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article Fall 2020

Letter from the Editor

By Katlyn This year has challenged all of us for reasons that seem to multiply every day. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for social justice around the country, it seems that everyday life has been in a state of limbo since March. When rumors first spread that UW-Madison would transition to online after Spring […]

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article Fall 2020

Supporting Patients with Complex Health Needs Using Human Factors Engineering

By Sofia Noejovich An investigation into human factors engineering as applied  by the Werner Lab in their work to design systems to support specialized healthcare users. A teenager suffered from brain damage and died two weeks after she received an organ transplant because the organs from her donor were incompatible with her blood type. An […]

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article Fall 2020

Engineers Without Borders: The Wisconsin Idea in Action

By Lujain Al Jumah 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, […]

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article Fall 2020

Science Beyond the Lab

By Brooke Verfuerth 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, […]

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article Fall 2020

Assessing & Ensuring Construction Readiness

By Sarah Gerarden 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 […]

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article Fall 2020

Researchers Go “Nuclear” for Safety

By Camey Zussman 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 […]

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article Fall 2020

Introducing the Emerging Leaders in Engineering Program

By Shirene Singh 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 […]

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article Fall 2020

CLEAN: Student Org Spotlight

By Paige Dollevoet 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, […]

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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. By Sydney Heimer 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 […]

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article Fall 2020

Chemistry in its Element Podcast — Curious Tales of Chemical Compounds: A Review

By Teja Balasubramanian “Quarantine is a great time to learn about something new, or start listening to a podcast! The “Chemistry in its Element” podcast explores science around us, through several lenses, including art, history, anthropology, and epidemiology.” We are surrounded by chemical molecules and compounds — it is in our food, our bodies, as well as […]