UW-Madison launches Microbiome Initiative

We are not alone. Each of us carries a wide array of microbial species that outnumber our cells by ten-fold. Recent studies have shown that the complement of microorganisms, the microbiome, is an important determinant of human health and disease. The microbiomes of other animals, plants, soil, bodies of water, and the atmosphere play similarly important roles.

Our understanding of the diversity and roles of these microbiomes is limited, a fact that led the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to launch the National Microbiome Initiative (NMI) last year. Stakeholders, including UW-Madison, have responded with new commitments to develop a comprehensive understanding of microbiomes across all ecosystems.

UW-Madison’s Microbiome Initiative comes with $1 million in grant funding administered by the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education to support interdisciplinary research, infrastructure, and research community enhancements related to the microbiome.

To read the full press release go here.

UW-Madison adopts drone use policy

A new UW–Madison policy will help researchers and instructors on campus meet the Federal Aviation Administration rules for flying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) — better known as aerial drones — while also helping to protect privacy. The policy, “University of Wisconsin–Madison Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Policy,” encourages safe and lawful use of drones for research and instruction.

Machine learning can detect a genetic disorder from speech recordings

How much information can we extract from a five-minute recording of someone talking? Enough to tell whether that individual may be genetically predisposed to some health complications, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Waisman Center and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.

Loss of Wisconsin Sea Grant would impact the state’s economy, public health and safety, emerging workforce, quality of life

A Special Message From the Director of Wisconsin Sea Grant Loss of Wisconsin Sea Grant would impact the state’s economy, public health and safety, emerging workforce, quality of life. “From discovery…