Category: News

The Risk We Don’t See: Climate Disasters and Housing Decisions

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Max Besbris studies how climate disasters affect housing decisions, with particular attention to how people assess risk and how post-disaster policies influence rebuilding versus relocation choices. His research is increasingly urgent as climate-related disasters affect growing numbers of Americans each year, revealing critical gaps in risk communication and recovery options that leave many households rebuilding in vulnerable locations. By examining these dynamics and advocating for managed retreat policies, Besbris's work aims to help communities develop more sustainable housing patterns that can withstand environmental uncertainties while providing residents with meaningful choices about where and how to live after disasters.

Christopher Timmins thinks economics is crucial to understanding environmental injustice

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Christopher Timmins’s research focuses on the relationship between economics and natural resources, with a specific interest in how economics interacts with environmental injustices, the idea that marginalized communities are more likely to be harmed by hazards in the environment. The relationship between environmental conditions such as air pollution, discrimination, and the places where people live can not only impact the health of the people that live there but also point out the current failures in the economy and real estate market. By understanding this relationship, it is possible to inform policies that govern the markets and affect the people that live in those neighborhoods.

Accessible Energy: Chris Gisriel’s believes photosynthesis is the answer

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Dr. Gisriel studies sustainability in his lab by examining photosynthesis, the process that organisms use to produce chemical energy in nature. He also engineers other organisms in the lab to perform photosynthesis in the same way. This research is useful because it explores how certain organisms produce chemical energy, which could lead to more accessible energy sources for humanity. The benefits of this research range from helping organisms survive by improving the efficiency of their photosynthesis to discovering new ways to make energy more accessible for humans.

Dairy Goldmine: Gulustan Ozturk finds the nutrition in waste

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Dr. Gulustan Ozturk's research at UW-Madison focuses on bioactive compounds found in milk and dairy streams. Her main goal is to isolate these compounds using advanced processing methods to develop microbiome-centered interventions for improving human health, with potential applications in personalized nutrition and precision treatments. This work supports sustainability by adding value to dairy coproducts and streams, such as utilizing whey protein phospholipid concentrate which is a byproduct of whey processing, contributing to economic, environmental, and social sustainability as part of the Dairy Innovation Hub's mission.

Cows, Crops, and Climate: Rebecca Smith’s Research on Sustainable Forage Crops and Plant-based Biofuels

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Dr. Rebecca Smith’s research focuses on making forage crops, which are crops grown to feed animals, more sustainable by reducing methane emissions and improving plant traits, like digestibility. This is done by altering the lignin within the plant cell wall. The altered lignin increases nutrient availability and potentially reduces the time required for cow digestion. Dr. Smith hopes that her work will benefit the scientific community and improve the quality of forage crops and plant-based biofuels to make agriculture more sustainable.

UW’s Zero Waste Compass: Your Guide to Sustainable Disposal on Campus

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Have you ever had questions like “Does plastic cutlery go in the recycling?” or “Are greasy pizza boxes recyclable?” So have we. That’s why we created the Zero Waste Compass  — a tool to help you find the right way to dispose of common items on campus. Recycling can be confusing; the Zero Waste Compass …

A Sustainable Alternative to Synthetic Fertilizer with Jean-Michel Ané

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As the environmental costs of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer grows, Dr. Jean-Michel Ané’s research group is developing sustainable alternatives by engineering partnerships between crops and nitrogen-fixing microbes that colonize the roots. While early efforts focused on modifying bacteria to release more nitrogen, the team found a breakthrough in maize from Southern Mexico that naturally fosters microbial nitrogen fixation through a root secreted mucilage. By exploring these interactions from both the microbial and plant side, the lab hopes to develop methods to enhance this partnership and introduce it to other cropping systems.

Cultivating Resilience: How Chris Kucharik is Transforming Agriculture Amid Climate Change

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Chris Kucharik’s lab investigates the dynamic interactions between climate change and land management through fieldwork and ecosystem modeling, focusing on ecosystem services like crop production, water quantity and quality, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. His research highlights the anticipated stress on agricultural systems due to climate change, which reduces crop yields and harms both farmers and consumers. Dr. Kucharik aims to inform policymakers and develop regulations to support farmers in mitigating climate impacts on their own and surrounding land.

From Coffee Cherries to Aronia Berries: How Food Science Professor Brad Bolling is Rethinking Food

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Brad Bolling works to increase access to healthy, nutrient-dense foods to minimize costly chronic diseases. He uses a holistic approach, participating in the entire life cycle of his research; he measures the nutrients and bioactive compounds in foods, assesses their nutritional content and health impacts, then collaborates with food producers and consumers to grow support for foods that will be sustainable sources of nutrition for Wisconsin. His work promotes practices that reduce waste, support biodiversity, and prevent diet-related diseases to address systemic inefficiencies in food production and healthcare.

Forward? Field Notes from the Lakeshore Nature Preserve

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The growing season is an exercise in controlled chaos. There is too much to do and so much to learn, and decisions must be made about where to put effort when it’s all happening everywhere at once. There is an exuberance in growth, both in plant and animal life and in the mind. Overwhelmed by …