Good morning, colleagues. Here is this week’s update from Academic Affairs.
Kudos
Libby Ives (Geosciences PhD graduate) is one of three scientists followed by Giant Screen Films in, “Dinosaurs of Antarctica.” The movie is now playing at the Milwaukee Public Museum’s Dome Theaters and Planetarium and other IMAX theaters around the world. GSF followed Libby in Antarctica for the film while she conducted field work on deep-time climate change for her PhD on a National Science Foundation grant to UWM Distinguished Professor John Isbell (Geosciences). See a trailer for the video. Congratulations to Libby and her faculty mentor, John Isbell!
Hobie Davies (Psychology) and Amy Olen (Translation & Interpreting Studies), UWM Psychology graduate students, and their inter-institutional colleagues in the Collaborative for Resilience and Emotional Wellness Science (CREWS) received Team Science-Guided Integrated Clinical and Research Ensemble funding from the Clinical & Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin. The award will allow the Collaborative to expand their research on emotional wellness and develop interventions that address patient health and health care needs among diverse communities in Milwaukee. Kudos to all!
The Office of Research is very pleased to announce the recipients of the Discovery and Innovation Grant awards and the Advancing Research and Creativity awards, representing scholarship across the university. Congratulations, all!
Mohammad “Habib” Rahman (Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering) received his fourth Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium award, which continues funding for his investigation into creating a means for multiple robots to work as a team that handles and manipulates large, heavy objects. In addition to space exploration, potential applications include handling biohazardous material at hospitals and manipulation of large objects in industries and mines. Great news, Habib!
Kudos to UWM’s Sunburst Solar team, who placed second at this year’s Solar Decathlon event over the weekend – more details to follow!
Milwaukee Athletics
Catch up on all the exciting things happening in Milwaukee Athletics by reading the latest issue of The Roar Report. This spring issue is highlighted with a feature story on new Milwaukee men’s basketball head coach Bart Lundy and how his life has changed since the end of the 2021-22 basketball campaign.
For the third straight year, the Milwaukee Athletic Department held its United We Roar Giving Challenge and the Panthers are proud to announce their most successful campaign to date. Similar to last year’s annual giving appeal, the United We Roar Giving Challenge was held in collaboration with the University’s 414 for UWM Day of Giving on Thursday, April 14. The friendly giving competition among each of the Panthers’ varsity athletics programs, their supporters, and alumni raised a total of $63,835 from 161 donors.
Sad News
Professor Emeritus Ruth Phillips, of the Biological Sciences Department, passed away in late 2020. Ruth enjoyed a 31-year career at UWM from 1970-2001, teaching and sharing her knowledge with thousands of students, and securing multiple grants for her groundbreaking research in Salmonid Genetics. See message.
Professor Emeritus Donald Vogel passed away on April 10. Don was a member of UWM’s Political Science department from 1967 to about 1970, specializing in the field of local and state government and administration. In the early 1970s he transferred to the UW-Extension office in downtown Milwaukee (now the School of Continuing Education). There he was a member of its Government Affairs program until his retirement in the mid-90s. See message.
The Week Monday
I start the week with my standing meeting with Robin Van Harpen, followed by a Chancellor meeting, my weekly check-in with Dave Clark and Kay Eilers, and a meeting with Dave, Kay, and Phyllis King. I then have my weekly staff meeting and my one-on-one with Purush Papatla. Tuesday
In the morning, I have a Coronavirus Management Team (CMT) Leadership meeting, my one-on-one with Mark Harris, an Ombuds Council meeting, an Indigenous Community meeting, and the bi-weekly CEMAT Leads meeting. In the afternoon, I’ll attend a lunch with UWM Libraries staff new hires, I have my one-on-one with Brian Thompson, my monthly meeting with Student Association leadership, and my weekly meeting with Chancellor Mone. Wednesday
Today, I have my one-on-one with Kevin Hartman, my standing meeting with Nancy Frank, Mo Zell, and Ivy Hu, my monthly meeting with Tina Freiburger and Hope Longwell-Grice, and I’ll attend a tour of the Emile Mathis Gallery to see the current graduate thesis exhibition.Thursday
In the morning, I have another CMT Leadership meeting, my one-on-ones with Tina Freiburger and Nigel Rothfels, and a 2030 leadership meeting. Friday
I’ll meet with direct reports, attend the celebration for UWM’s Research 1 Status, and attend a meeting on the UW System Presidential Transition.Saturday
I’ll give remarks at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ Student Research Poster Competition.
Announcements
Biometric Screenings
UWM will be hosting on-site biometric screenings for employees and their spouses who are enrolled in the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance Program. The health screenings will be held in the UWM Student Union Ballroom on the following dates:
- Monday, April 25, 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Thursday, May 12, 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
At a biometric screening, you’ll learn your measurements for blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol (HDL, LDL and total), triglycerides and glucose, and be in and out in 20 minutes. Complete three activities by October 14 to earn a $150 Well Wisconsin gift card. More information and registration. For questions reach out to benefits@uwm.edu. Freshwater Sciences Student Presentations
Please join us for “Report from the Field: UWM Freshwater Sciences Student Research,” featuring UWM students presenting their fieldwork at Laguna Bacalar, Mexico, together with students from the Bacalar Teacher’s College, Wednesday, April 27 at 9 a.m. (virtual).
Earth Month Webinar
The UWM Center for Water Policy and the Institute for Systems Change and Peacebuilding will present a celebration of Earth Month webinar, “Depolarizing Water in Complex Social-Ecological Systems: Navigating Conflict and Consensus,” in East Troy, Wisconsin. The webinar takes place on Thursday, April 28, from 12-1:30 p.m. Tim Ehlinger, 2021-22 water policy scholar in the Center for Water Policy, will lead a panel that examines the complex linkages and feedbacks among hydrology, development paradigms, community values, identities, conflicting water uses, and governance. More information and registration.
Polish History Talk
Łukasz Mieszkowski is giving a talk entitled, “Dragons and Lice: Poland in Times of Plague, 1918–1922,” on Thursday, April 28, from 3:30-4:45 p.m. in Lubar Hall S185. Łukasz is a PhD Candidate at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw and is currently a Fulbright Research Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. The talk is sponsored by the Department of History and the Center for 21st Century Studies.
Women of Color in Politics
On Thursday, April 28 from 5-6:30 p.m., the UWM Honors Antiracism Event Series welcomes Milwaukee County Supervisors Marcelia Nicholson, Sequanna Taylor, and Priscilla Coggs-Jones for a roundtable-style Zoom conversation about their experiences as Black women and Women of Color in local politics. The discussion is free, open to the public, and will be moderated by UWM Student Association President, Mia Heredia. Register for the event and submit questions for the panelists.
Loyola Project Film Screening
This film event showcase will be held at the UWM Peck School of the Arts (Arts Center Lecture Hall 120) on Thursday, April 28 from 5-7 p.m. This screening shares the history and outcomes of the 1963 national championship for college basketball. In 1963, at the height of the civil rights movement, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers broke racial barriers on their way to a national championship. Now, nearly 60 years later, this legendary team is reexamined by Loyola basketball player and co-captain, Lucas Williamson. Speakers include Men’s Basketball Coach Bart Lundy, Vice Chancellor for DEI Dr. Chia Vang, and representatives from Northwestern Mutual Life.
Geography Colloquium Series
On Friday, April 29 at 2 p.m. in the American Geographical Society Library, Professor Kris Olds (UW-Madison, Geography) will present the spring 2022 Mayer Lecture on “Mapping the Evolving Global Higher Education and Research Landscape.” This presentation examines key dimensions of the evolving global higher education and research landscape which, taken together and despite the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, points to the “denationalization” and “desectoralization” of higher education. Sponsored by the UWM Department of Geography.
Book Release Event
The UWM Libraries Digital Humanities Lab is excited to host a book talk to celebrate the release of Tom Haigh’s (History) newest book, “A New History of Modern Computing,” (co-authored with Paul Ceruzzi), from MIT Press. Join us this Friday, April 29 at 3 p.m.in the DH Lab. Boswell Books will be on hand with copies for sale. This event will be held in-person with a virtual option. Register here.
Computational Science Lecture
Join us April 29, from 12-12:30 p.m. for our virtual NMDSI IMPACT Education Series, in which Dr. Jay Bayne will provide a brief lecture that will introduce the topic of Computational Science. Dr. Bayne serves as a Board Member for the Wisconsin Technology Council, is a Research Professor at Marquette University, and currently brings his expertise to UWM via teaching selected advanced classes for the Computer Science Department.
New Planetarium Event
Creating a sustainable future requires us to consider our relationships with ourselves, one another, and the planet. How do we sustain our collective well-being while making the changes necessary for a brighter future? The UWM Planetarium and Lubar Entrepreneurship Center invite you to relax, hope, move, and change. Take a walk with Dr. Jean Creighton through our UWM neighborhood to marvel at the wonder and awe of the planet we call home. Experience a guided mindfulness practice and learn how mindfulness can serve as a tool for change and transformation. This event will also feature University Innovation Fellow, Allyn Loutzee, who will share innovative ideas for actions we can take in our daily lives and community to preserve and protect the planet. We will meet at the UWM Planetarium on Monday, May 9 from 5-6 p.m. Light snacks and drinks will be served following the event. More information and registration.
Volunteer During Move-Out 2022
Move-out generates large amounts of unwanted items that can be collected and redistributed on campus or to local organizations. Volunteers will help reduce unneeded waste by collecting and sorting donations in Sandburg and finding them a new home at the PantherCycle Free Store. There are multiple on-campus volunteer opportunities May 10-20. Further details and registration. Move-Out 2022 events are hosted by the Office of Sustainability, Neighborhood Housing, and University Housing.
UWM at Waukesha Field Station Digital Image Archive is Now Live!
The UWM at Waukesha Field Station digital image archive has been made available via the UWM Libraries Digital Collections. This collection documents the first 50 years of the field station and is the culmination of a year-long project between Marlin Johnson, Suzanne Joneson (both of General Studies – Math and Natural Sciences), and the UWM Libraries.
Add Perceptions on Aging Curricula to Your Class
Disrupt Aging Classroom is a 2.5-hour, interactive curriculum that challenges students to examine their aging perceptions and think about how the growing aging population is relevant to their personal lives and future careers. The curriculum complements any course of study and helps students become more age inclusive. The AARP created the Disrupt Aging curriculum, and Jen Kahn-Pettigrew of the Helen Bader Office of Applied Gerontology is the campus representative. Please fill out this form if you’re interested in a class presentation in Summer or Fall 2022.
Other
. . . And they lost yet again.
Take care,
Johannes
Johannes Britz
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs