th<\/sup> last year. The university has risen 63 places in this ranking category in the past four years. Institutions ranking highly in this category are those with high faculty compensation and small class size along with highly qualified faculty and instructional staff.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe know how valuable our faculty members are, and that&#8217;s why we have prioritized recruiting and retaining outstanding people to enhance our educational programs,\u201d says John Karl Scholz, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. \u201cThat commitment, along with our extraordinary University and Academic Staff, continues to bolster the university\u2019s standings in these rankings.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The six factors used to calculate the Faculty Resources portion of the ranking are: index score for class size, advantaging institutions with smaller class sizes; the proportion of instructional staff with the highest degree in their field; the student:faculty ratio; the proportion of faculty who are full time; and faculty salary, which is defined as the average faculty pay (salary only) for assistant, associate and full professors in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years, adjusted for regional differences in the cost of living based on open source data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities December 2021 dataset.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison maintained its ranking of 39th in Graduation and Retention Rates for the second year in a row with an 89 percent six-year graduation rate and a 95 percent first-year retention rate.<\/p>\r\n<p>U.S. News also evaluated undergraduate engineering, business, computer science programs and nursing.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s undergraduate engineering program ranked 13th overall (three-way tie), up from 15th overall last year (four-way tie), and 7th (two-way tie) among public doctoral-granting institutions for the third year in a row.<\/p>\r\n<p>Ranked programs include 21st (two-way tie) in biomedical engineering, ninth (two-way tie) in chemical engineering, 14th in civil engineering, 16th in computer engineering, 15th (three-way tie) in electrical engineering, 25th (two-way tie) in environmental engineering, 12th (two-way tie) in industrial\/manufacturing\/systems engineering, 14th in materials engineering and 20th (three way-tie) in mechanical engineering.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s undergraduate business program ranked 19th overall (four-way tie) and ninth (four-way tie) public, both for the second year in a row. It was ranked first in both real estate and insurance\/risk management (two-way tie).<\/p>\r\n<p>Other ranked specialties include eighth in marketing, 17th in accounting, 24th (four-way tie) in finance and 30th (six-way tie) in management.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s undergraduate computer science program ranked 16th overall (seven-way tie), up from 18th last year, and eighth (four-way tie) among public universities, up from ninth last year. UW\u2013Madison was ranked 23rd (three-way tie) in artificial intelligence, sixth in computer systems, 17th (four-way tie) in data analytics and 11th (two-way tie) in programming.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison\u2019s undergraduate nursing program ranked 22nd (seven-way tie) overall and 17th (five-way tie) among public universities.<\/p>\r\n<p>Other categories\u202finclude:<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Best colleges for veterans: <\/strong>18th overall and 10th among publics (both in three-way ties), up from 20th overall and 14th among publics last year. Institutions included on this list must be certified for the GI Bill, participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program or be a public institution that charges in-state tuition to all out-of-state veterans, must have enrolled a minimum of 20 veterans and active service members in the 2021-22 academic year and must be ranked in the top half of the institution\u2019s overall U.S. News ranking category.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Best value schools: <\/strong>23rd among publics, based on a ratio of quality to price (overall rank divided by net cost), the percentage of undergraduates receiving need-based scholarships or grants and the percent of a school\u2019s total cost of attendance that was covered by the average need-based scholarship or grant aid.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Academic programs to look for: <\/strong>Institutions are nominated by presidents\/chancellors\/provosts and enrollment management\/admissions leaders in several student experience areas, including Study Abroad, ranked 25th overall (five-way tie) and fifth among publics (four-way tie), and First Year Experience, ranked 42nd (seven-way tie) overall and sixth among publics.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Schools with the most international students<\/strong>: UW\u2013Madison is listed as a school with the most international students, with international students making up 10 percent of the student body. U.S. news does not rank this metric in its publication, but UW\u2013Madison had the 53rd highest percentage of international students among national universities.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.wisc.edu\/tag\/rankings\/\">Find out more about UW\u2013Madison's rankings.<\/a><\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2022-09-12 18:52:40","post_excerpt":"In the 2022-2023 edition of America\u2019s Best Colleges, UW\u2013Madison was ranked 38th out of 440 national doctoral universities overall and received high marks in a variety of other categories.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison improves rankings, named 10th best public university","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-improves-rankings-named-10th-best-public-university","_edit_lock":"1673546949:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"893","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"893","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Bascom Hall is pictured in an aerial view of the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison campus.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW\u2013Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/admin.news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-moves-up-u-s-news-list-ranked-38th-overall-and-10th-best-public\/\">Original story<\/a> by K\u00e4ri Knutson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2022-09-12 18:52:40","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-improves-rankings-named-10th-best-public-university","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-09-30 19:08:54","post_modified_gmt":"2022-09-30 19:08:54","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=892","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/aerial_UW_16mm11_6530-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":935,"ID":935,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673634958:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"937","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Students at Van Hise Elementary School in Madison listen to their teacher. Since its inception, more than 350 students have utilized the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge, with numbers increasing every year.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"UW\u2013Madison School of Education","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original articles by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/school-of-education-wisconsin-teacher-pledge-extended-aims-to-address-educator-shortage\/\">Todd Finkelmeyer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/on_campus\/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-class\/\">John Allen<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"937"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"As America \u2014 and Wisconsin \u2014 try to navigate a deepening shortage of K\u201312 teachers, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/education.wisc.edu\/\">UW\u2013Madison School of Education<\/a>\u00a0is working to inspire more people to enter the profession.\u00a0The <a href=\"https:\/\/tec.education.wisc.edu\/teacher-pledge\/\">Wisconsin Teacher Pledge<\/a>\u00a0gives students a chance to have their tuition waived if they promise to spend several years teaching at Wisconsin schools.\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nea.org\/\">National Education Association<\/a> estimates that the United States has 300,000 fewer teachers than it needs, and in Wisconsin, 74 percent of school districts report being unable to fill positions.\r\n\r\nThese are among the reasons UW\u2013Madison's School of Education created the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge, an innovative program designed to help bolster the teacher workforce and give schoolchildren access to the high-quality educators they deserve.\r\n\r\nIn August 2020, the School of Education announced the Teacher Pledge as part of its Impact 2030 campaign: tuition forgiveness for all students who promise to teach in the state for at least four years, or three years in high-need subjects or school districts.The initiative pledges to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing, and licensing costs for all teacher education students. In return, graduates pledge to teach for three or four years at a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school in Wisconsin. Students who go on to teach in a high-need school or in a high-need subject area will fulfill their obligation in three years, while all others will do so in four.\r\n\r\nCompletely funded by donors, the $20 million initiative was originally scheduled to run through Spring 2025. In 2022, the pilot was extended to run through the 2025-26 academic year, one more year than originally designed. Over its duration, the program is expected to support more than 1,000 students in the School\u2019s teacher education programs.\r\n\r\nIn addition to providing significant financial support, the initiative is also designed to incentivize teachers to stay on the job for at least three or four years. Currently, young teachers across the nation are leaving the profession at high rates after only a year or two.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_85928\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-85928\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Diana-Hess-2021_-4-500x333.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Diana-Hess-2021_-4-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Diana-Hess-2021_-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Diana-Hess-2021_-4-775x517.jpg 775w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diana Hess, dean of the UW\u2013Madison School of Education, says the pledge has great potential for Wisconsin.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cThere are significant challenges across the field of education, but we\u2019re looking to the future with a sense of optimism,\u201d says Dean Hess. \u201cOur Teacher Pledge program holds great potential for the state of Wisconsin. We have to explore solutions quickly.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cEspecially early on in one\u2019s career, teaching is a very difficult job,\u201d says Hess, who began her education career as a high school social studies teacher in Downers Grove, Illinois, in 1979. \u201cWe feel if teachers stick with it, they will gain confidence, start to see the value they bring, and enjoy the important work they are doing.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhile staffing challenges are hitting rural areas of Wisconsin especially hard, most districts across the state are utilizing teachers on emergency licensure to fill gaps in at least some high-need areas, such as special education and STEM fields.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s so easy to lament huge problems like teacher shortages and the lack of special educators in rural areas,\u201d says Melinda Leko, a professor with the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education who has worked on projects designed to support special educators in rural settings. \u201cBut the UW\u2013Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge is actually a tangible step toward solutions.\u201d\r\n\r\nOver the next several years, researchers at UW\u2013Madison will study this pilot of the Teacher Pledge and share key findings that could help aid efforts around Wisconsin and across the nation in building a stronger teacher workforce. This initiative is being evaluated and researched through the university\u2019s Student Success Through Applied Research (SSTAR) Lab that is led by Nicholas Hillman, a professor with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.\r\n\r\nSince its inception, more than 350 students have utilized the program, with numbers increasing every year. Currently, more than 85 percent of the students enrolled in the School of Education\u2019s master\u2019s degree program that leads to teaching certification at the middle school and high school level are utilizing the opportunity \u2014 a promising trend when coupled with continued growth in enrollment at the undergraduate level for those pursuing elementary education certification.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_85926\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 260px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-85926\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camryn-Booms-SQ.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camryn-Booms-SQ-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camryn-Booms-SQ-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camryn-Booms-SQ-120x120.jpg 120w\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Camryn Booms<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cI never saw myself coming to Wisconsin until I heard about the Pledge,\u201d says Camryn Booms, who earned her undergraduate degree at Ferris State University in her home state of Michigan and today is pursuing a master\u2019s with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in a program that will lead to dual certification in secondary science education and English as a second language (ESL). \u201cIt\u2019s the reason I\u2019m here. The financial support is a real difference-maker for me, and I know many of my classmates agree.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe UW\u2013Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge is just one part of the School of Education\u2019s ambitious new<a href=\"https:\/\/education.wisc.edu\/impact-2030\/\"> Impact 2030<\/a> initiative that\u2019s designed to build upon the School\u2019s excellence and efforts to serve Wisconsin and beyond over the next decade, leading up to the School\u2019s centennial celebration in 2030.\r\n\r\n<strong>Learn more about the UW\u2013Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/tec.education.wisc.edu\/teacher-pledge\/\">https:\/\/tec.education.wisc.edu\/teacher-pledge\/<\/a>","post_date":"2022-03-01 17:47:02","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Wisconsin Teacher Pledge addresses shortage of educators","post_type":"page","slug":"wisconsin-teacher-pledge","_edit_lock":"1673634958:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"937","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Students at Van Hise Elementary School in Madison listen to their teacher. Since its inception, more than 350 students have utilized the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge, with numbers increasing every year.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"UW\u2013Madison School of Education","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original articles by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/school-of-education-wisconsin-teacher-pledge-extended-aims-to-address-educator-shortage\/\">Todd Finkelmeyer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/on_campus\/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-class\/\">John Allen<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"937","post_date_gmt":"2022-03-01 17:47:02","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"wisconsin-teacher-pledge","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-13 18:38:20","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-13 18:38:20","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=935","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":935,"ID":935,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673634958:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"937","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Students at Van Hise Elementary School in Madison listen to their teacher. Since its inception, more than 350 students have utilized the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge, with numbers increasing every year.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"UW\u2013Madison School of Education","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original articles by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/school-of-education-wisconsin-teacher-pledge-extended-aims-to-address-educator-shortage\/\">Todd Finkelmeyer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/on_campus\/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-class\/\">John Allen<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"937"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"As America \u2014 and Wisconsin \u2014 try to navigate a deepening shortage of K\u201312 teachers, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/education.wisc.edu\/\">UW\u2013Madison School of Education<\/a>\u00a0is working to inspire more people to enter the profession.\u00a0The <a href=\"https:\/\/tec.education.wisc.edu\/teacher-pledge\/\">Wisconsin Teacher Pledge<\/a>\u00a0gives students a chance to have their tuition waived if they promise to spend several years teaching at Wisconsin schools.\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nea.org\/\">National Education Association<\/a> estimates that the United States has 300,000 fewer teachers than it needs, and in Wisconsin, 74 percent of school districts report being unable to fill positions.\r\n\r\nThese are among the reasons UW\u2013Madison's School of Education created the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge, an innovative program designed to help bolster the teacher workforce and give schoolchildren access to the high-quality educators they deserve.\r\n\r\nIn August 2020, the School of Education announced the Teacher Pledge as part of its Impact 2030 campaign: tuition forgiveness for all students who promise to teach in the state for at least four years, or three years in high-need subjects or school districts.The initiative pledges to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing, and licensing costs for all teacher education students. In return, graduates pledge to teach for three or four years at a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school in Wisconsin. Students who go on to teach in a high-need school or in a high-need subject area will fulfill their obligation in three years, while all others will do so in four.\r\n\r\nCompletely funded by donors, the $20 million initiative was originally scheduled to run through Spring 2025. In 2022, the pilot was extended to run through the 2025-26 academic year, one more year than originally designed. Over its duration, the program is expected to support more than 1,000 students in the School\u2019s teacher education programs.\r\n\r\nIn addition to providing significant financial support, the initiative is also designed to incentivize teachers to stay on the job for at least three or four years. Currently, young teachers across the nation are leaving the profession at high rates after only a year or two.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_85928\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 510px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-85928\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Diana-Hess-2021_-4-500x333.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Diana-Hess-2021_-4-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Diana-Hess-2021_-4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Diana-Hess-2021_-4-775x517.jpg 775w\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diana Hess, dean of the UW\u2013Madison School of Education, says the pledge has great potential for Wisconsin.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cThere are significant challenges across the field of education, but we\u2019re looking to the future with a sense of optimism,\u201d says Dean Hess. \u201cOur Teacher Pledge program holds great potential for the state of Wisconsin. We have to explore solutions quickly.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cEspecially early on in one\u2019s career, teaching is a very difficult job,\u201d says Hess, who began her education career as a high school social studies teacher in Downers Grove, Illinois, in 1979. \u201cWe feel if teachers stick with it, they will gain confidence, start to see the value they bring, and enjoy the important work they are doing.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhile staffing challenges are hitting rural areas of Wisconsin especially hard, most districts across the state are utilizing teachers on emergency licensure to fill gaps in at least some high-need areas, such as special education and STEM fields.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s so easy to lament huge problems like teacher shortages and the lack of special educators in rural areas,\u201d says Melinda Leko, a professor with the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education who has worked on projects designed to support special educators in rural settings. \u201cBut the UW\u2013Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge is actually a tangible step toward solutions.\u201d\r\n\r\nOver the next several years, researchers at UW\u2013Madison will study this pilot of the Teacher Pledge and share key findings that could help aid efforts around Wisconsin and across the nation in building a stronger teacher workforce. This initiative is being evaluated and researched through the university\u2019s Student Success Through Applied Research (SSTAR) Lab that is led by Nicholas Hillman, a professor with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.\r\n\r\nSince its inception, more than 350 students have utilized the program, with numbers increasing every year. Currently, more than 85 percent of the students enrolled in the School of Education\u2019s master\u2019s degree program that leads to teaching certification at the middle school and high school level are utilizing the opportunity \u2014 a promising trend when coupled with continued growth in enrollment at the undergraduate level for those pursuing elementary education certification.\r\n<div id=\"attachment_85926\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 260px;\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"wp-image-85926\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camryn-Booms-SQ.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camryn-Booms-SQ-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camryn-Booms-SQ-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Camryn-Booms-SQ-120x120.jpg 120w\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" \/>\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Camryn Booms<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\u201cI never saw myself coming to Wisconsin until I heard about the Pledge,\u201d says Camryn Booms, who earned her undergraduate degree at Ferris State University in her home state of Michigan and today is pursuing a master\u2019s with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in a program that will lead to dual certification in secondary science education and English as a second language (ESL). \u201cIt\u2019s the reason I\u2019m here. The financial support is a real difference-maker for me, and I know many of my classmates agree.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe UW\u2013Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge is just one part of the School of Education\u2019s ambitious new<a href=\"https:\/\/education.wisc.edu\/impact-2030\/\"> Impact 2030<\/a> initiative that\u2019s designed to build upon the School\u2019s excellence and efforts to serve Wisconsin and beyond over the next decade, leading up to the School\u2019s centennial celebration in 2030.\r\n\r\n<strong>Learn more about the UW\u2013Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/tec.education.wisc.edu\/teacher-pledge\/\">https:\/\/tec.education.wisc.edu\/teacher-pledge\/<\/a>","post_date":"2022-03-01 17:47:02","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Wisconsin Teacher Pledge addresses shortage of educators","post_type":"page","slug":"wisconsin-teacher-pledge","_edit_lock":"1673634958:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"937","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Students at Van Hise Elementary School in Madison listen to their teacher. Since its inception, more than 350 students have utilized the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge, with numbers increasing every year.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"UW\u2013Madison School of Education","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original articles by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/school-of-education-wisconsin-teacher-pledge-extended-aims-to-address-educator-shortage\/\">Todd Finkelmeyer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/on_campus\/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-class\/\">John Allen<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"937","post_date_gmt":"2022-03-01 17:47:02","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"wisconsin-teacher-pledge","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-13 18:38:20","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-13 18:38:20","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=935","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Teachers-in-Classrooms-SoE-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":887,"ID":887,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1664563492:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"888","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Engineering Hall is the backdrop for a peaceful scene.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-online-graduate-engineering-programs-rank-in-top-10\/\">Original story<\/a> by Rebecca Jamieson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"Enjoy this story?","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"Read more news from the College of Engineering","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"888"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>U.S. News &amp; World Report has ranked UW\u2013Madison\u2019s online master\u2019s degrees in engineering No. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/education\/online-education\/university-of-wisconsin-madison-240444\">9 in the nation for 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>This is the eleventh year in a row that the online engineering programs, offered through the College of Engineering\u2019s Interdisciplinary Professional Programs, have been highly ranked among a competitive field of engineering and online programs. This year\u2019s rankings were based on strong student engagement, robust student support, and program excellence.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn a time of very large-scale online education programs in engineering, technology and management, we\u2019re committed to fostering an outstanding experience and relationships with each individual learner,\u201d says Ed Borbely, associate dean for engineering professional development in the College of Engineering. \u201cOur active learning programs will continue to provide depth and breadth across engineering and management disciplines and an inclusive community of learners and achievers who are there for each other throughout their careers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Part of what sets the online engineering programs at UW\u2013Madison apart is that, unlike many degrees that pivoted online during the pandemic, the programs were created for online delivery\u2014with working professionals in mind. Students learn directly from industry leaders and world-renowned faculty and can immediately apply what they learn to their real-world projects.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve recommended this program to many different colleagues,\u201d says Payton Gunderson, a recent alumna of the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program. \u201cThe professors in the entire program care about the success of their students, and the content is incredibly enriching. The MEM program has helped me grow as a leader and has made me a more informed, well-rounded person. I have nothing but positive things to say about this program.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The top-ranked UW online master\u2019s degrees include options for the following paths:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Engineering Management<\/li>\r\n<li>Engineering Data Analytics<\/li>\r\n<li>Environmental Engineering<\/li>\r\n<li>Manufacturing Systems Engineering<\/li>\r\n<li>Engine Systems<\/li>\r\n<li>Polymer Engineering<\/li>\r\n<li>Power Engineering<\/li>\r\n<li>Sustainable Systems Engineering<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","post_date":"2022-02-01 11:38:50","post_excerpt":"2022 is the eleventh year in a row that UW\u2013Madison's online engineering programs, offered through Interdisciplinary Professional Programs by the College of Engineering, have been highly ranked among a competitive field.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison online graduate engineering programs rank in top 10","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-online-graduate-engineering-programs-rank-in-top-10","_edit_lock":"1664563492:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"888","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Engineering Hall is the backdrop for a peaceful scene.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-online-graduate-engineering-programs-rank-in-top-10\/\">Original story<\/a> by Rebecca Jamieson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"Enjoy this story?","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"Read more news from the College of Engineering","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"888","post_date_gmt":"2022-02-01 11:38:50","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-online-graduate-engineering-programs-rank-in-top-10","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-09-30 18:47:14","post_modified_gmt":"2022-09-30 18:47:14","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=887","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":887,"ID":887,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1664563492:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"888","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Engineering Hall is the backdrop for a peaceful scene.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-online-graduate-engineering-programs-rank-in-top-10\/\">Original story<\/a> by Rebecca Jamieson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"Enjoy this story?","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"Read more news from the College of Engineering","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"888"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>U.S. News &amp; World Report has ranked UW\u2013Madison\u2019s online master\u2019s degrees in engineering No. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/education\/online-education\/university-of-wisconsin-madison-240444\">9 in the nation for 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>This is the eleventh year in a row that the online engineering programs, offered through the College of Engineering\u2019s Interdisciplinary Professional Programs, have been highly ranked among a competitive field of engineering and online programs. This year\u2019s rankings were based on strong student engagement, robust student support, and program excellence.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn a time of very large-scale online education programs in engineering, technology and management, we\u2019re committed to fostering an outstanding experience and relationships with each individual learner,\u201d says Ed Borbely, associate dean for engineering professional development in the College of Engineering. \u201cOur active learning programs will continue to provide depth and breadth across engineering and management disciplines and an inclusive community of learners and achievers who are there for each other throughout their careers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Part of what sets the online engineering programs at UW\u2013Madison apart is that, unlike many degrees that pivoted online during the pandemic, the programs were created for online delivery\u2014with working professionals in mind. Students learn directly from industry leaders and world-renowned faculty and can immediately apply what they learn to their real-world projects.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve recommended this program to many different colleagues,\u201d says Payton Gunderson, a recent alumna of the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program. \u201cThe professors in the entire program care about the success of their students, and the content is incredibly enriching. The MEM program has helped me grow as a leader and has made me a more informed, well-rounded person. I have nothing but positive things to say about this program.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The top-ranked UW online master\u2019s degrees include options for the following paths:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Engineering Management<\/li>\r\n<li>Engineering Data Analytics<\/li>\r\n<li>Environmental Engineering<\/li>\r\n<li>Manufacturing Systems Engineering<\/li>\r\n<li>Engine Systems<\/li>\r\n<li>Polymer Engineering<\/li>\r\n<li>Power Engineering<\/li>\r\n<li>Sustainable Systems Engineering<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","post_date":"2022-02-01 11:38:50","post_excerpt":"2022 is the eleventh year in a row that UW\u2013Madison's online engineering programs, offered through Interdisciplinary Professional Programs by the College of Engineering, have been highly ranked among a competitive field.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison online graduate engineering programs rank in top 10","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-online-graduate-engineering-programs-rank-in-top-10","_edit_lock":"1664563492:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"888","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Engineering Hall is the backdrop for a peaceful scene.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Jeff Miller \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news.wisc.edu\/uw-madison-online-graduate-engineering-programs-rank-in-top-10\/\">Original story<\/a> by Rebecca Jamieson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","call_to_action_text":"Enjoy this story?","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"Read more news from the College of Engineering","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"https:\/\/engineering.wisc.edu\/news\/","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"888","post_date_gmt":"2022-02-01 11:38:50","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-online-graduate-engineering-programs-rank-in-top-10","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-09-30 18:47:14","post_modified_gmt":"2022-09-30 18:47:14","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=887","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Henry_Engr_autumn21_2429-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":807,"ID":807,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673371727:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/five-years-in-buckys-tuition-promise-is-building-a-legacy-of-affordability-across-wisconsin\/\">Doug Erickson<\/a> for UW\u2013Madison University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"814","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>The Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipients in this fall\u2019s cohort at UW\u2013Madison come from nearly every corner of Wisconsin.<\/p>\r\n<p>The 937 new freshmen and transfer students represent 66 of our 72 counties \u2014 from Douglas to Ozaukee, Pierce to Door, Polk to Grant. Seventy-four percent of them live outside Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin\u2019s two largest cities.<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92293\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-92293\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-Fall-2022-Map.png\" alt=\"A county map of Wisconsin with 66 counties shaded in red to show where new students receiving Bucky's Tuition Promise are from in the state.\" width=\"300\" height=\"309\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">This semester&#8217;s new students receiving Bucky&#8217;s Tuition Promise hail from the 66 counties shaded in red.<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\u201cBucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is one of the most powerful ways we make sure that Wisconsin resident students from lower- to moderate-income families can afford the state\u2019s flagship university,\u201d says Helen Faith, director of student financial aid. \u201cWe love that these talented Wisconsin students chose UW\u2013Madison, and we love hearing their stories.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a> is available only to students from Wisconsin. It guarantees scholarships and grants to cover tuition and segregated fees for Wisconsin resident students who are accepted to UW\u2013Madison and whose annual household adjusted income is $60,000 or less. Incoming freshmen receive four years of tuition, transfer students two years. The threshold for eligibility is set so that roughly half of all households in the state qualify.<\/p>\r\n<p>Now in its fifth year, Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise has been awarded to a total of 4,888 students. The first full class of recipients graduated in May 2022. Currently, there are 3,297 students on campus this semester receiving the guarantee.<\/p>\r\n<p>Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is funded through the generosity of private donors, many of whom are alumni, and other institutional resources, such as revenue from Bucky-branded merchandise. No taxpayer dollars are used.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>\u2018Hasn\u2019t totally sunk in\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92228\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-92228 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-1024x523.jpg\" alt=\"Portraits of Andrew Ramthun and Sawyer Wisniewski\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-1024x523.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-500x256.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-775x396.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-1600x818.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Ramthun and Sawyer Wisniewski<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>For freshman Andrew Ramthun and his family, the 2008 recession hit hard. Both parents lost their jobs, and the bank foreclosed on their home. To save for college, Ramthun worked part-time jobs throughout high school \u2014 waiter, customer service representative, cashier. He socked away $11,000 but knew that wouldn\u2019t go far. Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise arrived unexpectedly and wondrously.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s totally sunk in yet,\u201d says Ramthun, of Waupun. \u201cIt makes focusing on school significantly easier because, knowing myself, I already would have been worrying about money.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>At Waupun High School, Ramthun helped found the robotics team and served as secretary of the school\u2019s National Honor Society chapter. He hopes to become a data scientist.<\/p>\r\n<p>Sawyer Wisniewski learned about Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise four years ago as a freshman at Gibraltar High School. \u201cMy school counselor pulled me aside and said, \u2018I know you\u2019re looking at attending UW\u2013Madison. Here\u2019s something they have that could help you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The information came as a huge relief. In fourth grade, Wisniewski\u2019s teacher had the class research college costs. It was eye-opening. \u201cI knew I\u2019d need to pay my own way, so I started a savings account at 14,\u201d says Wisniewski, of Baileys Harbor.<\/p>\r\n<p>She\u2019s majoring in global health and hopes to become a researcher whose work improves the lives of others.<\/p>\r\n<p>Chelsea Roberts, the school counselor who pulled Wisniewski aside, says the cost of college tuition can be a huge stressor for many potential college students, especially those from families living paycheck to paycheck.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cBucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is allowing some of our brightest youth to achieve dreams that otherwise may have been out of their reach, and it will make a difference not only in their lives but in the lives of others as well,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cOur youth are our future, and if Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise can help young aspiring students like Sawyer, our future is in better hands.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>\u2018I feel like I can breathe\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92229\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-92229 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-1024x475.jpg\" alt=\"Portraits of Anika Herheim, Jasmine Phung and D'Marion Jackson\" width=\"1024\" height=\"475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-1024x475.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-500x232.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-775x360.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-1600x742.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anika Herheim, Jasmine Phung and D&#8217;Marion Jackson<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Of this year\u2019s 937 Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise students, 796 are freshmen and 141 are transfer students. They make up 21 percent of all new freshmen and transfer students from Wisconsin on campus this fall.<\/p>\r\n<p>The median adjusted gross household income for this year\u2019s cohort of Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipients is $35,000.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cBucky\u2019s Tuition Promise makes a college education so much more doable for high-achieving students who don\u2019t come from wealth,\u201d says freshman Anika Herheim, a National Honor Society member from Stevens Point.<\/p>\r\n<p>Herheim, who hopes to become an astrophysicist, says she received acceptance letters from multiple universities. However, even with generous financial aid packages, she says the other colleges would have expected her to contribute from $20,000 to $70,000 of her own money each year. Bucky&#8217;s Tuition Promise will likely allow her to achieve one of her undergraduate goals, to enter graduate school without any student debt.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI feel like I can breathe,\u201d she says.<\/p>\r\n<p>Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipient Jasmine Phung, a freshman from Oak Creek, says many young people have dreams that they can\u2019t pursue because they don\u2019t have the money.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cBut you can\u2019t make money until you pursue some of these steps,\u201d Phung says. \u201cGetting a college education often is one of them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Her parents, both immigrants from Vietnam, impressed upon her the importance of working hard in high school. She was president of her school\u2019s peer tutoring club and math club. She was elected vice president of her senior class of 550 students and was a member of the Oak Creek High School National Honor Society chapter. She aspires to be a high school math teacher.<\/p>\r\n<p>D&#8217;Marion Jackson isn\u2019t sure what he\u2019s going to major in yet, but he says UW\u2013Madison ranks high in many of the majors he\u2019s interested in \u2014 an important consideration for him.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great to be at a big university with a lot going on, but for me, the student life stuff does not come above the academics,\u201d says Jackson, a freshman Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipient from Racine. \u201cFinancial aid also was really important \u2014 in fact the No. 1 thing. UW\u2013Madison offered me a very good deal to come here.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>\u2018This can\u2019t be real\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92250\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-92250 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-1024x535.jpg\" alt=\"Portraits of Faith Demerath, Stella Harder and Joanna Hernandez\" width=\"1024\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-500x261.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-775x405.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-1600x836.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Faith Demerath, Stella Harder and Joanna Hernandez<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Qualifying for Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is straightforward and simple. It is based solely on one line from a family\u2019s federal tax return, and it is awarded automatically to eligible Wisconsin resident students who have completed the <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/h\/apply-for-aid\/fafsa\">Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>There is no separate application; the Office of Student Financial Aid simply notifies students of the award.<\/p>\r\n<p>Faith Demerath, a freshman from Neenah, waited a full day to tell anyone she\u2019d received Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise, thinking she\u2019d dreamt it. \u201cIt was shocking and exciting,\u201d she says. She has wanted to attend UW\u2013Madison since sixth grade and is majoring in legal studies.<\/p>\r\n<p>Stella Harder, a freshman from Wausau, thought it was a joke at first.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise was even a thing until I got the notification,\u201d she says. \u201cI thought maybe I\u2019d get a little bit of a break, but then it said my tuition would be zero. I showed it to my mom and said, \u2018This can\u2019t be real, right?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Harder says her father, a school bus driver, was sidelined during the pandemic, complicating family finances.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been working since I was 13, and I studied my butt off in high school,\u201d says Harder, who is pursuing interior architecture. \u201cAs somebody who has always had to be financially cautious, Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is a huge weight off my shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Joanna Hernandez calls UW\u2013Madison her dream school. Raised mostly in Mexico, she now lives in Madison with her father, a factory worker. Her mother remains in Mexico.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cEven though everything was against me, including my language, I\u2019m very proud that I got into such a prestigious school,\u201d says Hernandez, who hopes to become a child psychologist. \u201cMy family has always viewed UW\u2013Madison as one of the best schools in the world. Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise pretty much made my dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>For more information on Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise, please go to <a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/<\/a> or call the UW\u2013Madison Office of Student Financial Aid at (608) 262-3060. To help support the initiative, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/secure.supportuw.org\/give\/?id=37a01307-d10f-4b92-afd5-9cb8b1451af9\">supportuw.org\/giveto\/btp<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-11-24 19:17:00","post_excerpt":"Bucky's Tuition Promise covers full tuition for Wisconsin students whose household adjusted gross income is $60,000 or less through scholarships and grants.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise: building a legacy of affordability for Wisconsin families","post_type":"page","slug":"buckys-tuition-promise","_edit_lock":"1673371727:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/five-years-in-buckys-tuition-promise-is-building-a-legacy-of-affordability-across-wisconsin\/\">Doug Erickson<\/a> for UW\u2013Madison University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"814","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2021-11-24 19:17:00","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"buckys-tuition-promise","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-10 17:31:09","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-10 17:31:09","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=807","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":807,"ID":807,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673371727:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/five-years-in-buckys-tuition-promise-is-building-a-legacy-of-affordability-across-wisconsin\/\">Doug Erickson<\/a> for UW\u2013Madison University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"814","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>The Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipients in this fall\u2019s cohort at UW\u2013Madison come from nearly every corner of Wisconsin.<\/p>\r\n<p>The 937 new freshmen and transfer students represent 66 of our 72 counties \u2014 from Douglas to Ozaukee, Pierce to Door, Polk to Grant. Seventy-four percent of them live outside Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin\u2019s two largest cities.<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92293\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 310px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-92293\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-Fall-2022-Map.png\" alt=\"A county map of Wisconsin with 66 counties shaded in red to show where new students receiving Bucky's Tuition Promise are from in the state.\" width=\"300\" height=\"309\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">This semester&#8217;s new students receiving Bucky&#8217;s Tuition Promise hail from the 66 counties shaded in red.<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\u201cBucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is one of the most powerful ways we make sure that Wisconsin resident students from lower- to moderate-income families can afford the state\u2019s flagship university,\u201d says Helen Faith, director of student financial aid. \u201cWe love that these talented Wisconsin students chose UW\u2013Madison, and we love hearing their stories.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a> is available only to students from Wisconsin. It guarantees scholarships and grants to cover tuition and segregated fees for Wisconsin resident students who are accepted to UW\u2013Madison and whose annual household adjusted income is $60,000 or less. Incoming freshmen receive four years of tuition, transfer students two years. The threshold for eligibility is set so that roughly half of all households in the state qualify.<\/p>\r\n<p>Now in its fifth year, Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise has been awarded to a total of 4,888 students. The first full class of recipients graduated in May 2022. Currently, there are 3,297 students on campus this semester receiving the guarantee.<\/p>\r\n<p>Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is funded through the generosity of private donors, many of whom are alumni, and other institutional resources, such as revenue from Bucky-branded merchandise. No taxpayer dollars are used.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>\u2018Hasn\u2019t totally sunk in\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92228\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-92228 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-1024x523.jpg\" alt=\"Portraits of Andrew Ramthun and Sawyer Wisniewski\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-1024x523.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-500x256.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-775x396.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-01-1600x818.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andrew Ramthun and Sawyer Wisniewski<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>For freshman Andrew Ramthun and his family, the 2008 recession hit hard. Both parents lost their jobs, and the bank foreclosed on their home. To save for college, Ramthun worked part-time jobs throughout high school \u2014 waiter, customer service representative, cashier. He socked away $11,000 but knew that wouldn\u2019t go far. Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise arrived unexpectedly and wondrously.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s totally sunk in yet,\u201d says Ramthun, of Waupun. \u201cIt makes focusing on school significantly easier because, knowing myself, I already would have been worrying about money.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>At Waupun High School, Ramthun helped found the robotics team and served as secretary of the school\u2019s National Honor Society chapter. He hopes to become a data scientist.<\/p>\r\n<p>Sawyer Wisniewski learned about Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise four years ago as a freshman at Gibraltar High School. \u201cMy school counselor pulled me aside and said, \u2018I know you\u2019re looking at attending UW\u2013Madison. Here\u2019s something they have that could help you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The information came as a huge relief. In fourth grade, Wisniewski\u2019s teacher had the class research college costs. It was eye-opening. \u201cI knew I\u2019d need to pay my own way, so I started a savings account at 14,\u201d says Wisniewski, of Baileys Harbor.<\/p>\r\n<p>She\u2019s majoring in global health and hopes to become a researcher whose work improves the lives of others.<\/p>\r\n<p>Chelsea Roberts, the school counselor who pulled Wisniewski aside, says the cost of college tuition can be a huge stressor for many potential college students, especially those from families living paycheck to paycheck.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cBucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is allowing some of our brightest youth to achieve dreams that otherwise may have been out of their reach, and it will make a difference not only in their lives but in the lives of others as well,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cOur youth are our future, and if Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise can help young aspiring students like Sawyer, our future is in better hands.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>\u2018I feel like I can breathe\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92229\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-92229 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-1024x475.jpg\" alt=\"Portraits of Anika Herheim, Jasmine Phung and D'Marion Jackson\" width=\"1024\" height=\"475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-1024x475.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-500x232.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-775x360.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-02-1600x742.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anika Herheim, Jasmine Phung and D&#8217;Marion Jackson<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Of this year\u2019s 937 Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise students, 796 are freshmen and 141 are transfer students. They make up 21 percent of all new freshmen and transfer students from Wisconsin on campus this fall.<\/p>\r\n<p>The median adjusted gross household income for this year\u2019s cohort of Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipients is $35,000.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cBucky\u2019s Tuition Promise makes a college education so much more doable for high-achieving students who don\u2019t come from wealth,\u201d says freshman Anika Herheim, a National Honor Society member from Stevens Point.<\/p>\r\n<p>Herheim, who hopes to become an astrophysicist, says she received acceptance letters from multiple universities. However, even with generous financial aid packages, she says the other colleges would have expected her to contribute from $20,000 to $70,000 of her own money each year. Bucky&#8217;s Tuition Promise will likely allow her to achieve one of her undergraduate goals, to enter graduate school without any student debt.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI feel like I can breathe,\u201d she says.<\/p>\r\n<p>Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipient Jasmine Phung, a freshman from Oak Creek, says many young people have dreams that they can\u2019t pursue because they don\u2019t have the money.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cBut you can\u2019t make money until you pursue some of these steps,\u201d Phung says. \u201cGetting a college education often is one of them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Her parents, both immigrants from Vietnam, impressed upon her the importance of working hard in high school. She was president of her school\u2019s peer tutoring club and math club. She was elected vice president of her senior class of 550 students and was a member of the Oak Creek High School National Honor Society chapter. She aspires to be a high school math teacher.<\/p>\r\n<p>D&#8217;Marion Jackson isn\u2019t sure what he\u2019s going to major in yet, but he says UW\u2013Madison ranks high in many of the majors he\u2019s interested in \u2014 an important consideration for him.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great to be at a big university with a lot going on, but for me, the student life stuff does not come above the academics,\u201d says Jackson, a freshman Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise recipient from Racine. \u201cFinancial aid also was really important \u2014 in fact the No. 1 thing. UW\u2013Madison offered me a very good deal to come here.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>\u2018This can\u2019t be real\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_92250\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1034px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-92250 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-1024x535.jpg\" alt=\"Portraits of Faith Demerath, Stella Harder and Joanna Hernandez\" width=\"1024\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-500x261.jpg 500w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-775x405.jpg 775w, https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/BTP-1600x836.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 775px) 100vw, 775px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Faith Demerath, Stella Harder and Joanna Hernandez<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>Qualifying for Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is straightforward and simple. It is based solely on one line from a family\u2019s federal tax return, and it is awarded automatically to eligible Wisconsin resident students who have completed the <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/h\/apply-for-aid\/fafsa\">Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>There is no separate application; the Office of Student Financial Aid simply notifies students of the award.<\/p>\r\n<p>Faith Demerath, a freshman from Neenah, waited a full day to tell anyone she\u2019d received Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise, thinking she\u2019d dreamt it. \u201cIt was shocking and exciting,\u201d she says. She has wanted to attend UW\u2013Madison since sixth grade and is majoring in legal studies.<\/p>\r\n<p>Stella Harder, a freshman from Wausau, thought it was a joke at first.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise was even a thing until I got the notification,\u201d she says. \u201cI thought maybe I\u2019d get a little bit of a break, but then it said my tuition would be zero. I showed it to my mom and said, \u2018This can\u2019t be real, right?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Harder says her father, a school bus driver, was sidelined during the pandemic, complicating family finances.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been working since I was 13, and I studied my butt off in high school,\u201d says Harder, who is pursuing interior architecture. \u201cAs somebody who has always had to be financially cautious, Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise is a huge weight off my shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Joanna Hernandez calls UW\u2013Madison her dream school. Raised mostly in Mexico, she now lives in Madison with her father, a factory worker. Her mother remains in Mexico.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cEven though everything was against me, including my language, I\u2019m very proud that I got into such a prestigious school,\u201d says Hernandez, who hopes to become a child psychologist. \u201cMy family has always viewed UW\u2013Madison as one of the best schools in the world. Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise pretty much made my dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>For more information on Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise, please go to <a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/<\/a> or call the UW\u2013Madison Office of Student Financial Aid at (608) 262-3060. To help support the initiative, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/secure.supportuw.org\/give\/?id=37a01307-d10f-4b92-afd5-9cb8b1451af9\">supportuw.org\/giveto\/btp<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-11-24 19:17:00","post_excerpt":"Bucky's Tuition Promise covers full tuition for Wisconsin students whose household adjusted gross income is $60,000 or less through scholarships and grants.","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise: building a legacy of affordability for Wisconsin families","post_type":"page","slug":"buckys-tuition-promise","_edit_lock":"1673371727:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/five-years-in-buckys-tuition-promise-is-building-a-legacy-of-affordability-across-wisconsin\/\">Doug Erickson<\/a> for UW\u2013Madison University Communications","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"814","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2021-11-24 19:17:00","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"buckys-tuition-promise","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-10 17:31:09","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-10 17:31:09","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=807","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/FirstDayClass_BR21_3882-1050x700-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":802,"ID":802,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673382911:9","_edit_last":"5","_thumbnail_id":"805","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"803","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Daniel Cobian holds a specialized mouthguard that will be used by football players involved in the study. The sensors in the mouthguard will collect data on head impacts.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Image courtesy of UW School of Medicine and Public Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/november\/uw-and-nfl-team-up-on-head-injury-research\/\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<strong>Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health are partnering with the National Football League (NFL)<\/strong> to study how on-field head impacts can inform injury reduction efforts at the professional and collegiate levels.\r\n\r\nResearchers will collect data from high-tech mouthguard sensors currently being used by the football team at University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison that measure kinematic details, such as impact speed, direction, force, location and severity of head impacts. Insights gleaned from the data collected will help inform the NFL\u2019s approach to injury reduction and decrease head impacts overall. Football players at the university have the opportunity to opt in to the NFL\u2019s novel program.\r\n\r\n\u201cReducing the risk of sport-related concussions is a priority for athletes, coaches, and health care providers alike,\u201d said Daniel Cobian, assistant professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and co-principal investigator for the study. \u201cThe more we learn about sport-related concussions, the better we can protect our student-athletes from these injuries and maintain a desirable balance between the benefits of sport participation and the risk of injury.\u201d\r\n\r\nData collected from athletes will be anonymized and analyzed by the NFL Players Association\u2019s independent engineering experts and affiliated consultants. The program is overseen by NFL\u2019s Jennifer Langton, senior vice president of Health and Safety Innovation. UW researchers will also be given a specific statistical analysis that can be used to help inform the UW football team\u2019s efforts to advance player health and safety.\r\n\r\nThe NFL launched the mouthguard sensor program in 2019 as part of the league\u2019s $60 million commitment to promote health and safety initiatives. The research partnership with UW and three other universities is an expansion of the NFL\u2019s broader approach to driving innovation in the sport, and is the first phase of a program the league expects to expand to additional universities in the coming months and years.\r\n\r\n\u201cSophisticated and specific data collection is central to our work to find better ways to research, diagnose, understand and better prevent injuries,\u201d said Dr. Allen Sills, chief medical officer, NFL. \u201cWe are excited to establish this partnership with not only nationally-recognized collegiate football programs who have a direct pipeline to the NFL, but also with esteemed research universities to expand the universe of inputs from which we can analyze, draw conclusions, and develop recommendations for how to make the game safer.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis latest study strengthens the ongoing research partnership between the NFL and the School of Medicine and Public Health. Earlier this year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/july\/nfl-to-fund-uw-led-study-on-hamstring-injuries\/\">UW researchers were awarded a four-year, $4 million grant by the NFL<\/a> to study the prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries for elite football players.","post_date":"2021-11-24 18:14:05","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW, NFL team up on research to reduce head injuries","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-nfl-team-up-head-injury-research","_edit_lock":"1673382911:9","_edit_last":"5","_thumbnail_id":"805","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"803","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Daniel Cobian holds a specialized mouthguard that will be used by football players involved in the study. The sensors in the mouthguard will collect data on head impacts.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Image courtesy of UW School of Medicine and Public Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/november\/uw-and-nfl-team-up-on-head-injury-research\/\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2021-11-24 18:14:05","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-nfl-team-up-head-injury-research","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-01-02 17:21:44","post_modified_gmt":"2022-01-02 17:21:44","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=802","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":802,"ID":802,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673382911:9","_edit_last":"5","_thumbnail_id":"805","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"803","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Daniel Cobian holds a specialized mouthguard that will be used by football players involved in the study. The sensors in the mouthguard will collect data on head impacts.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Image courtesy of UW School of Medicine and Public Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/november\/uw-and-nfl-team-up-on-head-injury-research\/\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<strong>Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health are partnering with the National Football League (NFL)<\/strong> to study how on-field head impacts can inform injury reduction efforts at the professional and collegiate levels.\r\n\r\nResearchers will collect data from high-tech mouthguard sensors currently being used by the football team at University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison that measure kinematic details, such as impact speed, direction, force, location and severity of head impacts. Insights gleaned from the data collected will help inform the NFL\u2019s approach to injury reduction and decrease head impacts overall. Football players at the university have the opportunity to opt in to the NFL\u2019s novel program.\r\n\r\n\u201cReducing the risk of sport-related concussions is a priority for athletes, coaches, and health care providers alike,\u201d said Daniel Cobian, assistant professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and co-principal investigator for the study. \u201cThe more we learn about sport-related concussions, the better we can protect our student-athletes from these injuries and maintain a desirable balance between the benefits of sport participation and the risk of injury.\u201d\r\n\r\nData collected from athletes will be anonymized and analyzed by the NFL Players Association\u2019s independent engineering experts and affiliated consultants. The program is overseen by NFL\u2019s Jennifer Langton, senior vice president of Health and Safety Innovation. UW researchers will also be given a specific statistical analysis that can be used to help inform the UW football team\u2019s efforts to advance player health and safety.\r\n\r\nThe NFL launched the mouthguard sensor program in 2019 as part of the league\u2019s $60 million commitment to promote health and safety initiatives. The research partnership with UW and three other universities is an expansion of the NFL\u2019s broader approach to driving innovation in the sport, and is the first phase of a program the league expects to expand to additional universities in the coming months and years.\r\n\r\n\u201cSophisticated and specific data collection is central to our work to find better ways to research, diagnose, understand and better prevent injuries,\u201d said Dr. Allen Sills, chief medical officer, NFL. \u201cWe are excited to establish this partnership with not only nationally-recognized collegiate football programs who have a direct pipeline to the NFL, but also with esteemed research universities to expand the universe of inputs from which we can analyze, draw conclusions, and develop recommendations for how to make the game safer.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis latest study strengthens the ongoing research partnership between the NFL and the School of Medicine and Public Health. Earlier this year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/july\/nfl-to-fund-uw-led-study-on-hamstring-injuries\/\">UW researchers were awarded a four-year, $4 million grant by the NFL<\/a> to study the prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries for elite football players.","post_date":"2021-11-24 18:14:05","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW, NFL team up on research to reduce head injuries","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-nfl-team-up-head-injury-research","_edit_lock":"1673382911:9","_edit_last":"5","_thumbnail_id":"805","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"803","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Daniel Cobian holds a specialized mouthguard that will be used by football players involved in the study. The sensors in the mouthguard will collect data on head impacts.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Image courtesy of UW School of Medicine and Public Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/november\/uw-and-nfl-team-up-on-head-injury-research\/\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2021-11-24 18:14:05","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-nfl-team-up-head-injury-research","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-01-02 17:21:44","post_modified_gmt":"2022-01-02 17:21:44","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=802","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/cobian-mouthguard-1050x700-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":851,"ID":851,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1640814870:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"852","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"853","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The robot reading buddy project of the People and Robots lab explores the intimate connection between people and machines. Misty, a robot that is placed with families, displays 24 emotions and is calibrated to boost children\u2019s interest in science.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p>Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/features\/a-new-age-of-technology\/\">George Spencer<\/a> for <em><a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/issues\/winter-2021\/\">On Wisconsin<\/a><\/em><\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Stop for a moment and imagine you have a robot butler. How does it know what to do? What must you tell it to make it obey you?<\/p>\r\n<p>For Bilge Mutlu, these questions are far from fanciful. For the past 12 years, he has directed UW\u2013Madison\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/peopleandrobots.wisc.edu\/\">People and Robots Lab<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cShould your robot butler ask whether you want tea or coffee?\u201d asks Mutlu, professor of computer science, psychology, and industrial engineering. \u201cOr should you merely need to say, \u2018Just bring my beverage, robot,\u2019 because maybe you\u2019re going to offload the beverage decision to your coffee machine, so the robot doesn\u2019t worry about it?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>To Mutlu, it sometimes seems he has spent his life thinking about mechanical companions. When he was five years old and his family moved to a new neighborhood in Turkey, children wouldn\u2019t play with him. \u201cI made up a story,\u201d he says. \u201cI said, \u2018My uncle brought me a robot to play with, so I don\u2019t need to play with you,\u2019 and here I am at age 42 designing robots.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>His life changed in 1999, when he was 23, working in Istanbul as a product designer for the appliance maker Ar\u00e7elik. He heard the term <em>smart appliances <\/em>and recalls, \u201cI realized computers were going to play a bigger role in design. I was totally unprepared to handle that, but I knew being \u2018smart\u2019 no longer meant designing dials and buttons. Whatever \u2018smart\u2019 was going to be, it wasn\u2019t what I was doing.\u201d So he came to the United States and earned his PhD from Carnegie Mellon in human\u2013computer interaction.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Today Mutlu\u2019s goal is developing robotic technologies that seamlessly mesh with people\u2019s lives. \u201cYou need a deep understanding of the context of how robots will be used,\u201d he says. \u201cOtherwise they\u2019re not going to succeed. You can build the most amazing robot, but if people don\u2019t want it, they don\u2019t want it, and it\u2019s not a success.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>With the aid of two postdocs and 12 graduate students, Mutlu holds the reins on 10 projects funded by NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. All have the same goal: to make robots as commonplace as cats, dogs, and delivery trucks. His teams are designing robotic manufacturing tools for Boeing, creating a smart display for the senior-citizen interface Elder Tree, teaching a robot how to perform the surprisingly challenging task of opening an oven door, figuring out how to program robots by talking to them, and field-testing Misty, a robot reading buddy that lives, so to speak, with families and has 24 emotions.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe People and Robots Lab is a very impressive interdisciplinary space for the study of emerging interactive technologies and one of the top labs internationally for exploring human\u2013robot interaction,\u201d says Selma Sabanovic, director of the R-House Laboratory for Human\u2013Robot Interaction at the University of Indiana\u2013Bloomington.<\/p>\r\n<p>Just as people learned to take for granted TV, the internet, and voice-based computer systems such as Siri and Alexa, Mutlu predicts that in 20 years robotic technologies will have advanced beyond warehouse and delivery uses to the point where people will buy helper and companion robots as routinely as they now purchase laptops or smartphones.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThis thing will roll into your room, say things, and listen to you,\u201d he says. \u201cThings are about to change in very big ways.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Mutlu once worked alone. But as a consequence of the 2019 creation of the UW\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/cdis.wisc.edu\/\">School of Computer, Data &amp; Information Sciences<\/a> and its incredible popularity among students, five assistant professors \u2014 Yuhang Zhao, Corey Jackson, Yea-Seul Kim, Adam Rule, and Jacob Thebault-Spieker \u2014 are also researching human\u2013computer interaction. Along with faculty at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engr.wisc.edu\/department\/industrial-systems-engineering\/\">UW Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering<\/a>, which is doing similar work on campus, these researchers are developing solutions that enable computer-based technology to improve our daily lives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Each of these new hires spearheads research as diverse as Mutlu\u2019s, tackling everything from medical recordkeeping to household safety to self-driving cars. But one theme unites them \u2014 making computers and robots better so they can empower people.<\/p>\r\n<h2>\u201cNow I Can Be a Superman!\u201d<\/h2>\r\n<p>For data scientist Yea-Seul Kim, <em>empowerment<\/em> might be too mild a word.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe accurate way of perceiving things has to be a human right,\u201d says Kim, who is developing tools and algorithms to help low-vision people interact with data. \u201cEveryone should be able to make decisions based on the same information. Companies use huge data in clever ways, but individuals have less expertise and fewer resources. My vision is to shrink that gap, so people can make decisions as if they had the techniques to analyze huge amounts of data.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Kim, Mutlu, and Yuhang Zhao make up the UW Department of Computer Sciences\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/hci.cs.wisc.edu\/\">Human\u2013Computer Interaction Group<\/a>. Kim and Zhao teamed up for a study in which they asked visually impaired people how to best replace online graphics with \u201calt text,\u201d which describes the content of an image. There are nearly 300 million vision-impaired people, according to the World Health Organization, and for them, understanding visual data poses a daunting challenge.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI want to imitate the way sighted people would skim the visualization,\u201d one test subject told Kim and Zhao. Another interviewee offered a possible solution: combine alt text with an audio version of a graph whose pitch would rise and fall with levels on the graph. The duo\u2019s paper ended up proposing that alt text be automatically created by a system that detects trends in charts\u2019 visual data.<\/p>\r\n<p>Zhao has another project on the front burner, literally. She, Mutlu, and optometrist Sanbrita Mondal, the head of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ophth.wisc.edu\/patient-care\/low-vision-2\/\">Low Vision Services<\/a> in the UW\u2019s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, are studying cooking habits of low-vision people.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThese patients can\u2019t function in the kitchen,\u201d says Mondal. \u201cThey\u2019re afraid they\u2019ll burn or cut themselves. They eat frozen dinners or reheatable meals, which affects their health.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Zhao plans to outfit study participants with augmented-reality smart glasses souped up with thermal cameras, depth sensors, and audio alarms. The super spectacles will tell wearers about stove-related dangers using multimodal feedback \u2014 colors to depict hot spots, defined contours of objects, and sounds if a wearer\u2019s hand strays close to a high-temperature area.<\/p>\r\n<p>No stranger to assisting people with disabilities, Zhao helped invent the Canetroller while interning at Microsoft. This high-tech \u201cwhite cane\u201d let visually impaired test subjects navigate a virtual-reality world in a lab. When users tapped into a virtual trash can, carpet, or table, it made warning noises, created vibrotactile feedback, and impeded contact with the object.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOh, now I can be a superman!\u201d one trial user told her. The Canetroller may train low-vision people to use standard white canes in safe settings before venturing onto sidewalks, according to Zhao.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cDoing research with people with disabilities has been such a fantastic journey for me, though my background is pure computer science,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve had many conversations with them to try to better understand their lives. It\u2019s opened up my mind.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2>Ending \u201cNote Bloat\u201d<\/h2>\r\n<p>Zhao\u2019s work with patients has a counterpoint in the Information School (or iSchool) and its <a href=\"https:\/\/collab.ischool.wisc.edu\/\">Collaborative Computing Group<\/a>, which includes faculty members Adam Rule, Corey Jackson, and Jacob Thebault-Spieker. Rule wants to help stressed doctors. His field is cognitive ergonomics, especially medical informatics \u2014 how medical professionals use clinical notes to perform collaborative, data-driven work.<\/p>\r\n<p>The epidemic of burnout among doctors has been intensified by \u201cnote bloat.\u201d Physicians who once scribbled concise patient records now use tablets. U.S. doctors\u2019 notes are four times longer than those of peers in other countries, according to Rule. \u201cThe highly trained American physician,\u201d says the journal <em>Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em>, \u201chas become a data-entry clerk, required to document not only diagnoses, physician orders, and patient visit notes, but increasingly low-value administrative data.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI want to develop tools to let doctors leverage the power of data and computation so they can focus more on patients rather than documenting patients,\u201d Rule says. \u201cWe can build systems that let them access information in a central place and work more flexibly on the fly.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_858\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"640\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/CDIS_Group_21_1733-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" class=\"size-large wp-image-858\" \/> Members of the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences (CDIS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are pictured on September 23, 2021. From left to right, top to bottom are Corey Jackson, Jacob Thebault-Spieker, Yea-Seul Kim, Bilge Mutlu, Yuhang Zhao and Adam Rule. (Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)[\/caption]\r\n<h2>Vast Disparities in Access<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Human\u2013computer interactions level the playing field. That\u2019s what the iSchool\u2019s Corey Jackson learned during the summer of 2009. A political science major, he had been planning a career in international law when he went on a One Laptop per Child internship after his junior year to the island of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 off West Africa\u2019s coast. He found himself teamed with computer science professors and, ever since then, has focused on human\u2013computer interaction.<\/p>\r\n<p>Jackson found that children\u2019s homes had no electricity. Classrooms had one outlet, if that. \u201cIt made me realize the vast disparities in access to basic infrastructure. The most rewarding part was seeing children\u2019s faces light up when we did programming modules,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n<p>Today Jackson works to transform citizen science at websites like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zooniverse.org\/projects\/zookeeper\/galaxy-zoo\/\">Galaxy Zoo and Zooniverse<\/a>, where thousands of laypeople collaborate with astronomers on projects with titles like \u201cHelp Scientists Search for Gravity Waves \u2014 the Elusive Ripples of Spacetime.\u201d No experience is needed to do this crowdsourced research, and the sites offer few guidelines. Newcomers get confused, so Jackson ensures that the technology works and is accessible to users.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe need to make sure people from different socioeconomic or racial backgrounds can use data and technologies we develop to advance their goals,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Crisis of Confidence<\/h2>\r\n<p>The same disparity also hurts rural areas. The iSchool\u2019s Jacob Thebault-Spieker, whose expertise is social computing, learned that in middle school when his family moved from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to tiny, impoverished Sebec, Maine.<\/p>\r\n<p>He grew up a self-described \u201ccomputer nerd,\u201d but when he saw peers take plush jobs at tech companies, Thebault-Spieker says, \u201cI had a crisis of confidence. Working for Google to make its search engine a few milliseconds faster is important, but it didn\u2019t resonate with me. I started trying to figure out how to use my skills to solve social problems.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>His work focuses on understanding patterns of behavior \u2014 geographic or otherwise \u2014 that create biases and disparities in systems like OpenStreetMap, Wikipedia, and Uber. He is addressing poor coverage of rural areas by OpenStreetMap, which Tesla uses in its autonomous-vehicle mapping systems. For example, cattle grates deter cows from wandering off pastures but let vehicles pass. Because mappers in urban areas may not know what these grates are, incorrect labeling could cause car accidents.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIf we\u2019re talking about Tesla being the future of self-driving vehicles,\u201d Thebault-Spieker says, \u201cthat\u2019s not happening in Sebec.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2>\u201cThe Robot Doesn\u2019t Judge Me\u201d<\/h2>\r\n<p>While others employ technology to solve specific problems, Mutlu\u2019s robot reading-buddy project explores a more intimate connection between people and machines.<\/p>\r\n<p>The first incarnation of his study in 2017 used Minnie, a 13-inch-tall desktop robot named after Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. She was placed in test families\u2019 homes for two weeks. The goal? To study whether children \u2014 10 boys and 14 girls ages 10 to 14 \u2014 would enjoy reading with her, if that relationship would flourish over time, and if the experience would make them more avid readers.<\/p>\r\n<p>Minnie had big, black, inviting eyes that moved. To appear more human when speaking, she would look away as if lost in thought. To mimic fidgeting, her white, plastic, humanoid head made random movements. Her stationary body held a microphone and a camera that used facial recognition to locate the child.<\/p>\r\n<p>Programmed with 25 books that ranged from <em>Goosebumps <\/em>to <em>Harry Potter<\/em>, Minnie listened to children read. She appeared thoughtful. She summarized what they said and urged them to do better.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe biggest shock in our study was that two weeks later,\u201d says Mutlu, \u201ckids were still relating to the character rather than saying, \u2018This is stupid. I\u2019m not talking to your robot anymore.\u2019 \u201d The number of children who thought Minnie had emotions quadrupled during the study. Children said Minnie motivated them to read. They thought she helped them understand and remember books better compared to responses given by robot-less children in a control group.<\/p>\r\n<p>Minnie became a friend. Children were glad she never criticized them. \u201cI liked that the robot doesn\u2019t judge me when I misspell,\u201d one child said. Families sent Mutlu\u2019s research partner photos of Minnie dolled up with clothes. Children made her feel comfy by cushioning her with pillows.<\/p>\r\n<p>Mutlu is wary of creating machines humans may become too attached to. \u201cDo I want people to fully assume a machine has emotions? I\u2019m skeptical,\u201d he says. \u201cMy goal is to make it more intuitive and natural for people to interact with these things. I don\u2019t want to push the boundary of, like, \u2018Oh, I want people to have deep relationships with them.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>This past summer Minnie lost her job to Misty, a programmable consumer robot whose base model sells for $2,299. The 14-inch-tall white or black plastic Misty moves on treads. Her arms wave and point. Big, blue, cartoony eyes programmed with 24 emotions dominate her face screen.<\/p>\r\n<p>Misty\u2019s study gauges whether a robot reading buddy can boost children\u2019s interest in science. Her emotions are calibrated to amuse children into maintaining a heightened interest in such things as mold and spiders. For example, if a scary spider is in a book, Minnie flings up her arms in dismay and retreats. Her eyes turn red, their shapes expressing fear.<\/p>\r\n<p>Mutlu has young children himself and worries parents might use robots as electronic babysitters. He limits his children\u2019s screen time, and the robot reading-buddy project appealed to him because of its solitary, educational nature.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re competing with parents or social interactions, but I completely agree that [unsupervised children using robots] is a risk and something we have to think about,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n<p>For Misty\u2019s next challenge, Mutlu will send her to stay with families for nine months. \u201cWhat is it going to mean for a social robot to live with a family that long? How is it going to affect family interactions?\u201d he asks. \u201cThis is very complicated stuff. We are trying to design it with the best of our knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>In the future, he says, home robots will be programmed to respond to each family member differently. Such a robot might say to a parent, \u201cI can\u2019t talk to you now\u201d or \u201cCan I play with the child?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt will be a very different paradigm for interaction,\u201d says Mutlu.<\/p>\r\n<h2>\u201cDo More, Do Better\u201d<\/h2>\r\n<p>Some fear a future in which killer machines trample humans \u2014 and human rights. Mutlu, who is Catholic, is confident robots and other forms of human\u2013computer interaction are part of a greater \u2014 and better \u2014 plan.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhat are our friends and families for?\u201d he asks. \u201cThey\u2019re for helping each other get to heaven. So why not build these machines to help people do more, do better, and do what they\u2019d like to accomplish?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The question, says Mutlu, is: \u201cCan I get these systems and technologies to support that mission?\u201d <strong>\u2022<\/strong><\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-11-03 15:43:55","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences innovating ways to improve lives","post_type":"page","slug":"cdis-innovation","_edit_lock":"1640814870:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"852","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"853","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The robot reading buddy project of the People and Robots lab explores the intimate connection between people and machines. Misty, a robot that is placed with families, displays 24 emotions and is calibrated to boost children\u2019s interest in science.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p>Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/features\/a-new-age-of-technology\/\">George Spencer<\/a> for <em><a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/issues\/winter-2021\/\">On Wisconsin<\/a><\/em><\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2021-11-03 15:43:55","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"cdis-innovation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-12-29 21:56:52","post_modified_gmt":"2021-12-29 21:56:52","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=851","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":851,"ID":851,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1640814870:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"852","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"853","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The robot reading buddy project of the People and Robots lab explores the intimate connection between people and machines. Misty, a robot that is placed with families, displays 24 emotions and is calibrated to boost children\u2019s interest in science.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p>Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/features\/a-new-age-of-technology\/\">George Spencer<\/a> for <em><a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/issues\/winter-2021\/\">On Wisconsin<\/a><\/em><\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Stop for a moment and imagine you have a robot butler. How does it know what to do? What must you tell it to make it obey you?<\/p>\r\n<p>For Bilge Mutlu, these questions are far from fanciful. For the past 12 years, he has directed UW\u2013Madison\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/peopleandrobots.wisc.edu\/\">People and Robots Lab<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cShould your robot butler ask whether you want tea or coffee?\u201d asks Mutlu, professor of computer science, psychology, and industrial engineering. \u201cOr should you merely need to say, \u2018Just bring my beverage, robot,\u2019 because maybe you\u2019re going to offload the beverage decision to your coffee machine, so the robot doesn\u2019t worry about it?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>To Mutlu, it sometimes seems he has spent his life thinking about mechanical companions. When he was five years old and his family moved to a new neighborhood in Turkey, children wouldn\u2019t play with him. \u201cI made up a story,\u201d he says. \u201cI said, \u2018My uncle brought me a robot to play with, so I don\u2019t need to play with you,\u2019 and here I am at age 42 designing robots.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>His life changed in 1999, when he was 23, working in Istanbul as a product designer for the appliance maker Ar\u00e7elik. He heard the term <em>smart appliances <\/em>and recalls, \u201cI realized computers were going to play a bigger role in design. I was totally unprepared to handle that, but I knew being \u2018smart\u2019 no longer meant designing dials and buttons. Whatever \u2018smart\u2019 was going to be, it wasn\u2019t what I was doing.\u201d So he came to the United States and earned his PhD from Carnegie Mellon in human\u2013computer interaction.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Today Mutlu\u2019s goal is developing robotic technologies that seamlessly mesh with people\u2019s lives. \u201cYou need a deep understanding of the context of how robots will be used,\u201d he says. \u201cOtherwise they\u2019re not going to succeed. You can build the most amazing robot, but if people don\u2019t want it, they don\u2019t want it, and it\u2019s not a success.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>With the aid of two postdocs and 12 graduate students, Mutlu holds the reins on 10 projects funded by NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. All have the same goal: to make robots as commonplace as cats, dogs, and delivery trucks. His teams are designing robotic manufacturing tools for Boeing, creating a smart display for the senior-citizen interface Elder Tree, teaching a robot how to perform the surprisingly challenging task of opening an oven door, figuring out how to program robots by talking to them, and field-testing Misty, a robot reading buddy that lives, so to speak, with families and has 24 emotions.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe People and Robots Lab is a very impressive interdisciplinary space for the study of emerging interactive technologies and one of the top labs internationally for exploring human\u2013robot interaction,\u201d says Selma Sabanovic, director of the R-House Laboratory for Human\u2013Robot Interaction at the University of Indiana\u2013Bloomington.<\/p>\r\n<p>Just as people learned to take for granted TV, the internet, and voice-based computer systems such as Siri and Alexa, Mutlu predicts that in 20 years robotic technologies will have advanced beyond warehouse and delivery uses to the point where people will buy helper and companion robots as routinely as they now purchase laptops or smartphones.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThis thing will roll into your room, say things, and listen to you,\u201d he says. \u201cThings are about to change in very big ways.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Mutlu once worked alone. But as a consequence of the 2019 creation of the UW\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/cdis.wisc.edu\/\">School of Computer, Data &amp; Information Sciences<\/a> and its incredible popularity among students, five assistant professors \u2014 Yuhang Zhao, Corey Jackson, Yea-Seul Kim, Adam Rule, and Jacob Thebault-Spieker \u2014 are also researching human\u2013computer interaction. Along with faculty at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engr.wisc.edu\/department\/industrial-systems-engineering\/\">UW Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering<\/a>, which is doing similar work on campus, these researchers are developing solutions that enable computer-based technology to improve our daily lives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Each of these new hires spearheads research as diverse as Mutlu\u2019s, tackling everything from medical recordkeeping to household safety to self-driving cars. But one theme unites them \u2014 making computers and robots better so they can empower people.<\/p>\r\n<h2>\u201cNow I Can Be a Superman!\u201d<\/h2>\r\n<p>For data scientist Yea-Seul Kim, <em>empowerment<\/em> might be too mild a word.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe accurate way of perceiving things has to be a human right,\u201d says Kim, who is developing tools and algorithms to help low-vision people interact with data. \u201cEveryone should be able to make decisions based on the same information. Companies use huge data in clever ways, but individuals have less expertise and fewer resources. My vision is to shrink that gap, so people can make decisions as if they had the techniques to analyze huge amounts of data.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Kim, Mutlu, and Yuhang Zhao make up the UW Department of Computer Sciences\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/hci.cs.wisc.edu\/\">Human\u2013Computer Interaction Group<\/a>. Kim and Zhao teamed up for a study in which they asked visually impaired people how to best replace online graphics with \u201calt text,\u201d which describes the content of an image. There are nearly 300 million vision-impaired people, according to the World Health Organization, and for them, understanding visual data poses a daunting challenge.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI want to imitate the way sighted people would skim the visualization,\u201d one test subject told Kim and Zhao. Another interviewee offered a possible solution: combine alt text with an audio version of a graph whose pitch would rise and fall with levels on the graph. The duo\u2019s paper ended up proposing that alt text be automatically created by a system that detects trends in charts\u2019 visual data.<\/p>\r\n<p>Zhao has another project on the front burner, literally. She, Mutlu, and optometrist Sanbrita Mondal, the head of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ophth.wisc.edu\/patient-care\/low-vision-2\/\">Low Vision Services<\/a> in the UW\u2019s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, are studying cooking habits of low-vision people.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThese patients can\u2019t function in the kitchen,\u201d says Mondal. \u201cThey\u2019re afraid they\u2019ll burn or cut themselves. They eat frozen dinners or reheatable meals, which affects their health.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Zhao plans to outfit study participants with augmented-reality smart glasses souped up with thermal cameras, depth sensors, and audio alarms. The super spectacles will tell wearers about stove-related dangers using multimodal feedback \u2014 colors to depict hot spots, defined contours of objects, and sounds if a wearer\u2019s hand strays close to a high-temperature area.<\/p>\r\n<p>No stranger to assisting people with disabilities, Zhao helped invent the Canetroller while interning at Microsoft. This high-tech \u201cwhite cane\u201d let visually impaired test subjects navigate a virtual-reality world in a lab. When users tapped into a virtual trash can, carpet, or table, it made warning noises, created vibrotactile feedback, and impeded contact with the object.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOh, now I can be a superman!\u201d one trial user told her. The Canetroller may train low-vision people to use standard white canes in safe settings before venturing onto sidewalks, according to Zhao.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cDoing research with people with disabilities has been such a fantastic journey for me, though my background is pure computer science,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve had many conversations with them to try to better understand their lives. It\u2019s opened up my mind.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2>Ending \u201cNote Bloat\u201d<\/h2>\r\n<p>Zhao\u2019s work with patients has a counterpoint in the Information School (or iSchool) and its <a href=\"https:\/\/collab.ischool.wisc.edu\/\">Collaborative Computing Group<\/a>, which includes faculty members Adam Rule, Corey Jackson, and Jacob Thebault-Spieker. Rule wants to help stressed doctors. His field is cognitive ergonomics, especially medical informatics \u2014 how medical professionals use clinical notes to perform collaborative, data-driven work.<\/p>\r\n<p>The epidemic of burnout among doctors has been intensified by \u201cnote bloat.\u201d Physicians who once scribbled concise patient records now use tablets. U.S. doctors\u2019 notes are four times longer than those of peers in other countries, according to Rule. \u201cThe highly trained American physician,\u201d says the journal <em>Annals of Internal Medicine<\/em>, \u201chas become a data-entry clerk, required to document not only diagnoses, physician orders, and patient visit notes, but increasingly low-value administrative data.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI want to develop tools to let doctors leverage the power of data and computation so they can focus more on patients rather than documenting patients,\u201d Rule says. \u201cWe can build systems that let them access information in a central place and work more flexibly on the fly.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_858\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"640\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/CDIS_Group_21_1733-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" class=\"size-large wp-image-858\" \/> Members of the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences (CDIS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are pictured on September 23, 2021. From left to right, top to bottom are Corey Jackson, Jacob Thebault-Spieker, Yea-Seul Kim, Bilge Mutlu, Yuhang Zhao and Adam Rule. (Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)[\/caption]\r\n<h2>Vast Disparities in Access<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Human\u2013computer interactions level the playing field. That\u2019s what the iSchool\u2019s Corey Jackson learned during the summer of 2009. A political science major, he had been planning a career in international law when he went on a One Laptop per Child internship after his junior year to the island of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 off West Africa\u2019s coast. He found himself teamed with computer science professors and, ever since then, has focused on human\u2013computer interaction.<\/p>\r\n<p>Jackson found that children\u2019s homes had no electricity. Classrooms had one outlet, if that. \u201cIt made me realize the vast disparities in access to basic infrastructure. The most rewarding part was seeing children\u2019s faces light up when we did programming modules,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n<p>Today Jackson works to transform citizen science at websites like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zooniverse.org\/projects\/zookeeper\/galaxy-zoo\/\">Galaxy Zoo and Zooniverse<\/a>, where thousands of laypeople collaborate with astronomers on projects with titles like \u201cHelp Scientists Search for Gravity Waves \u2014 the Elusive Ripples of Spacetime.\u201d No experience is needed to do this crowdsourced research, and the sites offer few guidelines. Newcomers get confused, so Jackson ensures that the technology works and is accessible to users.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe need to make sure people from different socioeconomic or racial backgrounds can use data and technologies we develop to advance their goals,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Crisis of Confidence<\/h2>\r\n<p>The same disparity also hurts rural areas. The iSchool\u2019s Jacob Thebault-Spieker, whose expertise is social computing, learned that in middle school when his family moved from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to tiny, impoverished Sebec, Maine.<\/p>\r\n<p>He grew up a self-described \u201ccomputer nerd,\u201d but when he saw peers take plush jobs at tech companies, Thebault-Spieker says, \u201cI had a crisis of confidence. Working for Google to make its search engine a few milliseconds faster is important, but it didn\u2019t resonate with me. I started trying to figure out how to use my skills to solve social problems.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>His work focuses on understanding patterns of behavior \u2014 geographic or otherwise \u2014 that create biases and disparities in systems like OpenStreetMap, Wikipedia, and Uber. He is addressing poor coverage of rural areas by OpenStreetMap, which Tesla uses in its autonomous-vehicle mapping systems. For example, cattle grates deter cows from wandering off pastures but let vehicles pass. Because mappers in urban areas may not know what these grates are, incorrect labeling could cause car accidents.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIf we\u2019re talking about Tesla being the future of self-driving vehicles,\u201d Thebault-Spieker says, \u201cthat\u2019s not happening in Sebec.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2>\u201cThe Robot Doesn\u2019t Judge Me\u201d<\/h2>\r\n<p>While others employ technology to solve specific problems, Mutlu\u2019s robot reading-buddy project explores a more intimate connection between people and machines.<\/p>\r\n<p>The first incarnation of his study in 2017 used Minnie, a 13-inch-tall desktop robot named after Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. She was placed in test families\u2019 homes for two weeks. The goal? To study whether children \u2014 10 boys and 14 girls ages 10 to 14 \u2014 would enjoy reading with her, if that relationship would flourish over time, and if the experience would make them more avid readers.<\/p>\r\n<p>Minnie had big, black, inviting eyes that moved. To appear more human when speaking, she would look away as if lost in thought. To mimic fidgeting, her white, plastic, humanoid head made random movements. Her stationary body held a microphone and a camera that used facial recognition to locate the child.<\/p>\r\n<p>Programmed with 25 books that ranged from <em>Goosebumps <\/em>to <em>Harry Potter<\/em>, Minnie listened to children read. She appeared thoughtful. She summarized what they said and urged them to do better.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe biggest shock in our study was that two weeks later,\u201d says Mutlu, \u201ckids were still relating to the character rather than saying, \u2018This is stupid. I\u2019m not talking to your robot anymore.\u2019 \u201d The number of children who thought Minnie had emotions quadrupled during the study. Children said Minnie motivated them to read. They thought she helped them understand and remember books better compared to responses given by robot-less children in a control group.<\/p>\r\n<p>Minnie became a friend. Children were glad she never criticized them. \u201cI liked that the robot doesn\u2019t judge me when I misspell,\u201d one child said. Families sent Mutlu\u2019s research partner photos of Minnie dolled up with clothes. Children made her feel comfy by cushioning her with pillows.<\/p>\r\n<p>Mutlu is wary of creating machines humans may become too attached to. \u201cDo I want people to fully assume a machine has emotions? I\u2019m skeptical,\u201d he says. \u201cMy goal is to make it more intuitive and natural for people to interact with these things. I don\u2019t want to push the boundary of, like, \u2018Oh, I want people to have deep relationships with them.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>This past summer Minnie lost her job to Misty, a programmable consumer robot whose base model sells for $2,299. The 14-inch-tall white or black plastic Misty moves on treads. Her arms wave and point. Big, blue, cartoony eyes programmed with 24 emotions dominate her face screen.<\/p>\r\n<p>Misty\u2019s study gauges whether a robot reading buddy can boost children\u2019s interest in science. Her emotions are calibrated to amuse children into maintaining a heightened interest in such things as mold and spiders. For example, if a scary spider is in a book, Minnie flings up her arms in dismay and retreats. Her eyes turn red, their shapes expressing fear.<\/p>\r\n<p>Mutlu has young children himself and worries parents might use robots as electronic babysitters. He limits his children\u2019s screen time, and the robot reading-buddy project appealed to him because of its solitary, educational nature.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re competing with parents or social interactions, but I completely agree that [unsupervised children using robots] is a risk and something we have to think about,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n<p>For Misty\u2019s next challenge, Mutlu will send her to stay with families for nine months. \u201cWhat is it going to mean for a social robot to live with a family that long? How is it going to affect family interactions?\u201d he asks. \u201cThis is very complicated stuff. We are trying to design it with the best of our knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>In the future, he says, home robots will be programmed to respond to each family member differently. Such a robot might say to a parent, \u201cI can\u2019t talk to you now\u201d or \u201cCan I play with the child?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt will be a very different paradigm for interaction,\u201d says Mutlu.<\/p>\r\n<h2>\u201cDo More, Do Better\u201d<\/h2>\r\n<p>Some fear a future in which killer machines trample humans \u2014 and human rights. Mutlu, who is Catholic, is confident robots and other forms of human\u2013computer interaction are part of a greater \u2014 and better \u2014 plan.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhat are our friends and families for?\u201d he asks. \u201cThey\u2019re for helping each other get to heaven. So why not build these machines to help people do more, do better, and do what they\u2019d like to accomplish?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The question, says Mutlu, is: \u201cCan I get these systems and technologies to support that mission?\u201d <strong>\u2022<\/strong><\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-11-03 15:43:55","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences innovating ways to improve lives","post_type":"page","slug":"cdis-innovation","_edit_lock":"1640814870:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"852","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"853","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The robot reading buddy project of the People and Robots lab explores the intimate connection between people and machines. Misty, a robot that is placed with families, displays 24 emotions and is calibrated to boost children\u2019s interest in science.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p>Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/features\/a-new-age-of-technology\/\">George Spencer<\/a> for <em><a href=\"https:\/\/onwisconsin.uwalumni.com\/issues\/winter-2021\/\">On Wisconsin<\/a><\/em><\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2021-11-03 15:43:55","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"cdis-innovation","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-12-29 21:56:52","post_modified_gmt":"2021-12-29 21:56:52","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=851","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Robot_Misty21_3752-1022x681-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":865,"ID":865,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1640816542:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"818","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"First-year and transfer students sing the school song \u201cVarsity\u201d at the conclusion of the Chancellor's Convocation for New Students, a Wisconsin Welcome event held at the Kohl Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sept. 3, 2021. The event, attended by thousands of first-year and transfer students, is part of Wisconsin Welcome programming.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/record-setting-freshman-class-maintains-uw-madisons-commitment-to-wisconsin-families\/\">Original article<\/a> by Doug Erickson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"867"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>This year\u2019s freshman class at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison is the largest in the institution\u2019s history and includes the most Wisconsin residents of any freshman class in the last 20 years.<\/p>\r\n<p>The incoming class maintains UW\u2013Madison\u2019s strong commitment to Wisconsin families \u2014 hundreds of these new freshmen from Wisconsin will get free tuition through <a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a>. The total number of undergraduates from Wisconsin now receiving free tuition through Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise and other similar initiatives for in-state students is at a record high of 3,448.<\/p>\r\n<p>The university enrolled 8,465 freshmen this year, up from 7,306 last year. These students were selected from a record 53,829 applicants, up 17 percent over last year.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt is gratifying that even in these turbulent times, a UW\u2013Madison education remains more popular than ever in Wisconsin and around the country and the world,\u201d says Provost Karl Scholz. \u201cThis class of exceptional freshmen reflects both the high quality of our applicants and the high priority UW\u2013Madison places on access and affordability for our Wisconsin resident students.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Wisconsin focus<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>A Board of Regents enrollment policy measures UW\u2013Madison\u2019s commitment to the state by considering three groups of students: Wisconsin students; Minnesota reciprocity students, from whom the university receives in-state tuition amounts; and transfer students from both states. Under this Board of Regents policy, UW\u2013Madison must enroll a combined minimum of 5,200 new undergraduate students from these groups each calendar year, based on a three-year rolling average. For calendar year 2021, UW\u2013Madison exceeds this number by hundreds, enrolling 5,614 students.<\/li>\r\n<li>In 2015, UW\u2013Madison pledged to include at least 3,600 Wisconsin residents in each upcoming freshman class. This year\u2019s freshman class includes 3,859 Wisconsin resident students. This number is especially significant given stagnant growth in the overall number of high school students in the state. These incoming students from Wisconsin comprise 45.6 percent of the new freshman class and come from every corner of the state \u2014 71 of Wisconsin\u2019s 72 counties.<\/li>\r\n<li>Wisconsin students and Minnesota reciprocity students together make up 55 percent of new freshmen this year.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Affordability<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Nearly 800 freshmen from low- to moderate-income Wisconsin families will receive free tuition through <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Map-of-BTPBP-2021v3.pdf\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise,<\/a> now in its fourth year. The pledge guarantees tuition and mandatory segregated fees for up to four years for any Wisconsin resident student whose household adjusted gross income is $60,000 or less.<\/li>\r\n<li>The class includes 1,250 new freshmen who are eligible to receive need-based financial assistance through the Federal Pell Grant program \u2014 the highest number in a freshman class to date. Pell Grants play a critical role in expanding college opportunity for historically underserved populations. This growth reflects UW\u2013Madison\u2019s ongoing commitment to be a driver of upward economic mobility.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Diversity<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The freshman class is the most racially and ethnically diverse in the university\u2019s history.<\/li>\r\n<li>There are 1,251 underrepresented students of color, up from 989 last year. These students comprise 14.8 percent of the freshman class, up from 13.5 percent last year.<\/li>\r\n<li>There are 2,133 new freshmen in the broader category of all students of color, up from 1,692 last year. These students comprise 25.2 percent of the freshman class, up from 23.2 percent last year.<\/li>\r\n<li>Compared to fall 2020, this new freshman class includes 7 percent more African American students, 22 percent more Asian students, 34 percent more Hispanic students, and 34 percent more non-Hispanic students who identify with two or more races.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Class attributes<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The new freshman class maintains UW\u2013Madison\u2019s high standards for quality. For the fifth year in a row, the number of enrolled National Merit Scholarship finalists in the incoming freshman class increased. From fall 2016 to fall 2021, the number of National Merit finalists in each freshman class increased from 48 to 132 (175 percent increase). Of particular note is the increase in Wisconsin resident National Merit finalists during that same period, from 39 to 88 (126 percent increase).<\/li>\r\n<li>Like many other Big Ten universities and peer institutions, UW\u2013Madison is welcoming a freshman class that is larger than anticipated. \u201cAs with so many things, COVID-19 introduced an unprecedented level of uncertainty during this admissions cycle,\u201d says Derek Kindle, vice provost for enrollment management. \u201cAlthough the pandemic continues to affect our students and families on multiple fronts, the demand for a UW\u2013Madison education is stronger than ever as evidenced by this freshman class.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<li>UW\u2013Madison has handled this unanticipated growth by expanding advising capacity, reconfiguring spaces in residence halls to accommodate incoming students, and supporting instructors through the new <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/new-center-to-support-and-advance-teaching-excellence-at-uw-madison\/\">Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring<\/a>. The university\u2019s schools and colleges are coordinating efforts to ensure students continue to have a superior experience and advance in their progress toward degrees.<\/li>\r\n<li>International students represent 45 countries and comprise just under 10 percent of the new freshman class.<\/li>\r\n<li>The campus welcomed a strong cohort of 1,136 new transfer students this fall, up from 1,010 last fall.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Total enrollment for fall 2021 at UW\u2013Madison is 47,936, up from 45,540 last year.<\/p>\r\n<p>Sixty-two percent of all undergraduates are Wisconsin residents or enrollees through the Minnesota reciprocity program,<\/p>\r\n<p>The enrollment numbers come from the university\u2019s official census, taken each semester on the 10th day of classes.<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-09-29 12:15:29","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison keeps commitment to Wisconsin families with record-setting freshman class","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-keeps-commitment-to-wisconsin-families-with-record-setting-freshman-class","_edit_lock":"1640816542:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"818","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"First-year and transfer students sing the school song \u201cVarsity\u201d at the conclusion of the Chancellor's Convocation for New Students, a Wisconsin Welcome event held at the Kohl Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sept. 3, 2021. The event, attended by thousands of first-year and transfer students, is part of Wisconsin Welcome programming.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/record-setting-freshman-class-maintains-uw-madisons-commitment-to-wisconsin-families\/\">Original article<\/a> by Doug Erickson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"867","post_date_gmt":"2021-09-29 12:15:29","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-keeps-commitment-to-wisconsin-families-with-record-setting-freshman-class","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-12-29 22:24:43","post_modified_gmt":"2021-12-29 22:24:43","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=865","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":865,"ID":865,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1640816542:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"818","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"First-year and transfer students sing the school song \u201cVarsity\u201d at the conclusion of the Chancellor's Convocation for New Students, a Wisconsin Welcome event held at the Kohl Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sept. 3, 2021. The event, attended by thousands of first-year and transfer students, is part of Wisconsin Welcome programming.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/record-setting-freshman-class-maintains-uw-madisons-commitment-to-wisconsin-families\/\">Original article<\/a> by Doug Erickson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"867"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>This year\u2019s freshman class at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison is the largest in the institution\u2019s history and includes the most Wisconsin residents of any freshman class in the last 20 years.<\/p>\r\n<p>The incoming class maintains UW\u2013Madison\u2019s strong commitment to Wisconsin families \u2014 hundreds of these new freshmen from Wisconsin will get free tuition through <a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a>. The total number of undergraduates from Wisconsin now receiving free tuition through Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise and other similar initiatives for in-state students is at a record high of 3,448.<\/p>\r\n<p>The university enrolled 8,465 freshmen this year, up from 7,306 last year. These students were selected from a record 53,829 applicants, up 17 percent over last year.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt is gratifying that even in these turbulent times, a UW\u2013Madison education remains more popular than ever in Wisconsin and around the country and the world,\u201d says Provost Karl Scholz. \u201cThis class of exceptional freshmen reflects both the high quality of our applicants and the high priority UW\u2013Madison places on access and affordability for our Wisconsin resident students.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Wisconsin focus<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>A Board of Regents enrollment policy measures UW\u2013Madison\u2019s commitment to the state by considering three groups of students: Wisconsin students; Minnesota reciprocity students, from whom the university receives in-state tuition amounts; and transfer students from both states. Under this Board of Regents policy, UW\u2013Madison must enroll a combined minimum of 5,200 new undergraduate students from these groups each calendar year, based on a three-year rolling average. For calendar year 2021, UW\u2013Madison exceeds this number by hundreds, enrolling 5,614 students.<\/li>\r\n<li>In 2015, UW\u2013Madison pledged to include at least 3,600 Wisconsin residents in each upcoming freshman class. This year\u2019s freshman class includes 3,859 Wisconsin resident students. This number is especially significant given stagnant growth in the overall number of high school students in the state. These incoming students from Wisconsin comprise 45.6 percent of the new freshman class and come from every corner of the state \u2014 71 of Wisconsin\u2019s 72 counties.<\/li>\r\n<li>Wisconsin students and Minnesota reciprocity students together make up 55 percent of new freshmen this year.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Affordability<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Nearly 800 freshmen from low- to moderate-income Wisconsin families will receive free tuition through <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Map-of-BTPBP-2021v3.pdf\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise,<\/a> now in its fourth year. The pledge guarantees tuition and mandatory segregated fees for up to four years for any Wisconsin resident student whose household adjusted gross income is $60,000 or less.<\/li>\r\n<li>The class includes 1,250 new freshmen who are eligible to receive need-based financial assistance through the Federal Pell Grant program \u2014 the highest number in a freshman class to date. Pell Grants play a critical role in expanding college opportunity for historically underserved populations. This growth reflects UW\u2013Madison\u2019s ongoing commitment to be a driver of upward economic mobility.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Diversity<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The freshman class is the most racially and ethnically diverse in the university\u2019s history.<\/li>\r\n<li>There are 1,251 underrepresented students of color, up from 989 last year. These students comprise 14.8 percent of the freshman class, up from 13.5 percent last year.<\/li>\r\n<li>There are 2,133 new freshmen in the broader category of all students of color, up from 1,692 last year. These students comprise 25.2 percent of the freshman class, up from 23.2 percent last year.<\/li>\r\n<li>Compared to fall 2020, this new freshman class includes 7 percent more African American students, 22 percent more Asian students, 34 percent more Hispanic students, and 34 percent more non-Hispanic students who identify with two or more races.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Class attributes<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The new freshman class maintains UW\u2013Madison\u2019s high standards for quality. For the fifth year in a row, the number of enrolled National Merit Scholarship finalists in the incoming freshman class increased. From fall 2016 to fall 2021, the number of National Merit finalists in each freshman class increased from 48 to 132 (175 percent increase). Of particular note is the increase in Wisconsin resident National Merit finalists during that same period, from 39 to 88 (126 percent increase).<\/li>\r\n<li>Like many other Big Ten universities and peer institutions, UW\u2013Madison is welcoming a freshman class that is larger than anticipated. \u201cAs with so many things, COVID-19 introduced an unprecedented level of uncertainty during this admissions cycle,\u201d says Derek Kindle, vice provost for enrollment management. \u201cAlthough the pandemic continues to affect our students and families on multiple fronts, the demand for a UW\u2013Madison education is stronger than ever as evidenced by this freshman class.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<li>UW\u2013Madison has handled this unanticipated growth by expanding advising capacity, reconfiguring spaces in residence halls to accommodate incoming students, and supporting instructors through the new <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/new-center-to-support-and-advance-teaching-excellence-at-uw-madison\/\">Center for Teaching, Learning and Mentoring<\/a>. The university\u2019s schools and colleges are coordinating efforts to ensure students continue to have a superior experience and advance in their progress toward degrees.<\/li>\r\n<li>International students represent 45 countries and comprise just under 10 percent of the new freshman class.<\/li>\r\n<li>The campus welcomed a strong cohort of 1,136 new transfer students this fall, up from 1,010 last fall.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Total enrollment for fall 2021 at UW\u2013Madison is 47,936, up from 45,540 last year.<\/p>\r\n<p>Sixty-two percent of all undergraduates are Wisconsin residents or enrollees through the Minnesota reciprocity program,<\/p>\r\n<p>The enrollment numbers come from the university\u2019s official census, taken each semester on the 10th day of classes.<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-09-29 12:15:29","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison keeps commitment to Wisconsin families with record-setting freshman class","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-madison-keeps-commitment-to-wisconsin-families-with-record-setting-freshman-class","_edit_lock":"1640816542:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"818","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"First-year and transfer students sing the school song \u201cVarsity\u201d at the conclusion of the Chancellor's Convocation for New Students, a Wisconsin Welcome event held at the Kohl Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sept. 3, 2021. The event, attended by thousands of first-year and transfer students, is part of Wisconsin Welcome programming.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Photo by Bryce Richter \/ UW-Madison)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/record-setting-freshman-class-maintains-uw-madisons-commitment-to-wisconsin-families\/\">Original article<\/a> by Doug Erickson<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"867","post_date_gmt":"2021-09-29 12:15:29","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-madison-keeps-commitment-to-wisconsin-families-with-record-setting-freshman-class","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-12-29 22:24:43","post_modified_gmt":"2021-12-29 22:24:43","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=865","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Convocation21_2985-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":782,"ID":782,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1639598942:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"785","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)\u2014also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19\u2014isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (pink) cultured in the lab. Image captured and colorized at NIAID's Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Image Credit: NIAID","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story from the UW\u2013Madison <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/august\/wpp-covid-19-response-grants-target-mental-health\/\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"783"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p><strong>The Wisconsin Partnership Program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has announced 14 awards totaling $2.7 million to community organizations and researchers<\/strong> to address the ongoing health consequences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p><\/div><p>Eight new awards totaling $1.6 million went to community organizations throughout the state that are addressing the pandemic\u2019s impact on the social and emotional health of our state\u2019s youth. Six new grants totaling $1.1 million were awarded to investigators at the School of Medicine and Public Health, UW-Madison School of Education, School of Nursing and College of Engineering to address the ongoing health challenges of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.<\/p>\r\n<p>The new awards build upon Wisconsin Partnership Program\u2019s initial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/wisconsin-partnership-program\/covid-19\/\">COVID-19 Response Grant Program<\/a>, bringing its total investment to more than $6 million in 44 grants to community partners and researchers to strengthen the resilience of Wisconsin families and communities, deepen understanding about COVID-19 and inform approaches to prevention and treatments.<\/p>\r\n<h2>COVID-19 response focus on adolescent social and emotional health grants<\/h2>\r\n<p>The Wisconsin Partnership Program's Oversight and Advisory Committee&nbsp;has announced eight new awards of $200,000 each in COVID-19 Response grant funding to help community organizations address the profound toll the pandemic has taken on the social and emotional health of Wisconsin\u2019s adolescents.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\">\r\n<li><strong>GSAFE: Supporting the Mental-Social-Emotional Health Needs of Black, Brown, Multiracial, Trans and Nonbinary LGBTQ+ Adolescents Impacted by COVID | Statewide<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>GSAFE, an organization working to create school communities where all LGBTQ youth and students thrive, has received a grant to deliver critically needed social-emotional supports to some of the most vulnerable adolescents in Wisconsin. This project aims to support BIPOC, Trans, Nonbinary LGBTQ+ adolescents impacted by COVID-19 through new programs and resources that expand pathways to youth leadership and increase educators\u2019 ability to provide affirming and inclusive classrooms and schools.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>La Crosse County: Supporting Youth through the La Crosse System of Care | La Crosse County, Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>A grant to La Crosse County will support an expansion and enhancement of the La Crosse System of Care (SOC) to address the social and emotional health of adolescents most impacted by the pandemic, specifically the community\u2019s Black youth. The grant builds upon the La Crosse SOC, a partnership between the School District of La Crosse and County, intended to provide interventions and supports to keep youth mentally healthy, safe from abuse and neglect and prevent arrests for behaviors that are often rooted in mental health or other complex needs. With the addition of two part-time Community Cultural Liaisons contracted through a local, Black-led non-profit agency, Hope Restores, this project aims to create opportunities to connect meaningfully with youth impacted by COVID-19, increase culturally responsive services and train parents and caregivers on skills to support the social and emotional needs of their families.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Menikanaehkem: Growing Good People: Understanding Self and Resiliency | Menominee Reservation<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Menikanaehkem, a grassroots organization based on the Menominee Reservation in Northeast Wisconsin, will use its grant to help build behavioral, social and hands-on skills for youth as they learn about their native language and cultures, and nature-based healing and resilience. This project promotes mental, physical, spiritual and emotional wellness through practices that are traditional to the Menominee tribal people.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>NAMI: A Call to Action: Compassion Resilience Training for Parents and Family Caregivers | Southeast Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>National Alliance on Mental Illness Southeast Wisconsin, Inc (NAMI SEWI), was awarded a grant to adapt and expand the capacity of the \u201cCompassion Resilience Toolkit,\u201d a resource for parents and caregivers supporting youth with mental health needs. In partnership with Rogers Behavioral Health, this project will establish caregiver groups and facilitator trainings, to create psychologically safe spaces for skill development and resilience building. As a result, parents and caregivers will have the tools to minimize compassion fatigue and increase their ability to support their children facing mental health challenges as they move through and beyond the pandemic. In addition, the team will partner with Milwaukee\u2019s Core El Centro to recruit Spanish-speaking parents\/caregivers to train as group facilitators.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers: Testing and Scaling Virtual and In-person Youth Group Therapy and Guardian Support Groups | Milwaukee, Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, the largest provider of outpatient behavioral health services for families requiring bilingual care in Milwaukee, will engage a youth advisory council and community partners in the testing and scaling of group treatment options for youth, as well as corresponding support groups for parents and guardians. By leveraging successful in-person groups, Sixteenth Street is uniquely situated to investigate the effectiveness of the virtual group therapy model for youth, for which there is currently limited supportive evidence.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Urban Triage: Supporting Healthy Black Families Workgroups | Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Urban Triage has received an award for a project to support Black youth who have been disproportionality impacted during the pandemic. Their project will expand its transformative educational workgroup model to include access to telehealth resources and establish a youth-centered Hip Hop Based Educational (HHBE) workgroup to promote healing, resilience, self-esteem and connection. It will also support Black youth by providing training for existing social and emotional healthcare providers in the community through its Co-Conspirator workgroups. The partners will evaluate the impacts of services on adolescent mental health and well-being to inform sustainability and replication of workgroups.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Wisconsin Alliance for Women\u2019s Health: PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship for Social and Emotional Health | Statewide<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health has received a grant to expand its successful Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) Youth Advocacy Fellowship model to include a statewide group of young people ages 12-21. This project aims to empower youth to be advocates for themselves and their peers, offer a space to tell their stories, and value their experiences while also ensuring youth voice is present in existing and future adolescent social and emotional health initiatives.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>YWCA Madison: Restorative Justice in Schools and Communities: Facilitating Healing, Support and Cultural Identity Affirmation for Young People | Dane County, Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The YWCA in Madison will use its grant to support healing for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and marginalized youth who experienced trauma due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will focus on continuing, expanding and evaluating the YWCA\u2019s partnerships within Madison\/Dane County schools and communities to address the impact of COVID-19.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>COVID-19 Response Research and Education Awards<\/h2>\r\n<p>The Wisconsin Partnership Program\u2019s COVID-19 Response Research and Education Grant Program, through the Partnership Education and Research Committee, supports innovative research and education projects that address a wide range of ongoing health consequences of the pandemic. The newly awarded projects address the long-term consequences of COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minorities and vulnerable populations, testing and safety in schools, and basic science research. Grants are awarded up to $200,000 over one or two years.<\/p>\r\n<p>Funded projects include:<\/p>\r\n<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\">\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Evaluating COVID-19 Response Efforts to Improve Health and Racial Equity in Milwaukee County<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>To improve health and racial equity in Milwaukee County, Sheri Johnson, PhD, Director of the UW&nbsp;Population Health Institute and associate professor at the Department of Population Health Sciences, and co-principal investigators Wajiha Akhtar, PhD, MPH, assistant director and associate scientist at the&nbsp;Population Health Institute and Paula Tran Inzeo, MPH, director of MATCH at the&nbsp;Population Health Institute are analyzing data relating to the county\u2019s disbursement of COVID-19 funding in 2020. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of investments and distribution of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act federal COVID-19 funds by Milwaukee County, and further increase the effectiveness by implementing a racial and health equity framework.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Implications of COVID-19 on Service Delivery, Health, and Well-Being for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Karla Ausderau, PhD, assistant professor, UW-Madison School of Education, Department of Kinesiology is using a COVID-19 Response grant to address significant health disparities and marginalization experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will elucidate the impact of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of people with IDD, evaluate current responses to address this impact and provide recommendations to guide service delivery to better meet the needs of this often-underserved population.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Responding to Dual Epidemics of COVID-19 and Overdose Among People Who Inject Drugs in Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Rachel Gicquelais, PhD, assistant professor, UW-Madison School of Nursing, and co-principal investigator Ryan Westergaard, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor, Department of Medicine, are using a COVID-19 Response grant to address the dual epidemics of COVID-19 and drug overdose. With a focus on rural Wisconsin residents, the goal of this project is to understand patterns of overdose risk, COVID-19 vaccine willingness and related attitudes and behaviors. Investigators will also test a novel mobile health intervention to support vaccine uptake in people who inject drugs.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Safe and Healthy Schools (SHS)<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>For the project Safe and Healthy Schools, Ellen Wald, MD, department chair and professor, Department of Pediatrics, and co-principal investigator Shelby O\u2019Connor, PhD, professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine are creating a comprehensive COVID-19 testing and surveillance strategy to keep Madison Metropolitan School district elementary students safe when in school by quickly identifying and distinguishing cases of COVID and cases of other non-COVID respiratory viruses, that commonly occur in the school setting. The goal of this project is to identify ways to improve upon the current statewide testing program for SARS-CoV-2 that requires a high number of resources and nasal swab techniques that are difficult to perform on many elementary school children. This project will additionally implement a policy to consistently enable a prompt return to schools.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>The Role of Social Media and Community Advocates in Addressing the Health Consequences of COVID-19 in Black, Latinx and American Indian Communities<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Carey Gleason, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, and co-principal investigators Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, assistant scientist, Department of Medicine, and Melissa Metoxen, senior student services coordinator at the Native American Center for Health Professions were awarded a COVID-19 Response grant for utilizing social media and community advocates to address health consequences of COVID-19 in Black, Latinx and American Indian communities. The overarching goal of this project is to continue disseminating accurate information created by community advocates through social media about COVID-19 and evaluate the effectiveness of social media messages on changing beliefs, attitudes, and adoption of behaviors related to COVID-19 and vaccination.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Widespread Protective Immunity Screening Against COVID-19 Using a Point-of-Care Serology-Profiling Biosensor<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Filiz Yesilkoy, PhD, assistant professor, UW-Madison College of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and co-principal investigators Irene Ong, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Miriam Shelef, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medicine are developing a user-friendly, cost-effective, point-of-care serology test for monitoring protective immunity against COVID-19. By developing this biosensor platform, investigators will be able to assess vaccination status, past-infection status and protective immunity to inform communities in Wisconsin of the risk of COVID-19.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><em>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/wisconsin-partnership-program\/\">Wisconsin Partnership Program<\/a> is a permanent endowment at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, committed to improving health and advancing health equity through investments in community partnerships, education and research. It was established in 2004 through an unprecedented gift as part of the conversion of Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of Wisconsin to a stock insurance corporation. To date, the Wisconsin Partnership Program has awarded more than 560 grants for $265 million to advance biomedical and population health research, promote healthcare and public health workforce development, and support community partnerships to improve health &nbsp;and advance health equity.<\/em><\/p>","post_date":"2021-08-02 18:02:03","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Wisconsin Partnership Program grants target mental health, ongoing pandemic health effects","post_type":"page","slug":"covid-19-response-grants-2021","_edit_lock":"1639598942:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"785","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)\u2014also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19\u2014isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (pink) cultured in the lab. Image captured and colorized at NIAID's Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Image Credit: NIAID","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story from the UW\u2013Madison <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/august\/wpp-covid-19-response-grants-target-mental-health\/\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"783","post_date_gmt":"2021-08-02 18:02:03","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"covid-19-response-grants-2021","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-12-15 17:22:26","post_modified_gmt":"2021-12-15 17:22:26","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=782","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":782,"ID":782,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1639598942:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"785","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)\u2014also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19\u2014isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (pink) cultured in the lab. Image captured and colorized at NIAID's Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Image Credit: NIAID","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story from the UW\u2013Madison <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/august\/wpp-covid-19-response-grants-target-mental-health\/\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"783"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p><strong>The Wisconsin Partnership Program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health has announced 14 awards totaling $2.7 million to community organizations and researchers<\/strong> to address the ongoing health consequences and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p><\/div><p>Eight new awards totaling $1.6 million went to community organizations throughout the state that are addressing the pandemic\u2019s impact on the social and emotional health of our state\u2019s youth. Six new grants totaling $1.1 million were awarded to investigators at the School of Medicine and Public Health, UW-Madison School of Education, School of Nursing and College of Engineering to address the ongoing health challenges of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.<\/p>\r\n<p>The new awards build upon Wisconsin Partnership Program\u2019s initial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/wisconsin-partnership-program\/covid-19\/\">COVID-19 Response Grant Program<\/a>, bringing its total investment to more than $6 million in 44 grants to community partners and researchers to strengthen the resilience of Wisconsin families and communities, deepen understanding about COVID-19 and inform approaches to prevention and treatments.<\/p>\r\n<h2>COVID-19 response focus on adolescent social and emotional health grants<\/h2>\r\n<p>The Wisconsin Partnership Program's Oversight and Advisory Committee&nbsp;has announced eight new awards of $200,000 each in COVID-19 Response grant funding to help community organizations address the profound toll the pandemic has taken on the social and emotional health of Wisconsin\u2019s adolescents.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\">\r\n<li><strong>GSAFE: Supporting the Mental-Social-Emotional Health Needs of Black, Brown, Multiracial, Trans and Nonbinary LGBTQ+ Adolescents Impacted by COVID | Statewide<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>GSAFE, an organization working to create school communities where all LGBTQ youth and students thrive, has received a grant to deliver critically needed social-emotional supports to some of the most vulnerable adolescents in Wisconsin. This project aims to support BIPOC, Trans, Nonbinary LGBTQ+ adolescents impacted by COVID-19 through new programs and resources that expand pathways to youth leadership and increase educators\u2019 ability to provide affirming and inclusive classrooms and schools.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>La Crosse County: Supporting Youth through the La Crosse System of Care | La Crosse County, Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>A grant to La Crosse County will support an expansion and enhancement of the La Crosse System of Care (SOC) to address the social and emotional health of adolescents most impacted by the pandemic, specifically the community\u2019s Black youth. The grant builds upon the La Crosse SOC, a partnership between the School District of La Crosse and County, intended to provide interventions and supports to keep youth mentally healthy, safe from abuse and neglect and prevent arrests for behaviors that are often rooted in mental health or other complex needs. With the addition of two part-time Community Cultural Liaisons contracted through a local, Black-led non-profit agency, Hope Restores, this project aims to create opportunities to connect meaningfully with youth impacted by COVID-19, increase culturally responsive services and train parents and caregivers on skills to support the social and emotional needs of their families.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Menikanaehkem: Growing Good People: Understanding Self and Resiliency | Menominee Reservation<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Menikanaehkem, a grassroots organization based on the Menominee Reservation in Northeast Wisconsin, will use its grant to help build behavioral, social and hands-on skills for youth as they learn about their native language and cultures, and nature-based healing and resilience. This project promotes mental, physical, spiritual and emotional wellness through practices that are traditional to the Menominee tribal people.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>NAMI: A Call to Action: Compassion Resilience Training for Parents and Family Caregivers | Southeast Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>National Alliance on Mental Illness Southeast Wisconsin, Inc (NAMI SEWI), was awarded a grant to adapt and expand the capacity of the \u201cCompassion Resilience Toolkit,\u201d a resource for parents and caregivers supporting youth with mental health needs. In partnership with Rogers Behavioral Health, this project will establish caregiver groups and facilitator trainings, to create psychologically safe spaces for skill development and resilience building. As a result, parents and caregivers will have the tools to minimize compassion fatigue and increase their ability to support their children facing mental health challenges as they move through and beyond the pandemic. In addition, the team will partner with Milwaukee\u2019s Core El Centro to recruit Spanish-speaking parents\/caregivers to train as group facilitators.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers: Testing and Scaling Virtual and In-person Youth Group Therapy and Guardian Support Groups | Milwaukee, Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, the largest provider of outpatient behavioral health services for families requiring bilingual care in Milwaukee, will engage a youth advisory council and community partners in the testing and scaling of group treatment options for youth, as well as corresponding support groups for parents and guardians. By leveraging successful in-person groups, Sixteenth Street is uniquely situated to investigate the effectiveness of the virtual group therapy model for youth, for which there is currently limited supportive evidence.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Urban Triage: Supporting Healthy Black Families Workgroups | Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Urban Triage has received an award for a project to support Black youth who have been disproportionality impacted during the pandemic. Their project will expand its transformative educational workgroup model to include access to telehealth resources and establish a youth-centered Hip Hop Based Educational (HHBE) workgroup to promote healing, resilience, self-esteem and connection. It will also support Black youth by providing training for existing social and emotional healthcare providers in the community through its Co-Conspirator workgroups. The partners will evaluate the impacts of services on adolescent mental health and well-being to inform sustainability and replication of workgroups.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Wisconsin Alliance for Women\u2019s Health: PATCH Youth Advocacy Fellowship for Social and Emotional Health | Statewide<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health has received a grant to expand its successful Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) Youth Advocacy Fellowship model to include a statewide group of young people ages 12-21. This project aims to empower youth to be advocates for themselves and their peers, offer a space to tell their stories, and value their experiences while also ensuring youth voice is present in existing and future adolescent social and emotional health initiatives.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>YWCA Madison: Restorative Justice in Schools and Communities: Facilitating Healing, Support and Cultural Identity Affirmation for Young People | Dane County, Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The YWCA in Madison will use its grant to support healing for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and marginalized youth who experienced trauma due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will focus on continuing, expanding and evaluating the YWCA\u2019s partnerships within Madison\/Dane County schools and communities to address the impact of COVID-19.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>COVID-19 Response Research and Education Awards<\/h2>\r\n<p>The Wisconsin Partnership Program\u2019s COVID-19 Response Research and Education Grant Program, through the Partnership Education and Research Committee, supports innovative research and education projects that address a wide range of ongoing health consequences of the pandemic. The newly awarded projects address the long-term consequences of COVID-19 among racial and ethnic minorities and vulnerable populations, testing and safety in schools, and basic science research. Grants are awarded up to $200,000 over one or two years.<\/p>\r\n<p>Funded projects include:<\/p>\r\n<ul style=\"list-style-type:disc;\">\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Evaluating COVID-19 Response Efforts to Improve Health and Racial Equity in Milwaukee County<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>To improve health and racial equity in Milwaukee County, Sheri Johnson, PhD, Director of the UW&nbsp;Population Health Institute and associate professor at the Department of Population Health Sciences, and co-principal investigators Wajiha Akhtar, PhD, MPH, assistant director and associate scientist at the&nbsp;Population Health Institute and Paula Tran Inzeo, MPH, director of MATCH at the&nbsp;Population Health Institute are analyzing data relating to the county\u2019s disbursement of COVID-19 funding in 2020. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of investments and distribution of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act federal COVID-19 funds by Milwaukee County, and further increase the effectiveness by implementing a racial and health equity framework.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Implications of COVID-19 on Service Delivery, Health, and Well-Being for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Karla Ausderau, PhD, assistant professor, UW-Madison School of Education, Department of Kinesiology is using a COVID-19 Response grant to address significant health disparities and marginalization experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will elucidate the impact of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of people with IDD, evaluate current responses to address this impact and provide recommendations to guide service delivery to better meet the needs of this often-underserved population.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Responding to Dual Epidemics of COVID-19 and Overdose Among People Who Inject Drugs in Wisconsin<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Rachel Gicquelais, PhD, assistant professor, UW-Madison School of Nursing, and co-principal investigator Ryan Westergaard, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor, Department of Medicine, are using a COVID-19 Response grant to address the dual epidemics of COVID-19 and drug overdose. With a focus on rural Wisconsin residents, the goal of this project is to understand patterns of overdose risk, COVID-19 vaccine willingness and related attitudes and behaviors. Investigators will also test a novel mobile health intervention to support vaccine uptake in people who inject drugs.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Safe and Healthy Schools (SHS)<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>For the project Safe and Healthy Schools, Ellen Wald, MD, department chair and professor, Department of Pediatrics, and co-principal investigator Shelby O\u2019Connor, PhD, professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine are creating a comprehensive COVID-19 testing and surveillance strategy to keep Madison Metropolitan School district elementary students safe when in school by quickly identifying and distinguishing cases of COVID and cases of other non-COVID respiratory viruses, that commonly occur in the school setting. The goal of this project is to identify ways to improve upon the current statewide testing program for SARS-CoV-2 that requires a high number of resources and nasal swab techniques that are difficult to perform on many elementary school children. This project will additionally implement a policy to consistently enable a prompt return to schools.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>The Role of Social Media and Community Advocates in Addressing the Health Consequences of COVID-19 in Black, Latinx and American Indian Communities<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Carey Gleason, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, and co-principal investigators Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, assistant scientist, Department of Medicine, and Melissa Metoxen, senior student services coordinator at the Native American Center for Health Professions were awarded a COVID-19 Response grant for utilizing social media and community advocates to address health consequences of COVID-19 in Black, Latinx and American Indian communities. The overarching goal of this project is to continue disseminating accurate information created by community advocates through social media about COVID-19 and evaluate the effectiveness of social media messages on changing beliefs, attitudes, and adoption of behaviors related to COVID-19 and vaccination.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<li style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><strong>Widespread Protective Immunity Screening Against COVID-19 Using a Point-of-Care Serology-Profiling Biosensor<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Filiz Yesilkoy, PhD, assistant professor, UW-Madison College of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and co-principal investigators Irene Ong, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Miriam Shelef, MD, PhD, associate professor, Department of Medicine are developing a user-friendly, cost-effective, point-of-care serology test for monitoring protective immunity against COVID-19. By developing this biosensor platform, investigators will be able to assess vaccination status, past-infection status and protective immunity to inform communities in Wisconsin of the risk of COVID-19.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p style=\"margin-top:1em;\"><em>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/wisconsin-partnership-program\/\">Wisconsin Partnership Program<\/a> is a permanent endowment at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, committed to improving health and advancing health equity through investments in community partnerships, education and research. It was established in 2004 through an unprecedented gift as part of the conversion of Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of Wisconsin to a stock insurance corporation. To date, the Wisconsin Partnership Program has awarded more than 560 grants for $265 million to advance biomedical and population health research, promote healthcare and public health workforce development, and support community partnerships to improve health &nbsp;and advance health equity.<\/em><\/p>","post_date":"2021-08-02 18:02:03","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Wisconsin Partnership Program grants target mental health, ongoing pandemic health effects","post_type":"page","slug":"covid-19-response-grants-2021","_edit_lock":"1639598942:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"785","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)\u2014also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19\u2014isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (pink) cultured in the lab. Image captured and colorized at NIAID's Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Image Credit: NIAID","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story from the UW\u2013Madison <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2021\/august\/wpp-covid-19-response-grants-target-mental-health\/\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"783","post_date_gmt":"2021-08-02 18:02:03","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"covid-19-response-grants-2021","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-12-15 17:22:26","post_modified_gmt":"2021-12-15 17:22:26","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=782","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/novel-coronavirus-sars-cov-2_49597768457_o-e1635532128987-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":845,"ID":845,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673551208:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"846","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Researchers work at the Forward BIOLABS building in University Research Park. The lab houses 24 early-stage biohealth startups.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Submitted photo)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/forward-biolabs-with-uw-madison-bolsters-wisconsin-biohealth-sector\/\">Original article<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"882","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forwardbiolabs.org\/\">Forward BIOLABS<\/a> is the only coworking life science lab of its kind in Wisconsin that helps biohealth startups get off the ground without the typical overhead and supply costs, thanks to its state-of-the-art space and lab equipment.<\/p>\r\n<p>On average, Forward BIOLABS, a private nonprofit located in <a href=\"https:\/\/universityresearchpark.org\/\">University Research Park,<\/a> helps reduce the time it takes fledgling biohealth companies to launch by six to nine months and is instrumental in keeping biohealth talent in Wisconsin. Many of those companies are based on UW\u2013Madison research, and involve graduates or faculty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Forward-BioLabs-2019-05-03-0045-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"image of Jessica Martin Eckerly\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-848\" \/> Jessica Martin Eckerly of Forward BioLabs[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the goal: to help more companies get started, do as much as we can to help them while they\u2019re here, and then help them transition to their own independent labs,\u201d said Forward CEO Jessica Martin Eckerly. \u201cThe more startup companies there are, the more opportunities for big success stories, like Promega, Exact Sciences, and Fujifilm CDI to get started. We have the ability to help create more of those locally grown companies.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Forward BIOLABS is a member of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bioforward.org\/\">BioForward Wisconsin<\/a>, which serves as a collective voice for Wisconsin\u2019s\u2019 biotech cluster. The organization\u2019s 2020 report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bioforward.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Wisconsin-BH-Economic-Impact-Report_compressed-compressed.pdf\">Wisconsin Biohealth: Industry Landscape and Economic Impact Report<\/a>, found that the total state economic impact of the biohealth industry is $28.8 billion, with biohealth organizations employing more than 46,000 people in Wisconsin.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn a state known for agriculture and traditional manufacturing, biotech has grown immensely, and now, we are also gaining recognition for that,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cHopefully, there will be a growing recognition of that more broadly. This is a new era; we have the opportunity to grow the next generation of manufacturing companies, and it\u2019s happening already in biotech, biohealth, and biomanufacturing. At Forward BIOLABS, we want to help more of those companies get started here.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>As the biohealth ecosystem matures, and more companies have successful exits or IPOs, teams from those companies who enjoy working together and prefer early-stage startups often stay in Madison and join or start new companies together.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe question used to be whether you could have a career in biotech in Wisconsin,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cYou can, and you can have a career in biohealth <em>startups<\/em> in Wisconsin.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison plays a vital role in providing technologies that can be spun out into new companies.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUW\u2013Madison is a key source of research that leads to new discoveries and technologies that then form new companies,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cThere are countless examples in Madison and surrounding cities and counties, of the ripple effect that it creates.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison employs and trains people at all levels, from undergraduate students to graduate students to professionals to prepare them for careers in the biohealth field and to start and run new companies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_847\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/forward-biolabs-interior-300x183.jpeg\" alt=\"image of researchers doing work at Forward BIOLABS facility\" width=\"300\" height=\"183\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-847\" \/> Forward BIOLABS, a private nonprofit located in University Research Park, helps reduce the time it takes fledgling biohealth companies to launch by six to nine months and is instrumental in keeping biohealth talent in Wisconsin.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>Forward BIOLABS\u2019 lab space is fully equipped and operational, with extensive life sciences lab equipment and capabilities to serve a broad array of startups.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe can serve any company that can use our lab capabilities and is a good fit for the co-working lab,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cThere are startups of many different types here, which circles back to UW\u2013Madison, because it has a breadth and depth of high-quality research across so many disciplines, including agriculture, food science, research tools, medicine, and biohealth.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Of the 24 early-stage biohealth startups incubating at Forward BIOLABS, 14 are based on technology developed at UW\u2013Madison that spans around a dozen different departments across campus. An additional 5 startups have team members who had previously worked at a successful UW spinout.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dianomitx.com\/\">Dianomi Therapeutics<\/a>, co-founded by UW\u2013Madison professor Bill Murphy, seeks to develop next-generation therapies for autoimmune diseases. Dainomi\u2019s leadership team includes two other UW\u2013Madison PhDs: co-founder Anna Clements, who was Murphy\u2019s graduate student, and Morten Seirup.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.immutoscientific.com\/\">Immuto Scientific<\/a>\u2019s founding and leadership team includes three former UW\u2013Madison researchers, Ben Minkoff, Faraz Choudhury, and Daniel Benjamin. Immuto Scientific is a CRO specializing in protein characterization services that serves the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThey worked on the technology in the lab at UW\u2013Madison, created a startup, and are making progress,\u201d said Martin Eckerly.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/phyto-sol.com\/\">Complete Phytochemical Solutions<\/a>, LLC (CPS), founded in 2010 and based in Cambridge, Wisconsin, provides consulting, contract research, and analytic services to the food, beverage, and dietary supplement markets. Chief Science Officer Jess Reed and CEO Christian Krueger have worked together for 25 years in the UW\u2013Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Science; Reed is a professor, and Krueger is a Research Program Manager II.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn 2021, we became a member of Forward BIOLABS, enabling us to launch a biologic research core to support efficacy evaluation of natural products,\u201d said Krueger. \u201cImmediate access to equipment, office space, and networking opportunities with other member companies has allowed us to make significant early advances in our biologic research. Continued success at Forward BIOLABS will ultimately enable us to grow our Cambridge, Wisconsin, operations and provide additional employment opportunities in the local community.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cCPS would have had a huge cash outlay to invest in their existing facility and equipment to set up a lab, so they\u2019re here testing a new service,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cThey\u2019re based in a more rural area than University Research Park, yet they come here to test out new ideas and hopefully build a new area of their business. With the business case tested, they can then stay where they are, by expanding their existing facility with confidence.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/endsulin.com\/\">Endsulin<\/a>, founded by renowned UW Hospital surgeon Hans Sollinger, is in the lab developing its cutting-edge gene therapy treatment for diabetes.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cellogistics.com\/\">Cellular Logistics<\/a>&#8216; Tandem HF technology, discovered by chief science officer Eric Schmuck in the research labs of cardiologist Amish Raval at UW\u2013Madison, is based on combining a framework of proteins derived from cardiac fibroblasts \u2014 a certain type of heart cell \u2014 with cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle stem cells.<\/p>\r\n<p>AyrFlo, co-founded by UW Health pediatric anesthesiologist Guelay Bilen-Rosas, MD, radiologist Humberto Rosas, MD, and data scientist Irene Ong, PhD is a novel respiratory monitoring device that can detect airway compromise by measuring airflow across the windpipe, detecting changes in breathing immediately and earlier than \u2018surrogate\u2019 factors like pulse oximetry. The company, a <a href=\"https:\/\/d2p.wisc.edu\/d2p-portfolio\/startups\/\">D2P<\/a> company, is in its early stage, primarily utilizing Forward BIOLABS\u2019 office space.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhen startups are writing grants and fundraising, they mainly utilize the office, and we can help through that whole process,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. They all need a home base, and they can pick up the lab bench when they\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Several companies have graduated to other spaces at University Research Park, including <a href=\"https:\/\/brainxell.com\/\">BrainXell<\/a>, the first startup at Forward BIOLABS, founded by UW\u2013Madison professor PI Su-Chun Zhang, and <a href=\"https:\/\/vascugen.com\/\">Vascugen<\/a>, founded by Carter Cliff, a veteran of UW\u2013Madison spinouts Cellular Dynamics and Opsis. It is not uncommon for these companies to employ numerous UW\u2013Madison graduates.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cNot only do we have a bunch of startups, their leadership teams are sticking around and doing it again,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cPeople who were at UW\u2013Madison startups with successful exits have now started or work for new companies that benefit our local and state economy. That will be sustainable with a strong UW.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><em>UW\u2013Madison contributes $20.8 billion per year to the Wisconsin economy, and UW\u2013Madison related start-ups contribute an additional $10 billion. <a href=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/stories\/driving-wisconsin-economy-now-and-into-the-future\">Find out more.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n","post_date":"2021-05-06 21:10:55","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Unique life science co-working center helps UW\u2013Madison biohealth companies thrive","post_type":"page","slug":"forward-biolabs","_edit_lock":"1673551208:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"846","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Researchers work at the Forward BIOLABS building in University Research Park. The lab houses 24 early-stage biohealth startups.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Submitted photo)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/forward-biolabs-with-uw-madison-bolsters-wisconsin-biohealth-sector\/\">Original article<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"882","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-06 21:10:55","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"forward-biolabs","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-12 19:22:31","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-12 19:22:31","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=845","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":845,"ID":845,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673551208:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"846","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Researchers work at the Forward BIOLABS building in University Research Park. The lab houses 24 early-stage biohealth startups.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Submitted photo)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/forward-biolabs-with-uw-madison-bolsters-wisconsin-biohealth-sector\/\">Original article<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"882","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forwardbiolabs.org\/\">Forward BIOLABS<\/a> is the only coworking life science lab of its kind in Wisconsin that helps biohealth startups get off the ground without the typical overhead and supply costs, thanks to its state-of-the-art space and lab equipment.<\/p>\r\n<p>On average, Forward BIOLABS, a private nonprofit located in <a href=\"https:\/\/universityresearchpark.org\/\">University Research Park,<\/a> helps reduce the time it takes fledgling biohealth companies to launch by six to nine months and is instrumental in keeping biohealth talent in Wisconsin. Many of those companies are based on UW\u2013Madison research, and involve graduates or faculty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Forward-BioLabs-2019-05-03-0045-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"image of Jessica Martin Eckerly\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-848\" \/> Jessica Martin Eckerly of Forward BioLabs[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the goal: to help more companies get started, do as much as we can to help them while they\u2019re here, and then help them transition to their own independent labs,\u201d said Forward CEO Jessica Martin Eckerly. \u201cThe more startup companies there are, the more opportunities for big success stories, like Promega, Exact Sciences, and Fujifilm CDI to get started. We have the ability to help create more of those locally grown companies.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Forward BIOLABS is a member of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bioforward.org\/\">BioForward Wisconsin<\/a>, which serves as a collective voice for Wisconsin\u2019s\u2019 biotech cluster. The organization\u2019s 2020 report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bioforward.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Wisconsin-BH-Economic-Impact-Report_compressed-compressed.pdf\">Wisconsin Biohealth: Industry Landscape and Economic Impact Report<\/a>, found that the total state economic impact of the biohealth industry is $28.8 billion, with biohealth organizations employing more than 46,000 people in Wisconsin.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn a state known for agriculture and traditional manufacturing, biotech has grown immensely, and now, we are also gaining recognition for that,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cHopefully, there will be a growing recognition of that more broadly. This is a new era; we have the opportunity to grow the next generation of manufacturing companies, and it\u2019s happening already in biotech, biohealth, and biomanufacturing. At Forward BIOLABS, we want to help more of those companies get started here.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>As the biohealth ecosystem matures, and more companies have successful exits or IPOs, teams from those companies who enjoy working together and prefer early-stage startups often stay in Madison and join or start new companies together.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe question used to be whether you could have a career in biotech in Wisconsin,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cYou can, and you can have a career in biohealth <em>startups<\/em> in Wisconsin.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison plays a vital role in providing technologies that can be spun out into new companies.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUW\u2013Madison is a key source of research that leads to new discoveries and technologies that then form new companies,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cThere are countless examples in Madison and surrounding cities and counties, of the ripple effect that it creates.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>UW\u2013Madison employs and trains people at all levels, from undergraduate students to graduate students to professionals to prepare them for careers in the biohealth field and to start and run new companies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_847\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/forward-biolabs-interior-300x183.jpeg\" alt=\"image of researchers doing work at Forward BIOLABS facility\" width=\"300\" height=\"183\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-847\" \/> Forward BIOLABS, a private nonprofit located in University Research Park, helps reduce the time it takes fledgling biohealth companies to launch by six to nine months and is instrumental in keeping biohealth talent in Wisconsin.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>Forward BIOLABS\u2019 lab space is fully equipped and operational, with extensive life sciences lab equipment and capabilities to serve a broad array of startups.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe can serve any company that can use our lab capabilities and is a good fit for the co-working lab,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cThere are startups of many different types here, which circles back to UW\u2013Madison, because it has a breadth and depth of high-quality research across so many disciplines, including agriculture, food science, research tools, medicine, and biohealth.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Of the 24 early-stage biohealth startups incubating at Forward BIOLABS, 14 are based on technology developed at UW\u2013Madison that spans around a dozen different departments across campus. An additional 5 startups have team members who had previously worked at a successful UW spinout.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dianomitx.com\/\">Dianomi Therapeutics<\/a>, co-founded by UW\u2013Madison professor Bill Murphy, seeks to develop next-generation therapies for autoimmune diseases. Dainomi\u2019s leadership team includes two other UW\u2013Madison PhDs: co-founder Anna Clements, who was Murphy\u2019s graduate student, and Morten Seirup.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.immutoscientific.com\/\">Immuto Scientific<\/a>\u2019s founding and leadership team includes three former UW\u2013Madison researchers, Ben Minkoff, Faraz Choudhury, and Daniel Benjamin. Immuto Scientific is a CRO specializing in protein characterization services that serves the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThey worked on the technology in the lab at UW\u2013Madison, created a startup, and are making progress,\u201d said Martin Eckerly.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/phyto-sol.com\/\">Complete Phytochemical Solutions<\/a>, LLC (CPS), founded in 2010 and based in Cambridge, Wisconsin, provides consulting, contract research, and analytic services to the food, beverage, and dietary supplement markets. Chief Science Officer Jess Reed and CEO Christian Krueger have worked together for 25 years in the UW\u2013Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Science; Reed is a professor, and Krueger is a Research Program Manager II.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn 2021, we became a member of Forward BIOLABS, enabling us to launch a biologic research core to support efficacy evaluation of natural products,\u201d said Krueger. \u201cImmediate access to equipment, office space, and networking opportunities with other member companies has allowed us to make significant early advances in our biologic research. Continued success at Forward BIOLABS will ultimately enable us to grow our Cambridge, Wisconsin, operations and provide additional employment opportunities in the local community.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cCPS would have had a huge cash outlay to invest in their existing facility and equipment to set up a lab, so they\u2019re here testing a new service,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cThey\u2019re based in a more rural area than University Research Park, yet they come here to test out new ideas and hopefully build a new area of their business. With the business case tested, they can then stay where they are, by expanding their existing facility with confidence.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/endsulin.com\/\">Endsulin<\/a>, founded by renowned UW Hospital surgeon Hans Sollinger, is in the lab developing its cutting-edge gene therapy treatment for diabetes.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cellogistics.com\/\">Cellular Logistics<\/a>&#8216; Tandem HF technology, discovered by chief science officer Eric Schmuck in the research labs of cardiologist Amish Raval at UW\u2013Madison, is based on combining a framework of proteins derived from cardiac fibroblasts \u2014 a certain type of heart cell \u2014 with cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle stem cells.<\/p>\r\n<p>AyrFlo, co-founded by UW Health pediatric anesthesiologist Guelay Bilen-Rosas, MD, radiologist Humberto Rosas, MD, and data scientist Irene Ong, PhD is a novel respiratory monitoring device that can detect airway compromise by measuring airflow across the windpipe, detecting changes in breathing immediately and earlier than \u2018surrogate\u2019 factors like pulse oximetry. The company, a <a href=\"https:\/\/d2p.wisc.edu\/d2p-portfolio\/startups\/\">D2P<\/a> company, is in its early stage, primarily utilizing Forward BIOLABS\u2019 office space.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhen startups are writing grants and fundraising, they mainly utilize the office, and we can help through that whole process,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. They all need a home base, and they can pick up the lab bench when they\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Several companies have graduated to other spaces at University Research Park, including <a href=\"https:\/\/brainxell.com\/\">BrainXell<\/a>, the first startup at Forward BIOLABS, founded by UW\u2013Madison professor PI Su-Chun Zhang, and <a href=\"https:\/\/vascugen.com\/\">Vascugen<\/a>, founded by Carter Cliff, a veteran of UW\u2013Madison spinouts Cellular Dynamics and Opsis. It is not uncommon for these companies to employ numerous UW\u2013Madison graduates.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cNot only do we have a bunch of startups, their leadership teams are sticking around and doing it again,\u201d said Martin Eckerly. \u201cPeople who were at UW\u2013Madison startups with successful exits have now started or work for new companies that benefit our local and state economy. That will be sustainable with a strong UW.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><em>UW\u2013Madison contributes $20.8 billion per year to the Wisconsin economy, and UW\u2013Madison related start-ups contribute an additional $10 billion. <a href=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/stories\/driving-wisconsin-economy-now-and-into-the-future\">Find out more.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n","post_date":"2021-05-06 21:10:55","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Unique life science co-working center helps UW\u2013Madison biohealth companies thrive","post_type":"page","slug":"forward-biolabs","_edit_lock":"1673551208:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","hero_image":"846","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Researchers work at the Forward BIOLABS building in University Research Park. The lab houses 24 early-stage biohealth startups.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"(Submitted photo)","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/forward-biolabs-with-uw-madison-bolsters-wisconsin-biohealth-sector\/\">Original article<\/a> by Katie Ginder-Vogel<\/p>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","_thumbnail_id":"882","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","post_date_gmt":"2021-05-06 21:10:55","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"forward-biolabs","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-12 19:22:31","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-12 19:22:31","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=845","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/forward-biolabs-lab-1050x700-1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":771,"ID":771,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673383599:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"772","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"772","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Holstein cows are milked at the Sunburst Dairy Farm in Belleville. The UW Dairy Innovation Hub Student Challenge aims to dream up ideas to help the dairy industry.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Jori Skalitsky for <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2021\/04\/20\/uw-students-team-up-to-develop-innovative-solutions-to-dairy-industry-challenges\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Cold milk has long been offered alongside a lunch or snack in elementary schools. Over the years, the vessel for that milk has remained the same \u2013 a traditional paper carton. Since those milk cartons require refrigerated storage and are far from beloved by students, both schools and the dairy industry have identified the need for another option to encourage milk consumption.<\/p>\r\n<p>To help address this need, Caroline Lunning, a UW\u2013Madison undergraduate studying food science, partnered with three other students to develop an innovative design for a shelf-stable, quick-cool milk pouch. With support from an industry mentor, the team submitted their concept to the UW <a href=\"https:\/\/dairyinnovationhub.wisc.edu\/\">Dairy Innovation Hub<\/a> Student Challenge.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt was really gratifying to have an opportunity to work with other students outside of the curriculum to apply what we\u2019re learning to something so important,\u201d says Lunning, a returning adult student who previously cooked in restaurants for 20 years.<\/p>\r\n<p>The team\u2019s efforts received an enthusiastic thumbs up from their mentor.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cFluid milk packaging really lags behind in the creativity department,\u201d says John Holevoet, director of government affairs for the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association. \u201cIt was really impressive to see a group of students come up with a cool new idea on how to do it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>That issue was just one of a variety of industry challenges addressed by the Dairy Innovation Hub Student Challenge. Dairy is an important agricultural sector in Wisconsin, generating $43.4 billion annually for Wisconsin\u2019s economy. It\u2019s been a tough stretch for dairy farmers lately, who have received low prices for their milk for the past many years. And the industry has also been struggling with changing consumer preferences. Fluid milk consumption has been down, yet the demand for other dairy products, such as cheese, has increased.<\/p>\r\n<p>These challenges, outlined by the state of Wisconsin\u2019s recent <a href=\"https:\/\/datcp.wi.gov\/Pages\/Growing_WI\/DairyTaskForceProposals.aspx\">Dairy Task Force 2.0<\/a>, inspired CALS Associate Dean Heidi Zoerb to develop the Student Challenge. Her proposal was one of seven projects funded by the Hub, whose main priority is supporting Wisconsin dairy research and development.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe thought it was a great opportunity to leverage student creativity to address some of these issues,\u201d says Zoerb.<\/p>\r\n<p>The Hub\u2019s Student Challenge benefited from the involvement of three University of Wisconsin schools: UW\u2013Madison, UW\u2013River Falls, and UW\u2013Platteville. With the help of industry mentors, students came together to propose innovative solutions for the three areas of focus, which were based on the task force recommendations: encouraging dairy consumption of Wisconsin students, enhancing the shelf life of dairy products, and utilizing new technologies to improve dairy farming. Zoerb partnered with Hyper Innovation, a local innovation agency focused on bridging the gap between complex problems in industry.<\/p>\r\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic put a wrench in the original plan, which included in-person meetings over the span of eight weeks. Instead, the challenge had to be reformatted to be online. Weekly meetings on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s campus were replaced with Zoom calls. These took place during September to November of 2020.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOne of the hidden benefits about the whole thing being online was that it was actually easier for all three campuses to participate on a much more level playing field because everyone was confined to internet meetings,\u201d says Zoerb. And instead of traveling to the UW\u2013Madison campus, students could spend more time working on their projects.<\/p>\r\n<p>Ash Maheshwari, a first year MBA student at UW\u2013Madison, teamed up with two undergraduates from UW\u2013River Falls to work on two projects simultaneously. The trio developed a concept for a clip-on septum ring to monitor a calf\u2019s temperature and respiratory patterns, as well as an online gaming concept to encourage dairy consumption.<\/p>\r\n<p>For Maheshwari, participating in the Student Challenge was be a great way to get more involved in the UW community. \u201cI was the sole MBA [student] in this challenge,\u201d says Maheshwari, \u201cand I was eager to use what I had gained from my applied learnings on a real-world problem.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>In total, students completed <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.wisc.edu\/dairy-innovation-hub\/student-challenge\/final-projects\/\">seven projects<\/a>, each with a unique solution to one of Hub\u2019s areas of focus. The distinctiveness of the solutions stemmed from the variety of students involved with the challenge including undergraduates, master\u2019s, and Ph.D. students in fields such as agriculture, business, food science, and more.<\/p>\r\n<p>Facilitating connections was one of the main successes of the Student Challenge. For Varsha Swaminathan, the partnerships with her teammate, Lauren Sipple, and their industry mentor were invaluable.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOur mentor, Adam Brock, was guiding and helping us throughout the project. His expertise in product development and his connections were a huge bonus,\u201d says Swaminathan, \u201cAnd Lauren was a very supportive, encouraging teammate. I believe that her constant support throughout the competition helped us win three prizes for our proposed solution.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Their team proposed using bio-actives instead of chemical preservatives to increase the shelf-life of yogurt. The duo won Best of Focus Area: Enhance the Shelf-Life of Wisconsin Dairy Products, Best Execution Plan, and Most Sustainable. Judging took place in November 2020.<\/p>\r\n<p>In the end, Zoerb was pleased to see students from three UW campuses jump a multitude of hurdles to introduce their innovative ideas to the Wisconsin dairy industry.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI thought it was amazing how much these groups of students were able to get accomplished in eight weeks, virtually, during a semester where everything was really unpredictable,\u201d says Zoerb.<\/p>\r\n<p>Read about and watch each project\u2019s final presentation <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.wisc.edu\/dairy-innovation-hub\/student-challenge\/final-projects\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n","post_date":"2021-04-23 13:03:08","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Dairy Innovation Hub Student Challenge delivers creative dairy industry solutions","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-students-team-up-to-develop-innovative-solutions-to-dairy-industry-challenges","_edit_lock":"1673383599:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"772","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"772","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Holstein cows are milked at the Sunburst Dairy Farm in Belleville. The UW Dairy Innovation Hub Student Challenge aims to dream up ideas to help the dairy industry.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Jori Skalitsky for <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2021\/04\/20\/uw-students-team-up-to-develop-innovative-solutions-to-dairy-industry-challenges\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-23 13:03:08","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-students-team-up-to-develop-innovative-solutions-to-dairy-industry-challenges","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-12-29 22:03:44","post_modified_gmt":"2021-12-29 22:03:44","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=771","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":771,"ID":771,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673383599:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"772","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"772","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Holstein cows are milked at the Sunburst Dairy Farm in Belleville. The UW Dairy Innovation Hub Student Challenge aims to dream up ideas to help the dairy industry.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Jori Skalitsky for <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2021\/04\/20\/uw-students-team-up-to-develop-innovative-solutions-to-dairy-industry-challenges\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Cold milk has long been offered alongside a lunch or snack in elementary schools. Over the years, the vessel for that milk has remained the same \u2013 a traditional paper carton. Since those milk cartons require refrigerated storage and are far from beloved by students, both schools and the dairy industry have identified the need for another option to encourage milk consumption.<\/p>\r\n<p>To help address this need, Caroline Lunning, a UW\u2013Madison undergraduate studying food science, partnered with three other students to develop an innovative design for a shelf-stable, quick-cool milk pouch. With support from an industry mentor, the team submitted their concept to the UW <a href=\"https:\/\/dairyinnovationhub.wisc.edu\/\">Dairy Innovation Hub<\/a> Student Challenge.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt was really gratifying to have an opportunity to work with other students outside of the curriculum to apply what we\u2019re learning to something so important,\u201d says Lunning, a returning adult student who previously cooked in restaurants for 20 years.<\/p>\r\n<p>The team\u2019s efforts received an enthusiastic thumbs up from their mentor.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cFluid milk packaging really lags behind in the creativity department,\u201d says John Holevoet, director of government affairs for the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association. \u201cIt was really impressive to see a group of students come up with a cool new idea on how to do it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>That issue was just one of a variety of industry challenges addressed by the Dairy Innovation Hub Student Challenge. Dairy is an important agricultural sector in Wisconsin, generating $43.4 billion annually for Wisconsin\u2019s economy. It\u2019s been a tough stretch for dairy farmers lately, who have received low prices for their milk for the past many years. And the industry has also been struggling with changing consumer preferences. Fluid milk consumption has been down, yet the demand for other dairy products, such as cheese, has increased.<\/p>\r\n<p>These challenges, outlined by the state of Wisconsin\u2019s recent <a href=\"https:\/\/datcp.wi.gov\/Pages\/Growing_WI\/DairyTaskForceProposals.aspx\">Dairy Task Force 2.0<\/a>, inspired CALS Associate Dean Heidi Zoerb to develop the Student Challenge. Her proposal was one of seven projects funded by the Hub, whose main priority is supporting Wisconsin dairy research and development.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe thought it was a great opportunity to leverage student creativity to address some of these issues,\u201d says Zoerb.<\/p>\r\n<p>The Hub\u2019s Student Challenge benefited from the involvement of three University of Wisconsin schools: UW\u2013Madison, UW\u2013River Falls, and UW\u2013Platteville. With the help of industry mentors, students came together to propose innovative solutions for the three areas of focus, which were based on the task force recommendations: encouraging dairy consumption of Wisconsin students, enhancing the shelf life of dairy products, and utilizing new technologies to improve dairy farming. Zoerb partnered with Hyper Innovation, a local innovation agency focused on bridging the gap between complex problems in industry.<\/p>\r\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic put a wrench in the original plan, which included in-person meetings over the span of eight weeks. Instead, the challenge had to be reformatted to be online. Weekly meetings on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s campus were replaced with Zoom calls. These took place during September to November of 2020.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOne of the hidden benefits about the whole thing being online was that it was actually easier for all three campuses to participate on a much more level playing field because everyone was confined to internet meetings,\u201d says Zoerb. And instead of traveling to the UW\u2013Madison campus, students could spend more time working on their projects.<\/p>\r\n<p>Ash Maheshwari, a first year MBA student at UW\u2013Madison, teamed up with two undergraduates from UW\u2013River Falls to work on two projects simultaneously. The trio developed a concept for a clip-on septum ring to monitor a calf\u2019s temperature and respiratory patterns, as well as an online gaming concept to encourage dairy consumption.<\/p>\r\n<p>For Maheshwari, participating in the Student Challenge was be a great way to get more involved in the UW community. \u201cI was the sole MBA [student] in this challenge,\u201d says Maheshwari, \u201cand I was eager to use what I had gained from my applied learnings on a real-world problem.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>In total, students completed <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.wisc.edu\/dairy-innovation-hub\/student-challenge\/final-projects\/\">seven projects<\/a>, each with a unique solution to one of Hub\u2019s areas of focus. The distinctiveness of the solutions stemmed from the variety of students involved with the challenge including undergraduates, master\u2019s, and Ph.D. students in fields such as agriculture, business, food science, and more.<\/p>\r\n<p>Facilitating connections was one of the main successes of the Student Challenge. For Varsha Swaminathan, the partnerships with her teammate, Lauren Sipple, and their industry mentor were invaluable.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOur mentor, Adam Brock, was guiding and helping us throughout the project. His expertise in product development and his connections were a huge bonus,\u201d says Swaminathan, \u201cAnd Lauren was a very supportive, encouraging teammate. I believe that her constant support throughout the competition helped us win three prizes for our proposed solution.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Their team proposed using bio-actives instead of chemical preservatives to increase the shelf-life of yogurt. The duo won Best of Focus Area: Enhance the Shelf-Life of Wisconsin Dairy Products, Best Execution Plan, and Most Sustainable. Judging took place in November 2020.<\/p>\r\n<p>In the end, Zoerb was pleased to see students from three UW campuses jump a multitude of hurdles to introduce their innovative ideas to the Wisconsin dairy industry.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI thought it was amazing how much these groups of students were able to get accomplished in eight weeks, virtually, during a semester where everything was really unpredictable,\u201d says Zoerb.<\/p>\r\n<p>Read about and watch each project\u2019s final presentation <a href=\"https:\/\/cals.wisc.edu\/dairy-innovation-hub\/student-challenge\/final-projects\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n","post_date":"2021-04-23 13:03:08","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Dairy Innovation Hub Student Challenge delivers creative dairy industry solutions","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-students-team-up-to-develop-innovative-solutions-to-dairy-industry-challenges","_edit_lock":"1673383599:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"772","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"772","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Holstein cows are milked at the Sunburst Dairy Farm in Belleville. The UW Dairy Innovation Hub Student Challenge aims to dream up ideas to help the dairy industry.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Jori Skalitsky for <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2021\/04\/20\/uw-students-team-up-to-develop-innovative-solutions-to-dairy-industry-challenges\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-23 13:03:08","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-students-team-up-to-develop-innovative-solutions-to-dairy-industry-challenges","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-12-29 22:03:44","post_modified_gmt":"2021-12-29 22:03:44","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=771","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/SunBurst_Dairy_Clinic18_1937-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":775,"ID":775,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1640825230:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"776","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"776","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Eric Montemayor, facility manager for the Cryo-EM Research Center, pours liquid nitrogen while demonstrating the process for loading samples into the Thermo Scientific Talos Arctica cryo-transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) at the center\u2019s secondary facility in the DeLuca Biochemistry Building.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Michael P. King","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Natasha Kassulke for <a href=\"https:\/\/grow.cals.wisc.edu\/departments\/features\/a-cold-hard-look-at-macromolecules\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>At its most basic level, it takes pictures. For UW\u2013Madison biochemistry professor <a href=\"https:\/\/biochem.wisc.edu\/faculty\/wright\">Elizabeth Wright<\/a>, that\u2019s the scaled-down explanation of cryogenic electron microscopy, or cryo-EM. But it\u2019s so much more than that. Through rapid freezing, controlled beams, and advanced lenses, this game-changing research tool reveals the intricate architecture of cells, viruses, and proteins, all at molecular resolution \u2014 or better. Cryo-EM makes the truly complex much easier to understand.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s satisfying to think, both creatively and technically, about how to take images that reveal information at a structural level about a particular object,\u201d says Wright, who is also an affiliate with UW\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/morgridge.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Morgridge Institute for Research<\/a> and a leader of cryo-EM efforts on campus. \u201cOne thing that makes life fun in my line of work is being among the first people to see something and to be able to provide scientists and others an understanding and appreciation for what we are seeing.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Cryo-EM is revolutionizing the biosciences by enabling imaging of macromolecules, viruses, and cellular substructures at near-atomic to atomic resolutions. Advances in detectors, computation, and electron microscopy design now produce high-resolution images of rapidly fro- zen samples that rival current methods, such as X-ray crystallography, because these new techniques require far less material, capture natural states, do not require crystallization, and allow the advantages of high-contrast, time-resolved imaging.<\/p>\r\n<p>With cryo-EM, scientists can peer into the surfaces where drugs and proteins interact, where diseases occur, and where viruses orchestrate their attacks. It has the potential to impact every corner of medicine, from Alzheimer\u2019s research to vaccine development to protein and cellular engineering. And its reach extends to many other research areas, including biofuels, engineering, and computer sciences.<\/p>\r\n<p>Scientists from the UW College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and throughout the UW have already been using cryo-EM to make advancements in these fields, but they\u2019ve had to rely on facilities outside of the university. Now they\u2019ll have a place right on campus where they can conduct their groundbreaking work. The <a href=\"https:\/\/cryoem.wisc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UW\u2013Madison Cryo-EM Research Center<\/a> (CEMRC) is set to open in spring 2021, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/cryoem.wisc.edu\/about-mccet\/#:~:text=Midwest%20Center%20for%20Cryo%2DElectron%20Tomography%20(MCCET).&amp;text=MCCET%20is%20the%20NIH%2Dsponsored,and%20training%20in%20cryo%2DET.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Midwest Center for Cryo Electron Tomography<\/a> (MCCET) will soon follow with an opening in early 2022.<\/p>\r\n<p>Both centers, to be housed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/biochem.wisc.edu\/content\/hector-f-deluca-biochemical-sciences-complex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hector F. DeLuca Biochemical Sciences Complex<\/a>, will be directed by Wright. And they both represent a continuation of the university\u2019s long history of contributions to structural and cell biology, virology, and medicine, as well as a major return on long-term campus investment in the technology (<a href=\"https:\/\/grow.cals.wisc.edu\/departments\/features\/cryo-em-a-whetstone-for-uws-competitive-edge\">see sidebar<\/a>). The centers will be pivotal in many ways: for building on the important work of talented researchers of the past and present, for honing UW\u2019s competitive edge in a rapidly evolving field, and for making vital discoveries that have the potential to transform lives.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW researchers are planning to use the center in diverse and innovative ways that will help keep the campus at the bioscience frontier. Word is spreading about the CEMRC, laying the groundwork for collaborations.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cSome of our researchers understand how to do the computational aspects of the pipeline, and we may just support them with sample optimization and cryo-preservation and data acquisition and then hand off images where they handle the computations on their own,\u201d Wright says. \u201cFor other investigators, we support them through the entire process and provide them with their structure and its interpretation on the back end.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-04-15 16:14:21","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Advanced microscopy technique could help UW reach new frontiers in the biosciences","post_type":"page","slug":"cryo-em-advanced-microscopy-technique","_edit_lock":"1640825230:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"776","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"776","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Eric Montemayor, facility manager for the Cryo-EM Research Center, pours liquid nitrogen while demonstrating the process for loading samples into the Thermo Scientific Talos Arctica cryo-transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) at the center\u2019s secondary facility in the DeLuca Biochemistry Building.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Michael P. King","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Natasha Kassulke for <a href=\"https:\/\/grow.cals.wisc.edu\/departments\/features\/a-cold-hard-look-at-macromolecules\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-15 16:14:21","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"cryo-em-advanced-microscopy-technique","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-04-27 01:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2021-04-27 01:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=775","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":775,"ID":775,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1640825230:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"776","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"776","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Eric Montemayor, facility manager for the Cryo-EM Research Center, pours liquid nitrogen while demonstrating the process for loading samples into the Thermo Scientific Talos Arctica cryo-transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) at the center\u2019s secondary facility in the DeLuca Biochemistry Building.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Michael P. King","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Natasha Kassulke for <a href=\"https:\/\/grow.cals.wisc.edu\/departments\/features\/a-cold-hard-look-at-macromolecules\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>At its most basic level, it takes pictures. For UW\u2013Madison biochemistry professor <a href=\"https:\/\/biochem.wisc.edu\/faculty\/wright\">Elizabeth Wright<\/a>, that\u2019s the scaled-down explanation of cryogenic electron microscopy, or cryo-EM. But it\u2019s so much more than that. Through rapid freezing, controlled beams, and advanced lenses, this game-changing research tool reveals the intricate architecture of cells, viruses, and proteins, all at molecular resolution \u2014 or better. Cryo-EM makes the truly complex much easier to understand.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s satisfying to think, both creatively and technically, about how to take images that reveal information at a structural level about a particular object,\u201d says Wright, who is also an affiliate with UW\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/morgridge.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Morgridge Institute for Research<\/a> and a leader of cryo-EM efforts on campus. \u201cOne thing that makes life fun in my line of work is being among the first people to see something and to be able to provide scientists and others an understanding and appreciation for what we are seeing.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Cryo-EM is revolutionizing the biosciences by enabling imaging of macromolecules, viruses, and cellular substructures at near-atomic to atomic resolutions. Advances in detectors, computation, and electron microscopy design now produce high-resolution images of rapidly fro- zen samples that rival current methods, such as X-ray crystallography, because these new techniques require far less material, capture natural states, do not require crystallization, and allow the advantages of high-contrast, time-resolved imaging.<\/p>\r\n<p>With cryo-EM, scientists can peer into the surfaces where drugs and proteins interact, where diseases occur, and where viruses orchestrate their attacks. It has the potential to impact every corner of medicine, from Alzheimer\u2019s research to vaccine development to protein and cellular engineering. And its reach extends to many other research areas, including biofuels, engineering, and computer sciences.<\/p>\r\n<p>Scientists from the UW College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and throughout the UW have already been using cryo-EM to make advancements in these fields, but they\u2019ve had to rely on facilities outside of the university. Now they\u2019ll have a place right on campus where they can conduct their groundbreaking work. The <a href=\"https:\/\/cryoem.wisc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UW\u2013Madison Cryo-EM Research Center<\/a> (CEMRC) is set to open in spring 2021, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/cryoem.wisc.edu\/about-mccet\/#:~:text=Midwest%20Center%20for%20Cryo%2DElectron%20Tomography%20(MCCET).&amp;text=MCCET%20is%20the%20NIH%2Dsponsored,and%20training%20in%20cryo%2DET.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Midwest Center for Cryo Electron Tomography<\/a> (MCCET) will soon follow with an opening in early 2022.<\/p>\r\n<p>Both centers, to be housed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/biochem.wisc.edu\/content\/hector-f-deluca-biochemical-sciences-complex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hector F. DeLuca Biochemical Sciences Complex<\/a>, will be directed by Wright. And they both represent a continuation of the university\u2019s long history of contributions to structural and cell biology, virology, and medicine, as well as a major return on long-term campus investment in the technology (<a href=\"https:\/\/grow.cals.wisc.edu\/departments\/features\/cryo-em-a-whetstone-for-uws-competitive-edge\">see sidebar<\/a>). The centers will be pivotal in many ways: for building on the important work of talented researchers of the past and present, for honing UW\u2019s competitive edge in a rapidly evolving field, and for making vital discoveries that have the potential to transform lives.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW researchers are planning to use the center in diverse and innovative ways that will help keep the campus at the bioscience frontier. Word is spreading about the CEMRC, laying the groundwork for collaborations.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cSome of our researchers understand how to do the computational aspects of the pipeline, and we may just support them with sample optimization and cryo-preservation and data acquisition and then hand off images where they handle the computations on their own,\u201d Wright says. \u201cFor other investigators, we support them through the entire process and provide them with their structure and its interpretation on the back end.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-04-15 16:14:21","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Advanced microscopy technique could help UW reach new frontiers in the biosciences","post_type":"page","slug":"cryo-em-advanced-microscopy-technique","_edit_lock":"1640825230:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"776","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"776","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Eric Montemayor, facility manager for the Cryo-EM Research Center, pours liquid nitrogen while demonstrating the process for loading samples into the Thermo Scientific Talos Arctica cryo-transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) at the center\u2019s secondary facility in the DeLuca Biochemistry Building.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Michael P. King","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Natasha Kassulke for <a href=\"https:\/\/grow.cals.wisc.edu\/departments\/features\/a-cold-hard-look-at-macromolecules\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2021-04-15 16:14:21","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"cryo-em-advanced-microscopy-technique","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-04-27 01:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2021-04-27 01:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=775","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Cryo-Liquid-Nitrogen-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":764,"ID":764,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1619488694:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"765","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"765","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Ernie Stracener (right), consultation program manager, demonstrates fitting Danica Harrier, industrial hygiene consultant, both with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, for an N95 respirator.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>The COVID-19 pandemic brought a host of new needs for Wisconsin businesses: They had to learn how to keep their facilities, employees and customers safe from this new disease.<\/p>\r\n<p>In stepped the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene\u2019s WisCon Safety and Health Consultation Program, which for 40 years has provided free consulting services and training to businesses with fewer than 250 employees to help them provide safe and healthy workplaces and meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.<\/p>\r\n<p>Since July 1, 2020, six of the program\u2019s 16 consultants have dedicated half of their time to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.slh.wisc.edu\/occupational\/wiscon\/workplace-covid-19-consulting\/\">COVID-19 consulting and training<\/a>, which includes virtual assessments of facilities, recommendations for controlling employee exposure, and video training on COVID-19 prevention and control.<\/p>\r\n<p>The program created these new services from scratch at the request of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The services are funded by a Federal CARES grant that goes through November 2022.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe created a COVID-19 preparedness and response plan template that we provide to businesses who need protocols,\u201d says WisCon Program Manager Ernie Stracener. \u201cWe help them determine what they need, based on that template, and they get a lot of guidance through that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The WSLH is the state\u2019s public, environmental and occupational health laboratory, and it&#8217;s part of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wisc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>WisCon hosts weekly webinars with live question and answer sessions that attract representatives from 10-to-12 businesses each week.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s nice to provide that direct service,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cWe are also providing assistance and OSHA-focused COVID assistance to DHS, and that has been very useful for them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>WisCon also offers free COVID-19 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.slh.wisc.edu\/ppe-decon-uv-c\/respiratory-protection-program-requirements-covid\/\">Respiratory Protection Program Administrator Training<\/a> to support skilled nursing and residential care facilities, of which Wisconsin has about 5,000.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe are preparing, packaging, and sending about 3,000 respirator fit-test kits to facilities who request them from DHS,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cWe made a series of training videos and provide remote consultation as needed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The WisCon program is largely funded overall by a grant from OSHA. It provides support to Wisconsin\u2019s small businesses. Nearly half of all workers in Wisconsin are employed by a business with fewer than 500 employees.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOur program\u2019s total funding is $1.8 million a year, so that\u2019s a tremendous return on investment,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cAlmost every week, we hear from somebody who says, \u2018How did we not know about you?\u2019 This is all funded with tax dollars.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Free Health &amp; Safety Consultations<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>Beyond the services WisCon has provided since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program offers free and confidential occupational safety and health consultation services to small business owners and senior managers in the state. These services include identifying workplace hazards, performing industrial hygiene employee exposure sampling and assessment, or helping clients develop and implement a comprehensive safety and health management program.<\/p>\r\n<p>Stracener assigns one of the program\u2019s 16 consultants, which includes safety specialists and industrial hygienists, to work with the business.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIf we look back in 2019, we did 453 on-site consultations for 350 businesses in Wisconsin, and that\u2019s pretty typical on a year-to-year basis,\u201d says Stracener, who sees this as a measure of the program\u2019s success. Once companies experience the benefits of WisCon consulting, they often return.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re the state\u2019s largest professional health and safety consulting firm, and it\u2019s free,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe will do anything an employer needs us to do to help them stand on their own two feet to meet OSHA requirements.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The consultation process begins with a phone call and continues with a site visit (site visits have been conducted virtually during the pandemic).<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve pivoted to providing virtual consultations, where we provide some of the same benefits of on-site services by working with the client to do hazard surveys of specific areas,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cThey take photos, and we work through the photos with them, or we do a video tour with them, and the consultant provides expert assistance from off-site and still helps them achieve the same goals.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>As COVID-19 case rates continue to drop throughout the state, WisCon is working to resume in-person, on-site, consultation services.<\/p>\r\n<p>Consultants help employers identify and correct hazards and provide chemical exposure monitoring and noise monitoring as needed.<\/p>\r\n<p>Client services are voluntary, free, and confidential, and there are no penalties or enforcement action. The client\u2019s primary obligation is to correct identified hazards.<\/p>\r\n<p>WisCon helps provide recommendations for how to fix them, negotiates a correction timeline with the employer and sets a correction due date.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn an imminent danger situation, like someone standing on the top step of a ladder who could fall and be severely injured, we make sure the hazard is corrected on the spot,\u201d explains Stracener. \u201cA serious hazard, like a broken electrical outlet, is something that can directly impact the health and safety of an employee to cause serious harm.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Businesses working with WisCon to correct hazards cannot be fined by OSHA for the hazards while they are in the process of being corrected. WisCon documents corrected hazards and federal law protects consultation visit records from public disclosure.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe try to have all corrections done, documented, and completed within 60 days,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cThere\u2019s a window of time where the employer can make corrections, and if something is a really big hazard, like spraying flammable paint inside a facility, they might need to put in a spray booth, and that can take more time to correct. We can help them devise interim protections while they correct the hazard. It really is a partnership.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>Recognition for Companies with Best Practices<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>WisCon also runs the state\u2019s OSHA-sponsored <u>Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program<\/u>, which recognizes companies with excellent health and safety management practices.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying hard to identify new participants for that program and grow Wisconsin\u2019s number from eight to 30 or more,\u201d says Stracener, who says it\u2019s inspiring to see new businesses join the program and reinforce the work WisCon performs.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhen we are challenged with someone who comes to us with a problem, and we are able to help them get to a resolution in a relatively short period of time and see the difference that makes, it is so rewarding,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cI\u2019ve been in occupational health and safety for about 30 years, and this is far and away the most rewarding job I\u2019ve ever had, because of the people we meet and serve and the scope and breadth of what we do.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-03-25 14:53:14","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"State Lab of Hygiene helps small businesses through pandemic","post_type":"page","slug":"state-lab-of-hygiene-helps-small-businesses-through-pandemic","_edit_lock":"1619488694:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"765","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"765","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Ernie Stracener (right), consultation program manager, demonstrates fitting Danica Harrier, industrial hygiene consultant, both with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, for an N95 respirator.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-25 14:53:14","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"state-lab-of-hygiene-helps-small-businesses-through-pandemic","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-04-01 15:00:02","post_modified_gmt":"2021-04-01 15:00:02","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=764","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":764,"ID":764,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1619488694:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"765","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"765","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Ernie Stracener (right), consultation program manager, demonstrates fitting Danica Harrier, industrial hygiene consultant, both with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, for an N95 respirator.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>The COVID-19 pandemic brought a host of new needs for Wisconsin businesses: They had to learn how to keep their facilities, employees and customers safe from this new disease.<\/p>\r\n<p>In stepped the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene\u2019s WisCon Safety and Health Consultation Program, which for 40 years has provided free consulting services and training to businesses with fewer than 250 employees to help them provide safe and healthy workplaces and meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.<\/p>\r\n<p>Since July 1, 2020, six of the program\u2019s 16 consultants have dedicated half of their time to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.slh.wisc.edu\/occupational\/wiscon\/workplace-covid-19-consulting\/\">COVID-19 consulting and training<\/a>, which includes virtual assessments of facilities, recommendations for controlling employee exposure, and video training on COVID-19 prevention and control.<\/p>\r\n<p>The program created these new services from scratch at the request of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The services are funded by a Federal CARES grant that goes through November 2022.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe created a COVID-19 preparedness and response plan template that we provide to businesses who need protocols,\u201d says WisCon Program Manager Ernie Stracener. \u201cWe help them determine what they need, based on that template, and they get a lot of guidance through that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The WSLH is the state\u2019s public, environmental and occupational health laboratory, and it&#8217;s part of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wisc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>WisCon hosts weekly webinars with live question and answer sessions that attract representatives from 10-to-12 businesses each week.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s nice to provide that direct service,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cWe are also providing assistance and OSHA-focused COVID assistance to DHS, and that has been very useful for them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>WisCon also offers free COVID-19 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.slh.wisc.edu\/ppe-decon-uv-c\/respiratory-protection-program-requirements-covid\/\">Respiratory Protection Program Administrator Training<\/a> to support skilled nursing and residential care facilities, of which Wisconsin has about 5,000.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe are preparing, packaging, and sending about 3,000 respirator fit-test kits to facilities who request them from DHS,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cWe made a series of training videos and provide remote consultation as needed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The WisCon program is largely funded overall by a grant from OSHA. It provides support to Wisconsin\u2019s small businesses. Nearly half of all workers in Wisconsin are employed by a business with fewer than 500 employees.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOur program\u2019s total funding is $1.8 million a year, so that\u2019s a tremendous return on investment,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cAlmost every week, we hear from somebody who says, \u2018How did we not know about you?\u2019 This is all funded with tax dollars.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Free Health &amp; Safety Consultations<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>Beyond the services WisCon has provided since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program offers free and confidential occupational safety and health consultation services to small business owners and senior managers in the state. These services include identifying workplace hazards, performing industrial hygiene employee exposure sampling and assessment, or helping clients develop and implement a comprehensive safety and health management program.<\/p>\r\n<p>Stracener assigns one of the program\u2019s 16 consultants, which includes safety specialists and industrial hygienists, to work with the business.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIf we look back in 2019, we did 453 on-site consultations for 350 businesses in Wisconsin, and that\u2019s pretty typical on a year-to-year basis,\u201d says Stracener, who sees this as a measure of the program\u2019s success. Once companies experience the benefits of WisCon consulting, they often return.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re the state\u2019s largest professional health and safety consulting firm, and it\u2019s free,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe will do anything an employer needs us to do to help them stand on their own two feet to meet OSHA requirements.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The consultation process begins with a phone call and continues with a site visit (site visits have been conducted virtually during the pandemic).<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve pivoted to providing virtual consultations, where we provide some of the same benefits of on-site services by working with the client to do hazard surveys of specific areas,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cThey take photos, and we work through the photos with them, or we do a video tour with them, and the consultant provides expert assistance from off-site and still helps them achieve the same goals.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>As COVID-19 case rates continue to drop throughout the state, WisCon is working to resume in-person, on-site, consultation services.<\/p>\r\n<p>Consultants help employers identify and correct hazards and provide chemical exposure monitoring and noise monitoring as needed.<\/p>\r\n<p>Client services are voluntary, free, and confidential, and there are no penalties or enforcement action. The client\u2019s primary obligation is to correct identified hazards.<\/p>\r\n<p>WisCon helps provide recommendations for how to fix them, negotiates a correction timeline with the employer and sets a correction due date.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn an imminent danger situation, like someone standing on the top step of a ladder who could fall and be severely injured, we make sure the hazard is corrected on the spot,\u201d explains Stracener. \u201cA serious hazard, like a broken electrical outlet, is something that can directly impact the health and safety of an employee to cause serious harm.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Businesses working with WisCon to correct hazards cannot be fined by OSHA for the hazards while they are in the process of being corrected. WisCon documents corrected hazards and federal law protects consultation visit records from public disclosure.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe try to have all corrections done, documented, and completed within 60 days,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cThere\u2019s a window of time where the employer can make corrections, and if something is a really big hazard, like spraying flammable paint inside a facility, they might need to put in a spray booth, and that can take more time to correct. We can help them devise interim protections while they correct the hazard. It really is a partnership.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>Recognition for Companies with Best Practices<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>WisCon also runs the state\u2019s OSHA-sponsored <u>Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program<\/u>, which recognizes companies with excellent health and safety management practices.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying hard to identify new participants for that program and grow Wisconsin\u2019s number from eight to 30 or more,\u201d says Stracener, who says it\u2019s inspiring to see new businesses join the program and reinforce the work WisCon performs.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWhen we are challenged with someone who comes to us with a problem, and we are able to help them get to a resolution in a relatively short period of time and see the difference that makes, it is so rewarding,\u201d says Stracener. \u201cI\u2019ve been in occupational health and safety for about 30 years, and this is far and away the most rewarding job I\u2019ve ever had, because of the people we meet and serve and the scope and breadth of what we do.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-03-25 14:53:14","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"State Lab of Hygiene helps small businesses through pandemic","post_type":"page","slug":"state-lab-of-hygiene-helps-small-businesses-through-pandemic","_edit_lock":"1619488694:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"765","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"765","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Ernie Stracener (right), consultation program manager, demonstrates fitting Danica Harrier, industrial hygiene consultant, both with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, for an N95 respirator.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-25 14:53:14","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"state-lab-of-hygiene-helps-small-businesses-through-pandemic","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-04-01 15:00:02","post_modified_gmt":"2021-04-01 15:00:02","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=764","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WSHL_PPE_Warehouse21_4061-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":702,"ID":702,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616090739:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"703","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"703","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Ruth Collins listens during an Upstart class in winter 2019. WARF\u2019s UpStart Program trains cohorts of women and BIPOC entrepreneurs about every aspect of business ownership. Collins started a business called Restoration Soap & Bodycare.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Submitted photo","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Diverse boards and teams are known to collaborate more effectively and contribute to business success.<\/p>\r\n<p>Every fall and winter for ten weeks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warf.org\/programs-events\/innovators-investors-and-researchers\/upstart\/\">WARF\u2019s UpStart Program<\/a> trains cohorts of women and BIPOC entrepreneurs about every aspect of business ownership, from social media marketing to buying insurance to writing a business plan.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart\u2019s focus is to elevate and strengthen Madison\u2019s entrepreneurial ecosystem,\u201d says program director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warf.org\/contact-us\/katie-rice\/\">Katie Rice<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s to everyone\u2019s advantage to have resilient and diversely owned businesses.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Participants receive six free months of business planning software, other funding opportunities, and ongoing access to resources and instructors.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart provides opportunities that are approachable, building confidence in individuals who didn\u2019t necessarily view themselves as entrepreneurs or feel comfortable going into a bank and asking about small business loans,\u201d says Rice.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sbdc.wisc.edu\/staff\/somes-booher-michelle\/\">Michelle Somes-Booher<\/a>, director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW\u2013Madison, and her team create the UpStart curriculum, which is taught by SBDC staff and business community members.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe have had UpStart grads go on to take our Entrepreneurial Training Program and other classes, and they have become SBDC consulting clients,\u201d says Somes-Booher.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Launch business in phases<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart was full of valuable resources and so well-guided that it helped ensure my business moved from a creative idea to an impactful reality,\u201d says Roxie Hentz, Founding Executive Director of <a href=\"https:\/\/ceosoftomorrow.com\/\">CEOs of Tomorrow<\/a>, which provides entrepreneurial education for Madison students. \u201cThe guest instructors provided every aspect of expertise.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>CEOs of Tomorrow launched in 2016 with a three-week summer course for teens and now offers seven programs.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe Lean Startup methodology taught me how to launch my business in phases, so I can test it,\u201d says Hentz, who holds an MBA and ran her own business for 17 years before joining UpStart. \u201cHere I am, five years later, serving 100 kids a year, with eight employees.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>CEOs of Tomorrow has helped launch 100 student-led businesses.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m creating an ecosystem of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinkers who will go into the community, largely in Madison, and shape the economic landscape of our city,\u201d Hentz says.<\/p>\r\n<p>UpStart also contributes to the gig economy.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe education, resources, and support provided by UpStart help de-risk opportunities for side gigs that participants consider pursuing,\u201d says Rice. \u201cEspecially during this pandemic, side hustles can provide extra income or replace lost income.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2>&#8216;UpStart is like a superhighway&#8217;<\/h2>\r\n<p>Shalicia Johnson, an early childhood educator for 26 years, runs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arrowstarphotography.com\/\">ArrowStar Photography<\/a> out of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/category\/Photography-Videography\/3rd-Eye-Collective-129355552200144\/\">3rd Eye Collective<\/a> on Monroe Street.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart is like a superhighway,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cEvery cohort adds minority business enterprises, women-owned business enterprises, and freelancers to the economy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>This expands customers\u2019 options.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart entrepreneurs have really unique ideas and businesses, so UpStart is impacting the economy by offering things you can\u2019t get anywhere else,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cThat brings revenue to small businesses and provides more choices to consumers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Plus, UpStart alumni support each other.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s an alumni group of fantastic people, who had an idea established and needed support, or started from scratch and launched from UpStart,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cWe\u2019re connected to each other, and we want to support minority- and women-owned businesses.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2>Teaching folks who&#8217;d been forgotten<\/h2>\r\n<p>Jasmine Banks works full-time at Operation Fresh Start and launched <a href=\"https:\/\/perfectimperfections608.org\/\">Perfect Imperfections<\/a> in 2016. Friends who had purchased her handcrafted body and home products suggested she apply to UpStart.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart was the perfect space to open my eyes to the things I needed to do and gave me courage to just try,\u201d says Banks. \u201cMy hope for Perfect Imperfections is that this is a legacy for my family. My heart is here. This is my community to give back to.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Banks\u2019 family has been in Madison for five generations. Banks says she would love for her business to have the kind of economic impact Oscar Mayer had on Madison\u2019s middle class. She sources from local vendors and is brainstorming ways to connect young people from Operation Fresh Start to her business.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cHow can I give them real-life experience?\u201d Banks asks. \u201cWe need to nurture the young people who will stay in this community.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Banks believes UpStart has a groundbreaking impact.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThey are taking the time to teach, train, connect, network, and nurture folks who have been forgotten, left in the corner, and unacknowledged,\u201d Banks says. \u201cUpStart is creating the world I would like to live in.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-03-18 18:05:02","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"WARF\u2019s UpStart program supports women and BIPOC entrepreneurs","post_type":"page","slug":"upstart-supports-women-bipoc-entrepreneurs","_edit_lock":"1616090739:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"703","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"703","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Ruth Collins listens during an Upstart class in winter 2019. WARF\u2019s UpStart Program trains cohorts of women and BIPOC entrepreneurs about every aspect of business ownership. Collins started a business called Restoration Soap & Bodycare.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Submitted photo","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-18 18:05:02","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"upstart-supports-women-bipoc-entrepreneurs","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-18 18:07:33","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-18 18:07:33","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=702","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":702,"ID":702,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616090739:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"703","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"703","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Ruth Collins listens during an Upstart class in winter 2019. WARF\u2019s UpStart Program trains cohorts of women and BIPOC entrepreneurs about every aspect of business ownership. Collins started a business called Restoration Soap & Bodycare.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Submitted photo","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Diverse boards and teams are known to collaborate more effectively and contribute to business success.<\/p>\r\n<p>Every fall and winter for ten weeks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warf.org\/programs-events\/innovators-investors-and-researchers\/upstart\/\">WARF\u2019s UpStart Program<\/a> trains cohorts of women and BIPOC entrepreneurs about every aspect of business ownership, from social media marketing to buying insurance to writing a business plan.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart\u2019s focus is to elevate and strengthen Madison\u2019s entrepreneurial ecosystem,\u201d says program director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warf.org\/contact-us\/katie-rice\/\">Katie Rice<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s to everyone\u2019s advantage to have resilient and diversely owned businesses.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Participants receive six free months of business planning software, other funding opportunities, and ongoing access to resources and instructors.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart provides opportunities that are approachable, building confidence in individuals who didn\u2019t necessarily view themselves as entrepreneurs or feel comfortable going into a bank and asking about small business loans,\u201d says Rice.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sbdc.wisc.edu\/staff\/somes-booher-michelle\/\">Michelle Somes-Booher<\/a>, director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW\u2013Madison, and her team create the UpStart curriculum, which is taught by SBDC staff and business community members.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe have had UpStart grads go on to take our Entrepreneurial Training Program and other classes, and they have become SBDC consulting clients,\u201d says Somes-Booher.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Launch business in phases<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart was full of valuable resources and so well-guided that it helped ensure my business moved from a creative idea to an impactful reality,\u201d says Roxie Hentz, Founding Executive Director of <a href=\"https:\/\/ceosoftomorrow.com\/\">CEOs of Tomorrow<\/a>, which provides entrepreneurial education for Madison students. \u201cThe guest instructors provided every aspect of expertise.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>CEOs of Tomorrow launched in 2016 with a three-week summer course for teens and now offers seven programs.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe Lean Startup methodology taught me how to launch my business in phases, so I can test it,\u201d says Hentz, who holds an MBA and ran her own business for 17 years before joining UpStart. \u201cHere I am, five years later, serving 100 kids a year, with eight employees.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>CEOs of Tomorrow has helped launch 100 student-led businesses.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m creating an ecosystem of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial thinkers who will go into the community, largely in Madison, and shape the economic landscape of our city,\u201d Hentz says.<\/p>\r\n<p>UpStart also contributes to the gig economy.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe education, resources, and support provided by UpStart help de-risk opportunities for side gigs that participants consider pursuing,\u201d says Rice. \u201cEspecially during this pandemic, side hustles can provide extra income or replace lost income.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2>&#8216;UpStart is like a superhighway&#8217;<\/h2>\r\n<p>Shalicia Johnson, an early childhood educator for 26 years, runs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arrowstarphotography.com\/\">ArrowStar Photography<\/a> out of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/category\/Photography-Videography\/3rd-Eye-Collective-129355552200144\/\">3rd Eye Collective<\/a> on Monroe Street.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart is like a superhighway,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cEvery cohort adds minority business enterprises, women-owned business enterprises, and freelancers to the economy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>This expands customers\u2019 options.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart entrepreneurs have really unique ideas and businesses, so UpStart is impacting the economy by offering things you can\u2019t get anywhere else,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cThat brings revenue to small businesses and provides more choices to consumers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Plus, UpStart alumni support each other.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s an alumni group of fantastic people, who had an idea established and needed support, or started from scratch and launched from UpStart,\u201d says Johnson. \u201cWe\u2019re connected to each other, and we want to support minority- and women-owned businesses.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<h2>Teaching folks who&#8217;d been forgotten<\/h2>\r\n<p>Jasmine Banks works full-time at Operation Fresh Start and launched <a href=\"https:\/\/perfectimperfections608.org\/\">Perfect Imperfections<\/a> in 2016. Friends who had purchased her handcrafted body and home products suggested she apply to UpStart.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cUpStart was the perfect space to open my eyes to the things I needed to do and gave me courage to just try,\u201d says Banks. \u201cMy hope for Perfect Imperfections is that this is a legacy for my family. My heart is here. This is my community to give back to.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Banks\u2019 family has been in Madison for five generations. Banks says she would love for her business to have the kind of economic impact Oscar Mayer had on Madison\u2019s middle class. She sources from local vendors and is brainstorming ways to connect young people from Operation Fresh Start to her business.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cHow can I give them real-life experience?\u201d Banks asks. \u201cWe need to nurture the young people who will stay in this community.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Banks believes UpStart has a groundbreaking impact.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThey are taking the time to teach, train, connect, network, and nurture folks who have been forgotten, left in the corner, and unacknowledged,\u201d Banks says. \u201cUpStart is creating the world I would like to live in.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2021-03-18 18:05:02","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"WARF\u2019s UpStart program supports women and BIPOC entrepreneurs","post_type":"page","slug":"upstart-supports-women-bipoc-entrepreneurs","_edit_lock":"1616090739:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"703","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"703","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Ruth Collins listens during an Upstart class in winter 2019. WARF\u2019s UpStart Program trains cohorts of women and BIPOC entrepreneurs about every aspect of business ownership. Collins started a business called Restoration Soap & Bodycare.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Submitted photo","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-18 18:05:02","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"upstart-supports-women-bipoc-entrepreneurs","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-18 18:07:33","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-18 18:07:33","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=702","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/UpStartWinter2019-8-e1616090845800-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":694,"ID":694,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1637782992:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"697","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"697","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Geoscience Professor John Valley, right, and research scientist Kouki Kitajima collaborate in the Wisconsin Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer Lab in Weeks Hall in 2017. In 2019, UW\u2013Madison reported nearly $1.3 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Jeff Miller\/UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_oembed_0619b42332be6f37ec32d0a02ced1696":"<iframe title=\"UW\u2013Madison Works For You\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rcpeYDCxOEo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>","_oembed_time_0619b42332be6f37ec32d0a02ced1696":"1616089933"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Powered by a top-ranked research program, the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, its affiliate organizations and the startup companies coming out of the university have a total $30.8 billion annual statewide economic impact, equivalent to nearly 9% of Wisconsin\u2019s $345 billion economy, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/universityrelations.wisc.edu\/economic-impact-2021\/\">new report<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Conducted by NorthStar Analytics, LLC, the study finds that UW\u2013Madison is one of Wisconsin\u2019s major job creators, responsible for 232,057 public and private sector jobs\u2014more than 7% of the 3 million jobs in Wisconsin, or 1 out of every 13 jobs in the state\u2014and $1 billion in state and local taxes, putting it on par with major Wisconsin industries like dairy, food processing and tourism.<\/p>\r\n<p>According to the report, taxpayer support in UW\u2013Madison delivers a huge return on investment. For every $1 taxpayers invest in the university, more than $26 is put back into the state\u2019s economy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>In addition to a billion-dollar research engine, UW\u2013Madison continues to produce ideas and inventions that solve some of the biggest challenges at home and across the globe. The university and UW\u2013Madison affiliates like the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) are home to a leading patent system, a deep pool of scientific talent, powerful computing infrastructure, and curriculum that supports the development of entrepreneurs. Together, these elements make up a partnership that empowers innovators to directly address problems facing major industries in Wisconsin and beyond.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe research and innovation fostered at UW\u2013Madison have brought the world\u2019s leading tech companies to the state and launched hundreds of startups,\u201d says UW\u2013Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. \u201cThe university continues to attract and nurture talent whose research and discoveries have tackled everything from shifts in Wisconsin\u2019s agriculture to public health emergencies like the global COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Substantial growth has come from the creation of new companies based on research at UW\u2013Madison, commonly referred to as startups. Since 1990, the university has helped create more than 400 startups that generate an annual economic impact of $10 billion, 42,855 jobs and $320,224,874 in state and local tax revenue. UW\u2013Madison\u2019s track record of technology spinoffs includes Wisconsin companies such as the radiotherapy treatment TomoTherapy and SHINE Medical Technologies, a leading producer of medical isotopes used for diagnosing cancer, heart disease and other conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_696\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Invenra_lab15_0449-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Roland Green in Invenra research lab\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-696\" \/> Roland Green, president of Invenra and a UW\u2013Madison graduate, works in the company&#8217;s research lab at the University Research Park in 2015. Since 1990, UW\u2013Madison has helped create more than 400 startups that generate an annual economic impact of $10 billion, a new study says. (Photo by Jeff Miller\/UW-Madison)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cThis study confirms that investments in UW\u2013Madison get translated into research breakthroughs that become startup companies that create jobs, hire university graduates, and buy goods and services from across Wisconsin,\u201d says Aaron Olver, managing director of UW\u2013Madison&#8217;s University Research Park.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a virtuous circle that helps spread prosperity across Wisconsin while tackling critical problems like disease and climate change.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Andrew Richards, Director of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Discovery to Product (D2P) agrees. \u201cInnovation is key to a thriving economy, whether it is improving the competitiveness of mature industries or creating whole new business opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The report further demonstrates how UW\u2013Madison positively impacts Wisconsin businesses, with over 90% of the university\u2019s economic impact benefiting the private sector. Private sector industries profiting from the university\u2019s presence include real estate, software development and advanced manufacturing. This activity also generates significant tax revenue \u2013 more than $648 million \u2013 that contributes to the overall quality of life for Wisconsinites statewide.<\/p>\r\n<p>&#8220;The numbers in our report show the large impact that comes from UW\u2013Madison and its benefit to the entire state,\u201d says David J. Ward, chief executive officer of NorthStar Analytics, LLC. \u201cAs we move further into the information economy, the university is clearly a driver of innovation for a broad range of Wisconsin industries from manufacturing to health care, building an important foundation for future growth in the state.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>More than 169,700 UW\u2013Madison alumni contribute to the economy by living, working and spending in the State of Wisconsin. Of the Wisconsin residents who graduate from UW\u2013Madison, 80% continue to live in the state five years after receiving their degree. Graduates from the university report median earnings of nearly $76,000 in the same five-year timeframe.<\/p>\r\n<p>View the <a href=\"https:\/\/universityrelations.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/econ-impact-report-20210210.pdf\">entire report<\/a> and an <a href=\"https:\/\/universityrelations.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/econ-impact-1-pager-20210210.pdf\">executive summary<\/a>.<\/p>","post_date":"2021-03-18 17:54:14","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Driving Wisconsin\u2019s economy, now and into the future","post_type":"page","slug":"driving-wisconsin-economy-now-and-into-the-future","_edit_lock":"1637782992:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"697","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"697","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Geoscience Professor John Valley, right, and research scientist Kouki Kitajima collaborate in the Wisconsin Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer Lab in Weeks Hall in 2017. In 2019, UW\u2013Madison reported nearly $1.3 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Jeff Miller\/UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_oembed_0619b42332be6f37ec32d0a02ced1696":"<iframe title=\"UW\u2013Madison Works For You\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rcpeYDCxOEo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>","_oembed_time_0619b42332be6f37ec32d0a02ced1696":"1616089933","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-18 17:54:14","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"driving-wisconsin-economy-now-and-into-the-future","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-10-29 18:32:32","post_modified_gmt":"2021-10-29 18:32:32","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=694","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":694,"ID":694,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1637782992:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"697","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"697","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Geoscience Professor John Valley, right, and research scientist Kouki Kitajima collaborate in the Wisconsin Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer Lab in Weeks Hall in 2017. In 2019, UW\u2013Madison reported nearly $1.3 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Jeff Miller\/UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_oembed_0619b42332be6f37ec32d0a02ced1696":"<iframe title=\"UW\u2013Madison Works For You\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rcpeYDCxOEo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>","_oembed_time_0619b42332be6f37ec32d0a02ced1696":"1616089933"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Powered by a top-ranked research program, the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison, its affiliate organizations and the startup companies coming out of the university have a total $30.8 billion annual statewide economic impact, equivalent to nearly 9% of Wisconsin\u2019s $345 billion economy, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/universityrelations.wisc.edu\/economic-impact-2021\/\">new report<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Conducted by NorthStar Analytics, LLC, the study finds that UW\u2013Madison is one of Wisconsin\u2019s major job creators, responsible for 232,057 public and private sector jobs\u2014more than 7% of the 3 million jobs in Wisconsin, or 1 out of every 13 jobs in the state\u2014and $1 billion in state and local taxes, putting it on par with major Wisconsin industries like dairy, food processing and tourism.<\/p>\r\n<p>According to the report, taxpayer support in UW\u2013Madison delivers a huge return on investment. For every $1 taxpayers invest in the university, more than $26 is put back into the state\u2019s economy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>In addition to a billion-dollar research engine, UW\u2013Madison continues to produce ideas and inventions that solve some of the biggest challenges at home and across the globe. The university and UW\u2013Madison affiliates like the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) are home to a leading patent system, a deep pool of scientific talent, powerful computing infrastructure, and curriculum that supports the development of entrepreneurs. Together, these elements make up a partnership that empowers innovators to directly address problems facing major industries in Wisconsin and beyond.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe research and innovation fostered at UW\u2013Madison have brought the world\u2019s leading tech companies to the state and launched hundreds of startups,\u201d says UW\u2013Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. \u201cThe university continues to attract and nurture talent whose research and discoveries have tackled everything from shifts in Wisconsin\u2019s agriculture to public health emergencies like the global COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Substantial growth has come from the creation of new companies based on research at UW\u2013Madison, commonly referred to as startups. Since 1990, the university has helped create more than 400 startups that generate an annual economic impact of $10 billion, 42,855 jobs and $320,224,874 in state and local tax revenue. UW\u2013Madison\u2019s track record of technology spinoffs includes Wisconsin companies such as the radiotherapy treatment TomoTherapy and SHINE Medical Technologies, a leading producer of medical isotopes used for diagnosing cancer, heart disease and other conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_696\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Invenra_lab15_0449-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Roland Green in Invenra research lab\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-696\" \/> Roland Green, president of Invenra and a UW\u2013Madison graduate, works in the company&#8217;s research lab at the University Research Park in 2015. Since 1990, UW\u2013Madison has helped create more than 400 startups that generate an annual economic impact of $10 billion, a new study says. (Photo by Jeff Miller\/UW-Madison)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cThis study confirms that investments in UW\u2013Madison get translated into research breakthroughs that become startup companies that create jobs, hire university graduates, and buy goods and services from across Wisconsin,\u201d says Aaron Olver, managing director of UW\u2013Madison&#8217;s University Research Park.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a virtuous circle that helps spread prosperity across Wisconsin while tackling critical problems like disease and climate change.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Andrew Richards, Director of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Discovery to Product (D2P) agrees. \u201cInnovation is key to a thriving economy, whether it is improving the competitiveness of mature industries or creating whole new business opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The report further demonstrates how UW\u2013Madison positively impacts Wisconsin businesses, with over 90% of the university\u2019s economic impact benefiting the private sector. Private sector industries profiting from the university\u2019s presence include real estate, software development and advanced manufacturing. This activity also generates significant tax revenue \u2013 more than $648 million \u2013 that contributes to the overall quality of life for Wisconsinites statewide.<\/p>\r\n<p>&#8220;The numbers in our report show the large impact that comes from UW\u2013Madison and its benefit to the entire state,\u201d says David J. Ward, chief executive officer of NorthStar Analytics, LLC. \u201cAs we move further into the information economy, the university is clearly a driver of innovation for a broad range of Wisconsin industries from manufacturing to health care, building an important foundation for future growth in the state.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>More than 169,700 UW\u2013Madison alumni contribute to the economy by living, working and spending in the State of Wisconsin. Of the Wisconsin residents who graduate from UW\u2013Madison, 80% continue to live in the state five years after receiving their degree. Graduates from the university report median earnings of nearly $76,000 in the same five-year timeframe.<\/p>\r\n<p>View the <a href=\"https:\/\/universityrelations.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/econ-impact-report-20210210.pdf\">entire report<\/a> and an <a href=\"https:\/\/universityrelations.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/econ-impact-1-pager-20210210.pdf\">executive summary<\/a>.<\/p>","post_date":"2021-03-18 17:54:14","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Driving Wisconsin\u2019s economy, now and into the future","post_type":"page","slug":"driving-wisconsin-economy-now-and-into-the-future","_edit_lock":"1637782992:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"697","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"697","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Geoscience Professor John Valley, right, and research scientist Kouki Kitajima collaborate in the Wisconsin Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer Lab in Weeks Hall in 2017. In 2019, UW\u2013Madison reported nearly $1.3 billion in annual expenditures for research across all fields, about half of which comes from federal awards.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Jeff Miller\/UW-Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_oembed_0619b42332be6f37ec32d0a02ced1696":"<iframe title=\"UW\u2013Madison Works For You\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rcpeYDCxOEo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>","_oembed_time_0619b42332be6f37ec32d0a02ced1696":"1616089933","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-18 17:54:14","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"driving-wisconsin-economy-now-and-into-the-future","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-10-29 18:32:32","post_modified_gmt":"2021-10-29 18:32:32","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=694","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Valley_John_SIMS17_8402-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":750,"ID":750,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616447769:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"751","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"751","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including the UW Hospitals and Clinics, are pictured in an early morning aerial taken from a helicopter on Oct. 23, 2018.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>UW Health serves more than 600,000 patients a year.<\/p>\r\n<p>For many of them, the care is life changing.<\/p>\r\n<p>It\u2019s not just the world-class health care, provided in partnership with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/about-uwhealth\/university-of-wisconsin-school-of-medicine-and-public-health\/11015\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a> at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics.<\/p>\r\n<p>It\u2019s the compassion with which patients are treated by the 1,500 physicians and 17,000 staff members, to help them to the best possible outcome.<\/p>\r\n<p>Read some of their stories here:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Kelsey Townsend was nine months pregnant in October when she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and later gave birth on Nov. 4 while in a medically induced coma. She made an amazing recovery. When she was discharged in January, she was able to hold her newborn baby, Lucy, for the first time. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/after-fighting-covid-19-miracle-mom-finally-meets-baby-she-gave-birth-to-while-in-a-coma\/53638\">more<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>After being told her brain tumor was inoperable, Sun Lim of Northbrook, Ill., turned to UW Health. Doctors there were able to operate and remove the tumor, even in the midst of the pandemic. And the Lim family was impressed by the level of care. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/illinois-family-braved-the-covid-19-pandemics-early-days-to-find-lifesaving-care-at-uw-health\/53585\">more<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>Carmen Lerma became the first person in Wisconsin to undergo a double lung transplant because of COVID-19. She\u2019s been discharged and still has a long road to recovery, but she\u2019s making good progress. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/stories\/covid-19-patient-receives-the-gift-of-life\">more<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>Filmmaker Andrew Scheid just happened to be in Wisconsin when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. But after many months of treatment at UW Carbone Cancer Center, he\u2019s recovering. \u201cYou end up in the middle of the worst moment of your life in the place with the nicest people and the best medical care you could possibly get in the country,\u201d he said. Read <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time-globetrotting-lung-cancer-survivor-shares-story-of-recovery-at-uw-carbone\/53645\">more<\/a><\/u>.<\/li>\r\n<li>After her cancer went into remission, Renee Zemke struggled with depression and thoughts of suicide. But her UW Health doctor talked to her about it and encouraged her to get help. Now she advocates for other cancer survivors. Her message? It&#8217;s OK to not be OK after cancer, and help is never far away. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/renees-story-getting-back-up-after-cancer-knocks-you-down\/53632\">more<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n","post_date":"2021-03-12 20:58:04","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Stories of life-changing treatment at UW Health","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-health-changing-lives","_edit_lock":"1616447769:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"751","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"751","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including the UW Hospitals and Clinics, are pictured in an early morning aerial taken from a helicopter on Oct. 23, 2018.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-12 20:58:04","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-health-changing-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 21:13:48","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 21:13:48","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=750","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":750,"ID":750,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616447769:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"751","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"751","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including the UW Hospitals and Clinics, are pictured in an early morning aerial taken from a helicopter on Oct. 23, 2018.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>UW Health serves more than 600,000 patients a year.<\/p>\r\n<p>For many of them, the care is life changing.<\/p>\r\n<p>It\u2019s not just the world-class health care, provided in partnership with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/about-uwhealth\/university-of-wisconsin-school-of-medicine-and-public-health\/11015\">School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a> at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics.<\/p>\r\n<p>It\u2019s the compassion with which patients are treated by the 1,500 physicians and 17,000 staff members, to help them to the best possible outcome.<\/p>\r\n<p>Read some of their stories here:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Kelsey Townsend was nine months pregnant in October when she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and later gave birth on Nov. 4 while in a medically induced coma. She made an amazing recovery. When she was discharged in January, she was able to hold her newborn baby, Lucy, for the first time. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/after-fighting-covid-19-miracle-mom-finally-meets-baby-she-gave-birth-to-while-in-a-coma\/53638\">more<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>After being told her brain tumor was inoperable, Sun Lim of Northbrook, Ill., turned to UW Health. Doctors there were able to operate and remove the tumor, even in the midst of the pandemic. And the Lim family was impressed by the level of care. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/illinois-family-braved-the-covid-19-pandemics-early-days-to-find-lifesaving-care-at-uw-health\/53585\">more<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>Carmen Lerma became the first person in Wisconsin to undergo a double lung transplant because of COVID-19. She\u2019s been discharged and still has a long road to recovery, but she\u2019s making good progress. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/stories\/covid-19-patient-receives-the-gift-of-life\">more<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>Filmmaker Andrew Scheid just happened to be in Wisconsin when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. But after many months of treatment at UW Carbone Cancer Center, he\u2019s recovering. \u201cYou end up in the middle of the worst moment of your life in the place with the nicest people and the best medical care you could possibly get in the country,\u201d he said. Read <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/in-the-right-place-at-the-right-time-globetrotting-lung-cancer-survivor-shares-story-of-recovery-at-uw-carbone\/53645\">more<\/a><\/u>.<\/li>\r\n<li>After her cancer went into remission, Renee Zemke struggled with depression and thoughts of suicide. But her UW Health doctor talked to her about it and encouraged her to get help. Now she advocates for other cancer survivors. Her message? It&#8217;s OK to not be OK after cancer, and help is never far away. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/renees-story-getting-back-up-after-cancer-knocks-you-down\/53632\">more<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n","post_date":"2021-03-12 20:58:04","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Stories of life-changing treatment at UW Health","post_type":"page","slug":"uw-health-changing-lives","_edit_lock":"1616447769:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"751","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"751","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including the UW Hospitals and Clinics, are pictured in an early morning aerial taken from a helicopter on Oct. 23, 2018.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter \/ UW\u2013Madison","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2021-03-12 20:58:04","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"uw-health-changing-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 21:13:48","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 21:13:48","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=750","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Aerial_Campus18_0211-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":730,"ID":730,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616441156:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"732","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"731","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC) students visit a horticulture business in November 2017.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Courtesy of FISC","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original article by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2020\/12\/09\/uw-madisons-farm-and-industry-short-course-announces-tuition-guarantee-for-students-with-family-income-below-60000\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Training future farmers on the latest science-based management and production techniques is at the core of the College of Agricultural and Life Science\u2019s mission. Since 1886, the college has provided training to tens of thousands of agricultural professionals through the <a href=\"https:\/\/fisc.cals.wisc.edu\/\">Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC)<\/a> program. Financial limitations should not prevent Wisconsin residents from pursuing their dream to learn about agribusiness\u2014and UW\u2013Madison is pledging funds to ensure all Wisconsin students can pursue a career in agriculture, regardless of their financial circumstances.\r\n\r\nThrough a new financial assistance program called the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/fisc.cals.wisc.edu\/financial-support\/\">Farm and Industry Short Course Tuition Promise<\/a>\u201d the university will guarantee all FISC students from Wisconsin with a family income below $60,000\u2014the median income in the state \u2013 will have their tuition funded by gifts and grants.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are excited to demonstrate our strong commitment to training future farmers and agricultural professionals through this new financial assistance program,\u201d said Kate VandenBosch, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. \u201cIn light of the recent financial hardships facing many of those in Wisconsin agriculture, we are pleased to make this commitment to training future generations of agricultural leaders.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe FISC Tuition Promise program shares the same goal as UW\u2013Madison\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a>: to ensure Wisconsin\u2019s flagship public university is affordable for Wisconsin students and families. Unlike Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise, however, the FISC program does not involve federal financial aid, so FISC students do not need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Instead, students qualify by completing a FISC scholarship application after they have been admitted to the program.\r\n\r\n\u201cDue to the success and generosity of our graduates and supporters, FISC has been able to provide scholarships to our students for decades,\u201d says FISC Director Jennifer Blazek. \u201cWith the launch of the FISC Tuition Promise we are strengthening our commitment to ensuring that students with the greatest need are not discouraged from applying and attending.\u201d\r\n\r\nAdditional scholarships will continue to be available for students who do not qualify for the FISC Tuition Promise. All admitted students are strongly encouraged to complete a FISC scholarship application to be eligible for scholarship support.\r\n\r\nFarm and Industry Short Course is the primary farmer-training program offered by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Participants take courses on the UW\u2013Madison campus during the stretch of time between fall harvest and spring planting. The curriculum covers topics such as crops, dairy, meat animals, agricultural engineering, farm business planning, agribusiness, human relations and communications. Coursework involves lectures, hands-on labs and tours. For more on the program, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/fisc.cals.wisc.edu\">fisc.cals.wisc.edu<\/a>.\r\n","post_date":"2020-12-09 19:17:08","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Tuition program helps future farmers and agricultural professionals","post_type":"page","slug":"tuition-program-helps-future-farmers-and-agricultural-professionals","_edit_lock":"1616441156:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"732","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"731","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC) students visit a horticulture business in November 2017.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Courtesy of FISC","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original article by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2020\/12\/09\/uw-madisons-farm-and-industry-short-course-announces-tuition-guarantee-for-students-with-family-income-below-60000\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-12-09 19:17:08","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"tuition-program-helps-future-farmers-and-agricultural-professionals","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 19:28:15","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 19:28:15","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=730","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":730,"ID":730,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616441156:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"732","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"731","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC) students visit a horticulture business in November 2017.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Courtesy of FISC","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original article by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2020\/12\/09\/uw-madisons-farm-and-industry-short-course-announces-tuition-guarantee-for-students-with-family-income-below-60000\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Training future farmers on the latest science-based management and production techniques is at the core of the College of Agricultural and Life Science\u2019s mission. Since 1886, the college has provided training to tens of thousands of agricultural professionals through the <a href=\"https:\/\/fisc.cals.wisc.edu\/\">Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC)<\/a> program. Financial limitations should not prevent Wisconsin residents from pursuing their dream to learn about agribusiness\u2014and UW\u2013Madison is pledging funds to ensure all Wisconsin students can pursue a career in agriculture, regardless of their financial circumstances.\r\n\r\nThrough a new financial assistance program called the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/fisc.cals.wisc.edu\/financial-support\/\">Farm and Industry Short Course Tuition Promise<\/a>\u201d the university will guarantee all FISC students from Wisconsin with a family income below $60,000\u2014the median income in the state \u2013 will have their tuition funded by gifts and grants.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are excited to demonstrate our strong commitment to training future farmers and agricultural professionals through this new financial assistance program,\u201d said Kate VandenBosch, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. \u201cIn light of the recent financial hardships facing many of those in Wisconsin agriculture, we are pleased to make this commitment to training future generations of agricultural leaders.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe FISC Tuition Promise program shares the same goal as UW\u2013Madison\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/financialaid.wisc.edu\/types-of-aid\/tuition-promise\/\">Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise<\/a>: to ensure Wisconsin\u2019s flagship public university is affordable for Wisconsin students and families. Unlike Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise, however, the FISC program does not involve federal financial aid, so FISC students do not need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Instead, students qualify by completing a FISC scholarship application after they have been admitted to the program.\r\n\r\n\u201cDue to the success and generosity of our graduates and supporters, FISC has been able to provide scholarships to our students for decades,\u201d says FISC Director Jennifer Blazek. \u201cWith the launch of the FISC Tuition Promise we are strengthening our commitment to ensuring that students with the greatest need are not discouraged from applying and attending.\u201d\r\n\r\nAdditional scholarships will continue to be available for students who do not qualify for the FISC Tuition Promise. All admitted students are strongly encouraged to complete a FISC scholarship application to be eligible for scholarship support.\r\n\r\nFarm and Industry Short Course is the primary farmer-training program offered by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Participants take courses on the UW\u2013Madison campus during the stretch of time between fall harvest and spring planting. The curriculum covers topics such as crops, dairy, meat animals, agricultural engineering, farm business planning, agribusiness, human relations and communications. Coursework involves lectures, hands-on labs and tours. For more on the program, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/fisc.cals.wisc.edu\">fisc.cals.wisc.edu<\/a>.\r\n","post_date":"2020-12-09 19:17:08","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Tuition program helps future farmers and agricultural professionals","post_type":"page","slug":"tuition-program-helps-future-farmers-and-agricultural-professionals","_edit_lock":"1616441156:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"732","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"731","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC) students visit a horticulture business in November 2017.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Courtesy of FISC","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original article by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2020\/12\/09\/uw-madisons-farm-and-industry-short-course-announces-tuition-guarantee-for-students-with-family-income-below-60000\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-12-09 19:17:08","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"tuition-program-helps-future-farmers-and-agricultural-professionals","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 19:28:15","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 19:28:15","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=730","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fisc-2020-crop-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":705,"ID":705,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673549997:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"651","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"651","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"After a four-month battle with COVID-19, Carmen Lerma was the first person in Wisconsin with COVID-19 to receive a double lung transplant.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"UW Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/woman-who-received-double-lung-transplant-because-of-covid-19-released-from-university-hospital\/53576\">UW Health<\/a>.","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Madison, Wisconsin - When Carmen Lerma was transferred to University Hospital in October following a long battle with COVID-19, she wasn't sure if or when she'd ever see her family again.\r\n\r\nThe disease had so damaged her lungs that a double lung transplant was her only chance for survival. After spending only a few days on the transplant waiting list, her doctors got the call that a person who had just lost their own life was about to give Lerma a second chance at hers.\r\n\r\nOn November 5, 2020 - two weeks after her transplant surgery and four months after her COVID-19 diagnosis - Lerma left the transplant unit at University Hospital, where she was finally reunited outside the hospital entrance with her husband, her brother and her mother.\r\n\r\n\"I hadn't seen my family in so long, and to finally be able to stand here and walk over to them is priceless,\" said Lerma. \"I never thought that I'd be able to do this again, so I really want to thank all the UW Health doctors and nurses, all of whom were amazing. It was a rough journey that got me here, but a great ending.\"\r\n\r\nLerma became the first person in Wisconsin to undergo a double lung transplant because of COVID-19. Dr. Dan McCarthy, UW Health cardiothoracic surgeon, said that Carmen still has a long road to recovery, but he is encouraged by the progress she's made so far and optimistic about her chances to get back to the life she had prior to her COVID-19 diagnosis. <em>[She provided updates to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox6now.com\/news\/woman-is-1st-person-in-wi-to-get-double-lung-transplant-due-to-covid-19\">Fox6 News Milwaukee in March 2021<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmj4.com\/news\/coronavirus\/milwaukee-woman-who-survived-covid-19-and-double-lung-transplant-is-using-her-story-to-help-others\">TMJ4 in November 2021<\/a>.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, Lerma is aware that transplant recipients like her get a second chance at life because of the heroic decisions of their organ donors and their families. She has since written a letter to the family of the person whose lungs she now has and expressed her gratitude for the gift of life they gave her.","post_date":"2020-11-12 18:24:51","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"COVID-19 patient receives the gift of life","post_type":"page","slug":"covid-19-patient-receives-the-gift-of-life","_edit_lock":"1673549997:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"651","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"651","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"After a four-month battle with COVID-19, Carmen Lerma was the first person in Wisconsin with COVID-19 to receive a double lung transplant.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"UW Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/woman-who-received-double-lung-transplant-because-of-covid-19-released-from-university-hospital\/53576\">UW Health<\/a>.","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2020-11-12 18:24:51","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"covid-19-patient-receives-the-gift-of-life","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-12 19:02:19","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-12 19:02:19","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=705","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":705,"ID":705,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1673549997:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"651","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"651","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"After a four-month battle with COVID-19, Carmen Lerma was the first person in Wisconsin with COVID-19 to receive a double lung transplant.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"UW Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/woman-who-received-double-lung-transplant-because-of-covid-19-released-from-university-hospital\/53576\">UW Health<\/a>.","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Madison, Wisconsin - When Carmen Lerma was transferred to University Hospital in October following a long battle with COVID-19, she wasn't sure if or when she'd ever see her family again.\r\n\r\nThe disease had so damaged her lungs that a double lung transplant was her only chance for survival. After spending only a few days on the transplant waiting list, her doctors got the call that a person who had just lost their own life was about to give Lerma a second chance at hers.\r\n\r\nOn November 5, 2020 - two weeks after her transplant surgery and four months after her COVID-19 diagnosis - Lerma left the transplant unit at University Hospital, where she was finally reunited outside the hospital entrance with her husband, her brother and her mother.\r\n\r\n\"I hadn't seen my family in so long, and to finally be able to stand here and walk over to them is priceless,\" said Lerma. \"I never thought that I'd be able to do this again, so I really want to thank all the UW Health doctors and nurses, all of whom were amazing. It was a rough journey that got me here, but a great ending.\"\r\n\r\nLerma became the first person in Wisconsin to undergo a double lung transplant because of COVID-19. Dr. Dan McCarthy, UW Health cardiothoracic surgeon, said that Carmen still has a long road to recovery, but he is encouraged by the progress she's made so far and optimistic about her chances to get back to the life she had prior to her COVID-19 diagnosis. <em>[She provided updates to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox6now.com\/news\/woman-is-1st-person-in-wi-to-get-double-lung-transplant-due-to-covid-19\">Fox6 News Milwaukee in March 2021<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmj4.com\/news\/coronavirus\/milwaukee-woman-who-survived-covid-19-and-double-lung-transplant-is-using-her-story-to-help-others\">TMJ4 in November 2021<\/a>.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, Lerma is aware that transplant recipients like her get a second chance at life because of the heroic decisions of their organ donors and their families. She has since written a letter to the family of the person whose lungs she now has and expressed her gratitude for the gift of life they gave her.","post_date":"2020-11-12 18:24:51","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"COVID-19 patient receives the gift of life","post_type":"page","slug":"covid-19-patient-receives-the-gift-of-life","_edit_lock":"1673549997:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"651","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"651","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"After a four-month battle with COVID-19, Carmen Lerma was the first person in Wisconsin with COVID-19 to receive a double lung transplant.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"UW Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/woman-who-received-double-lung-transplant-because-of-covid-19-released-from-university-hospital\/53576\">UW Health<\/a>.","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","body_css_class":"","_body_css_class":"field_6092a4d43fe28","call_to_action_text":"","_call_to_action_text":"field_61d1d3b1185bd","call_to_action_button_label":"","_call_to_action_button_label":"field_61d1d3ed185be","call_to_action_url":"","_call_to_action_url":"field_61d1d3fc185bf","call_to_action":"","_call_to_action":"field_61d1d39d185bc","meta_title":"","_meta_title":"field_606b4b3951ae9","meta_image":"","_meta_image":"field_606b4b9451aea","meta_description":"","_meta_description":"field_606b4c3a51aeb","twitter_card_type":"summary","_twitter_card_type":"field_606b4f0551aed","custom_meta_tags":"","_custom_meta_tags":"field_606b49c55380d","post_date_gmt":"2020-11-12 18:24:51","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"covid-19-patient-receives-the-gift-of-life","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-01-12 19:02:19","post_modified_gmt":"2023-01-12 19:02:19","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=705","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/lung-transplant-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":741,"ID":741,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1635532191:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"649","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"649","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"In the College of Letters and Science, a new school focused on human-centered computing expands opportunities for students and aims to nourish the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ls.wisc.edu\/news\/wisconsin-in-the-information-age\">Original story<\/a> by Mary Ellen Gabriel in the Fall 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/ls.wisc.edu\/lsnews\/letters-science-magazine\">Letters & Science magazine<\/a>.\r\n","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Computing and data permeate every aspect of society, from banking to health care, from retail to communications, from agriculture and manufacturing to education and tourism. We vote, drive, visit the doctor, buy a house and make our phone calls with the assumption that somebody, somewhere is collecting information, feeding it into a database, processing and using it (we hope ethically) to make decisions. Computing algorithms power services from Netflix to Google to Facebook and are at the heart of artificial intelli\u00adgence (AI). Using statistics to detect patterns in massive amounts of data, AI algorithms not only predict which song you want Alexa to play next, but also help scientists monitor climate change, disease spread, population fluctuations and other global trends.\r\n\r\nThe need for tech-savvy graduates has been skyrocketing for years. Here at UW-Madison, computer science is the most popular undergraduate major, and last year, more than 3,000 students were pursuing degrees in majors offered by computer sciences, statistics and the Information School (iSchool).\r\n\r\nHigh demand, along with the tantalizing prospect of fueling research and fostering growth and innovation in the state\u2019s technology sector, prompted Chancellor Rebecca Blank to convene a working group in 2018 to determine a bold leadership strategy to meet Wisconsin\u2019s needs and those of students and faculty.\r\n\r\nThe result was the creation, last fall, of the new School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) in the College of Letters & Science\u2014the first new school in more than two decades on the UW-Madison campus.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe new school unites the powerhouse departments of computer sciences, statistics and the iSchool under one umbrella\u2014the College of Letters & Science\u2014combining existing strengths to enable innovative new courses and curricula, as well as research that integrates the full breadth of L&S and UW\u2013Madison,\u201d says Eric Wilcots, dean of the College of Letters & Science.\r\n\r\nThe school aims to produce more graduates who have been exposed to, and trained in, computational thinking, big data, AI and related fields. It also recognizes that all students, no matter their major, need some training in these disciplines to be able to excel in the workplace and engage with computing capabilities that pose new challenges to privacy, security and the flow of information across diverse segments of society.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe importance of our youth having opportunities in the area of tech has never been greater,\u201d says Tom Erickson (BS, Electrical and Computer Engineering, \u201980), the founding director of CDIS. \u201cAnd the state of Wisconsin is positioned for innovation and entrepreneurship, especially with the university here. There\u2019s always this conversation: How do we create jobs and get people working? The answer is staring us in the face: We educate a wider pool of students, and we help create an ecosystem that nurtures the creation of new companies.\u201d \r\n\r\n<h2>Tapping Leaders to Grow Talent<\/h2>\r\nErickson was tapped by Blank to co-lead the working group and eventually was selected to lead the new school. He grew up in Mondovi, Wis. (a third-generation Badger), and has been part of at least ten software companies around the world in the last four decades. He helped found Acquia (which commercialized Drupal as a platform) in 2008 and retired from the international firm in 2017 as its CEO.\r\n\r\n\u201cI have always been interested in how we take talent and grow it,\u201d he says. \u201cI want to encourage programs that allow people from any kind of competency and interest level to graduate from this university with enough tech literacy that they can find meaningful employment and leverage that knowledge for success.\u201d\r\n\r\nAssociate Director of CDIS Kristin Eschenfelder agrees. The professor of information sciences and former director of UW-Madison\u2019s iSchool was recruited to handle all aspects of academic pro\u00adgramming, as well as faculty hiring and recruiting for the new school. An explicit goal, she says, is to create programs and opportunities that attract a more diverse range of students to the computing\/data\/information field.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere\u2019s a huge pool of very, very smart students who may not feel comfortable diving into computer science as a major, but are very interested in technology,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\n\u201cAs a society, we need all the brains we can get in this area. We have to attract new people from new audiences. And once we do that, we have to keep them.\u201d\r\n\r\nThere is a great \u201cvalue proposition,\u201d as Erickson describes it, in the decision to locate the new school within the College of Letters & Science, home to the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural and physical sciences.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve spent the last 50 years of the Information Age making faster computers and more storage, creating environments for machine learning and harnessing big data,\u201d he says. \u201cThe challenge we face in the next 50 years is, are we doing all of this right? What does the Information Age mean for society? That\u2019s not just a discus\u00adsion between statisticians and computer scientists. Sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, and historians should be part of it, too.\u201d\r\n\r\n<h2>Placing Humans at the Center<\/h2>\r\nEveryone has experience with frustrating information systems that should be easy and turn out to be daunting. When technology works well, it\u2019s freeing and empowering. When it doesn\u2019t, it can be annoying. Even a well-designed system can be ethically questionable and even potentially harmful. \r\n\r\n\u201cWe need people with the skills and knowledge to design systems that work better for people, that help them accomplish their tasks in the world,\u201d says Eschenfelder. \u201cBut we also need to ask: What are the negative sides to all this technology? If students aren\u2019t sensitized to these things, they come out the door so solutions-oriented that they just build the system without thinking through the negative repercussions of the designs they make.\u201d\r\n\r\nCorey Jackson, a current postdoctoral scholar who will join the iSchool faculty as an assistant professor in Fall 2021, specializes in the area of human-centered computing. He came to UW-Madison from the University of California-Berkeley, where he taught data science. Jackson says that an idea has floated around the data and computing fields for a long time: If you build it, they will come. \r\n\r\nBut that\u2019s not always true, he says. \u201cI\u2019m collaborating with colleagues from IDEO [a global design and innovation company], Microsoft and Duke Health on COVID-19 research, where we\u2019re trying to understand the challenges to adoption and use of contact tracing technologies,\u201d says Jackson. \u201cWe\u2019re finding that the populations most impacted by COVID-19 have the lowest adoption of those technologies.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe resistance comes from a deeper suspicion of how their data will be used, he says. Historical cases of racism and unethi\u00adcal medical practices (such as the infamous Tuskegee study of untreated syphilis in African American men, which ran from 1932 to 1972) have created skepticism and mistrust within communities of color.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Tuskegee Study, a major violation of morals and ethical standards, was just one instance of how vulnerable communities are taken advantage of, and so it makes sense that communities of color may not be as eager to adopt new technologies,\u201d Jackson says. \u201cIf we want to achieve higher adoption of contact tracing technologies, we need to ensure that our approach to the design of technology is intersectional, encompassing the voices and needs of people from all races, socioeconomic classes, and gender identities. This approach should permeate all facets of our thinking about designing future computing systems.\u201d\r\n\r\n<h2>Creating Flexible Pathways for Students<\/h2>\r\nEschenfelder intends to expand the percentage of UW-Madison undergrad\u00aduates who think hard and critically about the human aspects of computing and data sciences, building \u201cflexible curric\u00adular pathways\u201d for students who want basic literacy.\r\n\r\n\u201cRight now, we have excellent options for students who want a full computer science or data science experience, but we need to increase the range of options for those who want a more hybrid experience,\u201d Eschenfelder says. \u201cTech is everywhere in society. Those with a base level of literacy can be effective citizens, informed consumers, better advocates for their own health, privacy and safety.\u201d\r\n\r\nRemzi Arpaci-Dusseau, chair of the computer sciences department, agrees. \u201cMany professions will require computational and data literacy, much like many professions have required a certain level of mathematical proficiency,\u201d he says. \u201cOur goal is to help students learn these core fundamentals, so they have the necessary foundations in place to succeed.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor some students, he says, it will mean going deep into the material, perhaps adding computer science or data science as a second major. For others, it may be a certificate or smaller subset of courses that give grounding in core concepts. For yet others, it may be just a class or two, so as to have a slightly deeper appreciation of technologies that are shaping our world.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe believe this approach is essential as students move into our highly digital and data-driven world,\u201d says Arpaci-Dusseau.\r\n\r\n<h2>Adding an Interdisciplinary Major<\/h2>\r\nThe data science major is an example of extending literacy across campus, while also making a data-oriented major more inclusive and broad-based. Students in this new interdisciplinary major (administered by the Department of Statistics within CDIS) will be able to apply computational, mathematical and statistical thinking to data-rich problems in a wide variety of fields. In addition to the L&S \u201cbreadth and depth\u201d requirements in languages, literature, social sciences and natural sciences, the data science major will have electives in geography, economics, sociology, Biocore labs and other courses not typically required for a quantitative major.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Data Science Program Committee, led by Bret Larget [a professor of botany and statistics], did a lot of reaching out and creating partnerships across campus,\u201d says Eschenfelder.\r\n\r\nEventually, Eschenfelder envisions adding requirements to the CDIS majors and certificates that pull from departments like psychology and sociology as well as departments in the humanities where data mining of texts has yielded fascinating insights for more than a decade.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are putting the building blocks in place for leadership in human-centered high tech,\u201d Erickson says.\r\n\r\n<h2>Building a Strong Faculty<\/h2>\r\nTop-tier faculty are attracted to col\u00adlaborative environments. The School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences hired a total of 15 new faculty this past spring, in the areas of human\/computer interaction (UX), machine learning and artificial intelligence. All are research faculty from top-ranked institutions. All will help meet the demand for more courses in a broad range of areas that will attract a wider pool of students. \r\n\r\nThese faculty will be interacting with others from across campus regularly. \u201cAll three of these CDIS departments [computer sciences, statistics and iSchool] are ranked in the top 14 in the country,\u201d says Erickson. \u201cWe\u2019ll be leading on the research side. And those same people doing the research? They\u2019ll be doing cutting-edge teaching, too.\u201d \r\n\r\nIt follows, says Erickson, that students coming out of CDIS programs will be on the cutting edge of their disciplines.\r\n\r\n<h2>Diversifying at Every Level<\/h2>\r\nAccelerating recruiting and outreach strategies for underrepresented groups is a priority for CDIS, Erickson says.\r\n\r\n\u201cHistorically, 35% of computer sciences graduates were women. Five years ago, that number went down to 18%,\u201d he says. \u201cSomething happened, and we need to solve this both for the benefit of society and for the benefit of the industry.\u201d \r\n\r\nArpaci-Dusseau acknowledges that computer sciences has work to do. Computing affects everyone; thus, it should include everyone, he says. \u201cTo make progress on these issues, we believe doubling down on recruiting is a first step,\u201d he says. \u201cBut beyond recruiting, we want to build and maintain a strong, positive, inclusive culture. We cannot rest until all people have access to the educa\u00adtion and research opportunities available within our department.\u201d\r\n\r\nMeeting goals of inclusivity in the student body can\u2019t happen without faculty to lead the way. When female students see a woman teaching a 500-level computing class, they believe they can excel in a field inexplicably dominated, lately, by men. The same is true for students of color, whose experience with data, information and computing may not align with that of their white peers. Each of the departments in CDIS has a diversity and inclusion committee, and all of them meet regularly to improve best practices and set ambitious goals.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are committed to achieving better outcomes,\u201d says Eschenfelder. \r\n\r\n<h2>Collaborating on Research<\/h2>\r\nMany CDIS faculty are working on teams connected with UW\u2013Madison\u2019s American Family Insurance Data Science Institute (DSI), which was created in 2019 as a campus-level center to encourage cutting-edge research and advance scientific discovery in collaboration with researchers across campus and beyond.\r\n\r\nFor example, there is a DSI COVID-19 Research Group that includes more than 100 people, including many CDIS faculty and staff, working together to interpret data and create models that help inform public health responses to the pandemic. Brian Yandell, professor of statistics, is the David R. Anderson Interim Director of the Data Science Institute.\r\n\r\n\u201cData science research is all about collaboration,\u201d says Yandell. \u201cCDIS and DSI together increase campus-wide visibility and focus on computing and data science, drawing on the diverse strengths of UW-Madison to attract industry and foundation partnerships to address wicked problems such as transforming human society in the face of pandemic threats, depleted environments and social inequities.\u201d\r\n\r\n<h2>Partnering with Industry<\/h2>\r\nAt the heart of Erickson\u2019s vision for the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences is the goal of positioning the new school as a critical resource for sparking entrepreneurship and innovation in Wisconsin.\r\n\r\n\u201cOne of the key factors that has benefited the coasts has been the creation of new companies,\u201d says Erickson. \u201cIronically, Wisconsin is one of the great centers for scientific innovation. But we need to do a better job reaping the economic benefits of that.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe cites a December 2019 report from the Brookings Institution, \u201cThe Case for Growth Centers: How to Spread Tech Innovation Across America,\u201d that places Madison at the top of a list of 35 \u201cpoten\u00adtially transformative growth centers\u201d with promising innovation capacity, led largely by the research powerhouse that is UW-Madison.\r\n\r\nThe computer sciences department has always had strong ties to industry. Chair Arpaci-Dusseau says he and colleagues are excited to do even more to spark new companies and ventures.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhere will new digital innovations be needed?\u201d he asks. \u201cHow can we connect students to problems in agriculture, insurance, and other parts of our state economy, so that their innovations can help transform those fields? What elements need to be put in place so that innovators can be connected to relevant funding opportunities and professional networks, which are often critical to success?\u201d\r\n\r\nErickson acknowledges that a strong foundation has been laid, but stresses that he\u2019ll be encouraging conversations with tech entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and industry leaders around the state.\r\n\r\n\u201cI feel that the state of Wisconsin can be a leader in value creation,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I believe the university has a responsibility for making that a reality.\u201d\r\n\r\n","post_date":"2020-10-07 22:24:01","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Wisconsin in the information age","post_type":"page","slug":"wisconsin-information-age","_edit_lock":"1635532191:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"649","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"649","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"In the College of Letters and Science, a new school focused on human-centered computing expands opportunities for students and aims to nourish the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ls.wisc.edu\/news\/wisconsin-in-the-information-age\">Original story<\/a> by Mary Ellen Gabriel in the Fall 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/ls.wisc.edu\/lsnews\/letters-science-magazine\">Letters & Science magazine<\/a>.\r\n","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-10-07 22:24:01","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"wisconsin-information-age","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 20:42:03","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 20:42:03","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=741","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":741,"ID":741,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1635532191:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"649","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"649","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"In the College of Letters and Science, a new school focused on human-centered computing expands opportunities for students and aims to nourish the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ls.wisc.edu\/news\/wisconsin-in-the-information-age\">Original story<\/a> by Mary Ellen Gabriel in the Fall 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/ls.wisc.edu\/lsnews\/letters-science-magazine\">Letters & Science magazine<\/a>.\r\n","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"Computing and data permeate every aspect of society, from banking to health care, from retail to communications, from agriculture and manufacturing to education and tourism. We vote, drive, visit the doctor, buy a house and make our phone calls with the assumption that somebody, somewhere is collecting information, feeding it into a database, processing and using it (we hope ethically) to make decisions. Computing algorithms power services from Netflix to Google to Facebook and are at the heart of artificial intelli\u00adgence (AI). Using statistics to detect patterns in massive amounts of data, AI algorithms not only predict which song you want Alexa to play next, but also help scientists monitor climate change, disease spread, population fluctuations and other global trends.\r\n\r\nThe need for tech-savvy graduates has been skyrocketing for years. Here at UW-Madison, computer science is the most popular undergraduate major, and last year, more than 3,000 students were pursuing degrees in majors offered by computer sciences, statistics and the Information School (iSchool).\r\n\r\nHigh demand, along with the tantalizing prospect of fueling research and fostering growth and innovation in the state\u2019s technology sector, prompted Chancellor Rebecca Blank to convene a working group in 2018 to determine a bold leadership strategy to meet Wisconsin\u2019s needs and those of students and faculty.\r\n\r\nThe result was the creation, last fall, of the new School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) in the College of Letters & Science\u2014the first new school in more than two decades on the UW-Madison campus.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe new school unites the powerhouse departments of computer sciences, statistics and the iSchool under one umbrella\u2014the College of Letters & Science\u2014combining existing strengths to enable innovative new courses and curricula, as well as research that integrates the full breadth of L&S and UW\u2013Madison,\u201d says Eric Wilcots, dean of the College of Letters & Science.\r\n\r\nThe school aims to produce more graduates who have been exposed to, and trained in, computational thinking, big data, AI and related fields. It also recognizes that all students, no matter their major, need some training in these disciplines to be able to excel in the workplace and engage with computing capabilities that pose new challenges to privacy, security and the flow of information across diverse segments of society.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe importance of our youth having opportunities in the area of tech has never been greater,\u201d says Tom Erickson (BS, Electrical and Computer Engineering, \u201980), the founding director of CDIS. \u201cAnd the state of Wisconsin is positioned for innovation and entrepreneurship, especially with the university here. There\u2019s always this conversation: How do we create jobs and get people working? The answer is staring us in the face: We educate a wider pool of students, and we help create an ecosystem that nurtures the creation of new companies.\u201d \r\n\r\n<h2>Tapping Leaders to Grow Talent<\/h2>\r\nErickson was tapped by Blank to co-lead the working group and eventually was selected to lead the new school. He grew up in Mondovi, Wis. (a third-generation Badger), and has been part of at least ten software companies around the world in the last four decades. He helped found Acquia (which commercialized Drupal as a platform) in 2008 and retired from the international firm in 2017 as its CEO.\r\n\r\n\u201cI have always been interested in how we take talent and grow it,\u201d he says. \u201cI want to encourage programs that allow people from any kind of competency and interest level to graduate from this university with enough tech literacy that they can find meaningful employment and leverage that knowledge for success.\u201d\r\n\r\nAssociate Director of CDIS Kristin Eschenfelder agrees. The professor of information sciences and former director of UW-Madison\u2019s iSchool was recruited to handle all aspects of academic pro\u00adgramming, as well as faculty hiring and recruiting for the new school. An explicit goal, she says, is to create programs and opportunities that attract a more diverse range of students to the computing\/data\/information field.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere\u2019s a huge pool of very, very smart students who may not feel comfortable diving into computer science as a major, but are very interested in technology,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\n\u201cAs a society, we need all the brains we can get in this area. We have to attract new people from new audiences. And once we do that, we have to keep them.\u201d\r\n\r\nThere is a great \u201cvalue proposition,\u201d as Erickson describes it, in the decision to locate the new school within the College of Letters & Science, home to the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural and physical sciences.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve spent the last 50 years of the Information Age making faster computers and more storage, creating environments for machine learning and harnessing big data,\u201d he says. \u201cThe challenge we face in the next 50 years is, are we doing all of this right? What does the Information Age mean for society? That\u2019s not just a discus\u00adsion between statisticians and computer scientists. Sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, and historians should be part of it, too.\u201d\r\n\r\n<h2>Placing Humans at the Center<\/h2>\r\nEveryone has experience with frustrating information systems that should be easy and turn out to be daunting. When technology works well, it\u2019s freeing and empowering. When it doesn\u2019t, it can be annoying. Even a well-designed system can be ethically questionable and even potentially harmful. \r\n\r\n\u201cWe need people with the skills and knowledge to design systems that work better for people, that help them accomplish their tasks in the world,\u201d says Eschenfelder. \u201cBut we also need to ask: What are the negative sides to all this technology? If students aren\u2019t sensitized to these things, they come out the door so solutions-oriented that they just build the system without thinking through the negative repercussions of the designs they make.\u201d\r\n\r\nCorey Jackson, a current postdoctoral scholar who will join the iSchool faculty as an assistant professor in Fall 2021, specializes in the area of human-centered computing. He came to UW-Madison from the University of California-Berkeley, where he taught data science. Jackson says that an idea has floated around the data and computing fields for a long time: If you build it, they will come. \r\n\r\nBut that\u2019s not always true, he says. \u201cI\u2019m collaborating with colleagues from IDEO [a global design and innovation company], Microsoft and Duke Health on COVID-19 research, where we\u2019re trying to understand the challenges to adoption and use of contact tracing technologies,\u201d says Jackson. \u201cWe\u2019re finding that the populations most impacted by COVID-19 have the lowest adoption of those technologies.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe resistance comes from a deeper suspicion of how their data will be used, he says. Historical cases of racism and unethi\u00adcal medical practices (such as the infamous Tuskegee study of untreated syphilis in African American men, which ran from 1932 to 1972) have created skepticism and mistrust within communities of color.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Tuskegee Study, a major violation of morals and ethical standards, was just one instance of how vulnerable communities are taken advantage of, and so it makes sense that communities of color may not be as eager to adopt new technologies,\u201d Jackson says. \u201cIf we want to achieve higher adoption of contact tracing technologies, we need to ensure that our approach to the design of technology is intersectional, encompassing the voices and needs of people from all races, socioeconomic classes, and gender identities. This approach should permeate all facets of our thinking about designing future computing systems.\u201d\r\n\r\n<h2>Creating Flexible Pathways for Students<\/h2>\r\nEschenfelder intends to expand the percentage of UW-Madison undergrad\u00aduates who think hard and critically about the human aspects of computing and data sciences, building \u201cflexible curric\u00adular pathways\u201d for students who want basic literacy.\r\n\r\n\u201cRight now, we have excellent options for students who want a full computer science or data science experience, but we need to increase the range of options for those who want a more hybrid experience,\u201d Eschenfelder says. \u201cTech is everywhere in society. Those with a base level of literacy can be effective citizens, informed consumers, better advocates for their own health, privacy and safety.\u201d\r\n\r\nRemzi Arpaci-Dusseau, chair of the computer sciences department, agrees. \u201cMany professions will require computational and data literacy, much like many professions have required a certain level of mathematical proficiency,\u201d he says. \u201cOur goal is to help students learn these core fundamentals, so they have the necessary foundations in place to succeed.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor some students, he says, it will mean going deep into the material, perhaps adding computer science or data science as a second major. For others, it may be a certificate or smaller subset of courses that give grounding in core concepts. For yet others, it may be just a class or two, so as to have a slightly deeper appreciation of technologies that are shaping our world.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe believe this approach is essential as students move into our highly digital and data-driven world,\u201d says Arpaci-Dusseau.\r\n\r\n<h2>Adding an Interdisciplinary Major<\/h2>\r\nThe data science major is an example of extending literacy across campus, while also making a data-oriented major more inclusive and broad-based. Students in this new interdisciplinary major (administered by the Department of Statistics within CDIS) will be able to apply computational, mathematical and statistical thinking to data-rich problems in a wide variety of fields. In addition to the L&S \u201cbreadth and depth\u201d requirements in languages, literature, social sciences and natural sciences, the data science major will have electives in geography, economics, sociology, Biocore labs and other courses not typically required for a quantitative major.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Data Science Program Committee, led by Bret Larget [a professor of botany and statistics], did a lot of reaching out and creating partnerships across campus,\u201d says Eschenfelder.\r\n\r\nEventually, Eschenfelder envisions adding requirements to the CDIS majors and certificates that pull from departments like psychology and sociology as well as departments in the humanities where data mining of texts has yielded fascinating insights for more than a decade.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are putting the building blocks in place for leadership in human-centered high tech,\u201d Erickson says.\r\n\r\n<h2>Building a Strong Faculty<\/h2>\r\nTop-tier faculty are attracted to col\u00adlaborative environments. The School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences hired a total of 15 new faculty this past spring, in the areas of human\/computer interaction (UX), machine learning and artificial intelligence. All are research faculty from top-ranked institutions. All will help meet the demand for more courses in a broad range of areas that will attract a wider pool of students. \r\n\r\nThese faculty will be interacting with others from across campus regularly. \u201cAll three of these CDIS departments [computer sciences, statistics and iSchool] are ranked in the top 14 in the country,\u201d says Erickson. \u201cWe\u2019ll be leading on the research side. And those same people doing the research? They\u2019ll be doing cutting-edge teaching, too.\u201d \r\n\r\nIt follows, says Erickson, that students coming out of CDIS programs will be on the cutting edge of their disciplines.\r\n\r\n<h2>Diversifying at Every Level<\/h2>\r\nAccelerating recruiting and outreach strategies for underrepresented groups is a priority for CDIS, Erickson says.\r\n\r\n\u201cHistorically, 35% of computer sciences graduates were women. Five years ago, that number went down to 18%,\u201d he says. \u201cSomething happened, and we need to solve this both for the benefit of society and for the benefit of the industry.\u201d \r\n\r\nArpaci-Dusseau acknowledges that computer sciences has work to do. Computing affects everyone; thus, it should include everyone, he says. \u201cTo make progress on these issues, we believe doubling down on recruiting is a first step,\u201d he says. \u201cBut beyond recruiting, we want to build and maintain a strong, positive, inclusive culture. We cannot rest until all people have access to the educa\u00adtion and research opportunities available within our department.\u201d\r\n\r\nMeeting goals of inclusivity in the student body can\u2019t happen without faculty to lead the way. When female students see a woman teaching a 500-level computing class, they believe they can excel in a field inexplicably dominated, lately, by men. The same is true for students of color, whose experience with data, information and computing may not align with that of their white peers. Each of the departments in CDIS has a diversity and inclusion committee, and all of them meet regularly to improve best practices and set ambitious goals.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe are committed to achieving better outcomes,\u201d says Eschenfelder. \r\n\r\n<h2>Collaborating on Research<\/h2>\r\nMany CDIS faculty are working on teams connected with UW\u2013Madison\u2019s American Family Insurance Data Science Institute (DSI), which was created in 2019 as a campus-level center to encourage cutting-edge research and advance scientific discovery in collaboration with researchers across campus and beyond.\r\n\r\nFor example, there is a DSI COVID-19 Research Group that includes more than 100 people, including many CDIS faculty and staff, working together to interpret data and create models that help inform public health responses to the pandemic. Brian Yandell, professor of statistics, is the David R. Anderson Interim Director of the Data Science Institute.\r\n\r\n\u201cData science research is all about collaboration,\u201d says Yandell. \u201cCDIS and DSI together increase campus-wide visibility and focus on computing and data science, drawing on the diverse strengths of UW-Madison to attract industry and foundation partnerships to address wicked problems such as transforming human society in the face of pandemic threats, depleted environments and social inequities.\u201d\r\n\r\n<h2>Partnering with Industry<\/h2>\r\nAt the heart of Erickson\u2019s vision for the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences is the goal of positioning the new school as a critical resource for sparking entrepreneurship and innovation in Wisconsin.\r\n\r\n\u201cOne of the key factors that has benefited the coasts has been the creation of new companies,\u201d says Erickson. \u201cIronically, Wisconsin is one of the great centers for scientific innovation. But we need to do a better job reaping the economic benefits of that.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe cites a December 2019 report from the Brookings Institution, \u201cThe Case for Growth Centers: How to Spread Tech Innovation Across America,\u201d that places Madison at the top of a list of 35 \u201cpoten\u00adtially transformative growth centers\u201d with promising innovation capacity, led largely by the research powerhouse that is UW-Madison.\r\n\r\nThe computer sciences department has always had strong ties to industry. Chair Arpaci-Dusseau says he and colleagues are excited to do even more to spark new companies and ventures.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhere will new digital innovations be needed?\u201d he asks. \u201cHow can we connect students to problems in agriculture, insurance, and other parts of our state economy, so that their innovations can help transform those fields? What elements need to be put in place so that innovators can be connected to relevant funding opportunities and professional networks, which are often critical to success?\u201d\r\n\r\nErickson acknowledges that a strong foundation has been laid, but stresses that he\u2019ll be encouraging conversations with tech entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and industry leaders around the state.\r\n\r\n\u201cI feel that the state of Wisconsin can be a leader in value creation,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd I believe the university has a responsibility for making that a reality.\u201d\r\n\r\n","post_date":"2020-10-07 22:24:01","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Wisconsin in the information age","post_type":"page","slug":"wisconsin-information-age","_edit_lock":"1635532191:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"649","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"649","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"In the College of Letters and Science, a new school focused on human-centered computing expands opportunities for students and aims to nourish the state's entrepreneurial ecosystem.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ls.wisc.edu\/news\/wisconsin-in-the-information-age\">Original story<\/a> by Mary Ellen Gabriel in the Fall 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/ls.wisc.edu\/lsnews\/letters-science-magazine\">Letters & Science magazine<\/a>.\r\n","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-10-07 22:24:01","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"wisconsin-information-age","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 20:42:03","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 20:42:03","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=741","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/information-age-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":712,"ID":712,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616092661:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"714","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Jay Ford and UW Department of Medicine Associate Professor Chris Crnich, two of the four professors who received a 2020 COVID-19 Response Grant Award for their work to expand telehealth.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Clint Thayer\/UW Department of Medicine","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Arushi Gupta for the <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.wisc.edu\/covid-19-response-grant-seeks-to-improve-telehealth-implementation\/\">School of Pharmacy<\/a>.","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"652"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in early 2020, health practitioners had to convert their nursing home visits from in-person to online seemingly overnight. As the world came to a standstill under quarantine, a team of University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison researchers quickly came to the realization that telehealth is here to stay, and studies into the barriers and opportunities of implementing a telehealth model would benefit a breadth of practitioners and patients.\r\n\r\nChris Crnich, chief of medicine at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital and associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the School of Medicine and Public Health, says nursing homes were particularly hit hard by the pandemic.\r\n\r\nTo ensure nursing homes were able to continue providing quality care to residents while keeping the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak low, Crnich proposed a collaborative study with Jay Ford, assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison School of Pharmacy\u2019s Social and Administrative Sciences Division as well as Elizabeth Chapman and Ann Braus, assistant professors in Geriatrics and Gerontology in the UW Department of Medicine. Their proposal was awarded a 2020 COVID-19 Response Grant Award by the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and the team was able to launch the study immediately.\r\n\r\n\u201cNow that telehealth is here, it is not going away. Even with the pending availability of a vaccine, COVID-19 is going to continue to have a big impact on nursing homes,\u201d Crnich says. \u201cWe saw this as an opportunity to conduct a somewhat natural experiment that will allow us to identify characteristics and features that will make that workflow more effective and more efficient in nursing homes.\u201d\r\n\r\nAs the health systems engineer on the project, Ford helped develop the interview guides to understand existing telehealth models in nursing homes (NH) and is involved in interviewing NH staff and providers about the telehealth experience in the NH. In addition, he is involved in researching the usability of technology.\r\n\r\n\u201cUltimately, the technology may change, to quite some extent, how care is provided in nursing homes,\u201d Ford says.\r\n\r\nCurrently, their pilot study is relying on a sample of four facilities in Dane County, which have operational relationships with health care providers UW\u2013Madison. Researchers will interview providers and NH staff and will be passive observers during telehealth appointments between a provider, facility resident, and telehealth facilitator from the nursing home, who is usually a nurse. After the appointment, the research team will conduct brief interviews with each party to examine the quality of the session.\r\n\r\nInitial interviews suggest that there are numerous challenges for nursing homes implementing telehealth visits, mainly for nursing staff who have many responsibilities beyond participating in telehealth sessions.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt will be interesting to see if there are differences in how facilities have allocated tasks and responsibilities and if that\u2019s leading to an improved work model than what we\u2019re observing right now in our first facility,\u201d Crnich says.\r\n\r\nAdditional barriers to telehealth include the prevalence of cognitive impairment in residents and the need for the residents\u2019 primary nurse to be present during the telehealth encounter to ensure a smooth and clear flow of information between the patient and the provider.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re learning a lot about information-gathering and how complicated this is in a nursing home environment,\u201d Crnich says. \u201cIt\u2019s very different for an encounter between a patient who\u2019s in their home and their provider who is located in an office. Complexity is going to be a very big challenge for this.\u201d\r\n\r\nFord thinks telehealth may help mitigate the logistical challenges of transporting patients between nursing homes and hospitals and clinics for routine appointments and check-ups that don\u2019t need to be in person. Moreover, relying more on telehealth visits reduces the risk of residents bringing infections back into the facility after hospital visits.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere are various conditions that absolutely require a face-to-face visit, but there\u2019s an awful lot of care that we can conduct virtually with quality decision-making and patient outcomes,\u201d Crnich says.\r\n\r\nIn addition to examining how feasible telehealth is for nursing homes, Ford is developing a usability survey for nursing homes to try to assess how easy they think it is to use this technology in their day-to-day setting.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re learning that some nursing homes are better for us to talk to about their process because they have a system in place or because they don\u2019t have too many other competing priorities that would make our study a burden,\u201d Ford says.\r\n\r\nIn order to improve the quality of telehealth, Crnich says he is also looking at provider groups or other health systems to see how they are implementing telehealth.\r\n\r\nBecause this is a year-long project, the team is aiming to complete preliminary data collection and analysis by December 2020, and finish data analysis within six months. With the complete data, they can put together a model for nursing homes to follow as they implement and improve telehealth services. Their project has the potential to radically alter the delivery of healthcare in nursing homes.\r\n\r\n\u201cNursing homes are under extraordinary circumstances, and we are extraordinarily grateful to them,\u201d Crnich says. \u201cI think they understand that there\u2019s an opportunity here to improve what they\u2019re doing, and they are interested in supporting that.\u201d","post_date":"2020-09-15 18:34:39","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Collaborative study to enhance and expand telehealth in Wisconsin nursing homes","post_type":"page","slug":"collaborative-study-to-enhance-and-expand-telehealth-in-wisconsin-nursing-homes","_edit_lock":"1616092661:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"714","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Jay Ford and UW Department of Medicine Associate Professor Chris Crnich, two of the four professors who received a 2020 COVID-19 Response Grant Award for their work to expand telehealth.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Clint Thayer\/UW Department of Medicine","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Arushi Gupta for the <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.wisc.edu\/covid-19-response-grant-seeks-to-improve-telehealth-implementation\/\">School of Pharmacy<\/a>.","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"652","post_date_gmt":"2020-09-15 18:34:39","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"collaborative-study-to-enhance-and-expand-telehealth-in-wisconsin-nursing-homes","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-18 18:40:02","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-18 18:40:02","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=712","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":712,"ID":712,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616092661:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"714","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Jay Ford and UW Department of Medicine Associate Professor Chris Crnich, two of the four professors who received a 2020 COVID-19 Response Grant Award for their work to expand telehealth.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Clint Thayer\/UW Department of Medicine","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Arushi Gupta for the <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.wisc.edu\/covid-19-response-grant-seeks-to-improve-telehealth-implementation\/\">School of Pharmacy<\/a>.","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"652"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in early 2020, health practitioners had to convert their nursing home visits from in-person to online seemingly overnight. As the world came to a standstill under quarantine, a team of University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison researchers quickly came to the realization that telehealth is here to stay, and studies into the barriers and opportunities of implementing a telehealth model would benefit a breadth of practitioners and patients.\r\n\r\nChris Crnich, chief of medicine at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital and associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the School of Medicine and Public Health, says nursing homes were particularly hit hard by the pandemic.\r\n\r\nTo ensure nursing homes were able to continue providing quality care to residents while keeping the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak low, Crnich proposed a collaborative study with Jay Ford, assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison School of Pharmacy\u2019s Social and Administrative Sciences Division as well as Elizabeth Chapman and Ann Braus, assistant professors in Geriatrics and Gerontology in the UW Department of Medicine. Their proposal was awarded a 2020 COVID-19 Response Grant Award by the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and the team was able to launch the study immediately.\r\n\r\n\u201cNow that telehealth is here, it is not going away. Even with the pending availability of a vaccine, COVID-19 is going to continue to have a big impact on nursing homes,\u201d Crnich says. \u201cWe saw this as an opportunity to conduct a somewhat natural experiment that will allow us to identify characteristics and features that will make that workflow more effective and more efficient in nursing homes.\u201d\r\n\r\nAs the health systems engineer on the project, Ford helped develop the interview guides to understand existing telehealth models in nursing homes (NH) and is involved in interviewing NH staff and providers about the telehealth experience in the NH. In addition, he is involved in researching the usability of technology.\r\n\r\n\u201cUltimately, the technology may change, to quite some extent, how care is provided in nursing homes,\u201d Ford says.\r\n\r\nCurrently, their pilot study is relying on a sample of four facilities in Dane County, which have operational relationships with health care providers UW\u2013Madison. Researchers will interview providers and NH staff and will be passive observers during telehealth appointments between a provider, facility resident, and telehealth facilitator from the nursing home, who is usually a nurse. After the appointment, the research team will conduct brief interviews with each party to examine the quality of the session.\r\n\r\nInitial interviews suggest that there are numerous challenges for nursing homes implementing telehealth visits, mainly for nursing staff who have many responsibilities beyond participating in telehealth sessions.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt will be interesting to see if there are differences in how facilities have allocated tasks and responsibilities and if that\u2019s leading to an improved work model than what we\u2019re observing right now in our first facility,\u201d Crnich says.\r\n\r\nAdditional barriers to telehealth include the prevalence of cognitive impairment in residents and the need for the residents\u2019 primary nurse to be present during the telehealth encounter to ensure a smooth and clear flow of information between the patient and the provider.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re learning a lot about information-gathering and how complicated this is in a nursing home environment,\u201d Crnich says. \u201cIt\u2019s very different for an encounter between a patient who\u2019s in their home and their provider who is located in an office. Complexity is going to be a very big challenge for this.\u201d\r\n\r\nFord thinks telehealth may help mitigate the logistical challenges of transporting patients between nursing homes and hospitals and clinics for routine appointments and check-ups that don\u2019t need to be in person. Moreover, relying more on telehealth visits reduces the risk of residents bringing infections back into the facility after hospital visits.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere are various conditions that absolutely require a face-to-face visit, but there\u2019s an awful lot of care that we can conduct virtually with quality decision-making and patient outcomes,\u201d Crnich says.\r\n\r\nIn addition to examining how feasible telehealth is for nursing homes, Ford is developing a usability survey for nursing homes to try to assess how easy they think it is to use this technology in their day-to-day setting.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re learning that some nursing homes are better for us to talk to about their process because they have a system in place or because they don\u2019t have too many other competing priorities that would make our study a burden,\u201d Ford says.\r\n\r\nIn order to improve the quality of telehealth, Crnich says he is also looking at provider groups or other health systems to see how they are implementing telehealth.\r\n\r\nBecause this is a year-long project, the team is aiming to complete preliminary data collection and analysis by December 2020, and finish data analysis within six months. With the complete data, they can put together a model for nursing homes to follow as they implement and improve telehealth services. Their project has the potential to radically alter the delivery of healthcare in nursing homes.\r\n\r\n\u201cNursing homes are under extraordinary circumstances, and we are extraordinarily grateful to them,\u201d Crnich says. \u201cI think they understand that there\u2019s an opportunity here to improve what they\u2019re doing, and they are interested in supporting that.\u201d","post_date":"2020-09-15 18:34:39","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Collaborative study to enhance and expand telehealth in Wisconsin nursing homes","post_type":"page","slug":"collaborative-study-to-enhance-and-expand-telehealth-in-wisconsin-nursing-homes","_edit_lock":"1616092661:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"714","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Jay Ford and UW Department of Medicine Associate Professor Chris Crnich, two of the four professors who received a 2020 COVID-19 Response Grant Award for their work to expand telehealth.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Clint Thayer\/UW Department of Medicine","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Arushi Gupta for the <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.wisc.edu\/covid-19-response-grant-seeks-to-improve-telehealth-implementation\/\">School of Pharmacy<\/a>.","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"652","post_date_gmt":"2020-09-15 18:34:39","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"collaborative-study-to-enhance-and-expand-telehealth-in-wisconsin-nursing-homes","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-18 18:40:02","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-18 18:40:02","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=712","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/telemedicine-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":746,"ID":746,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1638208145:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"650","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"650","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original article by the <a href=\"https:\/\/education.wisc.edu\/news\/uw-madison-school-of-education-unveils-bold-new-program-to-invest-in-wisconsins-future-teachers\/\">School of Education<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"School districts across the state and around the country are struggling to find enough qualified teachers \u2014 and these staffing challenges are growing.\r\n\r\nIn an effort to bolster Wisconsin\u2019s teacher workforce and give the state\u2019s schoolchildren access to the high-quality educators they deserve, the UW\u2013Madison School of Education launched a bold new program in 2020.\r\n\r\nThe program is called the <a href=\"https:\/\/tec.education.wisc.edu\/teacher-pledge\/\">UW\u2013Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge<\/a>. It\u2019s supported via $18 million in donor funds and goes into effect during the upcoming 2020 fall semester. Here\u2019s how it works. The initiative \u201cpledges\u201d to provide financial support \u2014 including up to in-state tuition, fees, and testing certification costs \u2014 for students enrolled in one of the School\u2019s teacher education programs. For teacher education students with greater financial need, the program can also provide funds to cover additional costs, such as books or living expenses.\r\n\r\nIn return, after graduating the students \u201cpledge\u201d to teach for three or four years at a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school in Wisconsin. Students who go on to teach in a high-need district or in a high-need subject area will fulfill their obligation in three years, while all others will do so in four. Over the next five years, the Teacher Pledge is expected to support more than 1,500 students in the School\u2019s teacher education programs.\r\n\r\n\u201cTeachers have the incredible responsibility of educating our youth, preparing them for the future, and inspiring a lifelong love of learning,\u201d says Carolyn Stanford Taylor, the state superintendent of public instruction. \u201cIt is important to commit to programs like the Teacher Pledge to recruit the next generation of Wisconsin educators and to support the ones that we have.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe Teacher Pledge program is also designed to help the School of Education attract and retain diverse cohorts of students who are dedicated to becoming educators across Wisconsin.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Teacher Pledge will help ensure that talented and committed students \u2014 regardless of their economic backgrounds \u2014 have the financial support needed to become teachers,\u201d says School of Education Dean Diana Hess.\r\n\r\nThe Teacher Pledge is one part of the School of Education\u2019s ambitious new Impact 2030 initiative that\u2019s designed to build upon the School\u2019s excellence and its efforts to serve Wisconsin and beyond over the next 10 years. Impact 2030, which is being made possible with $40 million in generous donor support, is centering its efforts across four pillars leading up to the School\u2019s centennial celebration in 2030:\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><strong>Strengthening student scholarships:<\/strong> As the School of Education challenges its students to change the world, it realizes they need support to do so. The School is significantly increasing its scholarship and fellowship packages, and utilizing a new strategic plan for equity, diversity, and inclusion to better attract and serve students from groups that are historically under-represented at UW\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Providing innovative learning experiences:<\/strong> The goal is to provide the very best, high-impact educational experiences for students across the arts, health, and education. The School is innovating beyond its classroom walls by putting new resources into developing high-quality online and hybrid learning opportunities. The COVID-19 crisis accentuated an urgent need for this type of learning experience. The School is also refocusing its vital global engagement strategies and is committed to helping undergraduates become involved with cutting-edge research projects, among other efforts.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Bolstering faculty support:<\/strong> Faculty are central to the School\u2019s success as dedicated educators, groundbreaking researchers, and vital mentors to the next generation. The School is committed to recruiting top academics with diverse backgrounds who are dedicated to scholarship, teaching, and service that embraces and engages the full measure of the diversity of society. As part of these substantial new efforts, the School is committing significant resources over the next decade to a new faculty fellowship program that provides flexible funding over five years to further faculty research and scholarship.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Investing in Wisconsin\u2019s future teachers:<\/strong> These efforts are centered on the new Teacher Pledge.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\u201cThere are many ingredients that go into building and maintaining a top-ranked School of Education,\u201d says UW\u2013Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. \u201cWorld-renowned faculty. Great students. Leaders who foster a culture of innovation. And cutting-edge scholarship. Impact 2030 will allow us to make important investments in all of these areas to ensure that the School of Education remains one of the best in the country. I am grateful to the alumni and friends who support our mission, and who believe \u2014 as we do \u2014 in the power of education to change lives.\u201d\r\n\r\nSchools around Wisconsin, like those elsewhere in the country, continue to face staffing challenges. One way to measure this issue is by examining the number of teachers working in classrooms who are not professionally trained for their position. In Wisconsin, there were 2,863 emergency teacher licenses issued by the Department of Public Instruction for the 2018-19 academic year \u2014 a 180 percent increase from the 1,021 administered in 2012-13.\r\n\r\nWhile these challenges are hitting rural areas of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee School District especially hard, most districts across the state are utilizing teachers on emergency licensure to fill gaps in at least some high-need areas, such as special education, bilingual education, and STEM fields.\r\n\r\nIn addition, enrollment in teacher preparation programs both nationally and in Wisconsin has declined by about one-third since 2010, according to U.S. Department of Education figures. It\u2019s no secret that low starting pay, coupled with student debt, can make teaching a tough career choice for many UW\u2013Madison students. The Teacher Pledge program is designed to help alleviate these stressors so all students can consider a future as a teacher.\r\n\r\nSimilarly, while young teachers are leaving the profession at high rates after only a year or two on the job, the Teacher Pledge incentivizes teachers to stay on the job for at least three or four years.\r\n\r\n\u201cTeaching is a very difficult job, especially early on,\u201d says Hess. \u201cWe feel if teachers stick with it, they will start to see the value they bring and enjoy the important work they are doing. We are hopeful this will create a positive ripple effect that will help schools and communities across Wisconsin for years to come.\u201d\r\n\r\nUW-Madison plans to study the Teacher Pledge program closely and will be sharing key findings to help aid efforts around Wisconsin and across the nation in building a more diverse and effective teacher workforce. The initiative will be examined by Nicholas Hillman, an associate professor with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, and the director of the university\u2019s Student Success Through Applied Research (SSTAR) Lab. This lab, which is housed within the university\u2019s Office of Student Financial Aid, utilizes applied academic research to guide, support, and partner with practitioners whose work aims to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for current and future college students.","post_date":"2020-08-19 20:48:30","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison School of Education unveils bold new program to invest in Wisconsin\u2019s future teachers","post_type":"page","slug":"building-a-strong-educator-workforce","_edit_lock":"1638208145:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"650","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"650","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original article by the <a href=\"https:\/\/education.wisc.edu\/news\/uw-madison-school-of-education-unveils-bold-new-program-to-invest-in-wisconsins-future-teachers\/\">School of Education<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-08-19 20:48:30","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"building-a-strong-educator-workforce","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-11-29 17:51:27","post_modified_gmt":"2021-11-29 17:51:27","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=746","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":746,"ID":746,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1638208145:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"650","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"650","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original article by the <a href=\"https:\/\/education.wisc.edu\/news\/uw-madison-school-of-education-unveils-bold-new-program-to-invest-in-wisconsins-future-teachers\/\">School of Education<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"School districts across the state and around the country are struggling to find enough qualified teachers \u2014 and these staffing challenges are growing.\r\n\r\nIn an effort to bolster Wisconsin\u2019s teacher workforce and give the state\u2019s schoolchildren access to the high-quality educators they deserve, the UW\u2013Madison School of Education launched a bold new program in 2020.\r\n\r\nThe program is called the <a href=\"https:\/\/tec.education.wisc.edu\/teacher-pledge\/\">UW\u2013Madison School of Education Wisconsin Teacher Pledge<\/a>. It\u2019s supported via $18 million in donor funds and goes into effect during the upcoming 2020 fall semester. Here\u2019s how it works. The initiative \u201cpledges\u201d to provide financial support \u2014 including up to in-state tuition, fees, and testing certification costs \u2014 for students enrolled in one of the School\u2019s teacher education programs. For teacher education students with greater financial need, the program can also provide funds to cover additional costs, such as books or living expenses.\r\n\r\nIn return, after graduating the students \u201cpledge\u201d to teach for three or four years at a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school in Wisconsin. Students who go on to teach in a high-need district or in a high-need subject area will fulfill their obligation in three years, while all others will do so in four. Over the next five years, the Teacher Pledge is expected to support more than 1,500 students in the School\u2019s teacher education programs.\r\n\r\n\u201cTeachers have the incredible responsibility of educating our youth, preparing them for the future, and inspiring a lifelong love of learning,\u201d says Carolyn Stanford Taylor, the state superintendent of public instruction. \u201cIt is important to commit to programs like the Teacher Pledge to recruit the next generation of Wisconsin educators and to support the ones that we have.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe Teacher Pledge program is also designed to help the School of Education attract and retain diverse cohorts of students who are dedicated to becoming educators across Wisconsin.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe Teacher Pledge will help ensure that talented and committed students \u2014 regardless of their economic backgrounds \u2014 have the financial support needed to become teachers,\u201d says School of Education Dean Diana Hess.\r\n\r\nThe Teacher Pledge is one part of the School of Education\u2019s ambitious new Impact 2030 initiative that\u2019s designed to build upon the School\u2019s excellence and its efforts to serve Wisconsin and beyond over the next 10 years. Impact 2030, which is being made possible with $40 million in generous donor support, is centering its efforts across four pillars leading up to the School\u2019s centennial celebration in 2030:\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><strong>Strengthening student scholarships:<\/strong> As the School of Education challenges its students to change the world, it realizes they need support to do so. The School is significantly increasing its scholarship and fellowship packages, and utilizing a new strategic plan for equity, diversity, and inclusion to better attract and serve students from groups that are historically under-represented at UW\u2013Madison.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Providing innovative learning experiences:<\/strong> The goal is to provide the very best, high-impact educational experiences for students across the arts, health, and education. The School is innovating beyond its classroom walls by putting new resources into developing high-quality online and hybrid learning opportunities. The COVID-19 crisis accentuated an urgent need for this type of learning experience. The School is also refocusing its vital global engagement strategies and is committed to helping undergraduates become involved with cutting-edge research projects, among other efforts.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Bolstering faculty support:<\/strong> Faculty are central to the School\u2019s success as dedicated educators, groundbreaking researchers, and vital mentors to the next generation. The School is committed to recruiting top academics with diverse backgrounds who are dedicated to scholarship, teaching, and service that embraces and engages the full measure of the diversity of society. As part of these substantial new efforts, the School is committing significant resources over the next decade to a new faculty fellowship program that provides flexible funding over five years to further faculty research and scholarship.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Investing in Wisconsin\u2019s future teachers:<\/strong> These efforts are centered on the new Teacher Pledge.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\u201cThere are many ingredients that go into building and maintaining a top-ranked School of Education,\u201d says UW\u2013Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. \u201cWorld-renowned faculty. Great students. Leaders who foster a culture of innovation. And cutting-edge scholarship. Impact 2030 will allow us to make important investments in all of these areas to ensure that the School of Education remains one of the best in the country. I am grateful to the alumni and friends who support our mission, and who believe \u2014 as we do \u2014 in the power of education to change lives.\u201d\r\n\r\nSchools around Wisconsin, like those elsewhere in the country, continue to face staffing challenges. One way to measure this issue is by examining the number of teachers working in classrooms who are not professionally trained for their position. In Wisconsin, there were 2,863 emergency teacher licenses issued by the Department of Public Instruction for the 2018-19 academic year \u2014 a 180 percent increase from the 1,021 administered in 2012-13.\r\n\r\nWhile these challenges are hitting rural areas of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee School District especially hard, most districts across the state are utilizing teachers on emergency licensure to fill gaps in at least some high-need areas, such as special education, bilingual education, and STEM fields.\r\n\r\nIn addition, enrollment in teacher preparation programs both nationally and in Wisconsin has declined by about one-third since 2010, according to U.S. Department of Education figures. It\u2019s no secret that low starting pay, coupled with student debt, can make teaching a tough career choice for many UW\u2013Madison students. The Teacher Pledge program is designed to help alleviate these stressors so all students can consider a future as a teacher.\r\n\r\nSimilarly, while young teachers are leaving the profession at high rates after only a year or two on the job, the Teacher Pledge incentivizes teachers to stay on the job for at least three or four years.\r\n\r\n\u201cTeaching is a very difficult job, especially early on,\u201d says Hess. \u201cWe feel if teachers stick with it, they will start to see the value they bring and enjoy the important work they are doing. We are hopeful this will create a positive ripple effect that will help schools and communities across Wisconsin for years to come.\u201d\r\n\r\nUW-Madison plans to study the Teacher Pledge program closely and will be sharing key findings to help aid efforts around Wisconsin and across the nation in building a more diverse and effective teacher workforce. The initiative will be examined by Nicholas Hillman, an associate professor with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, and the director of the university\u2019s Student Success Through Applied Research (SSTAR) Lab. This lab, which is housed within the university\u2019s Office of Student Financial Aid, utilizes applied academic research to guide, support, and partner with practitioners whose work aims to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for current and future college students.","post_date":"2020-08-19 20:48:30","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW\u2013Madison School of Education unveils bold new program to invest in Wisconsin\u2019s future teachers","post_type":"page","slug":"building-a-strong-educator-workforce","_edit_lock":"1638208145:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"650","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"650","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original article by the <a href=\"https:\/\/education.wisc.edu\/news\/uw-madison-school-of-education-unveils-bold-new-program-to-invest-in-wisconsins-future-teachers\/\">School of Education<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-08-19 20:48:30","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"building-a-strong-educator-workforce","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-11-29 17:51:27","post_modified_gmt":"2021-11-29 17:51:27","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=746","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/student-teaching-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":718,"ID":718,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678207402:13","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"719","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"720","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Meghan Welsh, a UW Health speech therapist, uses the new Badger Shield+ during a therapy session. By providing a full, clear view of the face, the Badger Shield+ is highly useful for health care providers who work with patients who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who need to read lips or see visual cues to better understand what others are saying.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Courtesy of UW Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Renee Meiller for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engr.wisc.edu\/news\/new-shield-couples-covid-19-protection-with-a-clear-view-of-the-face\/\">College of Engineering<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>In March, as coronavirus cases spread across the country, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison engineers responded with a simple design for a medical face shield made from common materials that 450 manufacturers put into production.<\/p>\r\n<p>The team that developed the Badger Shield in a flash to meet the needs of hospitals, nursing homes and schools has created a new version \u2014 again working with partners from UW Health, Midwest Prototyping and others \u2014 a shield that provides a full, clear view of the face while still filtering virus particles through surgical fabric that cinches around the wearer\u2019s chin and jawline.<\/p>\r\n<p>They\u2019re also perfecting a compact, lightweight 3D-printed air-circulation unit for the new shield that prevents it from steaming up or becoming too stuffy. According to Lennon Rodgers, director of the Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Laboratory, the engineering makerspace at UW\u2013Madison, Badger Shield+ was as popular as the original shortly after its debut.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn just a few days there were requests for 22,000 shields from 348 different organizations from 44 states,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n<p>Rodgers and colleague Karl Williamson designed Badger Shield+ in close collaboration with Nathan Wilke of UW Health and Brian Ellison from Midwest Prototyping, incorporating research on particle-filtering fabrics conducted by David Rothamer, a mechanical engineering professor at UW\u2013Madison.<\/p>\r\n<p>Midwest Prototyping is <a href=\"https:\/\/store.midwestproto.com\/collections\/all\">fulfilling <\/a>orders for the Badger Shield+; however, as is the case for its predecessor, Rodgers says the team also plans to make the new version available to manufacturers as open-source design drawings.<\/p>\r\n<p>Many Badger Shield models are available for purchase from Midwest Prototyping on their website, <a href=\"http:\/\/store.midwestproto.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">store.midwestproto.com<\/a>. Special pricing is available for schools and other non-profit organizations.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW Health is continuing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/uw-health-and-uw-madison-college-of-engineering-develop-clear-face-shields-w\/53431\">test <\/a>the shield with several healthcare practitioners, including speech and language pathologists and sign language interpreters, says Wilke, who works with the UW Hospital and Clinics supply chain division.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOur clinical team is currently required to wear both a face shield and a barrier mask during their work,\u201d Wilke says. \u201cThe wearing of the mask, covering the nose and mouth, have made it difficult, if not impossible, for some staff to perform their duties. There are some products on the market to deal with this situation; however, supplies are extremely limited, and delivery times were months away. As a result, we created the hybrid Badger Shield+ integrated barrier mask with the goal to provide comparable clinical protection to a barrier mask and face shield, while allowing patients and families to see the face of the wearer.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Beyond healthcare, the Badger Shield+ can meet many needs in settings that include schools, daycare facilities, churches and personal uses. Rodgers says schools, many now considering the looming beginning of fall classes, made up 70 percent of those early requests.<\/p>\r\n<p>At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the team focused on ensuring healthcare professionals had enough personal protective equipment. This time, with the Badger Shield+, Rodgers and Williamson developed a design that met the UW Health requirements, but also broadened its usefulness.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cKarl and I started working on this two months ago when we saw this wave of public openings,\u201d says Rodgers. \u201cWe were starting to think outside the box for PPE that didn\u2019t exist. Most PPE is designed for hospitals; we wanted PPE that members of the public could use as they went about their lives. It\u2019s well suited for schools, and for people who need others to see their mouth or need an alternative PPE solution for various reasons. \u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Leveraging the makerspace\u2019s prototyping resources, including 3D scanning, laser cutting, 3D printing and sewing, Badger Shield+ builds on the simple design of the original face shield. However, says Rodgers, because it\u2019s a new concept, the latest version evolved over time, thanks to critiques from UW Health clinicians.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt took six or seven iterations\u2014where does the fabric come up to, where does the drawstring go, and so on,\u201d says Rodgers. \u201cKarl sent a really organized set of options and the clinicians would mark them up to note improvements. We found out that people wanted simple and lightweight.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Approximately 40 UW Health clinicians and staff helped evaluate the Badger Shield+ designs, says Wilke, who facilitated that feedback.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe current version features an anti-fog plastic lens, which has helped address an issue identified early in the development,\u201d he says. \u201cAnother design element that required some iteration included the use of a cinching strap along the chin and neck area, which was approved by our safety and risk management teams.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Air Assist, a quiet, lightweight, 3D-printed air-circulation disc that anchors to the fabric portion of Badger Shield+ with the help of a thin ring of magnets, is close to being ready, also.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe \u2018Ah, ha!\u2019 moment for it came a couple of months ago,\u201d says Rodgers. \u201cWe were all wearing masks, and we were hot. This provides a small level of circulation and prevents the Badger Shield+ from feeling stuffy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>He says the Badger Shield+, coupled with (or without) the air circulation unit, could be a low-cost alternative for people who might not otherwise have been able to wear a traditional cloth mask. Rodgers also is working on his campus on a variety of options designed to help keep UW\u2013Madison instructors safe as they plan in-person teaching for fall 2020 and beyond.<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2020-07-17 17:50:33","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Badger Shield+ keeps face visible","post_type":"page","slug":"badger-shield-keeps-face-visible","_edit_lock":"1678207402:13","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"719","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"720","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Meghan Welsh, a UW Health speech therapist, uses the new Badger Shield+ during a therapy session. By providing a full, clear view of the face, the Badger Shield+ is highly useful for health care providers who work with patients who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who need to read lips or see visual cues to better understand what others are saying.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Courtesy of UW Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Renee Meiller for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engr.wisc.edu\/news\/new-shield-couples-covid-19-protection-with-a-clear-view-of-the-face\/\">College of Engineering<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-07-17 17:50:33","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"badger-shield-keeps-face-visible","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 18:03:39","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 18:03:39","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=718","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":718,"ID":718,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1678207402:13","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"719","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"720","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Meghan Welsh, a UW Health speech therapist, uses the new Badger Shield+ during a therapy session. By providing a full, clear view of the face, the Badger Shield+ is highly useful for health care providers who work with patients who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who need to read lips or see visual cues to better understand what others are saying.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Courtesy of UW Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Renee Meiller for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engr.wisc.edu\/news\/new-shield-couples-covid-19-protection-with-a-clear-view-of-the-face\/\">College of Engineering<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>In March, as coronavirus cases spread across the country, University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison engineers responded with a simple design for a medical face shield made from common materials that 450 manufacturers put into production.<\/p>\r\n<p>The team that developed the Badger Shield in a flash to meet the needs of hospitals, nursing homes and schools has created a new version \u2014 again working with partners from UW Health, Midwest Prototyping and others \u2014 a shield that provides a full, clear view of the face while still filtering virus particles through surgical fabric that cinches around the wearer\u2019s chin and jawline.<\/p>\r\n<p>They\u2019re also perfecting a compact, lightweight 3D-printed air-circulation unit for the new shield that prevents it from steaming up or becoming too stuffy. According to Lennon Rodgers, director of the Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Laboratory, the engineering makerspace at UW\u2013Madison, Badger Shield+ was as popular as the original shortly after its debut.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIn just a few days there were requests for 22,000 shields from 348 different organizations from 44 states,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n<p>Rodgers and colleague Karl Williamson designed Badger Shield+ in close collaboration with Nathan Wilke of UW Health and Brian Ellison from Midwest Prototyping, incorporating research on particle-filtering fabrics conducted by David Rothamer, a mechanical engineering professor at UW\u2013Madison.<\/p>\r\n<p>Midwest Prototyping is <a href=\"https:\/\/store.midwestproto.com\/collections\/all\">fulfilling <\/a>orders for the Badger Shield+; however, as is the case for its predecessor, Rodgers says the team also plans to make the new version available to manufacturers as open-source design drawings.<\/p>\r\n<p>Many Badger Shield models are available for purchase from Midwest Prototyping on their website, <a href=\"http:\/\/store.midwestproto.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">store.midwestproto.com<\/a>. Special pricing is available for schools and other non-profit organizations.<\/p>\r\n<p>UW Health is continuing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwhealth.org\/news\/uw-health-and-uw-madison-college-of-engineering-develop-clear-face-shields-w\/53431\">test <\/a>the shield with several healthcare practitioners, including speech and language pathologists and sign language interpreters, says Wilke, who works with the UW Hospital and Clinics supply chain division.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cOur clinical team is currently required to wear both a face shield and a barrier mask during their work,\u201d Wilke says. \u201cThe wearing of the mask, covering the nose and mouth, have made it difficult, if not impossible, for some staff to perform their duties. There are some products on the market to deal with this situation; however, supplies are extremely limited, and delivery times were months away. As a result, we created the hybrid Badger Shield+ integrated barrier mask with the goal to provide comparable clinical protection to a barrier mask and face shield, while allowing patients and families to see the face of the wearer.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Beyond healthcare, the Badger Shield+ can meet many needs in settings that include schools, daycare facilities, churches and personal uses. Rodgers says schools, many now considering the looming beginning of fall classes, made up 70 percent of those early requests.<\/p>\r\n<p>At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the team focused on ensuring healthcare professionals had enough personal protective equipment. This time, with the Badger Shield+, Rodgers and Williamson developed a design that met the UW Health requirements, but also broadened its usefulness.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cKarl and I started working on this two months ago when we saw this wave of public openings,\u201d says Rodgers. \u201cWe were starting to think outside the box for PPE that didn\u2019t exist. Most PPE is designed for hospitals; we wanted PPE that members of the public could use as they went about their lives. It\u2019s well suited for schools, and for people who need others to see their mouth or need an alternative PPE solution for various reasons. \u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Leveraging the makerspace\u2019s prototyping resources, including 3D scanning, laser cutting, 3D printing and sewing, Badger Shield+ builds on the simple design of the original face shield. However, says Rodgers, because it\u2019s a new concept, the latest version evolved over time, thanks to critiques from UW Health clinicians.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cIt took six or seven iterations\u2014where does the fabric come up to, where does the drawstring go, and so on,\u201d says Rodgers. \u201cKarl sent a really organized set of options and the clinicians would mark them up to note improvements. We found out that people wanted simple and lightweight.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Approximately 40 UW Health clinicians and staff helped evaluate the Badger Shield+ designs, says Wilke, who facilitated that feedback.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe current version features an anti-fog plastic lens, which has helped address an issue identified early in the development,\u201d he says. \u201cAnother design element that required some iteration included the use of a cinching strap along the chin and neck area, which was approved by our safety and risk management teams.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Air Assist, a quiet, lightweight, 3D-printed air-circulation disc that anchors to the fabric portion of Badger Shield+ with the help of a thin ring of magnets, is close to being ready, also.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe \u2018Ah, ha!\u2019 moment for it came a couple of months ago,\u201d says Rodgers. \u201cWe were all wearing masks, and we were hot. This provides a small level of circulation and prevents the Badger Shield+ from feeling stuffy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>He says the Badger Shield+, coupled with (or without) the air circulation unit, could be a low-cost alternative for people who might not otherwise have been able to wear a traditional cloth mask. Rodgers also is working on his campus on a variety of options designed to help keep UW\u2013Madison instructors safe as they plan in-person teaching for fall 2020 and beyond.<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2020-07-17 17:50:33","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Badger Shield+ keeps face visible","post_type":"page","slug":"badger-shield-keeps-face-visible","_edit_lock":"1678207402:13","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"719","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"720","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Meghan Welsh, a UW Health speech therapist, uses the new Badger Shield+ during a therapy session. By providing a full, clear view of the face, the Badger Shield+ is highly useful for health care providers who work with patients who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who need to read lips or see visual cues to better understand what others are saying.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Courtesy of UW Health","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by Renee Meiller for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.engr.wisc.edu\/news\/new-shield-couples-covid-19-protection-with-a-clear-view-of-the-face\/\">College of Engineering<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-07-17 17:50:33","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"badger-shield-keeps-face-visible","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 18:03:39","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 18:03:39","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=718","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/shield1-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":737,"ID":737,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1622065820:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"648","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"648","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Dr. Amaya Atucha, assistant professor in the department of Horticulture and the Fruit Crop Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"CALS","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2020\/02\/27\/uw-madison-scientists-part-of-12-8-million-effort-to-improve-cranberries-and-blueberries\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Two scientists in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW\u2013Madison are part of a team that recently received $12.8 million to improve the fruit quality of cranberries and blueberries. The <em>Vaccinium<\/em> Coordinated Agricultural Project (VacCAP) was awarded a four-year, $6.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture with another $6.4 million from matching funds.<\/p>\r\n<p>VacCAP will study blueberries and cranberries, both part of the <em>Vaccinium<\/em> genus, with a goal of improving the fruit and products made from the fruit. The production value of cranberries and blueberries is more than $1 billion in the U.S., and Wisconsin is the top producer of cranberries in the world. VacCAP is a multi-institutional effort, and UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Amaya Atucha and Juan Zalapa (USDA), both in the Department of Horticulture, will lend their expertise on cranberries.<\/p>\r\n<p>The project is largely industry-driven, and surveys identified firmness, color and fruit size as high priorities for cranberry producers. As the cranberry market shifts from juice to other products such as sweetened dried cranberries, the industry needs to produce more higher-quality fruit. Currently, as much as 20 percent of cranberries are unusable as dried cranberries and get shifted into the juice concentrate market, which commands a lower price and can become saturated. For the economic sustainability of the cranberry industry, more fruit that is suitable for the dried cranberry market is needed.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe have had a lot of involvement from the cranberry industry here in Wisconsin,\u201d says Atucha. \u201cThe priorities for the research that we\u2019re doing were based on the needs from the industry. We also have a cranberry grower from Wisconsin as part of our advisory panel. The growers are very well represented in the project.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>While breeders of other crops have had advanced DNA tools available to help develop better cultivars, such information hasn\u2019t been available for blueberry breeders. DNA tools for cranberry breeders are relatively new and can be improved. The VacCAP project will identify the genetic factors that contribute to fruit characteristics such as texture and appearance, and will then tie those characteristics to fruit quality. Ultimately, enhanced DNA tools will allow breeders to select the qualities they want in the berries and more quickly incorporate them into new cultivars.<\/p>\r\n<p>Zalapa will focus on the breeding, trait discovery, and genetic mapping aspects of the project, while Atucha is part of the extension team that will communicate project findings to a wide audience including breeders, producers, industry and the public. Another component of the grant will address socioeconomics by determining if consumers are willing to spend more money on fruit that is of higher quality. All of these aspects will combine for a project that can have a big impact on the future of the cranberry and blueberry markets.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe amount of research that has been done on cranberries at UW\u2013Madison is massive. A project like this brings together our expertise and the expertise of many others to deliver something that it would take us a long time to do by ourselves. That is the strength,\u201d says Atucha. \u201cYou bring collaborators from everywhere around the world. You put all of us together, and we can achieve so much more.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2020-02-28 20:11:12","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"In search of the perfect berry","post_type":"page","slug":"in-search-of-the-perfect-berry","_edit_lock":"1622065820:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"648","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"648","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Dr. Amaya Atucha, assistant professor in the department of Horticulture and the Fruit Crop Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"CALS","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2020\/02\/27\/uw-madison-scientists-part-of-12-8-million-effort-to-improve-cranberries-and-blueberries\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-02-28 20:11:12","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"in-search-of-the-perfect-berry","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 20:18:02","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 20:18:02","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=737","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":737,"ID":737,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1622065820:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"648","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"648","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Dr. Amaya Atucha, assistant professor in the department of Horticulture and the Fruit Crop Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"CALS","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2020\/02\/27\/uw-madison-scientists-part-of-12-8-million-effort-to-improve-cranberries-and-blueberries\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p>Two scientists in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW\u2013Madison are part of a team that recently received $12.8 million to improve the fruit quality of cranberries and blueberries. The <em>Vaccinium<\/em> Coordinated Agricultural Project (VacCAP) was awarded a four-year, $6.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture with another $6.4 million from matching funds.<\/p>\r\n<p>VacCAP will study blueberries and cranberries, both part of the <em>Vaccinium<\/em> genus, with a goal of improving the fruit and products made from the fruit. The production value of cranberries and blueberries is more than $1 billion in the U.S., and Wisconsin is the top producer of cranberries in the world. VacCAP is a multi-institutional effort, and UW\u2013Madison\u2019s Amaya Atucha and Juan Zalapa (USDA), both in the Department of Horticulture, will lend their expertise on cranberries.<\/p>\r\n<p>The project is largely industry-driven, and surveys identified firmness, color and fruit size as high priorities for cranberry producers. As the cranberry market shifts from juice to other products such as sweetened dried cranberries, the industry needs to produce more higher-quality fruit. Currently, as much as 20 percent of cranberries are unusable as dried cranberries and get shifted into the juice concentrate market, which commands a lower price and can become saturated. For the economic sustainability of the cranberry industry, more fruit that is suitable for the dried cranberry market is needed.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cWe have had a lot of involvement from the cranberry industry here in Wisconsin,\u201d says Atucha. \u201cThe priorities for the research that we\u2019re doing were based on the needs from the industry. We also have a cranberry grower from Wisconsin as part of our advisory panel. The growers are very well represented in the project.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>While breeders of other crops have had advanced DNA tools available to help develop better cultivars, such information hasn\u2019t been available for blueberry breeders. DNA tools for cranberry breeders are relatively new and can be improved. The VacCAP project will identify the genetic factors that contribute to fruit characteristics such as texture and appearance, and will then tie those characteristics to fruit quality. Ultimately, enhanced DNA tools will allow breeders to select the qualities they want in the berries and more quickly incorporate them into new cultivars.<\/p>\r\n<p>Zalapa will focus on the breeding, trait discovery, and genetic mapping aspects of the project, while Atucha is part of the extension team that will communicate project findings to a wide audience including breeders, producers, industry and the public. Another component of the grant will address socioeconomics by determining if consumers are willing to spend more money on fruit that is of higher quality. All of these aspects will combine for a project that can have a big impact on the future of the cranberry and blueberry markets.<\/p>\r\n<p>\u201cThe amount of research that has been done on cranberries at UW\u2013Madison is massive. A project like this brings together our expertise and the expertise of many others to deliver something that it would take us a long time to do by ourselves. That is the strength,\u201d says Atucha. \u201cYou bring collaborators from everywhere around the world. You put all of us together, and we can achieve so much more.\u201d<\/p>\r\n","post_date":"2020-02-28 20:11:12","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"In search of the perfect berry","post_type":"page","slug":"in-search-of-the-perfect-berry","_edit_lock":"1622065820:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"648","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"648","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"Dr. Amaya Atucha, assistant professor in the department of Horticulture and the Fruit Crop Extension Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"CALS","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cals.wisc.edu\/2020\/02\/27\/uw-madison-scientists-part-of-12-8-million-effort-to-improve-cranberries-and-blueberries\/\">College of Agricultural and Life Sciences<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-02-28 20:11:12","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"in-search-of-the-perfect-berry","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-22 20:18:02","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-22 20:18:02","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=737","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/cals-cranberries-e1611670666234-600x400-c-default.jpg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":826,"ID":826,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1638219501:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"827","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2020\/february\/exercise-brain-function-tied-to-alzheimers-risk\/\">University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p><strong>Regular aerobic exercise may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease, or slow its progression, in adults who are at a higher risk<\/strong>, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6971821\/?report=classic\">a December 2019 study<\/a> from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH).<\/p>\r\n<p>The study was recently published in a special issue of <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.iospress.com\/journal\/brain-plasticity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brain Plasticity<\/a><\/i> devoted to exercise and cognition.<\/p>\r\n<p>The study shows that six months of aerobic exercise training not only improved study participants' cardiorespiratory fitness, but also improved their brain glucose metabolism and executive functioning, important markers for Alzheimer's disease.<\/p>\r\n<p>\"This study is a significant step toward developing an exercise prescription that protects the brain against Alzheimer's disease, even among people who were previously sedentary,\" said lead investigator Ozioma C. Okonkwo, PhD, of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) at UW SMPH.<\/p>\r\n<p>The study investigated 23 cognitively normal, relatively young older adults with a family history or genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. They underwent multiple tests, including measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness, daily physical activity, brain glucose metabolism imaging (to assess neuronal health), and cognitive function.<\/p>\r\n<p>Half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive information about maintaining an active lifestyle but no further intervention. The other half participated in a moderate intensity treadmill training program with a personal trainer, three times per week for 26 weeks.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_827\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/AmyloidPET_ADRC-300x186.jpeg\" alt=\"PET scans of brain amyloid levels\" width=\"300\" height=\"186\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-827\" \/> PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans of cross-sections of two human brains, with a scan showing non-elevated amyloid levels on the left, versus an elevated scan on the right. Amyloid plaques are a key indicator of Alzheimer disease. Photo: UW School of Medicine and Public Health.[\/caption]\r\n<p>Compared to the participants maintaining their usual level of physical activity, individuals assigned to the active training program improved their cardiorespiratory fitness, spent less time sedentary after the training program ended, and performed better on cognitive tests of executive functioning. The participants' improved cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain linked to Alzheimer's disease.<\/p>\r\n<p>\"This research shows that a lifestyle behavior - regular aerobic exercise - can potentially enhance brain and cognitive functions that are particularly sensitive to the disease. The findings are especially relevant to individuals who are at a higher risk due to family history or genetic predisposition,\" said Dr. Okonkwo.<\/p>\r\n<p>Drugs currently available to treat Alzheimer's have limited therapeutic capacity. Therefore, it is important for researchers to investigate whether exercise training in healthy individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease improves biological and cognitive markers associated with the disease.<\/p>\r\n<p>\"An important next step would be to conduct a larger, more definitive study. If these findings are replicated, they could have a tremendous impact on quality of later life and provide individuals with more years of independent living, active engagement with loved ones, and building memories,\" said the study's lead author, Max Gait\u00e1n, a Research Specialist and Exercise Physiologist with the ADRC.<\/p> \r\n","post_date":"2020-02-28 18:12:22","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW study finds exercise may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease","post_type":"page","slug":"alzheimers-exercise-study","_edit_lock":"1638219501:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"827","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2020\/february\/exercise-brain-function-tied-to-alzheimers-risk\/\">University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-02-28 18:12:22","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"alzheimers-exercise-study","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-11-29 21:00:36","post_modified_gmt":"2021-11-29 21:00:36","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=826","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":826,"ID":826,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1638219501:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"827","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2020\/february\/exercise-brain-function-tied-to-alzheimers-risk\/\">University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a"},"post_author":"9","post_content":"<p><strong>Regular aerobic exercise may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease, or slow its progression, in adults who are at a higher risk<\/strong>, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6971821\/?report=classic\">a December 2019 study<\/a> from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UW SMPH).<\/p>\r\n<p>The study was recently published in a special issue of <i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.iospress.com\/journal\/brain-plasticity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brain Plasticity<\/a><\/i> devoted to exercise and cognition.<\/p>\r\n<p>The study shows that six months of aerobic exercise training not only improved study participants' cardiorespiratory fitness, but also improved their brain glucose metabolism and executive functioning, important markers for Alzheimer's disease.<\/p>\r\n<p>\"This study is a significant step toward developing an exercise prescription that protects the brain against Alzheimer's disease, even among people who were previously sedentary,\" said lead investigator Ozioma C. Okonkwo, PhD, of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) at UW SMPH.<\/p>\r\n<p>The study investigated 23 cognitively normal, relatively young older adults with a family history or genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease. They underwent multiple tests, including measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness, daily physical activity, brain glucose metabolism imaging (to assess neuronal health), and cognitive function.<\/p>\r\n<p>Half of the participants were randomly assigned to receive information about maintaining an active lifestyle but no further intervention. The other half participated in a moderate intensity treadmill training program with a personal trainer, three times per week for 26 weeks.<\/p>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_827\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/AmyloidPET_ADRC-300x186.jpeg\" alt=\"PET scans of brain amyloid levels\" width=\"300\" height=\"186\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-827\" \/> PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans of cross-sections of two human brains, with a scan showing non-elevated amyloid levels on the left, versus an elevated scan on the right. Amyloid plaques are a key indicator of Alzheimer disease. Photo: UW School of Medicine and Public Health.[\/caption]\r\n<p>Compared to the participants maintaining their usual level of physical activity, individuals assigned to the active training program improved their cardiorespiratory fitness, spent less time sedentary after the training program ended, and performed better on cognitive tests of executive functioning. The participants' improved cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain linked to Alzheimer's disease.<\/p>\r\n<p>\"This research shows that a lifestyle behavior - regular aerobic exercise - can potentially enhance brain and cognitive functions that are particularly sensitive to the disease. The findings are especially relevant to individuals who are at a higher risk due to family history or genetic predisposition,\" said Dr. Okonkwo.<\/p>\r\n<p>Drugs currently available to treat Alzheimer's have limited therapeutic capacity. Therefore, it is important for researchers to investigate whether exercise training in healthy individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease improves biological and cognitive markers associated with the disease.<\/p>\r\n<p>\"An important next step would be to conduct a larger, more definitive study. If these findings are replicated, they could have a tremendous impact on quality of later life and provide individuals with more years of independent living, active engagement with loved ones, and building memories,\" said the study's lead author, Max Gait\u00e1n, a Research Specialist and Exercise Physiologist with the ADRC.<\/p> \r\n","post_date":"2020-02-28 18:12:22","post_excerpt":"","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"UW study finds exercise may decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease","post_type":"page","slug":"alzheimers-exercise-study","_edit_lock":"1638219501:9","_edit_last":"9","_thumbnail_id":"827","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_image":"","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"Original story by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.wisc.edu\/news-and-events\/2020\/february\/exercise-brain-function-tied-to-alzheimers-risk\/\">University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health<\/a>","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","post_date_gmt":"2020-02-28 18:12:22","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"alzheimers-exercise-study","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-11-29 21:00:36","post_modified_gmt":"2021-11-29 21:00:36","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=826","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"image":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/AmyloidPET_ADRC-600x400-c-default.jpeg","image_alt":null},{"post":{"id":520,"ID":520,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616093694:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_content":"","_hero_content":"field_58e695e8ad64f","primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"field_577d30a18b0e1","primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"Default","_primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"field_577d1da785a49","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"field_589c9a754b7a0","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"field_589c9a9d4b7a1","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"A generous gift from American Family Insurance today coupled with a planned expansion of its research collaboration will spearhead the growth of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s research in data science, supporting work that could push forward studies in fields as different as artificial intelligence, genetics, drug development, material science and business. The emerging field of data science has its roots in computer science and statistics and is catalyzing unprecedented growth in the global economy.\r\n\r\nAmerican Family Insurance is announcing today that it will invest $20 million in UW data science initiatives, including $10 million in research over the next 10 years \u2014 through 2029 \u2014 and establish a $10 million endowment to create the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute on campus.\r\n\r\n\u201cAmerican Family Insurance is a proud partner and supporter of UW\u2013Madison,\u201d said Jack Salzwedel, American Family Insurance chair and CEO. \u201cThis latest partnership recognizes the importance of using data science to help our customers, by providing insights on the challenges they face and how best to take action to meet them. The Institute will also develop a pipeline of potential future employees in the data science field, as well as provide valuable learning opportunities for our current employees.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe institute will be located in the McArdle Building and Brian Yandell, professor of biometry, statistics and horticulture, will be the interim director. It will bring together the data science community at UW\u2013Madison and foster new industry partnerships in a rapidly evolving area. The institute will likely increase philanthropic interests in data science applied to domains across UW\u2013Madison, and could also serve as a magnet to attract new faculty.\r\n\r\n\u201cCreating the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute will bring faculty together from across campus to collaborate on cutting-edge research, spark new opportunities for our students, and give us new ways to work with industry partners,\u201d said Chancellor Rebecca Blank. \u201cIt will advance discoveries in sectors vital to the Wisconsin economy and make sure our university remains a leader in this important area of research.\u201d\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s program, held at the Discovery Building on the UW\u2013Madison campus, announcing American Family Insurance\u2019s gift includes a partnership showcase featuring initiatives and research advanced through the partnership agreement announced in 2015. The showcase includes several current American Family Insurance-UW\u2013Madison research projects in data science and also highlights collaborative community-based projects including UW Odyssey, IT Academy, the UniverCity Alliance and student outreach projects.\r\n\r\nEstablishing the institute builds on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s previous initiatives in data science, including formation of a Data Science Hub at WID, creation of a data science major that will attract close to 1,000 undergraduates over the next five years, and the work of the Institute for Foundations of Data Science, an interdisciplinary research effort supported by the National Science Foundation. New research associated with AFIDSI and IFDS will yield breakthroughs in many areas, ranging from precision agriculture to autonomous vehicles to the comprehensive study of world literature.\r\n\r\n\u201cLike many other academic institutions, we are grappling with how to address the challenges of a rapidly evolving data landscape,\u201d explains Norman Drinkwater, interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cGiven the strength of our faculty in both fundamental and applied data science, we are in a good position to develop an interdisciplinary institute focused on data science and we are grateful to American Family Insurance for their continuing partnership in this research area.\u201d","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"field_5745f89f07744","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"0","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"field_58121dc5c4f4d","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":["text_block"],"_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":"field_56a8d83a184a9","primary_content_area":["one_column_content_layout"],"_primary_content_area":"field_56a66cfb6ddaf","lower_content_area":"","_lower_content_area":"field_5762f248ae50f","hero_image":"534","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"UW student Skylyn Worzalla speaks with William Karpus, dean of the graduate school, at an info session during the University of Wisconsin-Madison and American Family Insurance Partnership Celebration Event.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","category":"","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"Gift from American Family Insurance will help expand research","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"524","uw_auto_excerpt":"A generous gift from American Family Insurance today coupled with a planned expansion of its research collaboration will spearhead the growth of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s research in data science, supporting work that could push forward studies in fields as different as artificial intelligence, genetics, drug development, material science and business. The emerging field of data science has&hellip;"},"post_author":"4","post_content":"A generous gift from American Family Insurance today coupled with a planned expansion of its research collaboration will spearhead the growth of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s research in data science, supporting work that could push forward studies in fields as different as artificial intelligence, genetics, drug development, material science and business. The emerging field of data science has its roots in computer science and statistics and is catalyzing unprecedented growth in the global economy.\r\n\r\nAmerican Family Insurance is announcing today that it will invest $20 million in UW data science initiatives, including $10 million in research over the next 10 years \u2014 through 2029 \u2014 and establish a $10 million endowment to create the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute on campus.\r\n\r\n\u201cAmerican Family Insurance is a proud partner and supporter of UW\u2013Madison,\u201d said Jack Salzwedel, American Family Insurance chair and CEO. \u201cThis latest partnership recognizes the importance of using data science to help our customers, by providing insights on the challenges they face and how best to take action to meet them. The Institute will also develop a pipeline of potential future employees in the data science field, as well as provide valuable learning opportunities for our current employees.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe institute will be located in the McArdle Building and Brian Yandell, professor of biometry, statistics and horticulture, will be the interim director. It will bring together the data science community at UW\u2013Madison and foster new industry partnerships in a rapidly evolving area. The institute will likely increase philanthropic interests in data science applied to domains across UW\u2013Madison, and could also serve as a magnet to attract new faculty.\r\n\r\n\u201cCreating the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute will bring faculty together from across campus to collaborate on cutting-edge research, spark new opportunities for our students, and give us new ways to work with industry partners,\u201d said Chancellor Rebecca Blank. \u201cIt will advance discoveries in sectors vital to the Wisconsin economy and make sure our university remains a leader in this important area of research.\u201d\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s program, held at the Discovery Building on the UW\u2013Madison campus, announcing American Family Insurance\u2019s gift includes a partnership showcase featuring initiatives and research advanced through the partnership agreement announced in 2015. The showcase includes several current American Family Insurance-UW\u2013Madison research projects in data science and also highlights collaborative community-based projects including UW Odyssey, IT Academy, the UniverCity Alliance and student outreach projects.\r\n\r\nEstablishing the institute builds on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s previous initiatives in data science, including formation of a Data Science Hub at WID, creation of a data science major that will attract close to 1,000 undergraduates over the next five years, and the work of the Institute for Foundations of Data Science, an interdisciplinary research effort supported by the National Science Foundation. New research associated with AFIDSI and IFDS will yield breakthroughs in many areas, ranging from precision agriculture to autonomous vehicles to the comprehensive study of world literature.\r\n\r\n\u201cLike many other academic institutions, we are grappling with how to address the challenges of a rapidly evolving data landscape,\u201d explains Norman Drinkwater, interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cGiven the strength of our faculty in both fundamental and applied data science, we are in a good position to develop an interdisciplinary institute focused on data science and we are grateful to American Family Insurance for their continuing partnership in this research area.\u201d","post_date":"2019-04-30 19:19:14","post_excerpt":"A generous gift from American Family Insurance today coupled with a planned expansion of its research collaboration will spearhead the growth of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s research in data science, supporting work that could push forward studies in fields as different as artificial intelligence, genetics, drug development, material science and business. The emerging field of data science has&hellip;","post_parent":82,"post_status":"publish","post_title":"Collaboration boosts data science field","post_type":"page","slug":"new-collaboration-boosts-data-science-field","_edit_lock":"1616093694:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_content":"","_hero_content":"field_58e695e8ad64f","primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"field_577d30a18b0e1","primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"Default","_primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"field_577d1da785a49","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"field_589c9a754b7a0","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"field_589c9a9d4b7a1","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"A generous gift from American Family Insurance today coupled with a planned expansion of its research collaboration will spearhead the growth of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s research in data science, supporting work that could push forward studies in fields as different as artificial intelligence, genetics, drug development, material science and business. The emerging field of data science has its roots in computer science and statistics and is catalyzing unprecedented growth in the global economy.\r\n\r\nAmerican Family Insurance is announcing today that it will invest $20 million in UW data science initiatives, including $10 million in research over the next 10 years \u2014 through 2029 \u2014 and establish a $10 million endowment to create the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute on campus.\r\n\r\n\u201cAmerican Family Insurance is a proud partner and supporter of UW\u2013Madison,\u201d said Jack Salzwedel, American Family Insurance chair and CEO. \u201cThis latest partnership recognizes the importance of using data science to help our customers, by providing insights on the challenges they face and how best to take action to meet them. The Institute will also develop a pipeline of potential future employees in the data science field, as well as provide valuable learning opportunities for our current employees.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe institute will be located in the McArdle Building and Brian Yandell, professor of biometry, statistics and horticulture, will be the interim director. It will bring together the data science community at UW\u2013Madison and foster new industry partnerships in a rapidly evolving area. The institute will likely increase philanthropic interests in data science applied to domains across UW\u2013Madison, and could also serve as a magnet to attract new faculty.\r\n\r\n\u201cCreating the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute will bring faculty together from across campus to collaborate on cutting-edge research, spark new opportunities for our students, and give us new ways to work with industry partners,\u201d said Chancellor Rebecca Blank. \u201cIt will advance discoveries in sectors vital to the Wisconsin economy and make sure our university remains a leader in this important area of research.\u201d\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s program, held at the Discovery Building on the UW\u2013Madison campus, announcing American Family Insurance\u2019s gift includes a partnership showcase featuring initiatives and research advanced through the partnership agreement announced in 2015. The showcase includes several current American Family Insurance-UW\u2013Madison research projects in data science and also highlights collaborative community-based projects including UW Odyssey, IT Academy, the UniverCity Alliance and student outreach projects.\r\n\r\nEstablishing the institute builds on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s previous initiatives in data science, including formation of a Data Science Hub at WID, creation of a data science major that will attract close to 1,000 undergraduates over the next five years, and the work of the Institute for Foundations of Data Science, an interdisciplinary research effort supported by the National Science Foundation. New research associated with AFIDSI and IFDS will yield breakthroughs in many areas, ranging from precision agriculture to autonomous vehicles to the comprehensive study of world literature.\r\n\r\n\u201cLike many other academic institutions, we are grappling with how to address the challenges of a rapidly evolving data landscape,\u201d explains Norman Drinkwater, interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cGiven the strength of our faculty in both fundamental and applied data science, we are in a good position to develop an interdisciplinary institute focused on data science and we are grateful to American Family Insurance for their continuing partnership in this research area.\u201d","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"field_5745f89f07744","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"0","_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_apply_uw_box_style":"field_58121dc5c4f4d","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":["text_block"],"_primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements":"field_56a8d83a184a9","primary_content_area":["one_column_content_layout"],"_primary_content_area":"field_56a66cfb6ddaf","lower_content_area":"","_lower_content_area":"field_5762f248ae50f","hero_image":"534","_hero_image":"field_5c6c77c1dd05e","hero_caption":"UW student Skylyn Worzalla speaks with William Karpus, dean of the graduate school, at an info session during the University of Wisconsin-Madison and American Family Insurance Partnership Celebration Event.","_hero_caption":"field_5c6c77d3dd05f","hero_credits":"Bryce Richter","_hero_credits":"field_5c6c77dddd060","hero":"","_hero":"field_5c6c77aedd05d","_category":"field_5c74109c95492","subtitle":"Gift from American Family Insurance will help expand research","_subtitle":"field_5c6c75793fa23","callout_box_type":"default","_callout_box_type":"field_5c6c762e3fa25","callout_box":"","_callout_box":"field_5c6c75ef3fa24","credits":"","_credits":"field_5c6c76c53fa2a","_thumbnail_id":"524","uw_auto_excerpt":"A generous gift from American Family Insurance today coupled with a planned expansion of its research collaboration will spearhead the growth of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s research in data science, supporting work that could push forward studies in fields as different as artificial intelligence, genetics, drug development, material science and business. The emerging field of data science has&hellip;","post_date_gmt":"2019-04-30 19:19:14","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"new-collaboration-boosts-data-science-field","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-03-18 18:57:13","post_modified_gmt":"2021-03-18 18:57:13","post_content_filtered":"","guid":"https:\/\/impact.wisc.edu\/?page_id=520","menu_order":0,"post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","status":"publish"},"category":"","story":{"id":520,"ID":520,"object_type":"post","ImageClass":"Timber\\Image","PostClass":"Timber\\Post","TermClass":"Timber\\Term","custom":{"_edit_lock":"1616093694:9","_edit_last":"9","_wp_page_template":"page-story.php","hero_content":"","_hero_content":"field_58e695e8ad64f","primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_headline":"field_577d30a18b0e1","primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"Default","_primary_content_area_0_background_choice":"field_577d1da785a49","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_id":"field_589c9a754b7a0","primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"","_primary_content_area_0_row_custom_class":"field_589c9a9d4b7a1","primary_content_area_0_one_column_page_elements_0_text_block_content":"A generous gift from American Family Insurance today coupled with a planned expansion of its research collaboration will spearhead the growth of UW\u2013Madison\u2019s research in data science, supporting work that could push forward studies in fields as different as artificial intelligence, genetics, drug development, material science and business. The emerging field of data science has its roots in computer science and statistics and is catalyzing unprecedented growth in the global economy.\r\n\r\nAmerican Family Insurance is announcing today that it will invest $20 million in UW data science initiatives, including $10 million in research over the next 10 years \u2014 through 2029 \u2014 and establish a $10 million endowment to create the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute on campus.\r\n\r\n\u201cAmerican Family Insurance is a proud partner and supporter of UW\u2013Madison,\u201d said Jack Salzwedel, American Family Insurance chair and CEO. \u201cThis latest partnership recognizes the importance of using data science to help our customers, by providing insights on the challenges they face and how best to take action to meet them. The Institute will also develop a pipeline of potential future employees in the data science field, as well as provide valuable learning opportunities for our current employees.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe institute will be located in the McArdle Building and Brian Yandell, professor of biometry, statistics and horticulture, will be the interim director. It will bring together the data science community at UW\u2013Madison and foster new industry partnerships in a rapidly evolving area. The institute will likely increase philanthropic interests in data science applied to domains across UW\u2013Madison, and could also serve as a magnet to attract new faculty.\r\n\r\n\u201cCreating the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute will bring faculty together from across campus to collaborate on cutting-edge research, spark new opportunities for our students, and give us new ways to work with industry partners,\u201d said Chancellor Rebecca Blank. \u201cIt will advance discoveries in sectors vital to the Wisconsin economy and make sure our university remains a leader in this important area of research.\u201d\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s program, held at the Discovery Building on the UW\u2013Madison campus, announcing American Family Insurance\u2019s gift includes a partnership showcase featuring initiatives and research advanced through the partnership agreement announced in 2015. The showcase includes several current American Family Insurance-UW\u2013Madison research projects in data science and also highlights collaborative community-based projects including UW Odyssey, IT Academy, the UniverCity Alliance and student outreach projects.\r\n\r\nEstablishing the institute builds on UW\u2013Madison\u2019s previous initiatives in data science, including formation of a Data Science Hub at WID, creation of a data science major that will attract close to 1,000 undergraduates over the next five years, and the work of the Institute for Foundations of Data Science, an interdisciplinary research effort supported by the National Science Foundation. New research associated with AFIDSI and IFDS will yield breakthroughs in many areas, ranging from precision agriculture to autonomous vehicles to the comprehensive study of world literature.\r\n\r\n\u201cLike many other academic institutions, we are grappling with how to address the challenges of a rapidly evolving data landscape,\u201d explains Norman Drinkwater, interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education. \u201cGiven the strength of our faculty in both fundamental and applied data science, we are in a good position to develop an interdisciplinary institute focused on data science and we are grateful to American Family Insura