Journalism student Cynthia Maduka just returned from an internship in the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office. Page 2.
On the way to Washington College of Letters & Science
IN FOCUS
June 2019, Vol. 9, No.6
Miss Maduka goe
Contents
Journalism student int
Feature Stories
Student completes internship in DC Student researcher presents in capital Alum explains IP law for comic conventions Chemistry prof shines in protein research LIGO detects second neutron star smash Alum’s Arts @ Large job uses science too Research says foreclosures depressed votes
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Columns Alumni Accomplishments Laurels and Accolades Video Stories In the Media People in Print
Published College the
the first
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of each month by the
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Cynthia Maduka was initially hesitant to travel to Washington, D.C. She didn’t know anyone in the city and she was nervous (and excited) about the idea of starting over. Now she can’t imagine her future anywhere else but in the nation’s capital. Maduka, a journalism, advertising, and media studies major, spent the past semester as an intern in the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs. The office helps veterans access social and financial services, from getting community resources to finding transitional housing to helping them resolve unpaid parking tickets. For Maduka, who is also working toward a minor in political science and a certificate in Cultures and Communities, it was a dream come true. “By far the most rewarding thing was seeing the outcomes for the Mayor’s Office of Veteran’s Affairs,” she said. “Seeing a veteran getting their license because they finally got a large ticket paid off, or someone who was looking for transitional housing, being able to get them or helping them navigate those resources – helping them establish themselves back into society was the best part of my internship.”
(414) 229-2923.
She arrived at that internship through The Washington Center, an organization that helps connect college students around the world with internships in Washington, D.C.
L&S Dean: Scott Gronert
Maduka even earned two scholarships - one from UWM and one from The Washington Center - to help defray the cost of the program and her living expenses in the city.
Contact
us at let-sci@uwm.edu or
In Focus Editor: Deanna Alba
She’s the first student from UWM in 5 years to go through the program. “I told The Washington Center that I was interested in political advocacy and things of that nature. They pair you up with various internships,” Maduka recalled. “I settled on the Mayor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs in Washington, D.C. because it was more hands-on. I was able to work faceto-face with these veterans.”
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2 • IN FOCUS • June, 2019
Each work day, she would take the Metro to the Judiciary Square Building. There, Maduka settled into her office – “I did have my own office. It was pretty sweet,” she said with a laugh – and began her job duties, which ranged from working out payment plans with veterans to pay for tickets of $1,000 or more, to helping them get a year’s free
es to Washington
terns in DC Mayor’s office membership to the Capital Bike Share program. Eventually, Maduka’s hard work opened up another opportunity. “Through networking and through the Mayor’s Office of Veteran’s Affairs, I landed in the Mayor’s Office of African Affairs. I was able to intern there as well. Over there, I did a little bit of immigration outreach work,” Maduka said. There, she helped African immigrants access resources like housing centers, language access opportunities, and pro bono legal services. She also helped to develop a resource guide that focused on pathways to homeownership. The work held special meaning; Maduka is an immigrant herself. She and her family moved to the United States from Lagos, Nigeria, when Maduka was 4 years old. She remembers how difficult it was to assimilate to a new culture, and her coworkers at the Mayor’s Office of African Affairs all had similar stories. “Everyone from my director to my supervisor was an immigrant or children of immigrants. It was a wonderful, at-home feeling. You can relate,” Maduka said. “To be able to help people who literally came to the United States not even two days ago, and they’re trying to find ways to learn English and get their kids into school and find housing, that was pretty rewarding for me.” In fact, she’s considering a career in immigration advocacy once she graduates from college. For now, though, Maduka is back in Wisconsin, where she’s spending the summer working at a prestigious internship for the Harley Davidson Company. She has one more year to go before she graduates from UWM in 2020. When she does, she wants to head right back to Washington, D.C. “I learned that life is bigger than this small bubble. It’s good to take risks sometimes,” she said. “After interning in D.C., I know I want to go back there after college and establish a career there.” By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science
Cynthia Maduka, a journalism, advertising, and media studies major, smiles in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. Maduka just returned from a semester interning in the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office. Photo courtesy of Cynthia Maduka. College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 3
UWM senior honored for undergr Sarah Philippi was honored in May by the national Council of Undergraduate Research as one of just 60 students from around the country chosen to present their research work at Posters on the Hill in Washington, D.C. She is only the second student ever from UWM selected for this honor, and the second in two years. Math and physics major Kirill Shmilovich was chosen last year. She attended a reception and had the opportunity to visit Wisconsin congressional members and staff to discuss the importance of federal funding for research. Philippi has been working with Karyn Frick, professor of psychology, since the second semester of her first year at UWM. Their work focuses on the neurobiology of learning and memory. “This is a tremendous honor because Sarah was the only one in Wisconsin selected,” Frick said. “The fact that she was able to go and represent not only our lab, but also UWM, is fantastic because it showcases the quality of undergraduate research at UWM. It’s a great opportunity for the university to shine.” In addition to her selection for Posters on the Hill, Philippi was one of seven UWM Senior Excellence in Research Award winners for 20182019 and was admitted to five of the top neuroscience PhD programs throughout the country, according to Frick. Philippi has decided to continue her research on Alzheimer’s disease in the doctoral program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
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Sarah Philippi (right) was one of only 60 students from around the country chosen to present their research work at Posters on the Hill in Wa of psychology, since the second semester of her first year at UWM on the neurobiology of learning and memory. (UWM Photo/Elora Henness
Over the past year, she’s been studying how sex, the potent hormone 17ß-estradiol, and the genetic risk factor APOE4 interact to influence the incidence and severity of Alzheimer’s disease, using mice specially bred to exhibit Alzheimer’s pathology. The mice are tested on a variety of behavioral tasks to examine these interactions. The work involves two genetic variants of the lipid-carrying protein Apolipoprotein E termed APOE3 and APOE4, the latter of which is the leading
genetic risk factor for developing the most common form of Alzheimer’s. Women who carry the APOE4 variant are at far greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than men, and are less responsive to the beneficial effects of estrogen therapy. Philippi’s work is designed to figure out why. The results of this project will provide sorely needed information regarding the causes of Alzheimer’s, a disease that disproportionately affects women in general, Philippi said.
raduate research
HBI Film Series
Philippi’s interest in the topic grew out a first-year course on the physiology of psychology. When Philippi expressed her interest in finding out more about this area at the cellular level, her teaching assistant, Lisa Taxier, who worked in Frick’s lab, suggested that Philippi apply.
June 10, 7-9 p.m. “A Place at the Table”
“I liked the idea of studying learning and memory and the role of hormones. It has been a really empowering experience to explore these topics firsthand as well as contribute to these research initiatives.”
“A Place at the Table” shows us how hunger poses serious economic, social and cultural implications for our nation, and that it could be solved once and for all.
Proud to represent UWM
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Philippi said she was proud to represent UWM and the value and importance of research to members of the congressional delegation. “I’ve been saying for a really long time that increasing awareness about undergraduate research is one of the most important things to me,” she said. “If I hadn’t stumbled across it, I would never have known that this is what I wanted to do as a career.”
ashington, D.C. She’s been working with Karyn Frick (left), professor sey)
THe Helen Bader Institutue for Nonprofit Management invites the Milwaukee community to attend its second annual HBI Summer Film Series. All films will be screened in the UWM Union Fireside Lounge.
Nigel Rothfels, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and Tom Luljak, vice chancellor of University Relations, accompanied Philippi to the D.C. events.
At Mt. Sinai, Philippi will be a graduate student in the neuroscience program, rotating through a number of labs in her first year to broaden her understanding of Alzheimer’s, she said.
UWM is nationally recognized for its undergraduate research. In November, the Council on Undergraduate Research
“We want to eventually transfer the knowledge to humans,” she said, helping other researchers get a better understanding of how hormones regulate memory consolidation.
recognition of the quality and depth of the research opportunities it provides to its undergrad students. UWM was one of two institutions nationally to receive the award, which was presented in January.
awarded the 2018 Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments to the university in
By Kathy Quirk, University Relations
https://bit.ly/2MiiVHS.
July 10, 7-0 p.m. “Romeo is Bleeding” This award-winning documentary follows Donté Clark, a young poet transcending the violence in his hometown by writing about his experiences. Growing up in a city haunted by a fatal turf war, Donté and the like-minded youth of the city mount an urban adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” with the hope of starting a dialogue about violence in the city. Register at https://bit.ly/2MhrK4G.
August 5, 7-9 p.m. “Third Ward TX” Houston, TX– A row of bornagain shotgun houses is the unlikely home of cutting-edge art and visionary thinking about inner-city renewal. “Third Ward TX” introduces artists and neighbors of Project Row Houses who are breathing new life into their historically black community. Register at https://bit.ly/2WtKi5D.
College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 5
The Cosplay Lawyer
Philosophy alum protects Walking into a comic convention is like stepping into a whole new world – think Tatooine, Hogwarts, and Westeros all rolled into one. There are booths selling merchandise and speaker panels featuring writers, actors, and other experts from various cinematic and literary universes. And everywhere, there are people in stunning costumes, dressed as their favorite characters from movies, books, anime, and video games. Conventions are where Ira Domnitz, the “Cosplay Lawyer,” is in his element. Like any superhero, Domnitz is a mild-mannered intellectual property lawyer by day. By night – or rather,
Intellectual Property Basics Patent Patents protect ideas and inventions – a new chemical compound, a new technological device, etc. “A patent is essentially a contract with the government that gives a limited monopoly to a person or company to prevent others from making, using, or selling anything that’s claimed in the patent,” said Domnitz.
Trademark “Trademarks are identifiers of a source of goods,” said Domintz. For example, Tylenol is a trademark held by Johnson and Johnson, and acetaminophen is the generic name of the same product.
Copyright “Copyright protects works of art in a tangible medium. In barest essence, paintings, music, drawings, literature, would fall under copyright,” said Domnitz.
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periodic weekends – he’s an expert who regularly speaks about intellectual property law at comic conventions around the country. He’s also a UWM alum. Domnitz grew up in Milwaukee and chose UWM for its pre-med program. At the time, he was interested in becoming a hospital administrator. Rather than major in the sciences – though he completed all of his pre-med coursework – Domnitz thought a major in philosophy might prove more useful to his future career. He graduated in 1995 and went on to complete a year of graduate work in philosophy at the University of Houston. But another profession was calling: He enrolled at Boston University School of Law. He graduated in three years, returned to Houston, and then learned that, because of his science background, he was qualified to sit for the exam that allows attorneys to represent clients before the U.S. Patent Office. “I didn’t intend to go to law school to become an intellectual property lawyer, but once I learned I qualified to take the Patent Bar, I actually became employed at a patent firm and realized that I liked working with patents,” said Domnitz. “I like working with science, and I like working with inventors and ideas and capturing inventions and ideas in the form of a patent.” Over the years, Domnitz has represented inventors, artists, scientists, writers, and even celebrities, all looking to protect their intellectual property. He can’t go into details to protect their privacy, but he’s helped to trademark and patent innovations that have changed and shaped their respective industries. Frequently, he’s called upon to explain his work at conventions around the country. Most recently, he presented at Comicpalooza in Houston, which is hailed as Texas’ largest entertainment and pop culture event. The convention drew over 50,000 attendees. “People have questions,” Domnitz said. “Naturally, they’re big fans of everything, so the question will be, ‘I’ve written a Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel. I’ve written a Game of Thrones spin-off. I have a cosplay design. How do I protect it?” So, he explains in general terms how to go about protecting that property, whether it’s art, music, writing, or even peoples’ actual costumes.
s intellectual property, one convention at a time Making new creations based off of someone else’s intellectual property might seem like a pretty clear copyright violation, but it’s not so simple, Domnitz said. In some instances, that Game of Thrones spinoff or Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel is protected by “Fair Use,” a set of rules that explain when using another’s copyrighted material is permissible. But more than copyright, people should pay attention to the trademark. “If the trademark is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then people are going to identify the source of goods as Warner Brothers, which owns Buffy. If you’re making a knock-off work about Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s characters, people are going to think you have Warner Brothers’ permission to do that. It’s going to tarnish their brand,” Domnitz said. Recently, Domnitz has begun to help people protect their very clothing as well. Many of the cosplay costumes that people create and display at the conventions are elaborate works of original art – and thanks to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that distinguishes between an artistic aspect of a fashion design and its utility, they’re eligible for copyright in some cases.
Cosplay (cos·play), n.: The practice of dressing up as a character from a fictional work; can also refer to the costume worn by a person engaging in the practice. Though intellectual property law is his bread and butter, it’s not the only thing Domnitz talks about at conventions. He’s also a leading expert on the BBC television show Dr. Who, which follows the exploits of an eccentric alien, known simply as “The Doctor,” traveling through time and space. “I use my philosophy degree every single time we have a conference to have at least one panel to discuss some philosophical issue in view of Dr. Who. That may sound kind of silly, but it really gets the audience involved,” he said.
Ira Domnitz, an intellectual property lawyer and UWM philosophy alumnus, cosplays as Joliet Jake from The Blues Brothers. Photo courtesy of Ira Domnitz. Photo by Jared Jennings.
His panels are popular; Domnitz has been featured in the Houston Chronicle (https://bit.ly/2YYMGPs) and on the BBC’s Anglophile website for the philosophical discussions around good and evil, predestination and free will, and other metaphysical concepts explored in the show. Despite his love of Dr. Who, Domnitz admits that when he does cosplay, he goes for the “low-hanging fruit.” “Nature has gifted/cursed me with the fact that I look like John Belushi,” he joked. “I cosplay as Joliet Jake from The Blues Brothers.” By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science
College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 7
A patented method for better protein research David Petering, a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has patented a technique that will unlock new avenues in protein-related research. For biochemists, proteins are crucial to examining a cell’s structure and function. “We are trying to understand the functions that take place in the cell, what the cell is doing and what reactions are taking place,” Petering says. “Those are all basically carried out by proteins.” So biochemists need to isolate proteins to study their activities David Petering and structure, whether for fundamental research, the development of medicines or finding a cure for a disease. “We can spend a lifetime working on pretty small areas of what’s going on in a cell,” Petering says, “because it’s just so complicated to get structure and function information.” In traditional procedures, proteins could be separated, but the structure and function weren’t adequately maintained for carrying out further testing. A current commercial alternative enables researchers to maintain a protein’s function and structure, but it leads to poor separation and a smearing of proteins. However, Petering’s laboratory has devised a new method of separating proteins while maintaining their three-dimensional structure and functional activity. “This allows you to do functional studies along with just separating and identifying the fact that a protein is present,” Petering explains. “We did something very simple and found this sweet spot where we kept the native features of the protein without losing the ability to separate it.” This allows for important new experiments to be conducted and provides a better understanding of proteins. Petering has been awarded a patent for the method, which he developed along with graduate students Drew Nowakowski and William Wobig. With patent in hand, Petering, who has been at UWM since 1971, is working with the UWM Research Foundation to commercialize the method. “It’s not a magic bullet,” Petering says, “but it gives us another powerful tool to use in trying to gather information.” By Rich Rovito, University Relations 8 • IN FOCUS • June, 2019
A Celestial Sma Nearly two years after detecting gravitational waves from a neutron star collision, three detectors – the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and the European-based Virgo detector – have found waves from two other such sources. The gravitational waves detected April 25 also appear to be from a crash between two neutron stars — the dense remnants of massive stars that previously exploded. Then, on April 26, the LIGO-Virgo network spotted another candidate wave-source with a potentially interesting twist: It may, in fact, have resulted from the collision of a neutron star and black hole, an event never before witnessed. “The universe is keeping us on our toes,” says Patrick Brady, spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and a professor of physics at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. “We’re especially curious about the April 26 candidate. Unfortunately, the signal is rather weak. It’s like listening to somebody whisper a word in a busy café; it can be difficult to make out the word or even to be sure that the person whispered at all. It will take some time to reach a conclusion about this candidate.” Realizing potential With these new discoveries, the LIGO-Virgo collaborations are realizing their potential of regularly producing discoveries that were once impossible, National Science Foundation Director France Cordova said. The discoveries come just weeks after LIGO and Virgo turned back on. The twin detectors of LIGO — one in Washington state and one in Louisiana — along with Virgo, located in Italy, resumed operations April 1, after undergoing a series of upgrades to increase their sensitivities to gravitational waves — ripples in space and time. Each detector now surveys larger volumes of the universe than before, searching for extreme events such as smashups between black holes and neutron stars. In addition to the two new candidates involving neutron stars, the LIGO-Virgo network has, in this latest run, spotted three likely black hole mergers. In total, since making history with the first-ever direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015, the network has spotted evidence for two neutron star mergers, 13 black hole mergers and one possible black hole-neutron star merger. “With these observations we are performing a census of the black hole and neutron star binaries in the universe,”
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LIGO and Virgo detect second neutron star collision signal,” said David Kaplan, UWM associate professor of physics. “But we are even more excited for the discoveries to come.” Difficult to find The search for explosive counterparts of the gravitationalwave signal is challenging because of the amount of sky that must be covered and the rapid changes in brightness that are expected, the astronomers said.
UWM researchers Jolien Creighton (from left), Alan Wiseman, Patrick Brady, Xavier Siemens and David Kaplan are an important part of the international effort to explore some of the deepest mysteries of space. (UWM Photo/Troye Fox)
said Jolien Creighton, UWM professor of physics. “This census will give us new insight into how massive stars live and die, the origin of heavy elements, the expansion of the cosmos, and it will allow us to perform unique tests of Einstein’s theory of gravity.” Tremendous impacts When two black holes collide, they warp the fabric of space and time, producing gravitational waves. When two neutron stars collide, they send out not only gravitational waves but also light. That means telescopes sensitive to light waves across the electromagnetic spectrum can witness these fiery impacts together with LIGO and Virgo. One such event occurred in August 2017: LIGO and Virgo initially spotted a neutron star merger in gravitational waves and then, in the days and months that followed, about 70 telescopes on the ground
and in space witnessed the explosive aftermath in light waves, including everything from gamma rays to optical light to radio waves. In the case of the two recent neutron star candidates, telescopes around the world once again raced to track the sources and pick up the light expected to arise from these mergers. Hundreds of astronomers eagerly pointed telescopes at patches of sky suspected to house the signal sources. However, at this time, neither of the sources has been pinpointed. Finding the locations of these events soon after the gravitational waves are detected offers scientists the opportunity to gain more information about violent events in the cosmos. “Even with all of the planning and preparation that we did following the first double neutron star detection, fantastic new telescopes and truly staggering non-stop efforts by astronomers around the world, we couldn’t identify a likely
The April 25 neutron star smashup, dubbed S190425z, is estimated to have occurred about 500 million light-years away from Earth. Only one of the twin LIGO facilities picked up its signal along with Virgo (the LIGO detector in Washington state was offline). Because only two of the three detectors registered the signal, estimates of the location in the sky from which it originated were not precise, leaving astronomers to survey nearly one-quarter of the sky for the source. The possible April 26 neutron star-black hole collision (referred to asS190426c) is estimated to have taken place roughly 1.2 billion lightyears away. It was detected by all three LIGO-Virgo facilities, which helped better narrow its location to regions covering about 1,100 square degrees, or about three percent of the total sky. Researchers at UWM are part of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, an international consortium of 70 institutions and hundreds of researchers. The UWM team developed the analytical framework and the computational tools to make LIGO’s discoveries possible. By Laura Otto, University Relations
College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 9
The art of conservation: UWM grad ma Sean Kiebzak has two very different degrees from very different institutions. After he graduated high school, Kiebzak attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guilford, England, where he earned a degree in music performance in drumming. Three years later, after working at a summer camp that piqued his interest in environmental education, he re-enrolled in college, this time majoring in conservation and environmental science at UWM. He’s found the perfect job to use both of his degrees. Kiebzak is the Chief Operating Officer of Arts @ Large, a non-profit that seeks to improve arts education for students in Milwaukee. He now inspires the youth of the city to create art, become environmental stewards, and grow their own businesses. You chose to study two vastly different subject areas. How did you make the jump from music to conservation and environmental science? I was working on the whole left-brain/right-brain thing – all aspects of my well-rounded education!
Sean Kiebzak (middle) works with some student “foremen” to clear brush and weeds as part of a project for Arts @ Larrge, a nonprofit that helps enhance arts education for students in Milwaukee. Photo courtesy of Sean Kiebzak.
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So, what exactly is Arts @ Large? Arts @ Large was founded in 2001 and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The focus was to work with classroom teachers on using arts as a vehicle to achieve their goals for learning standards. We now serve about 55 schools and upwards of 12,000 students. We work with upwards of 100 community artists that we hire to come in and supplement programming, working with classroom teachers to provide creative artistic residencies – anywhere from visual arts to performing arts to multimedia, photography, spoken word. How does that mission translate into the community? We found that many of our projects fall in one of four categories that we have established as Cornerstones of the organization. We have our Eco-Literacy cornerstone. We do a lot of work with the Paliafito Eco-Arts Park and we’ve also partnered with Reflo Sustainable Water Solutions and the Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee. We come in and work with teachers to incorporate lessons about sustainability and the environment in their classrooms.
akes a big difference with Arts @ Large We have our Peacemaking Cornerstone. Right now we have an initiative called the Fabric of Milwaukee, where we’re providing support to immigrants and refugees in Milwaukee Public Schools. Through that program, we have a number of artists educators who are either immigrants or refugees themselves, working with students in three different schools to share their stories and help them celebrate the culture that they’re bringing to our city without losing it. Civil Rights is another cornerstone of ours. The most recent project featured the recognition and re-ignition of the 50th anniversary of the Open Housing Movement here in Milwaukee. We worked with a lot of community partners, former youth commandos, and current activists in providing education around red-lining, why our city looks the way that it does, and working with the youth to re-envision what their Milwaukee looks like to them. Then we have our Career Development Cornerstone. For example, right now we’re working on the redevelopment of our new community center that will house a café that’s open to the public. It has a large focus on working with the students to run the café and let them build some of their industry skills. The Student Foreman Program is another initiative that we started with Bradley Tech School and Reflo, working with students in the development of the new building alongside a lot of the contractors. TUpon completion, they will have a workshop within the new building that they can proudly say that they redeveloped. How did you become involved in Arts @ Large?
Conservation and environmental science alumnus Sean Kiebzak plays the drums at an outdoor concert in Paliafito Eco-Arts Park. Photo courtesy of Sean Kiebzak.
How have you found ways to use your conservation major in your work at an arts organization? It translates to a lot of the different work we do. In some of the partnerships that we have, teachers have a strong interest in connecting our material to their science program. We have the skillset and the expertise to complement what they’re working on. With partners in the sustainability industry, we can make those happen.
I started while I was studying at UW-Milwaukee. I was doing some work at Milwaukee Public Schools as an artist-in-residence. I started connecting my musical experiences to different classroom curricula. As I started building proficiency in environmental-based work I was doing, I was starting to connect a lot of my conservation and environmental science background to classroom experiences as well. Once I graduated, I got offered a job as a site coordinator with Arts @ Large.
Last year, for example, we worked with Reflo Sustainable Water Solutions to create an augmented reality sandbox. It had contour lines on it brought down by a projector. As you moved the sand, it changed the contours so you can teach about watersheds, what the flow of water look like, and what contour lines are. It was a cool way to make environmental connections through this art medium.
One of my first projects was the 53rd Street community garden, where we put in 57 raised beds for the community. We worked with two different schools – Yeshiva Elementary, which is an Orthodox Jewish community school, and then 53rd Street School, which is a Milwaukee Public School. Together, we tried to figure out how we could bridge the gaps between two different cultures within the same community. The garden is still thriving today. It was a great first project.
As a musician and an artist, it’s hard to find time to celebrate my own work. Last year, we put together a musical group and the group would go (into the schools) in the morning and teach two lessons, one in drumming and one in dancing. I would roll in in the afternoon with one of our staffers and we’d give a performance for the school. The students participating in the residences got to dance with us and drum with us. That is something that I use to remember why it is I do the work that I do.
I was later promoted to Director of Programs to lead larger community-based initiatives, and after that I was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.
By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science
Do you have any special memories or stand-out moments from your career?
College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 11
Foreclosure crisis eroded Milwaukee voter turnout, study says The foreclosure crisis that accompanied the Great Recession had an unexpected consequence in Milwaukee County: It exacerbated political inequity. A study conducted by researchers at UWMilwaukee and Marquette University found that county homeowners facing foreclosure or those who had lost their homes during the economic downturn were less likely to go to the polls in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. These local results echo a national trend documented by other studies that indicate economic adversity negatively impacts people’s voting behavior. The study not only found a decline in voting among individual homeowners, but also evidence Paru Shah (left), UWM associate professor of political science, who studied the impact of the 2008 foreclosure that it occurred in whole neighborhoods that were crisis on voter turnout with Amber Wichowsky of Marquette University. (UWM Photo/Troye Fox) hard hit by foreclosures, said Paru Shah, UWM associate professor of political science, and Amber Wichowsky, an associate professor at Marquette. The two researchers also found that foreclosures depressed voter turnout regardless of race or income level, and it was unrelated to affected homeowners’ likelihood of voting in previous elections. “This means that elected officials were not hearing from constituents most directly affected by the foreclosure crisis, effectively quashing a very real issue for most voters,” said Shah. While other studies have investigated the effect of unemployment on political participation, this study was one of the first to measure the effect of foreclosure on voting. Using public voter information matched to a database on individual foreclosures countywide, Shah and Wichowsky determined that foreclosure or the threat of it decreased political motivation. “Rather than being a mobilizing force, the results pointed to this idea that people facing insecurities didn’t have the efficacy to go to the polls,” said Wichowsky. The study has left several avenues open for further study. For one, the association between foreclosure and suppressed voting in communities was less clear cut than for individual homeowners. Shah and Wichowsky’s results showed that neighborhood housing blight depressed turnout mostly in middle-class neighborhoods. The authors believe a more refined analysis is needed on how factors related to housing insecurity drive community impacts and contribute to political inequality. Of course, sometimes economic adversity is politicized in ways that boost voting participation. More research is needed to determine the efficacy of grassroots mobilization. One example of that is the community organizing around the foreclosure crisis in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood, an area with some of the region’s highest rates of black homeownership. Spearheaded by Common Ground, an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation, the efforts have resulted in hefty investment in the neighborhood to help rehabilitate foreclosed properties and provide housing. 12 • IN FOCUS • June, 2019
By Laura Otto, University Relations
Alumni Accomplishments Gary Henry (’82, PhD Urban Studies) has been named the new dean of the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development. His appointment begins Aug. 16. Henry is currently a professor of public policy and education and director of graduate studies in the Department of Leadership Policy and Organizations at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. https://bit.ly/304DSc1 Pamela Harris (’12, PhD Mathematical Sciences) was named an outstanding early-career mentor of undergraduate researchers by the Mathematics and Computer Sciences Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research. Harris is an assistant professor of mathematics at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. https://bit.ly/2WqG8rT
Gary Henry
Tammy Gilpin-Ripp (’93, BA Mass Communication) was a presenter on the topics of “Building Unity in Your Community” focusing on community outreach initiatives and programs, and “Turning Prospects Into Partners” focusing on building and maintaining sponsor relationships at the annual US Indoor Sports Association Conference held in Milwaukee. Gilpin-Ripp is the Director of Marketing & Sponsorship of the Milwaukee Kickers Soccer Club. Alexander Rassogianis (’82, MA Art History) released a collection of short stories titled, “Short Stories of Life, Love, and Remembrance,” in April. Covering subjects from war to friendship to love and loss, the stories highlight what it means to be human and alive. The book is available on Amazon.com. https://amzn.to/2wgN2Ey Tammy Gilpin-Ripp
Laurels and Accolades
Video Stories
Gilberto Blasini (English and Film Studies) was appointed to the Board of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS). SCMS is the largest and most important scholarly organization in the fields of cinema and media studies. Its conferences attract scholars from around the world ever year. Blasini Gilberto Blasini will work with the Board to organize conferences as well as other professional development activities. https://www.cmstudies.org/ Richard Popp (Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies) received an honorable mention in the Philip Scranton Article Prize competition for best article to appear in the journal Enterprise & Society (a business history/history of capitalism journal) in 2018. Richard Popp
Geosciences major James Van Eerden graduated this May, and he’s already the owner of his own business. He co-founded the Light Fruit Company, which produces dehydrated fruit snacks, with help from UWM entrepreneurship programs and connections he made during his college career. https://youtu.be/gl3Hua7C9nA
College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 13
In the Media and Around the Community Mauricio Kilwein Guevara (English) spoke at the “Write, Pitch, Publish” conference in Milwaukee in May. His talk discussed overcoming blocks and fears to finish a writing project. https://bit.ly/2VRRKHg As an expert in Sovietera television, Christine Evans (History) took to the Washington Post to offer a unique perspective on former television star Volodymyr Zelensky’s rise to the Ukrainian presidency in that country’s 2019 elections. https://wapo.st/2EaLGjk
Fredric Ancel (emeritus Mathematical Sciences) spoke on “Symmetry, Orbifolds and the Alhambra Mosaics” at the Wisconsin Section of the Mathematical Association of America’s conference in April. https://bit.ly/2YdDUMX The television network C-SPAN stopped in Milwaukee as part of its Cities Tour and spoke with Rachel Buff (History) about immigration and her book, “Against the Deportation Terror. https://cs.pn/2KfdHKk The Colorado Sun published an interview with writer Karen Auvinen (’03, PhD English) in which she discusses her book “Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living.” https://bit.ly/2V5EVVz Liam Callanan (English) took to the Wall Street Journal to share the memories he made and the lessons he learned from his daughter as the two traveled around the world after her high school graduation. https://on.wsj.com/2JKXvQH
“Inner city” is a loaded term that draws negative associations to mind, Pat Mayes (English) told WUWM Radio. https://bit.ly/2VGePxe Blogger Susie DeFord discussed her meeting with – and praised the poetry and philosophy of – John Koethe (distinguished emeritus Philosophy) on BombMagazine.org. https://bit.ly/2WuWj7H 14 • IN FOCUS • June, 2019
Despite its progressive past, Wisconsin has traditionally lagged behind its neighbors in a key area: women’s suffrage and political representation. Genevieve McBride (emerita History) talked about the state’s history of women’s suffrage in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (https://bit.ly/2VbGdyd) and in Isthmus (https://bit.ly/2VTgr6q). Where should journalists covering the 2020 Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee go to get a taste of the city’s socialist past? Aims McGuinness (History) and John Gurda (’78, MA Geography) gave their suggestions in Dissent Magazine. https://bit.ly/2VzMw3F Moms with partners who live in the home actually do more housework than single moms, according to a new study coauthored by Noelle Chesley (Sociology). An article detailing her research was printed in news outlets nationwide, including in AZ Central. (https://bit.ly/2VwloCy) Her research into families where mothers are the “breadwinners” was also highlighted in The Atlantic (https://bit.ly/2JwWZFU), and she expounded on gendered housework on WUWM (https://bit.ly/2HTnUJl). Chesley also gave a keynote address at an international conference focused on the future well-being of the global workforce in Paris. Her address highlighted both opportunities and challenges for workers as use of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools by employers grows. (www.inrs-waw2019.fr/)
Student Abbi Hicks (Psychology) shared her mental health story with lawmakers in the Wisconsin capitol for Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Channel 3000 reported. https://bit.ly/2HhIaUU Milwaukee is a city with a rich religious history, and Christopher Cantwell (History) described on WUWM how his public history students are helping to document it. https://bit.ly/2MhpdYe
Patricia Roberts (Anthropology) heads UWM’s Cultural Resource Management program, which is helping excavate pauper’s graves in the area, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. https://bit.ly/2W2LyfU Simple recycling mistakes can cost recycling facilities a
Astronomers from the Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory (LIGO) may have detected a black hole consuming a neutron star. Patrick Brady (Physics) spoke as LIGO’s spokesperson and explained the phenomenon to media outlets across the world, including CBS News (https://cbsn.ws/2PKBn9S), CNN (https://cnn.it/2VoK4gk), USA Today (https://bit.ly/2JtHezp) and the Independent (https://ind.pn/2VQ6Iha). lot of money, which can be reflected in your taxes, Neal O’Reilly (Conservation and Environmental Science) told CBS 58 News. https://bit.ly/2VNdEwp Vali Raicu and Ionel Popa (both Physics) have created a new method of matching medicines to their protein receptors, which could greatly speed up the development of new pharmaceutical drugs. Phys.org said. https://bit.ly/2YOfJFl
The Borgen Project, a nonprofit addressing global poverty and hunger, invited Ermitte Saint Jacques (African and African Diaspora Studies) to clear up some misconceptions surrounding economic migration in an article published on the organization’s website. https://bit.ly/2HJPPgc
UWM is addressing food waste by using discarded foodstuffs to make nutrient-rich compost, Glen Fredlund (emeritus Geography and Conservation and Environmental Science) told CBS 58 News. https://bit.ly/2EHdQmi
The Hyde Amendment prevents taxpayer money from funding abortions, and its possible repeal is an issue picking up steam in the Democratic presidential primary race, Kathy Dolan (Political Science) told The Washington Times. https://bit.ly/2EL2EVI
Italian program update This year’s Italian Film Festival USA, held April 26-28 at the UWM Union Cinema, was again a success. Sponsors said, “People are known to come from all over to attend the festival and they fill out ballots showing how much they enjoy the films.” This year the festival was augmented by the exhibition, “Artusi and the culinary unification of Italy,” which was sponsored by, among others, the Comune di Forlimpopoli, Slow Food Italia, Universita’ di Bologna, Universita’ per Stranieri di Siena, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Chicago.
People in Print Nataša Durovicova, Patrice Petro, and Lorena Terando (Language, Literature, and Translation), Eds. (2019). At Translation’s Edge. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. Bettina Arnold (Anthropology). 2019. “Der stete Antiquar”: Willaim Frankfurth (1829-1891) aus Milwaukee, WI, USA. Günther Kaufmann / Andreas Putzer (Ed.). Die Anfänge der Archäologie im Süden Tirols: Forschungsgeschichte bis 1919, 1-12. Bettina Arnold (Anthropology). 2019. A landscape of ancestors—looking back and thinking forward. Celeste Ray and Manuel Fernández-Götz (Ed.). Historical Ecologies and Complex Societies: Festschrift for Carole Crumley, 235-247. Routledge/Taylor & Francis. Mark E. Caprio and Nan Kim (History). 2019. Review of “Korea During the 1950s and the Korean War” in Journal of American East-Asian Relations, 24(2-3): 93-258. Published on H-Diplo Article Review Forum, 855.5 (ed. Thomas Maddux and Diane Labrosse). https://bit.ly/2YyeolW
Danielle A. Berg, Dawn K. Erb (Physics), Richard B.C. Henry, Evan D. Skillman, and Kristen B.W. McQuinn. 2019. The Chemical Evolution of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen in Metal-poor Dwarf Galaxies. The Astrophysical Journal, 874(1): 93. https://bit.ly/2EpCdVt Dyanna M. Czeck, Jolene T. Traut (both Geosciences), and Peter J. Hudleston. Rheological information determined from cleavage refraction in naturally deformed interlayered quartzites and phyllites. In Folding and Fracturing of Rocks: 50 Years of Research since the Seminal Text Book of J.G. Ramsay (eds. C.E. Bond and H.D. Lebit). https://bit.ly/2Wawsot Christine Kozik (’08, BS; ’13, MS Biological Sciences), Erica B. Young, Craig D. Sandgren, and John Berges (all Biological Sciences). 2019. Cell death in individual freshwater phytoplankton species: Relationships with population dynamics and environmental factors. European Journal of Phycology. Online. https://bit.ly/2LMeXa7 Hyejin Yoon (Geography) and Hyosun Kim. 2019. Seeking a Sense of Belonging: The Exclusion of Female Doctorate Holders in South Korea and the U.S. Gender, Place, and Culture, 1-21. https://bit.ly/2QQNKCb Hyejin Yoon (Geography). 2019. Do higher skills result in better jobs? The case of the Korean animation industry. Geoforum, 99: 267-277. https://bit.ly/2WFwV2s College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 15
