UWM Report | UWM Research 2020

Four people pose for a photo in a research lab

At the Frontier
of Drug Discovery

Research News

September 2, 2020
LIGO and Virgo detect most massive gravitational-wave source yet
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

Features

Where the bees are

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

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.

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.

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How microgrids can be used to help modernize the United States’ outdated electrical grid.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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Spotlight: Entrepreneurship

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Nurturing new treatments

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

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.

Stylized illustration of a human fetus in utero

Helping health care workers help mothers

To reduce maternal death rates, a UWM professor created an online resource that would allow clinicians to see patient data all in one place.

Spotlight: Health and Wellness

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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.

UWM professor Ryan Newton looks through sewer pipe segment.

The alarming (in)side of sewage pipes

UWM researchers discovered antibiotic-resistant bacteria in city sewerage systems and are now studying the health impacts of these microbes.

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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Studying the patterns of protein folding

Ionel Popa is studying how protein folding determines protein function and how protein folding could signal processes like muscle contraction.

Classification helps conservation of vervet monkeys

The case for releasing vervets in South Africa has received a huge boost from Trudy Turner, the go-to counselor for questions about vervet integration.

Old photo of World War II pilot in a plane cockpit

A solemn recovery mission

UWM at Waukesha’a Gregg Jamison is part of a team working to find and identify the remains of soldiers missing overseas to bring them home.

A young girl smiles and holds up a book, covering half of her face

Adding to a positive math identity

Turning to books to help African American children at a Milwaukee school envision themselves in the fields of mathematics and science.

Student Research

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Award-winning undergraduate research at UWM

Seven UWM undergrad research students share their work, from omnidirectional robots to interactive maps of Milwaukee neighborhoods.

The promise that yoga poses for health

UWM health sciences doctoral student Bethany Forseth’s research helped fill the knowledge gap about the physiological health benefits of yoga.

Digitized image of fingers curled on a hand

Can a computer game help alleviate anxiety?

UWM doctoral student Abel Mathew believes the game may be a way to train the anxious brains of people with skin-picking disorders to break this habit.