Paul Esker, Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology
Paul Esker discusses how field crops fit in Wisconsin agricultural, changes in production and the impact of diseases. Plant diseases can reduce yield and quality of crops, but the likelihood of loss is affected by many factors including recent diseases from the past growing seasons that affected our corn, soybean, and wheat
Dave Nelson, Professor, Biochemistry, UW-Madison
Professor Dave Nelson discusses the importance of DNA and its prevalence in art, media, and science. He gives the history of DNA from the very beginning when it was first found, to when it became interesting, to when it became a hot topic of discussion and research, until today when it can be considered absolutely central to the field of biology.
Elizabeth Reetz, Archaeologist Wisconsin Historical Society. In 2009, archaeologists evaluated five sites along Highway 77 in northern Burnett County. Participate in this discovery with Elizabeth Reetz as she shares the results of the excavations and how the ceramic assemblages from these sites compare with other types documented in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota....
William Bland Professor, Department of Soil Science, UW-Madison
Professor William Bland reviews the basics of groundwater then discusses the research being done to understand the linkage between the groundwater level, irrigated agriculture and pumping water. He incorporates his work over the past two years to explain and offer insight to the dwindling level of groundwater in Madison.
David Morris, co-founder and vice president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, discusses the importance of designing local rules to promote community sustainability, including sustainable energy production and consumption.
Stephanie Whitehorse and Giri Venkataramana introduce Bhavna Sharma, Eyleen Chou, and Paul Fossum, three engineers who are working on revolutionizing housing in developing communities as well as improving the living conditions in third world countries while promoting efficient use of resources all around the world.
Bruce Christensen Professor, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, UW-Madison
Professor Bruce Christensen presents his research of the relationship between mosquito vectors and the parasitic etiologic agents require for the natural transmission of vector born diseases. He discusses the biology of mosquitoes, the different types, and the diseases they spread in New Guinea.
Tim Donohue, director, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and Professor of Bacteriology, UW-Madison
Tim Donohue sheds light on where we
currently get and how we use our energy and how it flows from the suppliers to the us. He also spends time on the topic of biofuels and how he sees their importance in the context of capturing and utilizing renewable energy sources.
Lindsey Moser, Research Assistant, Department of Medical Microbiology, UW-Madison
Lindsey Moser gives a detailed background of toxoplasma gondii, explains why it is being studied, and explores why it is such a successful parasite. She is a research assistant currently working to develop a model to study the sexual forms of this pathogen in the lab.
Ankur Desai, Assistant Professor, Dept.of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, UW-Madison
Ankur Desai discovered some surprising lab results about biogeochemistry. He gives a background on the subject, defining biogeochemistry and climate change, before explaining his research in the field.