UW-Madison Opens Its Doors For Annual ‘Science Expeditions’

The University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison, one of the nation’s top public research institutions, is opening normally closed doors: Its 11th annual science expeditions open house will be held April 5-7.

Those attending will have a lot of science-related events to choose from, including stargazing in Washburn Observatory, and lessons on the medical benefits of chocolate and new ways to produce energy.

Tom Zinnen does biotechnology outreach for UW Madison. He expects one of the popular destinations will be the open house at the School of Veterinary Medicine: “Many of us have cats and dogs and other pets, and many of our livelihoods depend on agriculture and livestock production.”

This year, the event will include the Health Sciences Learning Center, where people can talk to librarians to find reliable medical information online. They can also see where medical students work on computerized mannequins. Micaela Sullivan-Fowler is a medical librarian and event coordinator.

“It’s an actual center and incredibly high tech with rooms that look just like a surgical suite or an emergency room. They learn how to do laparoscopic surgery, they learn how to so suturing, they learn how to do CPR. It’s a remarkable center which is normally not open to the public.”

Sullivan-Fowler says this is a chance for the public to see how science affects their lives. According to the National Science Foundation, UW-Madison is fourth in research spending.