Category: Research

At the UW–Madison Sustainability Symposium, presenters address “a potential existential crisis”

At the inaugural UW–Madison Sustainability Symposium, Josh Arnold presented a major pilot project that could allow UW–Madison to generate more renewable energy. “Our students, staff, faculty, and alumni—including many in this room—are demanding bold climate action now,” said Arnold, the Campus Energy Advisor for the Office of Sustainability. “Producing electricity using renewable energy such as …

Midwest Climate Collaborative seeks input on research agenda

The Midwest Climate Collaborative (MCC), which launched in January 2022 with UW–Madison as a founding member, is a cross-sector organization that aims to advance climate action in the region. The MCC seeks to develop a Midwest-wide Research Agenda to identify knowledge gaps between research and practice in the climate change research space. Organizers are seeking …

Campus labs offered opportunity to participate in globally-recognized lab sustainability certification program

UW–Madison campus laboratories can apply to participate in the Lab Certification Program from My Green Lab, a globally recognized leader in laboratory sustainability. The program will be offered for free to the first 10 labs that apply. Labs can use this form to apply; the final deadline for applications is September 30th, 2022. Apply Here About …

UW–Madison earns second Silver rating in campus sustainability assessment

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has completed its second comprehensive sustainability report through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS), which is administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). UW–Madison earned a Silver rating for its efforts to steward resources and advance sustainability education and research. The updated STARS …

Global Health Symposium celebrates interdisciplinary approaches to climate change and health

On Tuesday, April 19, the Global Health Institute (GHI) partnered with the Office of Global Health to host the 2022 Global Health Symposium, “Making Connections: Health, Climate & Equity.” The event celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the GHI. Since its inception, it has introduced an undergraduate major in global health and undergraduate, graduate, and professional …

Project Round-Up: The Students Behind Green Fund Lighting Initiatives

When we mention sustainability, we often reference the large-scale solutions that our climate catastrophe necessitates: global recycling systems, wind farms, solar power, electric cars, even ambitions to relocate our refuse to the moon. Not many of us speak of lighting retrofits. There is no poetry to staring at the ceilings of tired buildings and replacing …

Resilience Spotlight: Applying advanced climate models to future-proof building specification

Today’s building specifications are designed for local weather conditions based on historical data. As future weather conditions vary significantly from historic trends due to human-induced climate change, building specifications must be recalibrated away from the weather of the past and towards the weather of the future. Graduate student Gesangyangji is using advanced computer models to …

“The implications are enormous”: graduate student’s innovative climate research could change building design

When she was young, Gesangyangji would stare at the peaks on the mountains surrounding Lhasa, her birthplace in the Tibetan Plateau. They were covered in snow. But as she grew up she noticed the snow disappearing, the white lines chased up the mountain by gray and green rock. “I was wondering,” she said, “Why is …

In Case You Missed It: The UW Now Livestream, “Climate Trends and Impact”

In our In Case You Missed It series (also known as ICYMI), student interns from the Office of Sustainability offer reflective reports on sustainability-related events and lectures at UW–Madison. The following entry is by Julia Tuttle.  The UW Now Livestream Series brings experts from the UW–Madison community to talk about new and exciting research being …

Resilience Spotlight: La Follette Faculty and Students Conduct Living Lab Cost-Benefit Analysis of 100% Renewable Energy Options

This hands-on, real-world research will inform the Office of Sustainability about available options for improving campus sustainability and resilience.