UWM Report | UWM Research 2020

Four people pose for a photo in a research lab

At the Frontier
of Drug Discovery

Research News

June 23, 2020
Exploring the mysterious gap between black holes and neutron stars
June 9, 2020
New grant funds programs to address sexual assault among Native Americans
June 5, 2020
UWM researchers develop mathematical model to reveal brain’s neural activity

Features

Where the bees are

Jeffrey Karron tracks pollinator activity and observes plant reproduction strategies, including the intricacies of cross-pollination.

Photo illustration of Tibetan singing bowl against a background of sound waves

A sound equation

Using instruments and algorithms, Georg Essl creates sounds in ways that might stretch the imagination.

Photo of a research boat sailing off shore of downtown Milwaukee

Sailing into the future

A look ahead to the future of Great Lakes research at the School of Freshwater Sciences.

Person with face in hands against a background of falling dominoes

Seeing the warning signs

To improve treatment for PTSD, Christine Larson is researching better ways to identify and respond to risk factors of PTSD.

Going mobile

Jie Yu and her team are developing a public transit app for UWM students that bundles multiple public and private modes of transportation.

Bringing energy reliability to light

How microgrids can be used to help modernize the United States’ outdated electrical grid.

When the FDA banned 19 antibacterial additives from over-the-counter hand soaps, UWM researcher Hongbo Ma took a look at some of the replacements. What she found: Some of the new chemicals were more toxic than the ones they replaced.

Books and other school supplies, with a hand writing 'apple mela' on a notecard

The language of learning

Research shows that teachers can build on their bilingual students’ first language to improve their overall educational progress.

Urban planning associate professor Kirk Harris against gradient background

Giving voice

Kirk Harris’ study was conducted in Chicago, but the professor says its findings can contribute to building safe and healthy communities everywhere.

A young girl climbs steps at a mobility lab

An early diagnosis

Researchers are helping parents and children learn more about hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare disease that causes joint pain and fatigue.

Spotlight: Entrepreneurship

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A filter for farms and lakes

UWM researcher Marcia Silva has developed a filter to prevent phosphorus from fertilizer and manure from flowing into lakes and streams.

Photo of a hospital bed in an emergency room

A human-centered approach to training physicians

The partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin features a training method for physicians called human-centered design.

Nurturing new treatments

The Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery at UWM assists scientists in their quests to bring life-changing pharmaceuticals to the marketplace.

Spotlight: Health and Wellness

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The impact of a Navajo tax on junk food

A UWM dean is part of a research team studying what happened after a junk food tax was implemented by the Navajo Nation.

A man at a golf course who has just swung his golf club

The power to de-stress yourself

A UWM researcher conducted a study that examined how self-selected leisure activities affected blood pressure and stress levels in students.

Eye-level with a small robot in a fitness space with exercise balls

Exercising the possibilities of robotics

UWM researchers developed a cute robot to lead senior citizens through group tai chi classes and tested the efficacy of the robot-led instruction.

Frontiers

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An illustration of indigenous writing overlaid on a map of the Great Lakes

Mapping the connections among indigenous people

UWM professor Margaret Noodin’s digital map project aims to provide a visual guide to the many Native American nations that are part of the Anishinaabe Confederacy.

Illustration of different types of workers with heart and money signs above their heads

The effect of living wage laws

Mustafa Hussein led a study about the effects of living wage laws, such as how they affect depressive symptoms and attempts to quit smoking.

Two UWM professors standing in concert hall holding their musical instruments (French horn and clarinet)

Making Grammy Award-winning opera music

Two UWM professors played with the Santa Fe Orchestra for its recorded performance of “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” which won a 2018 Grammy.

Los Angeles light rail train with downtown in background

Connecting minority populations to jobs

UW-Milwaukee professor Lingqian “Ivy” Hu looked at employment and commuting trends of Latinx and Asian populations in Los Angeles.

Student Research

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Safer fueling for rocket launches

UWM mechanical engineering doctoral student Amin Zarandi is exploring ways to fine-tune rocket fuel tanks to improve the fuel-burning process.

Overhead shot of Milwaukee Bucks basketball game

New insight on NBA home-court advantage

UWM doctoral student Austin Harris uses data science to take a shot at determining why NBA teams win about 60% of their home games.

Getting more empathy from children’s storytime

UWM researchers are evaluating whether preschool children can simultaneously improve reading readiness and social emotional learning in areas like empathy.