Volume 16, Number 6
- Program Update: Urban StudiesUrban Studies program's 28th Annual Student Research Forum showcases student research, recent alumni accomplishments, and an urban historian and 2026- Pulitzer Book Award finalist author This May, urban studies majors enrolled in the Capstone Seminar …
- What Can You Do with a Philosophy Major?Every year, graduates from the College of Letters & Science enter the workforce and begin to contribute thousands of dollars to their local, state, and national economies. They bring the skills and knowledge they gained …
- UWM professors are raising gun violence awareness through a personal lensLeslie Harris and Erin Parcell work side by side within the Department of Communication at UW-Milwaukee. But it’s not just teaching that brings the two together. They connect on a deeper level due to their shared dedication …
- UWM associate professor dives into the Great Lakes’ secretsAssociate professor Ashley Lemke has long been familiar with the Great Lakes region. She’s spent many summers visiting Lake Huron — but not to hike along the shore or relax on its beaches. Lemke was exploring …
- From Morocco to Milwaukee: Alum shares her cuisine, cookbook career, and family historyKitty Morse didn’t set out to become an award-winning cookbook author and a celebrated champion of Moroccan cuisine. But when she was a student at UW-Milwaukee, her roommates asked to try some of her traditional …
- UWM astronomer helps decipher a “Rosetta Stone” in spaceA few years ago, scientists discovered an unusual astronomical phenomenon: Objects that sent short bursts of radio waves at distinct intervals, emanating from various parts of space. Scientists named them “long-period radio transients.” They didn’t …
- Cross-discipline collaboration leads to compelling documentaries about Maryland Ave’s hidden cemeteryAbout two years ago, Maryland Avenue Montessori School discovered a long-forgotten cemetery on their school grounds. Archaeologists from UW-Milwaukee’s Anthropology Department spent months excavating the cemetery, researching its inhabitants, and documenting their findings. After the …
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Alumni Accomplishments
Stephanie Perez (‘26, BA Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies) was selected for the 2026 cohort of summer interns at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Her fellow interns include students and graduates from Marquette, Northwestern, and Yale.
Jacquelyn M. Paykel (‘92, BA Anthropology) was appointed the assistant dean of Whole Health Education at the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Arkansas, in June. Paykel was most recently the founder and CEO of S.H.E. Medical, LLC, where she led consulting and coaching initiatives focused on Whole Health practices, and previously served as Women’s Health Medical Director and physician in gynecology and integrative medicine at the Tomah VA Medical Center in Wisconsin. She has a long, distinguished career in medicine.
Jack DeDecker (‘12, BA Linguistics) and his wife, Swarpana, celebrated the grand opening of their new business, Jasher’s Teahouse, in June. The teahouse is named after the couple’s son and emphasizes hospitality and comfort. The couple was featured on OnMilwaukee.
Ashok Rai (‘94, BS Medical Science) was elected vice president of the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents in June. He is the president and CEO of Prevea Health and has served as a board member on the Board of Regents since 2021.
Christopher Medina-Kirchner (‘14, BA Psychology) was the keynote speaker at the Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility’s (RYOC) graduation ceremony in June, where he spoke about the power of education. Medina-Kirchner was a youth offender who, after his incarceration, earned a bachelor’s degree at UW-Milwaukee, a PhD from Columbia University, and a postdoctoral position at Harvard University.
Charmane Perry (‘17, PhD African & African Diaspora Studies) announced that her new book, Perpetual Foreigners: Stigma, Citizenship, and Anti-Haitianism in the Bahamas, will be released in October. Perry is an associate professor of Africana Studies at San Diego State University. Her book explores the impact of colonialism and racism on Haitian migrants and their children.
William Thien (‘80, BA English; ‘16, EMBA) is celebrating a year of success after publishing two books in 2025. The two titles include Collected Poems of William Thien and Notes from the Silent Majority: AKA, Socialism was Supposed to Fix Everything! The first collection is an accumulation of Thien’s published poetry along with some previously unpublished material, while the second work includes selections of Thein’s observations previously published on his political blog.
Peter Giersch (‘90, BA English) recently published Talking of Michaelangelo: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell in the Burgundy Region, a travelogue and spiritual memoir that takes the reader from the streets of Paris to a monastery in the Burgundy region and invites them along as Giersch examines his faith. The book has received praise from several media outets, and Giersch was invited on several podcasts, including with hosts Bear Woznick, Eric Metaxas, and Tammy Peterson (the wife of Jordan Peterson).
Patrick Baird (’13, BA Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies) launched his new collection of true crime stories gathered from Door County’s history from 1867-1959. Cherryland Murder, Madness, Mischief was released in June at an event in Bailey’s Harbor, Wisconsin. Baird is a prolific novelist, with many of his works set in Door County.
Sarah Beth Kiliman (‘18, MA English) on July 1 opened Elderberry & Plumb, an indie bookstore in Springfield, Illinois that hopes to help readers connect with their new favorite books.
Laurels & Accolades
Professor Bettina Arnold (Anthropology) is a co-director of the National Geographic, State Monuments Office of Baden-Wuerttemberg and UWM sponsored excavation project “A Landscape of Ancestors.” The excavation’s final report was published in June. This is the first volume in the new series focusing on the Iron Age Heuneburg hillfort in southwest Germany and the 29th volume in the Forschungen und Berichte zur Archäologie in Baden-Württemberg series.
In the Media and around the Community
Melissa Terry (‘13, MA Art History) is a faculty member at South Texas College. She was profiled in an article by Texas Border Business for her efforts to use art history to challenge students’ critical thinking skills and help them learn to broaden their perspectives and empathy.
A new compound, developed with help from Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jim Cook (Chemistry & Biochemistry), shows promise in helping protect older brains from cognitive decline after surgery. Its development was featured in an article by Health Medicine Network.
Hagfish have unique eyes that have evolved over millennia. Researchers from UW-Milwaukee, including Assistant Professor Victoria McCoy (Geosciences), were featured on Phys.org for their work on a study explaining their evolution.
Professor Lisa Silverman (History and Jewish Studies) gave a talk about her book, The Postwar Antisemite: Culture and Complicity After the Holocaust, at Central European University in June.
Professor Emeritus William Holahan (Economics) explained how Social Security works in an op-ed for the Shepherd Express.
COnovate, a company founded by Professors Emeritus Carol Hirschmugl (Physics & Astronomy) and Marija Gajdardziska (Physics & Astronomy), recently announced some leadership changes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hirschmugl will transition from the company’s CEO to its chief technology officer while Craig Rigby, an executive at Johnson Controls Battery Group and its successor Clarios. The move comes as COnovate looks to expand production of its novel material eCOphite that improves the function of lithium ion batteries at a lower environmental cost than traditional materials.
Professor Thomas Haigh (History) was quoted in The New York Times in an obituary for Cleve Moler, a celebrated mathematician and computer programmer.
Associate Professor Ivan Ascher (Political Science) explored society’s relationship with neurodivergence in a piece he penned for Project Syndicate, titled, “America’s Autism Obsession.”
Professor Jeffrey Sommers (African & African Diaspora Studies) had a European Commission Erasmus+ award in the Department of Political Science at Babeș-Bolyai University in June. He gave public lectures there to students, city government officials, and business leaders. He also gave an invited lecture at Craiova University on political economy and U.S. foreign policy to students and faculty. He also published articles in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on June 16 and in CounterPunch June 18 on press censorship in the United States. These articles were also mentioned in Madison’s Capital Times.
People in Print
Mehrzad B. Baktas, Distinguished Professor John S. Heywood (Economics), and Uwe Jirjahn. 2026. “Does performance pay increase the risk of marital instability?” Review of Economics of the Household, 24: 443 – 474.