{"id":30463,"date":"2025-10-07T11:30:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T16:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?page_id=30463"},"modified":"2026-07-07T11:37:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T16:37:21","slug":"in-focus-magazine-current-issue","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"In Focus Magazine: Current Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"lead-in wp-block-paragraph\">Volume 16, Number 6<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"uwm-p-posts uwm-c-list--cleanlist uwm-l-grid uwm-l-grid--3 has-dates\"><li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/program-update-urban-studies\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Urban-Studies-grassroots-panel.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"Five people sit at a black conference table in a gray room.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Urban-Studies-grassroots-panel.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Urban-Studies-grassroots-panel-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/program-update-urban-studies\/\">Program Update: Urban Studies<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-07-07T16:07:49-05:00\" class=\"post-date\">July 7, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">Urban Studies program&#039;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 &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/what-can-you-do-with-a-philosophy-major\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Jon-McCray-Jones-banner.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A black-and-white headshot of a young Black man with short hair and a beard on his chin, standing in front of a brick wall.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Jon-McCray-Jones-banner.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Jon-McCray-Jones-banner-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/what-can-you-do-with-a-philosophy-major\/\">What Can You Do with a Philosophy Major?<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-07-07T10:00:17-05:00\" class=\"post-date\">July 7, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">Every year, graduates from the College of Letters &amp; 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 &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/uwm-astronomer-helps-decipher-a-rosetta-stone-in-space\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"721\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/NASA-white-dwarf-accreting.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A graphic rendering of a small white dwarf star surrounded by blue and orange rings. The material of the rings is being pulled from a nearby fiery red star.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/NASA-white-dwarf-accreting.webp 721w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/NASA-white-dwarf-accreting-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/uwm-astronomer-helps-decipher-a-rosetta-stone-in-space\/\">UWM astronomer helps decipher a \u201cRosetta Stone\u201d in space<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-07-07T10:00:00-05:00\" class=\"post-date\">July 7, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">A 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 \u201clong-period radio transients.\u201d They didn\u2019t &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/cross-discipline-collaboration-leads-to-compelling-documentaries-about-maryland-aves-hidden-cemetery\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Emerson-Neczek-Panther-Edge-award.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A young white woman with long brown hair, wearing a black dress with white dots, holds a glass award in her hands. A crowd of people are milling in the background.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Emerson-Neczek-Panther-Edge-award.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Emerson-Neczek-Panther-Edge-award-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/cross-discipline-collaboration-leads-to-compelling-documentaries-about-maryland-aves-hidden-cemetery\/\">Cross-discipline collaboration leads to compelling documentaries about Maryland Ave\u2019s hidden cemetery<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-07-07T10:00:00-05:00\" class=\"post-date\">July 7, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">About two years ago, Maryland Avenue Montessori School discovered a long-forgotten cemetery on their school grounds. Archaeologists from UW-Milwaukee\u2019s Anthropology Department spent months excavating the cemetery, researching its inhabitants, and documenting their findings. After the &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/uwm-professors-are-raising-gun-violence-awareness-through-a-personal-lens\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/UWM-Report_20250717_Waves_Parcell_Harris_AM_11.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"Two middle-aged white woman standing together at a glass bus shelter. Posters on the walls of the shelter read Voices of Gun Violence and show painted images of nine people of varying races.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/UWM-Report_20250717_Waves_Parcell_Harris_AM_11.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/UWM-Report_20250717_Waves_Parcell_Harris_AM_11-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/uwm-professors-are-raising-gun-violence-awareness-through-a-personal-lens\/\">UWM professors are raising gun violence awareness through a personal lens<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-07-07T10:00:00-05:00\" class=\"post-date\">July 7, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">Leslie Harris and Erin Parcell work side by side within the\u00a0Department of Communication\u00a0at UW-Milwaukee. But it\u2019s not just teaching that brings the two together. They connect on a deeper level due to their shared dedication &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/uwm-associate-professor-dives-into-the-great-lakes-secrets\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Ashley-Lemke.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A white woman with long brown hair wearing a black cropped shirt and leggings stands-knee deep in water with the sky darkening at sunset behind her.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Ashley-Lemke.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Ashley-Lemke-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/uwm-associate-professor-dives-into-the-great-lakes-secrets\/\">UWM associate professor dives into the Great Lakes\u2019 secrets\u202f\u202f<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-07-07T10:00:00-05:00\" class=\"post-date\">July 7, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">Associate professor Ashley Lemke has long been familiar with the Great Lakes region. She\u2019s spent many summers visiting Lake Huron \u2014 but not to hike along the shore or relax on its beaches.\u202fLemke was exploring &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/alumni-student-news\/from-morocco-to-milwaukee-alum-shares-her-cuisine-cookbook-career-and-family-history\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Kitty-Morse-banner.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"Two images side by side. One is a headshot of a white middle-aged to older woman with a pixie cut, wearing a colorful collared shirt. The second image is a map featuring Morocco.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Kitty-Morse-banner.jpg 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/07\/Kitty-Morse-banner-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/alumni-student-news\/from-morocco-to-milwaukee-alum-shares-her-cuisine-cookbook-career-and-family-history\/\">From Morocco to Milwaukee: Alum shares her cuisine, cookbook career, and family history<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-07-07T10:00:00-05:00\" class=\"post-date\">July 7, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">Kitty Morse didn\u2019t 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 &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<hr class=\"has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-p-md wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Please be aware that some publications require a subscription in order to view articles, and most links below leave this site.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-alumni-accomplishments-nbsp\">Alumni Accomplishments&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Stephanie Perez (\u201826, BA Journalism, Advertising, &amp; Media Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>was selected for the 2026 cohort of summer interns at the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/news\/local\/milwaukee\/2026\/06\/15\/2026-journal-sentinel-summer-interns-bring-passion-for-local-news\/90393426007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<\/em><\/a><em>.&nbsp;<\/em>Her fellow interns include students and graduates from&nbsp;Marquette, Northwestern, and Yale.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jacquelyn M. Paykel (\u201892, BA Anthropology)&nbsp;<\/strong>was appointed&nbsp;the assistant dean of Whole Health Education at the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/armoneyandpolitics.com\/paykel-whole-health-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alice L. Walton School of Medicine<\/a>&nbsp;in Bentonville, Arkansas, in June.&nbsp;Paykel was most recently the&nbsp;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\u2019s 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jack DeDecker&nbsp;(\u201812, BA Linguistics)&nbsp;<\/strong>and his wife,&nbsp;Swarpana, celebrated the grand opening of their new business, Jasher\u2019s Teahouse, in June.&nbsp;The teahouse is named after the couple\u2019s son and emphasizes hospitality and comfort. The couple was featured on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/onmilwaukee.com\/articles\/jashers-organic-tea-house-open-bay-view?id=66940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OnMilwaukee<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ashok Rai (\u201894, BS Medical Science)&nbsp;<\/strong>was elected vice president of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkow.com\/news\/uw-board-of-regents-elects-new-president-and-vice-president\/article_339fc897-24a2-4b68-8100-8899a03f2194.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents<\/a>&nbsp;in June. He is the president and CEO of&nbsp;Prevea&nbsp;Health and has served as a board member on&nbsp;the Board of Regents since 2021.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Christopher Medina-Kirchner (\u201814, BA Psychology)&nbsp;<\/strong>was the keynote speaker at the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/racinecountyeye.com\/2026\/06\/04\/prison-to-harvard-medina-racine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Racine Youthful Offender Correctional Facility\u2019s (RYOC)<\/a>&nbsp;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\u2019s degree at UW-Milwaukee, a PhD from Columbia University, and&nbsp;a postdoctoral&nbsp;position at Harvard University.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Charmane Perry (\u201817, PhD African &amp; African Diaspora Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>announced that her new book,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/african-diaspora-studies\/perpetual-foreigners-stigma-citizenship-and-anti-haitianism-in-the-bahamas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Perpetual Foreigners: Stigma, Citizenship, and Anti-Haitianism&nbsp;in the Bahamas<\/em><\/a>, will be released in October. Perry is an associate professor of Africana Studies at San Diego State University. Her book&nbsp;explores the impact of colonialism and racism on Haitian migrants and their children.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>William Thien (\u201880, BA English;&nbsp;<\/strong>\u201816, EMBA<strong>)&nbsp;<\/strong>is celebrating a year of success after&nbsp;publishing two books in 2025. The two titles include&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCollected-poems-William-Thien-Jangler-ebook%2Fdp%2FB0FTSCFVCC%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fcrid%3D3GLM6L559PAY2%26dib%3DeyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6Aj-7P-sdP8zk3rmMkDMQhq5kSrWGqw1JbIxbsyKwYLkqixcmRsQHarm3Fq-qH_F49HKH9IaAbAuy_37tbp0WKoG_AZdqW4h6pvdAI5-AnIkAIZUr6b4yrkanZVGMEFFi7lnFLBwft5kV4w9hpAnaisve0zHa7PygCOLfPz3tFvicwjy7aVKI2IESlWG79rDX3JpVTs3R8GNcZNVdi0MzPj2vsxq0k9nGyuERZlpqc8.XXj4n1CTa2AgdCzNDjwdzs9GJpAKR_J64ck1DlRjY-A%26dib_tag%3Dse%26keywords%3Dcollected%2Bpoems%2Bwilliam%2Bthien%26qid%3D1780574852%26sprefix%3Dcollected%2Bpoems%2Bwilliam%2Bthien%252Caps%252C142%26sr%3D8-1&amp;data=05%7C02%7Csvickery%40uwm.edu%7Ca393a101e96f4f16694808dec2622f4b%7C0bca7ac3fcb64efd89eb6de97603cf21%7C0%7C0%7C639161924110559440%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=tD9FC8oLdqbpTg8KGDDUALphu9Vq0QK1D5lyiU9VmBs%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Collected Poems of William Thien<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FNotes-Silent-Majority-Socialism-EVERYTHING%2Fdp%2FB0FTFKLZW9%3Fref_%3Dast_author_dp&amp;data=05%7C02%7Csvickery%40uwm.edu%7Ca393a101e96f4f16694808dec2622f4b%7C0bca7ac3fcb64efd89eb6de97603cf21%7C0%7C0%7C639161924110592266%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=a8N%2FBw0JgRy2PmWydakt%2BWXhWFG199B6Tl2mopIAdeg%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Notes from the Silent Majority: AKA, Socialism was Supposed to Fix Everything!<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;<\/em>The&nbsp;first collection is an accumulation of Thien\u2019s&nbsp;published&nbsp;poetry along with some previously unpublished material, while the second work includes selections of Thein\u2019s observations previously published on his&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/williamthien.wordpress.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">political blog<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Peter Giersch (\u201890, BA English)&nbsp;<\/strong>recently published&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Talking-Michelangelo-Judgment-Heaven-Burgundy\/dp\/B0FWXYFNJB\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Talking of Michaelangelo: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell in the Burgundy Region<\/em><\/a>, 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.&nbsp;The book has received praise from several media&nbsp;outets, and Giersch was invited on several podcasts, including with hosts&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lqaKHZ2U9iE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bear Woznick<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xBJmphBTvFY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Eric Metaxas<\/a>, and Tammy Peterson (the wife of Jordan Peterson).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Patrick Baird (&#8217;13, BA Journalism, Advertising, &amp; Media Studies)<\/strong>&nbsp;launched his new collection of&nbsp;true crime stories gathered from Door County\u2019s history from 1867-1959.&nbsp;<em>Cherryland Murder, Madness,&nbsp;Mischief<\/em>&nbsp; was&nbsp;released in June&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/doorcountypulse.com\/cherryland-murder-madness-mischief\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">at an event in Bailey\u2019s Harbor<\/a>, Wisconsin. Baird is a prolific novelist, with many of his works set in Door County.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sarah Beth Kiliman (\u201818, MA English)&nbsp;<\/strong>on July 1 opened&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sj-r.com\/videos\/business\/2026\/07\/01\/elderberry-plumb-bookstore-opens-near-downtown-springfield-video\/90761668007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Elderberry&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Plumb<\/a>, an indie bookstore in Springfield, Illinois&nbsp;that hopes to help readers connect with their new favorite books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-laurels-amp-accolades-nbsp\">Laurels &amp; Accolades&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor\u00a0<strong>Bettina Arnold (Anthropology)\u00a0<\/strong>is a co-director of the National Geographic, State Monuments Office of Baden-Wuerttemberg and UWM sponsored excavation project &#8220;A Landscape of Ancestors.\u201d The\u00a0excavation\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/reichert-verlag.de\/en\/9783752009217_heuneburg_i-detail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">final report<\/a>\u00a0was published in June. This is the first volume in the new series focusing on the Iron Age\u00a0Heuneburg\u00a0hillfort in southwest Germany and the 29th volume in the\u00a0Forschungen\u00a0und\u00a0Berichte\u00a0zur\u00a0Arch\u00e4ologie\u00a0in Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg series.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-in-the-media-and-around-the-community-nbsp\">In the Media and around the Community&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Melissa Terry (\u201813, MA Art History)<\/strong>&nbsp;is a faculty member at South Texas College. She was profiled in an article by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/texasborderbusiness.com\/using-art-history-to-change-student-views\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Texas Border Business<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;for her efforts to use art history&nbsp;to challenge students\u2019 critical thinking skills and help them learn to broaden their perspectives and empathy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new compound, developed with help from Distinguished Professor Emeritus&nbsp;<strong>Jim Cook (Chemistry &amp; Biochemistry)<\/strong>, shows promise in helping protect older brains from cognitive decline after surgery.&nbsp;Its development was featured in an article by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/aging-brains-surgery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Health Medicine Network<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hagfish have unique eyes that have evolved over&nbsp;millennia. Researchers from UW-Milwaukee, including Assistant Professor&nbsp;<strong>Victoria McCoy (Geosciences)<\/strong>, were featured on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2026-06-hagfish-fossils-reveal-stepwise-eye.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Phys.org<\/a>&nbsp;for their work&nbsp;on a study explaining their evolution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor&nbsp;<strong>Lisa Silverman (History and Jewish Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>gave a talk about her book,&nbsp;<em>The Postwar Antisemite: Culture and Complicity After the Holocaust<\/em>, at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/events.ceu.edu\/2026-06-09\/lisa-silverman-postwar-antisemite-culture-and-complicity-after-holocaust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Central European University<\/a>&nbsp;in June.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor Emeritus&nbsp;<strong>William Holahan (Economics)&nbsp;<\/strong>explained how Social Security works in an op-ed for the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/shepherdexpress.com\/news\/features\/will-social-security-reform-require-enlarging-the-us-borrowing-binge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Shepherd Express<\/em><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">COnovate, a company founded by Professors Emeritus&nbsp;<strong>Carol Hirschmugl (Physics&nbsp;&amp; Astronomy)&nbsp;<\/strong>and&nbsp;<strong>Marija&nbsp;Gajdardziska&nbsp;(Physics &amp; Astronomy)<\/strong>, recently announced some leadership changes in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/money\/business\/2026\/06\/17\/former-johnson-controls-executive-to-lead-wauwatosa-battery-startup\/90579659007\/#:~:text=COnovate%2C%20located%20in%20Wauwatosa's%20Technology,on%20COnovate's%20board%20since%202022.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<\/em><\/a>. Hirschmugl will transition from the company\u2019s CEO to its chief technology&nbsp;officer&nbsp;while Craig Rigby, an executive at Johnson Controls Battery Group and its successor&nbsp;Clarios. The move comes as&nbsp;COnovate&nbsp;looks to expand production of its novel material&nbsp;eCOphite&nbsp;that&nbsp;improves the function of&nbsp;lithium ion&nbsp;batteries at a lower environmental cost than traditional materials.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor&nbsp;<strong>Thomas Haigh (History)&nbsp;<\/strong>was quoted in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/11\/science\/cleve-moler-dead.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The New York Times<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;<\/em>in an obituary for Cleve Moler, a celebrated mathematician and computer programmer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Associate Professor&nbsp;<strong>Ivan Ascher (Political Science)&nbsp;<\/strong>explored society\u2019s relationship with neurodivergence in a piece he penned for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.project-syndicate.org\/commentary\/america-autism-obsession-reflects-anxieties-future-tech-identity-by-ivan-ascher-2026-05\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Project Syndicate<\/a>, titled, \u201cAmerica\u2019s Autism Obsession.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor&nbsp;<strong>Jeffrey Sommers (African &amp; African Diaspora Studies)<\/strong>&nbsp;had a European Commission Erasmus+ award in the Department of Political Science at&nbsp;Babe\u0219-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&nbsp;<em>The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel&nbsp;<\/em>on June 16 and in&nbsp;<em>CounterPunch&nbsp;<\/em>June 18 on press censorship in the United States. These articles were also mentioned in Madison&#8217;s&nbsp;<em>Capital Times<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-people-in-print-nbsp\">People in Print&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mehrzad B. Baktas,\u00a0Distinguished Professor\u00a0<strong>John S. Heywood (Economics)<\/strong>, and Uwe\u00a0Jirjahn. 2026.\u00a0&#8220;Does performance pay increase the risk of marital instability?&#8221;<em>\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11150-024-09738-1&amp;data=05%7C02%7Csvickery%40uwm.edu%7Cee6e8066f3b34d38aa3108dec692a153%7C0bca7ac3fcb64efd89eb6de97603cf21%7C0%7C0%7C639166530230637801%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=R0EPpcoSz2J1sKE3%2FdqSOFUw2jWZ7qwJ5E6NQN0n5Kc%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Review of Economics of the Household<\/em><\/a><em>,<\/em>\u00a024:\u00a0443\u00a0\u2013\u00a0474.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Volume 16, Number 6 Please be aware that some publications require a subscription in order to view articles, and most links below leave this site. Alumni Accomplishments&nbsp; Stephanie Perez (\u201826, BA Journalism, Advertising, &amp; Media Studies)&nbsp;was selected for the 2026 &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38860,"featured_media":0,"parent":24551,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"class_list":["post-30463","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uwm_unpublish_requested":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Letters &amp; Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Focus Magazine: Current Issue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Volume 16, Number 6 Please be aware that some publications require a subscription in order to view articles, and most links below leave this site. Alumni Accomplishments&nbsp; Stephanie Perez (\u201826, BA Journalism, Advertising, &amp; Media Studies)&nbsp;was selected for the 2026 &hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Letters &amp; Science\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-07T16:37:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/news-events\\\/in-focus-magazine\\\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/news-events\\\/in-focus-magazine\\\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\\\/\",\"name\":\"In Focus Magazine: Current Issue - Letters &amp; Science\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-07T16:30:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-07T16:37:21+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/news-events\\\/in-focus-magazine\\\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/news-events\\\/in-focus-magazine\\\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/news-events\\\/in-focus-magazine\\\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News &amp; Events\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/news-events\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"In Focus Magazine\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/news-events\\\/in-focus-magazine\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"In Focus Magazine: Current Issue\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/\",\"name\":\"Letters &amp; Science\",\"description\":\"College of\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/letters-science\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Letters &amp; Science","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/in-focus-magazine-current-issue\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"In Focus Magazine: Current Issue","og_description":"Volume 16, Number 6 Please be aware that some publications require a subscription in order to view articles, and most links below leave this site. 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