Research news roundup
A New Computational Tool Maps Genome Change, Helping Researchers See DNA in 3D
New research from the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery is tackling a complex packing problem. Thanks to the development of a powerful new computational tool introduced in a study published earlier this year, scientists can better investigate how genomes fit into the tiny confines of a cell nucleus, how they are repackaged across different biological dimensions and how that influences gene expression and disease risk.
Genomes can be massive and often need to be repackaged as cells develop and specialize, across different developmental stages, disease states and at other varying points in time. Gene expression must be tightly choreographed since changes in 3D genome structure have been linked to shifts in gene activities to include diseases like cancer and genetic disorders.
Intrigued by this puzzle, researchers Sushmita Roy and Da-Inn Lee, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison last May, developed a computational method called Tree-Guided Integrated Factorization (TGIF) that creates a mathematical model of the DNA folding, based on a machine learning technique called matrix factorization. Roy and Lee hope the tool will help systematically examine how changes to DNA across different dimensions influence traits that range from controlling hair color to genetic diseases.
New facility establishes UW-Madison as a hub for next-generation semiconductors
On Aug. 5, 2025, a host of researchers, administrators and industry representatives gathered in the Engineering Centers Building to celebrate one particularly impressive lab. The Ultra-Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) Laboratory is a unique research space that gives UW-Madison capabilities rarely found on university campuses.
The facility will serve as the cornerstone of the College of Engineering-led focus at UW-Madison on an emerging class of materials called III-nitride semiconductors, which are at the heart of dozens of next-gen technologies. “These semiconductors have uses in all sorts of applications,” says chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and ECE Assistant Professor Shubhra Pasayat, who oversees the new facility as the lab’s principal investigator. “Deep ultraviolet LEDs; high-power radar; high-voltage power electronics, motors, and vehicles; as well as nuclear reactors and applications in other extreme conditions like space.”
New WSB Study Finds Online SNAP Access Improves Diet Quality Nationwide
Expanding digital grocery benefits leads to a 7.1% jump in fresh food purchases, but looming cuts could push 22 million families off the program.
As policymakers debate the future of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), groundbreaking research from the Wisconsin School of Business offers compelling evidence that expanding digital access to food benefits significantly improves dietary quality for low-income households.
In a new study titled “From Food Deserts to Fresh Food: The Role of Digital Accessibility in Nutrition Assistance Programs,” assistant professor of marketing Cheng He and associate professor of operations and information management Zhuoxin ‘Allen’ Li analyzed data from over 91,000 households across the U.S. to evaluate the impact of the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot. Their findings reveal a 7.1% increase in fresh food consumption—including fruits, vegetables, and meats—among SNAP-eligible households following the rollout of the online purchasing option.
“This research shows that digital access isn’t just a convenience—it’s a critical lever for improving nutrition equity,” said He. “By enabling online grocery shopping, SNAP Online helps overcome geographic and logistical barriers that have long limited access to fresh food in underserved communities.”
New Research Examines How Hands-on Arts Training Improves Teaching: Participants learn to center joy, expose perfectionism, co-create shared knowledge
A new working paper from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison investigates how professional learning in the form of embodied arts experiences can help schoolteachers understand, design and deliver better social-emotional learning practices in the classroom, such as increased educator empathy and student-centered instruction.
The research, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts in a two-year initiative, found educators grow in their ability to support students’ learning when they balance structure with joy in their classrooms and become learners themselves.
This study advances a growing body of literature on the intersection of arts education and social-emotional learning by offering a replicable model for integrating arts-based methods into teachers’ professional learning. It also shows how such experiences can shift educators’ perceptions of their role and relationships with students.
Preliminary report findings suggest that arts-based embodied professional learning enhances social-emotional learning by humanizing teaching, fostering educator empathy, and creating safer, student-centered learning environments.
New UW–Madison Report Finds Wisconsin School Districts Rejecting Teacher Performance Pay: WEC Researchers Analyze Act 10 Results a Decade After Implementation
A working paper from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison examines how pay practices have changed in Wisconsin school districts that experimented with reforms to traditional teacher salary schedules following the enactment of Act 10 in 2011. This landmark legislation limited collective bargaining for public employees and allowed districts to abandon seniority and credit-based systems to create performance-based pay for teachers.
New UW–Madison Study Reveals Keys to Graduate Student Wellness, Belonging, Persistence
A new study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison sheds light on the unique challenges Black men face when adjusting to graduate engineering programs—and offers actionable insights for improving program persistence and support for underrepresented students.
Published in the journal Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the research highlights the importance of sociocultural adjustment in achieving success in graduate school, even more so than academic preparation. The study also draws lessons from Black men’s experiences and offers recommendations on how these lessons can be applied to a broader audience of graduate students.
The research, conducted in the lab of Principal Investigator Brian Burt at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), suggests that focusing solely on academic and professional socialization is a mistake.
Study discovers new complexity in inflammatory pathways causing asthma attacks in children
Mepolizumab is a biologic asthma therapy that targets a type of inflammation called type 2 (T2) and has been shown to be effective in studies of adults with asthma. In the treatment of children, however, while mepolizumab reduces T2 inflammation, asthma attacks still occur in many children. Daniel Jackson, MD, professor of pediatrics and medicine, in a collaboration with researchers in the Childhood Asthma in Urban Settings (CAUSE) consortium, investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms of asthma attacks that occurred despite treatment with mepolizumab. The results of their research were recently published in JAMA Pediatrics, “Inflammatory Pathways in Residual Asthma Exacerbations Among Mepolizumab-Treated Urban Children.”
Four-year study rigorously compared respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus, revealing their important differences for pediatric clinicians and researchers
Two major causes of acute respiratory illness in children are respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV). Previous studies have shown that RSV causes severe respiratory illness in young infants, while suggesting HMPV may affect older babies and young children. Researchers at seven U.S. pediatric medical centers set out to prospectively conduct data collection and evaluation to produce the necessary controlled comparison of the two diseases. The results of their study, “Human Metapneumovirus and Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Children: A Comparative Analysis,” were published recently in the journal Pediatrics. John Williams, MD, professor of pediatrics and chair of the UW SMPH Department of Pediatrics, was a member of the study group.
Expert in pediatrics and rare diseases attends Moebius Syndrome Foundation Conference, helps launch international research registry
Bryn Webb, MD, professor of pediatrics and member of the UW Center for Precision Medicine, attended the 2025 Moebius Syndrome Foundation Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, in July. While there, she also announced the launch of the new Moebius Syndrome Foundation Research Registry, which is sponsored in partnership with the National Organization of Rare Disorders. Webb serves as Principal Investigator for the registry. This secure, patient-reported registry will collect detailed health, genetic, and lived-experience data from individuals with Moebius syndrome worldwide. By centralizing this information, the registry aims to accelerate research, facilitate collaboration among scientists and clinicians, and ultimately improve diagnosis, care, and treatment for those affected. Moebius syndrome is a rare congenital neurological disorder characterized by facial paralysis (inability to smile) and abnormal eye movements.