Featured Alumni
“My Land, My Home, My Wisconsin”
Our Wisconsin: Henry Ahlgren and Extension The Wisconsin Idea inspires alumni to carry the beneficent influence of the university to every home in the state — and the UW–Extension has long been one of the... Read more »
“On, Wisconsin!”
The most famous tune in Wisconsin’s history almost belonged to another school. When William Purdy first penned the notes that became “On, Wisconsin!” he was thinking of his own alma mater: the University of Minnesota,... Read more »
“On, Wisconsin!” in Any Language
Language Leader Just as students come to UW–Madison from countries around the world, so does the university’s curriculum represent a global point of view. The UW has earned an international reputation for the study of... Read more »
A Principal’s Principles
Long before becoming Wisconsin’s governor, Tony Evers BS1973, MS1976, PhD1986 devoted his life to education.... Read more »
ABC: The Atanasoff-Berry Computer
The early days of the computer age stretch back into the 1930s, when John Atanasoff PhD 1930 and his graduate student, Clifford Berry, first created a machine to help them solve linear equations. Atanasoff was... Read more »
Abe
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, rose to prominence in Illinois, and died in Washington, DC. So what’s his statue doing on Bascom Hill? UW–Madison honors Lincoln because it was during his presidency that Congress... Read more »
Abraham Maslow
Creator of the Hierarchy of Needs What motivates us as human beings? Abraham Maslow BA1930, MA1931, PhD1934 saw a “gaping hole in psychology” when approaching this question, believing that his field of study wrongly focused... Read more »
Ada Deer
Ada Deer inspires a legacy of justice For her first 18 years, Ada Deer BA1957 and her family lived in a log cabin on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, Wisconsin. Inspired in part by... Read more »
Adam Steltzner
From Madison to Mars Adam Steltzner PhD 1999 has been called a cross between Einstein and Elvis Costello — and that’s among the milder descriptions attached to the would-be rock star turned NASA engineer who... Read more »
Alice Evans
Safe-Milk Scientist Alice Catherine Evans MS1910 knew that she was right. She stayed the course, her doubters eventually came around, and, in time, she was credited with making one of the most important contributions to... Read more »
Almanac of College Doings
College Life, Month by Month “Betting is a curse from beginning to end, that’s why it improves your vocabulary.” That amusing aphorism is one of just many in the 1909 Almanac of College Doings. The 48-page book... Read more »
Anders Holm
Comedy Actor, Writer, and Producer Anders Holm BA 2003 is best known for his sharp wit, but he’s dead serious about his love for UW-Madison. Just take a look at his Twitter feed during a Badger game... Read more »
Andrew Goodman
Legacy of the Freedom Summer Again you show yourselves, you wavering Forms, Revealed, as you once were, to clouded vision. Shall I attempt to hold you fast once more? Heart’s willing still to suffer that... Read more »
Anil Rathi
Sparking Creativity Anil Rathi BBA1997 has built a business around rewarding good ideas. As the creator of the Innovation Challenge, which he describes as the world’s largest and most established online innovation competition, Rathi has... Read more »
Arthur C. Nielsen Sr.
Measured success: from family business to worldwide corporation Building an empire Few industries have a better read on American media habits than the Nielsen Corporation, a global marketing research firm that tracks what people watch,... Read more »
Arthur Hasler
A Fresh Perspective on Limnology A pioneer in the study of freshwater ecology, Arthur Hasler PhD1937 carried on the University of Wisconsin traditions of curiosity and conservation for four decades, discovering new ways to conduct... Read more »
Ayse Gurses
Error Eliminator As an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Ayse Gurses PhD2005 uses her doctorate in industrial and systems engineering to improve the safety and quality of health care. Her... Read more »
Babcock Hall Ice Cream
The Babcock Hall Dairy Plant opened in 1951, and every year, approximately two million pounds of milk flow into it to be bottled or turned into cheese, yogurt, or ice cream. Ice cream is, perhaps,... Read more »
Badger Football
Game On The smell of freshly grilled brats saturates the air as a sea of red T-shirts flows westward: it’s time for another Badger Game Day. For decades, UW students, alumni, and fans have flocked... Read more »
Badger History of National Service
The Fighting Badgers: A proud tradition It’s hard to shake the 1960s images: tear gas on Bascom Hill, club-wielding police, and sometimes-violent protests of the Vietnam War. They are the symbolic shorthand that people often... Read more »
Badger Pride Wall
When We Say Wisconsin, We’ve Said It Wall On the southeast end of Alumni Park, an 80-foot-long iron fence sets a firm border. Cut through with UW symbols and backlit for a dramatic nighttime view,... Read more »
Bascom Hall
Bascom Hall isn’t the UW’s oldest building, but it may be campus’s most recognizable — in spite of the fact that it looks little like it did when it was first built. When it opened... Read more »
Bascom Hill
Hill-story Some campuses have a “quad” — a grassy space surrounded by buildings that draws students who want to play Frisbee, eat lunch, or read. For UW–Madison students, that place is Bascom Hill. Two of... Read more »
bell hooks
Feminist fervor She rises at 4 or 5 a.m., prays and meditates, and then tries to read a nonfiction book each day. It’s part of an almost athletic preparation as an intellectual and author who... Read more »
Ben Karlin
Comedy Writer and Producer A funny bone isn’t required for admission to UW–Madison, but most Badgers quickly catch on to the university’s unique wit. Eleven-time Emmy award winner Ben Karlin BA1993 has spent more than... Read more »