Volume 15, Number 4
Featured Stories
- Physics professors’ start up is thriving, and could change the battery supply chainIn 2016, two UWM physics professors, Carol Hirschmugl and Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska, identified a novel material called graphene monoxide, which they discovered in their labs with other UWM colleagues, significantly improves …
- Mourning meets AI: UWM student researcher explores grief technologyWhen a loved one passes away, we’re often left bereft and longing to see them just one more time – to gaze upon their face, to hear their voice, to …
- All charged up: Geography alum uses mapping skills to expand EV infrastructureIn 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T and sparked a transportation revolution in America. People began purchasing automobiles, and by the 1930s, more than 100,000 gas stations had sprung …
- Research is brewing: UWM biologists study carbon sequestration using tea bagsNeed to calm down before bed? Try chamomile tea. Need to settle an upset stomach? Sip some ginger tea. Do you need to measure how much carbon can be sequestered …
- Gibson named chancellor of UWMThomas Gibson was chosen to be the 10th chancellor in the history of UWM. Gibson, currently chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, will take the place of Mark Mone, who will …
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Alumni Accomplishments
Louise Meyer (‘89, BS Chemistry) and Mary Wackman (‘89, BA Psychology and English) were named Teachers of the Year by the Catholic Herald. Meyer is a chemistry teacher at St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and has been an educator for more than 30 years. Wackman is a middle school religion teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, and has spent 20 years as a teacher. The Catholic Herald Teacher of the Year award recognizes educators who exemplify the mission of Catholic education, including dedication to faith, learning, and community.
Ryan Casey (‘07, BA History) joined Lexitas as the company’s chief legal officer. Lexitas provides technology-enabled litigation services. Casey earned a law degree from DePaul University College of Law and was previously the deputy general counsel and chief privacy officer at Circana, a cloud-based data and predictive analytics firm.
Laurels & Accolades
Associate Professor Arijit Sen (History) will be an advisor for the newly-announced Community Powered Tribal Health Initiative (CPTHI), which was launched this month by Wisconsin Humanities. The new initiative has received grant support from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP). The CPTHI will be a partnership between Wisconsin’s tribes and Wisconsin Humanities to address mental health issues and other health disparities experienced in the state’s Indigenous communities.
Distinguished Professor Derek Counts (Art History) was awarded a research fellowship from Harvard University’s Loeb Classical Library Foundation for his current research project, “The Whole of Athienou was Here:’ Oral Histories of Undocumented Digging in Inter-and Postwar Cyprus.” The fellowship will allow Counts and his colleagues to undertake the first exploration of undocumented digging (aka, “archaeological looting”) in the environs of Athienou (Cyrprus) during the early and mid-twentieth century; Counts has been directing excavations and conducting research for the last three decades as apart of the Athienou Archaeological Project.
In the Media and around the Community
Rebecca Neumann (Economics) worried about the effect on consumers if the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is shuttered in an article by the Racine County Eye.
Distinguished Professor Karyn Frick (Psychology) spoke about the impact of the loss of funding from the National Institutes of Health would have on research to treat diseases like Alzheimer’s. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on her remarks, as did WBAY, TMJ4 News, and the Badger Herald, among other outlets.
A new soap opera is airing on television, and The New York Times spoke to Professor Elana Levine (English) about the soap opera genre.
How did urban renewal projects impact Milwaukee? Assistant Professor Derek Handley (English) explained on WUWM Radio’s “Lake Effect” show.
They’re millions of miles away, but Earth has some interesting cosmic neighbors. Jean Creighton (Planetarium) spoke about our planet’s nearby fellows on WUWM Radio’s “Lake Effect” show. She also explained the science behind the vernal equinox on WTMJ 620 Radio.
What can underwater volcanoes teach us about the Earth? Associate Professor Julie Bowles (Geosciences) and her graduate students, Mike Anderson, Vera Soltes, and Terra Johnson (all Geosciences) explained on WUWM Radio and on Spectrum 1 News.
The Institute for Excellence in Writing drew on work from Professor Emeritus David Mulroy (Ancient & Modern Languages, Literatures, & Cultures) when explaining the importance of understanding grammar to parse an author’s meaning.
The Openness in Government Awards, awarded by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, celebrate outstanding efforts to protect the state’s tradition of open government. Wisconsin Watch highlighted how Jessica McBride (Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies) nominated the Milwaukee Police Department for its assistance in helping her investigative reporting class research missing persons cases. The same class of Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies students were interviewed about their work on WUWM Radio.
Professor Valerică Raicu (Physics) delivered a lecture titled, “Quantum properties of fluorescence as makers for supramolecular organization” at the University of Toronto in March.
How will the rift between President Trump and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky impact relationships across the Atlantic? Professor Jeffrey Sommers (Global Studies and African & African Diaspora Studies) gave his take on News.AZ.
After a drug compound that he helped to develop was accepted for clinical trials by the FDA, Distinguished Professor emeritus Jim Cook (Chemistry & Biochemistry) was interviewed about his work on WisBusiness: the Podcast.
Professor Nigel Rofthels (History) spoke about the future of smaller, municipal zoos on Wisconsin Public Radio.
Why is St. Patrick’s Day such a popular holiday in the United States? Professor Bettina Arnold (Anthropology) explained to WalletHub how the American descendants of Irish immigrants bolster the celebrations.
This is for the birds: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on how volunteers, including former director Jim Reinertz (Field Station), maintain bird nesting boxes originally installed by distinguished professors emerita Peter Dunn and Linda Whittingham (Biological Sciences).
After worries about the government’s handling of Social Security, Distinguished Professor emeitus William Hollahan (Economics) penned an op-ed for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explaining some facts about the program.
In honor of Women’s History Month, TMJ4 News highlighted the work of alumna Staci Young (‘02, MS Urban Studies; ‘07, PhD Urban Studies), the senior associate dean of community engagement and professor of family and community medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Assistant Professor Lia Medeiros (Physics) was a panelist at a conference in Boston aimed at journalists. She was among five researchers nominated or endorsed by an editor from the Science Family of Journals advocating for more science-focused stories to receive coverage in mainstream media. The American Association for the Advancement of Science discussed Medeiros’ argument.
With the election for Wisconsin’s State Supreme Court looming, Associate Profesor Sara Benesh (Political Science) spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about partisanship and potential ideological swings in rulings. She also talked to Courthouse News Service about the impact of “dark money” on state supreme court elections, and again with the Journal Sentinel about the relevance of the candidates’ sentencing records.
People in Print
Elliott Mark Weiss, Devan M. Duenas, Adnrea Kelsh, Megan M. Gray, PhD student Ellie Oslin (Psychology), Devinae Mcneil, Sandra E. Juul, and Stephanie A. Kraft. 2025. Piloting the better research interactions for every family (BRIEF) researcher intervention to support recruitment for a neonatal clinical trial: parent experience and infant enrollment. Journal of Perinatology. Online.
Eds. Laura Coltofean, Professor Bettina Arnold (Anthropology), and László Bartosiewicz. 2025. Connecting People and Ideas: Networks and Networking in the History of Archaeology. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Publishing.
Associate professor Sara C. Vanderhaagen (Communication). 2025. Memory work and rhetorical activism. In Oxford Handbook of African American Women’s Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Published online ahead of print.