If you were part of the Nelson Institute anytime in the past decade or so, chances are you’ve heard of — or perhaps attended — a Weston Roundtable Series lecture.
The Commons
Q & A: Meet Zac Freedman
“Can I just start by saying, I mean, this is a dream job for me!”
Ankur Desai Honored with Mid-Career Award
Ankur Desai, an affiliate of the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research and professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences (AOS) in the College of Letters and Science, was recently awarded the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) 2022 Joanne Simpson Medal for Mid-Career Scientists — one of the highest honors bestowed by AGU.
The Business of Forests
It was hard to keep Nelson Institute environmental observation informatics (EOI) MS grad Alex Ramos away from his hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada when the opportunity to turn his passion into a full-time career came knocking.
Living History
On June 20, 2022, a small flotilla could be seen off the southwest shoreline of Teewąąšikhomįik, He Who Lies There (English name, Lake Mendota). The air was still, as was the water, while the group …
Creating a Cleaner Future
Sustainability came into Ashok Sarkar PhD’97’s consciousness on a roof on a New Delhi summer night.
Sharing Credit Where Credit Is Due
When Robert Ribe was 17 years old, his mother handed him a book.
The Connector
Margaret Krome finds connections everywhere.
Wisconsin Communities Along Mississippi River at Risk from Climate Change
Mississippi River communities and habitats in Wisconsin are at risk due to the increasing variability in river flows caused by changes in precipitation, snow melt, storm intensity, and land use.
Leave No Trace
Every summer, typically at the start of August, downtown Madison’s sidewalks transform into junkyards — or, perhaps, thrift stores for the Hippie Christmas devout.
From the Catbird Seat
Megan’s special place was a tree. It was a big, old elm in Warner Park, where she spent the afternoons with Bird Buddies, her after-school group.
In the Shadow of the Old
“We’re building the new in the shadow of the old,” Keefe Keeley MS’14, PhD’21 mused as we meandered about the fields and woodlands of the Savanna Institute’s North Farm, five miles from Spring Green, Wisconsin.
New Faculty Q & A: Becky Larson
It’s a messy business, manure, but it’s one that Becky Larson tromps through with grace.
Making Freight Sustainable
Nelson Institute undergraduate student Zebulon Grove sees a hopeful future for sustainability in business practices.
Director’s Cut
I am writing to introduce myself as the new director of CHE. It is a very great privilege to take over responsibility for an organization that plays such a vibrant role in the life of …
Introducing: The Jim Miller Graduate Scholarship
“Water is fundamental to all life,” states the leading sentence on the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies’ water resources management (WRM) program website. It’s a short and simple sentence, but one whose importance cannot be …
Notaro Teaches AOS 100 Class
It was a summer of firsts for Nelson Institute Center for Climate Research Director and scientist Michael Notaro and the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Summer Collegiate Experience (SCE) program.
Fortifying Farmland
Anyone who’s driven through rural Wisconsin — or had their eye pressure checked — is familiar with the idyllic picture of the Midwest: a two-lane road between rolling pastures leading to a little red farmhouse.
EC and EOI Cohorts Finish 15-Month Programs
As summer comes to a close, so does the 2021–22 Environmental Conservation (EC) and Environmental Observation and Informatics (EOI) cohorts.
Heat Wave Warriors
Two Nelson PhD candidates are working to keep Wisconsin communities safe from heat waves.
UW–Madison Researchers Awarded $2.3 Million to Develop a Carbon-Negative Cement Replacement
The goal is a durable and versatile building material that permanently stores carbon dioxide through a process that pulls more carbon out of the air than is emitted.
UW-Madison Geography Students Share Appleton International Airport’s Sustainability Story
Geography 309 partnered with UniverCity Alliance to connect students with communities.
Assigned Reading: Ankur Desai
What does a weather and climate expert read for fun? Professor Ankur Desai shares his recommendations.
Great Lakes Coastal Communities and Ecology at Risk from Warming Climate
Climate change is stressing all ecosystems. Protecting coastal habitats and habitat restorations can build climate resiliency into our ecosystems.
EC Student Aspires to a Role in Conservation Planning Despite Facing Adversity
Nelson Institute environmental conservation (EC) master’s student Carrie Lovelace has persevered through some of life’s toughest challenges while completing her degree.