April 2018
GreenHouse program coordinator blends sustainability, student life
Alan Turnquist (second from left) with GreenHouse students at Leopold Residence Hall. Photo: Joel Ninmann
As the program coordinator for the UW-Madison GreenHouse Learning Community, Alan Turnquist engages students as they explore sustainability and agricultural systems through seminars and hands-on experiences that are integrated with residential life.

One of 10 residential learning communities on campus, GreenHouse is located in Leopold Residence Hall and connects students with the natural world around them. They explore hydroponic growing systems, perform independent experiments, and are even provided the opportunity to harvest crops at Eagle Heights Community Garden in the fall.

For Turnquist, the program administrator for the agroecology master's program, the experience leaves an indelible mark.

" Things that you get exposed to early on can have a big influence on what you do." Read more about GreenHouse at the UW-Madison News website.
Spring issue of Grow looks at the human gut, the possibility of precision medicine, and more

The spring issue of Grow magazine has arrived in mailboxes, and it's also available online in multiple formats. Feature stories include the following:
  • COVER STORY: Gut Dwellers--CALS scientists delve into the microbial communities in our digestive tracts - and their implications for our health.
  • A Precise Hope--With gene editing - and pigs - CALS scientists are developing a model for "precision medicine," the possibility of highly individualized treatment for patients living with the rare disease called NF1.
  • The Method Maker--Gerry Weiss (BS'67), a Grant County farmer, scientist, and permaculturist, recounts a lifetime of innovation and collaboration with CALS and UW-Extension.
A wide range of other content includes dairy-based switchel, farmer-to-farmer education, mongoose tracking in Puerto Rico, alumni in veterinary medicine, and more.

Also, the Final Exam--your chance to win a box of cheese from Babcock Hall--has a new look this time around. Can you ace the test?
UW-industry partnerships yield better solutions

In a column they co-authored, Kate VandenBosch, CALS Dean and Director, and Christoper P. Salm (BS'75), co-founder of Salm Partners in Denmark, Wisconsin, make the case for a tighter bond between UW-Madison and Wisconsin industry partners.

"W e have the ability to change the world by matching academic interest with a real need," they write.
Breakfast on the Farm - April 29

The 23rd Annual Breakfast on the Farm will be held Sunday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to noon in the UW-Madison Stock Pavilion. 

Hosted by the Association of Women in Agriculture, the event will feature a delicious, locally sourced breakfast and educational opportunities, entertainment, and a chance to meet Bucky. All proceeds will support the Rally to Fight Hunger.

Prices are $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and $3 for under five years old.

For more information, contact Alison Kennelly at akennelly@wisc.edu or (608) 636-4906.
Cakes make for delicious, approachable science outreach

For 14 years, Ahna Skop, a professor of genetics at UW-Madison, has baked a cake to celebrate each of her lab's academic publications and graduating students. She eschews your standard molds and garnishes, instead shaping and decorating each cake in the theme of her lab's latest findings on cell division.

"It's an easy way to engage with the public because everyone knows what a cake is," she says. Read more about Skop's delectable project.
Boundless Together: Family traces success to the UW

This month's Boundless Together entry features  Laura Delaney Roessler (BS'03), who went from a hometown of 1,000 to a flurry of opportunities at UW-Madison.

She was a housefellow and student leadership adviser in Kronshage Hall, worked at Frank's Place and the Large Animal Teaching Hospital, was on the staff of the summer engineering program for urban youth, and was a world-class curler.

After earning her biochemistry degree from UW-Madison, Roessler returned to her hometown of Trempealeau to help run the Elmaro Winery with her family. Today, it's a family affair, with her husband Todd handling marketing, her father Mark managing the vineyard, her brother Cameron running the tasting room, and her mother Lynita administering the operation.

As for Roessler herself, she's co-winemaker and helped Elmaro earn the 2016 Wisconsin Winery of the Year award from the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association. 

Even after returning home, Roessler enjoys her visits to Madison.

"Every time I go back to Madison, I feel that energy and warmth. You can't take the student out of you, no matter how old you get."
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