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article Spring 2021

Why did UW-Madison switch to saliva-based testing?

Since the beginning of the spring semester, UW-Madison students living on campus or in the greater Madison area have been testing twice per week for COVID-19. After receiving a negative test result, a green checkmark through the Safer Badgers app gives students access to buildings. UW-Madison added saliva tests developed by UIUC Researchers to increase […]

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article Spring 2021

NIH and the Racial Disparities in Academia

In the field of research, the most innovative and groundbreaking ideas from scientists of diverse backgrounds are trumped by the harmful grievances of their white counterparts. In academic medicine in the U.S., Black scientists are inexcusably underrepresented by about 6-fold. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest research institute in America. While they […]

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article Spring 2021

The Untold Story of Freshmen in a Pandemic

This year’s freshman class began their college experience unlike their predecessors. First year mechanical engineering student, Vahagn Yengibaryan, was unable to live in Madison during the fall semester. Instead, Yengibaryan took classes from his native country of Armenia, in a time zone ten hours ahead of Madison. Katie Hickman, a political science student from Germany, […]

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article Fall 2020

Engineers Without Borders: The Wisconsin Idea in Action

For over a century, the Wisconsin Idea has been the guiding philosophy of faculty, students, and alumni of UW-Madison. One of the earliest university presidents once said, “I shall never be content until the beneficent influence of the university reaches every family in the state.” Today, that sentiment still holds true, reaching communities worldwide through […]

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article Fall 2020

Science Beyond the Lab

In the fast paced, ever changing world of science, effective communication could not be more important. Bridging the gap between the research in the lab and the diverse audience of the general public has its challenges, as has been highlighted in the past year with the Covid-19 pandemic. As we move forward, more work is […]

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article Fall 2020

Assessing & Ensuring Construction Readiness

The construction industry is a competitive field with constant pressure to complete projects on schedule and within budget. Due to this, projects are often launched without adequate assessment of the readiness of the project. This leads to low productivity, delays, and even projects coming to a halt while decisions and changes are made. UW Madison’s […]

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article Fall 2020

Researchers Go “Nuclear” for Safety

When the word “nuclear” comes into the conversation, bad connotations are immediately attached to the word. For Kaya Mondry, however, nuclear power is the gateway for many promising research opportunities. Her research group is fighting this stigma by improving how nuclear plants operate. Research Intern Mondry, whose advisors are Michael Corradini and Hwasung Yeom in […]

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article Fall 2020

Introducing the Emerging Leaders in Engineering Program

Our experiences outside the classroom can be just as vital as the professors’ lectures inside. A number of cardinal life lessons and soft skills cannot be easily “taught” but are instead instilled through experiences. Participating in the Emerging Leaders in Engineering (ELE) program is one way for students at UW-Madison to develop these leadership skills […]

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article Fall 2020

CLEAN: Student Org Spotlight

If you saw signs on Bascom Hill on December 6th last semester, you saw the work of a newly formed student organization, CLEAN. CLEAN used to be a coalition of many different groups from around campus, such as the Sierra Club and 350 Madison, with the common goal of renewable energy. Recently, however, they have […]

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article Fall 2020

Why the Engineer Fountain ACTUALLY Doesn’t Work

Faulty jets? Leaky pipes? Not enough water in Madison? Find out the real reason why the Descendant’s fountain doesn’t work. Why, on a campus full of engineers, is there a fountain that does not spray water? I sat down (virtually) with Dean Ian Robertson to find out. The Descendant’s Fountain, or Máquina (Spanish for machine) […]