Three people with ties to UW-Milwaukee are among 16 people who have been named 2026 Fellows Award winners by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters.
UWM-related winners include:
- Rebecca Klaper, dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences at UWM.
- Simone Ferro, professor emerita of dance at UWM.
- James DeVita, author, actor and theater director and an alum of UWM’s Peck Shool of the Arts.
The award, given every two years, recognizes educators, researchers, mentors, artists and civic or business leaders from across Wisconsin who have made significant accomplishments in their fields and substantial contributions to the cultural life and welfare of the state and its people.
The 2026 class of fellows will join over 100 current fellows from around the state.
Here is what the academy said about each fellow from UWM:
Rebecca Klaper
An environmental toxicologist and educator, Dr. Rebecca Klaper is a crucial guardian of our Great Lakes whose research on emerging contaminants is shaping the future of water conservation. Klaper is the dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the director of the Great Lakes Genomics Center. A leading researcher at the forefront of environmental health, Klaper’s work examines the impact of emerging contaminants — such as nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals and “forever chemicals” like PFAS — on aquatic ecosystems. Her research is uniquely proactive; rather than simply identifying toxicity, she collaborates with a national network of scientists in the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology to design manmade materials that are inherently safer for both human health and the environment from the moment of their creation.
A frequent expert advisor to the International Joint Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Klaper has testified globally on the utility of genomic technologies in ecological risk assessment. Her commitment to the “Wisconsin Idea” is evident in her leadership of the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, where she works to strengthen the state’s water workforce and address urgent contamination crises. Most recently, she cofounded Built-N-Bioassays, a biotech startup that uses AI and machine learning to revolutionize how industries detect and understand chemical impacts on water systems. Through her interdisciplinary approach, Klaper ensures that Wisconsin remains a global leader in freshwater science, securing a resilient future for the Great Lakes and beyond.
Simone Ferro
Choreographer and dance educator Simone Ferro is a vital voice in the performing arts whose work blends traditional Brazilian influences with contemporary social issues to create deeply moving movement. Ferro is a professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she served as chair of the Department of Dance and director of its nationally recognized MFA program. Throughout her distinguished career, she has been a tireless advocate for the field, serving as president of the Wisconsin Dance Council and championing dance education and access across the state. Her leadership was instrumental in creating the Emerging Artist Program, a statewide initiative providing funding and mentorship to the next generation of Wisconsin choreographers.
Ferro’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in social justice and “embodied research.” Her projects, such as Milwaukee Through Embodied Research, combine dance with oral history to explore resilience in local neighborhoods, resulting in site-specific performances in public spaces and homes. She has also used her choreography to investigate complex social realities like housing insecurity, inspired by works such as Matthew Desmond’s “Evicted.” Internationally, Ferro is a Fulbright Fellow whose ethnographic research into traditional folk cultures in rural Brazil has led to extensive documentation and a podcast series amplifying the voices of women artists. Her legacy is one of unwavering service to both the academic and artistic communities of the Midwest.
James DeVita
James DeVita is an author, actor and theater director. He is a core company member and literary manager at American Players Theatre, a classical repertory theater in Wisconsin. He has worked as an actor in Japan, Germany, Australia, Ireland and throughout the United States. His novel “Sanctuary,” written under the pen name James Cleary, is being published this year by Penguin Random House in the U.S. and Canada, and also by HarperCollins in the UK. It will be released internationally in Italy, France and Germany as well. His previous novels include “A Winsome Murder” (WI-University Press), “The Silenced” (Milkweed Editions), and “Blue” (HarperCollins).
DeVita has also worked extensively as a playwright for adult and young audiences. A resident playwright at Milwaukee’s First Stage Children’s Theater, his work in the field has been acknowledged twice with the Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance of Theater and Education; the Intellectual Freedom Award by the Kentucky Council of Teachers of English/Language Arts; and the Shubert Fendrich Memorial Playwrighting Contest. The American Alliance of Theater and Education honored his body of work with the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Award. DeVita is also a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship for Fiction.
Other fellows named this year include:
- Infectious disease researcher and health care leader Dr. David Andes.
- Nonprofit executive and visionary urban planner Dr. Ruben Anthony.
- Visual artist and master printmaker Emily Arthur.
- STEM equity advocate and psychologist Dr. Angela Byars-Winston.
- Pioneering choreographer and dancer Li Chiao-Ping.
- Sculptor, curator, and visual artist Martha Glowacki.
- Performing artist and psychologist Dr. Frederick Heide.
- Urban ecology pioneer and author Ken Leinbach.
- Broadcaster and life sciences communicator Larry Meiller.
- Attorney and civil servant Lester Pines.
- Indigenous artist and cultural educator Melanie Tallmadge Sainz.
- Surgical oncologist, innovator and educator Dr. Sharon M. Weber.
- Multidisciplinary artist, mentor and curator Jason S. Yi.
