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Thursday, January 15, 2026

Science

The solar-charged battery, developed at UW-Madison, stores the sun's energy.
SCIENCE

Battery technology aims to store the sun

By Rachael Andrew | Oct. 24, 2016

Every day, the Earth is bombarded by energy from a source more powerful than humanity could ever replicate: the sun. But this power is not so kind as to be easily harnessed. Even with the wealth of solar technology available and in development, problems persist. Sunlight is a fickle resource, unable to be collected at night or when the weather is cloudy. Because of this inconsistency in production, solar energy’s main sticking point is storage. If solar power can be stored efficiently when the sun is shining, it can be dispersed at any given time. Song Jin, a professor in the chemistry department at UW-Madison, is looking into this area.

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SCIENCE

UW professor elected president of International Primatological Society, works to protect muriqui monkeys

By Julie Spitzer | Oct. 24, 2016

In an office cluttered with monkey memorabilia —stuffed animals, posters and photos, books galore —Dr. Karen Strier smiled as she spoke about the species she holds close to her heart: the muriqui monkeys. Strier, the UW-Madison Vilas Research Professor and Irven DeVore Professor of Anthropology, however, has a new accomplishment to add to her list. Last August, she was chosen to be the president of the International Primatological Society.

The yellow bumblebee, seen here gathering nectar on St. John's Wort, is one of 12 bumblebee species found in the UW-Madison Arboretum. 
SCIENCE

Rare bees find home at UW Arboretum

By Sarah Bishop | Oct. 24, 2016

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum has provided a natural home, full of rich resources and desirable terrain for the rusty-patched bumblebee, that was discovered at the Arboretum in 2010 and is now proposed for the Endangered Species List by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been focusing their resources at the Arboretum to study the rusty-patched bumblebee, which has become a rarity in places it was once abundant. “We didn’t know the rusty-patched bumblebee was here, originally,” Susan Carpenter, the native plant gardener at the UW-Madison Arboretum, said.

The Science Festival at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery featured an array of vintage arcade style games that offered an opportunity for attendees of all ages to learn about science.
SCIENCE

A review of the Science Festival’s Arcade Night

By Maggie Liu | Oct. 24, 2016

Friday’s Science Arcade Night, part of the annual 4-day Wisconsin Science Festival at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, was a wonderful fusion of science, technology, games and fun. Families, couples and students all enjoyed what the event had to offer. True to the event’s name, the ring of large, clunky arcade games was one of the first sights that greeted the festival goers when they walked in— a charming and vintage scene. Nearby, several science-related board games were set up, including a game integrating disease outbreak and Star Wars.

Daily Cardinal
SCIENCE

Science in brief

By Julie Spitzer | Oct. 24, 2016

“Science in brief” is a new column featured in the Daily Cardinal. Highlighting other science stories not covered in full, “Science in brief” hopes to shed light on the plethora of research the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers. In brief this week: Rockd, Electron Beam Lithography and heart patches.

The Rocky Mountain National Park is one of over 400 national parks directed by Jonathan Jarvis. He has been the current director of the National Park Service since 2009.
SCIENCE

NPS director talks centennial goals, sexual harassment claims

By Julie Spitzer | Oct. 10, 2016

In a nearly packed Shannon Hall Monday night, Director of the National Parks Service Jonathan Jarvis took the stage as part of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies’ Jordahl Public Lands lecture to address the NPS centennial and recent sexual harassment allegations surrounding park employees.

Dr. Nadia Drake, a contributing writer for National Geographic, began her talk Friday with a chemistry experiment.
SCIENCE

Nadia Drake advises aspiring science writers with personal insights

By Yunhong Wu | Oct. 10, 2016

Friday afternoon’s conversation with Dr. Nadia Drake, the Fall 2016 UW-Madison Science Writer in Residence, began with an experiment in which a chemistry professor placed dry ice into six cylinders filled with colorful liquid. Waiting until the chemical reaction stopped, Drake went to the front and poured huge amounts of dry ice into a basin of hot water. Clouds of white fog came out of the container as condensed water vapor.

Aaron Satkoski used the UW-Madison Department of Geoscience's mass spectrometer to measure isotopes in samples collected from South Africa.
SCIENCE

Chemical composition of oceans helps scientists understand ancient life

By Sarah Bishop | Oct. 10, 2016

New research on the chemical composition of the ocean has shown that, 3.26 billion years ago, the continents were actually above water. This pieces together several other studies into a cohesive, big-picture idea of how the world once looked, according to Aaron Satkoski and his team of researchers who studied the chemical composition of erosion in the ocean back in 2013 in the Barite Valley, near Barberton, South Africa.

Post-doctoral fellow in the UW-Madison School of Nursing Dr. Traci Snedden, right, studies concussions. 
SCIENCE

Study to connect concussions and academics

By Julie Spitzer | Sep. 26, 2016

The stick hit the puck and the puck glided across the ice. As the blades on his skates did the same, Vaughn Kottler, a now junior at UW-Madison but an incoming high school junior at the time, scurried around the hockey rink at tryouts. Little did he know what was about to hit him. He was so fixated on the puck and his stick, doing his best to make the team, that he didn’t notice the other player and the side of the rink so close to him. Crash! His body—and head—hit the boards.

A regenerating Yellowstone forest, after the 1988 and 2000 fires. This demonstrates a loss of forest resilience.
SCIENCE

Fires damage, help forests

By Maggie Liu | Sep. 26, 2016

Yellowstone National Park is the nation’s oldest national park, spanning one of the largest swathes of wilderness in America. It’s famed for its pristine landscape and iconic wildlife. As UW-Madison’s Eugene P. Odum professor of ecology Monica Turner states, Yellowstone is the “crown jewel” of American national parks. However, Yellowstone’s forests, along with forest ecosystems elsewhere, are in danger of climate change.

Asian jumping worms wiggle uniquely compared to other earthworms when touched or disturbed. 
SCIENCE

Worms invade Wisconsin soils, potentially harm plants

By Julie Spitzer | Sep. 12, 2016

While earthworms are generally welcomed in soils for their ability to break down dead leaves and other organic matter into nutrients the plants can absorb, the invasive Asian jumping worm does so at an astounding rate, potentially accelerating the losses of nutrients from soils and harming native plants.

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