Environment

From the shores of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan to the bluffs of La Crosse, the UW System is helping to preserve and enrich the environment and abundant natural resources of our great state. Increasing energy efficiency, purifying the Great Lakes and creating habitats for endangered animals are just a few examples of the environmental goals our institutions are working toward.

  1. UW-Stevens Point student prepares for UW System research showcase

    Photo of Kyle Pulvermacher, an actuarial mathematics major and economics minor, who is among the six UWSP students presenting their work at Research in the Rotunda.

    March 7, 2023

    How does a college education impact income inequality? University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point junior Kyle Pulvermacher took on this question as part of research he will present at the UW System […]

  2. UWO geology students thrive on field-based learning, demand for grads strong

    Photo of UW Oshkosh students posing with a geological rock formation. UW Oshkosh’s summer geology field camp is designed to expose students to a wide variety of rock types and geologic settings. Projects are conducted in the Wasatch Mountains, as well as other parts of Utah and Nevada. (Photo courtesy of UW Oshkosh)

    February 27, 2023

    The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s geology program has a history of turning out highly prepared graduates—the kinds who are sought by employers all over the world. “Geologists are highly employable […]

  3. UWM research seeks to find how small microplastics become in waterways

    Photo of Laodong Guo, professor of freshwater sciences, investigating the molecular structures of microplastics to determine how small they ultimately become in waterways. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)

    January 26, 2023

    The tsunami of plastic waste flooding into oceans and the Great Lakes eventually breaks down into bits that are about the size of a sesame seed in a process called […]

  4. Reptile read: UWL alum authors book detailing state’s turtles, frogs and more

    Photo of Josh Kapfer, ’99 & ’02, who is the co-author and primary editor “Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin,” a new book offering a detailed look at these organisms. Kapfer is a professor and certified wildlife biologist at UW-Whitewater.

    January 19, 2023

    Growing up in Stoughton, Wisconsin, Josh Kapfer always had an intense interest in wildlife — particularly amphibians and reptiles.  Like many, his first wildlife experiences were capturing turtles and frogs […]

  5. When hurricanes threaten, national media turn to UWM prof’s website

    Photo of Clark Evans, professor of atmospheric science in the School of Freshwater Sciences, who maintains a website that translates meteorological data into an accessible format so that it can be used to create maps. The graphics are also available every six hours through a Twitter account that is linked to the storm data. (UWM Photo Services)

    January 10, 2023

    As hurricanes loomed over the southeast United States, both the Washington Post and the New York Times consulted a database on a UWM professor’s website for information on these storms, […]

  6. New pier, trail surface help make UWSP Schmeeckle Reserve more accessible

    Photo of Friends of Schmeeckle, donors and community members attending a ribbon cutting for the new accessible fishing pier and Lake Loop Trail at Schmeeckle Reserve on Sept. 29.

    December 19, 2022

    Schmeeckle Reserve is now more accessible for people of all abilities, thanks to a fundraising project completed by the Friends of Schmeeckle earlier this fall. A new accessible fishing pier […]

  7. UWM alum helps uncover oldest-ever human footprints discovered in North America

    Photo of soil rich with gypsum, which helped preserve human footprints from some 23,000 years ago at what is now White Sands National Park. (Photo courtesy of the National Park Service)

    December 13, 2022

    Millennia ago, before the pyramids were built, before the development of pottery, before mammoths and mastodons went extinct, children were splashing in puddles on the shores of paleo-lake Otero in […]

  8. Water and Environmental Analysis Lab at UW-Stevens Point, Clean Water Act mark 50 years

    Photo of UWSP sophomore Lizzi Gizzi working on a project in the Water and Environmental Analysis Lab, where she has worked since her first year at UWSP.

    December 12, 2022

    Fifty years ago, a landmark law was passed to protect and restore national waterways, which are vital to our health, ecosystems and economy. Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has […]

  9. UW-Platteville Student Researchers Support WDNR, Trout Unlimited Conservation Efforts

    Photo of UW-Platteville students and faculty searching for native mussel species./Photo by Rebecca Doyle-Morin

    December 8, 2022

    Mussels play a critical role in the health of Wisconsin’s rivers and streams, but according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, nearly half of Wisconsin’s native mussels are listed […]

  10. UW-Stout professor re-creates area landscape features to inspire award-winning digital art

    Image of UW-Stout award-winning digital art

    December 8, 2022

    ‘After Arcadia’ wins juried art prize at M+DEV Midwest Game Developers conference The natural environment of west-central Wisconsin helped inspire an award-winning piece of 3D art created by a UW-Stout […]

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