The Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy at UW-Madison was founded in 2002 by Prof. Bassam Z. Shakhashiri. Citizens must gain "science literacy."
Society is increasingly dependent on science and technology. It is essential for the well-being of our society that all citizens develop an appreciation of science, the benefits of technology, and the potential risks associated with advances in both. Science literacy does not require detailed knowledge of any particular field, but rather a broad appreciation and understanding of what science is ca
01/29/2026
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery congratulates Dr. Cassandra Leech from the Denu Lab, who was recently honored with the Wisconsin initiative for science literacy award for communicating PhD research to the public.
02/29/2024
Why do we have a leap year, anyway??
Blue Sky Science: What's the science behind leap year? Blue Sky Science is a weekly Q&A series that gives children and adults a forum to pose curiosity-driven, blue-sky questions about science. The public poses the…
10/14/2022
I spy with my little eye... Science is Fun!
Mural combining art, science unveiled at Wisconsin Institute for Discovery A new mural combining science and art was unveiled Wednesday at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at UW-Madison.
The fall colors are at their peak here in Madison! 🍃🍂🍁
Learn more about the changes taking place:
Tune into Wisconsin Public Radio's Larry Meiller show today at 11am for another appearance by Prof. Shakhashiri.
https://www.wpr.org/shows/science-update-importance-learning-about-science
04/09/2021
Science Expeditions is here!
Tonight Prof. Shakhashiri will talk about climate change at a special Friday edition of Wednesday Nite @ the Lab.
Saturday he will discuss the Joy of Science.
Details and more science fun here: science.wisc.edu/science-expeditions
2021 UW Science Expeditions – Campus Open House Join us for Science Expeditions - Campus Open House. Come explore UW-Madison - your public land-grant research university - and experience science as exploring the unknown. Talk with researchers, visit science venues across campus, enjoy our Science Spectacular Shows, and try your hand at our intera...
04/02/2021
The 2021 Science Expeditions is a week away! Check out all the great events, including two featuring Prof. Shakhashiri.
science.wisc.edu/science-expeditions
03/31/2021
In this week's featured home video experiment, learn how to make your own lava lamp!
Homemade Lava Lamp SCIENCE IS FUN's Amanda Spiewak demonstrates how to make a homemade lava lamp. Find more SCIENCE IS FUN at scifun.org
03/30/2021
SHARE this post with anyone who wants to do science at home! Celebrate the joy of science with Professor Bassam Shakhashiri of Initiative for Science Literacy and learn how to do home experiments safely. Kids of all ages are welcomed.
For even more events during Science Expeditions on April 9-11, visit http://science.wisc.edu/science-expeditions.
03/29/2021
It's been windy here in Madison the last few days!
Today's featured Home Experiment deals with the properties of moving air:
Experimenting with Bernoulli's Principle Have you ever said of someone who was talking too much, “He’s just an old windbag”? Actually, windbags can be fun (think balloons), and they allow us to learn about an important property of moving air called Bernoulli's Principle.
For this week's chemical, let's learn about carbon dioxide: one of the gases in our atmosphere.
03/25/2021
Spring means a lot of colorful candies are hitting the grocery store shelves.
This week's home video experiment uses candy!
Colorful Candy Designs SCIENCE IS FUN's Tom Kuntzleman uses colorful candies to make interesting designs.Find more SCIENCE IS FUN at scifun.org