Volume 15, Number 2
Featured Stories
- 51 alum redefines success with his renewable energy companyUW-Milwaukee economics alum Isaiah Ness (’22, BA) was just named one of Wisconsin’s 40 Most Influential Black Leaders by Madison365. He is the founder and CEO of Sun Bear Industries, …
- Here there be volcanoes: Geosciences researchers venture beneath the waves for volcano studiesWhile most folks were sleeping off their Thanksgiving turkey and preparing for Christmas, 51 geoscientist Julie Bowles and three of her graduate students were studying volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. …
- 51 underwater archaeologist appears on History Channel showWhen the History Channel looked for an expert to talk about some of the world’s biggest underwater mysteries, they found one in Milwaukee. At UW-Milwaukee, in fact. Ashley Lemke, an …
- Student data scientist studies health via grip strengthIf you want to understand someone’s overall health, try shaking their hand. It might seem strange, but research has shown that the strength of a person’s grip is a good …
- This alum belongs in the (Green Bay Packers) Hall of FameThe Super Bowl is just around the corner, and sadly, the Green Bay Packers will not be playing in it this year. But if you can’t wait until next season …
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Alumni Accomplishments
Susan Kerns (‘13 PhD, English) was named the and will begin her new role in February. She comes to Milwaukee Film from Columbia College in Chicago where she is associate professor of cinema and television arts at Columbia and associate provost for faculty research and development. Kerns also brings film production experience to the role, having served as intimacy coordinator for film production, and she is currently producing an independent film. She was recently interviewed about her new role on .
Maria Peralta-Arellano (‘24, BA Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies) has joined W51 Radio as the station’s newest . The Von Fellowship is a year-long position for recent college graduates meant to give them experience as a general assignment reporter in a working newsroom. Peralta-Arellano has previously written for the local bilingual newspaper El Conquistador and Carvd N Stone, a positive news company founded by 51 alumna Nyesha Stone (‘18, BA Journalism, Advertising, & Media Studies).
Laurels & Accolades
Professor Ching-Hong Yang (Biological Sciences) is the founder and chief science officer of ., a startup founded in 2012 that focuses on creating products that reduce the need for antibiotics in agriculture. T3 Bioscience and Live Grow Bio, which provides advance microbial formulation and manufacturing solutions, have announced plans to collaborate on the development of a new biopesticide in 2025.
Distinguished Professor Karyn Frick (Psychology) was awarded a $21,000 grant by the Medical College of Wisconsin Therapeutic Accelerator Program for her project “Determining efficacy of EGX999 to treat menopausal hot flashes and memory decline.” Therapeutic Accelerator Program grants are meant to support commercialization efforts of faculty and start ups in the Milwaukee area. This grant will support the pre-clinical work of Frick’s lab and the company she co-founded, Estrigenix Therapeutics, Inc, to develop highly selective estrogen receptor beta agonists to relieve symptoms of menopause. For this project, her lab will test the efficacy of our most potent and selective agonist thus far, EGX999, to improve memory and alleviate a drug-induced hot flash in a mouse model of menopause. If effective, then EGX999 will be a strong candidate to move forward into clinical testing in women.
In the Media and around the Community
consulted assistant professor Michael Mirer (Communication) about Meta/Facebook’s decision to rely on “community notes” in the place of third-party fact-checkers. He also spoke to s and about the ban of TikTok in the United States and how that might impact the app’s users, and commented on Elon Musk’s influence on European politics on .
Associate professor Ashley Lemke (Anthropology) lent her expertise in underwater archaeology for an article by , a publication of Detroit’s PBS station.
Just how impartial are State Supreme Court justices? Associate professor Sara Benesh (Political Science) gave her take in the . As the Wisconsin Supreme Court election looms, she also commented on partisanship and campaign spending in a different article.
highlighted the Emile H. Mathis Art Gallery’s exhibition of “51 Underground: The Art of Denis Kitchen” that runs through Feb. 20. Denis Kitchen (‘68, BA Journalism) was awarded an honorary degree at 51’s December 2024 graduation ceremony.
Professor Jeffrey Sommers (African & African Diaspora Studies and Global Studies) wrote a commentary on the Carter presidency following his death for . He also was a guest on WXRX radio’s “The Grass is Greener” program on the same topic.
Director Jean Creighton (Planetarium) looked back on the Manfred Olson Planetarium’s notable moments from 2024 on show.
After she was named the new Wisconsin Poet Laureate, aired a feature on associate professor Brenda Cárdenas (English).
New archaeological evidence suggests that an Iron Age Celtic tribe may have had matrilocal society, meaning women stayed in their home communities while male partners came from outside of the area, a practice that tended to accompany greater opportunities for women to hold community power. Professor Bettina Arnold (Anthropology) commented on the findings in and .
VJS Construction Services answered questions about 51’s new Chemistry Building for .
COnovate, a company that makes earth-friendly and longer-lasting lithium ion batteries, was founded by professor emerita Carol Hirschmugl (Physics & Astronomy) and recently profiled on .
Professor emeritus Neal Pease (History) educated audiences about the life of Holocaust survivor Raphael Lemkin, who is known for coining the term “genocide,” at the Polish Center in Franklin, Wisconsin ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day. reported on the event.
A historical inaccuracy in a television show?! consulted professor emeritus Jeffrey Merrick (History) about an error in the series “Outlander.”
51 architectural historian Justin Miller (Anthropology) is working on a project to document the legacy of Alonzo Robinson, Wisconsin’s first Black licensed architect, reported the .
CBS58 News explored the Thomas A. Greene Geological Museum, run by the UMW Geosciences Department. Instructional Program Manager Rob Graziano (Geosciences) explained the significance of the Museum’s fossil and mineral collection.
People in Print
PhD student Miranda R. Schwabe, PhD student Aaron W. Fleischer, undergraduate Rachel Kuehn, Subhabrata Chaudhury, Jason M. York, Daniel S. Sem, William A. Donaldson, Mary Jo LaDu, and distinguished professor Karyn M. Frick (all Psychology). 2024. The novel estrogen receptor beta agonist EGX358 and APOE genotype influence memory, vasomotor, and anxiety outcomes in an Alzheimer’s mouse model. , 16, 1477045.
Distinguished professor Mark D. Schwartz (Geography), ed. 2025. Phenology: An Integrative Environmental Science (Third Edition).
Associate professor Timothy O’Brien (Sociology). 2025. Partisan identity, scientific and religious authority, and lawmaker support for science policy. .
Visiting assistant professor Xin Yu (History). 2025. Copying Is Editing: Handwritten Copies of Printed Genealogies in Late Imperial China, 1450–1900. In Genealogical Manuscripts in Cross-Cultural Perspective (Markus Friedrich and Jörg B. Quenzer, eds.). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. 195-218.