College of Letters & Science
IN FOCUS
May 2020, Vol. 10, No.5
UWM researchers discuss the science behind the COVID-19 pandemic - and their quest for a treatment. Page 6.
Researching a COVID cure For UWM updates on the COVID-19 pandemic, visit uwm.edu/coronavirus.
Journalism studen
Contents Feature Stories Journalism student snaps viral photo Geography student’s beaver research UWM scientists study COVID-19 English professor maps indigenous nations Anthropology alum is Army archaeologist
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Columns In the Media Alumni Accomplishments Laurels and Accolades People in Print Department Spotlight Passings Published College the
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When Patricia McKnight went to vote on April 7 and snapped a picture of the long line and one voter’s sign of frustration at the polling station, she didn’t know how much the image would resonate with people across the country. McKnight, a senior at UWM majoring in English and Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies (JAMS), recently started an internship at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. When she went to Washington High School to vote during the Wisconsin presidential primary, she asked her supervisors at the Journal Sentinel if they wanted a picture, and they said yes. McKnight stopped when she saw a sign that read “This is ridiculous.” She talked to the woman, Jennifer Taff, who had requested an absentee ballot but never received it. Instead, Taff had to vote in person amid the coronavirus outbreak, a risk she didn’t want to take since her father has a lung disease, McKnight said. The photo was used in a Journal Sentinel story about Wisconsin’s voting scene on April 7, and it quickly went viral. Don Moynihan, a professor at Georgetown University, called it “an era-defining image,” a phrase that has stuck with the picture. The photo was used by news outlets across the country, including MSNBC, NBC, CNN, USA Today and Slate, among others. The Journal Sentinel featured it on its home page all afternoon April 7 and much of the day April 8, and put it on the front page of April 8’s print edition. The photo was being shared thousands of times on Twitter, but McKnight didn’t have an account. She rectified that the afternoon of the election, and 24 hours later @ Pmcknightnews had more than 7,000 Twitter followers. On April 8, she talked about the experience. How did the picture come about? I was just going on my way to vote – that’s it. It wasn’t an assignment or anything. I saw the very, very long line, and I started walking towards the back of the line. I saw the woman standing there with the sign, and I asked her a couple of questions about the sign because it was like, “Yes, it is ridiculous.” What is it about this picture that you think has caught so much attention?
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Our JAMS professors tell us to make sure the lighting is right, to make sure the person is centered when you’re using the “rule of thirds,” so I did all of that and I thought “oh, this is a good picture,” but I didn’t know it was the picture. But just the message – you see every single
nt’s ‘era-defining image’ goes viral
Milwaukee voter Jennifer Taff expresses her frustration while waiting in line to vote at Washington High School on Tuesday in a photo taken by UWM senior Patricia McKnight. (Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
person wearing a mask, some have gloves on, and they’re standing in line (in a) kind of life or death situation because they want to vote and they want to make a change in their community. It’s the photo itself, but it’s also the message behind the photo. Why this woman specifically? There were hundreds and hundreds of people there that I saw and she was the only one with a sign. I wanted to know the story behind it. You’ve had a lot of people interact with this photo. Has there been anyone that has really stood out to you? Rachel Maddow really stood out because I really appreciate her saying my name. My photo was on ABC news, and they didn’t credit it – and that’s fine because I know they asked permission from the Journal Sentinel. But her giving a name to the photo, I really did appreciate it. It really matters having the recognition and having your name spoken out into the world. How do you see this affecting you going forward? A lot of people have been adding me on LinkedIn, so
that’s exciting that professionals and other journalists are paying attention to me. Hopefully, they’ll read some of my stories, because I’m a mainly a writer. I don’t want my experience to be defined by this one photo. Has this led to anything that you would want to pursue after graduation? I’ve always wanted to do photography, but I’ve never had the funds for a camera. I’m glad that I could use a phone and get the photo that I wanted. I’ve always been big on (taking) my own photos for my stories. I have a pretty good eye for photos with everything my professors have told me in my journalism classes. I take everything they say pretty seriously. The staff in the journalism department are amazing, and they’re the reason why am I so successful in the sense that I’ve done so many internships. Not everyone in the journalism department gets to be an intern for the biggest newspaper in Milwaukee their senior year. That is all from the cooperation from everyone in the JAMS department. By Amanda Neibauer, University Relations College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 3
Geography student proves an ‘eager be Well, hot dam – Max Rock is helping to bring beavers back to the Milwaukee River watershed. Beavers were once ubiquitous in southeastern Wisconsin. The fur trapping craze of the 1600s decimated the population, however, and beaver were brought to the brink of extinction. Locally, the animals’ population never recovered their old habitats once the city of Milwaukee was built. That’s a shame, said Rock, because beaver play an important part in ecosystems across the country: They build wetlands. “The beaver’s whole ideology in life is to dam running water,” Rock joked. “The water that the beaver is damming is creating a wetland, and a wetland is the rain forest of the north. It has potential to increase biodiversity and genetic exchange. Wetlands are also economic boosters. Our government loves wetlands and they protect wetlands; however, they often fail to protect the beaver.” And, in Milwaukee, wetlands represent a new way to protect Lake Michigan. “We want to re-establish beaver on the river watershed in order to mitigate flooding during high water rain
events,” Rock explained. “Beavers create a lock systemlike structure on the watershed and can retain certain amounts of water. It’s in its infancy still, but as of right now, we are looking for suitable habitats for those beaver to live in order to do that work.” This beaver Max Rock reestablishment project is funded by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District and relies on the work of the Milwaukee Riverkeeper, an advocacy organization run by Rock’s boss, Bob Boucher, that hopes to protect Milwaukee waterways; UWM geography professor Changshan Wu, who works with geospatial models to identify possible beaver habitats; and UWM associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Qian Liao, who studies stream gradients to determine how beaver might impact hydrology of the watershed. Rock is a geography student at UWM who serves as the group’s eyes on the ground. Before the state’s lockdown, Rock and his partner, UWM student Madeline Flanner spent each Friday hiking stream banks looking for signs of beaver. “My role was to implement an aspect of geographical information systems to make field work accessible online and to find suitable habitat along the river watershed,” Rock said. “I used a program called Arc GIS Collector. It’s a lot like as if you’re using Google Maps on your phone. As we’d go to these different site locations, we could drop ‘pins’ in locations where we found beaver activity.” GIS is a technology that provides the ability to capture and analyze spatial and geographic data. Rock can attach data points to certain locations on a map to give information about that locale.
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“For instance, Lincoln Park had a beaver lodge, a beaver dam, and a bunch of beaver markings on the trees,” he explained. “Using GIS allows you to create maps to display data that you have gone out and observed in the field.”
eaver’ for research Beaver like habitats with lots of trees – preferably willow, aspen, or poplar – where they can dam a stream to create a pond. They construct a lodge in the middle of the pond, just like a castle with a moat, Rock said. Ultimately, “I would like to see beaver not only on the watershed to mitigate flooding during high water events, but also for the public to notice a cleaner river and an increase in biodiversity due to the presence of beaver,” Rock said. “I think that all goes together to help achieve a cleaner great lake and a step closer to suppressing the effects of climate change at a macroscale.” Rock was slated to present his research at the UWM Undergraduate Research Symposium, but the forum was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, he and more than 270 other students submitted their presentations for a virtual showcase. “It was important to us to not ‘cancel’ the Symposium, but to offer it in another format. As an annual event, it represents a culmination of hard work from the past year,” said Kyla Esguerra, the associate director of UWM’s Office of Undergraduate Research. “This way (the students) still have the opportunity to reflect, synthesize what they have learned, and add this virtual presentation to their resumes.” “Students are having to make a quick pivot and think seriously about how to represent their work in an unexpected format, but they are rising to the challenge,” added Nigel Rothfels, the Office’s director. “In doing so, they are also preparing themselves for what may become increasingly prominent expectations at all kinds of academic conferences in the future.” While Rock was disappointed that he was unable to present his work in person, he hopes that people will recognize that re-establishing beaver in the Milwaukee River watershed could be a viable method for improving the health of Lake Michigan. “We have the fourth-largest freshwater source in the western hemisphere, and I think we need to protect that. Doing this kind of research shines light on different ways to do that,” he said. Rock’s research can be viewed here. By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science
Geography student Max Rock’s research focused on using GIS to find suitable beaver habitats in the Milwaukee River watershed and to track where beaver are already living. Telltale signs of beaver include gnawed-upon trees like the one pictured above. Photo courtesy of Max Rock.
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A treatment for COVID-19? As of May 1, there are over 3 million cases of COVID-19 diagnosed worldwide, with more than 1 million of those cases located in the United States. The coronavirus pandemic has shut down massive sectors of the world economy and instigated quarantines in nearly every country. It’s a big feat for Mark McBride a microscopic package of chemicals. That’s really all a virus is, said UWM microbiologist Mark McBride – a package of proteins and nucleic acid that lies inert on its own but can hijack a living cell and take it over. “And then it’s off to the races and it starts (replicating),” he said. “In a matter of minutes to hours, you’ll have thousands or tens of thousands of virus particles assembling inside of that cell and then being released and infecting nearby cells.” McBride is a distinguished professor of biological sciences at UWM. Though his primary research focus is on bacteria, he knows a thing or two about viruses. Though the virus that causes COVID-19, called SARSCoV-2, is particularly infectious, it’s a virus that works just like any other. How a (corona)virus works A virus spreads when a virus particle injects itself into a living cell. Unlike bacteria, which are single-celled organisms that can reproduce on their own, a virus is classified as “non-living” and reproduces itself by taking over a living cell – “Like a pirate,” McBride said – and using that cell’s organelles to replicate its own genome.
UWM
genetic information, RNA contains instructions for creating proteins. Once the virus has made its RNA to replicate its proteins, it starts to copy its genome over and over, using the living cell like its own factory. Some viruses then “lyse” the cell, or burst through the cell to escape and infect other cells, thereby killing it. But others, including David Frick coronavirus, make a gentle exit, stealing a piece of the cell’s membrane on its way out to form a lipid coating around itself, like an envelope of fat. It leaves the cell intact so it can continue making more virus particles. “There are plenty of viruses like that,” McBride said. “HIV and influenza are good examples. They can release not just thousands of viruses; they can release hundreds of thousands, or millions of viruses before the cell dies. It’s a strategy that works for the virus, and not necessarily so well for you.” Common and un-common infections Most people are familiar with several classes of viruses. People line up for the flu shot each year to protect against the ever-evolving strains of the influenza virus, and bemoan cold sores from the herpes virus. If you’ve ever had a cold, you’ve probably played host to a rhinovirus. But after rhinoviruses, coronaviruses are probably the second-most common cause of the common cold, McBride said.
Some virus genomes contain DNA, just like humans, plants, and animals, but others, including coronavirus, have genomes composed entirely of ribonucleic acid, or RNA. Unlike DNA, which codes all of an organism’s
“Of course, there are some coronaviruses that are much nastier,” he added. “All the ones that we know of that have this nastier trait jumped recently from animals. Closely-related viruses to the ones that infect humans – the SARS virus from more than a decade ago and the current pandemic virus (SARS-CoV-2) – are recognizably similar to viruses that are typically confined to wild animals like bats, for example.”
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Illnesses that jump from animals to people are called zoonotic diseases, and they generally occur because
M scientists work to develop anti-viral drugs a virus evolves enough to spread to a different species of host. Because viruses are constantly reproducing, there’s always a chance that they’ll make a mistake, or a mutation, when they’re replicating their genome. If that mutation helps the virus survive, it evolves into a new strain. Flu viruses and rhinoviruses, for example, have genomes that allow them to mutate rapidly. But coronaviruses, including the one that causes COVID-19, stand out. Coronaviruses are unusual among viruses with RNA genomes because they contain a “proofreading” feature that corrects mistakes during replication. McBride said that this might mean that coronavirus is a more “stable” virus, which could give scientists a better chance at developing drugs or vaccines that target the illness. Searching for a treatment Enter David Frick, a UWM professor This of chemistry and biochemistry. He’s SARS-CoV-2 protein model a virologist who shows where ADP has devoted most ribose binds (shown in blue) of his research to and a proposed drug candidate (shown in tan) creating anti-viral that will hopefully bind in the place of ADP-ribose, disrupting drugs. Right now, Frick and his team the biological processes of the SARS-CoV-2 protein. Image courtesy of David Frick. are searching for a compound that might work to treat COVID-19. Anti-viral drugs are tricky to make because they target a specific structural or genetic aspect of the virus to be effective. Unlike antibiotics, which usually work by attacking the unique features of bacterial cells, anti-virals have the potential to harm the host’s regular cells, since viral replication relies so much on using a cell’s existing structure.
“Typically, viruses like this will only have four or five non-structural proteins (proteins that do not make up the virus’ protective outer layer) that are needed for the replication, so it’s pretty hard to develop anti-viral drugs. But the coronavirus has at least 16 different non-structural proteins, all of which could be potential anti-viral drug targets,” Frick said. He and his team are looking at one target in particular: A SARS-CoV-2 protein that binds a compound called ADP ribose – possibly to remove ADP ribose from cellular proteins. Pathogens often add or remove ADP-ribose from human proteins to cause disease. “This gives us a way to try to find an antiviral so we can find something that binds in place of ADP ribose, and that would disrupt the coronavirus’ biological activity,” Frick said. Think of the virus like a puzzle. ADP ribose is the correct piece that fits with the virus, but if Frick and his team can find a different piece of the same shape, perhaps one that fits even better than the original piece, they can slot it into the puzzle and disrupt the final picture. The research began as an undergraduate student project. In January, as reports of coronavirus were filtering in from China, biochemistry majors Garrett Breit, Hayden Aristizabal, and Matt McCarty helped Frick examine its RNA sequence, clone several SARS-CoV-2 proteins, and purify them in the lab. Today, the project has morphed into a hunt for an anti-viral drug, and Frick and his team have submitted a paper on their work for peer-review, a preview of which is available now through bioRxiv (pronounced BioArchive). Continued on page 8
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Coronavirus studies After isolating the protein, Frick worked with chemistry professor Nicholas Silvaggi, who, along with chemistry graduate student Nemanja Vuksanovic, mapped the 3D structure of the protein so that the crew had a visual representation showing where ADP ribose might bind. “My lab has thousands and thousands of compounds, a few hundred of which we know are antiviral agents. Raj Virdi, another chemistry graduate student, is in the lab working to see if any of those known drugs bind to this ADP-ribose-binding protein,” Frick said. “When we do find one, we’ll go back and do another structure with Dr. Silvaggi. “What we’re hoping to find is something that binds more tightly than ADP ribose. Then we would enlist the help of a chemist to design a drug from that.” A second line of inquiry But that’s just one of a two-pronged attack. Frick has spent his career studying a protein called helicase, an enzyme that “unzips” duplex DNA or RNA complexes to allow genetic codes to be read. Interestingly, he noted, the helicase is the only protein in SARS-CoV-2 that is genetically identical to one from another strain of coronavirus: SARS, which struck in China in 2002. So, any drugs targeting the helicase could be used to squash future pandemics, Frick said. The helicase is much more difficult to study on a biochemical level, so for now, he’s relying on aid
This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19. isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
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Continued from page 7
from UWM distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry Wilfred Tysoe. Robert Bavisotto and Nick Hooper, graduate students in Dr. Tysoe’s lab, are using computer models of the virus’ helicase crystal structure to visualize and simulate how certain compounds might bind to the helicase protein. “Based on Robert and Nick’s data, we think that several compounds that we made about six or seven years ago (to target related helicases) can bind to the SARS-CoV-2 helicase structure,” Frick said. If it works, that compound may disrupt the virus’ ability to replicate itself. The Frick, Silvaggi, and Tysoe labs are just a few of the multitudes of scientists working not only in Milwaukee but throughout the world to study COVID-19 and find a treatment or a vaccine. Until a successful treatment is found, though, McBride says to keep washing your hands – the lipid envelope surrounding a coronavirus particle can be destroyed by soap – and wear a mask. “Some viruses, like coronavirus and influenza, are primarily respiratory transfer: Coughing, sneezing, talking, breathing,” McBride said. “When you breathe, you breathe out aerosols. When you cough or sneeze, you send out bigger droplets that will carry more virus. Probably the biggest reason to wear the masks is to prevent you from infecting someone else.” By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science
Mapping the connections among indigenous people Margaret Noodin’s digital map project aims to provide a visual guide to the many Native American nations that are part of the Anishinaabe Confederacy. It has the potential to connect the indigenous peoples beyond a shared tie to an endangered language. Noodin’s research focuses on more than 160 Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi nations. Linked by the Anishinaabemowin language, these communities mainly are located around the western Great Lakes. A professor of English and director of the Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education, Noodin writes Anishinaabemowin poetry and teaches the language at UWM. One of the institute’s goals is to keep all of Wisconsin’s indigenous languages alive by developing teachers who can help address shortages in tribal communities. The map, to be released in spring 2020, denotes tribal office locations in indigenous communities in the United States and Canada. “By constructing this map,” Noodin says, “we get a visualization of how this diaspora is really quite vast.” Margaret Noodin The map displays community names in both the Anishinaabe language and its English translation. The Anishinaabe name tends to provide a sense of a community’s landscape or a story about its people – deepening connections to indigenous heritage.
Noodin, along with her staff and students, conducted phone interviews or traveled to tribal communities to get oral histories and verify information. They researched records dating to the 1700s, with the goal of adding future map layers to show the history and migration of tribes. The map also allows users to search for communities by watershed or coastline. Noodin, who is a Water Policy Scholar through the School of Freshwater Sciences, sees several applications for this function. For instance, it might be useful for a state agency seeking input about water pollution issues. “I hope this project shows that there’s a complex network of information that you should bring into the conversation early,” Noodin says. “These are nations that are making the same decisions that cities and states have to make.” By Genaro C. Adams, University Relations College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 9
Anthropology alum turns Army If Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie could get soldiers stationed at Fort Campbell to leave the arrowheads where they find them, she would be a happy archaeologist. “We try to teach them, if you find something, please let us know. You’re not in trouble if you find it, as long as you don’t put it in your pocket and try to sell it on eBay,” she joked. There are strict federal guidelines governing the handling of cultural resources, like old Native American arrowheads, on federal land. As an archaeologist at the United States Army’s Fort Campbell, Sorensen-Mutchie is responsible for helping Army personnel comply with those rules.
in anthropology in 2005. During her time on campus, Sorensen-Mutchie worked with UWM’s Cultural Resource Management program, a contractual arm of the anthropology department that helps public and private agencies asses the impact of any new building on cultural resource sites, per federal and state law. “I was attracted to the hands-on experience that you could get through UWM’s lab and field work,” she said. “Those opportunities became invaluable when it came to entering the workforce.”
Sorensen-Mutchie’s husband is a soldier, so her jobs followed his postings. When he was stationed in “The regulations are in place so that we can have the Maryland, she worked first for a private firm and then chance to record and preserve these archaeological or doing cultural resource management for the Maryland architectural resources,” she explained. “Say they want to State Highway Administration. When he was transferred put in a new neighborhood. We would have to make sure to Germany and later San Antonio, Texas, jobs were the area doesn’t have an archaeological site, or if there is harder to find. Instead, Sorensen-Mutchie volunteered at one, that we have a chance to record it before they put their museums on base, helping curate exhibits, guide visitors, buildings in. When soldiers are in the rear training area, we and manage the museums’ social media presence. try and guide them to where it would be okay to dig in their fighting positions and where we would prefer they wouldn’t, When her husband was posted to Fort Campbell in just because we know it’s a culturally sensitive area.” 2019, she was delighted to see a position open for an archaeologist. She applied and was thrilled to be hired. Sorensen-Mutchie is uniquely qualified for the job; she’s an archaeologist and an Army wife. Built over what was once Native American hunting land, Fort Campbell has its own cultural resource A Wisconsin native, she attended UW-La Crosse for her management program. The installation straddles the Bachelor’s degree where she majored in archaeology. Kentucky-Tennessee border and was built as an Army She continued her education at UWM, earning an MS
UWM Anthropology alumna Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie (left) smiles during an excavation for the Maryland State Highway Administration. Photo courtesy of Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie. 10 • IN FOCUS • May, 2020
y archaeologist training facility after the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II. In addition to native artifacts, the Fort is home to four buildings considered historically significant, including a house with a log cabin core that dates back to the 1830s, and an old school that was once Kentucky’s first raciallyintegrated school. Two objects – a statue and a state line marker – are also eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. On top of that, Fort Campbell is also home to 130 cemeteries, family plots leftover from before the area was purchased by the U.S. government.
Planetarium Show “The Soldier’s Memorial” by Enoch Tanner Wickham is one of the historical objects eligible for the National Historic Register located at Fort Campbell, an army installation in Kentucky. UWM Anthropology alumna Nichole Sorensen-Mutchie helps run Fort Campbell’s cultural resource program, which oversees historical artifacts like these. Photo courtesy of Fort Campbell.
Sorensen-Mutchie helps oversee all of these resources, from helping civilian families access their ancestors’ graves to documenting new cultural finds. In addition, she and her colleagues often perform community outreach by working with schools to teach students about archaeology, or inform soldiers about the types of artifacts they might find during their training. “There is no typical day. Every now and then we get a curveball that makes us think creatively,” she said. “Whenever a unit wants to do something but it impedes on a cultural resource, we don’t want to just say no. We try and find ways to make it work and be creative about ways to let the mission go forward without negatively impacting the cultural resources that we do have identified on Post.” The job is important because each piece of the past, whether it’s an arrowhead or a log cabin, tells a story about the people who used to make their homes in the area. “I like to tell the soldiers that whether you’re here for a year or you decide to retire to this area, Fort Campbell’s story becomes part of yours,” Sorensen-Mutchie said. “I would like them to take some ownership and pride and understand the people that were here before them. Just like those people, we’re leaving our mark for archaeologists of the future.” By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, is a lullaby known by many, yet how much do you really know about the stars above? Astronomer Dr. Jean Creighton, director of UWM’s Manfred Olson Planetarium, will explore these glittering bursts of light we see each night in each 10 minute episode of her Stars Have Stories series, perfect for children of all ages! Following each presentation from her home office, Dr. Creighton will answer questions from viewers. Sign up at alumni.uwm.edu/ futurepantheracademy. Not able to join us live? All episodes will be available for on-demand viewing following each live event. The live events are every Friday starting May 1 and runnng through June 12, 2020 at 10 a.m.
What: Live Planetarium Show When: Fridays May 1-June 12 How: Visit alumni.uwm.edu/ futurepantheracademy College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 11
In the Media and Around the Community The COVID-19 pandemic hit workers hard, including Adam Hyland (‘09, BA Economics), who was laid off from his job as a security guard at a convention center, Time Magazine reported. (https://bit.ly/3eal1DE) Robert Penner (’16, BA Political Science and History) had to leave his job at Colectivo Coffee first for health reasons and then because he was laid off, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (https://bit.ly/3cLDvc4) Student Jaylyn Fahey (Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies) told Spectrum 1 News that she is having a hard time finding a job for after graduation because of current economic conditions. (https://bit.ly/3fcyJGq)
Joel Rast (Urban Studies) explained a new study that shows that Milwaukee’s black residents are disproportionately affected by coronavirus in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. https://bit.ly/2KtuXKE
Milwaukee residents had to stay indoors this month, but the Milwaukee Independent reported how the Milwaukee County Historical Society found ways to reach out and share moments of local history, thanks to short history videos narrated by graduate student John Harry (History) (https://bit.ly/3b0tYxm). The videos can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3dZytKe. Bird expert Peter Dunn (Biological Sciences) weighed in on some of Wisconsin’s disappearing bird species in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article decrying the loss of prairie chickens. https://bit.ly/2VtkkfS As a voter in the hotly contested April 7 Wisconsin primary, Sarah Schaefer (Art History) told Wisconsin Watch that she waited 90 minutes in line to cast her vote after she failed to receive the absentee ballot she requested. https://bit.ly/2XuRkqQ The coronavirus pandemic has forced people to adapt to new responsibilities in the workplace. That includes graduate student Chloe Rehberg (Geography), who is acting as support staff for for a coronavirus surveillance and investigation team despite her job as an environmental health specialist, Lake Geneva Regional News reported. https://bit.ly/3cjilBx 12 • IN FOCUS • May, 2020
Scott Adams (Economics) went on Wisconsin Public Radio to answer some of the public’s questions surrounding coronavirus testing and treatment and their health insurance. https://bit.ly/2Vn7fEU Jeffrey Sommers (Global Studies and African and African Diaspora Studies) gave his perspective on why Bernie Sanders failed to gather enough support to become the Democratic nominee for president in The Cap Times. (https:// bit.ly/2y9TQYT) He and co-author Mark Blythe also warned against using austerity measures to respond to the coronavirus’ economic impacts in an opinion piece for Counterpunch. (https://bit. ly/3bgxXpk) Finally, he was a guest, alongside William Holahan (emeritus Economics) on the “Matt Flynn Direct” show on 101.7 FM Milwaukee discussing the current state of the UW-System and UWM. (https://bit.ly/2z8zvDG)
Holahan took notes on this year’s Democratic primary debates to suggest best practices for upcoming presidential election debates in The Cap Times. https://bit.ly/3aTVbAQ
Breadwinning mothers tend to do more housework and childcare than breadwinning fathers, according to Noelle Chesley (Sociology). The Good Men Project reported on the study. https://bit.ly/3ac3uru Tom Holbrook (Political Science) commented on the timing of former president Barack Obama’s endorsement of Joe Biden for the Sinclair Broadcast Group. https://bit.ly/3cpC3f8
Margo Anderson (emerita History) explained to NPR how the way the U.S. Census has tracked race has changed over time. https://n.pr/2RNioOh Submissions by female researchers to academic journals have decreased significantly since the coronavirus pandemic began, Kathy Dolan (Political Science) noted in Inside Higher Ed. (https://bit.ly/3avnu8s) On a lighter note, she also told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that she’s spent much of her time during quarantine “comfort baking.” (https://bit.ly/3eSgxls)
Alumni Accomplishments There’s a new database to help scientists track how climate has changed over thousands of years, and Paul Roebber (Atmospheric Science) told WUWM all about it. https://bit.ly/3d9NhF1 Establishing a routine and checking in with friends and loved ones is an important part of taking care of your mental health during quarantine, Shawn Cahill (Psychology) said on Fox6 News. (https://bit.ly/2VFqKZl) Cahill and Hobart Davies (Psychology) also appeared on WUWM to talk about the mental health effects of the pandemic. (https://bit.ly/2VCYF6t) The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted many “nonessential” medical procedures, including treatments for infertility. Maria Novotny (English) discussed the choices facing these couples on WUWM. https://bit.ly/2Y2l0fd Social distancing has led people to find new ways of handling payments, like relying on pre-payment using credit cards instead of cash, to limit the spread of germs, Rebecca Neumann (Economics) said on CBS 58 News. https://bit.ly/2SwJp8W
Gladys Mitchell-Walthour (African and African Diaspora Studies) discussed how COVID-19 has impacted black communities in Brazil and in the U.S. in the major Brazilian newspaper Estadão.
Kaitlin Sharkey (’13, BA Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies) was tapped to become Fox 32’s (Chicago’s Fox affiliate) new Bears football reporter. That will be quite a switch for Sharkey, who has previously covered Wisconsin sports team, including the Packers, for Fox 6 in Milwaukee. https://bit.ly/3ejfavG
Marcelia Nicholson (’14, BA Communication) was elected to chair the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors for the 2020-2022 term. Nicholson is the Board’s first Afro-Latina chairperson. Nicholson was first elected to the board in 2016 to represent Milwaukee County’s 5th District. https://bit.ly/2W17syY
Marcelia Nicholson
Robert Brinkman (’86, MS Geosciences; ’89, PhD Geography) was named the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. He becomes the college’s ninth dean and left his position as a professor of geology, environment, and sustainability at Hofstra University to take on the new role. https://bit.ly/2XCmxsd
https://bit.ly/2SylXbv
Coronavirus has disrupted the American economy, and Avik Chakrabarti (Economics) outlined some of its impact for BizTimes. https://bit.ly/2VAnb6O
Biological Sciences Symposium The Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences (GOBS), in conjunction with the Department of Biological Sciences, presents the 2020 Biological Sciences Virtual Research Symposium. The symposium is designed to showcase our outstanding undergraduate and graduate students and their research in the department. Visit https://bit.ly/2KVYzAL to view the symposium.
Laurels and Accolades Abbas Ourmazd and Ghoncheh Mashayekhi (Physics) received an EAGER award from the National Science Foundation to use their latest machine learning techniques to determine the virulencerelated structural changes in SARS-CoV-2 proteins (the virus is responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic). The proposal was accepted within Abbas Ourmazd days of submission.
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People in Print Jesse D. Schaffer, Paul Robber, and Clark Evans (all Atmospheric Science). 2020. Development and evaluation of an evolutionary programming-based tropical cyclone intensity model. Monthly Weather Review. Online.
Spotlight on JAMS UWM student journalists won dozens of top honors in competitive regional contests for multimedia news and feature stories published in 2019.
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For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3c0t5VL .
Jessica Kahlow, Hanna Klecka, and Erin K. Ruppel (all Communication). 2020. What the differences in conflict between online and face-to-face work groups mean for hybrid groups: A state-of-the-art review. Review of Communication Research, 8.
UWM’s Milwaukee Press Club honorees (1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards will be announced later this year): •
Writing: Best News Story – Jodie Filenius
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Writing: Best News Story – Kylie Zazula
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Writing: Best Investigative Reporting – Kaitlyn Herzog
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Visual Journalism: Best Still Photograph/Photos – Elizabeth Sloan
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Audio: Best Feature Story – Fabian Caballero
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Audio: Best Feature Story – Claudia Delgadillo
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Audio: Best Sports Story – Nick Kanute
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Video: Best News Story Single or Ongoing – Sierra Trojan
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Video: Best Feature Story – Jodie Filenius
Shuai Luo, Lucas Waller, Brian Badgely, Zhen He, and Erica B. Young (Biological Sciences). 2020. Effects of bacterial inoculation and nitrogen loading on bacterialalgal consortium composition and functions in an integrated photobioelectrochemical system. Science of The Total Environment(716), 137135.
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Video: Best Program, Documentary or Special – Nia Wilson
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Online: Best Use of Multi-Media- Media Milwaukee staff
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Online: Best Use of Multi-Media – Media Milwaukee staff
https://bit.ly/3b0r3nh
Ishwor Poudyal, Marius Schmidt, and Peter Schwander (all Physics). 2020. Single-Particle Imaging by X-Ray Free-Electron Lasers – How Many Snapshots are Needed? Structural Dynamics, 7(2), 12. https://bit.ly/2yfl1SH
Lisa Silverman (History) and Daniel H. Magilow. 2020. Holocaust Representations in History: An Introduction (Second Edition). London: Bloomsbury Academic Press. https://bit.ly/3faWjn3
Hans W. Volkmer (Mathematical Sciences). 2020. The modulus of Whittaker functions. Taylor and Francis, 6.
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Passings Associate Professor Emeritus Dr. Alice Gillam passed away in April.
Dr. Gilliam served as Director of Composition in the UWM Department of English for 13 years and as department chair from 2001-2005. She also worked on the advisory board of UWM’s National Writing Project chapter. Dr. Gilliam earned an MA in teaching from Northwestern University and a PhD in English from Ball State University. She joined the UWM faculty in 1986, where she became 14 • IN FOCUS • May, 2020
the Writing Program Administrator and founded the UWM Writing Center. Her publications included Writing Center Research: Extending the Conversation (coedited with Paula Gillespie), which earned the Outstanding Book Award from the International Writing Center Association. She also authored (with John Bean and Virginia Chappell) Reading Rhetorically: A Reader for Writers, as well as articles in many of the major journals in her field. Dr. Gilliam was elected to the executive boards of the National Council of Writing Program Administrators and the Conference on Composition and Communication.
S: Student journalists rake in awards •
Online: Best Blog – Media Milwaukee staff
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Online: Best News Story – Jodie Filenius (UWM Post)
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Online: Best News Story – Brianna Schubert (UWM Post)
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Online: Best Soft Feature Story- Matthew Cade
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Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence winners: •
Best independent online student publication – Media Milwaukee staff
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Feature photography – Royce Podeszwa and Nia Wilson
Online: Best Soft Feature Story – Jena Kleindl (UWM Post)
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Feature writing – Ian Bergersen, Adam Kelnhofer and Eduardo Garcia
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Online: Best Soft Feature Story – Brianna Schubert (UWM Post)
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Online news reporting – Media Milwaukee staff
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Online: Best Sports Story – Eddie Morales
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Online in-depth reporting – Media Milwaukee staff
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Online: Best Investigative Reporting – Media Milwaukee staff
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Radio feature – Terese Radke
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Radio sports reporting – Nick Kanute
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Online: Best Editorial or Commentary – Zoe Smith Munson
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TV feature reporting – Jodie Filenius
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Online: Best Editorial or Commentary – Luis Mauro Queiroz Filho -Amilinda
Midwest Broadcast Journalism Association Eric Sevareid Awards •
Audio (use of sound) – Bethany Deyo
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Audio Feature – Terese Radke
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Team Multimedia Storytelling-News – Media Milwaukee staff
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Team Multimedia Storytelling-News – Media Milwaukee staff
Dr. Dilano Saldin, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics and Fellow of the American Physical Society, passed away in March 2020. Dr. Saldin received his bachelor’s degree in physics and his PhD in Materials from the University of Oxford. He worked at Oxford and Imperial College before being appointed to the faculty in the Physics Department at UWM in 1988. His career at the university spanned over three decades before he retired in 2019. During his time at UWM, Dr. Saldin led the Physics Department as assistant chair and then chair, and he also served as the director of
UWM’s Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence finalists: •
General news reporting – Kaitlyn Herzog
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Breaking news reporting – Jodie Filenius
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In-depth reporting – Jodie Filenius
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Online news reporting – Eddie Morales
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Online feature reporting – Matthew Cade
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Online feature reporting – Media Milwaukee staff
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Online in-depth reporting – Media Milwaukee staff
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Online/digital news videography – Sierra Trojan
the Laboratory for Surface Studies. He was appointed a Distinguished Professor in 2013. Dr. Saldin was also Executive Editor of Surface Review and Letters and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Holography and Speckle. For four decades, Dr. Saldin made pioneering contributions to condensed matter physics, biophysics, electron optics, and mathematics. These contributions resulted in two U.S. patents, an influential book on surface crystallography, and over 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers cited more than 3,000 times. For additional information, please see Dr. Saldin’s obituary online. College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 15
Photo by Jenna Hashek
