wisconsin week, november 17, 2010

8/8/2019 Wisconsin Week, November 17, 2010

1/8

Martin refectson Asia tripChancellor Biddy Martin recently returned

from a 12-day trip to Beijing, Hong Kong

and Taipei and reports that the universitys

presence and visibility in East Asia is con-

tinuing to grow stronger.

The UW-Madison delegation met with

Chinese education ofcials, numerous

universities, UW-Madison alumni and

ofcials of the Taiwanese government,

among other stops. As she returned to

Madison, Martin provided thoughts aboutthe trip. A full transcript follows.

Q: What were the best parts of the

November trip?

A: It is very difcult to choose. The

trip was an extraordinary learning experi-

ence and full of wonderful interactions.

Ultimately, the person-to-person inter-

actions and the relationships they help

build are most memorable and important.

The interest in UW-Madison and, in

particular, in the Wisconsin Idea opened

up unique opportunities for us the

opportunities, for example, to spend time

in Beijing with Chinas Vice Minister for

Higher Education Hao Ping, with Deputy

Secretary General of State Wang with

the governors of Hielongjiang and InnerMongolia, and with representatives of

Wisconsin-based companies doing busi-

ness in China.

In Taiwan, our alumni welcomed us

with incredible warmth and generosity,

introducing us to Taiwans Vice President

Hsaio and to Premier Wu, with whom I

conversed for more than an hour. In Hong

Kong, key alumni took two evenings out

of their busy schedules to host dinners

for us and celebrate their ties to the uni-

versity as well as ours with them. And the

visit to Hong Kong University of Science

and Technology was spectacular. I loved

talking with alumni and academic coun-

terparts in each location about politics,

economics and culture.In Beijing, we met the next generation

of world-class athletes interested in study-

ing at UW-Madison. Some of them joined

us at Cisco headquarters in Beijing for the

meeting, by TelePresence, with students,

faculty, and staff back in Madison. I will

always remember sitting across from

Steven Olikara and Jon Alfurth, looking

them in the eye as if we were in the same

room and not halfway across the world

from one another.

The sheer number of mopeds in Taipei

and the skill of the drivers weaving in and

out of vehicular trafc will remain with

me for a long time.

Q: What kind of relationships are we

building in Asia?A: We are building a range of different

kinds of relationships. Obviously, we are

developing closer institution-to-institution

ties with major universities as a way of

supporting existing collaborations and

Page4

Breaking down

barriers

Page7

Local products

at Arboretum

Page6

Polish Film Festival

at Cinematheque

http://www.news.wisc.edu/wisweek November17,2010

China, continues on page 8

By Jill Sakai

[email protected]

Though enticing, the food spread across the

tables is only part of the point of this meal.

The two dozen students at this Global Food

for Thought dinner are here to feed their

minds as well as their stomachs.

Organized by GreenHouse, a new

sustainability-themed residential learning

community (RLC), the dinner aims to give

students an international perspective in

this case, using food as a medium, says

community and environmental sociology

professor Jack Kloppenburg.

The chef and a guest speaker are onhand to talk about the social and cultural

context of the food and issues relevant to a

particular part o f the world. Tonights menu

includes spinach pie, Marrakech chicken

and couscous, followed by a discussion

of environmental politics and water in the

Middle East.

Its up to us to help students engage and

understand the challenges facing them,

and prepare them to be citizens in a world

that is going to require that they help

things move toward sustainability, says

Kloppenburg, who is faculty director of the

new community.

And that means a lot more than just recy-

cling and turning out the lights.

GreenHouse aims to advance sustain-ability in a broadly encompass ing way, says

Cal Bergman, who oversees the residential

learning communities and other academic

programs through University Housing. For

some students it might be about living sus-

tainably with regard to energy conservation,

while other students may be thinking more

about food and food systems, engineer-

ing and building design, or social justice

issues, he says.

GreenHouse opened this fall in Cole Hall,

becoming the seventh residential learning

community on campus. All seven got a

boost this year from the Madison Initiative

for Undergraduates (MIU), which now pro-

vides funds for a dedicated faculty director

and part-time academic program coordina-tor for each community.

The MIU support is enabling University

Housing to solicit proposals for two addi-

tional RLCs on campus to open in 2012 and

2013. Bergman encourages any faculty or

staff on campus to submit a proposal to him

by Dec. 15, hoping to expand and diversify

the offerings available to students. We put

something in motion with our Learning

Communities, and every year something

really unexpected and transformative hap-

pens because of it, he says.

At GreenHouse, MIU funds are also being

to support three upperclassman interns. For

environmental justice intern Ashley Lee,

a senior community and environmental

sociology major, GreenHouses 46 residents mostly freshmen are the payoff for

two years of planning with Kloppenburg,

Bergman and others.

Were not only educating our students

but educating those people they come in

contact with throughout their four years,

she says. Theyll create networks of sustain-

ability across areas of campus where they

didnt already exist.

In addition to living together, the stu-

dents have access to a variety of academic

and nonacademic programming, from

one-credit topical seminars on specic envi-

ronmental issues to cooking meals together

in the newly renovated kitchen in their

dorm.

GreenHouse is about breaking studentsfree from a lecture hall where they sit and

listen to someone, Kloppenburg says.

We value experiential education: see it,

be it, do it. Thats worth more than all the

[PowerPoint] slides I could show.

And what is more fundamentally experi-

ential than eating?

As the students dig into the meal, Chef

Sabi Atteyth describes his Midwestern

take on several traditional dishes, includ-

ing some he created to mimic dishes

from his childhood around the Eastern

Mediterranean using local kale instead

of grape leaves, for example. He notes

that food is a good representation o f the

sharing and spread of ideas between cul-

tures, with similar dishes distinguished byunique regional ingredients and avors.

The more I learned, the more I found

that people all over have the same foods,

he says, they just call it something

different.

Now theres some food for thought.

New GreenHouse or sustainability nurtures community

Undergraduates and staff members from the GreenHouse Residential Learning Community make fresh apple cider in front of Cole Hall.

GreenHouse is the newest residential learning community on campus and is focused on advancing sustainability in a broadly encompassing way.

Photo:

Bryce

Richter


2/82 W i s cons i n Week

City proclamation recognizes

Year of the Arts

With activities well under way during

the Year of the Arts, three U W-Madison

administrators stepped off campus for a

special recognition.

At the Nov. 9 meeting of the Madison

Common Council, Celia Klehr, chair of

the Madison Arts Commission, and Karin

Wolf, arts program administrator for the

Arts Commission, presented the university

with a proclamation endorsing September

2010 through August 2011 as the Year of

the Arts and encouraging all city residents

to participate.

Provost Paul M. DeLuca Jr. accepted

the proclamation plaque on behalf of

Chancellor Biddy Martin. Year of the Arts

co-chairs Norma Saldivar, professor of

theatre and executive director of the Arts

Institute, and Andrew Taylor, director of

the Bolz Center for Arts Administration,

joined DeLuca at the ceremony.

Programming through the Year of the

Arts is not simply intended to emphasize

on-campus activities. The proclama-

tion recognized that a primary goal for

the Year of the Arts is to celebrate the

many connections between the arts at

UW-Madison and the artistic life of the

greater Madison community. During one

major visit earlier this fall, alumnus Rocco

Landesman, now chair of the National

Endowment for the Arts, met with Mayor

David Cieslewicz and other city staff to

discuss enhancements for the citys pro-

posed Central Park and other ways in

which the arts promote city building.

The proclamation also recognized how

the Arts Institute is working to nd

unique ways to partner with the city to

maximize resources that enhance our cre-

ative culture, such as providing additional

funding for the Blink temporary public artprogram.

The Year of the Arts celebrates the

breadth, depth, power and purpose of

artistic exploration and expression at

UW-Madison with more than 300 events,

including special performances, exhibits,

symposia, public programs, distinguished

visiting speakers and visits by prominent

alumni in the arts.

UW-Extensions new website improves

access to programs, news and staff

UW-Extension has launched a website

with easy-to-use navigation and reworked

site content at http://www.uwex.edu.

The site tells the far-reaching story of

UW-Extension.

Each page offers links to the four

divisions Continuing and Online

Education, Cooperative Extension,

Entrepreneurship and Economic

Development, and Public Broadcasting

and to the conference centers (Lowell and

Pyle).

New features on the home page include:

n A revolving slideshow for an overview of

the four UW-Extension divisions.

n Dynamic content such as PopularLinks

to the search for a new U W Colleges and

UW-Extension chancellor.n A map highlighting UW-Extensions

reach by serv ices including Continuing

Education programs, Cooperative

Extension county ofces, Small Business

Development Centers and Public

Broadcasting coverage.

Also new, the Academic Affairs sec-

tion showcases UW-Extension programs,

governance, scholars, award opportunities

available and awards received at http://

www.uwex.edu/academic-aairs/.

Courses and workshops are detailed

at http://www.uwex.edu/courses/, and

publications by and about U W-Extension

are available through the Resource Center,

http://www.uwex.edu/resource-center/.

UW-Extension news releases, mentions

in the news, programs with social media,

media contacts and resources are available

at http://www.uwex.edu/news/.

Visitors can nd staff through three

Contact Us options at http://www.uwex.

edu/contact/:

n Frequently requested information such

as UW HELP and Central IT.

n Requests for help by topic and county.

n Staff directory searchable by last name.

The For Employees tab at the top right

of each page directs staff to information

including the payroll schedule, furloughdays and paid holidays, forms such as

for expenses and IT, professional devel-

opment, logos and templates for photo

releases and PowerPoint at http://www.

uwex.edu/employees/. Jobs are posted at

http://www.uwex.edu/jobs/.

UW-Madison scholar tapped to lead

American Historical Association

Historian William Cronon has been elected

president of the American Historical

Association, a position considered one of

the highest honors in the profession.

NewsinBrief

Recent Sighting: Having a ball

Brian Hershberger (left) pushes fellow student Tom Black (right) along in a game of human

bowling during an event at the Memorial Union Tripp Commons designed to celebrate the

upcoming grand opening of the new Union South, which is currently under construction.

The event highlighted some of the recreational activities that will be available at the new facility,

such as bowling lanes and a climbing wall.

Short CutsTo report newsCampusmail:28 Bascom Hall

E-mail:[email protected]

To publicize eventsWisconsinWeeklistseventssponsored

bycampusunits.Wemustreceiveyour

listingat least 10 daysbeforeyouwant

itpublished.Thenextthreepublicationdates

areDec. 8, Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.

Campus mail:28BascomHall

E-mail:[email protected]://www.today.wisc.edu/submit/

To fnd out morenCampusArtsTickets 265-ARTS (2787)

nArtsInformation www.arts.wisc.edu

www.utmadison.com

www.uniontheater.wisc.edu

nFilmHotline 262-6333

nConcertLine 263-9485

nChazenMuseumofArt 263-2246

nTITU http://www.union.wisc.edu/

Daily news on the WebBookmarkthissiteforregularcampusnews

updatesfromUniversityCommunications:

nhttp://www.news.wisc.edu/

Calendar on the WebBookmarkthissiteforcontinually

updatedcampuseventlistings:

nhttp://www.today.wisc.edu/

Weekly news by e-mailSignupforaweeklydigestofcampusnews,

withlinkstomore:

nhttp://www.news.wisc.edu/wisweek/

aboutwire.html

Delivery problems?NotgettingWisconsinWeekontime

oratall?Checkwithyourbuildingmanager

ordepartmentalmailcoordinatortoget

theproblemxed.Call262-3846toget

thepaperyoumissed.

wisconsin week

Vol. XXV, No. 7, November 17, 2010

Wisconsin Week, the ofcial newspaper of recordfor the University of Wisconsin-Madison,

carries legally required notices for faculty and staff.

Wisconsin Week (ISSN 890-9652;USPS 810-020) is published by University

Communications biweekly when classesare in session. Send information to28 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive,

Madison, WI 53706; phone: 608-262-3846.E-mail: [email protected].

Second-class postage is paid atMadison, WI 53706.

Postmaster: Send address changes toWisconsin Week, 27 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive,

Madison, WI 53706.

Subscriptions for U.S. mail delivery are $17 a year.Send checks, payable to Wisconsin Week,

to the above address.

Address changesIf you receive an individually addressed copy

of Wisconsin Week, you may change the address bycorrecting the label and mailing it to Wisconsin Week,

27 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive,Madison, WI 53706.

Editor: Ellen Page

Design: Jeffrey Jerred

Editorial advisers: Dennis Chaptman

Amy Toburen

Photography: Jeff Miller

Bryce Richter

Circulation: Susannah Brooks

Distribution: UW-Madison Truck Service

Publica tion dates: Dec. 8, Jan. 19, Feb. 2

If you think you know what the image above shows, e-mail [email protected]. A randomly

selected winner who submits a correct answer by Friday, Dec. 3, will receive a mug with the

universitys logo.

Photo:

Bryce

Richterr

Photo:

JeffMillerr

Photo:

Bryce

Richter

We had six responses to this weeks tough

photo quiz, and ve were correct. Pictured was

an emblem of the universitys Numen Lumen

seal on a marble wall in Engineering Hall.

Bhaswati Sarma in the Department of Civil and

Environmental Engineering wins the mug. You

can pick it up in Room 27 of Bascom Hall.

What are you looking at?


3/8

november 17 , 2 0 1 0 3

Cronon, the Frederick Jackson Turner

and Vilas Resea rch Professor of History,

Geography and Environmental Studies, is

a national leader in studying past human

interaction with the natural world and

is the rst environmental historian ever

elected to lead the assoc iation.

His election raises the v isibility of

UW-Madisons long tradition of scholar-

ship on the environment. Cronon wasamong the group of scholars who helped

found environmental history, which has

established itself as an innovative eld that

studies the human past in relation to the

plants, animals, diseases and biophysical

environments with which people interact.

Cronons work explores how people

depend on the ecosystems around them

to sustain their material lives, how they

modify the landscapes in which they live

and how ideas of nature shape the world

around us.

Were at a moment in the history of the

world when were ever more conscious of

the scale of human impacts on the planet,

Cronon says. This leads us to worry about

what the future might be and to askquestions about what happened in the past

to bring us to this present moment.

The debate about climate change, for

instance, necessarily requires a study of

past trends.

History is far more relevant to the

environmental future than most people

recognize, Cronon says.

UW-Madisons leadership in the study

of the environment dates back more than a

century. In addition to well-known gures

such as Aldo Leopold and John Muir, UW

President Charles Van Hise authored the

rst textbook on natural resource conser-

vation in the U.S., and noted Wisconsin

historian Frederick Jackson Turner, for

whom Cronons chair is named, offereda land-oriented interpretation of the

American frontier that shaped Cronons

work.

Cronon heads U W-Madisons Center for

Culture, History and Environment, which

brings together scholars from disciplines

as diverse a s anthropology, history and for-

estry to study environmental and cultural

change throughout human h istory.

Cronon came to UW-Madison in

1992 after a decade as a professor at Yale

University. He has a bachelors degree

from UW-Madison, masters and doctoral

degrees from Yale, and a doctorate from

Oxford University.

The American Historical Association,

a Washington, D.C., nonprot member-ship organization founded in 1884, works

to promote historical studies and the

collection and preservation of historical

documents, as well as to set standards for

the profession. The association now serves

more than 14,000 historians of every his-

torical era and geographical area.

Cronon will become president-elect

starting in January, then serve h is one-year

term as president in 2012.

UW-Madison begins

collaborative ADHD research program

UW-Madison researchers will soon

begin testing and developing a mind-

training program that provides a dr ug-free

alternative for treating attention decithyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and high-

functioning autism in children.

The program is a collaboration between

the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds

at the Waisman Center and the Mind

Matter Research Foundation in conjunction

with the HESA Institute. The effort is sup-

ported by a three-year, $550,000 research

and development grant from the Mind

Matter Research Foundation and the HESA

Institute to the Center for Investigating

Healthy Minds.

Last year, the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention estimated that 11.2

percent of all boys and 4.9 percent of all

girls age 3-17 have been diagnosed with

ADHD. It is considered the biggest health-

related learning problem faced by s chools,

teachers and families today.

The attention-training program to be

developed by UW-Madison researchers is

focused on children with ADHD between

the ages of 10 and 12.

For more information on the Center for

Investigating Healthy Minds, visit http://

www.investigatinghealthyminds.org .

Hoofers present Ski, Snowboard Resale

The 47th annual Hoofer Ski and

Snowboard Resale, the largest of its kind

in the Midwest, will be held from 9 a.m.-

5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, and from

9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, at the

Memorial Union.

Vendors bring in skis, snowboards,

boots, apparel and related items, coupled

with all the items the public brings, to pro-

duce the sale. Prices are signicantly lower

than retail.

Proceeds from the sale help fund the

Hoofer Alpine and Nordic competitive ski

teams, as well as the Ski and Snowboard

Club. It also pay for annual ski tripsfor local nonprot groups such as Big

Brothers/Big Sisters and Girls Inc. Cash,

checks, Mastercard and Visa are accepted.

Equipment to be sold can be dropped off

at the Memorial Union from 3-9 p.m. on

Thursday, Dec. 2, and from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

on Friday, Dec. 3. Look for signs indicat-

ing the room location. Helmets or recalled

bindings will not be accepted. All apparel

must be cleaned.

For more information, contact John

Cook at 920-889-1053 or cook4@wisc.

edu, or visit http://www.hooersns.org/

resale.

English professor wins System award

David Zimmerman, a U W-Madison

English professor, is among four recipi-

ents of UW Systems 2010 Alliant Energy

Underkoer Awards for Excellence in

Teaching. Having taught more than 35

introductory literature lecture courses,

advanced American literature classes, and

honors and graduate seminars since arriv-

ing in Madison in 2000, Zimmerman has

been known for his classroom skills.

In nominating him for the award, the

English department praised him as a

model teacher, citing his innovative

methods and dedication to his students,

his recognition as a gifted discussion

leader, his leadership as a writing instruc-

tor and his excitement in the classroom.

The Underkoer awards are given by the

Alliant Energy Foundation as a tribute to

the companys long-term senior executive,

James R. Underkoer, a staunch proponent

of excellence in undergraduate teaching.

State commission allows unit

clarication petitions to proceed

Academic staff at some UW System cam-

puses could be assigned to state employeeunions without voting on whether to be

included, the Wisconsin Employment

Relations Commission ruled last week

(Nov. 11).

After a provision was inserted into the

2009-11 state budget giving academic

staff the right to unionize, some state

employee unions led unit clarication

petitions with the commission. They

argued that hundreds of academic staff

positions at six UW campuses, not includ-

ing UW-Madison, dont meet the statutory

denition of academic staff and should be

converted to classied staff positions.

Such conversions would mean employ-

ees would be assigned to unions w ithout

a vote.Although UW-Madison is not among

the campuses affected by the unit clarica-

tion petitions, the unions have announced

plans to le similar claims regarding

UW-Madison academic staff.

UW-Madisons Academic Staff Executive

Committee and Academic Staff Ass embly

have both passed motions opposing the

process because it takes away the right of

academic staff to decide whether or not to

be part of unions.

Academic staff who could be affected

are those considered Category A, meaning

they are working largely in noninstruc-

tional jobs.

The commissions ruling denied motions

from UW System and the Ofce of StateEmployment Relations to dismis s the

unit clarication petitions. The matter is

expected to reach the courts.

For more information, visit http://

acsta.wisc.edu.

AlmanacAsk Bucky

AskBuckyisane-mail

andlivechatservice

providedbyVisitor&

InformationPrograms.

Formoreinformation,call263-2400,

stopbytheCampusInformationCenter

intheRedGymortheWelcomeCenter

at21N.ParkSt.,orvisitusonlineanytime

athttp://www.vip.wisc.edu.Beloware

tworecentquestionsAskBuckyreceived.

Q: MyfamilyandIarelookingforanoppor-

tunitytogivebacktoourcommunitythis

holidayseason.Doyouknowofanyevents

goingonintheMadisonarea?

A:UW-Madisonwillonceagainbepartici-

patinginNBC15sShareyourHolidaysto

EliminateHungerfooddrivewhichcontrib-

utestotheSecondHarvestFoodbankof

SouthernWisconsin.Donationswilldirectly

affectfamiliesandindividualsfacinghunger

in16southwesternWisconsincounties.

Therearevesitesoncampusatwhichyou

candropoffnonperishablefooditemsofany

type:

nRedGym,716LangdonSt.

nWelcomeCenter,21N.ParkSt.

nWisconsinAlumniAssociationOfce,

650N.LakeSt.

nDoitTechStore,1210W.DaytonSt.

nWeeksHall,1215W.DaytonSt.

Additionally,moneydonationswillbe

acceptedonlineattheSecondHarvest

Madisonwebsitelistedbelow:

http://www.secondharvestmadison.org/

Events/NBC15ShareYourHolidays.aspx.

Tomakeadonation,pleasefollowthelink

underthetitleDonateNow.

Q:IheardthereisanAndyWarholexhibit

oncampussomewhere.Doyouhavethe

details?

A:TheAndyWarholPhotographicStudies

exhibitiscurrentlybeingheldattheChazen

MuseumofArtthroughSunday,Dec.5.

DuringWarholscareer,heproducedthou-

sandsofphotographswhichwerenever

viewedbythepubliceye.Fortunately,the

Chazenwaschosenasoneof183college

anduniversityartmuseumstoreceivemore

than150ofthesepiecesfromTheAndy

WarholFoundation.Formoreinformation,

visithttp://www.chazen.wisc.edu/.

Early Music Ensemble entertains at

Tudor Tuesday Roundtable lecture

TheDecemberUniversityRoundtablelecture

willwelcometheEarlyMusicEnsembleon

Tuesday,Dec.7.Pleasenotethedateasa

TuesdayRoundtable.

TheDecemberprogram,featuringabuffet

lunchthatbeginsservingat11:30a.m.,will

beheldinGreatHalloftheMemorialUnion

onDec.7.Theafter-lunchperformancewill

includestudentperformersandtheseselec-

tions:nPyrmonterKurwoche(Sabato)byGeorg

PhilippTelemann.Thissetoftrioswascom-

posedbyTelemannin1734toentertainhis

fellowpatientswhiletakingthecureatBad

Pyrmont.

nTheHuntsman,byEnglishcomposer

JohnCarr.Alivelycantataaboutthehunt

featuringsoprano,baroqueute,natural

horn,harpsichordandbassoon.

nBegliocchi(beautifuleyes)acantataby

the17th-centurycomposerBarbaraStrozzi.

Asensuousworkfortwosopranosandcon-

tinuobyoneofthenestItaliancomposers

ofthe17thcentury.

Theprogramisopentomembersofthe

universitycommunityandtheirguests,and

eachluncheoncosts$10.Thereservation

deadlineisNov.30,andreservationscanbe

madeonlineathttp://www.ohrd.wisc.edu.

Reservationscanalsobemadethrough

MarcTurnesat263-2985orturnes@wisc.

edu.ChecksmadeouttoUWRoundtable

canbesenttotheOfceoftheSecretary

oftheAcademicStaffat270BascomHall,

500LincolnDrive,Madison53706.

NewsinBrief

Tuesday, Nov. 23

nNoon:OfceHours:KenGoldstein

interviewsUWPoliceChiefSueRiseling

andSarahVanOrman,directorofUniversity

HealthServices,aboutsafetyandpersonal

healthissuesforstudents.

n12:30p.m.,Five-MinuteLectures:

FeaturessomeofWisconsinstopprofessors

talkingabouttheirareasofstudyina

no-nonsense,down-to-Earthfashion.

Wednesday, Nov. 24

n3a.m., WisconsinReections:

Aninterviewshowfeaturingprominent

UW-Madisonalumniandfriends.Special

guest:LawyerandpoliticalactivistEdGarvey.

Tuesday, Nov. 30

nNoon,OfceHours:KenGoldstein

interviewsSethPollak,professorofpsychol-

ogy,anthropology,pediatrics,psychiatryand

publicaffairs,abouttheworldofchildrens

emotions.

n12:30p.m.,Five-MinuteLectures:

FeaturessomeofWisconsinstopprofessors

talkingabouttheirareasofstudyina

no-nonsense,down-to-Earthfashion.

Wednesday, Dec. 1

n3a.m.WisconsinReections:

Aninterviewshowfeaturingprominent

UW-Madisonalumniandfriends.Special

guest:ESPNanalystAndyKatz.

Coming up on the Big Ten Network

UW-MadisonhasregularlyscheduledprogramtimeslotsontheBigTenNetwork.

LookforouracademicprogrammingatnoononTuesdaysandat3a.m.Wednesdaymornings.

Hereisourprogramlineupforthenexttwoweeks:



facultyand staff

By Susannah Brooks

[email protected]

H

igh above the din of traf-

c, a Lathrop Hall dance

studio looks more like

open gym at the Y. In sock-cladfeet, 14 students slide across the

wood oor. Some launch them-

selves at the wall, trying to pop

balloons; others draw chalk out-

lines around each other, lling in

the heads with a tight conuence

of asterisks.

Yet within these seemingly

random movements, stories begin

to emerge. One student bops

around the classroom to a blunt

yet playful hip-hop tune, telling

his audience how the music lets

him speak. Many hands pinch the

air around another students head

to illustrate alcoholism and mental

illness.The organized chaos they have

created, a spontaneous yet planned

performance, did not exist an hour

ago. With laughter and a stray

yoga pose here and there the group

comes back together in the center of the

room.

This is Autobiology: a workshop created

by the duo of performance artists and lm-

makers Helen Paris and Leslie Hill (together

known as Curious) that explores the con-

nections between the bodies we inhabit and

the stories we tell about ourselves.

The transformative aspects of their work,

and the connections they make with their

audience, permeate their semester-long

residency. From working with studentsto strengthening bridges between art and

science, Paris and Hill hope that their art,

in the most temporary of forms, will leave

lasting traces once they have gone.

The 14 students selected for this studio

class come primarily from artistic disci-

plines such as theater and studio art. Still,

Paris and Hill chose their students deliber-

ately, with an eye toward interdisciplinarity.

Katie Schaag, a graduate student in com-

parative literature, joined the class to add

a more physical aspect to her spoken-word

performances. Elizabeth Wautlet, studying

in the professional French masters pro-

gram, wanted to explore body memory and

risk in language learning. Other students

come from biology and the First Waveprogram.

Paris and Hill have used many tech-

niques to encourage their students to take

risks and avoid self-censorship. From auto-

matic writing jotting down anything

in their heads to explorations of family

portraits and inherited mannerisms, the

group has forged a unique community in

which to explore their impulses.

Curious current project echoes these

impulses, exploring the mysteries of gut

feelings literally and guratively.

Working with neurogastroenterologists,

they studied the physiological responses of

pain, ght-or-ight impulses and more.

The enteric nervous system, in your

gut, is sometimes called the little brain,says Hill. Its a rudimentary brain system

in itself. So when people talk about having

a gut feeling, the enteric nervous s ystem

is doing tons of rapid processing. It recog-

nizes how truly intelligent our bodies are;

theyre picking up on so much information

that were not aware of. We became fasci-

nated by that.

Just as Paris and Hill encouraged their

students to engage in automatic writing,

their scientist colleagues used the same

technique to map out triggers for chronic

pain. By measuring indicators of the auto-

nomic nervous system while a patient

listens to an autobiographical story that he

or she had previously written, research-

ers could elicit some of the physiological

responses that trigger some of the painful

conditions.The Autobiology workshops, both

short- and long-form, t within this proj-

ect. Though Paris and Hill have taught

weeklong performance-making workshops

around this theme, this is the rst time that

they have expanded it to t a semesters

worth of classes.

It didnt really feel like stretching, says

Paris. It felt the other way round, as we

had so much information. Theres a differ-

ent energy. Doing Autobiology for a week is

intense, because of the terrain that youre

dealing with. At the same time, teaching a

ve-hour class every week also has its own

intensity. With some of the places were

asking them to go because theyre using

personal material a lot of the time itbecomes quite an intense space. Its been

very fruitful.

Indeed, the intensely personal aspect

of the class has been both an asset and

a challenge. As a playwright and scholar,

Jeff Casey, a doctoral student in theatre and

drama, was used to g iving his work a life of

its own on the page. Performing about the

death of his father and his own mortality

gave him a newfound sense of realism. At

the same time, the ephemeral nature of his

work has shown him new ways of creating

and expressing art.

Im not writing this down, so I try to

make it about interacting with the audi-

ence. Thats whats so enchanting, says

Casey. Im not an actor; I cant project; Imnot good at memorizing lines or maintain-

ing a character. Here, I get to be myself

and speak to people as myself. When

you connect with people I had a fac-

ulty member come up to me and her eyes

welled up with tears. You give someone a

piece of yourself, a gift. Thats amazing.

Paris and Hill know that live perfor-

mance isnt always easy to sell. Still, their

curiosity about the world drives them to

make connections between people and

ideas.

Im doing a piece about smell for four

people at a time, eight times a day, and

its really hard work for really small audi-

ences, says Paris. But theres something

about what effects that can engender and

what you can have with audience members

in China, or Brazil, or a council estate inBirmingham, that is so moving. You see

them transported, and you see the connec-

tion youve made.

Thats why Im interested in being an art-

ist: to have that moment of communication

with another person.

Paris and Hills residency, sponsored by

the Arts Institute as part of the Year of the

Arts, culminates from Dec. 4-12 with The

Inside Story, a festival and symposium

uniting performance, biography and biol-

ogy.

Betting the interdisciplinary link

between science and art, the festival takes

place during the grand opening celebration

for the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery

(WID), UW-Madisons new center for inter-disciplinary research and collaboration.

On Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10 and 11,

Curious themselves present the moment

I saw you I knew I could love you in Vilas

Halls Hemsley Theatre at 6, 7:15 and 8:30

p.m. Admission is free; tickets are required.

Dec. 11 brings the Autobiology show-

case of student work from 2-5 p.m. in the

Mitchell Theatre. At 6 and 8:30 p.m., the

Mitchell Theatre also hosts the U.S. pre-

miere of Sea Swallowd, a 20-minute lm

by Curious and Andrew Ktting.

For free tickets to performances of the

moment I saw you I new I could love you

visit campus box ofces in the Memorial

Union or Vilas Hall. For a $3.50 fee, reserve

them online at http://www.arts.wisc.eduor by phone at 265-ARTS.

A full schedule of events is available at

http://www.arts.wisc.edu/artsinstitute/

IAR/parishill/. For more information,

contact the Arts Institute at 263-9290.

Artists break down barriers between biology, biographyNew HR system willmeet user needsThis is the rst story in an ongoing series

about the people behind HRS.

For anyone concerned about the transi-

tion to a new state-of-the-art human

resources system, Cheryl Sullivan is hereto say that everything will be all right.

It may take those using the system a

bit of time to massage the kinks, but in

the end, people will be happy with the

system and how it works, says Sullivan,

who is leading the work process analy-

sis team for the new Human Resources

System, known as HRS.

With HRS expected to launch between

April and June 2011, Sullivan and oth-

ers working on the project will travel to

campuses across the state in the coming

months to train people on how to pro-

cess payroll and benets using the new

system.

Once its in place, HRS will handle a

more than $2 billion annual payroll forUW System employees and improve how

data about employees are entered, as

well as how employees sign up for ben-

ets, account for their time and leave,

and view work records.

Its a tall order. For example, the vari-

ous campuses use about 2,700 different

types of forms for collecting data to pro-

cess payroll and benets, Sullivan says.

She and others from the HRS team have

narrowed the number of key forms down

to about 120.

Sullivans 24-year career at

UW-Madison, which started with her

working in food service at UW Hospital

and scooping Babcock Hall ice cream,

puts her in a good position to under-stand all sides of the existing payroll

and benets processes and how the new

system will change how human resource

services are provided at UW-Madison

and other campuses.

Before joining the HRS team, Sullivan

spent nearly 20 years at UW-Madisons

School of Medicine and Public Health as

human resources manager and payroll

and benets supervisor and specialist.

Before that, she was a payroll and ben-

ets specialist for UW-Madisons College

of Letters & Science and a payroll and

benets assistant in the UW-Madison

processing center.

But the opportunity to be part of the

HRS team, and ultimately help shape afundamental change in how the univer-

sity operates, is thrilling, Sullivan says.

She has spent the last two years develop-

ing the human resources module, or the

part of the HRS system that will be used

for setting up people, positions and hir-

ing employees.

When you talk about doing payroll

or benets, all the people on the HRS

team are doing something really cool, big

and exciting, she says. It will replace

the legacy system which we denitely

need to do and it will give us some

new tools to do the required business.

Leslie Hill (center left) and Helen Paris (center right), artists in residence at the Arts Institute this semes-

ter, lead a class session in their Interdisciplinary Studies in the Arts course in Lathrop Hall on Nov. 12.

The course is designed to explore the connections between biology and biography through creative artistic

performances. Paris and Hill are co-directors of their performance group, which has produced more than

40 works investigating topics such as place and placelessness, family and questions of cloning.

Photo:

Bryce

Richterr


5/8

november 17 , 2 0 1 0 5

on campus

By Sandra Knisely

[email protected]

Theres only one place in Wisconsin where

a driver can send text messages, speed

or engage in other risky behaviors with

no risk of an accident: the new DrivingSimulation Laboratory.

Drivers not only are certain to survive

the experience, but the consequences of

their actions could be safer vehicles and

road around the country and even around

the world.

The driving simulator, located in

the Mechanical Engineering Building,

addresses a substantial need to test new

vehicle technologies and road infra-

structure quickly, say its founders, John

Lee, the Emerson Electric Quality and

Productivity Professor of Industrial

and Systems Engineering, and civil and

environmental engineering associate pro-

fessor David Noyce, who also directs the

Wisconsin Trafc Operations and SafetyLaboratory.

In 1970, no software code was u sed

in vehicles. Now, a vehicle can have

millions of lines of code in just its

navigation system.

Vehicles are getting smarter, and we

need to get ahead of that rapid change to

understand how drivers respond to the

technology, says Lee, an expert in driver

distraction. The fundamental reason

for the simulator is to understand how

people respond to technology so we can

design it better and save lives. The car is

designed from the ground up to be the car

of the future and something we can use to

develop and test next-generation vehicle

technology and road infrastructure.

Funded by UW-Madison and the

Wisconsin Department of Transportation,

the simulator includes a Ford Fusion

with a 24-foot screen wrapped around in

front and an additional screen behind the

car. Six projectors cast a virtual drivingenvironment on the screens, immersing a

driver in as much a s 270 degrees of simu-

lation.

The projectors are unique because they

render images at the same resolution the

human eye does. This allows researchers

to, for example, project signage exactly

as it would appear to a driver on a physi-

cal road. Additionally, the simulator is

motion-based and capable of one degree of

movement in any direction, which further

enhances the realistic experience of driv-

ing the simulator.

Flexible software from Realtime

Technologies Inc. combined with the

high-end hardware will allow researchers

to test a wide variety of driver behaviorsand responses, many of which arent eco-

nomically or ethically possible to test on

physical roads. For example, drivers could

be dosed with alcohol or learn to navigate

a new intersection design.

The simulator is likely to directly ben-

et Wisconsin drivers, as Noyce plans

to replicate segments of roads around

the state that are known to cause trafc

problems and test trafc control solu-

tions for those segments. Noyce also

has spearheaded the effort to introduce

a ashing yellow turn arrow, which has

been implemented at more than 1,000

intersections nationwide, including two

locations in Madison. The simulator will

help researchers continue to study that

and other new signals.

Additionally, national tran sportation

agencies and vehicle industries stand to

gain from research on the UW-Madison

simulator. Lee and Noyce have collabo-

rators in Detroit, Michigan and Swedenwho also may be i nvolved on simulator

projects.

Other advanced motion-based driv-

ing simulators around the country are

prohibitively expensive to operate.

The UW-Madison simulator is afford-

able enough that it will be access ible to

researchers of all levels, including under-

graduate students. Through class projects,

students will help design new vehicle

technologies using the simulators rapid

prototyping software.

Its possible for students to get involved

and do experiments that can really make

a difference and inuence the next line

of cars, Lee says. Its a really exciting

opportunity.Lee and Noyce plan to work closely

on simulator projects. Since I joined

UW-Madison in 2002, one of my goals

since has been to get this type of simula-

tor going, says Noyce. That goal moved

forward when Lee joined UW-Madison in

2009 and the two par tnered to develop

the simulator. This will let us expand on

our respective knowledge and capabilities

as a team, says Noyce. The simulator

really puts Wisconsin on the map in terms

of leadership and research on drivers

issues and behaviors. This continues

UW-Madisons top-ranked reputation in

transportation and opens up whole new

world of research for us.

Simulator puts UW on the map or driving research

By Sandra Knisely

[email protected]

During a long bike ride, its not unusual for

cyclists to experience hand or nger numb-

ness, a very common condition known as

cyclists palsy. The condition ranges from

mild tingling to, sometimes, long-term

nerve damage and hand muscle atrophy

over time.

A team of UW-Madison engineers has

scientically measured hand pressure dur-

ing cycling and studied potential solutions

to reduce that pressure, which can causeproblems like cyclists palsy, a condition

that Wisconsin-based Trek Cycling Corp.

estimates affects as much as 70 percent

of cyclists. Trek has incorporated the

UW-Madison ndings into the design of

a new Bontrager cycling glove that it will

release this winter.

Mechanical engineering associate profes-

sors Heidi-Lynn Ploeg and Darryl Thelen

led the UW-Madison team, which studied

the effects of seven glove (or no glove) types

and three hand positions on the hands of

36 experienced cyclists. Ploeg and Thelen

found that much of the pressure on cyclists

hands is concentrated over the ulnar nerve

and gloves with proper padding density,

thickness and placement are able to reducepressure over this region of the hand. Also,

the team found certain hand positions can

alleviate pressure, such as holding the part

of the brake attached to the handlebars, a

position known as hoods.

The glove project, which began in fall

2008, is the second time Ploeg and Trek

have partnered to understand how cyclists

bodies interact with bikes. Prior to the glove

study, Ploeg and Trek evaluated how bike

saddle design affects pressure. That project

determined saddle design should be based

on a riders size and sex, and Trek intro-

duced new ergonomic products based on

the research.

When Trek decided to update its glove

line, it quickly decided to again approach

UW-Madison. There are a lot of claims out

there about cycling g loves. We wanted to

see what was real, says Treks Bontragerproduct manager, Jennifer Retzlaff. Based

on the success Trek had with UW during

the saddle project, we decided to go ahead

with a similar process so we would have

hard scientic evidence that we were doing

the right thing for cyclists.

The UW-Madison team worked with a

German-based novel GmbH to nd a pres-

sure mat that was the right size and could

be worn under a glove while a subject rode

a bike. The team also performed laser scan-

ning to relate the measurements from the

mats more than 200 sensors to the subjects

hand anatomy. This determined that pres-

sure concentrations were located over the

three muscles below the pinky nger that

make up the hypothenar region of the hand,which is the source of cyc lists palsy.

Ploeg, a biomechanics expert and an

avid cyclist, says partnering with Trek was

a unique opportunity to look at the poten-

tial of cycling research. Cycling is a really

accessible activity for people. Its something

a lot of people can do and could use to

improve their health, she says.

Cycling also is a relatively simple model

for biomechanical analysis. Cycling is

repetitive and predictable, so there are some

basic questions you can ask about human

motion and neuromuscular control of

motion by using cycling as a model, Ploeg

says.

For Trek, the benets of gaining a sci-

entic understanding of hand pressure

outweighed the risk that the study could

have determined cycling gloves dont actu-

ally make a difference. We approached itfrom a point of truly trying to learn what

happens at the intersection of the hand

and the bike, says Trek designer Ryan

Gallagher.

Bontrager brand manager Tom Kueer

says the study evokes Treks Midwest roots.

Were a Wisconsin company, and one of

our core company values is to have unyield-

ing integrity and honesty in everything

we do. Having a scientic understanding

of how glove design affects pressure on a

cyclists hands allows us to create better

products, he says.

In addition to Ploeg and Thelen, the

UW-Madison team included School

of Medicine and Public Health clinical

assistant professor Mark Timmerman,mechanical engineering Ph.D. student

Josh Slane, undergraduate students

Caitlyn Collins and Yvonne Schumacher,

and Madison West High School student

Jane Lee.

UW-Madison engineers team up with Trek or cycling research

This column provides a glimpse into the

science behind everyday life. Submit questions

to [email protected]: Why is Pluto not

considered a planet?

A:Until2006,astrono-

mershadnotcarefullydenedplanet,says

JamesLattis,director

oftheUWSpacePlace.Asteroidswerenot

consideredplanetsbecausetheyaretoo

smallandnumerous.Likewise,cometswere

notconsideredplanetsbecausetheyaretoo

smallandhavenoncircularorbitsthatgofar

outsidetheplaneofthesolarsystem(loca-

tionofEarth,Jupiter,Saturn,andtheother

realplanets).

Althoughastronomersrecognizednine

planets,Plutohadalwaysbeensuspect

becauseweknewitwassmallandfolloweda

noncircularorbitthatdeviatesfaraboveand

belowtheplaneofthesolarsystem,says

Lattis.By2006,Plutowasdemotedbecause

itwasclearthatitisoneofthousandsof

objectsthatoccupythedistantKuiperBelt.

Plutoistoosmallanditsorbittooellipti-

caltotthatplanetcategory,Lattissays.

Tobeconsistent,wevedevelopedanew

categoryofdwarfplanetsthatincludesPluto

andtwosimilarobjects.

Eightplanetsstillsatisfythemorerigorous

denitionofplanetalargeobjectwithan

orbitthatisfairlycircularandwithintheplane

ofthesolarsystem.Astronomyisascience

ofdiscovery,anditsonlyfairtoexpectthat

wewillexpandourlistofobjectsandper-

hapsourcategoriesaswell,saysLattis.

Iwassurprisedatthehubbubraisedby

Plutosreclassication,saysLattis.Itmakes

sensetoclearlydeneascienticterm,but

inretrospectpeopleareunderstandably

attachedtotheirlanguage,andsuddenly

tellingnativespeakersthattheyvebeenmis-

usingacommonwordisaskingfortrouble.

Itwouldhavemademoresensetoabandon

(forscienticpurposes)commonwordsrather

thantoredenethemtocontradicttheircom-

monmeaning.Manyscienticeldshave

specialized,clearlydenedterminologies,

andastronomyshoulddothesame.Ifyou

toldpeopletheycannolongercallatomato

avegetable(becauseitstechnicallyafruit),

youwouldhaveasimilarproblem.

Q: Why do they call it a monkey wrench?

A:Goodquestion,saysJoanHouston

Hall,chiefeditoroftheDictionaryof

AmericanRegionalEnglishatUW-Madison.

Etymologistshavestruggledwiththeroots

ofthewordforthesmooth-jawed,adjustable

wrenchthatplumbersusetoturnttings

withoutthegougesleftbyatoothyjawed

pipewrench.

HallsentaclipfromWorldWideWords,an

etymologywebsite,whichsuggestedthatthe

wrenchgotitsanimalisticmonikerbecauseit

wassimilartoakeywrench,butwasdifferent

enoughtobecalledanon-keywrench.

Thatawkwardphrasingwasthencorrupted

tomonkeywrench.

Alternatively,thewrenchwasinvented

byapersonnamedMonckorMonkor

Monckey.

However,somesourcessaytheterm

monkeywrenchappeared,withoutexplana-

tion,inbookspublishedin1807and1840,

suggestingthatthemeaningwasalready

commonknowledge.Ifthesereferencesare

accurate,theaboveinventorswere,them-

selves,invented.

AccordingtoMichaelQuinionatWorld

WideWords(http://www.worldwidewords.org),Itseemsmostlikelythattheexpla-

nationisverysimple:thatthejawsofthe

wrenchremindedsomeearlyuseroftheface

ofamonkey.

Andsoitsaleadpipecinchthatwell

nevergettotherootofthemonkeywrench.

Curiosities



November17,2010

rts&vents

T

he Polish Student Association

presents three days of lms by

Polish lmmakers Friday-Sunday,

Nov. 19-21.The Polish Film Festival is one of the

oldest student-run annual lm events at

UW-Madison. The event is dedicated to

the promotion of the newest lms made

by Polish lmmakers, with a selection of

the ve best contemporary Polish lms

screened with English subtitles, providing

a representation of the current spectrum

of the Polish cinematographic scene.

This year, to commemorate the 20th

anniversary of the festival, the student

association is hosting the renowned

Polish director of War of Love (Sluby

Panienskie), Filip Bajon. War of Love is

the larges t Polish lm production of 2010,

and this lm is the opener. A half-hour

speech on the developments in Polishcinematography as well as the lm will

precede lm screening. The lm will be

followed by a question-and-answer ses-

sion with Bajon.

Other events include:

Friday, Nov. 19

n 6:30 p.m.

Opening night greetings by Jim Healy,

Cinematheque director of programming,

and Sebastian Jankowski, Polish Student

Association.

Special guest Filip Bajon, director of

War of Love (Sluby Panien skie), will

talk about his lm, the biggest Polish lm

production of the year 2010 and a box

ofce hit in Poland.

n 7 p.m.War of Love (Sluby Panienskie),

director Filip Bajon in person

Poland, 2010, 35mm, color, 100 min

Directed by Filip Bajon

With Anna Cielak (Aniela), Marta Zmuda-

Trzebiatowska (Klara), Edyta Olszwka

(Dobrjska), Borys Szyc (Albin), Maciej

Stuhr (Gustaw)

Radost and Mrs. Dobrojska are plan-

ning to arrange a marriage between

Gustav Radosts nephew and Mrs.

Ds daughter, Aniela. Their aim is clear ly

materialistic, but Radost also wishes for

the party boy Gustav to settle, while Mrs.

D. wants a good marrying material for her

daughter. The problem is that Gustav is

not very eager to get hitched, and Anielais heavily inuenced by her cousin, Klara,

a erce opponent of men, who constant ly

mocks infatuated in her Albin, Mrs. Ds

neighbor. Soon a revelation surfaces about

the promise the girls made to each other

that they will never get married. They

do not trust men; do not want to be their

marionettes, nor a subject of any trans-

action. Excited by the challenge Gustav

decides to prove that no girl can resist

him. He cunningly plots... and everything

ends happily. Simultaneously, the lm

intriguingly shows relations between the

actors portraying main char acters.

n 9 p.m.

Zero

Poland, 2009, 35mm, color, 110 min.Directed by Pawel Borowski

With Robert Wieckiewicz (Company

President), Bogdan Koca (Detective),

Zbigniew Konopka, Andrzej Masztalerz

Love and hate, cheaters and the

cheated, violence and sex, topped with

surprising secrets discovered during a

bizarre 24 hours. Nameless characters go

about their everyday routines in a stream

of seemingly detached events. But when

every decision has its observable conse-

quences, strangers become connected and

their lives changed irreversibly. And all of

this starts with a simple phone call.

Saturday, Nov. 20

n 7 p.m.

Lullaby (Kolysanka)

Poland, 2010, 35mm, color, 90 min.

Directed by Juliusz Machulski

With Robert Wieckiewicz (Michal),

Krzysztof Kiersznowski (Roman),

Malgorzata Buczkowska (Bozena)

Lullaby is a menacing story full of

humor and suspense from the master

of the genre, Juliusz Machulski. Two

policemen investigate mysterious disap-

pearances in a small scenic town. People

keep disappearing, but the investigation

brings no results. The tension grows and

step by step a dark mystery unravels.

n 8:45 p.m.

The Swing (Hustawka)


Directed by Tomasz Lewkowicz

With Wojciech Zielinsk i (Michal), Joanna

Pierzak-Orleanska (Anna, Michals wife),

Karolina Gorczyca (Karolina, Michals

lover)

Thirty-ve-year-old Michal has a

beautiful wife, lovely daughter and a pas-

sionate lover. When one of the women

gives him an ultimatum, Michal must

choose between desire and loyalty. His

situation further complicates itself once

he nds out that his wife is pregnant.

Will Michal choose a lifetime with his

loving wife, or opt for a fairytale with a

mistress whos not really wife material?

The Swing addresses the issue of moral

integrity in light of our own desires and

the sacrices we are willing to make to

fulll them.

Sunday, Nov. 21

n 4 p.m.

Animated History of Poland

(Animowana Historia Polski)

Poland, 2010, DVD, color, 8 min.,

Directed by Tomasz Baginski

Little Rose (Rozyczka)


Directed by Jan Kidawa-Blonski

With Andrzej Seweryn (Adam

Warczewski), Magdalena Boczarska

(Kamila Sakowicz Little Rose), Robert

Wieckiewicz (Roman Rozek), Jan Frycz

(Lieutenant Wasiak)Warsaw, 1967. Kamila is in love w ith

Roman, a Secret Service Agent for the

Ministry of Internal Affairs. Roman asks

her to get involved with a writer, Adam

Warczewski, and deliver reports about his

views and activities. SB suspects Adam

of an antisocialist agenda and is looking

for proof. Under the pseudonym Little

Rose, Kamila begins her cooperation

with the Secret Service. Soon her relation-

ship with Warczewski grows stronger, her

reports get more interesting, but also true

emotions start to develop. Trapped in a

love triangle, Kamila tries to escape the

binds of political interests and move on

with her life. But Roman wont let her go

so easily.For more information on the Polish

Film Festival, visit http://cinema.wisc.

edu/series/2010_all/pestival.htm.

Polish flms eatured at weekend estival

Cinematheque screens Lullaby (Kolysanka), directed by Juliusz Machulsk Lullaby, at 7 p.m. onSaturday, Nov. 20, as part of the 20th anniversary of the Polish Film Festival.

The Swing, a look at modern morals, screens

at 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Polands recent hit lm War of Love screens

at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19.

Courtesy:

UW

-Ma

dison

Cinematheque

BooksmartLessonsamid

theRubble:

AnIntroduction

toPost-Disaster

EngineeringandEthics

(TheJohnsHopkins

UniversityPress,

2010)Sarah K. A.

Pfatteicher,senior

assistantdeaninCALS

andHonoraryFellowinHistoryofScience

Withatendencytowardabstract,bigpicture

thinking,manyengineersaredrivenbyaneed

totacklehuge,complexquestions:Howdo

yougettothemoonandbackinonepiece?

Howdoyouunderstandthewaythatthe

humanbodyworks,inallitsmystery?

Engineersaretrainedtoanswerthesebold

questionsbybreakingitdown,streamlining,

takingastep-by-step,logical,linearprocess,

saysSarahPfatteicher.Thechallengeisto

comeouttheotherendrememberingthat

big,messyplacewhereyoustarted,butrec-

ognizingthatthesimplicationsyoumadeto

makesenseofitarentthebe-allandend-all.

Forpeoplewhoplacetheirfaithinthe

solidityoffactsnumbers,gauges,constants

disasterresponseprovokesauniqueand

disconcertingchallenge.

Foralotofus,itmanifestsinresponding

toanemotionalsituationinalogical,intel-

lectualsortofway,saysPfatteicher.Any

humanbeing,facedwithacrisisortragedy,

ndswhatscomfortable,whatmakesusfeel

ateasewiththeworld.

Pfatteichersbook,theproductof10

yearsofworkoutsideherdayjob,aimsto

provokeadiscussionamongengineering

students,educatorsandanyoneelsewho

wantsabettersenseofwhatengineeringis

about.InanexplorationofsixeventsrelatedtothecollapseoftheWorldTradeCenter,

sheprobesmattersofethics,philosophyand

professionalismwithinengineeringandhow

engineeringiscurrentlytaught.

Partofthemessageofthebookisthat

youhavetobeabletositwiththediscomfort

ofambiguity,saysPfatteicher.Itsabout

showinghowharditistocomeupwitha

simpleanswer,orhowlimitedandunsatisfac-

toryaspecicansweris.

AregularRedCrossvolunteer,Pfatteicher

considersherworkwithstudentshermost

usefulskillset.Asanassistantdeaninthe

CollegeofAgriculturalandLifeSciences,she

supportsstudentsatdifcultpointsintheir

lives:offeringoptions,servingasarelease

valveforemotionsandworries.

Whetherasinglestudentfacesasudden

familytragedyoranationfacestheeventsof9/11,onethingisclear:therearefeweasy

answers.Still,peoplendwaystocontribute

whattheycan,breakingacomplexproblem

intosmallerneedstobemet.Pfatteicher

describestheaftermathofarecenthouse

explosioninSunPrairie.

Peoplerandomlystartedshowingup.A

restaurantbroughtcoffeeandfoodbecause

thatswhattheyhadavailabletoprovide.After

9/11,peopledonatedbloodtherewasnta

wholelotofneed,butthatswhatpeoplewere

abletodo.Itsveryhumantowanttofeellike

youredoingsomething.

Formanyengineers,then,theircomfort

andtheircontributionarethesame:analyzing

adisasterinhopesofpreventingitfromever

occurringagain.

Editors note:Whatareyoureading?

WisconsinWeekwouldliketoperiodically

featurebooksuggestionsfromfacultyand

staffinthisspace.Telluswhatyoureread-

ing,whatinterestedyouinitandwhether

youdrecommendit.E-mailwisweek@

uc.wisc.edu.Susannah Brooks


7/8

november 17 , 2 0 1 0 7

Visit the Rocky Mountains

without leaving Wisconsin

The Rocky Mountains are the backbone ofNorth America, and they boast some of the

most beautiful scenery in the world. Take

the back roads and follow the Rockies from

New Mexico to Yellowstone, exploring the

familiar and not so familiar natural wonders

along the way.

Join guide John Holod at 7:30 p.m. on

Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 29 and 30,

at the Wisconsin Union Theater, for his

Great Rocky Mountain RV Adventure. New

Mexico to Yellowstone, part of the Union

Theaters Travel Adventure Film Series.

Tickets are $13 general admission, $11 in

groups and $6 for UW-Madison students.

A pre-show dinner, featuring a buffet of

dishes from the region presented in the lm,

is available at 5:30 p.m. for $15; please goonline to purchase tickets or view the menu.

Holod immerses himself in the culture

and surroundings he depicts in his lms,

using his RV as home, ofce and studio.

Internationally recognized as a cinematog-

rapher, he spends most of the year on the

road, lming and producing travelogues

and presenting them to audiences across the

country.

For more information, visit http://union

theater.wisc.edu or contact Esty Dinur at

262-3907 or [email protected].

Nutcracker Fantasy comes

to Waisman Center

Got visions of sugarplums but maybe not

long shows or huge crowds? The Waisman

Center Childrens Theatre offers a perfect

afternoon program to kick off the holidays.

Dance Wisconsin presents its Nutcracker

Fantasy, a preview of its longer December

show, at 1 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28,

in the Waisman Center Auditorium. Tickets

are $1 for children and $2 for adults.

The Nutcracker Fantasy, a series favor-

ite, combines Tchaikovskys classic music

with an original score, contemporaryelements and tons of surprises. Full of

beautiful costumes and engaging choreog-

raphy, this seasonal ballet features some of

Madisons nest young dancers.

The Waisman Center is located at 1500

Highland Ave. For more information, visit

http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/ or contact

Teresa Palumbo at 263-5837 or palumbo@

waisman.wisc.edu

Singers provide a feast for the ears

Two events in the week before Thanksgiving

showcase the talent of up-and-coming stu-

dents and established faculty members from

the School of Musics vocal department.

The 160-member Choral Union and

Chamber Orchestra perform Handels

oratorio Israel in Egypt in Mills Hall at

8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, and at

4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21. Beverly Taylor

conducts; soloists include soprano Emily

Birsan, mezzo soprano Jennifer Sams, tenor

James Doing, baritone Paul Rowe and bass-

baritone Benjamin Schultz. Advance tickets

are $15 general admission and $8 students

and seniors.

Jeanne Swack, professor of musicology,

writes in her program notes that while the

work was not successful among Handels

original audiences, it has found special

favor with modern English-speaking audi-

ences. No small measure of this success

must be due to the colorful depiction of

the Ten Plagues that God visited upon the

Egyptians, with their evocations of blood,frogs, hail, ies, locusts and the brilliant

depiction of a thick darkness, which might

be felt by means of an eerie choral

recitative.

Mills Hall is located in the Mosse

Humanities Building. Tickets are available

through the Wisconsin

Union Theater box

ofce, via phone at262-2201 or fax at

265-5084, or online at

http://www.union

theater.wisc.edu .

At 7:30 p.m. on

Tuesday, Nov. 23, stu-

dents from the Opera

Workshop present their

fall program in Music

Hall. Mimmi Fulmer,

William Farlow and

Jamie Van Eyck direct

performances includ-

ing duets and trios

from Der Freischutz,

Die Frau ohne

Schatten, Billy Budd,Lincoronazione di

Poppea, Don Giovanni and Arabella.

Performers include Emily Worzalla, K. C.

Peck, Lindsay Sessing, Yohan Kim, Michael

Roehmer and Chelcie Probst, with accom-

paniment by Susan Goeres, Bill Lutes and

Mimmi Fulmer.

For more information on School of Music

programs, visit http://music.wisc.edu/

or contact 263-9485 or music@music.

wisc.edu.

Arboretum spotlights local products

for the holidays

Going online might be the easy way to avoid

the crazy days of holiday shopping, but its

not always more fun. What about the great

smells or the delight of discovering some-thing totally unique? This holiday season,

skip the malls and head straight for the

tranquil prairies of the Arboretum. Yes, the

Arboretum.

Featuring more than 40 vendors, the

Arboretums Local Products Expo takes

place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov.

28, in the Visitor Center. Local art, edibles

and gifts take center stage, celebrating local

enterprise and creativity and giving shop-

pers an opportunity to support the local

economy. Admission is free.

While some products such as jewelry

from the Bohemian Bauble or TerraSource

chocolates are available year-round at

brick-and-mortar vendors, others are some-

times only available at craft fairs or online

at places like etsy.com. This show offers the

opportunity to meet producers close up,

learning more about how the artists create

and what kinds of custom work they may

offer. Low-cost but high-quality merchandise

provides a chance to support artisans and

keep dollars circulating in the Madison area.

The Arboretum Visitor Center is located

at 1207 Seminole Highway.

For more information on Arboretum

events and programs, visit http://www.

uwarboretum.org or contact staff members

at 263-7888 or [email protected].

To view event listings: http://www.today.wisc.edu/

CalendarHighlights

The Dance Department celebrates

its new autonomy as a UW

department during UW-Madisons

Year of the Arts with its two-night Fall

Faculty Concert Upswing at 8 p.m. onFriday and Saturday, Nov. 19 and 20, at

the Wisconsin Union Theater.

In addition to the concert, the Dance

Department is putting on a weekend

of dancing Nov. 19-21 as part of the

Year of the Arts at the Memorial Union.

DancingAll Weekend Long will

include a showcase from 16 student

dance organizations and several free

introductory dance classes of all dance

styles will be offered.

Upswing will premiere two nights of

inspiring and diverse dance works set to

riveting, live music moving the audience

through time and space, both guratively

and literally, exploring dreams, memo-

ries, universal human connections andthe physical space of the theater. New

pieces will examine the cultural issues

surrounding immigration, the historic

events of the Vietnam War and gender

concerns of the 21st century woman. .

The concert is set to show two nights

at the Wisconsin Union Theater. Jin-

Wen Yu, department chair, says, We all

agreed that reaching out into the com-munity to share the experience of our

faculty concert performances with stu-

dents and other local Madisonians would

be a terric way to celebrate.

Laurie Fellenz, Teacher Leader of

the Fine Arts Division of the Madison

Metropolitan School District worked

with Yu and other staff at the Dance

Department to distribute tickets to the

performances to local high school stu-

dents.

Upswing will feature a diverse set of

eight captivating dance works:

nHere/So (12 lines), a new work com-

prised of personal imagery, memories

and dreams, created by New York guest

artist Bill Young in collaboration withstudent dance artists.

nLi Chiao-Pings ETA Movements

No. 2 explores passages of time and

space and the eeting as well as lasting

images which occur in our dreams and

memories and will be accompanied by

composer/performers Patrick Reinholz

and Ben Willis of the Weather Duo.

nChris Walkers The people who came,episode 3 of the 7 part episodic work

E Pluribus Unum. It will showcase

immigration stories through poetry,

music and dance.

nPeggy Choys Boxher, a work explor-

ing the inner terrain of what it means to

be a 21st century woman, inspired by

champion boxer Muhammad Ali.

nAn edgy, contemporary ballet based

on Saint Saens classic The Dying Swan

choreographed by Marlene Skog to a

score recomposed by Carol Carlson.

nKate Corby will present a new site-

specic work for ve dancers, performed

both prior to the show and during

intermission in the lobby spaces of the

Wisconsin Union Theater. The chore-ography for this piece was developed

through research on the theaters unique

architectural and social history and will

be accompanied by an original score by

local composer Tim Russell.

nKaren McShane-Hellenbrands

Quintessence is a piece that reects the

choreographer and dancers expression

and embodiment of awe, wonder andspirit. Through written reections the

dancers explored universal connections

that humans share.

nYus Into Sunlight, a poetic modern

dance interpreting Pulitzer Prize-winning

author David Maraniss They Marched

Into Sunlight, a look at of the historic

events of the Vietnam war.

Tickets are $18 general public and

$10 students and seniors. Tickets may be

purchased in advance through Campus

Arts Ticketing box ofce, http://www.

uniontheater.wisc.edu; by phone, at

265-ARTS (265-2787); or in person at

the Wisconsin Union Theater box ofce.

Remaining tickets will be sold at the

door. There is reserved seating.There will be a post-performance

reception Nov. 19 with the artists, stu-

dents and staff in the Main Lounge,

Memorial Union.

WritersChoice:Dance Department to take audience through time and space

Holiday cards, such as this one by Sue V. Medaris, are among many

local objects featured at the Arboretums Local Products Expo.

Courtesy:

S.V.

Me

daris



on campus

Agronomy professor and department chair

William F. Tracy has been named interim

dean of the College of Agricultural and Life

Sciences.

Tracy will assume the post on Jan. 2,

when CALS Dean Molly Jahn steps down.The college is very well positioned for

the future. My primary goal will be to work

with our faculty, staff, students and external

partners to ensure that the position of CALS

dean is an attractive and exciting opportu-

nity that will attract the best possible leader

and scholar, Tracy says.

Tracy joined the Department of Agronomy

in 1984 and has served as chair since 2004.

He has a long record of service on campus

committees and initiatives. He recently

nished a term as chair of the University

Committee.

His research focuses on breeding and

genetics of sweet corn, one of Wisconsins

most important vegetable crops. Tracy has

developed many new hybrid and inbredvarieties with improved yield and resistance

to insects and disease. He has taught a

wide range of classes, from entry-level crop

production to graduate instruction in plant

breeding and plant genetics. He has also

been very active in efforts to get the uni-

versity involved in K-12 science education

and in outreach and continuing education

related to crop production, plant genetics,

and the interaction between agriculture

and society.

Several search-and-screen committees for

high-ranking university positions have been

established and are beginning their work.

One of the committees is charged with

nding the rst permanent director for the

Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.

Former chancellor John Wiley has servedas interim director of the Wisconsin Institute

for Discovery since November 2008.

Waisman Center director Marsha Mailick

Seltzer, chair of the search committee and

professor of social work, served as the insti-

tutes rst interim director from 2006-08.

The search committee also includes John

Denu, professor of biomolecular chemis-

try and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery

Epigenetics theme leader; Brian G. Fox,

professor of biochemistry; Sara Guyer, asso-

ciate professor of English and director of

the Center for the Humanities; Derek Hei,

senior scientist at the Waisman Clinical

BioManufacturing Facility; Sangtae Kim,

executive director of the Morgridge Institute

for Research; Miron Livny, professor ofcomputer sciences and director of core

computational technology at the Morgridge

Institute for Research; Petra Schroeder,

assistant dean for research services in the

UW-Madison Graduate School; and John

Yin, professor of chemical and biological

engineering and Wisconsin Institute for

Discovery Systems Biology theme leader.

Another committee is seeking a vice chan-

cellor of research and dean of the Graduate

School. The post was created as part of a

reorganization designed to retain a close

relationship between research and graduate

education.

The committee will include chair William

Tracy, the newly named interim dean of the

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Other members include Steve Ackerman,

professor of atmospheric and oceanic sci-ences; Janet Branchaw, faculty associate,

School of Education; Katharine Broton,

research assistant, School of Education;

Daryl Buss, dean of the School of Veterinary

Medicine; Aaron Crandall, university grants

and contracts specialist; Juan dePablo,

professor of chemical and biological engi-

neering; Norman Drinkwater, professor of

oncology; Wayne Feltz, assistant scientist,

Space Science and Engineering Center;

Janet Hyde, professor of psychology; Anne

Miner, professor of business; Richard

Moss, professor and associate dean of the

School of Medicine and Public Health;

Ann Palmenberg, professor of biochemis-

try; Norma Saldivar, professor of theater

and drama; Joseph Salmons, professor ofGerman; and Tobias Wolf, university busi-

ness specialist, School of Medicine and

Public Health.

Committees will also be appointed to nd

deans for the School of Business and Law

School.

Those who have agreed to serve on the

committee looking for the Business School

dean include Susan Babcock, professor of

materials science and engineering; Matthew

Beemsterboer, undergraduate student; Mark

Bugher, director of University Research Park;

Law School dean Ken Davis; Jon Hammes,

chair and chief executive ofcer of the

Hammes Co.; Jan Heide, professor of busi-

ness; Binnu Hill, business school director of

diversity and climate; Kemllen Lee, gradu-

ate student; Stephen Malpezzi, professor of

business; Mark Matosian; senior student ser-vices coordinator in the School of Business;

Elizabeth Odders-White, associate professor

of business; Jeffrey Russell, chair and profes-

sor of civil and environmental engineering;

John Karl Scholz, professor of economics;

Hollis Skaife, associate dean and professor of

business; and Ann Terlaak, assistant profes-

sor of business. Business professor Donald

Hausch is expected to chair the committee.

Those who have agreed to serve on the

committee looking for the Law School

dean include state Supreme Court Justice

Ann Walsh Bradley; Tonya Brito, profes-

sor of law; R. Alta Charo, professor of law;

Anuj Desai, associate professor of law; Meg

Gaines, clinical professor of law; Gail Geiger,

professor of art history; Robert Golden,dean of the School of Medicine and Public

Health; Linda Greene, professor of law; law

student Purnita Howlader; Jerlando Jackson,

associate professor in the Department of

Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis;

Heinz Klug, associate dean and professor

of law; Mary Ray, senior lecturer in the Law

School; attorney Daniel Rottier; Brad Snyder,

assistant professor of law; and law student

Michelle Yun. Law professor and associate

dean Kathryn Hendley is expected to chair

the committee.

Agronomy chair named

interim CALS deanSearch committees named or high-level positions

China Continued from page 1

creating new opportunities for our faculty

and students. We are also building re lation-ships with the Ministry of Education in

Beijing and closely following developments

in higher education overall. On this trip

we met with two provincial governors and

members of their staffs to discuss possible

state-to-state collaborations. We are meeting

with business leaders and potential inves-

tors to ensure they know about the research

strengths and creativity in Wisconsin, and

that we know about the opportunities and

challenges they face. And, very importantly,

we are strengthening our relationships with

alumni and prospective donors, building

institutional and social networks that will be

available to current and future students.

Q: How does a trip like this end up ben-

eting a UW-Madison student?A: We are establishing student exchange,

internship and study-abroad opportunities.

We are working to ensure that UW-Madison

attracts the most talented and diverse

possible student body from all over the

world, for the good of all our students.

We are enhancing the long-term value of

a UW-Madison degree by making the uni-

versity more visible in important parts of

the world. On this trip we met with six

Wisconsin-based companies in Beijing and

were assured that they were keen to have

our students as interns. We are strengthen-

ing alumni networks so our students can

make use of the connections and advice that

those networks will offer over time. We are

making UW-Madison part of the dynamicand more interconnected world in which

our graduates will live and work.

Q: What are your future plans for return-

ing to China?

A: Because of the importance of substan-

tive exchange and strong relationships,

I expect a delegation to travel to China

at least once a year. University and gov-ernment ofcials in mainland China are

overwhelmed by the number of visits they

get from all over the world and some are

understandably skeptical of the tendency

on the part of some university presidents

or chancellors to make only one, or only

very occasional visits with the expectation

that genuine collaboration can be estab-

lished without sustained interaction. I think

UW-Madison can and should try to develop

a presence in China that is unique, that

promotes academic exchange of faculty and

students, but also manifests the Wisconsin

Idea, drawing on the resources of the state

and university to spur collaboration that

will have a reciprocally positive impact.

Q: What is the most important goal foryou in China going forward?

A: To enhance the quality of our educa-

tion and research, to increase the long-term

value of a UW-Madison degree, to sup-

port faculty collaborations in research and

education, and to make a contribution by

nding a way to have a presence there that

is unique to UW-Madison and consistent

with the Wisconsin Idea. Too often, the

people we meet look at the U.S. and see

only its West and East coasts. With greater

visibility for UW-Madison, top government

ofcials, business, educational and opinion

leaders will realize that Wisconsin is one of

the nations best-kept secrets when it comes

to opportunities for collaboration, joint-

venture and investments. We want the restof the world to see UWs success at nding

solutions to major cultural, social, eco-

nomic, medical, environmental, energy and

manufacturing challenges.

wisconsin week, november 17, 2010

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