L&S 'Forward Under Forty' are movers, shakers

This year, 10 alumni of the College of Letters & Science were named Forward Under 40 honorees.

The award, given by the Wisconsin Alumni Association, honors UW grads under age 40 who are making an impact on the world by living the Wisconsin Idea.

The outstanding contributions by these young graduates are a reminder of the caliber of our alumni and a testament to the value of the liberal arts. 

Of the twelve honorees this year, ten graduated with liberal arts degrees. 

Congratulations to the L&S alumni!

Aaron Bishop ’94, ’95, MS’00
UW Major: Bacteriology, Genetics and Social Work
An adviser to Wyoming senator Michael Enzi, Bishop is a tireless advocate for Americans with disabilities and has shaped several laws aiding disabled people.

Phillip Chavez ’94, JD’98
UW Major: Political Science and Sociology; Law
A former Badger linebacker, Chavez is now the first elected Latino municipal court judge in Milwaukee’s history.

Jerry Halverson ’94, MD’99
UW Major: Psychology and Medicine
Now the medical director for adult services at Rogers Memorial Hospital, Halverson conducted research into new psychiatric therapies and interventions at UW-Madison.

Britt Lintner ’92
UW Major: Economics
Lintner, a London clothing designer, creates functional and fashionable apparel for professional women and has earned praise from Vogue and Marie Claire.

Brian Riedl ’98
UW Major: Political Science and Economics
Riedl is the lead federal budget analyst for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank, and he’s recognized as a national leader on tax and spending issues.

Elsworth Rockefeller MA’06
UW Major: Library and Information Studies
As the manager of children’s and teen services in the District of Columbia library system, Rockefeller writes an influential column that informs librarians around the country.

Angela Rose ’02
UW Major: Sociology
A survivor of sexual assault, Rose founded Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE) while an undergrad at UW-Madison. This grassroots organization now has chapters combating sexual assault in 55 cities and three countries.

Susanne Rust MS’99
UW Major: Physical Anthropology
Rust was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her work as an investigative reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Her articles revealed the presence of toxic substances in food containers.

Ahna Skop PhD’00
UW Major: Cellular and Molecular Biology
An assistant UW professor of genetics, Skop leads a lab that has expanded our understanding of cell division, and she’s an accomplished artist whose exhibits adorn campus buildings.

Nelson Tansu ’98, PhD’03
UW Major: Applied Math, Engineering and Physics
Tansu is the youngest tenured professor at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University, where his research focuses on nanotechnology, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources.

Category: College Updates
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Pawley publishes book examining role of public libraries

Christine Pawley, director of the School of Library and Information Studies, recently authored Reading Places: Literacy, Democracy, and the Public Library in Cold War America (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press), which will be available in June.
 
Reading Places examines the role of public libraries during a time of national anxiety, recounting the history of an experimental regional library service in the early 1950s, a story that has implications far beyond the two Wisconsin counties where it took place.

Using interviews and library records, Pawley reveals the book choices of ordinary individual readers, showing how local cultures of reading interacted with formal institutions to implement an official literacy policy.

Analyzing the history of tensions between various community groups, Pawley delineates the long-standing antagonisms arising from class, gender, and ethnic differences which contributed to a suspicion of official projects to expand education.

Relating a seemingly small story of library policy, she teases out the complex interaction of reading, locality, and cultural difference.

In so doing, she illuminates broader questions regarding libraries, literacy, and citizenship, reaching back to the nineteenth century and forward to the present day.

Category: Humanities & the Arts
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Stop by Helen C. White to celebrate Earth Week (April 19-23)

It's getting greener in Helen C. White Hall and you're invited to celebrate with us during Earth Week! 

Join us in front of College Library every day throughout Earth Week (April 19-23) to learn how Helen C. White Hall is contributing to the "Be the We" campus-wide energy conservation effort. 

Find out about the new building-wide recycling program and more and test your energy conservation knowledge! 

For Earth Day on April 22, enjoy free coffee in front of the library when you bring your own thermos or mug.  Coffee containers will also be available for purchase. 

Category: Humanities & the Arts
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Schools announce new double degree in music, librarianship

A double degree in music and library and information studies has been formalized between the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) and the School of Music.

This opportunity allows students to earn master's degrees in both disciplines while taking specialized courses including "Music Research Methods and Materials" and a course under development, "Music Librarianship."

Students will also complete a field project at UW’s Mills Music Library or another music library.

"We’re pleased to afford our students the opportunity to take advantage of two such accomplished schools," said SLIS Director Christine Pawley.

The program is open to current and incoming students.

For more information about the requirements, please visit: http://www.slis.wisc.edu/academics/SOM_SLISdegree.pdf

Category: Humanities & the Arts
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Grad students team up to create int'l Music Library Student Group

Graduate students Yi Hong Sim and Veronica Alzalde recently co-founded an international organization for students interested in music librarianship, the Music Library Student Group (MLSG).

The MLSG is a portal for music library students to participate in international discussions and to solicit advice while working in their local communities.

Sim is a current master’s student in the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) and Alzalde is an MA'09, Library & Information Studies graduate.  Both are also pursuing MAs in musicology.

The MLSG's vision is "Think Globally, Act Locally" — the hope is to provide a peer support network for current and prospective students interested in music librarianship as a career.

The organization went live in February and already has 40 North American members. MLSG's public face is a Google site where anyone can find information about MLSG's activities and browse member profiles.

The MLSG is supported by The Career Development & Services Committee of the Music Library Association (MLA). 

The group will also meet in person for the first time in March at the MLA conference. MLSG's relationship with the MLA is helping to bring career development support from professional librarians straight to students.

Category: Social Sciences
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'Cartonera Publishers' brings editors, writers, language and students together at UW

The conference Cartonera Publishers: Recycling Latin American Bookscapes took place on October 8th and 9th, 2009 in conjunction with the Wisconsin Book Festival and was a great success.

The event was the first reunion of editors from eight Cartonera publishing houses in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico and Chile culminating in the publishing of a manuscript called 'Akademia Cartonera: A Primer of Latin American Cartonera Publishers'.

The work includes eight manifestos written by the eight Cartonera publishing houses that attended the conference, a prologue explaining the reason for this book, an introduction, nine academic essays, an inventory of cartonera titles, and a bibliography. 

The cartonera publishing phenomenon began in Buenos Aires in 2003 and was spearheaded by writers and artists who were interested in reconfiguring the conditions in which literary art is produced and consumed. They came up with a progressive new publishing model that challenges and contests the neo-liberal political and economic hegemony.  

Prior to the conference a workshop took place during which attendees had the opportunity to create their own 'Cartonera'.
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Category: Area Studies
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Upcoming Conference: "Cartonera Publishers: Recycling Latin American Bookscapes" Oct. 8th-9th

In conjunction with the Wisconsin Book Festival, several campus programs are sponsoring a free conference open to the public: "Cartonera Publishers: Recycling Latin American Bookscapes."

The conference will bring guests from Latin and South America to UW-Madison October 8th-9th.

The conference is the first reunion of editors from eight Cartonera ("paper pickers press") publishing houses in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico and Chile.

The reunion and workshops will bring together the community of scholars and members of different Cartonera publishing projects.

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Category: Area Studies
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