May campus research news round up
Scientists measure force of powerful jets streaming from a black hole in the Cygnus system: The findings confirm a theory posed by UW–Madison researchers a decade ago.
By Chris Barncard
An international team of researchers has measured the power of jets of particles blasted into space by black holes, a first that confirms a prediction made by University of Wisconsin–Madison astronomers a decade ago.
These jets stream out perpendicular to the spinning axis of black holes as the black holes swallow matter, putting some portion of the energy released back into the space around the black hole. The jets can extend hundreds or thousands of light years from their source.
“We know these jets probably have very energetic particles in them. We can see where they have poked holes right through things, like clouds of gas,” says Sebastian Heinz, a UW–Madison professor of astronomy and co-author of the new findings. “But to understand how they can shape the universe around them, we need to know just how powerful they are.”
Legacy fuels UWVC leadership in comprehensive cancer care: UW Vet Med clinicians continue to redefine how cancer is treated
By Katie Ginder-Vogel
For 40 years, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) and UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) have been leaders in veterinary oncology. From the development of advanced radiation treatments to testing anti-cancer vaccines, UW Vet Med clinicians have long been on the front lines of redefining how cancer is treated.
Today, the school continues to build on that legacy, bringing together medical, radiation, and surgical oncologists to form a comprehensive oncology service providing cancer care that is unmatched in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest.
“Our drive to revolutionize cancer care is unwavering,” says Dean Jon Levine. “By bringing exceptional veterinarians and scientists together, we’re creating new possibilities for patients through cutting-edge clinical trials and treatments — momentum we will build on for years to come.”
UW Vet Med researcher targets ticks to curb disease spread
By Jack Kelly
Each year, an estimated 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease — a bacterial infection that can cause rash, fever, extreme tiredness, and joint stiffness, among other symptoms.
Karen Fuenzalida, a veterinarian and PhD student in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, is among the scientists at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, in the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease that is working to curb that number.
Fuenzalida studies the ectoparasite that spreads the bacteria that cause Lyme Disease: the blacklegged tick. She is being mentored by Lyric Bartholomay (PhD’04; Director, Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program; Dept. of Pathobiological Sciences) and Susan Paskewitz (Dept. of Entomology).
Saving Suri: A foal’s journey from ‘noodle’ leg to being fully grown, healthy
By Simran Khanuja
When Suri was born at a farm in Fall River, Wisconsin, in June 2023, she was as healthy and vibrant as any foal, with her striking black coat and a distinctive small star shape on her forehead. But less than a day after birth, Suri suffered a devastating injury: her mother, to ward off other horses, accidentally stepped on her while she was lying down, shattering her front leg.
“I remember getting the call,” says Suri’s owner, Natasha Flaws. “My heart literally stopped. We raced to the barn and sure enough, Suri’s leg was a spaghetti noodle. I will never forget that image.”
Suri was initially seen by UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) alumna Kathryn Livesey (’10 DVM’14) at Lodi Veterinary Care, who stabilized the foal and presented a difficult choice: immediate surgery at UW Veterinary Care (UWVC) or euthanasia. Flaws and her husband, Ian, chose surgery.
“Ian looked me, then looked at Suri, and reminded me of our commitment and responsibility,” she says. “We felt we owed it to Suri to try.”
UW–Madison Entomology Research to Anchor New Learning Game: Game-Design Lab Field Day Seeks More Campus Partners
By Karen Rivedal
UW–Madison entomology professor Claudio Gratton had wanted to make an educational video game about insects for years. He believed a game would be an incredible way to engage young learners with the important research he does on insect diversity, but he needed a like-minded partner with the know-how to help develop and find funding for it.
Enter Field Day, an award-winning and internationally recognized game-science research lab and design studio, based in the School of Education’s Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Field Day helped Gratton find funding to launch a recent “game incubator” — a design-and-brainstorming day uniting Field Day game designers with the subject-matter experts (in this case, Gratton and his lab staff) and Wisconsin K–12 teachers. The teachers bring their knowledge of state standards and how students learn, to keep game development on track.
It’s a system of game creation that Field Day wants to do a lot more of, as they issue a call for more campus researchers to partner with them on game incubators, when groups first start teasing out concepts for a new interactive learning experience in game form.
UW–Madison Study Shows How School Districts and Universities “Connected the Dots” to Build Equity-Focused School Leadership Across 21 States
By Karen Rivedal
A new study from UW–Madison education researchers Aziz Awaludin and Richard Halverson offers a detailed, data‑driven look at how school districts and universities worked together to design principal preparation programs with equity at the center.
Published in the Journal of Educational Administration, the study, titled “Connecting the Dots: A Social Network Study of Inter-Organizational Partnerships for Designing Equity-Centered Principal Preparation Programs,” is based in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research in the School of Education. It uses network analysis to trace how relationships formed, deepened, and changed across the Equity‑Centered Pipeline Initiative, a six-year, $102 million national effort launched in 2021 and funded by The Wallace Foundation.
UW–Madison is studying the initiative as part of a Halverson-led project known as the Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership Learning-Equity Centered Leadership (CALL/ECL).
Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative Invites Researchers Across UW–Madison to Use Its Expertise
By Karen Rivedal
The Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative (WEC) is building deeper connections with campus partners by providing evaluation expertise in support of research and program improvement.
At the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), WEC partners with school districts, universities, state agencies, and community organizations to plan, implement, and support evaluation-related program improvement. WEC also offers capacity-building on issues such as education policy, elevating youth voice, and Culturally Responsive Indigenous Evaluation.
WEC applies a flexible partnership approach, tailoring projects to a variety of budgets and organizational needs. “WEC designs practical, actionable frameworks so our partners can focus their energy on core research and program execution,” said Annalee Good, one of three WEC co-directors, along with Steve Kimball and Brad Carl. “Our knowledge of the Wisconsin education landscape means we bring immediate contextual understanding to state and local projects.”
The Institute for Molecular Virology Hosts the 2nd Annual Palmenberg Symposium
On March 26, 2026, the Institute for Molecular Virology (IMV) hosted the 2nd Annual Ann Palmenberg Molecular Virology Symposium. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the Department of Biochemistry, and generous gifts from alumni and donors, this student-focused meeting serves to recognize and support the outstanding virology research community at UW-Madison. The symposium is an opportunity for attendees to share exciting results with peers, network in a professional setting, and honor the memory of groundbreaking IMV virologist, Professor Ann Palmenberg.
Approximately 115 students, post-doctoral researchers, scientists, faculty, and staff gathered at the UW-Madison Biochemical Sciences building for a full day of events and discussions. A keynote lecture was provided by Stacey Schultz-Cherry (St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital) thatfocused on the effects of obesity on influenza virus infection and host response.