{"id":31306,"date":"2026-04-07T15:45:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T20:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?page_id=31306"},"modified":"2026-04-07T15:51:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T20:51:06","slug":"in-focus-magazine-march-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/in-focus-magazine-march-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"In Focus Magazine: March, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"lead-in\">Volume 16, Number 3<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"uwm-p-posts uwm-c-list--cleanlist uwm-l-grid uwm-l-grid--3 has-dates\"><li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/how-uw-milwaukee-helped-aleksandr-pivot-into-data-analytics\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"721\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Data-analytics-video.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A young white man in a blue shirt and green vest stands in front of a wall shows murals of industry.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Data-analytics-video.webp 721w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Data-analytics-video-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/how-uw-milwaukee-helped-aleksandr-pivot-into-data-analytics\/\">How UW-Milwaukee helped Aleksandr pivot into data analytics<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-03-03T04:04:11-06:00\" class=\"post-date\">March 3, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">What\u2019s it like to discover a new career path while you\u2019re already in college? For Aleksandr Wellner, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee gave him the flexibility and real-world exposure to follow what interested him most \u2013 &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/alumni-student-news\/political-science-student-rises-through-the-ranks-to-be-head-intern-in-milwaukee-mayors-office\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Vivana-Lopez-banner.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A split image shows the Milwaukee city hall on one side and a headshot of a young Hispanic woman on the other.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Vivana-Lopez-banner.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Vivana-Lopez-banner-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/alumni-student-news\/political-science-student-rises-through-the-ranks-to-be-head-intern-in-milwaukee-mayors-office\/\">Political science student rises through the ranks to be head intern in Milwaukee Mayor\u2019s Office<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-03-03T03:54:23-06:00\" class=\"post-date\">March 3, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">If you have a concern for the Mayor\u2019s Office, Viviana Lopez is happy to take your call. It is her job, after all. Lopez is a political science student at UW-Milwaukee, and she is also &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/psychology-profs-mental-health-lab-has-a-global-humanitarian-health-mission\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Rafia-Mahboob-conference-table.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A group of young southeast Asian women sit around a conference table and smile at the viewer.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Rafia-Mahboob-conference-table.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Rafia-Mahboob-conference-table-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/psychology-profs-mental-health-lab-has-a-global-humanitarian-health-mission\/\">Psychology prof\u2019s mental health lab has a global humanitarian health mission<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-03-03T03:40:58-06:00\" class=\"post-date\">March 3, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">The word seva comes from a South Asian dialect and means \u201cselfless service.\u201d It\u2019s the perfect name for Srishti Meera Sardana\u2019s lab, because that\u2019s exactly what she and her students try to provide for others &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/uwm-astronomer-discovers-probable-dark-matter-sub-halo-in-the-milky-way\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Dark-Matter-banner-with-Philip.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A headshot of an Asian man wearing glasses is overlaid on a map of probable dark matter which branches like a spiderweb between cluster points.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Dark-Matter-banner-with-Philip.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Dark-Matter-banner-with-Philip-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/uwm-astronomer-discovers-probable-dark-matter-sub-halo-in-the-milky-way\/\">51ÁÔÆæ astronomer discovers probable dark matter sub-halo in the Milky Way<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-03-03T03:24:36-06:00\" class=\"post-date\">March 3, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">New research by Philip Chang suggests that there is a dark matter sub-halo lurking in our cosmic neighborhood. Chang, a professor in 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s Department of Physics &amp; Astrophysics, is the co-author of a recent paper &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/what-can-you-do-with-a-french-major\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Lane-banner-shot.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"Headshot of a young white woman with brown hair wearing glasses and a blue blouse.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Lane-banner-shot.webp 720w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Sarah-Lane-banner-shot-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus\/what-can-you-do-with-a-french-major\/\">What can you do with a French major?<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-03-03T03:08:06-06:00\" class=\"post-date\">March 3, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">Every year, graduates from the College of Letters &amp; Science enter the workforce and begin to contribute thousands of dollars to their local, state, and national economies. They bring the skills and knowledge they gained &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<li><figure class=\"post-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/take-a-ride-on-wisconsins-underground-railroad-with-uwm-faculty-as-your-guide\/\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"721\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Underground-Railroad-banner.webp\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"A headshot of a Black man with a beard is overlaid on a map of routes of the Underground Railroad criss-crossing the United States.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Underground-Railroad-banner.webp 721w, https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/255\/2026\/03\/Underground-Railroad-banner-300x200.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"post-content\"><a class=\"post-title\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2026\/take-a-ride-on-wisconsins-underground-railroad-with-uwm-faculty-as-your-guide\/\">Take a ride on Wisconsin&#8217;s Underground Railroad, with 51ÁÔÆæ faculty as your guide<\/a><time datetime=\"2026-03-03T02:58:45-06:00\" class=\"post-date\">March 3, 2026<\/time><div class=\"post-excerpt\">The Underground Railroad was a network of safehouses and secret routes that ferried fugitive slaves from the south to safety in the northern U.S. and Canada in the years leading up to America\u2019s Civil War. &hellip; <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<hr class=\"has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"size-p-md\"><strong>Please be aware that some publications require a subscription in order to view articles and most links below leave this site.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-alumni-accomplishments-nbsp\"><strong>Alumni Accomplishments<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nicholas Owens (\u201804, Master of Public Administration)&nbsp;<\/strong>was named&nbsp;the first-ever county administrator of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/themonroetimes.com\/local-news\/owen-confirmed-as-first-green-co-administrator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Green County, Wisconsin<\/a>. Owens has more than two decades of administrative experience in local government,&nbsp;most recently&nbsp;as the village administrator of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, and previously as the village administrator of New Glarus, Wisconsin. Owens will serve as the county\u2019s day-to-day operations and implement the policies set forth by the Green County Board of Supervisors.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nyesha Stone (\u201818, BA Journalism, Advertising, &amp; Media Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>is the founder of the positive news company&nbsp;Carvd&nbsp;N Stone, which was chosen to join Goldman Sachs\u2019 One Million Black Women: Black in Business program.&nbsp;The program is a&nbsp;$10 billion&nbsp;investment commitment with $100 million in philanthropic capital that&nbsp;identifies&nbsp;opportunities to promote economic growth&nbsp;through investments. Stone&nbsp;told&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/madison365.com\/milwaukee-based-news-outlet-selected-for-goldman-sachs-one-million-black-women-black-in-business-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Madison365<\/a>&nbsp;that her business&#8217; selection shows that&nbsp;Carvd&nbsp;N Stone is on the right track to grow and expand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Patrick Baird (\u201813, BA Journalism, Advertising, &amp; Media Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>debuted his latest crime novel,&nbsp;<em>The Laszlo Pendulum<\/em>,&nbsp;in February. The book, set in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/doorcountypulse.com\/door-county-crime-novel-released\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Door County, Wisconsin<\/a>, is a Cold War thriller. Baird is a prolific author; this marks his 10th novel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nikkie Raney (\u201824, MA Art History)&nbsp;<\/strong>was selected to be the new curator of the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ozaukeepress.com\/content\/new-curator-begins-work-art-museum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cedarburg Art Museum<\/a>. Her curatorial experience includes serving as a research assistant for the&nbsp;Milwaukee Art Museum\u2019s landmark exhibition \u201cThe Bradley Collection of Modern Art.\u201d She began her new job in February.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dennis McBride (\u201876, BA Journalism)&nbsp;<\/strong>is the author of the&nbsp;recently-released&nbsp;book&nbsp;<em>A City on the Edge: Pandemic, Protest, and Polarization<\/em>, which provides a retrospective look during his time as mayor of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, in 2020. The book was&nbsp;chosen as the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/life\/2026\/02\/11\/wisconsin-book-of-the-month-is-wauwatosa-mayor-a-city-on-the-edge\/88512134007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel\u2019s<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;<\/em>\u201cWisconsin Book of the Month\u201d in February.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-laurels-amp-accolades-nbsp\">Laurels &amp; Accolades&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Undergraduate student&nbsp;<strong>Brooklyn Hess (Anthropology)&nbsp;<\/strong>was named executive director of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wausaupilotandreview.com\/2026\/02\/04\/brooklyn-hess-named-executive-director-of-wausau-events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wausau Events<\/a>&nbsp;in February. The organization&nbsp;aims to create community through public events. Hess joined the organization in 2023 as an event assistant and has been involved in the planning and operation of every event produced by Wausau Events&nbsp;since then. Hess is in her final semester at 51ÁÔÆæ.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor&nbsp;<strong>Amanda Seligman (History)&nbsp;<\/strong>was honored at the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.historians.org%2Fperspectives-article%2Fawards-prizes-and-honors-conferred-at-the-139th-annual-meeting%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7Csvickery%40uwm.edu%7C5bd453dd785f4536903f08de6d8df6c6%7C0bca7ac3fcb64efd89eb6de97603cf21%7C0%7C0%7C639068653651583019%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=7%2BwXa6PuU24igdjAtBJiO9Oo7Aki%2FtE5g0zc0By6f6s%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Historical Association meeting<\/a>&nbsp;in Chicago in January, where she presented with the award for best article on teaching history. Seligman\u2019s article, titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.societyforhistoryeducation.org\/pdfs\/F24_Seligman_and_Kelly.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Staging Historical Reenactments on Twitter: History, Methods, and Ethics<\/a>,\u201d was co-written with&nbsp;<strong>Jaclyn Kelly (\u201811, MA History)<\/strong>. The article is based on Seligman\u2019s work teaching History 450.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Distinguished Professor Ching-Hong Yang (Biological Sciences)<\/strong>&nbsp;has had his research paper titled, &#8220;RejuAgro&nbsp;A as a Novel Antimicrobial for Fire Blight Control of Pome Fruits and Beyond&#8221; accepted for publication in&nbsp;<em>Nature Communications<\/em>.&nbsp;<br>This study presents&nbsp;RejuAgro&nbsp;A (RAA), an antimicrobial compound from&nbsp;<em>Pseudomonas soli<\/em>. It is highly effective against&nbsp;<em>Erwinia&nbsp;amylovora<\/em>, the bacteria that&nbsp;causes&nbsp;fire blight in apples and pears, a disease of local importance in Wisconsin. Unlike traditional antibiotics like streptomycin, RAA works through a distinctive mechanism that helps prevent the development of resistance, offering a solution to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance in agriculture.&nbsp;Field trials conducted across multiple regions further&nbsp;validate&nbsp;its efficacy, suggesting that RAA could become an essential tool for enhancing crop protection and sustainable farming practices.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-in-the-media-and-around-the-community-nbsp\">In the Media and Around the Community&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/news\/local\/milwaukee\/neighborhoods\/2026\/02\/23\/learn-how-this-neighborhood-news-pape-harambee-shopper-helped-combat-student-illiteracy-in-the-1970s\/88300149007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;<\/em>remembered how the&nbsp;<em>Harambee Shopper&nbsp;<\/em>newspaper focused on&nbsp;increasingly&nbsp;literacy in Milwaukee\u2019s young people. The paper was founded in part by Professor&nbsp;emeritus&nbsp;<strong>Belden Paulson (Political Science)<\/strong>. 51ÁÔÆæ&nbsp;alumnus&nbsp;<strong>Clayborn Benson (\u201824, MA Public History)&nbsp;<\/strong>spoke about the&nbsp;paper\u2019s importance to Milwaukee\u2019s Black community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A study by 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s&nbsp;<strong>Center for Economic Development&nbsp;<\/strong>found that&nbsp;predominantly white&nbsp;areas have three times the number of supermarkets or grocery stores compared to&nbsp;predominantly Black&nbsp;areas, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/news\/local\/milwaukee\/neighborhoods\/2026\/02\/23\/milwaukees-food-deserts-are-growing-as-grocery-stores-continue-to-exit-the-city\/88349952007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;<\/em>reported.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Morally Offensive Podcast, which features&nbsp;alumna&nbsp;<strong>Jess Sellin-Blanc (\u201811, BA Art History and Film Studies; \u201814, MA English and Digital Studies; \u201823, PhD&nbsp;English&nbsp;and Digital Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>as a contributor,&nbsp;explores films from the&nbsp;Condemned Film List,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/onmilwaukee.com\/articles\/morally-offensive-podcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>OnMilwaukee<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;reported.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new PBS documentary highlights Wisconsin\u2019s role in the Underground Railroad. Associate Lecturer&nbsp;<strong>Robert \u201cBiko\u201d Baker (African &amp; African Diaspora Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>contributed to the documentary as a local expert and talked about his role on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wuwm.com\/wisconsin-underground-railroad-milwaukee-pbs-documentary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">W51ÁÔÆæ Radio\u2019s Lake Effect show<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wtmj.com\/shows\/whats-on-tap\/2026\/02\/18\/spotlighting-local-stories-for-black-history-month\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WTMJ Radio<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>February was Black history month, but the effects of historical racism are still felt every day of the year.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/spectrumnews1.com\/wi\/milwaukee\/news\/2026\/02\/06\/uwm-mapping-racism-milwaukee-county\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spectrum 1 News<\/a>&nbsp;featured Professor&nbsp;<strong>Anne Bonds (Geography)&nbsp;<\/strong>and Associate Professor&nbsp;<strong>Derek Handley (English)&nbsp;<\/strong>and their project \u201cMapping Racism and Resistance,\u201d which traces the impact of racial housing&nbsp;covenants in Milwaukee.&nbsp;Bonds and Handley were also quoted in an article by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/civicmedia.us\/news\/2026\/02\/17\/how-milwaukee-residents-and-civil-rights-activists-pushed-milwaukee-public-schools-to-desegregate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Civic Media<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinwatch.org\/2026\/02\/milwaukee-public-schools-segregation-residents-civil-rights-activists-timeline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wisconsin Watch<\/a>&nbsp;detailing civil rights activists\u2019 push to desegregate Milwaukee&#8217;s public schools.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor&nbsp;<strong>Jeffrey Sommers (African &amp; African Diaspora Studies and Global Studies program<\/strong>)&nbsp;gave an invited presentation to the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate Democratic Caucus on the Minimum Wage on Feb. 2. He also&nbsp;was featured&nbsp;guest&nbsp;for WXRX radio\u2019s weekly program \u201cThe Grass is Greener\u201d on geopolitics on Feb. 17.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a chilly day, but that&nbsp;didn\u2019t&nbsp;stop the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog from enjoying their annual winter hike near 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s&nbsp;<strong>Field Station<\/strong><strong><em>,&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong>the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/story\/sports\/columnists\/paul-smith\/2026\/02\/15\/friends-of-the-cedarburg-bog-organize-annual-winter-hike-at-wetland\/88548121007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;<\/em>reported.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Director&nbsp;<strong>Jean Creighton (Planetarium)<\/strong>&nbsp;appeared on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wuwm.com\/manfred-olson-planetarium-celebrates-black-history-month-with-stargazing-poetry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">W51ÁÔÆæ Radio\u2019s Lake Effect<\/a>&nbsp;show to talk about the Planetarium\u2019s \u201cStars, Stories, &amp; Rhythms of Africa\u201d show in honor of Black History Month.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Associate Professor&nbsp;<strong>Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece (Film Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>discussed her new horror novel,&nbsp;<em>Poltergeist<\/em>, at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/shepherdexpress.com\/upcoming-events\/brew-city-buzz\/brew-city-buzz-events-happening-feb-5-feb-11-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Boswell Books<\/a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;February.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/uw-milwaukees-retrolab-decades-computing-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wisconsin Public Radio<\/a>&nbsp;took&nbsp;a step back in time by touring 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s&nbsp;Retrocomputing&nbsp;Lab with Professor&nbsp;<strong>Thomas Haigh (History)<\/strong>, who created the space to&nbsp;showcase&nbsp;historical computing technologies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Senior Teaching Faculty&nbsp;<strong>Jessica McBride (Journalism, Advertising, &amp; Media Studies)&nbsp;<\/strong>spoke in support of proposed anti-SLAPP legislation&nbsp;in&nbsp;a public hearing&nbsp;in January,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/isthmus.com\/opinion\/from-the-editor\/republicans-take-up-anti-slapp-legislation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Isthmus<\/em><\/a>&nbsp;reported. Anti-SLAPP legislation is designed to protect journalists and news outlets from litigation meant to silence their reporting.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Associate Professor&nbsp;<strong>Maria Novotny (English)&nbsp;<\/strong>was invited by the National Council of Jewish Women in Milwaukee to speak about the intersections of art, advocacy, and reproductive justice. The \u201cRepro Shabbat\u201d event focused on Novotny\u2019s work with her ART of Infertility project and involvement with the Building Families Alliance&nbsp;of WI.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-people-in-print-nbsp\">People in Print&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Associate Professor&nbsp;<strong>Gordon Gauchat (Sociology)<\/strong>. 2026. Why&nbsp;we don\u2019t&nbsp;know what the public thinks about science.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-026-00467-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Nature<\/em><\/a>,&nbsp;650 (8102): 551-553.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Professor&nbsp;<strong>Blain Neufeld (Philosophy)<\/strong>. 2026. Oil and Water: Why Schouten\u2019s Political Liberal Anatomy Cannot Accommodate Luck Egalitarianism.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/analysis\/advance-article-abstract\/doi\/10.1093\/analys\/anaf117\/8461769?redirectedFrom=fulltext&amp;login=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Analysis<\/em><\/a>, anaf117.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teaching Assistant&nbsp;<strong>Glenn Starr (Linguistics)<\/strong>&nbsp;and Greta&nbsp;Mazzaggio. 2026. The semantics behind the inference: How first language quantifier systems shape scalar reasoning in second language learners.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0749596X25001202?via%3Dihub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Journal of Memory and Language<\/em><\/a>, 148, 104727.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Volume 16, Number 3 Please be aware that some publications require a subscription in order to view articles and most links below leave this site. Alumni Accomplishments&nbsp; Nicholas Owens (\u201804, Master of Public Administration)&nbsp;was named&nbsp;the first-ever county administrator of&nbsp;Green County, &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19040,"featured_media":0,"parent":30801,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"class_list":["post-31306","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Letters &amp; Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/in-focus-magazine-march-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Focus Magazine: March, 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Volume 16, Number 3 Please be aware that some publications require a subscription in order to view articles and most links below leave this site. 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Alumni Accomplishments&nbsp; Nicholas Owens (\u201804, Master of Public Administration)&nbsp;was named&nbsp;the first-ever county administrator of&nbsp;Green County, &hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/in-focus-magazine-march-2026\/","og_site_name":"Letters &amp; Science","article_modified_time":"2026-04-07T20:51:06+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/in-focus-magazine-march-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/in-focus-magazine-march-2026\/","name":"In Focus Magazine: March, 2026 - Letters &amp; Science","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-07T20:45:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-07T20:51:06+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/in-focus-magazine-march-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/in-focus-magazine-march-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/in-focus-magazine-march-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News &amp; Events","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"In Focus Magazine","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"In Focus Archive","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"In Focus Archive: 2026","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/news-events\/in-focus-magazine\/infocus-archive\/in-focus-archive-2026\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":6,"name":"In Focus Magazine: March, 2026"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/","name":"Letters &amp; Science","description":"College of","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 08:36:40","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19040"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31306"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31311,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31306\/revisions\/31311"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}