Volume 15, Number 8
- Psychology student turned undergraduate research at UWM into a career at DukeA conversation with a UWM professor changed everything for psychology major Tomás Hill. With support from faculty, hands-on research experience, and programs like McNair and STAR (Success Through Aging Research), he discovered not just what …
- Department Update: Center for Latin American & Caribbean StudiesOn July 7-9, UWM’s Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies welcomed 25 educators to campus for the program’s annual Summer Teacher Institute, supported in part by a National Resource Center Title VI grant from …
- Celtic Studies marks 31 years of language immersion study abroadNot to brag, but UW-Milwaukee students are somewhat famous in Donegal, Ireland.
- What can you do with a major in biochemistry?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 …
- Women’s & gender studies students present their internship experiences at state-wide consortiumMorgan Foster knows she's working against a lot of skepticism when it comes to the humanities. “Humanities have been under attack for so long. We know that there are barriers facing students in those majors,” …
- Anthropology professor adds to the library of “Great Courses”UWM Associate Professor of Anthropology Ashley Lemke has had a busy year. Last summer, she appeared as an expert on the History Channel’s new show “Mysteries Unearthed,” hosted by Danny Trejo. This summer, she was …
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Alumni Accomplishments
Justin Schoenemann (‘14, Master of Public Administration) was named the new administrator of the city of Portage, Wisconsin. Schoenemann was previously the assistant administrator in the city of Mequon, Wisconsin. In his new role, he will oversee the city’s municipal services and departments, execute the city’s budget, and advise members of the Common Council on issues facing Portage.
Jerondah McCray (‘15, BA Political Science, ‘17, MS Community Engagement) was featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for the expansion of her events business, which purchased and is renovating a warehouse that will become a new event venue. McCray, who was formerly incarcerated for wire fraud, rebuilt her life after she was released from prison with the help of her community and now runs a successful business with her family.
Matt Dorner (‘08, MA Urban Planning and Master of Public Administration) was promoted to CEO of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 in July. He previously served as the Business Improvement District’s economic development officer. He will oversee business development and facilitate the district’s events, which include Downtown Dining Week, the Holiday Lights Festival, the Ornament Trail and Downtown Employee Appreciation Week, as well as help shepherd its initiatives, including the Downtown Ambassadors, a Clean Sweep crew and a public art and mural program. His appointment was announced in January in Urban Milwaukee and he was profiled after stepping into the role in the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Tom Noonan (‘95, BS Political Science) was appointed the new principal of St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton, Florida, by Bishop Frank J. Dewane in the Diocese of Venice, Florida. Noonan has over 25 years of Catholic school administration and teaching experience and previously served as the president of Missoula Catholic Schools in Montana.
Laurels & Accolades
Professor Dyanna Czeck (Geosciences) has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2025-2026 for Australia.
Assistant Director Christine Wolf (Global Studies and International Studies) has been selected for the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators (IEA) Program for 2025-2026. Fulbright IEA Awards are part of the Fulbright Scholar Program. These prestigious fellowships offer higher education administrators unique professional development opportunities to engage with the host country while playing a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy.
Professor Jason Puskar (English) was recently awarded the 2025 Lewis Mumford Award for Outstanding Scholarship in the History of Technics by the Media Ecology Association for his book, The Switch: An Off and On History of Digital Humans. The Mumford Award recognizes recent scholarship in the history or philosophy of science and technology.
Professor Tanya Tiffany (Art History) has been awarded a research grant from the Hispanex program, which is sponsored by Spain’s Ministerio de Cultura. She will also be a visiting scholar at CY Cergy Paris Université (CY Advanced Studies) in late fall 2025.
In the Media and around the Community
Professor Jeffrey Sommers (African & African Diaspora Studies and Global Studies) defended Milwaukee against detractors in an opinion piece published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He also published the article “Escape to Vatra Dornei” in CounterPunch. Finally, he penned an article for Social Europe that explored the housing crisis in eastern and central Europe. Social Europe is the EU’s top outlet for social democratic policy. It routinely publishes Nobel Laureates, heads of government, and star academics.
One of the scientists who presented the world with the first image of a black hole in 2019 is now a faculty member at UW-Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel profiled Assistant Professor Lia Medeiros (Physics) and highlighted her exceptional work in astronomical research. Medeiros was also quoted in Discover Magazine where she helped explain Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
Research by Professor Emerita Carol Hirschmugl (Physics) could lead to more efficient lithium-ion batteries, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. WBAY also featured Hirschmugl’s company, COnovate.
Was the Tully Monster, a 300-million-year-old animal found in a fossil near Chicago, a vertebrate? Assistant Professor Victoria McCoy (Geosciences) made the case that the creature had a backbone and talked about her assertion in Discover Magazine.
Moons are objects of mystery and myth. Director Jean Creighton (Planetarium) spoke about the UWM Planetarium’s recent program about the moons of the solar system on WUWM Radio’s Lake Effect show.
The trade publication WattPoultry reported on research presented by Professor emeritus Colin Scanes (Biological Sciences) that suggests that poultry may produce cortisol, a hormone associated with stress in humans. The information is important to understand handling stress in agricultural flocks.
Milwaukee Magazine explored the work of Professor emerita Brenda Cárdenas (English) in her current role as the Wisconsin Poet Laureate.
Phys.org reported on the discovery of a new long-period radio transient in space. The finding was made by an international team of researchers led in part by graduate student Akash Anumarlapudi (Physics).
Distinguished Professor emeritus David Petering (Chemistry & Biochemistry) warned that Wisconsin lawmakers are overlooking the environmental consequences of building AI data centers in an opinion piece for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The Post Crescent consulted Assistant Professor Srishti Sardana (Psychology) in an article about the health problems that will result from extreme changes in heat caused by climate change.
What are Lustron homes? Architectural historian Justin Miller (Anthropology) explained in an article published by Apartment Therapy.
People in Print
Associate Professor David DiValerio (History). 2025. Mountain Dharma: Meditative Retreat and the Tibetan Ascetic Self. New York: Columbia University Press.
Professor William Bristow (Philosophy). 2025. Herder, Philosophy and Universal History. In The European Legacy: Special Issue on J.G. Herder (ed. Vicki Spencer), 30(6): 712-727.
Associate Professor Suzanne Boyd (Mathematical Sciences) and Matthew Hoeppner. 2025. Baby Mandelbrot Sets and Spines in Some One-Dimensional Subspaces of the Parameter Space for Generalized McMullen Maps. Qualitative Theory of Dynamical Systems, 24(157).
Professor Lisa Silverman (History and Jewish Studies). 2025. Invisibly Jewish: Lotte Jacobi, Photography, and the Boundaries of Jewish Cultural Studies. In Rethinking Jewish History and Memory through Photography (eds. Ofer Ashkenazi and Thomas Pegelow Kaplan). New York: SUNY Press: 51-68.