Undergraduate, Library Research Awards

College Library, in conjunction with the Undergraduate Symposium, invites students to apply for its annual Undergraduate Library Research Awards. The awards celebrate excellence and creativity in using the library to complete an undergraduate research project. (Examples may include a literature review for a lab study, the use of primary sources in a historical research paper, or the background research for a creative arts project).

Up to three Library Research Awards and one Research in Progress Award will be presented at the Undergraduate Symposium. (The Research in Progress Award is intended for projects that will not be completed before the award deadline). Winners of Library Research Awards receive a cash prize of $300. The winner of the Research in Progress Award receives a cash prize of $150.

(Please note: The Financial Aid Office may need to modify your aid package if you were to receive outside aid, such as this cash prize).

The deadline to apply for the 2013 library research awards will be April 5, 2013.

How to Apply--the process:

1. Meet with Kelli Keclik at College Library or with Jessica Newman at Steenbock Library OR attend a drop-in information session to review and discuss your research.

2. Reflect on the various tools and strategies used to locate relevant materials.

3. Review the sample essay and then write a 600-800 word essay describing your research experience, noting the successes, difficulties, and surprises you encountered.

4. Submit an application, a statement of faculty support, a final version of your project, and the essay.

Drop-in information sessions will be offered at College and Steenbock Libraries during the following days/times:

• Monday, March 18, 4:00-5:00 PM, College Library, 1st floor center
• Tuesday, March 19, 5:00-6:00 PM, Steenbock Library
• Tuesday, April 2, 5:00-6:00 PM, College Library, 1st floor center
• Wednesday, April 3, 7:00-8:00 PM, Steenbock Library

For more information, contact Kelli or Jessica.

By Jove!

Campus Libraries enjoy access to selected sections from the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). 
JoVE is a peer reviewed journal that publishes its biological research in a video format so that reproducibility and transparency are enhanced.
It is this video format that enables the user to examine a lab technique and to understand some of the intricacies of the experiments utilized by the research.

Our access includes the following sections:

JoVE General
JoVE Clinical & Translational Medicine
JoVE Neuroscience
JoVE Immunology & Infection

Access JoVE via the E-Journals List (browse A-Z list for complete title--Journal of Visualized Experiments) or by running a journal title search using the Journals tab from the Libraries home page (search by abbreviated or full title).

UW Stem Fair (April 12)

Attention campus STEM researchers! Reserve your space at the UW STEM Fair! This event, which will be held April 12 from 1:00-4:00 PM in the Engineering Centers building, is a great opportunity to recruit undergraduates to work in your research lab.

For those interested in hosting a table, contact Maria McGinnis, CALS Career Services, by email or phone (608-262-3460).

For students, this fair presents an awesome opportunity to gain experience working in a lab environment. Save the date!

View the event flyer.

Data Curation, What is Your Plan?!

Do you need to describe your data-management plan in your NSF grant application? Are you frustrated by losing your research data to disk failure, laptop theft, or record-keeping issues? Would you appreciate an unbiased review of your lab's data-management practices?

If so, then Research Data Services is available to help.

Research Data Services is a team of librarians, IT professionals, and research-support staff who help researchers with answering data-management questions. For instance, the team can help with addressing the following concerns:

• Data-management plans for the NSF and other funding agencies
• Best practices in digital-data preservation and data sharing
• Process and workflow evaluation and assessment
• Connections with helpful experts and other campus resources

Learn more about data management and arrange for individual consultations by visiting the Research Data Services Website.

Research Data Services is a pilot collaboration between UW-Madison Libraries, DoIT, the CIO office, the Graduate School, and the School of Library and Information Studies to assist researchers with data curation needs. Digital data curation has been identified as a campus IT strategic initiative.

With thanks to Dorothea Salo, Research Services Librarian, for this blog post.

Science Constellation@UW-Madison (Dec 29)

The UW-Madison campus welcomes the community to visit its constellation of science venues.
Come learn what there is to discover when Wednesday Nite @ the Lab welcomes Dave Nelson, Biochemistry and Tom Zinnen, Biotechnology Center, to describe these exciting destinations and how this constellation model can serve to enhance communication between university researchers and lifelong learners.

Wednesday Nite @ the Lab programs meet in Room 1111 (Auditorium) of the Genetics/Biotechnology Center building, 425 Henry Mall, from 7:00- 8:15 PM.

Putting the Wisconsin Idea Online (Oct 19)

The Wisconsin Idea is the principle that our efforts here, as students and staff, should inform and enrich our communities beyond the university. UW-Madison researchers are now able to fulfill this guiding principle by using the Web to reach Wisconsin residents and an interested audience worldwide.

On October 19, faculty, staff, students and librarians will have an opportunity to discuss efforts to archive and to impart the product of one’s research online.

Visit the site to view the schedule of featured speakers and to submit your registration. Registration for this day-long event is free.

Putting the Wisconsin Idea Online
October 19, 2010 (9:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
Memorial Library Commons (Room 460)

This event coincides with Open Access Week 2010.

Shane Hamilton Public Lecture, WHEATS

The WHEATS 2010 Planning Committee has invited Shane Hamilton to speak on Friday, October 8, as a kickoff lecture for WHEATS, (Workshop for the History of Environment, Agriculture, Technology, and Science). His presentation, entitled, "Where's the 'C' (for Capitalism) in WHEATS" will explore political economy as a lens by which to examine and draw together the research literature from history of agriculture, environment, technology, and science.

This public lecture will begin at 4:00 PM in the CHE Theater (Room 123/125) of the Bradley Memorial Building, 1225 Linden Drive.

Shane Hamilton is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Georgia and author of Trucking Country: The Road to America's Wal-Mart Economy (Princeton University Press, 2008).

• See the flyer for this lecture event.
  

Informing Consent, Exhibit

In conjunction with the Go Big Read selection, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Ebling Library has compiled an exhibit of texts, magazines, newspapers and photographs examining issues and ethics of human subject experimentation, tissue use, and policies to protect the rights of patients. Additionally, the exhibit lends insight into the world of Henrietta Lacks and the science of HeLa.

Materials for this exhibit have been drawn from campus collections in the University Archives, Ebling, Memorial and Steenbock Libraries and the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Biological Imaging.

Free and open to the public, this exhibit, "Informing Consent: Unwitting Subjects in Medicine's Pursuit of Beneficial Knowledge," will run until March 31, 2011 in the Historical Reading Room and Third Floor Gallery, Ebling Library (Health Sciences Learning Center).

World Dairy Expo (Sept 28-Oct 2)

"Crowning Achievements - Golden Opportunities"

The annual World Dairy Expo, hosted at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, provides an opportunity for producers, industry representatives, and members of academic and professional organizations to meet, compete, showcase and exchange ideas regarding the dairy sector.

Information, for all dairy enthusiasts who wish to attend this unique event, can be found at the Expo’s General Information page.

Congratulations are also extended to UW-Madison’s Dairy Judging Team who received top honors in the 90th Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest! See the news release. The team, coached by Ted Halbach and Brian Kelroy, includes: Kelly Sime, Brian Coyne, Chelsea Holschbach, and Ben Sarbacker.

Organic Ag Field Day (July 28)

The West Madison Agricultural Research Station will play host, this Wednesday, July 28, to the fourth annual Organic Ag Field Day. This event serves to showcase the development and performance of particular, organic vegetable varieties, no-till strategies and methods for addressing soil fertility. The day’s program will also include a demonstration of Veggie Compass, a software tool for farm management.

Those planning to attend are encouraged to pre-register by contacting Erin Silva at 608-890-1503 or via email at emsilva@wisc.edu. On-site registration begins at 1:00 PM. Demonstrations and tours are slated from 1:15-5:30 PM.

• Directions to the Research Station

Compiling a Lit Review (Life Sciences)

Drop by Steenbock Library this Friday for a workshop designed for those beginning their literature review for a research project, proposal, dissertation, or publication. Specifically, this workshop will focus upon resources and techniques useful for seeking and retrieving the life sciences literature.

Participants will learn the key steps for conducting a search and have an opportunity to explore the core databases that are important for mining the academic literature in these fields.

Compiling a Lit Review in the Life Sciences
Friday, March 12 (noon-1:15 PM)
Room 105, Steenbock Library

No registration is necessary in order to attend; all workshops are free to students, faculty and staff.

Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin, Status Report

The outlook for Wisconsin’s organic producers is positive despite the current recession. The state is also second only to California in the total number of organic farm operations in the United States--with 1443 certified and uncertified farms, according to the 2007 Census of Agriculture. These farms account for some $80.6 million in farm-gate sales.

For a full accounting of this diverse sector, its challenges and future, consult the 2009 status report prepared by staff and associates with the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).

Organic Agriculture in Wisconsin: 2009 Status Report
Authors: Kelliann Blazek, Erin Silva, Laura Paine and Thomas Atwell

What to Eat: A Seven Discourse Meal

Sink your teeth into Agroecology’s fall lecture series, What to Eat: A Seven Discourse Meal. This lecture series, inspired by Go Big Read’s selection In Defense of Food, invites campus area experts for insightful discussion about food culture, production and sustainability. For more information, download the poster or visit the Agroecology web site. The series also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. All presentations begin at 4:00 PM.

The lecture series is made possible with support from the Bradshaw-Knight Foundation.

Lectures:

Thursday, October 1
Room 2103 Chamberlain Hall
Wisconsin Farmers: What to Eat
Speakers:
Bill Bruins, President of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and dairy farmer, Waupun
Richard Cates, Member of the DATCP Ag Board and pasture-based beef farmer, Spring Green
Louise Hemstead, Chief Operating Officer of Organic Valley Coop and an organic dairy farmer, La Farge
Tom Lochner, Executive Director, Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association

Introduction by John Shutske, Associate Dean, Cooperative Extension, CALS
Reception to follow

Tuesday, October 6
Room 2103 Chamberlain Hall
CALS Faculty: What to Eat
Speakers:
Brent McCown, Gottschalk Distinguished Professor of Horticulture
Franco Milani, Assistant Professor of Food Science
Susan Nitzke, Professor and Chair of Nutritional Sciences

Introduction by Irwin Goldman, Vice Dean, CALS

Tuesday, October 13
Room 270 Soils Building
Changing Tastes: Sustainability, Demographics and the Marketplace
Speaker:
Arlin Wasserman, Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Sodexo Corporation

Introduction by Jack Kloppenburg, CIAS co-director

Tuesday, October 20
Room 270 Soils Building
Fertility, Fertilizers and Food: In Defense of Haber
Speaker:
Phillip Barak, Professor of Soil Science, UW Madison

Introduction by William Bland, Chair, Soil Science

Tuesday, October 27
Room 270 Soils Building
Healthy Land, Food, and Eaters: An Ecological Approach to Health
Speaker:
Angie Tagtow, managing editor, Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition

Introduction by Gregg Mitman, Interim Director, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

Wednesday, November 4
Room 270 Soils Building
Growing Food and Knowing Food: The Traceability of Sustainability
Speaker:
Hugh Campbell, Director of the Centre for the Study of Food, Agriculture, and Environment at Otago University, New Zealand

Introduction by Michael Bell, Chair, Agroecology Program

Tuesday, November 10
Room 2103 Chamberlain Hall
The Seasonal Connection: From the Land to Your Plate
Speaker:
Monique Hooker, Wisconsin chef, storyteller, and author of Cooking with the Seasons

Introduction by Julie Luke, Associate Director of Dining and Culinary Service, University Housing
Reception to follow

Influenza Updates (Campus) and Research

UW-Madison has supplied the campus community with an Influenza Information and Prevention site to provide news, information, self-care and prevention strategies.

Additionally, librarians with Ebling Health Sciences have produced a Swine Flu/2009-H1N1 Research Guide to provide quick access to information resources from the CDC, WHO, and the State of Wisconsin.

The guide also supplies links to consumer health information, international and foreign language resources, and additional sites with which to keep current on developing health events.

GROW with CALS

CALS has transitioned its Grow magazine, to a new online presence—one with opportunities to discuss its stories and to share them via email or in social networking spaces. Additionally, the new Grow site will serve as a model for reinventing the CALS Web presence; your feedback will be much appreciated by its Web team.

Grow, published by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, features interesting research, teaching and outreach performed by staff from its departments in the areas of agriculture, food, health, environment, energy, and community development.

Open Access Day (October 14)

October 14th has been named Open Access Day! Libraries, publishers and academic institutions will be using this day to draw attention to the Open Access Movement—a movement that seeks to harness the power of the Internet to advance the unrestricted and altruistic sharing of research with a worldwide community of interested parties who can benefit from and contribute to the development of that research.

Open Access Day is sponsored by SPARC, the Public Library of Science and Students for Free Culture. The day’s events will include a live video webcast at the Memorial Union at 6:00 PM (check TITU for room location).

For an overview of the issues regarding Open Access and how it may impact you, visit the Scholarly Communication & Publishing website.

Dissertation Calculator

Calendar your steps to completing your dissertation. The Dissertation Calculator, available from the CIMC Website (Center for Instructional Materials & Computing), enables you to enter your start and anticipated completion dates to generate a step-by-step plan of action for running a literature search, conducting your research, and beginning the writing process. Each stage of the plan will suggest strategies for successfully completing that stage.

Of related interest, visit the links, below, to guides created by the Graduate School office:

Guide to Preparing Your Master’s Thesis

Guide to Preparing your Doctoral Dissertation

Science Watch

The Science Watch site supplies trends and performance measures on current and emerging research. Browse the site for interviews, data and rankings on hot papers in biology, chemistry, medicine and physics.

Check out the Emerging Research Fronts for 2008!

(Trend analysis and performance data have been drawn from the Thomson Scientific database, Essential Science Indicators).