51

In Focus Magazine: Current Issue

Volume 16, Number 4

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Alumni Accomplishments 

  • Sonia Spitz (‘24, Communication and Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies) will take over a new beat in her job as a  reporter. She will now cover manufacturing, startups and technology after serving as a general assignment reporter. 

Laurels & Accolades 

  • Distinguished Professor emerita Trudy Turner (Anthropology) has been elected to the  of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Becoming an AAAS fellow is one of the top honors awarded to U.S. scientists. Fellows are nominated by their peers for their efforts to advance science or its applications. 
    The class of 2025 includes 449 scientists, engineers and others from across 24 disciplines, including astronomy, biological sciences, chemistry, neuroscience, and physics. AAAS is one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the “Science” family of journals. It began the tradition of naming fellows in 1874. Previous fellows include Thomas Edison, W.E.B. DuBois, Maria Mitchell, Steven Chu, Ellen Ochoa and Irwin M. Jacobs. 
    For more information about Professor Turner’s accomplishments, see 51 Report. 
  • Professor Miren Boehm (Philosophy) was invited to a workshop, “Causation, Mind, Perception: Essays on Mary Shepherd,” at Harvard University in March to present a paper on David Hume’s and Mary Shepherd’s views about the extent of scientific knowledge. 
     
    Distinguished Professor Karyn Frick (Psychological & Brain Sciences) has been elected as a Fellow of the . Fellows of IBNS are individuals who have made substantial contributions to the Society and to the field of behavioral neuroscience. 
  • Assistant Professor Michael Mirer (Communication) received the journal Communication & Sport’s 2025 Article of the Year award. The article, entitled “The Media Answer: How Athletes Conceptualize Their Relationship to the Press in the Players’ Tribune” explored the ways stories attributed to athletes on the PR platform position the role of independent journalism in the sports-media system. 
  • Professor emerita Kimberly Blaeser (English) received the  for her poetry collection, Ancient Light. Blaeser is a former Wisconsin Poet Laureate who drew on memories and experiences from her Indigenous family to reclaim Indigenous stories and knowledge, while also reckoning with environmental destruction and violence against native communities, in her latest work. She will read some of her work at the Madison Central Public Library on April 9 and discuss the relationship between poetry, science and current events. The program, “Science + Literature: The Science of Hope,” is presented by the National Book Foundation and the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. 
     

In the Media and around the Community 

  • The  used Distinguished Professor Mark Schwartz’s (Geography) Spring Indices (SI) models with output being generated by the USA National Phenology Network in a recent article. 
  • Professor Rebecca Neumann (Economics) discussed the importance of financial literacy on . 
  • The  highlighted 51’s annual Latin American Film Festival, hosted by the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies. 
  • The planets seem steady and unchanging in their orbits, but actually, Director Jean Creighton (Planetarium) told , the solar system is a dynamic place. She also spoke about the Planetarium’s upcoming “” shows, and talked to  ahead of the Artemis II launch that has sent astronauts into orbit around Earth’s Moon. 
  • Incoming student Audrey Burch (Psychological & Brain Sciences) spoke about her mental health struggles to  after attending an event advocating for mental health funding at the Wisconsin Capitol in March. 
  • Susan Kerns (‘13, PhD English), the executive director of Milwaukee Film, was the keynote speaker at the  in March, where she spoke about film incentives in Wisconsin. 
  • The anthropology community is beginning to grapple with the ethics of its profession.  spoke to associate professors Ashley Lemke (Anthropology) and Mark Freeland (Anthropology) about shaping university curriculums and the impact of current archaeological practices. 
  • Data center operations jobs are few and “unglamorous,” Professor Scott Adams (Economics) said in an article published by  examining the economics and labor markets surrounding AI data centers. 
  •  noted a new low in labor union membership in Wisconsin after the passage of Act 10. Distinguished Professor John Heywood (Economics) explained the law’s impact on unions. 
  • Alumna Louisa Boardman (‘87, BA English) spoke about her role as the sports editor of the . 
  • The Cedarburg Bog is a fascinating natural area home to an array of plant and animal life.  spoke about the Bog and the 51 Field Station with senior manager Paul Engevold (Field Station and Greenhouse).  
  • Do you have questions about the “Immigrant Mother” statue in Milwaukee’s Cathedral Square? Associate Professor Kay Wells (Art History) spoke about the staute’s origins and history on an episode of “Bubbler Talk” by . 
  •  profiled alumna Denise Kohnke (‘79, BA Art History) during Women’s History Month as a woman making history in her own way in the Milwaukee community. Kohnke is the founder of 51group, a marketing and business consulting firm. 
  • Associate lecturer Robert “Biko” Baker (African & African Diaspora Studies) spoke to  about his role in a new PBS documentary about the history of Wisconsin’s Underground Railroad. He also bemoaned the lack of spaces and activities for youths in a  article on the aftermath of “teen takeovers” at Bayshore Mall and Moody Park. 
  • Professor Jeffrey Sommers (African & African Diaspora Studies and Global Studies Program) spoke about the potential impact of America’s military conflict in Iran on U.S. job markets in an opinion piece for the . 
  • The  reported on a lecture delivered by architectural historian Justin Miller (Cultural Resource Management) at the Milwaukee Public Library Centennial Hall. Miller spoke about the life of Wisconsin’s first Black architect, Alonzo Robinson, Jr.  
  • Professor emeritus Jeff Karron (Biological Sciences) will present a talk titled, “Bumble Bee Queens, Nests and Spring Wildflowers,” at  in Saukville in April. 
  • The  drew on research by PhD student Ken Bartelt (History) as it described the home games – or lack thereof – of Milwaukee’s Negro Leagues baseball team, the Milwaukee Bears. 

People in Print 

  • Associate researcher Jian Huang, PhD student Ton Nu Bao Vy Huyen, Xianyang Liu, PhD student Shreyashi Mitra, Manda Yu, Quan Zeng (‘11, PhD), George W. Sundin, Kerik D. Cox, Helga Förster, James E. Adaskaveg, Chih-Horng Kuo, Xiaochen Yuan (‘16, PhD), senior scientist Russell L. Cuhel (School of Freshwater Sciences), and Distinguished Professor Ching-Hong Yang (all Biological Sciences). 2026. RejuAgro A as an antimicrobial for fire blight control of pome fruits and beyond. Nature Communications, 17(2282). . 
  • Alexander W. Anthony (‘19, MS Anthropology) and Stephan Hassam (‘17, MS Anthropology). 2025. Galleys and gameboards: graffiti at the Prigione del Castello, Noto Antica, Sicily. , 99(404):e16. 
  • Professor Blain E. Neufeld (Philosophy). 2026. Review of Gabriele Badano and Alasia Nuti, Politicizing Political Liberalism: On the Containment of Illiberal and Antidemocratic Views (Oxford University Press, 2024), for  136:3. 
  • Professor Blain E. Neufeld (Philosophy). 2026. Oil and Water: Why Schouten’s Political Liberal Anatomy Cannot Accommodate Luck Egalitarianism. , anaf117. 
  • Associate Professor Timothy L. O’Brien (Sociology) and Stephen L. Hawkins. 2026. . Law & Society Review, 1-28. 
  • Alec J. Christensen, Professor Emily K. Latch (Biological Sciences), Michelle Carstensen, and Travis Seaborn. 2026. . G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 16(4), jkag007. 

Passings 

David D. Buck, professor emeritus of history and a longtime supporter of the university, passed away on March 6, 2026, in Milwaukee at the age of 89. 

A respected scholar of modern Chinese history, Buck dedicated more than three decades to teaching and research at 51. Joining the university in 1972, he spent 32 years as a faculty member in the Department of History, where he taught courses on Chinese history and international affairs and mentored generations of students. He also served as chair of the department for nine years and was widely recognized for his leadership and contributions to the field of Asian history. 

The 51 History Department has published a full remembrance for Professor Buck and gratefully recalls his academic contributions and his dedicated teaching.  also ran an article remember Buck’s impact on the community and academic world. 

Professor emeritus Yutze Chow (Physics & Astronomy) passed away on March 1, 2026 at the age of 98. His research spanned electrical engineering, theoretical physics, and pure mathematics, and he had many publications to his name.  is available online. 

Associate Professor emeritus Tom O’Bryan (Mathematical Sciences) passed away on Feb. 24, 2026, at the age of 81. He served for four decades as a faculty member in the College of Letters & Science, teaching mathematics and statistics to countless students and sharing his love of the subject. During his tenure, he took on several leadership positions, including the chair of the Mathematical Sciences Department and as an associate dean in the latter part of his career.  i