UW–Madison 6th in national research ranking, surpasses $1.7 billion in research expenditures

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has moved up two places to sixth out of 920 public and private universities in the United States in university research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation’s annual rankings. For the first time, the university has topped $1.7 billion in research expenditures, according to the NSF Higher Education Research and Development (HERD), released today, Nov. 25, 2024.

Trek partners with UW–Madison to show health, climate benefits of bicycling

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison have teamed up with global bike company Trek Bicycle on a new research endeavor that demonstrates the potential health and environmental benefits of cycling. Partially funded by Trek, the research conducted by the Health Oriented Transportation Initiative (HOT) at the UW-Madison Global Health Institute shows that increasing cycling and decreasing routine driving is an effective way to improve human health and combat climate change.

Radar adds technological twist to age-old cranberry counting process

UW–Madison engineers have invented a device that automates the process of counting cranberries on the bush and estimating the harvest. The sheer labor involved in counting cranberries the old-fashioned way prompted Ocean Spray’s Ben Tilberg to work with researchers in the electrical and computer engineering department to pursue a more efficient, technologically advanced method.

Shaping the future of farming: The Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center to serve as an incubator for agricultural improvement

In December 2016, Monsanto donated a $10 million, 100,000-square-foot facility—a warren of labs, greenhouses and growth chambers—to UW–Madison to become the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center (WCIC). WCIC leaders hope the center will add to its string of plant biotechnology achievements as one of just a few public facilities in the country dedicated to plant transformation.

Smartphone technology could combat workplace injuries

Manufacturing industries rely on the efforts of factory employees who work daily to make, package, prepare and deliver the products we find on our shelves. That’s a lot of physical effort, and the strain can lead to various injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis in the wrists, arms and shoulders. Risk of injury is hard on workers, and can create costs to employers for workers’ compensation, lost time and reduced productivity.

“We want to solve these problems before people get hurt,” says Rob Radwin, a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor of industrial systems engineering. Radwin has been studying this problem for more than two decades, and he may be able to harness relatively simple technological tools such as smartphones to create a solution that is easy, efficient and economically viable.

GE puts UW student’s theory to the test: You can unring a bell

UW-Madison engineering student Chris Nguyen of Waukesha, Wisconsin, won GE’s “Unimpossible Missions: The University Edition” competition last fall, receiving a 10-week paid internship at the GE Global Research Center and a scholarship of up to $100,000 to continue his education. The contest challenged students to disprove a catchphrase using GE technology, and Nguyen decided that he could indeed “unring a bell.”