Student Scholars: UW-Whitewater’s commitment to
undergraduate research was reflected in the success of many
students in 2004. Biology and geology graduate Leia Jamieson
earned co-author status in the prestigious journal Nature for her
field work with biologist Jeff McKinnon. McKinnon’s landmark
findings on species formation were included in Nature in May.

In other developments, political science graduate Yannika
Lemons launched a cultural awareness fair and a magazine
celebrating campus diversity. Psychology students Marie
Sobolewski and Laurie Messerli earned a trip to Hawaii for
the American Psychological Association convention to present
their work on domestic violence perceptions. Geology major
Andrew Turner helped the Mukwonago School District revamp
school boundaries and bus routes with the use of GIS technology;
fellow student Jeff Olsen employed the same technology to
create a digital map for the city of Whitewater.

A Personal Account of WWII: History professor
Richard Haney published a World War II book with a deeply
personal focus, using more than 200 letters from his father who
was serving in Europe. “When is Daddy Coming Home? An
American Family During World War II,” was published in
September by the Wisconsin State Historical Society and received
widespread press in Wisconsin.

Buckle Up: An ongoing statewide survey by safety
professors Craig Wucivic and Terry Witkowski is tracking a
subtle change for the better in Wisconsin driving habits: More
people are buckling up. This year, the research found that
Wisconsin hit an all-time high of 72 percent usage, but that still
lags behind the national average of 79 percent.

Latino Needs: Psychology Professor P.B. Poorman
worked with UW Extension to complete a comprehensive needs
assessment of southeast Wisconsin’s growing Latino community.
The study found that issues such as language support, health
care and educational opportunities topped the list of priorities for
Latinos in a five-county region including Dane, Dodge, Jefferson,
Rock and Walworth counties.

Real Results in Virtual Learning: A study by
management professor Will Drago and marketing professor
Jimmy Peltier documented the pedagogical strengths of online
education. The format can produce higher levels of critical
reflection — understanding what is happening and why — than
students in the traditional classroom environment.

A French Art Discovery: While studying the art history of
an Augustinian abbey north of Paris, a region renowned for its
artistic heritage, art professor Chris Henige made a rare and
priceless discovery of an early 16th century wall painting that had
not been previously documented. Henige published photos of the
restored work and also created a Web site detailing the restored medieval art at: http://facstaff.uww.edu/henigec/smab/

A Cut Above: New multimedia professor Xiaohong Zhang
spent the summer in her native China, capturing on digital
photography the ancient and quietly fading art of paper cutting.
Once a ubiquitous craft practiced across the country, only a small
number of artists remain. Zhang hopes to preserve the memory of
the art form, which she practices, in the documentary project.

Dialogues with Democracy: History professor Nikki
Mandell began the first year of a campaign to breathe new life
into the teaching of American history in the region. She assembled
more than 50 K-12 history teachers this summer for an institute
looking at practices that enhance knowledge of American history.
Her work is supported by an $855,000 federal grant that targets
the declining levels of “historical literacy” in American students.

Research as a Teaching Tool: Here’s a novel science
experiment: Mix together high school science teachers and
students with college professors and undergraduates; divide
them into demographically diverse research teams; then set them
loose on an open-ended research challenge. Such an experiment
took place at UW-Whitewater for six weeks in summer 2004,
thanks to a $162,000 grant from the National Science Foundation
(NSF). Beyond the science being discovered, the real finding was
that “doing real research” is a skill that cuts across age and
experience levels. Michael Woller, biological science professor
and project coordinator, organized the institute, which will be
offered again in summer 2005.