Learning about the state we serve
Rosy-Lane Holsteins owner and partner Daphne Holterman will welcome the Wisconsin Idea Seminar in May and give a tour of their 900-cow operation. In advance of our visit–and in between a number of international speaking engagements–she shares insight with us about her time at UW–Madison, her role as an “agvocate,” and the farm’s exploration of …
What initially drew you to papermaking? I was introduced to the fine craft of hand papermaking during my MA degree at the University of Iowa, studying Textile Design. Tim Barrett (who was awarded a MacArthur Award for his work as both a practitioner and teacher of hand papermaking in 2009) joined the faculty as …
What was it like growing up on your family’s farm, Mystic Valley Dairy? I feel so blessed to have grown up on my family’s dairy farm right outside Sauk City, about 20 miles north of Madison. From a young age, I had the opportunity to be immersed in the world of agriculture through the Wisconsin …
Kent Weigel, a professor, extension specialist, and chair of the Dairy Science Department, helps change graduate students’ lives through a new program — the Dairy Research Partnership. This new initiative encourages dairy-related businesses to fund the education of graduate students who are conducting industry-related research. The program is supporting four graduate students this year …
Jennifer Van Os, an assistant professor of dairy science, visits milk producers around the state to study cow comfort. In May, she will accompany the Wisconsin Idea Seminar to Rosy-Lane Holsteins in Watertown, Wisconsin, where she has collaborated with owners Daphne and Lloyd Holterman on a number of research projects that look at cow …
What drew you to apply to intern for the Wisconsin Idea Seminar? Who wouldn’t want to work for an immersive tour that shows off the cultural, educational, industrial, social, and political realities of Wisconsin? I love my home state, and the thought of being able to share it with others really excites me! Additionally, …
Lucas Zoet, an assistant professor of geoscience traveled along with the Wisconsin Idea Seminar in 2017. Since then, he has been working on a project that studies the bluffs of Wisconsin’s eastern shores. Lake Michigan currently has very high water levels, which contributes to erosion, slides, and collapses. A key component of the project …
Claus Andersen spoke to Wisconsin Public Radio about hygge, the notion of pleasant togetherness, that is embedded in Scandinavian culture and which has recently caught on in the United States. Andersen, an assistant professor of Scandinavian Studies, traveled along with the Wisconsin Idea Seminar in 2018. Listen to Andersen’s WPR interview where he discusses hygge.
Thea Whitman, who traveled along with the Wisconsin Idea Seminar in 2016, studies microbes here at UW–Madison, burning wood in a large furnace in order to look at carbon and its role in soil. The knowledge gained from analyzing the biochar can then be applied to current situations – most notably, climate change. Originally …
Pavana Prabhakar participated in the 2017 Wisconsin Idea Seminar.