Graduate students present information about their research projects to legislators and staff during UWñMadison Day at the Capitol, a University of WisconsinñMadison advocacy and outreach event held at the Wisconsin State Capitol on April 27, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UWñMadison)

UW-Madison Day at the Capitol

The annual UW–Madison Day at the Capitol highlights the amazing faculty, students, alumni and athletics at UW–Madison. UW–Madison is a national leader in research, which contributes to the state’s priorities including retention, graduation rates, workforce, and economic development. In addition to Wisconsin Alumni Association-hosted activities, several events sponsored by the UW–Madison Department of State Relations are held on this day, including the Graduate Research Showcase and Flash Talks with Faculty.

This year’s UW–Madison Day at the Capitol will be held on April 26, 2023. This event will be in-person.

Contact the State Relations staff for more information

Graduate Research Showcase

First Floor Rotunda
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

The UW–Madison graduate student and postdoctoral researchers will share their research with state legislators and legislative staff this spring as part of the annual UW–Madison Day at the Capitol on April 26, 2023.  This event will be fully in-person, consisting of poster presentations, the opportunity to meet with legislators, and a luncheon. This is an excellent opportunity for young researchers to present their work to a non-scientific audience and show legislators, staffers, and the public the cutting-edge research occurring on campus and why it is important to Wisconsinites.

If you have questions about the event, please email Chris Dade, CaSP co-President (cdade@wisc.edu) or Crystal Potts, Director of State Relations at UW–Madison (crystal.potts@wisc.edu).

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2023 Showcase Presenters

Barbara Alvarez
Abortion Access for Minors: A Mapping Project
Graduate Student, Information School

Angel Banuelos
How Are Early Blood Vessels in the Eye Stabilized?
Graduate Student, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Genetics

Joshua Brown, Ph.D.
College Students’ Social Identification: Issues and Suggestions from New Findings
Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Human Ecology

Tracy Campbell
Accounting for Nitrate in Irrigation Water Can Reduce Fertilizer Application Rate Substantially in the Wisconsin Central Sands
Graduate Student, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Agronomy

Ambar Carvallo
Tomato vs Septoria: Evaluation of Novel Genetic Markers for Disease Resistance
Graduate Student, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Plant Breeding and Genetics

Ashley Cate
The Status of Digital Divides in Wisconsin: An Analysis of What Is Being Done to Bridge the Divides and How Effective Those Efforts Are
Graduate Student, Program of Mass Communications

Joe Catudal
Toward Internet Photonic Sensing
Graduate Student, School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, Computer Sciences

Nick Ceccio
The Spy Devices and Device Detectors used in Intimate Partner Violence
Graduate Student, School of Computer, Data, & Information Sciences, Computer Security

Kuan-Yu Chen
Precision Farming: Printed Nitrate Sensing System for Nitrate Leaching Quantification
Graduate Student, College of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Evelyn Coker
Investing in Black Girls: The Key to Reducing System Involvement and Promoting Positive Outcomes
Graduate Student, Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, Social Welfare

Ray Czerwinski
Fluorescence Microscopy to Study Single Molecules
Graduate Student, College of Letters & Science, Chemistry

Tia Dorshorst, Stuart Berry, Michael Elbing
Rio EMS Department Recruitment and Retention
Graduate Student, School of Medicine and Pubic Health, Public Health

Benjamin Douglas
Bipartisan Approaches to Discussing Climate Policy
Graduate Student, College of Letters & Science, Psychology

Jacob Fiedler
Improved Dimension Bounds on Planar Distance Sets
Graduate Student, College of Letters & Science, Mathematics

Taqdeer Gill
Eye in the Sky: Predicting Crop Nutrient Status and Crop Yield
Graduate Student, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, Horticulture

Luis Gonzalez-Quizhpe
“Saraguro Runakunaka Wiñaypak Runakunami Kashunchik (We Will Always Be Saraguro)”: Reclaiming the Kichwa Language and Saraguro Identity in the Diaspora
Graduate Student, College of Letters & Science, Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies M.A. Program

Olivia Harwood
Toward a Functional Cure for HIV
Graduate Student, School of Medicine and Public Health, Cellular and Molecular Pathology Program

Austin Hall, Emma Eisenbraun, Natalia Rosario Meléndez, Madeleine Roberts, Chris Dade
Wisconsin’s Culture: Exploring the Historical and Economic Significance of Lactococcus lactis in the State
Graduate Students, Catalysts for Science Policy

Scott Hershberger
Growing Wisconsin’s Maple Syrup Industry by Understanding Hobbyist and Commercial Producers’ Outreach Needs
Graduate Student, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Life Sciences Communication M.S.

Rodrigo Ibarra
Barcoding Viruses to Study their Evolution: Quantifying Influenza Infection Dynamics
Graduate Student, School of Medicine and Public Health, Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program

Bryce Johnson
Developing new Medicines and Breaking Down Plastics with Artificial Intelligence
Graduate Student, School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences and Morgridge Institute for Research, Computer Science

DaWon Kim
Nanotechnology to Improve the Efficacy of Peptide-based Nanoparticles for Cancer Immunotherapy
Graduate Student, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Ph.D. Program

Jake Kruse
Spatial Interactions as the Basis of Communities of Interest in Redistricting
Graduate Student, College of Letters & Science, Geography

Paul Kuehnert
The Role of Microbes in GI Health
Graduate Student, School of Medicine and Public Health, Cellular and Molecular Pathology Program

Nicole Lane Starr, Ph.D.
Skin Microbes and Eczema
Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Medicine & Public Health, Pediatrics and Medical Microbiology & Immunology

Keke Long
Public Attitudes from Riders, Drivers, and Pedestrians Toward Autonomous Shuttles
Graduate Student, College of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ke Ma
Automated Vehicle Standard Evaluation System
Graduate Student, College of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Maitreyee Marathe
Electric Little Free Library
Graduate Student, College of Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Jarret Miles-Kroening
Transitioning to Organic Day-neutral Strawberry Production in the Upper Midwest
Graduate Student, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Horticulture

Jordan Murray
Cyanobacteria Harmful Algal Blooms: A Public Health Issue in Wisconsin’s Waters
Post Masters Fellow, UW Aquatic Sciences Center

Amy Neusaenger
Amorphous Drug-Polymer Salts: Maximizing Proton Transfer to Enhance Stability and Release of Global Health Medicines
Graduate Student, School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Ph.D. Program

Connor Protter
Nanomaterials for Agriculture and Plant Health
Graduate Student, College of Letters & Science, Chemistry

Jonathan Rebelsky
Searching for the Origins of Life in the Coldest Regions of Space
Graduate Student College of Letters & Science, Chemistry

Pedro Rojas-Barros
A Current Cranberry Industry Challenge: What Makes a Cranberry Fruit Good for Sweetened and Dried Cranberry (SDC) Production?
Graduate Student, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Horticulture

Aindrila Saha
Replicating Daylight Vision on a Dish
Graduate Student, School of Medicine and Public Health, Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program

Sam Schneider, Adam Riley, Stephanie Mertens, Ian O’Connor-Giles, Tyler Williams
Child Savings Accounts in Wisconsin: A Cost-Benefit Analysis
Graduate Students, La Follette School of Public Affairs

Sophie Stephenson
The Madison Tech Clinic: Combating Technology-Enabled Abuse in Our Community
Graduate Student, School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, Computer Sciences

Dharani Suresh Babu
Empowering Cranberry Growers: With Remote Sensing-Enabled Agricultural Intelligence
Graduate Student, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Horticulture

Junyi Tan
Harnessing Genomic Resources to Accelerate Cucumber Disease Resistance Breeding
Postdoctoral Fellow, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Horticulture

Mallory VanMeeter
Building the Village: Patterns of Informal Shared Housing Among Youth Facing Homelessness and the Factors that Contribute to Stability
Graduate Student, School of Human Ecology, Civil Society and Community Research Program

Aishwarya Veerabahu
The Midas Mushroom: the Invasion of Golden Oyster Mushrooms in the Midwest
Graduate Student, College of Letters & Science, Botany (Fungal Ecology focus)

Teja Venkatesa Perumal
Powering the Future: Carbon Conversion Technologies
Graduate Student, College of Engineering, Chemical Engineering

Jocelyn Woods
Tail Docking: Considering the Long and Short of It for Sheep Welfare
Graduate Student, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Animal and Dairy Sciences

Ziyan Wu
Reliable Detection and Characterization of Small Microplastics in Lake Water Using Raman Spectroscopy Coupled with Fractionated Membrane Filtration
Graduate Student, College of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Faculty Flash Talks

411 South, Wisconsin State Capitol
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Faculty Flash Talks are brief (10 min) showcases of the leading research by faculty from across the UW–Madison campus. Topics range from current events to major challenges directly impacting industries across Wisconsin, the U.S., and the world. Faculty Flash Talks are presented in partnership with UW Connects Badger Talks.

Badger Talks logo

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2023 Flash Talk Schedule

2:00

  • Tonya Roberts, PhD, RN – Associate Professor and Karen Frick Pridham Professor in Family-Centered Care
    Improving Nursing Home Quality: Optimizing Person-Centered Care                        

2:10

  • Cody J. Wenthur, PharmD, PhD – Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice & Translational Research, School of Pharmacy
    Development of Antibodies Against Synthetic Psychoactive Drugs

2:20

  • Yiwei Zhang, PhD – Assistant Professor of Consumer Science, School of Human Ecology
    Payday Lenders as Utility Payment Centers: Can Paying Down Bills Lead to Debt?

2:30     

  • Whitney Loo, PhD – Assistant Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering, College of Engineering                 
    Polymers for a Sustainable Future

2:40      

  • Diana Hammer – Community Resource Development Educator, Division of Extension & Johnnie Phiffer – Founder, I Am Balanced Wellness
    Entrepreneur in Training Partnership

2:50      

  • Andy Garbacz, PhD – Associate Professor of School Psychology, School of Education
    Promoting Youth Mental Health through Integrated Family-School-Community Partnerships

3:00      

  • Wisconsin Brass Quintet – Tom Curry; Mark Hetzler; Daniel Grabois; Jean Laurenz; & Oliver C. Smith                 
    Suite from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein (arr. by Jack Gale); Tonight – Maria – Americ

 BREAK

3:20      

  • Kassem Fawaz, PhD – Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
    Privacy in Today’s Online World: Is It Possible?

3:30      

  • Katie Eklund, PhD – Associate Professor of School Psychology, School of Education
    Addressing Children’s Mental Health Needs in Wisconsin Schools

3:40      

  • Charles Konsitzke – Team Lead, UW MIA Recovery and Identification Project
    UW MIA Recovery and Identification Project

3:50      

  • Chuck Nicholson, PhD – Associate Professor of Agriculture & Applied Economics, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
     Assessing and Addressing Barriers to Dairy Product Exports by Small- and Medium-Sized Wisconsin Manufacturers