Wisconsin Institute for Discovery

09/03/2026

WID alumna Martel DenHartog, along with Sarah Miller and WID Director Jo Handelsman, recently published a Perspective in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education examining how the Tiny Earth Summer Research Course can expand access to research for students at two-year colleges. The article describes how the cohort-based program builds on the Tiny Earth curriculum to give students hands-on university research experience, strengthen scientific and workforce skills, and foster a greater sense of belonging in STEM. The authors also share lessons from the program and considerations for institutions interested in developing similar research experiences.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rising threat to public health (1) and agriculture (2, 3). To address AMR for human, plant, and animal health, we need a diverse and skilled scientific workforce, and new approaches to antimicrobial discovery. This workforce must be able to develop creative soluti...

09/03/2026

The Center for Healthy Minds and the Lucida Project housed in the Handelsman Lab are collaborating to use real‑time signals from your daily devices and body to predict who may benefit from mental health interventions – within days and even hours.

What if there were a more timely, nimble and accurate way to measure people’s mental wellbeing to understand when treatment starts working and for whom?

07/30/2026

Viruses evolve quickly, often finding ways to escape antiviral drugs. A new study led by WID undergraduate Shiv Muthupandiyan explores whether new antiviral therapies could evolve alongside them. The research focuses on defective interfering particles, or DIPs, mutant viral particles that act as parasites of viruses. DIPs cannot reproduce on their own, so they use a virus’s replication machinery and consume resources inside infected cells, slowing viral growth. By modeling how viruses and DIPs adapt to one another over time, the study offers a new way to think about antiviral therapies that may be better able to resist viral escape.

Shriv Muthupandiyan Viruses have parasites of their own, and those tiny hitchhikers may help determine how viruses change, survive and respond to treatment. Undergraduate researcher Shiv Muthupandiyan of the John Yin Lab at

07/17/2026

Krishanu Saha, a Wisconsin Institute for Discovery faculty member and professor of biomedical engineering at UW–Madison, was featured in a recent Scientific American article examining the scientific and ethical questions surrounding gene editing in human embryos.

The article reports on a study in which researchers used base editing to alter two genomic sites in human embryos that were not intended for pregnancy. Saha, who works with human stem cells and was not involved in the study, questioned whether the research had a clear therapeutic purpose.

Saha also cautioned that improved precision does not establish that embryo editing is ready for clinical use. While base editing may reduce some unintended changes to DNA, he emphasized that evaluating the true safety of heritable gene editing would require considering the health and well-being of children throughout their lives.

Eight years after a Chinese scientist's report of gene-edited babies shocked the world, U.S. scientists reported editing embryos not meant for pregnancies using a more precise technique

07/09/2026

Calling all scientists, researchers, improv-enthusiasts, and communication-curious minds! The popular Sci-prov show, presented in partnership with , is bringing something new to campus...introducting Sci-prov: The Workshops! Attend one or all of this fall's workshop series, each focusing on a different aspect of communication. These FREE workshops are open to folks at any stage of their career - whether you're just starting out in science or have been in the biz for decades - there is always room to improve your communication skills, and what better way than through improv!
Summer filled up fast and space is limited so register NOW to secure your spot. Visit illuminatingdiscovery.wisc.edu/sci-prov to RSVP and learn more!

07/08/2026

The Indigenous Language Table is holding a special - every Wednesday is a Ho-Chunk only language table from 1:00-3:00 during the summer to September 2nd at Memorial Union. Location is in the in photo. Eeja hanįcakjawi!

07/07/2026

Raise your hand if you love chocolate! Delicious fact: According to Harvard Health, high-cocoa dark chocolate can boost brainpower. The flavonols and theobromine in cocoa increase blood flow and oxygen to the brain, helping you maintain concentration during difficult tasks, improve reaction times, and elevate your mood. 🍫

06/29/2026

One of humanity’s most enduring questions is also one of its biggest: how did life begin? Long before DNA, genes, or cells as we know them existed, how did life emerge from non-living chemical systems? One possible explanation lies in simple chemistry, which has the capacity to evolve and become more complex.

Microscopy image of vesicles One of humanity’s most enduring questions is also one of its biggest: how did life begin? Long before DNA, genes, or cells as we know them existed, how did life emerge

06/10/2026

Calling all scientists, researchers, improv-enthusiasts, and communication-curious minds! The popular Sci-prov show, presented in partnership with , is bringing something new to campus...introducting Sci-prov: The Workshops! Attend one or all of this summer's workshop series, each focusing on a different aspect of communication. These FREE workshops are open to folks at any stage of their career - whether you're just starting out in science or have been in the biz for decades - there is always room to improve your communication skills, and what better way than through improv!
Space is limited so register NOW to secure your spot. Visit illuminatingdiscovery.wisc.edu/sci-prov to RSVP and learn more!

06/08/2026

How cool is it that we offer improv classes from a Best in Madison nominee? Vote for Amalgam Madison magazine.com/BOM and check out our summer offerings: go.wisc.edu/wid-sci-prov

Check it out now!