Dispatches
'A Shining Example'
When the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated two hundred thousand feet above Texas on February 1, the disaster sent a personal shockwave through UW-Madison. One of the seven astronauts killed in the disaster, Laurel Clark '83, MD'87, was not only an alumna, but also a staunch friend of the university.
"Dr. Clark will forever remain a shining example of everything that is great about our graduates, our faculty, and our staff," said Chancellor John Wiley MS'65, PhD'68 in a statement to the Faculty Senate. "She dedicated her life to scientific research, and ultimately lost her life in the pursuit of knowledge."
The UW System Board of Regents also passed a resolution recognizing "the valor and personal sacrifice of the shuttle crew," and praising Clark's achievements in particular. During the days immediately following the Columbia disaster, the university laid a wreath before the pedestal of the Lincoln statue on Bascom Hill, and at the chancellor's request, the UW Foundation set up a fund so that Clark's eight-year-old son, Ian, may receive a full scholarship should he one day choose to attend UW-Madison. The UW's Medical School also created a scholarship in Clark's honor to assist an incoming medical student.
"Dr. Clark will forever remain a shining example of everything that is great about our graduates, our faculty, and our staff," said Chancellor John Wiley MS'65, PhD'68 in a statement to the Faculty Senate. "She dedicated her life to scientific research, and ultimately lost her life in the pursuit of knowledge."
The UW System Board of Regents also passed a resolution recognizing "the valor and personal sacrifice of the shuttle crew," and praising Clark's achievements in particular. During the days immediately following the Columbia disaster, the university laid a wreath before the pedestal of the Lincoln statue on Bascom Hill, and at the chancellor's request, the UW Foundation set up a fund so that Clark's eight-year-old son, Ian, may receive a full scholarship should he one day choose to attend UW-Madison. The UW's Medical School also created a scholarship in Clark's honor to assist an incoming medical student.
Ironically, it was due chiefly to a need for financial aid that Clark first set foot on what she called the "somewhat circuitous" path that led her into space. After her first year of medical school, "I was looking at some very large loans," she said in a press conference prior to her launch. "And purely for financial reasons, I joined the navy."
Though she initially intended to end her naval career after three years, she soon found her interests changing. She trained first as an underseas medical officer, then as a flight surgeon. Ultimately, she entered NASA's astronaut program in 1996. During the next six years, she rose to the rank of commander, but she wasn't assigned to a space flight until the Columbia's final mission, which launched on January 17.
Columbia's mission had focused on scientific inquiry, and Clark said that the part of the mission that appealed to her most was the opportunity to work on two experiments created by UW-Madison's Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR).
Though she initially intended to end her naval career after three years, she soon found her interests changing. She trained first as an underseas medical officer, then as a flight surgeon. Ultimately, she entered NASA's astronaut program in 1996. During the next six years, she rose to the rank of commander, but she wasn't assigned to a space flight until the Columbia's final mission, which launched on January 17.
Columbia's mission had focused on scientific inquiry, and Clark said that the part of the mission that appealed to her most was the opportunity to work on two experiments created by UW-Madison's Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR).
Weijia Zhou MS'90, PhD'93, principal investigator of the experiments and director of WCSAR, says that the studies explored how the near-weightless environment of space might be used to develop commercial products. One experiment, sponsored in part by International Flavors and Fragrances, looked at the effect of microgravity on the development of essential oils produced by aromatic flowers, and the other, sponsored in part by Producers' Natural Processing Corporation, studied the validity of gene transfer technology developed for space-based research.
In her final e-mail, Clark reported that "all of the experiments have accomplished most of their goals, despite the inevitable hiccups that occur." Those results, however, were destroyed along with the shuttle and its crew.
"The scientific data are totally lost," Zhou says.
It may be a long while before the experiments can be repeated. "Almost all shuttle missions have been dedicated to transporting materials to the International Space Station," says Zhou. "And this has led to a relative demotion for shuttle-based research. Our experiments were first manifested to a shuttle mission in 1999, but were delayed for three years."
-John Allen
In her final e-mail, Clark reported that "all of the experiments have accomplished most of their goals, despite the inevitable hiccups that occur." Those results, however, were destroyed along with the shuttle and its crew.
"The scientific data are totally lost," Zhou says.
It may be a long while before the experiments can be repeated. "Almost all shuttle missions have been dedicated to transporting materials to the International Space Station," says Zhou. "And this has led to a relative demotion for shuttle-based research. Our experiments were first manifested to a shuttle mission in 1999, but were delayed for three years."
-John Allen
Q AND A —Darrell Bazzell
In January, Darrell Bazzell '84, former secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources, became vice chancellor for administration. Among his responsibilities is managing the UW's budget.
Q: Governor Doyle has proposed cutting $250 million from the UW System budget over the next two years. Undoubtedly, that will make your first UW budget an adventure. Are you confident that the university can find ways to get through this time?
A: It's certainly going to be a challenge. And as we work to meet it, we're going to have to pay attention to two key priorities. One is to maintain the quality of the institution. The second is to continue to provide access to as many students as possible. As we set our priorities for how we will achieve the budget reductions, we're going to try to avoid impacting instruction and research. We need to make sure that we maintain our strategic focus so that we are eliminating the lowest priority actions during this time. Meeting the budget challenge will not be easy, but our hope is that the economy continues to improve, and that we'll only have to face this one time. That's our ray of hope.
Q: Governor Doyle has proposed cutting $250 million from the UW System budget over the next two years. Undoubtedly, that will make your first UW budget an adventure. Are you confident that the university can find ways to get through this time?
A: It's certainly going to be a challenge. And as we work to meet it, we're going to have to pay attention to two key priorities. One is to maintain the quality of the institution. The second is to continue to provide access to as many students as possible. As we set our priorities for how we will achieve the budget reductions, we're going to try to avoid impacting instruction and research. We need to make sure that we maintain our strategic focus so that we are eliminating the lowest priority actions during this time. Meeting the budget challenge will not be easy, but our hope is that the economy continues to improve, and that we'll only have to face this one time. That's our ray of hope.
Athletics Makes a Handoff
Fourteen years ago, Pat Richter '64, JD'71 inherited a sports program that was as bankrupt off the field as many of its teams were on it. Now, after leading a remarkable reversal of fortunes at the helm of UW athletics, Richter is planning a handoff to one of the first people he hired to help get things turned around.
In February, Richter made official his plans to retire as director of athletics in April 2004. At the same time, the university announced that Barry Alvarez will succeed Richter, while also maintaining his role as head football coach.
At a press conference to announce both moves, Chancellor John Wiley noted that the transition from Richter to Alvarez maintains continuity in an athletics program already on a "positive trajectory."
"Pat will be remembered as a builder of this department," Wiley said. He described Alvarez as "just the right person ... to take the reins and build on Pat's legacy.
In February, Richter made official his plans to retire as director of athletics in April 2004. At the same time, the university announced that Barry Alvarez will succeed Richter, while also maintaining his role as head football coach.
At a press conference to announce both moves, Chancellor John Wiley noted that the transition from Richter to Alvarez maintains continuity in an athletics program already on a "positive trajectory."
"Pat will be remembered as a builder of this department," Wiley said. He described Alvarez as "just the right person ... to take the reins and build on Pat's legacy.
"We have done our homework, and simply put, Barry has the right stuff," Wiley said.
Alvarez was among the first pieces Richter put into place after being hired by then-Chancellor Donna Shalala in 1989. Less than a year into his job, Richter hired Alvarez to lead the UW's struggling football program, which had won nine games in the previous four years. In the thirteen seasons since, Alvarez has guided the Badgers to ninety-two wins, eight bowl game appearances, and seven bowl victories.
Buoyed by rising tides in football, the athletic department under Richter built a financial reserve of more than $6 million, with annual revenues that now exceed $50 million. Richter spearheaded revitalization of decaying facilities, overseeing construction of the Kohl Center, the University Ridge golf course, the Goodman softball diamond, and the Fetzer Academic Learning Center, among others.
Many fans were angered by Richter's decision in 1991 to cut five varsity sports to balance the department's budget and work toward gender equity. But the effort — and the eventual addition of women's hockey, softball, and lightweight rowing — helped UW get into compliance with federal law under Title IX.
Alvarez was among the first pieces Richter put into place after being hired by then-Chancellor Donna Shalala in 1989. Less than a year into his job, Richter hired Alvarez to lead the UW's struggling football program, which had won nine games in the previous four years. In the thirteen seasons since, Alvarez has guided the Badgers to ninety-two wins, eight bowl game appearances, and seven bowl victories.
Buoyed by rising tides in football, the athletic department under Richter built a financial reserve of more than $6 million, with annual revenues that now exceed $50 million. Richter spearheaded revitalization of decaying facilities, overseeing construction of the Kohl Center, the University Ridge golf course, the Goodman softball diamond, and the Fetzer Academic Learning Center, among others.
Many fans were angered by Richter's decision in 1991 to cut five varsity sports to balance the department's budget and work toward gender equity. But the effort — and the eventual addition of women's hockey, softball, and lightweight rowing — helped UW get into compliance with federal law under Title IX.
"The challenges have been many, but we've attacked them with a sense of purpose and integrity," said Richter, a former three-sport Badger star, who still maintains that "Wisconsin has given more to me than I could ever give back."
Alvarez will become the UW's tenth athletics director — and the third to hold that position while also coaching the football team. (George Little did both in 1925 and 1926, as did Harry Stuhldreher from 1936 to 1948.) Alvarex has no immediate plans to give up coaching, and he believes that he can give both responsibilities due attention.
"One reason I feel confident in doing both jobs is because I've inherited such an outstanding group of people in the administration," said Alvarez, who has been a member of the department's management team since 2000, when he was named associate athletic director for football operations. "I'm really looking forward to meeting with all of the coaches in the department, and I want to send a strong message to them so that they know that I will be committed to continuing the growth of the athletic department, not just football."
— Michael Penn
Alvarez will become the UW's tenth athletics director — and the third to hold that position while also coaching the football team. (George Little did both in 1925 and 1926, as did Harry Stuhldreher from 1936 to 1948.) Alvarex has no immediate plans to give up coaching, and he believes that he can give both responsibilities due attention.
"One reason I feel confident in doing both jobs is because I've inherited such an outstanding group of people in the administration," said Alvarez, who has been a member of the department's management team since 2000, when he was named associate athletic director for football operations. "I'm really looking forward to meeting with all of the coaches in the department, and I want to send a strong message to them so that they know that I will be committed to continuing the growth of the athletic department, not just football."
— Michael Penn
Overheard
"First, I get their attention. Then I get them involved in making observations and connecting what they're experiencing with what they already know."
The teaching secrets of chemistry Professor Bassam Shakhashiri, recently cited by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his efforts to foster public engagement in science. Shakhashiri runs the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy and is the creator of the "Science is Fun!" program, which presents science demonstrations around the world.
The teaching secrets of chemistry Professor Bassam Shakhashiri, recently cited by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his efforts to foster public engagement in science. Shakhashiri runs the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy and is the creator of the "Science is Fun!" program, which presents science demonstrations around the world.
26
Number of UW-Madison winners of 2003 Fulbright grants, which fund international research and scholarship. The total includes two professors who won senior specialist grants, nineteen students or recent graduates who won graduate study grants, and five doctoral candidates who will conduct dissertation research in foreign countries.
Missing the Point
It seems that choice locations on Picnic Point are getting harder to come by. Not only are more people visiting the popular campus spot, but there's less of it to go around. Picnic Point, it seems, is shrinking.
Cathie Bruner '72, MS'77, manager of the campus natural areas, says the three-quarter-mile-long peninsula is diminishing chiefly because of erosion and rising water levels. "For one thing," Bruner says, "it's used so much, particularly at the very point. For another, it was never planned for vegetation or protection. Then there are the bizarre rains we had [last spring], which brought the lake level up high — and urban development in Madison, which sends more water into the lake. If development continues to send increasing water into the lake, shoreline areas will lose more land."
Cathie Bruner '72, MS'77, manager of the campus natural areas, says the three-quarter-mile-long peninsula is diminishing chiefly because of erosion and rising water levels. "For one thing," Bruner says, "it's used so much, particularly at the very point. For another, it was never planned for vegetation or protection. Then there are the bizarre rains we had [last spring], which brought the lake level up high — and urban development in Madison, which sends more water into the lake. If development continues to send increasing water into the lake, shoreline areas will lose more land."
The point's troubles lie in its history. Before UW-Madison acquired the peninsula in 1941, it belonged to Edward Young, who used it as a dairy farm. Today, the groundlayer vegetation is sparse, shaded out by non-native shrubs on the shoreline. "It's mostly honeysuckle and buckthorn," says Bruner. The root systems of the current plants provide little protection, and waves, combined with foot traffic along the lakeshore path, are causing much of the point's topsoil to erode.
But Picnic Point is in no danger of sinking beneath the waves. Not only is geology on its side —"the underlying rock layers aren't going anywhere," says Bruner — but campus planners are working to halt the erosion.
"We're looking for an engineering solution for the point itself, out at the tip," says Bruner, "and we'll be conducting experiments to see what we can do to stabilize the shoreline." Campus natural areas and the Office of Facilities Planning and Management are also looking at ways to redesign social areas and restore native plants to prevent erosion problems.
— John Allen
But Picnic Point is in no danger of sinking beneath the waves. Not only is geology on its side —"the underlying rock layers aren't going anywhere," says Bruner — but campus planners are working to halt the erosion.
"We're looking for an engineering solution for the point itself, out at the tip," says Bruner, "and we'll be conducting experiments to see what we can do to stabilize the shoreline." Campus natural areas and the Office of Facilities Planning and Management are also looking at ways to redesign social areas and restore native plants to prevent erosion problems.
— John Allen
A Plethora of Pillow Talk
They're multiplying like rabbits - or at least talking about it.
Columns dealing with sex, love, and relationships are popping up in student newspapers across the nation, andUW-Madison is no exception.
At the start of the academic year, the Badger Herald debuted "Between the Sheets," a column by sophomore Caley Meals. Add to that the Daily Cardinal, which for the past several years has run a column written by the teaching assistants of a human sexuality course, and it seems the UW has caught the love bug.
Meals offers not so much advice as commentary on topics ranging from sexual liberation to exhibitionism in College Library, from the intricacies of love in the residence halls to whipped cream bikinis. "If you are looking for a decadent display of your affections," she wrote in one recent column, "chocolate sauce is less likely to induce vomiting than an overabundance of whipped cream."
Columns dealing with sex, love, and relationships are popping up in student newspapers across the nation, andUW-Madison is no exception.
At the start of the academic year, the Badger Herald debuted "Between the Sheets," a column by sophomore Caley Meals. Add to that the Daily Cardinal, which for the past several years has run a column written by the teaching assistants of a human sexuality course, and it seems the UW has caught the love bug.
Meals offers not so much advice as commentary on topics ranging from sexual liberation to exhibitionism in College Library, from the intricacies of love in the residence halls to whipped cream bikinis. "If you are looking for a decadent display of your affections," she wrote in one recent column, "chocolate sauce is less likely to induce vomiting than an overabundance of whipped cream."
An English major, Meals was approached by editors about a regular column after she penned an article about beer goggles, the phenomenon in which people look more attractive to those who are drunk. She says her topics come from friends, sex newsletters, and surfing the Internet.
"Lots of people talk about sex with their friends," she says. "You don't learn about this stuff in sex ed. I'm just putting it out there for discussion."
— Erin Hueffner '00
"Lots of people talk about sex with their friends," she says. "You don't learn about this stuff in sex ed. I'm just putting it out there for discussion."
— Erin Hueffner '00
Biting Back
At the innocent age of five, "don't let the bedbugs bite" is merely a familiar rhyme to recite at bedtime. But for students living in some campus-area apartments, it's a serious warning.
Bedbugs are making a comeback in Madison, and more than a dozen downtown apartments were recently treated for infestation. Health department officials suspect the bugs have been carried here from overseas by students returning from study-abroad programs. Simply moving an infested bed from one apartment to another can spread the insects, which wiggle into headboards, floorboards, box springs, and other hiding places, waiting to feed on human blood during the night.
Skin crawling yet?
It takes three to four treatments with pesticide to rid an area of the creatures. But Wisconsin's notorious winters may be a saving grace: the wingless insects are wimps when exposed to biting cold, so tenants have been advised to place furniture outside for a few days to freeze the pests out.
— Christine Lampe '92
Bedbugs are making a comeback in Madison, and more than a dozen downtown apartments were recently treated for infestation. Health department officials suspect the bugs have been carried here from overseas by students returning from study-abroad programs. Simply moving an infested bed from one apartment to another can spread the insects, which wiggle into headboards, floorboards, box springs, and other hiding places, waiting to feed on human blood during the night.
Skin crawling yet?
It takes three to four treatments with pesticide to rid an area of the creatures. But Wisconsin's notorious winters may be a saving grace: the wingless insects are wimps when exposed to biting cold, so tenants have been advised to place furniture outside for a few days to freeze the pests out.
— Christine Lampe '92
Some Kind of Sign
A brightly hued billboard caught the eye of many drivers and pedestrians near campus recently, but few knew how it got there. The sign, which presided over Regent Street for several weeks around the holidays, was actually an experiment in roadside distraction. It and one other campus-area billboard were designed by art students who took a design-in-two-dimensions class led by graduate student Jennifer Price '01. After learning technical and aesthetic aspects of outdoor signage, the students produced twelve billboard concepts. A jury selected the two most legible, compelling designs to take to the streets.
— M.P.
— M.P.
Flashback - California Dreamin'?
It wasn't so much global warming as cabin fever that seems to have inspired these Wisconsin Union Hoofers at their annual Winter Carnival in 1982. Lake Mendota in February is better known for snow and ice than surf.
Or at least it usually is. Last year was so mild, in fact, that the Hoofers had to cancel many events at Winter Carnival due to thin ice.
But the carnival made a triumphant return in 2003. A deep freeze in late January gave the lake a solid foot of ice, which allowed the Hoofers to put on an extravaganza of ice sailing, ice bowling, ice sculpting, and ice diving during the second weekend in February. The carnival wrapped up with a revival of the traditional Snow Ball, a dance held in Tripp Commons.
— J.A.
Or at least it usually is. Last year was so mild, in fact, that the Hoofers had to cancel many events at Winter Carnival due to thin ice.
But the carnival made a triumphant return in 2003. A deep freeze in late January gave the lake a solid foot of ice, which allowed the Hoofers to put on an extravaganza of ice sailing, ice bowling, ice sculpting, and ice diving during the second weekend in February. The carnival wrapped up with a revival of the traditional Snow Ball, a dance held in Tripp Commons.
— J.A.
Radio Inactive
In February, WSUM celebrated its one-year anniversary of broadcasting over the airwaves. But not everyone was in the mood to party. Many around UW-Madison's student-run radio station are still fuming about new regulations that forced it to abandon its home on the Internet, where fans had been tuning in since 1997.
Under copyright law, radio stations must pay royalties on the copyrighted music that they share with listeners. In most cases, stations pay flat fees to central clearinghouses that in turn compensate songwriters.
But last year, federal officials determined that stations broadcasting over the Internet had to pay separate royalties to the recording industry, as well as report additional information about their play lists and listeners. Many college-affiliated stations, already on shoestring budgets, couldn't afford the equipment needed to do such tracking, and after the new rules were announced, more than seventy stations — including WSUM — pulled the plug on their Internet broadcasts.
"To accurately report our audience for royalty purposes requires intrusive and extensive information gathering from our listeners," says WSUM general manager Dave Black. But he adds that college radio advocates are trying to broker a deal with the recording industry that would make Internet broadcasting less taxing — in both labor and budget.
"We ask that our alums keep the faith until then," Black says.
— Michael Penn
Under copyright law, radio stations must pay royalties on the copyrighted music that they share with listeners. In most cases, stations pay flat fees to central clearinghouses that in turn compensate songwriters.
But last year, federal officials determined that stations broadcasting over the Internet had to pay separate royalties to the recording industry, as well as report additional information about their play lists and listeners. Many college-affiliated stations, already on shoestring budgets, couldn't afford the equipment needed to do such tracking, and after the new rules were announced, more than seventy stations — including WSUM — pulled the plug on their Internet broadcasts.
"To accurately report our audience for royalty purposes requires intrusive and extensive information gathering from our listeners," says WSUM general manager Dave Black. But he adds that college radio advocates are trying to broker a deal with the recording industry that would make Internet broadcasting less taxing — in both labor and budget.
"We ask that our alums keep the faith until then," Black says.
— Michael Penn
