A digital humanities platform at UW–Madison is developing a tool that makes visually focused objects such as medieval manuscripts available online. Digital Mappa is headed by Martin Foys in the English department along with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania, and is funded in part by a UW2020 grant from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). The platform allows users to build projects in a digital space, with the ability to link documents to one another, make comments, highlight interesting points, and collaborate with others.
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UW–Madison inducts 2019 Bouchet scholars
Five outstanding graduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison were welcomed into the university’s chapter of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society April 2 in a ceremony attended by family, friends, and mentors.
The 2019 inductees are Folagbayi Arowolo, Roxanne Etta, Pa Her, Jamila Lee-Johnson, and Esteban J. Quiñones.
Graduate student research connects Wisconsin farmers to new ideas for land management
On Honey Creek Farm in Green Lake County, there is a roughly eight-acre patch of wooded land in addition to the open pasture. Farmer Jim Quick raises grass-fed beef and is looking into a way to let his livestock graze the wooded part of his land while also revitalizing the woods. Quick has become interested in the managed integration of his livestock with trees and forage, known as silvopasture. Diane Mayerfeld and Keefe Keeley, both graduate students at UW–Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, study silvopasture and, in the course of their studies, share that knowledge with farmers across Wisconsin.
PhD students honored for peer mentorship
Three doctoral students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have been named recipients of the 2019 Peer Mentor Awards. The awards, sponsored by Graduate School Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding, recognize stellar mentorship qualities on- and off-campus.
Good chemistry: Protecting lakes and streams with natural chemical compounds
As a graduate student, Sarah Balgooyen has researched phenolic contaminants and their presence in water systems. Phenolic contaminants such as BPA – the chemical commonly known from plastic water bottles – enter lakes and streams where they harm the ecosystem. Other phenolic compounds often come from pharmaceuticals or personal care products.
Balgooyen focuses on a mechanism that could help break down these chemicals before they reach the ecosystems at all: oxidation by manganese oxide.
Meet the 2019 Bouchet Society inductees
The Graduate School has selected five scholars for the 2019 cohort of the UW–Madison Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. The Bouchet Society provides scholars with a network of peers who exemplify character, leadership, scholarship, …
UW-Madison graduate programs ranked high by U.S. News
UW-Madison graduate programs are once again ranked among the nation’s best in the 2020 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools.”
“Our graduate programs provide students the opportunity to learn from and be mentored by world-class faculty who encourage curiosity and creativity,” says William Karpus, dean of UW–Madison’s Graduate School. “I am proud of the faculty and staff who work hard to prepare our students for careers in their chosen fields as well as inspire them to continue learning by asking the most important questions.”
UW–Madison conferred the most PhDs in 2017
The University of Wisconsin–Madison granted more doctorates than any other U.S. institution in 2017, rising from 2nd place the year before.
The 844 awarded doctorates place the UW at the top of PhD-granting institutions, according to the Survey of Earned Doctorates. Overall, U.S. institutions granted 54,664 doctorates, a decrease of about half a percent from 2016.
Career profiles highlight outcomes, successes of graduate alumni
The Graduate School’s newly redesigned alumni career paths webpage showcases alumni across different careers in academia, business and industry, government, nonprofits, and more. In sharing alumni stories, the Graduate School seeks to inspire students with what is possible after earning a graduate degree from UW–Madison, and to give them advice from individuals who have been in their shoes on how to reach their career goals.
Collecting data on kids’ environments and health
Researchers use all sorts of methods to collect their data. For one project on campus, that method takes the form of a cute, animal-shaped backpack.
Graduate student Amy Schultz specializes in environmental epidemiology, which studies how environmental factors affect human health at the population level. She is a leading research assistant on a project called CREATE: Cumulative Risks, Early Development, and Emerging Academic Trajectories.