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Breaking down Polish Film Festival Local products

barriers at Cinematheque at Arboretum

http://www.news.wisc.edu/wisweek November 17, 2010

Martin reflects
on Asia trip
Chancellor Biddy Martin recently returned
from a 12-day trip to Beijing, Hong Kong
and Taipei and reports that the university’s
presence and visibility in East Asia is con-
tinuing to grow stronger.
The UW-Madison delegation met with
Chinese education officials, numerous
universities, UW-Madison alumni and
officials of the Taiwanese government,
among other stops. As she returned to
Madison, Martin provided thoughts about
the trip. A full transcript follows.
Q: What were the best parts of the
November trip?
A: It is very difficult to choose. The
trip was an extraordinary learning experi-
ence and full of wonderful interactions.
Ultimately, the person-to-person inter-
actions and the relationships they help
build are most memorable and important.
The interest in UW-Madison and, in

Photo: Bryce Richter

particular, in the Wisconsin Idea opened
up unique opportunities for us — the
opportunities, for example, to spend time
Undergraduates and staff members from the GreenHouse Residential Learning Community make fresh apple cider in front of Cole Hall. in Beijing with China’s Vice Minister for
GreenHouse is the newest residential learning community on campus and is focused on advancing sustainability in a broadly encompassing way. Higher Education Hao Ping, with Deputy
Secretary General of State Wang with

New GreenHouse for sustainability nurtures community
By Jill Sakai
jasakai@wisc.edu
Though enticing, the food spread across the
tables is only part of the point of this meal.
The two dozen students at this Global Food
for Thought dinner are here to feed their
minds as well as their stomachs.
Organized by GreenHouse, a new
sustainability-themed residential learning
community (RLC), the dinner aims to give
students an international perspective — in
this case, using food as a medium, says
community and environmental sociology
professor Jack Kloppenburg.
The chef and a guest speaker are on
hand to talk about the social and cultural
context of the food and issues relevant to a
particular part of the world. Tonight’s menu
includes spinach pie, Marrakech chicken
and couscous, followed by a discussion
of environmental politics and water in the
Middle East.
“It’s up to us to help students engage and
understand the challenges facing them,
and prepare them to be citizens in a world
that is going to require that they help
things move toward sustainability,” says
Kloppenburg, who is faculty director of the
new community.
And that means a lot more than just recy-
cling and turning out the lights.
GreenHouse aims to advance sustain-
ability in a broadly encompassing way, says
Cal Bergman, who oversees the residential
learning communities and other academic
programs through University Housing. “For
some students it might be about living sus-
tainably with regard to energy conservation,
while other students may be thinking more
about food and food systems, engineer-
ing and building design, or social justice
issues,” he says.
GreenHouse opened this fall in Cole Hall,
becoming the seventh residential learning
community on campus. All seven got a
boost this year from the Madison Initiative
for Undergraduates (MIU), which now pro-
vides funds for a dedicated faculty director
and part-time academic program coordina-
tor for each community.
The MIU support is enabling University
Housing to solicit proposals for two addi-
tional RLCs on campus to open in 2012 and
2013. Bergman encourages any faculty or
staff on campus to submit a proposal to him
by Dec. 15, hoping to expand and diversify
the offerings available to students. “We put
something in motion with our Learning
Communities, and every year something
really unexpected and transformative hap-
pens because of it,” he says.
At GreenHouse, MIU funds are also being
to support three upperclassman interns. For
environmental justice intern Ashley Lee,
a senior community and environmental
sociology major, GreenHouse’s 46 residents
— mostly freshmen — are the payoff for
two years of planning with Kloppenburg,
Bergman and others.
“We’re not only educating our students
but educating those people they come in
contact with throughout their four years,”
she says. “They’ll create networks of sustain-
ability across areas of campus where they
didn’t already exist.”
In addition to living together, the stu-
dents have access to a variety of academic
and nonacademic programming, from
one-credit topical seminars on specific envi-
ronmental issues to cooking meals together
in the newly renovated kitchen in their
dorm.
“GreenHouse is about breaking students
free from a lecture hall where they sit and
listen to someone,” Kloppenburg says.
“We value experiential education: see it,
be it, do it. That’s worth more than all the
[PowerPoint] slides I could show.”
And what is more fundamentally experi-
ential than eating?
As the students dig into the meal, Chef
Sabi Atteyth describes his Midwestern
take on several traditional dishes, includ-
ing some he created to mimic dishes
from his childhood around the Eastern
Mediterranean — using local kale instead
of grape leaves, for example. He notes
that food is a good representation of the
sharing and spread of ideas between cul-
tures, with similar dishes distinguished by
unique regional ingredients and flavors.
“The more I learned, the more I found
that people all over have the same foods,”
he says, “they just call it something
different.”
Now there’s some food for thought.
the governors of Hielongjiang and Inner
Mongolia, and with representatives of
Wisconsin-based companies doing busi-
ness in China.
In Taiwan, our alumni welcomed us
with incredible warmth and generosity,
introducing us to Taiwan’s Vice President
Hsaio and to Premier Wu, with whom I
conversed for more than an hour. In Hong
Kong, key alumni took two evenings out
of their busy schedules to host dinners
for us and celebrate their ties to the uni-
versity as well as ours with them. And the
visit to Hong Kong University of Science
and Technology was spectacular. I loved
talking with alumni and academic coun-
terparts in each location about politics,
economics and culture.
In Beijing, we met the next generation
of world-class athletes interested in study-
ing at UW-Madison. Some of them joined
us at Cisco headquarters in Beijing for the
meeting, by TelePresence, with students,
faculty, and staff back in Madison. I will
always remember sitting across from
Steven Olikara and Jon Alfurth, looking
them in the eye as if we were in the same
room and not halfway across the world
from one another.
The sheer number of mopeds in Taipei
and the skill of the drivers weaving in and
out of vehicular traffic will remain with
me for a long time.
Q: What kind of relationships are we
building in Asia?
A: We are building a range of different
kinds of relationships. Obviously, we are
developing closer institution-to-institution
ties with major universities as a way of
supporting existing collaborations and
China, continues on page 8
Short Cuts
To report news
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To publicize events
Wisconsin Week lists events sponsored the Year of the Arts, three UW-Madison
by campus units. We must receive your administrators stepped off campus for a
listing at least 10 days before you want
it published. The next three publication dates At the Nov. 9 meeting of the Madison
are Dec. 8, Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.
Campus mail: 28 Bascom Hall
E-mail: calendar@uc.wisc.edu
http://www.today.wisc.edu/submit/
To find out more
n Campus Arts Tickets 265-ARTS (2787)
n Arts Information www.arts.wisc.edu the Arts and encouraging all city residents
www.utmadison.com
www.uniontheater.wisc.edu
n Film Hotline 262-6333
n Concert Line 263-9485
n Chazen Museum of Art 263-2246
n TITU http://www.union.wisc.edu/
Daily news on the Web
Bookmark this site for regular campus news
updates from University Communications:
n http://www.news.wisc.edu/
Calendar on the Web
Bookmark this site for continually the Year of the Arts is to celebrate the
updated campus event listings:
n http://www.today.wisc.edu/
Weekly news by e-mail
Sign up for a weekly digest of campus news,
with links to more:
n http://www.news.wisc.edu/wisweek/
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the paper you missed.
Wisconsin Week
Vol. XXV, No. 7, November 17, 2010
Wisconsin Week, the official newspaper of record
for the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
carries legally required notices for faculty and staff.
Wisconsin Week (ISSN 890-9652;
USPS 810-020) is published by University
Communications biweekly when classes
are in session. Send information to
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Send checks, payable to Wisconsin Week,
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Address changes
If you receive an individually addressed copy
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correcting the label and mailing it to Wisconsin Week,
27 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive,
Madison, WI 53706.
Editor: Ellen Page
Design: Jeffrey Jerred
Editorial advisers: Dennis Chaptman
Amy Toburen
Photography: Jeff Miller
Bryce Richter
Circulation: Susannah Brooks
Distribution: UW-Madison Truck Service
Publication dates: Dec. 8, Jan. 19, Feb. 2
2 Wisconsin Week
N ews in B rief
City proclamation recognizes
Year of the Arts
With activities well under way during
special recognition.
Common Council, Celia Klehr, chair of
the Madison Arts Commission, and Karin
Wolf, arts program administrator for the
Arts Commission, presented the university
with a proclamation endorsing September
2010 through August 2011 as the Year of
to participate.
Provost Paul M. DeLuca Jr. accepted
the proclamation plaque on behalf of
Photo: Bryce Richter
Chancellor Biddy Martin. Year of the Arts
co-chairs Norma Saldivar, professor of
theatre and executive director of the Arts
Institute, and Andrew Taylor, director of
the Bolz Center for Arts Administration, Recent Sighting: Having a ball
Brian Hershberger (left) pushes fellow student Tom Black (right) along in a game of human
joined DeLuca at the ceremony.
bowling during an event at the Memorial Union Tripp Commons designed to celebrate the
Programming through the Year of the
upcoming grand opening of the new Union South, which is currently under construction.
Arts is not simply intended to emphasize The event highlighted some of the recreational activities that will be available at the new facility,
on-campus activities. The proclama- such as bowling lanes and a climbing wall.
tion recognized that “a primary goal for
site content at http://www.uwex.edu. are available through the Resource Center,
many connections between the arts at
The site tells the far-reaching story of http://www.uwex.edu/resource-center/.
UW-Madison and the artistic life of the
UW-Extension. UW-Extension news releases, mentions
greater Madison community.” During one
Each page offers links to the four in the news, programs with social media,
major visit earlier this fall, alumnus Rocco
divisions — Continuing and Online media contacts and resources are available
Landesman, now chair of the National
Education, Cooperative Extension, at http://www.uwex.edu/news/.
Endowment for the Arts, met with Mayor
Entrepreneurship and Economic Visitors can find staff through three
David Cieslewicz and other city staff to
Development, and Public Broadcasting — Contact Us options at http://www.uwex.
discuss enhancements for the city’s pro-
and to the conference centers (Lowell and edu/contact/:
Pyle). n Frequently requested information such
which the arts promote city building.
New features on the home page include: as UW HELP and Central IT.
n A revolving slideshow for an overview of n Requests for help by topic and county.
the Arts Institute “is working to find
the four UW-Extension divisions. n Staff directory searchable by last name.
unique ways to partner with the city to
n Dynamic content such as PopularLinks The “For Employees” tab at the top right
maximize resources that enhance our cre-
to the search for a new UW Colleges and of each page directs staff to information
ative culture, such as providing additional
UW-Extension chancellor. including the payroll schedule, furlough
funding for the Blink temporary public art
n A map highlighting UW-Extension’s days and paid holidays, forms such as
program.”
reach by services including Continuing for expenses and IT, professional devel-
The Year of the Arts celebrates the
Education programs, Cooperative opment, logos and templates for photo
breadth, depth, power and purpose of
Extension county offices, Small Business releases and PowerPoint at http://www.
artistic exploration and expression at
Development Centers and Public uwex.edu/employees/. Jobs are posted at
UW-Madison with more than 300 events,
Broadcasting coverage. http://www.uwex.edu/jobs/.
including special performances, exhibits,
Also new, the Academic Affairs sec-
symposia, public programs, distinguished UW-Madison scholar tapped to lead
tion showcases UW-Extension programs,
visiting speakers and visits by prominent American Historical Association
governance, scholars, award opportunities
alumni in the arts. Historian William Cronon has been elected
available and awards received at http://
www.uwex.edu/academic-affairs/. president of the American Historical
UW-Extension’s new website improves
Association, a position considered one of
access to programs, news and staff Courses and workshops are detailed
at http://www.uwex.edu/courses/, and the highest honors in the profession.
UW-Extension has launched a website
with easy-to-use navigation and reworked publications by and about UW-Extension
What are you looking at?
Photo: Jeff Millerr
We had six responses to this week’s tough
photo quiz, and five were correct. Pictured was
an emblem of the university’s “Numen Lumen”
seal on a marble wall in Engineering Hall.
Bhaswati Sarma in the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering wins the mug. You
can pick it up in Room 27 of Bascom Hall.
Photo: Bryce Richterr
If you think you know what the image above shows, e-mail lookslike@uc.wisc.edu. A randomly
selected winner who submits a correct answer by Friday, Dec. 3, will receive a mug with the
university’s logo.

Cronon, the Frederick Jackson Turner
and Vilas Research Professor of History,
Geography and Environmental Studies, is
a national leader in studying past human
interaction with the natural world and
is the first environmental historian ever
elected to lead the association.
His election raises the visibility of
UW-Madison’s long tradition of scholar-
ship on the environment. Cronon was
among the group of scholars who helped
found environmental history, which has
established itself as an innovative field that
studies the human past in relation to the
plants, animals, diseases and biophysical
environments with which people interact.
Cronon’s work explores how people
depend on the ecosystems around them
to sustain their material lives, how they
modify the landscapes in which they live
and how ideas of nature shape the world
around us.
“We’re at a moment in the history of the
world when we’re ever more conscious of
the scale of human impacts on the planet,”
Cronon says. “This leads us to worry about
what the future might be — and to ask
questions about what happened in the past
to bring us to this present moment.”
The debate about climate change, for
instance, necessarily requires a study of
past trends.
“History is far more relevant to the
environmental future than most people
recognize,” Cronon says.
UW-Madison’s leadership in the study
of the environment dates back more than a
century. In addition to well-known figures
such as Aldo Leopold and John Muir, UW
President Charles Van Hise authored the
first textbook on natural resource conser-
vation in the U.S., and noted Wisconsin
historian Frederick Jackson Turner, for
whom Cronon’s chair is named, offered
a land-oriented interpretation of the
American frontier that shaped Cronon’s
work.
Cronon heads UW-Madison’s Center for
Culture, History and Environment, which
brings together scholars from disciplines
as diverse as anthropology, history and for-
estry to study environmental and cultural
change throughout human history.
Cronon came to UW-Madison in
1992 after a decade as a professor at Yale
University. He has a bachelor’s degree
from UW-Madison, master’s and doctoral
degrees from Yale, and a doctorate from
Oxford University.
The American Historical Association,
a Washington, D.C., nonprofit member-
ship organization founded in 1884, works
to promote historical studies and the
collection and preservation of historical
documents, as well as to set standards for
the profession. The association now serves
more than 14,000 historians of every his-
torical era and geographical area.
Cronon will become president-elect
starting in January, then serve his one-year
term as president in 2012.
UW-Madison begins
collaborative ADHD research program
UW-Madison researchers will soon
begin testing and developing a mind-
training program that provides a drug-free
alternative for treating attention deficit
hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and high-
functioning autism in children.
The program is a collaboration between
the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds
at the Waisman Center and the Mind
Matter Research Foundation in conjunction
N ews in B rief
Coming up on the Big Ten Network
UW-Madison has regularly scheduled program time slots on the Big Ten Network. provided by Visitor &
Look for our academic programming at noon on Tuesdays and at 3 a.m. Wednesday mornings.
Here is our program lineup for the next two weeks:
Tuesday, Nov. 23
n Noon: “Office Hours”: Ken Goldstein
interviews UW Police Chief Sue Riseling
and Sarah Van Orman, director of University
Health Services, about safety and personal
health issues for students.
n 12:30 p.m., “Five-Minute Lectures”:
Features some of Wisconsin’s top professors
talking about their areas of study in a talking about their areas of study in a going on in the Madison area?
no-nonsense, down-to-Earth fashion.
Wednesday, Nov. 24
n 3 a.m., “Wisconsin Reflections”:
An interview show featuring prominent
UW-Madison alumni and friends. Special
guest: Lawyer and political activist Ed Garvey.
with the HESA Institute. The effort is sup-
ported by a three-year, $550,000 research
and development grant from the Mind
Matter Research Foundation and the HESA
Institute to the Center for Investigating
Healthy Minds.
Last year, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention estimated that 11.2
percent of all boys and 4.9 percent of all
girls age 3-17 have been diagnosed with
ADHD. It is considered the biggest health-
related learning problem faced by schools,
teachers and families today.
The attention-training program to be
developed by UW-Madison researchers is
focused on children with ADHD between
the ages of 10 and 12.
For more information on the Center for
Investigating Healthy Minds, visit http://
www.investigatinghealthyminds.org.
Hoofers present Ski, Snowboard Resale
The 47th annual Hoofer Ski and
Snowboard Resale, the largest of its kind
in the Midwest, will be held from 9 a.m.-
5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, and from
9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, at the
Memorial Union.
Vendors bring in skis, snowboards,
boots, apparel and related items, coupled
with all the items the public brings, to pro-
duce the sale. Prices are significantly lower
than retail.
Proceeds from the sale help fund the
Hoofer Alpine and Nordic competitive ski
teams, as well as the Ski and Snowboard
Club. It also pay for annual ski trips
for local nonprofit groups such as Big
Brothers/Big Sisters and Girls Inc. Cash,
checks, Mastercard and Visa are accepted.
Equipment to be sold can be dropped off
at the Memorial Union from 3-9 p.m. on
Thursday, Dec. 2, and from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
on Friday, Dec. 3. Look for signs indicat-
ing the room location. Helmets or recalled
bindings will not be accepted. All apparel
must be cleaned.
For more information, contact John
Cook at 920-889-1053 or cook4@wisc.
edu, or visit http://www.hoofersns.org/
resale.
English professor wins System award
David Zimmerman, a UW-Madison
English professor, is among four recipi-
ents of UW System’s 2010 Alliant Energy
Underkofler Awards for Excellence in
Teaching. Having taught more than 35
introductory literature lecture courses,
advanced American literature classes, and
Tuesday, Nov. 30
n Noon, “Office Hours”: Ken Goldstein
interviews Seth Pollak, professor of psychol-
ogy, anthropology, pediatrics, psychiatry and
public affairs, about the world of children’s
emotions.
n 12:30 p.m., “Five-Minute Lectures”:
Features some of Wisconsin’s top professors
no-nonsense, down-to-Earth fashion.
Wednesday, Dec. 1
n 3 a.m. “Wisconsin Reflections”:
An interview show featuring prominent
UW-Madison alumni and friends. Special
guest: ESPN analyst Andy Katz.
honors and graduate seminars since arriv-
ing in Madison in 2000, Zimmerman has
been known for his classroom skills.
In nominating him for the award, the
English department praised him as a
“model teacher,” citing his innovative
methods and dedication to his students,
his recognition as a gifted discussion
leader, his leadership as a writing instruc-
tor and his excitement in the classroom.
The Underkofler awards are given by the
Alliant Energy Foundation as a tribute to
the company’s long-term senior executive,
James R. Underkofler, a staunch proponent
of excellence in undergraduate teaching.
State commission allows unit
clarification petitions to proceed
Academic staff at some UW System cam-
puses could be assigned to state employee
unions without voting on whether to be
included, the Wisconsin Employment
Relations Commission ruled last week
(Nov. 11).
After a provision was inserted into the
2009-11 state budget giving academic
staff the right to unionize, some state
employee unions filed unit clarification
petitions with the commission. They
argued that hundreds of academic staff
positions at six UW campuses, not includ-
ing UW-Madison, don’t meet the statutory
definition of academic staff and should be
converted to classified staff positions.
Such conversions would mean employ-
ees would be assigned to unions without
a vote.
Although UW-Madison is not among
the campuses affected by the unit clarifica-
tion petitions, the unions have announced
plans to file similar claims regarding
UW-Madison academic staff.
UW-Madison’s Academic Staff Executive
Committee and Academic Staff Assembly
have both passed motions opposing the
process because it takes away the right of
academic staff to decide whether or not to
be part of unions.
Academic staff who could be affected
are those considered Category A, meaning
they are working largely in noninstruc-
tional jobs.
The commission’s ruling denied motions
from UW System and the Office of State
Employment Relations to dismiss the
unit clarification petitions. The matter is
expected to reach the courts.
For more information, visit http://
acstaff.wisc.edu.
Almanac
Ask Bucky
Ask Bucky is an e-mail
and live chat service
Information Programs.
For more information, call 263-2400,
stop by the Campus Information Center
in the Red Gym or the Welcome Center
at 21 N. Park St., or visit us online anytime
at http://www.vip.wisc.edu. Below are
two recent questions Ask Bucky received.
Q: My family and I are looking for an oppor-
tunity to give back to our community this
holiday season. Do you know of any events
A: UW-Madison will once again be partici-
pating in NBC 15’s Share your Holidays to
Eliminate Hunger food drive which contrib-
utes to the Second Harvest Foodbank of
Southern Wisconsin. Donations will directly
affect families and individuals facing hunger
in 16 southwestern Wisconsin counties.
There are five sites on campus at which you
can drop off nonperishable food items of any
type:
n Red Gym, 716 Langdon St.
n Welcome Center, 21 N. Park St.
n Wisconsin Alumni Association Office,
650 N. Lake St.
n Doit Tech Store, 1210 W. Dayton St.
n Weeks Hall, 1215 W. Dayton St.
Additionally, money donations will be
accepted online at the Second Harvest
Madison website listed below:
http://www.secondharvestmadison.org/
Events/NBC15ShareYourHolidays.aspx.
To make a donation, please follow the link
under the title “Donate Now.”
Q: I heard there is an Andy Warhol exhibit
on campus somewhere. Do you have the
details?
A: The Andy Warhol Photographic Studies
exhibit is currently being held at the Chazen
Museum of Art through Sunday, Dec. 5.
During Warhol’s career, he produced thou-
sands of photographs which were never
viewed by the public eye. Fortunately, the
Chazen was chosen as one of 183 college
and university art museums to receive more
than 150 of these pieces from The Andy
Warhol Foundation. For more information,
visit http://www.chazen.wisc.edu/.
Early Music Ensemble entertains at
‘Tudor Tuesday’ Roundtable lecture
The December University Roundtable lecture
will welcome the Early Music Ensemble on
Tuesday, Dec. 7. Please note the date as a
Tuesday Roundtable.
The December program, featuring a buffet
lunch that begins serving at 11:30 a.m., will
be held in Great Hall of the Memorial Union
on Dec. 7. The after-lunch performance will
include student performers and these selec-
tions:
n “Pyrmonter Kurwoche” (Sabato) by Georg
Philipp Telemann. This set of trios was com-
posed by Telemann in 1734 to entertain his
fellow patients while taking the cure at Bad
Pyrmont.
n “The Huntsman,” by English composer
John Carr. A lively cantata about the hunt
featuring soprano, baroque flute, natural
horn, harpsichord and bassoon.
n “Begli occhi” (beautiful eyes) a cantata by
the 17th-century composer Barbara Strozzi.
A sensuous work for two sopranos and con-
tinuo by one of the finest Italian composers
of the 17th century.
The program is open to members of the
university community and their guests, and
each luncheon costs $10. The reservation
deadline is Nov. 30, and reservations can be
made online at http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu.
Reservations can also be made through
Marc Turnes at 263-2985 or turnes@wisc.
edu. Checks made out to UW Roundtable
can be sent to the Office of the Secretary
of the Academic Staff at 270 Bascom Hall,
500 Lincoln Drive, Madison 53706.
November 17, 2010 3

New HR system will
meet user needs
This is the first story in an ongoing series
about the people behind HRS.
For anyone concerned about the transi-
tion to a new state-of-the-art human
resources system, Cheryl Sullivan is here
to say that everything will be all right.
It may take those using the system a
bit of time to massage the kinks, but in
the end, people will be happy with the
system and how it works, says Sullivan,
who is leading the work process analy-
sis team for the new Human Resources
System, known as HRS.
With HRS expected to launch between
April and June 2011, Sullivan and oth-
ers working on the project will travel to
campuses across the state in the coming
months to train people on how to pro-
cess payroll and benefits using the new
system.
Once it’s in place, HRS will handle a
more than $2 billion annual payroll for
UW System employees and improve how
data about employees are entered, as
well as how employees sign up for ben-
efits, account for their time and leave,
and view work records.
It’s a tall order. For example, the vari-
ous campuses use about 2,700 different
types of forms for collecting data to pro-
cess payroll and benefits, Sullivan says.
She and others from the HRS team have
narrowed the number of key forms down
to about 120.
Sullivan’s 24-year career at
UW-Madison, which started with her
working in food service at UW Hospital
and scooping Babcock Hall ice cream,
puts her in a good position to under-
stand all sides of the existing payroll
and benefits processes and how the new
system will change how human resource
services are provided at UW-Madison
and other campuses.
Before joining the HRS team, Sullivan
spent nearly 20 years at UW-Madison’s
School of Medicine and Public Health as
human resources manager and payroll
and benefits supervisor and specialist.
Before that, she was a payroll and ben-
efits specialist for UW-Madison’s College
of Letters & Science and a payroll and
benefits assistant in the UW-Madison
processing center.
But the opportunity to be part of the
HRS team, and ultimately help shape a
fundamental change in how the univer-
sity operates, is thrilling, Sullivan says.
She has spent the last two years develop-
ing the human resources module, or the
part of the HRS system that will be used
for setting up people, positions and hir-
ing employees.
“When you talk about doing payroll
or benefits, all the people on the HRS
team are doing something really cool, big
and exciting,” she says. “It will replace
the legacy system — which we definitely
need to do — and it will give us some
new tools to do the required business.”
4 Wisconsin Week
F aculty
Artists break down barriers between biology, biography
By Susannah Brooks
srbrooks2@wisc.edu
H
igh above the din of traf-
fic, a Lathrop Hall dance
studio looks more like
open gym at the Y. In sock-clad
feet, 14 students slide across the
wood floor. Some launch them-
selves at the wall, trying to pop
balloons; others draw chalk out-
lines around each other, filling in
the heads with a tight confluence
of asterisks.
Yet within these seemingly
random movements, stories begin
to emerge. One student bops
around the classroom to a blunt
yet playful hip-hop tune, telling
his audience how the music lets
him speak. Many hands pinch the
air around another student’s head
to illustrate alcoholism and mental Leslie Hill (center left) and Helen Paris (center right), artists in residence at the Arts Institute this semes-
illness. ter, lead a class session in their Interdisciplinary Studies in the Arts course in Lathrop Hall on Nov. 12.
The course is designed to explore the connections between biology and biography through creative artistic
The organized chaos they have performances. Paris and Hill are co-directors of their performance group, which has produced more than
created, a spontaneous yet planned 40 works investigating topics such as place and placelessness, family and questions of cloning.
performance, did not exist an hour
ago. With laughter — and a stray
yoga pose here and there — the group
comes back together in the center of the
room.
This is Autobiology: a workshop created
by the duo of performance artists and film-
makers Helen Paris and Leslie Hill (together
known as Curious) that explores the con-
nections between the bodies we inhabit and
the stories we tell about ourselves.
The transformative aspects of their work,
and the connections they make with their
audience, permeate their semester-long
residency. From working with students
to strengthening bridges between art and
science, Paris and Hill hope that their art,
in the most temporary of forms, will leave
lasting traces once they have gone.
The 14 students selected for this studio
class come primarily from artistic disci-
plines such as theater and studio art. Still,
Paris and Hill chose their students deliber-
ately, with an eye toward interdisciplinarity.
Katie Schaag, a graduate student in com-
parative literature, joined the class to add
a more physical aspect to her spoken-word
performances. Elizabeth Wautlet, studying
in the professional French master’s pro-
gram, wanted to explore body memory and
risk in language learning. Other students
come from biology and the First Wave
program.
Paris and Hill have used many tech-
niques to encourage their students to take
risks and avoid self-censorship. From auto-
matic writing — jotting down anything
in their heads — to explorations of family
portraits and inherited mannerisms, the
group has forged a unique community in
which to explore their impulses.
Curious’ current project echoes these
impulses, exploring the mysteries of “gut
feelings” — literally and figuratively.
Working with neurogastroenterologists,
they studied the physiological responses of
pain, fight-or-flight impulses and more.
“The enteric nervous system, in your
gut, is sometimes called ‘the little brain,’”
says Hill. “It’s a rudimentary brain system
in itself. So when people talk about having
a gut feeling, the enteric nervous system
is doing tons of rapid processing. It recog-
nizes how truly intelligent our bodies are;
they’re picking up on so much information
and S taff
that we’re not aware of. We became fasci-
nated by that.”
Just as Paris and Hill encouraged their
students to engage in automatic writing,
their scientist colleagues used the same
technique to map out triggers for chronic
pain. By measuring indicators of the auto-
nomic nervous system while a patient
listens to an autobiographical story that he
or she had previously written, research-
ers could elicit some of the physiological
responses that trigger some of the painful
conditions.
The Autobiology workshops, both
short- and long-form, fit within this proj-
ect. Though Paris and Hill have taught
weeklong performance-making workshops
around this theme, this is the first time that
they have expanded it to fit a semester’s
worth of classes.
“It didn’t really feel like stretching,” says
Paris. “It felt the other way ‘round, as we
had so much information. There’s a differ-
ent energy. Doing Autobiology for a week is
intense, because of the terrain that you’re
dealing with. At the same time, teaching a
five-hour class every week also has its own
intensity. With some of the places we’re
asking them to go — because they’re using
personal material a lot of the time — it
becomes quite an intense space. It’s been
very fruitful.”
Indeed, the intensely personal aspect
of the class has been both an asset and
a challenge. As a playwright and scholar,
Jeff Casey, a doctoral student in theatre and
drama, was used to giving his work a life of
its own on the page. Performing about the
death of his father and his own mortality
gave him a newfound sense of realism. At
the same time, the ephemeral nature of his
work has shown him new ways of creating
and expressing art.
“I’m not writing this down, so I try to
make it about interacting with the audi-
ence. That’s what’s so enchanting,” says
Casey. “I’m not an actor; I can’t project; I’m
not good at memorizing lines or maintain-
ing a character. Here, I get to be myself
and speak to people as myself. When
you connect with people… I had a fac-
ulty member come up to me and her eyes
welled up with tears. You give someone a
Photo: Bryce Richterr
piece of yourself, a gift. That’s amazing.”
Paris and Hill know that live perfor-
mance isn’t always easy to sell. Still, their
curiosity about the world drives them to
make connections between people and
ideas.
“I’m doing a piece about smell for four
people at a time, eight times a day, and
it’s really hard work for really small audi-
ences,” says Paris. “But there’s something
about what effects that can engender and
what you can have with audience members
in China, or Brazil, or a council estate in
Birmingham, that is so moving. You see
them transported, and you see the connec-
tion you’ve made.
That’s why I’m interested in being an art-
ist: to have that moment of communication
with another person.”
Paris and Hill’s residency, sponsored by
the Arts Institute as part of the Year of the
Arts, culminates from Dec. 4-12 with “The
Inside Story,” a festival and symposium
uniting performance, biography and biol-
ogy.
Befitting the interdisciplinary link
between science and art, the festival takes
place during the grand opening celebration
for the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery
(WID), UW-Madison’s new center for inter-
disciplinary research and collaboration.
On Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10 and 11,
Curious themselves present “the moment
I saw you I knew I could love you” in Vilas
Hall’s Hemsley Theatre at 6, 7:15 and 8:30
p.m. Admission is free; tickets are required.
Dec. 11 brings the Autobiology show-
case of student work from 2-5 p.m. in the
Mitchell Theatre. At 6 and 8:30 p.m., the
Mitchell Theatre also hosts the U.S. pre-
miere of “Sea Swallow’d,” a 20-minute film
by Curious and Andrew Kötting.
For free tickets to performances of “the
moment I saw you I new I could love you”
visit campus box offices in the Memorial
Union or Vilas Hall. For a $3.50 fee, reserve
them online at http://www.arts.wisc.edu
or by phone at 265-ARTS.
A full schedule of events is available at
http://www.arts.wisc.edu/artsinstitute/
IAR/parishill/. For more information,
contact the Arts Institute at 263-9290.

Simulator puts UW on the map for driving research
By Sandra Knisely
knisely@wisc.edu
There’s only one place in Wisconsin where
a driver can send text messages, speed
or engage in other risky behaviors with
no risk of an accident: the new Driving
Simulation Laboratory.
Drivers not only are certain to survive
the experience, but the consequences of
their actions could be safer vehicles and
road around the country and even around
the world.
The driving simulator, located in
the Mechanical Engineering Building,
addresses a substantial need to test new
vehicle technologies and road infra-
structure quickly, say its founders, John
Lee, the Emerson Electric Quality and
Productivity Professor of Industrial
and Systems Engineering, and civil and
environmental engineering associate pro-
fessor David Noyce, who also directs the
Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety
Laboratory.
In 1970, no software code was used
in vehicles. Now, a vehicle can have
millions of lines of code in just its
navigation system.
“Vehicles are getting smarter, and we
need to get ahead of that rapid change to
understand how drivers respond to the
technology,” says Lee, an expert in driver
distraction. “The fundamental reason
for the simulator is to understand how
people respond to technology so we can
design it better and save lives. The car is
designed from the ground up to be the car
of the future and something we can use to
develop and test next-generation vehicle
UW-Madison engineers team up with Trek for cycling research
By Sandra Knisely
knisely@wisc.edu
During a long bike ride, it’s not unusual for
cyclists to experience hand or finger numb-
ness, a very common condition known as
cyclist’s palsy. The condition ranges from
mild tingling to, sometimes, long-term
nerve damage and hand muscle atrophy
over time.
A team of UW-Madison engineers has
scientifically measured hand pressure dur-
ing cycling and studied potential solutions
to reduce that pressure, which can cause
problems like cyclist’s palsy, a condition
that Wisconsin-based Trek Cycling Corp.
estimates affects as much as 70 percent
of cyclists. Trek has incorporated the
UW-Madison findings into the design of
a new Bontrager cycling glove that it will
release this winter.
Mechanical engineering associate profes-
sors Heidi-Lynn Ploeg and Darryl Thelen
led the UW-Madison team, which studied
the effects of seven glove (or no glove) types
and three hand positions on the hands of
36 experienced cyclists. Ploeg and Thelen
found that much of the pressure on cyclists’
hands is concentrated over the ulnar nerve
and gloves with proper padding density,
thickness and placement are able to reduce
pressure over this region of the hand. Also,
the team found certain hand positions can
alleviate pressure, such as holding the part
of the brake attached to the handlebars, a
position known as “hoods.”
The glove project, which began in fall
O n C ampus
technology and road infrastructure.”
Funded by UW-Madison and the
Wisconsin Department of Transportation,
the simulator includes a Ford Fusion
with a 24-foot screen wrapped around in
front and an additional screen behind the
car. Six projectors cast a virtual driving
environment on the screens, immersing a
driver in as much as 270 degrees of simu-
lation.
The projectors are unique because they
render images at the same resolution the
human eye does. This allows researchers
to, for example, project signage exactly
as it would appear to a driver on a physi-
cal road. Additionally, the simulator is
motion-based and capable of one degree of
movement in any direction, which further
enhances the realistic experience of driv-
ing the simulator.
Flexible software from Realtime
Technologies Inc. combined with the
high-end hardware will allow researchers
to test a wide variety of driver behaviors
and responses, many of which aren’t eco-
nomically or ethically possible to test on
physical roads. For example, drivers could
be dosed with alcohol or learn to navigate
a new intersection design.
The simulator is likely to directly ben-
efit Wisconsin drivers, as Noyce plans
to replicate segments of roads around
the state that are known to cause traffic
problems and test traffic control solu-
tions for those segments. Noyce also
has spearheaded the effort to introduce
a flashing yellow turn arrow, which has
been implemented at more than 1,000
intersections nationwide, including two
locations in Madison. The simulator will
2008, is the second time Ploeg and Trek
have partnered to understand how cyclists’
bodies interact with bikes. Prior to the glove
study, Ploeg and Trek evaluated how bike
saddle design affects pressure. That project
determined saddle design should be based
on a rider’s size and sex, and Trek intro-
duced new ergonomic products based on
the research.
When Trek decided to update its glove
line, it quickly decided to again approach
UW-Madison. “There are a lot of claims out
there about cycling gloves. We wanted to
see what was real,” says Trek’s Bontrager
product manager, Jennifer Retzlaff. “Based
on the success Trek had with UW during
the saddle project, we decided to go ahead
with a similar process so we would have
hard scientific evidence that we were doing
the right thing for cyclists.”
The UW-Madison team worked with a
German-based novel GmbH to find a pres-
sure mat that was the right size and could
be worn under a glove while a subject rode
a bike. The team also performed laser scan-
ning to relate the measurements from the
mat’s more than 200 sensors to the subject’s
hand anatomy. This determined that pres-
sure concentrations were located over the
three muscles below the pinky finger that
make up the hypothenar region of the hand,
which is the source of cyclist’s palsy.
Ploeg, a biomechanics expert and an
avid cyclist, says partnering with Trek was
a unique opportunity to look at the poten-
tial of cycling research. “Cycling is a really
accessible activity for people. It’s something
help researchers continue to study that
and other new signals.
Additionally, national transportation
agencies and vehicle industries stand to
gain from research on the UW-Madison
simulator. Lee and Noyce have collabo-
rators in Detroit, Michigan and Sweden
who also may be involved on simulator
projects.
Other advanced motion-based driv-
ing simulators around the country are
prohibitively expensive to operate.
The UW-Madison simulator is afford-
able enough that it will be accessible to
researchers of all levels, including under-
graduate students. Through class projects,
students will help design new vehicle
technologies using the simulator’s rapid
prototyping software.
“It’s possible for students to get involved
and do experiments that can really make
a difference and influence the next line
of cars,” Lee says. “It’s a really exciting
opportunity.”
Lee and Noyce plan to work closely
on simulator projects. “Since I joined
UW-Madison in 2002, one of my goals
since has been to get this type of simula-
tor going,” says Noyce. That goal moved
forward when Lee joined UW-Madison in
2009 and the two partnered to develop
the simulator. “This will let us expand on
our respective knowledge and capabilities
as a team,” says Noyce. “The simulator
really puts Wisconsin on the map in terms
of leadership and research on driver’s
issues and behaviors. This continues
UW-Madison’s top-ranked reputation in
transportation and opens up whole new
world of research for us.”
a lot of people can do and could use to
improve their health,” she says.
Cycling also is a relatively simple model
for biomechanical analysis. “Cycling is
repetitive and predictable, so there are some
basic questions you can ask about human
motion and neuromuscular control of
motion by using cycling as a model,” Ploeg
says.
For Trek, the benefits of gaining a sci-
entific understanding of hand pressure
outweighed the risk that the study could
have determined cycling gloves don’t actu-
ally make a difference. “We approached it
from a point of truly trying to learn what
happens at the intersection of the hand
and the bike,” says Trek designer Ryan
Gallagher.
Bontrager brand manager Tom Kuefler
says the study evokes Trek’s Midwest roots.
“We’re a Wisconsin company, and one of
our core company values is to have unyield-
ing integrity and honesty in everything
we do. Having a scientific understanding
of how glove design affects pressure on a
cyclist’s hands allows us to create better
products,” he says.
In addition to Ploeg and Thelen, the
UW-Madison team included School
of Medicine and Public Health clinical
assistant professor Mark Timmerman,
mechanical engineering Ph.D. student
Josh Slane, undergraduate students
Caitlyn Collins and Yvonne Schumacher,
and Madison West High School student
Jane Lee.
Curiosities
This column provides a glimpse into the
science behind everyday life. Submit questions
to curiosities@news.wisc.edu.
Q: Why is Pluto not
considered a planet?
A: Until 2006, astrono-
mers had not carefully
defined “planet,” says
James Lattis, director
of the UW Space Place. Asteroids were not
considered planets because they are too
small and numerous. Likewise, comets were
not considered planets because they are too
small and have noncircular orbits that go far
outside the plane of the solar system (loca-
tion of Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, and the other
“real” planets).
Although astronomers recognized nine
planets, “Pluto had always been suspect
because we knew it was small and followed a
noncircular orbit that deviates far above and
below the plane of the solar system,” says
Lattis. By 2006, Pluto was demoted because
it was clear that it is one of thousands of
objects that occupy the distant Kuiper Belt.
Pluto is too small and its orbit too ellipti-
cal to fit that “planet” category, Lattis says.
“To be consistent, we’ve developed a new
category of ‘dwarf planets’ that includes Pluto
and two similar objects.”
Eight planets still satisfy the more rigorous
definition of “planet” — a large object with an
orbit that is fairly circular and within the plane
of the solar system. “Astronomy is a science
of discovery, and it’s only fair to expect that
we will expand our list of objects — and per-
haps our categories as well,” says Lattis.
“I was surprised at the hubbub raised by
Pluto’s reclassification,” says Lattis. “It makes
sense to clearly define a scientific term, but
in retrospect people are understandably
attached to their language, and suddenly
telling native speakers that they’ve been mis-
using a common word is asking for trouble.
It would have made more sense to abandon
(for scientific purposes) common words rather
than to redefine them to contradict their com-
mon meaning. Many scientific fields have
specialized, clearly defined terminologies,
and astronomy should do the same. If you
told people they can no longer call a tomato
a vegetable (because it’s technically a fruit),
you would have a similar problem.”
Q: Why do they call it a monkey wrench?
A: Good question, says Joan Houston
Hall, chief editor of the Dictionary of
American Regional English at UW-Madison.
Etymologists have struggled with the roots
of the word for the smooth-jawed, adjustable
wrench that plumbers use to turn fittings
without the gouges left by a toothy jawed
“pipe wrench.”
Hall sent a clip from “World Wide Words,” an
etymology website, which suggested that the
wrench got its animalistic moniker because it
was similar to a “key wrench,” but was different
enough to be called a “non-key” wrench.
That awkward phrasing was then corrupted
to “monkey wrench.”
Alternatively, the wrench was invented
by a person named “Monck” or “Monk” or
“Monckey.”
However, some sources say the term
“monkey wrench” appeared, without explana-
tion, in books published in 1807 and 1840,
suggesting that the meaning was already
common knowledge. If these references are
accurate, the above “inventors” were, them-
selves, invented.
According to Michael Quinion at World
Wide Words (http://www.worldwidewords.
org), “It seems most likely that the expla-
nation is very simple: that the jaws of the
wrench reminded some early user of the face
of a monkey.”
And so it’s a lead pipe cinch that we’ll
never get to the root of the monkey wrench.
November 17, 2010 5
arts&events
November 17, 2010
Polish films featured at weekend festival
T
he Polish Student Association
presents three days of films by
Polish filmmakers Friday-Sunday,
Nov. 19-21.
The Polish Film Festival is one of the
oldest student-run annual film events at
UW-Madison. The event is dedicated to
the promotion of the newest films made
by Polish filmmakers, with a selection of
the five best contemporary Polish films
screened with English subtitles, providing
a representation of the current spectrum
of the Polish cinematographic scene.
This year, to commemorate the 20th
anniversary of the festival, the student
association is hosting the renowned
Polish director of “War of Love (Sluby
Panienskie),” Filip Bajon. “War of Love” is
the largest Polish film production of 2010,
and this film is the opener. A half-hour
speech on the developments in Polish
cinematography as well as the film will
precede film screening. The film will be
followed by a question-and-answer ses-
sion with Bajon.
Other events include:
Friday, Nov. 19
n 6:30 p.m.
Opening night greetings by Jim Healy,
Cinematheque director of programming,
and Sebastian Jankowski, Polish Student
Association.
Special guest Filip Bajon, director of
“War of Love (Sluby Panienskie),” will
talk about his film, the biggest Polish film
production of the year 2010 and a box
office hit in Poland.
n 7 p.m.
“War of Love (Sluby Panienskie),”
director Filip Bajon in person
Poland, 2010, 35mm, color, 100 min
Directed by Filip Bajon
With Anna Cielak (Aniela), Marta Zmuda-
Trzebiatowska (Klara), Edyta Olszówka
(Dobrójska), Borys Szyc (Albin), Maciej
Stuhr (Gustaw)
Radost and Mrs. Dobrojska are plan-
ning to arrange a marriage between
Gustav — Radost’s nephew — and Mrs.
D’s daughter, Aniela. Their aim is clearly
materialistic, but Radost also wishes for
the party boy Gustav to settle, while Mrs.
D. wants a good marrying material for her
daughter. The problem is that Gustav is
not very eager to get hitched, and Aniela
is heavily influenced by her cousin, Klara,
a fierce opponent of men, who constantly
mocks infatuated in her Albin, Mrs. D’s
neighbor. Soon a revelation surfaces about
the promise the girls made to each other
that they will never get married. They
do not trust men; do not want to be their
marionettes, nor a subject of any trans-
action. Excited by the challenge Gustav
decides to prove that no girl can resist
him. He cunningly plots... and everything
ends happily. Simultaneously, the film
intriguingly shows relations between the
actors portraying main characters.
n 9 p.m.
“Zero”
Poland, 2009, 35mm, color, 110 min.
Directed by Pawel Borowski
With Robert Wieckiewicz (Company
President), Bogdan Koca (Detective),
Zbigniew Konopka, Andrzej Masztalerz
Love and hate, cheaters and the
6 Wisconsin Week
Cinematheque screens “Lullaby (Kolysanka),” directed by Juliusz Machulsk Lullaby, at 7 p.m. on
Saturday, Nov. 20, as part of the 20th anniversary of the Polish Film Festival.
cheated, violence and sex, topped with
surprising secrets discovered during a
bizarre 24 hours. Nameless characters go
about their everyday routines in a stream
of seemingly detached events. But when
every decision has its observable conse-
quences, strangers become connected and
their lives changed irreversibly. And all of
this starts with a simple phone call.
Saturday, Nov. 20
n 7 p.m.
“Lullaby (Kolysanka)”
Poland, 2010, 35mm, color, 90 min.
Directed by Juliusz Machulski
With Robert Wieckiewicz (Michal),
Krzysztof Kiersznowski (Roman),
Malgorzata Buczkowska (Bozena)
“Lullaby” is a menacing story full of
humor and suspense from the master
of the genre, Juliusz Machulski. Two
policemen investigate mysterious disap-
pearances in a small scenic town. People
keep disappearing, but the investigation
brings no results. The tension grows and
step by step a dark mystery unravels.
n 8:45 p.m.
“The Swing (Hustawka)”
Poland, 2010, 35mm, color, 94 min.
Directed by Tomasz Lewkowicz
With Wojciech Zielinski (Michal), Joanna
Pierzak-Orleanska (Anna, Michal’s wife),
Karolina Gorczyca (Karolina, Michal’s
lover)
Thirty-five-year-old Michal has a
beautiful wife, lovely daughter and a pas-
sionate lover. When one of the women
gives him an ultimatum, Michal must
choose between desire and loyalty. His
situation further complicates itself once
he finds out that his wife is pregnant.
Will Michal choose a lifetime with his
loving wife, or opt for a fairytale with a
mistress who’s not really wife material?
“The Swing” addresses the issue of moral
integrity in light of our own desires and
the sacrifices we are willing to make to
fulfill them.
Sunday, Nov. 21
n 4 p.m.
“Animated History of Poland
(Animowana Historia Polski)”
Poland, 2010, DVD, color, 8 min.,
Directed by Tomasz Baginski
“Little Rose (Rozyczka)”
Booksmart
Lessons amid
the Rubble:
An Introduction
to Post-Disaster
Engineering and Ethics
(The Johns Hopkins
University Press,
2010) Sarah K. A.
Pfatteicher, senior
assistant dean in CALS
and Honorary Fellow in History of Science
With a tendency toward abstract, “big picture”
thinking, many engineers are driven by a need
to tackle huge, complex questions: How do
you get to the moon and back in one piece?
Courtesy: UW-Madison Cinematheque
How do you understand the way that the
human body works, in all its mystery?
“Engineers are trained to answer these bold
questions by breaking it down, streamlining,
taking a step-by-step, logical, linear process,”
says Sarah Pfatteicher. “The challenge is to
come out the other end remembering that
big, messy place where you started, but rec-
ognizing that the simplifications you made to
make sense of it aren’t the be-all and end-all.”
For people who place their faith in the
solidity of facts — numbers, gauges, constants
— disaster response provokes a unique and
disconcerting challenge.
“For a lot of us, it manifests in responding
to an emotional situation in a logical, intel-
lectual sort of way,” says Pfatteicher. “Any
human being, faced with a crisis or tragedy,
finds what’s comfortable, what makes us feel
at ease with the world.”
Pfatteicher’s book, the product of 10
“The Swing,” a look at modern morals, screens years of work outside her “day job,” aims to
at 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20. provoke a discussion among engineering
students, educators and anyone else who
wants a better sense of what engineering is
about. In an exploration of six events related
to the collapse of the World Trade Center,
she probes matters of ethics, philosophy and
professionalism within engineering — and how
engineering is currently taught.
“Part of the message of the book is that
you have to be able to sit with the discomfort
of ambiguity,” says Pfatteicher. “It’s about
showing how hard it is to come up with a
simple answer, or how limited and unsatisfac-
Poland’s recent hit film “War of Love” screens
tory a specific answer is.”
at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19.
A regular Red Cross volunteer, Pfatteicher
considers her work with students her most
Poland, 2010, 35mm, color, 118 min.
useful skill set. As an assistant dean in the
Directed by Jan Kidawa-Blonski
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, she
With Andrzej Seweryn (Adam
supports students at difficult points in their
Warczewski), Magdalena Boczarska
lives: offering options, serving as a release
(Kamila Sakowicz “Little Rose”), Robert
valve for emotions and worries.
Wieckiewicz (Roman Rozek), Jan Frycz Whether a single student faces a sudden
(Lieutenant Wasiak) family tragedy or a nation faces the events of
Warsaw, 1967. Kamila is in love with 9/11, one thing is clear: there are few easy
Roman, a Secret Service Agent for the answers. Still, people find ways to contribute
what they can, breaking a complex problem
Ministry of Internal Affairs. Roman asks
into smaller needs to be met. Pfatteicher
her to get involved with a writer, Adam
describes the aftermath of a recent house
Warczewski, and deliver reports about his
explosion in Sun Prairie.
views and activities. SB suspects Adam
“People randomly started showing up. A
of an antisocialist agenda and is looking
restaurant brought coffee and food because
for proof. Under the pseudonym “Little
that’s what they had available to provide. After
Rose,” Kamila begins her cooperation
9/11, people donated blood — there wasn’t a
with the Secret Service. Soon her relation- whole lot of need, but that’s what people were
ship with Warczewski grows stronger, her able to do. It’s very human to want to feel like
reports get more interesting, but also true you’re doing something.”
emotions start to develop. Trapped in a For many engineers, then, their comfort
and their contribution are the same: analyzing
love triangle, Kamila tries to escape the
a disaster in hopes of preventing it from ever
binds of political interests and move on
occurring again.
with her life. But Roman won’t let her go
Editor’s note: What are you reading?
so easily.
Wisconsin Week would like to periodically
For more information on the Polish
feature book suggestions from faculty and
Film Festival, visit http://cinema.wisc.
staff in this space. Tell us what you’re read-
edu/series/2010_fall/pffestival.htm.
ing, what interested you in it and whether
you’d recommend it. E-mail wisweek@
uc.wisc.edu. — Susannah Brooks
To view event listings: http://www.today.wisc.edu/
Calendar Highlights
Visit the Rocky Mountains
— without leaving Wisconsin
The Rocky Mountains are the backbone of
North America, and they boast some of the
most beautiful scenery in the world. Take
the back roads and follow the Rockies from
New Mexico to Yellowstone, exploring the
familiar and not so familiar natural wonders
along the way.
Join guide John Holod at 7:30 p.m. on
Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 29 and 30,
at the Wisconsin Union Theater, for his
Great Rocky Mountain RV Adventure. New
Mexico to Yellowstone, part of the Union
Theater’s Travel Adventure Film Series.
Tickets are $13 general admission, $11 in
groups and $6 for UW-Madison students.
A pre-show dinner, featuring a buffet of
dishes from the region presented in the film,
is available at 5:30 p.m. for $15; please go
online to purchase tickets or view the menu.
Holod immerses himself in the culture
and surroundings he depicts in his films,
using his RV as home, office and studio.
Internationally recognized as a cinematog-
rapher, he spends most of the year on the
road, filming and producing travelogues
and presenting them to audiences across the
country.
For more information, visit http://union
theater.wisc.edu or contact Esty Dinur at
262-3907 or edinur@wisc.edu.
Nutcracker Fantasy comes
to Waisman Center
Got visions of sugarplums — but maybe not
long shows or huge crowds? The Waisman
Center Children’s Theatre offers a perfect
afternoon program to kick off the holidays.
Dance Wisconsin presents its “Nutcracker
Fantasy,” a preview of its longer December
show, at 1 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28,
in the Waisman Center Auditorium. Tickets
are $1 for children and $2 for adults.
Writer’s Choice: Dance Department to take audience through time and space
T
he Dance Department celebrates
its new autonomy as a UW
department during UW-Madison’s
Year of the Arts with its two-night Fall
Faculty Concert Upswing at 8 p.m. on
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19 and 20, at
the Wisconsin Union Theater.
In addition to the concert, the Dance
Department is putting on a weekend
of dancing Nov. 19-21 as part of the
Year of the Arts at the Memorial Union.
“Dancing…All Weekend Long” will
include a showcase from 16 student
dance organizations and several free
introductory dance classes of all dance
styles will be offered.
Upswing will premiere two nights of
inspiring and diverse dance works set to
riveting, live music moving the audience
through time and space, both figuratively
and literally, exploring dreams, memo-
ries, universal human connections and
the physical space of the theater. New
pieces will examine the cultural issues
surrounding immigration, the historic
events of the Vietnam War and gender
The “Nutcracker Fantasy,” a series favor-
ite, combines Tchaikovsky’s classic music
with an original score, contemporary
elements and tons of surprises. Full of
beautiful costumes and engaging choreog-
raphy, this seasonal ballet features some of
Madison’s finest young dancers.
The Waisman Center is located at 1500
Highland Ave. For more information, visit
http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/ or contact
Teresa Palumbo at 263-5837 or palumbo@
waisman.wisc.edu
Singers provide a feast for the ears
Two events in the week before Thanksgiving
showcase the talent of up-and-coming stu-
dents and established faculty members from
the School of Music’s vocal department.
The 160-member Choral Union and
Chamber Orchestra perform Handel’s
oratorio “Israel in Egypt” in Mills Hall at
8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, and at
4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21. Beverly Taylor
conducts; soloists include soprano Emily
Birsan, mezzo soprano Jennifer Sams, tenor
James Doing, baritone Paul Rowe and bass-
baritone Benjamin Schultz. Advance tickets
are $15 general admission and $8 students
and seniors.
Jeanne Swack, professor of musicology,
writes in her program notes that “while the
work was not successful among Handel’s
original audiences, it has found special
favor with modern English-speaking audi-
ences. No small measure of this success
must be due to the colorful depiction of
the Ten Plagues that God visited upon the
Egyptians, with their evocations of blood,
frogs, hail, flies, locusts and the brilliant
depiction of ‘a thick darkness, which might
be felt’ by means of an eerie choral
recitative.”
Mills Hall is located in the Mosse
Humanities Building. Tickets are available
concerns of the 21st century woman. .
The concert is set to show two nights
at the Wisconsin Union Theater. Jin-
Wen Yu, department chair, says, “We all
agreed that reaching out into the com-
munity to share the experience of our
faculty concert performances with stu-
dents and other local Madisonians would
be a terrific way to celebrate.”
Laurie Fellenz, Teacher Leader of
the Fine Arts Division of the Madison
Metropolitan School District worked
with Yu and other staff at the Dance
Department to distribute tickets to the
performances to local high school stu-
dents.
Upswing will feature a diverse set of
eight captivating dance works:
n “Here/So (12 lines),” a new work com-
prised of personal imagery, memories
and dreams, created by New York guest
artist Bill Young in collaboration with
student dance artists.
n Li Chiao-Ping’s “ETA Movements
No. 2” explores passages of time and
space and the fleeting as well as lasting
through the Wisconsin
Union Theater box
office, via phone at
262-2201 or fax at
265-5084, or online at
http://www.union
theater.wisc.edu.
At 7:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, Nov. 23, stu-
dents from the Opera
Workshop present their
fall program in Music
Hall. Mimmi Fulmer,
William Farlow and
Jamie Van Eyck direct
performances includ-
ing duets and trios
from “Der Freischutz,” Holiday cards, such as this one by Sue V. Medaris, are among many
“Die Frau ohne local objects featured at the Arboretum’s Local Products Expo.
Schatten,” “Billy Budd,”
“L’incoronazione di
Poppea,” “Don Giovanni” and “Arabella.”
Performers include Emily Worzalla, K. C.
Peck, Lindsay Sessing, Yohan Kim, Michael
Roehmer and Chelcie Probst, with accom-
paniment by Susan Goeres, Bill Lutes and
Mimmi Fulmer.
For more information on School of Music
programs, visit http://music.wisc.edu/
or contact 263-9485 or music@music.
wisc.edu.
Arboretum spotlights local products
for the holidays
Going online might be the easy way to avoid
the crazy days of holiday shopping, but it’s
not always more fun. What about the great
smells or the delight of discovering some-
thing totally unique? This holiday season,
skip the malls and head straight for the
tranquil prairies of the Arboretum. Yes, the
Arboretum.
Featuring more than 40 vendors, the
Arboretum’s Local Products Expo takes
images which occur in our dreams and
memories and will be accompanied by
composer/performers Patrick Reinholz
and Ben Willis of the Weather Duo.
n Chris Walker’s “The people who came,”
episode 3 of the 7 part episodic work
“E Pluribus Unum.” It will showcase
immigration stories through poetry,
music and dance.
n Peggy Choy’s “Boxher,” a work explor-
ing the inner terrain of what it means to
be a 21st century woman, inspired by
champion boxer Muhammad Ali.
n An edgy, contemporary ballet based
on Saint Saen’s classic “The Dying Swan”
choreographed by Marlene Skog to a
score recomposed by Carol Carlson.
n Kate Corby will present a new site-
specific work for five dancers, performed
both prior to the show and during
intermission in the lobby spaces of the
Wisconsin Union Theater. The chore-
ography for this piece was developed
through research on the theater’s unique
architectural and social history and will
be accompanied by an original score by
Courtesy: S.V. Medaris
place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov.
28, in the Visitor Center. Local art, edibles
and gifts take center stage, celebrating local
enterprise and creativity and giving shop-
pers an opportunity to support the local
economy. Admission is free.
While some products — such as jewelry
from the Bohemian Bauble or TerraSource
chocolates — are available year-round at
brick-and-mortar vendors, others are some-
times only available at craft fairs or online
at places like etsy.com. This show offers the
opportunity to meet producers close up,
learning more about how the artists create
and what kinds of custom work they may
offer. Low-cost but high-quality merchandise
provides a chance to support artisans and
keep dollars circulating in the Madison area.
The Arboretum Visitor Center is located
at 1207 Seminole Highway.
For more information on Arboretum
events and programs, visit http://www.
uwarboretum.org or contact staff members
at 263-7888 or info@uwarboretum.org.
local composer Tim Russell.
n Karen McShane-Hellenbrand’s
“Quintessence” is a piece that reflects the
choreographer and dancers’ expression
and embodiment of awe, wonder and
spirit. Through written reflections the
dancers explored universal connections
that humans share.
n Yu’s “Into Sunlight,” a poetic modern
dance interpreting Pulitzer Prize-winning
author David Maraniss’ “They Marched
Into Sunlight,” a look at of the historic
events of the Vietnam war.
Tickets are $18 general public and
$10 students and seniors. Tickets may be
purchased in advance through Campus
Arts Ticketing box office, http://www.
uniontheater.wisc.edu; by phone, at
265-ARTS (265-2787); or in person at
the Wisconsin Union Theater box office.
Remaining tickets will be sold at the
door. There is reserved seating.
There will be a post-performance
reception Nov. 19 with the artists, stu-
dents and staff in the Main Lounge,
Memorial Union.
November 17, 2010 7

Search committees named for high-level positions
Several search-and-screen committees for
high-ranking university positions have been
established and are beginning their work.
One of the committees is charged with
finding the first permanent director for the
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.
Former chancellor John Wiley has served
as interim director of the Wisconsin Institute
for Discovery since November 2008.
Waisman Center director Marsha Mailick
Seltzer, chair of the search committee and
professor of social work, served as the insti-
tute’s first interim director from 2006-08.
The search committee also includes John
Denu, professor of biomolecular chemis-
try and Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Epigenetics theme leader; Brian G. Fox,
professor of biochemistry; Sara Guyer, asso-
ciate professor of English and director of
the Center for the Humanities; Derek Hei,
senior scientist at the Waisman Clinical
BioManufacturing Facility; Sangtae Kim,
executive director of the Morgridge Institute
for Research; Miron Livny, professor of
computer sciences and director of core
computational technology at the Morgridge
Institute for Research; Petra Schroeder,
assistant dean for research services in the
UW-Madison Graduate School; and John
Yin, professor of chemical and biological
engineering and Wisconsin Institute for
Discovery Systems Biology theme leader.
Another committee is seeking a vice chan-
cellor of research and dean of the Graduate
School. The post was created as part of a
reorganization designed to retain a close
8 Wisconsin Week
O n C ampus
relationship between research and graduate
education.
The committee will include chair William
Tracy, the newly named interim dean of the
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Other members include Steve Ackerman,
professor of atmospheric and oceanic sci-
ences; Janet Branchaw, faculty associate,
School of Education; Katharine Broton,
research assistant, School of Education;
Daryl Buss, dean of the School of Veterinary
Medicine; Aaron Crandall, university grants
and contracts specialist; Juan dePablo,
professor of chemical and biological engi-
neering; Norman Drinkwater, professor of
oncology; Wayne Feltz, assistant scientist,
Space Science and Engineering Center;
Janet Hyde, professor of psychology; Anne
Miner, professor of business; Richard
Moss, professor and associate dean of the
School of Medicine and Public Health;
Ann Palmenberg, professor of biochemis-
try; Norma Saldivar, professor of theater
and drama; Joseph Salmons, professor of
German; and Tobias Wolf, university busi-
ness specialist, School of Medicine and
Public Health.
Committees will also be appointed to find
deans for the School of Business and Law
School.
Those who have agreed to serve on the
committee looking for the Business School
dean include Susan Babcock, professor of
materials science and engineering; Matthew
Beemsterboer, undergraduate student; Mark
Bugher, director of University Research Park;
Law School dean Ken Davis; Jon Hammes,
chair and chief executive officer of the
Hammes Co.; Jan Heide, professor of busi-
ness; Binnu Hill, business school director of
diversity and climate; Kemllen Lee, gradu-
ate student; Stephen Malpezzi, professor of
business; Mark Matosian; senior student ser-
vices coordinator in the School of Business;
Elizabeth Odders-White, associate professor
of business; Jeffrey Russell, chair and profes-
sor of civil and environmental engineering;
John Karl Scholz, professor of economics;
Hollis Skaife, associate dean and professor of
business; and Ann Terlaak, assistant profes-
sor of business. Business professor Donald
Hausch is expected to chair the committee.
Those who have agreed to serve on the
committee looking for the Law School
dean include state Supreme Court Justice
Ann Walsh Bradley; Tonya Brito, profes-
sor of law; R. Alta Charo, professor of law;
Anuj Desai, associate professor of law; Meg
Gaines, clinical professor of law; Gail Geiger,
professor of art history; Robert Golden,
dean of the School of Medicine and Public
Health; Linda Greene, professor of law; law
student Purnita Howlader; Jerlando Jackson,
associate professor in the Department of
Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis;
Heinz Klug, associate dean and professor
of law; Mary Ray, senior lecturer in the Law
School; attorney Daniel Rottier; Brad Snyder,
assistant professor of law; and law student
Michelle Yun. Law professor and associate
dean Kathryn Hendley is expected to chair
the committee.
China Continued from page 1
creating new opportunities for our faculty
and students. We are also building relation-
ships with the Ministry of Education in
Beijing and closely following developments
in higher education overall. On this trip
we met with two provincial governors and
members of their staffs to discuss possible
state-to-state collaborations. We are meeting
with business leaders and potential inves-
tors to ensure they know about the research
strengths and creativity in Wisconsin, and
that we know about the opportunities and
challenges they face. And, very importantly,
we are strengthening our relationships with
alumni and prospective donors, building
institutional and social networks that will be
available to current and future students.
Q: How does a trip like this end up ben-
efiting a UW-Madison student?
A: We are establishing student exchange,
internship and study-abroad opportunities.
We are working to ensure that UW-Madison
attracts the most talented and diverse
possible student body from all over the
world, for the good of all our students.
We are enhancing the long-term value of
a UW-Madison degree by making the uni-
versity more visible in important parts of
the world. On this trip we met with six
Wisconsin-based companies in Beijing and
were assured that they were keen to have
our students as interns. We are strengthen-
ing alumni networks so our students can
make use of the connections and advice that
those networks will offer over time. We are
making UW-Madison part of the dynamic
and more interconnected world in which
our graduates will live and work.
Q: What are your future plans for return-
ing to China?
A: Because of the importance of substan-
tive exchange and strong relationships,
Agronomy chair named
interim CALS dean
Agronomy professor and department chair
William F. Tracy has been named interim
dean of the College of Agricultural and Life
Sciences.
Tracy will assume the post on Jan. 2,
when CALS Dean Molly Jahn steps down.
“The college is very well positioned for
the future. My primary goal will be to work
with our faculty, staff, students and external
partners to ensure that the position of CALS
dean is an attractive and exciting opportu-
nity that will attract the best possible leader
and scholar,” Tracy says.
Tracy joined the Department of Agronomy
in 1984 and has served as chair since 2004.
He has a long record of service on campus
committees and initiatives. He recently
finished a term as chair of the University
Committee.
His research focuses on breeding and
genetics of sweet corn, one of Wisconsin’s
most important vegetable crops. Tracy has
developed many new hybrid and inbred
varieties with improved yield and resistance
to insects and disease. He has taught a
wide range of classes, from entry-level crop
production to graduate instruction in plant
breeding and plant genetics. He has also
been very active in efforts to get the uni-
versity involved in K-12 science education
and in outreach and continuing education
related to crop production, plant genetics,
and the interaction between agriculture
and society.
I expect a delegation to travel to China
at least once a year. University and gov-
ernment officials in mainland China are
overwhelmed by the number of visits they
get from all over the world and some are
understandably skeptical of the tendency
on the part of some university presidents
or chancellors to make only one, or only
very occasional visits with the expectation
that genuine collaboration can be estab-
lished without sustained interaction. I think
UW-Madison can and should try to develop
a presence in China that is unique, that
promotes academic exchange of faculty and
students, but also manifests the Wisconsin
Idea, drawing on the resources of the state
and university to spur collaboration that
will have a reciprocally positive impact.
Q: What is the most important goal for
you in China going forward?
A: To enhance the quality of our educa-
tion and research, to increase the long-term
value of a UW-Madison degree, to sup-
port faculty collaborations in research and
education, and to make a contribution by
finding a way to have a presence there that
is unique to UW-Madison and consistent
with the Wisconsin Idea. Too often, the
people we meet look at the U.S. and see
only its West and East coasts. With greater
visibility for UW-Madison, top government
officials, business, educational and opinion
leaders will realize that Wisconsin is one of
the nation’s best-kept secrets when it comes
to opportunities for collaboration, joint-
venture and investments. We want the rest
of the world to see UW’s success at finding
solutions to major cultural, social, eco-
nomic, medical, environmental, energy and
manufacturing challenges.