Each year, undergraduate students in Professor of Design Studies and WIS’15 alumna Marianne Fairbanks’ weaving class create handwoven textiles called “water cloths” that are included in gratitude bundles for Wisconsin Idea Seminar collaborators and hosts. This story by Maggie Ginsberg, writer in the Division of the Arts and WIS’26 alumna, highlights the collaboration and undergraduate students’ reflections on the process.
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WIS’25 alumna Fran Puleo Moyer and collaborator Mark Louden featured in episode of The Cabin spotlighting Badger Talks
In this episode of Discover Wisconsin’s The Cabin podcast, Fran Puleo Moyer, associate director of outreach programs in the UW-Madison Office of State Relations and a WIS’25 alumna, introduces listeners to Badger Talks, a UW-Madison …
Connected by common threads: Internship connects undergraduate designers with Hmong communities in Vietnam
Edward Xiong, designer of the 2025 Wisconsin Idea Seminar journey book cover, and three other UW-Madison undergraduates studying textiles and fashion design in the School of Human Ecology traveled to Vietnam for six weeks over …
WIS alumni featured in the Morgridge Center’s 30th anniversary magazine
The Morgridge Center for Public Service is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year! As they commemorate their three decades of connecting campus with community through service, community-based learning and research, they have produced a physical …
Video: WIS’25 alum Jessica Stovall leads the SoulFolk Collective, amplifying the stories of Black community members in Madison
The SoulFolk Collective is a multidisciplinary research lab led by Jessica Stovall, an assistant professor in the Department of African American Studies, that engages in scholarly inquiry to amplify the voices, stories, and lived realities …
Video: WIS’24 alum Morgan Jerald discusses her research on Black women’s health and well-being
Morgan Jerald, assistant professor of psychology, discusses cultivating curiosity and the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in this L&S faculty interview. Dr. Jerald’s research, rooted in Black feminist scholarship, examines the influence of the media and …
Wisconsin Idea Seminar conversations spark international connections
On the last day of the 2025 Wisconsin Idea Seminar, Angela Johnson, teaching faculty in the Art Department, mentioned her upcoming trip to Nepal to Jay Stokes, King-Morgridge Scholars Program manager in the International Division. …
A photo essay of the 2025 Wisconsin Idea Seminar
Forty years ago, in 1985, the Wisconsin Idea Seminar emerged out of the commitment to introduce new faculty and staff to the people and places of Wisconsin. Since then, more than 1,300 University of Wisconsin–Madison …
WIS Alum Andrea Hicks receives EPIC-N award
EPIC-N recognized Andrea Hicks with the 2025 Faculty of the Year award! Since 2017, Andrea has collaborated with seven Wisconsin communities through UniverCity Alliance. Andrea Hicks participated in the 2017 Wisconsin Idea Seminar.
In pursuit of the best protein bar
If, on a hungry afternoon, you’ve been eager to discover a forgotten protein bar tucked in your backpack, only to find it’s become hard and unappetizing after weeks of neglect, food scientist Audrey Girard’s research …