In Focus Vol. 14, No. 1

College of Letters & Science

IN FOCUS

January 2024, Vol. 14, No. 1

With the push of a button...

A professor’s new book traces the history of buttons and switches, and how these simple devices have a big impact Pg. 6

Alums still thrilled by

Contents

What you need to know:

Feature Stories Alum reflect on their World Cup experience Alumna is a genetic counselor English prof pens new book on buttons Grad student studies ancient knitting technique UWM marks Winter Commencement Planetarium Update

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Published the first Tuesday of each month by the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Contact us at let-sci@uwm.edu L&S Dean: Scott Gronert In Focus Editor: Deanna Alba

Olivia McDaniel, a UWM communication alumna, and her sister, UWM alumna Chandler McDaniel, played on the Philippines National Team in the Women’s World Cup in 2023.

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The McDaniel sisters reflect on their games on the world stage and discuss their start in soccer.

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The Philippine women’s soccer team fell just short of qualifying for the Olympics in 2024.

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Columns In the Media Upcoming Events Alumni Accomplishments Video Stories Passings

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Olivia McDaniel admits she was pretty nervous when she stepped into goal for her World Cup match in July.

“It was a really huge field and there was all the hype, but the minute you step on the field you think, ‘It’s just soccer, it’s just another game.’”

McDaniel and her sister, Chandler, both 2020 UWM alumnae, helped make soccer history for the Philippines women’s soccer team in this summer’s World Cup. Their mother, Lindy, is Filipina, which made them eligible for the national team.

The McDaniel sisters, who both played soccer for UWM, helped the Philippines team qualify for the World Cup for the first time. Then, goalie Olivia became a star in the team’s first-ever World Cup victory with a 1-0 victory over co-host New Zealand on July 25. She made a spectacular save on a shot near the end of the game that would have tied the score. McDaniel was named player of the game, the first time that award was given to a goalkeeper at this year’s World Cup. It was amazing that the Philippines made the World Cup; it was stunning to win a match there. While the team didn’t advance, the McDaniel sisters were thrilled to have the experience on the world soccer stage at one of the largest events in sports.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Chandler said. “It was surreal. Every little soccer player dreams of growing up and playing in the World Cup. It was just a terrific experience overall.”

Starting as ‘little littles’

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Olivia and Chandler started playing soccer as “little littles” growing up in California, Olivia recalled. “We’ve been playing for as long as we can remember.” Their dad, Clint, is a soccer coach, and their brother, Griffin, also plays soccer.

‘once-in-a-lifetime’ World Cup experience Their mom got them involved with Philippine soccer through camps. Her parents had come to the U.S. when they were young, passing on their dual citizenship to their daughter Lindy and ultimately their grandchildren.

Chandler and Olivia grew up attending soccer camps and tournaments, and eventually ended up playing college soccer for UWM. Olivia played goal for the Panthers from 2016-19, part of successful four-year stretch in which the team went 62-9-8 overall. Chandler started all 19 games in 2018.

Olivia came to UWM first to pursue a degree in communication, and Chandler transferred to UWM after two years at Virginia Tech, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at UWM with a minor in psychology.

She didn’t know much about UWM when she came here, Olivia recalled, “but I ended up absolutely loving it.”

Olivia (No. 1) and Chandler (No. 10) McDnaiel stand next to each other in a team photo.

(Photo courtesy of the Philippine Football Federation)

The sisters are proud of their Filipino heritage and thrilled they’ve been a part of helping the country, especially its young women, start to make its mark in the sport. Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, but lags behind basketball, volleyball and others in the Philippines.

“Growing up, we knew about our heritage through our mother, grandparents, cousins and extended family,” Chandler said. “We’re very proud to be able to shine a light on the country.”

The World Cup appearance and the first-ever win was a victory for the whole team, Olivia said.

“We got to play for our country, and that was just amazing. We had a really good mindset. We wanted to do it for the country.”

Trying for the Olympics More recently, the McDaniel sisters helped the Philippines try to make another huge leap – qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

That’s a much more difficult task – 32 teams qualify for the World Cup, but only 12 make it to the Olympics.

Olivia and Chandler McDaniel embrace after their World Cup match vs. Norway.

The Philippines team cruised through the first round of qualifying in January with three victories, advancing to the second round in Perth, Australia, in late October.

With Olivia in goal on Oct. 26, Chandler came off the bench in the 86th minute and scored her fifth international goal, capping the Philippines’ 4-1 win over Chinese Taipei (Taiwan). The team also beat Iran, 1-0, but lost to powerhouse Australia, 8-0.

That left the Philippines agonizingly short of advancing to the final round, losing out to Uzbekistan on a tiebreaker.

The team’s success this year pushed the Philippine team’s ranking into the top 40 in the world, its highest ever.

The McDaniel sisters’ futures include more soccer. Both have signed to play with the Austrian team FC Pinzgau Saalfelden.

“For now, we just want to play for as long as possible, Olivia said. “It depends on our bodies and how long we can do it. We prefer to be together, so we’d like to be on the same club team for as long as possible. Maybe in the next four years we’ll try to compete in another World Cup.”

By Kathy Quirk, Marketing & Communications

College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 3

Biology alum helps people pl What you need to know: •

Susan Manley, now the Senior Vice President of Medical Service at Myriad Genetics, a company that provides genetic testing for a variety of conditions.

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Manley became interested in genetics thanks one of her UWM professors.

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Manley discusses how to have difficult conversations about your family’s health history so you can better plan for your future.

Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutation on the hemoglobin beta gene. A child can inherit cystic fibrosis if both parents are carriers of the recessive CFTR gene. Carriers of the BRCA1 or 2 genes are at increased risk of developing breast cancer.

If your family has any history of health problems, it can he be helpful to speak with a genetic counselor.

“A genetic counselor is a health care provider,” Susan Manley explained. “Genetic counselors talk with and evaluate patients, look at their family history, and look for evidence of inherited genetic conditions in the family history. They help them understand what their risk may be for that condition, and then offer and explore genetic testing.”

Anyone can speak with a genetic counselor, but counselors most often work with patients who have genetic disorders, expectant parents who want to understand their child’s genetic risk factors, and patients who are at risk for diseases that may have a genetic component, like cancer or cardiovascular disease.

For Manley, a UWM alumna who majored in biology, being a genetic counselor has been a rewarding career because she’s been able to combine her love of science with her love of working with people. But these days, she’s much more than a genetic counselor: She’s the Senior Vice President of Medical Services at Myriad Genetics, a company that develops and sells genetic tests for a, well, myriad of genetic conditions. Myriad is also credited with discovering the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.

In her role, Manley leads Myriad’s centralized medical support for all of the products the company offers. She oversees a team of 69 genetic counselors who work with patients and healthcare providers.

Manley started her science journey in Lapham Hall, where she worked for then-Professor Ruth Phillips. Manley took the job because it was part of her financial aid package, but she found a love of science in Dr. Phillips’ lab. Her favorite job was feeding the fish that Phillips studied. They lived in huge tanks in the basement of Lapham Hall, and Manley used to deliver their food before she went out on the town with friends on Friday nights.

As she grew closer with Phillips, Manley began to learn more lab procedures and was even included on some of Phillips’ publications. But she found her true calling when she decided to take a human genetics course with Phillips.

“I took it because I loved her, and I thought, well, she’s not going to fail me out of a class,” Manley joked.

“But I loved it. It combined … biology and human health and being able to observe things, think critically about them, and understand the impact they had on people.”

With her interest in genetics, several career options lay before Manley, but after doing a job-shadow with some geneticists at Children’s Hospital, she decided to become a genetic counselor. She earned her Master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati and was almost immediately hired by Myriad Genetics upon graduating. At the time, about 28 years ago, the company was a small genetic research firm and had just publicized its discovery of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

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lan for the future as a genetic counselor A New Year’s resolution? Talk about your health history As the new year rolls around, many people are making resolutions to eat better, exercise, and pay more attention to their health. But it might be wise to make a resolution to learn more about your family’s health history, too.

As the Senior Vice President of Myriad Genetics, Susan Manley knows better than most that understanding your family’s health history is vital to understanding your own health. By learning about what conditions may run in your family and then sharing that information with your health care provider, you can begin to plan for any health concerns that may arise in the future.

But, she notes, starting these types of conversations can be a daunting task. Many people do not want to dredge up painful memories of a loved one’s illness, or pry into someone’s private history.

noting, alongside genetic diseases like Huntington’s disease or cystic fibrosis.

But Manley says you should also take note of other, more mundane health concerns.

“Glaucoma, or early hearing or vision loss would be something that’s interesting. From Susan Manley a reproductive health standpoint, multiple miscarriages or stillbirth, any kind of childhood condition, is interesting to know too,” Manley said.

So, Manley says to approach the conversation from a position of care. There’s no need to ask for details about a family member’s sickness; instead, focus on what health issue was diagnosed and the age at which the family member received their diagnosis. That’s what Manley does when she performs duties as a genetic counselor. Just like a show dog or a race horse, genetic counselors can work up “pedigrees” for their patients, although these pedigrees focus more on family health histories than lineages.

Manley adds that just because your family may have a history of certain health issues does not mean that you yourself are at risk for inheriting these issues.

There are a variety of conditions that people should ask about when they speak with their families. Cancer is an obvious one, since many cancers have a genetic component. A history of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease is also worth

Armed with knowledge about family health history, Manley says that people can begin to take charge of their own health, weigh their risk factors, and decide if they want to make any lifestyle changes or try medications to mitigate their risks.

As Myriad wanted to branch out into manufacturing and selling genetic tests, they needed a genetic counselor who could advise them on how to market the tests and communicate with health care providers and patients about what the results meant. Manley signed on when the company had less than 50 employees.

It’s about working with people to help them make good decisions, whether you do that one-on-one as a genetic counselor, or you help your managers and employees do their best,” she said.

Today, Myriad is an international company with over 2,000 employees. As the organization grew, so did Manley’s responsibilities. She transitioned into a job as a sales representative, where she eventually was in charge of the eastern seaboard region. She earned an MBA and was later promoted to her current position. Though she’s no longer “just” a genetic counselor, Manley doesn’t think her job has changed too much.

“I went into genetic counseling because the science was fascinating, but I really wanted to work with people.

“You may have three generations of women … who have had breast cancer. You probably already know you’re at risk for breast cancer – but maybe you’re not,” Manley said. “If there’s a gene there causing cancer and you’re lucky and you didn’t inherit it, your risk could be lower.”

She credits UWM with helping her start on the path to success.

“UWM holds a very special place in my heart, and I had such a good experience there. I entered without a plan and left with everything I needed to be successful for the next three decades,” Manley reflected. “It’s because of UWM and Ruth Phillips.”

After all, a good counselor, genetic or otherwise, can make all the difference.

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 5

The push of a button, the flip of a s explores the big impact of these sim What you need to know: •

UWM English professor Jason Puskar’s new book examines the history of buttons and binary switches and their impact on society.

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His book delves into the origins of each word, the evolution of buttons and switches, how children use these devices, the nuclear button, and more.

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Puskar’s book urges its audience to consider how these devices have changed us. Though buttons and switches have made life undeniably easier, are there costs to convenience?

To read this article, chances are you had to first press a button to turn your computer on. You may have double-clicked your mouse button to open a web browser, pressed keyboard buttons to type your email password, and clicked the mouse again to open the link to this story.

How many buttons did you press to be able to read these words? How many buttons do you press in a single day?

“I counted one day, and I pushed 30,000 buttons or switches in a single day,” said Jason Puskar, a UWM professor of English and the author of the new book, The Switch: An Off and on History of Digital Humans. The book, published earlier this year, traces the history of buttons and switches and the enormous impact these simple devices have had on humanity.

The book covers an eclectic range of subjects. Puskar admits that it’s impossible to write a truly comprehensive history of buttons and switches; they’re too ubiquitous. But, he said, he enjoyed “following his nose” to find subjects for different sections of his book. From determining the origin of our terminology for switching; to exploring childhood play with buttons; to tracing the histories of keyboard keys, remote controls, and the nuclear button, Puskar’s work asks his audience to think about how these gadgets have shaped humanity’s lens of the world.

Here are some of the things you should know about Puskar’s book, buttons, and binary switches.

1. Where do the words come from?

Puskar is an English professor, so naturally, he started the book with the definition of the words.

You could argue – and Puskar does in his book – that buttons and switches have been in use since the days of the ancient Greeks. But our modern term “button” hails from the days of the telegraph. It was then that people first began to use the term to refer to a piece of technology, rather than just as a clothing fastener.

“It was borrowed from the French word bouton, which (means) something that ‘butts out,’” Puskar explained. “It could be a little hook, a decorative end of a curtain rod. Eventually, those things that butt out started to get used in more mechanically interactive ways.

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switch: English professor’s book mple devices “Some of the earliest uses of the word ‘button’ in English were applied to the key of a telegraph … mostly by journalists, who were trying to explain this strange new thing that was actually an electrical contact switch.”

Switches themselves, Puskar added, got their name from railroad switch tracks.

“On the track itself, you have two positions: Right or left. There’s no ‘in the middle,’” Puskar said. “A light switch is like that. You can have it on or off. It’s a strictly binary system.”

2. The binary has impacted how humans view the world.

That binary is important, Puskar argues. You can think of the world in terms of digital or analog; black and white versus shades of gray.

“Binary code long predates computers. It was really the mid-19th century when Westerners started transforming what used to be analog activities,” Puskar noted.

“We’ve grown that so tremendously all through our culture that it’s hard to fathom a time when we didn’t do that.”

He likes to use an example, especially appropriate in the winter months: How do you heat your living space? You used to have to perform a series of analog actions.

First you had to retrieve firewood, chop and stack it, and ensure it was properly dried. Then you had to bring the wood into your home, arrange it in the fireplace or stove, and ignite it.

“But now when I heat my house, I walk over to a little box on the wall and I push a button. Up it goes, one degree,” Puskar said. “All of that analog messiness … is gone.

“For me,” he added, “all of this has the effect of aggrandizing ourselves as successful individuals who are powerful and capable. I want to raise the heat in my house? Bam, I just heated my house. I did it effortlessly and instantaneously.”

3. The baddest button of them all is the nuclear button.

With the flip of a switch, we can bring light to the darkness. With the press of a button, we can heat our home, cook our food, or call someone on the other side of UWM English professor Jason Puskar’s new book explores the world. With the pull of a trigger, a kind of proto-switch, we can fire a gun, or a bomb, or an intercontinental ballistic missile. the history of buttons and switches.

“By the last section of the book, we’re looking at power taken to such an extreme it’s more like mastery or domination,” Puskar said. “The nuclear button is kind of the endpoint of that. It’s the gun you can fire only once.”

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College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 7

Buttons and switches Continued from Page 7

Of course, launching a nuclear warhead can’t be accomplished by pressing a single button; there are a multitude of safeguards in place to prevent mass destruction. But Puskar’s point is that pushing a button has become so easy for humanity that we’ve perhaps forgotten the limits of our own power. People have come to rely on buttons to the point that there is an “enfeebling that happens alongside empowering,” Puskar said.

The thermostat from our earlier example warms the house when Puskar presses a button, but only so long as the thermostat is working properly, or the furnace isn’t broken, or the power company is providing energy to his home.

We’re only powerful as long as the button works when we press it.

“That’s what we conceal from ourselves, behind the walls, down in the basement, and at the power plant,” Puskar said. “It feels like I raised the temperature one degree with the touch of my magic finger, because I no longer see the stack of wood or the people who cut it.”

4. It’s fun to push buttons. We’ve been doing it since we were kids.

One thing Puskar hopes his audience takes away is a greater sense of how buttons have become great equalizers – and the consequences of that equality. After all, everyone knows how to push a button, even children.

One of the reasons that Puskar was inspired to write this book was because his young children, like most kids their age, are button enthusiasts. “My wife used to take them out to the car for ‘Button Day,’ and they got to push and switch and do whatever they wanted until they were exhausted,” Puskar joked.

But that started him thinking about how pressing buttons and flipping switches has widespread appeal for children.

In fact, pushing buttons is a formative experience for all humans. Most of us knew how to press a button before we could even speak as infants.

But that makes sense, Puskar argues. Children show they want things by pointing at them, and then an attentive mother will bring it to them. We push buttons with much the same gesture, by pointing with our finger and pressing.

And lo and behold, an attentive motherboard brings us what we want.

The Switch: An Off and on History of Digital Humans is available on Amazon, through the University of Minnesota Press, at Boswell Books, and other booksellers.

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science 8 • IN FOCUS • January, 2024

Cross-knit across researches ancien What you need to know: •

Grad student Katie Cianciola studies ancient textiles. For her thesis, she examined fabrics from the Milwaukee Public Museum’s Nazca collection.

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The Nazca civilization is known for a unique crafting technique called crossknit looping.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Nazca people lived on the southern coast of Peru, close to the shore of the ocean on one side and bordered by a desert on the other. They were a farming people who relied on agriculture and sophisticated irrigation techniques to help their civilization thrive. They were also skilled potters and weavers, creating beautiful fabrics with intricate decorations.

It’s those fabrics that Katie Cianciola is interested in.

“I’m interested in textiles, specifically … and what those can tells us about the culture that made them, whether it’s through the symbolism in (the designs) or the craftsmanship and what makes that unique,” Cianciola explained.

Cianciola graduated in from UW-Milwaukee in December with a Master’s degree in anthropology and a certificate in Museum Studies. For her thesis work, she studied fragments of fabric left behind from the Nazca, scraps that are literally thousands of years old. She is working with the Milwaukee Public Museum to analyze their Peruvian textiles collection, an involved process that includes studying the cloth to learn more about its designs and how it was made; determining where the artifact came from and how it arrived at the Museum; and making inferences about the Nazca people based on the remnants they left behind.

On any given day, Cianciola may be counting the number of stitches in a swath of cloth or trying to fit scraps together like puzzle pieces so she can guess how the fragments may have been associated with one another.

She’s also looking at the bigger picture: Where did the garments come from, and how were they used? Were they clothing for funerals or ceremonies? Or were they worn every day?

The answers to these questions are important, said Cianciola, and not just for knitting or textile nerds like

s history: Museum Studies student nt textiles herself. By studying these aspects of ancient cultures, researchers gain a better understanding of how civilizations like the Nazca operated, grew, and adapted over time.

One of the more fascinating features of the textiles that Cianciola is studying is the intricate decorations stitched at the edges of the garments. They’re made by a technique called “cross knit looping.”

“This technique was primarily associated with the Nazca culture in Peru,” Cianciola said. “It’s not knitting, but it’s something similar in that (they) probably used only a single needle to loop the thread into itself in rows and columns.

Researchers think they used a single needle because (double) knitting needles haven’t been found in Peruvian contexts.”

UWM anthropology and museum studies student Katie Cianciola graduated in December with her Master’s degree. Her thesis focused on ancient Peruvian textiles. Photo courtesy of Katie Cianciola.

The needles used to make these decorative loops appear to be actual cactus needles, she added. Cactus thorns have been discovered in Nazca sewing kits.

The Nazca used cross knit looping to make all sorts of decorations for their clothing. Cianciola has studied fabrics stitched with birds or flowers that seem as though they would dangle from the hems. Some are decorated with figures that look human. She’s heard of other collections featuring different decorative animals like bees.

By studying the stitching, Cianciola, historians, and artisans can understand how these garments were made.

“I know there have been different workshops in Perus where the people there are recreating this technique or sharing how they’re creating textiles,” Cianciola said. “Communities are still involved (in creating) textiles and learning about it that way. I think it’s really important.”

An example of cross-knit looping in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Nazca textiles collection. Photo courtesy of Katie Cianciola.

Many artifacts, including items from Nazca archaeological sites, have been looted over the years, she explained. If the artifacts can’t be immediately repatriated, at least Peruvian people are still able to learn about Nazca history through the actual craft.

Cianciola hopes that her experience in the Milwaukee Public Museum will help her land a job as a curator or registrar.

She enjoys the field work of anthropology – scouting for artifacts on archaeological dig sites – but museum work lets her delve into the analysis and research that she loves.

“I really like getting to care for objects and make sure that they’re available and accessible to people interested in researching them,” she explained. “I’ve definitely enjoyed my time here in the Museum Studies program.”

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science

College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 9

Congratulations, graduates!

On Dec. 17, more than 2,000 graduates from the Class of 2023 received their diplomas at UW-Milwaukee’s Winter Commencement Ceremony. We are proud to congratulate all of our new alumni, especially those who graduated from the College of Letters & Science! We wish them the best as they begin a new journey beyond UWM’s campus.

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Top left: Chancellor Mark Mone gives his remarks to the UWM graduates and guests.

Top right: Click this image to view the video of the UWM Winter Commencement.

Bottom left: Hear advice from recent graduates in this video. Bottom right: JaSean Tyson gives a smile after receiving his degree. (UWM Photos/Troye Fox)

Letters & Science recognizes Honors students The College of Letters & Science held its Honors Commencement on Dec. 11, 2023, to recognize those soon-to-be-graduates who earned extra distinction through their academic rigor. Students were presented with their Honors Certificates and cords to wear at UW-Milwaukee’s Winter Commencement. The ceremony, led by Letters & Science Dean Scott Gronert, included student speakers and invited family and friends to support the students.

Congratulations to our Honors graduates!

Top left: Letters & Science Dean Scott Gronert speaks to the audience at the L&S Honors Commencement Ceremony. Top Right: A student and her family member smile together. Bottom left: Students and family members gathered for the Letters & Science Honors Commencement Ceremony. Bottom right: Guests enjoy refreshments.

College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 11

An update from the Planetarium With the 100-year anniversary of the invention of the Planetarium, a famous astronaut visiting the UWM campus, and a partial solar eclipse, this fall semester has been truly stellar at the UWM Planetarium.

To celebrate the centennial of the first planetarium projector built, the Planetarium team hosted a party in October with more than 150 people who came to celebrate with UWM. Student staff members described it as “such a moment of comradery of space lovers all around.”

During her Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 10, Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space, shared her career milestones and what she sees for the future of humanity. Viewers described her as a “hero with an inspiring outlook of humanitarian needs.” Meeting her was a dream come true for Planetarium director Dr. Jean Creighton.

Wisconsin weather does not stop the hardy folks at the Planetarium. Even though it was a cloudy day, dozens of people watched the solar eclipse on Oct. 14 live from NASA in one of the lecture halls. Planetarium presenter Jack Koshkin, who ran the live stream, said, “At the moment of totality, everyone cheered, and it was such a heartwarming response.” A TV crew interviewed one of our Planetarium staff members, Autumn Carroll,

helping the Planetarium staff share the excitement of the eclipse with viewers in the southeast Wisconsin area.

The Planetarium staff wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support of campus partners. The UWM College of Letters & Science provided the Planetarium with the funding to purchase 10,000 solar eclipse glasses, which were handed out at the Planetarium and other venues for people to safely see the eclipse wherever they were. In addition, Physics professor Philip Chang secured funding from the National Science Foundation for both eclipses, including the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse. Don’t miss Planetarium events before and during April. You will have to wait until 2044 before we see another eclipse in this region.

Courtesy of the UWM Planetarium Top: Planetarium guests use special glasses to protect their eyes as they viewed the solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023.

Second: Planetarium staff member Autumn Carroll speaks with a CBS 58 News crew about the solar eclipse.

Third: Planetarium staff celebrated the 100th anniversary of the invention of the first planetarium projector this year.

Fourth: A crowd gathers to hear Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space on Oct. 10.

Photos courtesy of the UWM Planetarium.

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College of Letters & Science • UW–Milwaukee • 13

In the Media and Around the Community Rachel Baum (Jewish Studies) penned an article for the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle exploring the nature of grief and pain across cultures.

There are some obstacles to finding charging stations for electric vehicles in Wisconsin. Itziar Lazkano (Economics) explained the legislative fight in Madison over charging stations on a segment for Fox 6 News.

“Silent films were never silent,” Tami Williams (Film Studies) said on WUWM Radio in a piece highlighting a collaboration between filmmakers and musicians to create soundtracks for silent films at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

Jean Creighton (Planetarium) spoke on HITC.com of the changes Earth can expect to see in 50 billion years as the moon slowly moves away from the Earth. She discussed December’s Geminid meteor showers on CBS 58 News and spoke about nebulas on WUWM Radio.

Did you know Wisconsin used to be the home of mammoths and giant jellyfish? Victoria McCoy (Geosciences) spoke with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the fascinating animals that lived in prehistoric Wisconsin.

Increasing childcare costs are one reason that more fathers are becoming stay-at-home-parents, Noelle Chesley (Sociology) explained in a Yahoo! News article.

As cannabis use becomes legal in more places, Krista Lisdahl (Psychology) worries about its impact on teenage brains. She voiced her concerns in an article published by Nature.

Caregiver showers, in the same vein as baby or wedding showers, aren’t a thing, but Anne Basting (English) thinks they should be. An article in the Star Tribune detailed a performance piece by Basting imagining if becoming a caregiver were celebrated like other important life milestones.

14 • IN FOCUS • January, 2024

A columnist consulted Michael Mirer (Communication) about the ethics of sports journalism and sports betting and used his advice in a piece published by Nieman Lab. Though voters remain disapproving of President Biden’s economic record, Rebecca Neumann (Economics) told CBS 58 News that by the numbers the economy is doing quite well. CBS 58 spoke with Neumann again following President Biden’s visit to Milwaukee in December, asking her about the impact of inflation on Wisconsinites.

Fewer women choose work in the field of physics than they do in biology. Attributing the disparity to the women’s personal choice ignores how those choices are shaped by gender processes, according to a new study co-authored

by Esther Chan (Sociology). Rice University reported on the work.

What is the micronation of Talossa? Undergraduate student Benjamin Herrenbruck (Conservation & Environmental Science) explained the concept of the fictious state, based in Milwaukee, to CBS 58 News.

Cary Costello (Sociology) will serve as a panelist for the discussion on “Gender Identity and Expression through Clothing” following the play Little Women at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in January.

The Wisconsin Muslim Journal highlighted UWM’s Arabic program in an article that featured undergraduate students Ayah Naji (Psychology) and David VandeWettering (Religious Studies). The article also explores the personal and professional lives of Arabic program co-coordinators, Khuloud Labanieh and Fahed Masalkhi, who are also husband and wife.

In a roundup of their favorite stories from 2023, one Wisconsin Public Radio journalist highlighted an interview with Rafael Rodríguez (Biological Sciences) about his research into spider behavior.

Upcoming Events Recurring January events Art Works: Recent Donations to the UWM Art Collection. Emile H. Mathis Art Gallery. Art Works places the spotlight on curation and research practices at the UWM Art Collection and Emile H. Mathis Art Gallery.

Exhibits run Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. through Feb. 8, 2024.

Jan. 13

UWM Planetarium Open House. 1-3 p.m. Manfred Olson Planetarium. Celebrate the Planetarium’s 58th anniversary with free cake plus a live, indoor presentation and stargazing show. Shows run every half hour. No registration required. Free and open to the public.

Jan 20, 27

Planetarium Show – Solar System Expedition. 2-3 p.m.

Manfred Olson Planetarium. A special matinee program takes audiences on an interactive tour of our cosmic neighborhood, the solar system. Not intended for children under 4. Tickets are $6. Show runs Saturdays from Jan. 20-Feb. 17.

Video Stories

Alumni Accomplishments Anthony Brown (‘08, BA Political Science; ‘11, Master of Public Administration) took over as the city administrator of Waukesha, Wisconsin, in November, where he is working to form relationships with the city’s officials and stakeholders. He is also in charge of leading the city’s strategic plan. Brown was previously the village administrator of Port Washington, Wisconsin. He was recently profiled in the Waukesha Freeman.

Jonathan Adashek (’96, BA Political Science) was named the inaugural winner of the 2023 David Finn Award.

Sponsored by Ruder Finn and PRWeek, the award honors an individual applying forward-thinking leadership and mentorship and who uses communications to make a positive change in the world. Adashek is the Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications and Chief Communications Officer for IBM.

Passings John Hagedorn, an activist, educator, and UWM alumnus, passed away Oct. 31 at the age of 76. He is remembered as a champion for civil and human rights and racial justice.

What is your favorite holiday movie?

Pounce probably has it covered.

Hagedorn was a three-time graduate of UWM. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in education in 1985; his Master’s in sociology in 1987; and his PhD in Urban John Hagedorn Studies in 1993. He was once the main researcher at UWM’s Urban Research Center.

UWM’s holiday video, featuring Pounce in a series of homages to classic holiday films, received a nod from the Inside Higher Ed’s round up of college and university holiday videos!

Hagedorn spent his career as a professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago in the Department of Criminology, Law & Justice department. He wrote several books on gang culture, and ran Milwaukee’s first gang diversion program starting in 1980. He was also a crusader for civil and human rights and participated in many protests for justice.

Check out the article here and watch UWM’s video here.

A celebration of Hagedorn’s life will be held on Jan. 6. For more information please view Hagedorn’s remembrance in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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