Research in the News

Mailick stepping down from top research post

Marsha Mailick, the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s founding vice chancellor for research and graduate education, announced Thursday that she will step down from her post to return to the faculty. Mailick, who has been on temporary leave since January, will continue her research on developmental disabilities at the Waisman Center. Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Norman Drinkwater will continue in the role until a successor is appointed.

Snowfall Patterns May Provide Clues to Greenland Ice Sheet

The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting, discharging hundreds of billions of tons of water into the ocean each year. Sea levels are steadily rising. To better understand and anticipate changes in sea level rise, scientists have sought to quantify how much snow falls on the ice sheet in any given year, and where, since snow is the primary source of the ice sheet's mass. This has proven to be a challenging problem. However, a new study from a team of researchers led by University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center scientist, Claire Pettersen, describes a unique method involving cloud characteristics that could help answer some big questions about the Greenland Ice Sheet and its snowfall. The study is published today [April 9, 2018] in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Waisman Center welcomes a center leader to director position

Qiang Chang, a longstanding member of the Waisman Center’s leadership team, has been named the new director of the Waisman Center, following a nationwide search. Chang will begin the position as director on July 1 and report to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education.