Alternative Energy: Plant-based Biofuels and Sustainable Stove Design for Haiti and Deforested Nations
Project Leaders: Tyler Lark, Student Project Manager, Engineers Without Borders Haiti Project, College of Engineering
Duration: Three years
The Bayonnais Valley in Haiti has problems with deforestation and a scarcity of fuel sources. The student-led UW-Madison Chapter of Engineers Without Borders Haiti Project will partner with agronomists in the region to promote reforestation efforts by planting and cultivating oil-producing plants. The project teams will also develop and produce an alternative stove capable of using the plant oils as a cooking fuel. A research plot on the UW-Madison campus is also a component of the project. Engineers Without Borders is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving underdeveloped countries and communities around the world. In addition to Haiti, the UW-Madison chapter has projects in Rwanda, Kenya, El Salvador and Red Cliff, Wis.
CALS-Milwaukee Collaboration for Agriscience and Urban Sustainability Education
Project Leaders: Thomas Browne, Assistant Dean, Undergraduate Programs and Services, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; Noah Feinstein, Assistant Professor, Curriculum and Instruction/Agronomy, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Duration: Three years
This collaboration between the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) and the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) in Milwaukee will help close Wisconsin’s racial achievement gap and develop sustainable urban communities. The project combines scientific expertise from CALS with UEC’s community-based educational work. The project will: build agriscience capacity for UEC staff; arrange field trips for UEC students on agriscience; and hold events in UEC neighborhoods on sustainability issues. These activities will empower Milwaukee’s youth through agriscience education and projects that promote sustainable development. The project will also improve access to UW-Madison and CALS for underserved students of color.
Convening Culture Keepers: Continuing Education Mini-conferences for Wisconsin Tribal Library, Archive, and Museum Workers
Project Leader: Meredith Lowe, Associate Outreach Specialist, School of Library and Information Studies
Duration: Three years
Past partnerships and projects between the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) and the tribal Culture Keepers of Wisconsin have been beneficial for UW-Madison and Wisconsin’s Indian communities. This project supports a series of educational and networking mini-conferences for Culture Keepers staff. The project also creates community engagement opportunities SLIS students.The mini-conferences, planned with and for tribal cultural workers, will support and train attendees on providing culturally relevant services for tribal communities. This project will create an infrastructure for professional development and networking, as well as opportunities to strengthen the existing partnership between the university and Culture Keepers.
Mobile Markets: Education with Healthy, Affordable Food at the Neighborhood-level
Project Leaders: Paul Hunter, Scientist and Assistant Professor, Center for Urban Population Health, School of Medicine and Public Health
Duration: Two years
The Mobile Market (MM) program of SHARE Wisconsin provides healthy, affordable food in Milwaukee neighborhoods that do not have supermarkets. This is done through community-based organizations, such as health clinics, job centers, senior housing and the YMCA. This project will provide nutrition education through established MM venues and will collaborate with the UW-Extension nutrition education program in Milwaukee County. This program will improve knowledge of and attitudes about nutrition, which will lead to healthy food choices. MM served some 3,600 customers in 2009; program organizers hope to reach 500 people at a minimum of four sites.
Preventing Domestic Violence in Latino Immigrant Families
Project Leaders: Lynet Uttal, Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, School of Human Ecology
Duration: One year
This project will train social service providers to work with Latino families to prevent domestic violence by helping families cope with stressors that can cause domestic violence. Immigrants are particularly at risk of domestic violence because of the unusual stresses of adapting to a new country. This intervention program will create relationships and community-based solutions to prevent domestic violence through workshops, education and social support. The knowledge and experience gained at the workshops will be developed into a radio novella for additional educational outreach. This project builds on a program that used a similar approach to help Latino parents with concerns about raising a family in a new culture.
REACH BC+: Retention and Enrollment to Achieve Children’s Health and Build Capacity
Project Leaders: Roberta Riportella, Project Director, Professor and Health Policy Specialist, Consumer Science, School of Human Ecology; Michael Jacob, Project Coordinator, Consumer Science, School of Human Ecology
Duration: Three years
This project will expand on the work of the program Covering Kids and Families, which informs Wisconsin residents about BadgerCare Plus (BC+), a state-funded medical insurance program. REACH BC+ will reach state residents by targeting state school districts with information on public health insurance availability and eligibility, and assistance with enrolling in the program. This program will provide training in BC+ basics to school staff, create a local network for technical support, and customize outreach materials for each district. The goal is to improve access to health care and, ultimately, foster healthy outcomes.
Scientist for a Day
Project Leaders: Nancy Betzold, Research Program Manager, Dairy Forage Research Station, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; Lori Bocher, Information Specialist, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center
Duration: Three years
This project offers an educational experience to the next generation of agricultural producers and researchers. Agriculture/FFA/science students and their instructors will participate in a day of hands-on programs to learn how crops, animals and the environment are intricately entwined, while igniting scientific curiosity in the students. The program will take place at the Agricultural Research Station at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center Farm near Prairie du Sac. The students and their instructors will learn about agricultural research, how it’s conducted, why it’s needed, who benefits from it, and how they might some day be involved with agricultural research as scientists or agricultural producers. If successful, the program could be replicated at the 10 other Agricultural Research Stations throughout the state.
The Dairyland Initiative: A Structured Approach to Planning and Building Welfare-friendly Housing for Dairy Cattle in Wisconsin
Project Leaders: Nigel Cook, Clinical Associate Professor, Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine; Kenneth Nordlund, Clinical Professor, Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine
Duration: Three years
Barns and cow comfort have a huge impact on dairy productivity, yet it is common to see farm families using outmoded buildings that impact their profits. This project will bring together dairy producers and their advisers, agricultural builders, and bankers to share current research and advances in housing guidelines for dairy cattle. This information will create a blueprint for a Wisconsin facility design that farmers can easily access via the Web. The project’s outreach specialist will coordinate the building planning process and complete a cow comfort risk assessment for each facility before construction begins. Evaluations after construction will make sure targets for animal well-being are met and look for possible improvements. The project will create a long-term mechanism for facility design and construction that will become the primary building resource in Wisconsin.