Quick Takes: Summer 2013

A UW research team led by Su-Chun Zhang has successfully transplanted neural cells from a primate’s skin into its brain and watched them transform into mature brain cells. The experiment used induced pluripotent stem cells — that is, stem cells derived from an adult rather than an embryo — which were converted into neurons. The results show promise for personalized medicine, which uses a patient’s own cells to replace damaged or diseased cells.

Freshmen Matt Dallman and Samuel Calmes of Sellery Residence Hall won a UW Housing contest for the best–decorated residence hall room. Take a tour of their dorm palace on Housing’s Facebook page.

The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) — a five-volume, three-decade research effort on regional speech — has been facing a funding shortfall, following a drop in private giving and fewer federal dollars, due to the sequester. At press time, an anonymous donor had pledged to help, and the editors were hopeful that additional support would keep the project alive.

The UW’s air force ROTC program was ranked first in the nation in physical fitness. The Badger cadets scored 97.42 on a 100-point scale, making them the fittest of the country’s 146 air force ROTC programs.

The Division of Housing is adding a new co-ed learning community emphasizing gender issues. Sponsored by the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, the community — called Open House — will be located at Phillips Residence Hall and will offer a one-credit seminar in gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues.

A team of grad students in the La Follette School of Public Affairs won first place at the Policy Solutions Challenge, a national competition to develop innovative responses to public policy problems. The students — Miriam Palmer, Selina Eadie, Andrew Walsh, Norma-Jean Simon ’07, MPA’12, MPH’12, and Jiaqi Lu — presented strategies for reducing obesity.

Badgers are smiling — more than any other college students, according to the online university ranker Unigo. The website listed the UW as number-one for happy students.

Published in the Summer 2013 issue