Research Round Up: News Around Campus
New images of RSV may expose stubborn virus’s weak points
RSV is of greatest concern in young children, the elderly and adults at high risk for respiratory complications. Yet unlike the flu and other common, communicable respiratory illnesses that annually sweep through schools, there are few options for fighting RSV. In the U.S., prophylactic treatments are available for young children, and existing vaccines are approved only for pregnant women and the elderly.
Using an imaging technique called cryo-electron tomography, Elizabeth Wright, biochemistry professor, and her team have now revealed details of molecules and structures essential to RSV’s form and function. They published their findings recently in Nature.
Cryo-ET freezes viral particles or other molecules at ultracold temperatures, stopping biological processes in action. This allows researchers to examine the structures of organisms, cells and organelles, and viruses and capture small-scale images of structures frozen in time.
Read the story here: https://news.wisc.edu/new-images-of-rsv-may-expose-stubborn-viruss-weak-points/
Reaching for the Stars: CDIS student uses AI to aid analysis of astronomical data
Since she was 10 years old, Jenna Karcheski x’25 knew she wanted to be an astrophysicist. In addition to Astrophysics, Karcheski is also majoring in Computer Sciences (CS) and Data Science (DS), as astrophysics involves being proficient in coding and data analysis. She has also had the opportunity to complete two astrophysics research internships, one in Sweden and one in Canada, applying cutting-edge methods in machine learning and AI to help understand the universe.
Read the story here: https://cdis.wisc.edu/reaching-for-the-stars-cdis-student-uses-ai-to-aid-analysis-of-astronomical-data/
Stephenson’s Research Highlights TikTok Sharenting Privacy Concerns
Stephenson, Ph.D. x’25, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Sciences and member of the Security and Privacy Research group, has published new research on sharenting on TikTok and its privacy implications. This research, funded by the NSF, is among the first of its kind, reflecting the goal of the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences to connect technology and humanity.
Read the story here: https://cdis.wisc.edu/stephensons-research-highlights-tiktok-sharenting-privacy-concerns/
UW–Madison team receives $17M to expand job training and career support programs for individuals with disabilities
UW–Madison’s Lombardi, Mueller to examine experiences of disabled STEM students, faculty
The project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), will focus on graduate students and faculty studying and teaching physics. Allison Lombardi, a professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, and Carlyn Mueller, an assistant professor in the same department, are leading the project along with Graham Rifenbark, a research scientist at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, and colleagues at the University of Connecticut and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Read the story here: https://education.wisc.edu/news/uw-madisons-lombardi-mueller-to-examine-experiences-of-disabled-stem-students-faculty/
From Madison to Mars: Schrage lab uses NASA grant to study potential harms of radiation on astronauts
Postdoctoral fellow Kaylin Didier and professor of kinesiology Bill Schrage are leading the project, which aims to increase understanding of how radiation — which exists in high levels on the journey to Mars — affects human immune cells. In particular, they’re testing how immune cells in women respond differently to radiation than immune cells in men.
Read the story here: https://education.wisc.edu/news/from-madison-to-mars-schrage-lab-uses-nasa-grant-to-study-potential-harms-of-radiation-on-astronauts/
Out from the shadows: Cook lab studies complex, mysterious, and often stigmatized chronic illnesses
Those diseases, which fall under the medical community’s broad category of “chronic multisymptom illness,” include fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), Gulf War Illness, and — a new addition to the pack — long COVID.
“Most of these diseases have lived in the shadows for a long time,” says Dana Cook, a professor in the School of Education’s Department of Kinesiology.
Read the story here: https://education.wisc.edu/news/out-from-the-shadows-cook-lab-studies-complex-mysterious-and-often-stigmatized-chronic-illnesses/
UW–Madison’s Budge co-authors study on positive effects of crying in therapy
Patients who cry during psychotherapy sessions and receive high-quality support from their therapists report greater improvement compared to those who don’t cry, according to a new study co-authored by a UW–Madison faculty member.
The study, published in a recent issue of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, found that crying can improve therapeutic outcomes and improve the relationship between client and therapist. The analysis was co-authored by Stephanie Budge, professor and director of clinical training in the School of Education’s Department of Counseling Psychology.
Read the story here: https://education.wisc.edu/news/uw-madisons-budge-co-authors-study-on-positive-effects-of-crying-in-therapy/