United Nations Speaker
Bettina Luescher
World Food Programme Chief Spokesperson for North America
travels the globe working in crisis areas to end hunger.
UW-Madison is honored to host Ms. Luescher, a 1985 UW alumna, for a series of public presentations.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Stories from the Frontlines of Fighting Hunger
12:00 – 1 :00 p.m., North Hall, Room 422

Haiti, Somalia, Niger, Pakistan. These are but a few of the countries devastated recently by disasters where the World Food Programme can be found providing emergency food assistance. Stories of how this UN agency responds to tragedies, human-made or otherwise, in over 75 countries are the focus of this brown bag luncheon hosted by the Political Science Department.

Holy Cow! From the UW to CNN and to the UN
4:30 – 5:30p.m., Tripp Commons, Memorial Union
Ms. Luescher’s extraordinary career led her from radio and newspaper to international TV until 2004 when she became the Chief Spokesperson in North America for the UN World Food Programme. Learn about her inspiring journey which began at UW-Madison!

Quakes, Wars & Celebs – Fighting Hunger Worldwide
7:00 – 8:00p.m., Tripp Commons, Memorial Union
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger. It plays a daunting role in light of myriad challenges. Find out how WFP works collaboratively to address these and other issues that impact food security, such as health, education and poverty.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Globetrotting to End Hunger
1:30-2:30 p.m., Auditorium, Pyle Center
Attending to extreme hunger that arises from drought, war, hurricanes and other natural disasters around the world is the doily work of the WFP. Discover how this UN agency fulfills its mission in over 75 countries and the role that Ms. Luescher ploys as a global advocate and relentless voice for the millions affected. Register for this free lecture online at uwolumni.com/ghs.

Support the World Food Programme by playing this simple online game: freerice.com. Sign up, then join the group “Badgers Worldwide” to make a difference!

Hosted by CALS International Programs, Global Health Institute, Global Studies, ISS -Millennium Development Goals Awareness Project, United Nations Association – Dane County, Wisconsin Alumni Association, and Wisconsin Union Directorate – Global Connections

By Indira Nair, vice provost emerita, Carnegie Mellon University, and chair of AAC&U’s Shared Futures Global Learning Leadership Council

Excerpt:

“As higher education becomes increasingly attuned to global interdependence, the task of preparing students to be responsible citizens and professionals becomes more complex. Colleges and universities have long provided general education designed to afford breadth beyond the expertise students gain in their majors. But students now need more clearly defined awareness and sensibilities that will help them make informed decisions about issues of global concern, such as environmental sustainability. They will need to develop capabilities to address these issues while also meeting the demands of functioning in a technological society where science and quantitative analysis are key to decision-making.

Decades ago, a “literate” person was one who knew the Western canon. Today, colleges and universities must move beyond that narrow framework to impart to students a set of multiple “new literacies”: scientific, technological, ethical, environmental, and global. This set of literacies is requisite to participation in a globally interconnected world. In this article, I will briefly describe the evolution toward the concept of new literacies before exploring what scientific literacy in particular means for students.”

Read more.

The talk, titled “Taking a Scientific Approach to Science and Engineering Education,” will be held at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery in the DeLuca Forum. Following the lecture, Dr. Wieman will host a reception from 3–3:30 p.m.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) advises the president on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. As the office’s associate director, one of Dr. Wieman’s core objectives is to ensure that all Americans have the STEM education they need to participate in modern society and to be a part of a reinvigorated American economy. Prior to joining OSTP, Dr. Wieman was a professor of physics at the University of British Columbia and the University of Colorado. He also served as the director of Collaborative Science Education Initiatives at both institutions. He has worked extensively on research and innovations for improving science education, and was founding chair of the National Academy of Sciences Board of Science Education, received the National Science Foundation’s Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award, and also was recognized as the Carnegie Foundation’s University Professor of the Year.

Dr. Wieman received his B.S. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. from Stanford University.

The March 20 lecture is free and open to the public; registration is not required.

“How Stories Teach: Writing Case Studies to Internationalize Science Education”
Friday, March 16 2012
8:00am to 1:45pm
Union South

Sponsored by the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences (CALS) International Programs Office and Engage, this free half-day workshop will explore how stories teach, what makes for effective case studies in science education, how to determine appropriate global learning outcomes, and how to assess their impact.

Effective case studies give context to scientific knowledge while engaging students in a vibrant storyline with characters, choices, and consequences. Today, case studies can be interactive multimedia explorations that give learners a dynamic and individualized means of grappling with a concept or task.

Come prepared with a case study idea you would like to develop. Or just come to listen and learn.

PLEASE NOTE: This workshop, including lunch, is free and open to all UW-Madison faculty, staff, and future faculty. Registration is limited to 50 participants; priority will be given to faculty and instructional staff in the sciences.

Contact: Masarah Van Eyck, Director, Science Curriculum Internationalization, mvaneyck@cals.wisc.edu, (608) 890-4196

Click here to register.

SCHEDULE

MORNING SESSIONS:

Welcome
John Ferrick, Director, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences International Programs Office; Assistant Dean, Division of International Studies
Chris Lupton, Manager, Engage
Kathryn VandenBosch, Dean, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences; Director, Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station

“How Stories Teach: High-Impact Innovations in the Classroom”
Christopher Blakesley, Project Assistant, Engage

“Writing Effective Case Studies: Backward Design and Global Learning Outcomes”
Amber Smith, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute for Biology Education

“Creating Interactive Cases: Methods & Tools”
Les Howles, Senior eLearning Consultant, Engage
Blaire Bundy, Senior Technology Consultant, Engage

LUNCH & KEYNOTE:

“Using Cases to Explore Global Issues”
Ethel Stanley, Director, BioQUEST, Beloit College

POST-WORKSHOP:
Space will be available after the workshop for those who wish to work on individual projects for the rest of the afternoon.

“Case study approaches to education are part of a future-oriented education. They help develop the skills that students need and employers want.” —Aaron Brower, Vice Provost for Teaching & Learning

Sponsors:

CALS International Programs (with thanks to the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates)
and Engage

Co-sponsors:

Delta Program, Division of International Studies, Institute for Biology Education, Global Health Institute

Administration and Private Sector Announce over $100 Million in Commitments and Additional Steps to Prepare 100,000 New Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Teachers

Today, President Obama will host the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President will also announce key additional steps that the Administration and its partners are taking to prepare 100,000 effective math and science teachers and to meet the urgent need to train one million additional STEM graduates over the next decade.

“When students excel in math and science, they help America compete for the jobs and industries of the future,” said President Obama. “That’s why I’m proud to celebrate outstanding students at the White House Science Fair, and to announce new steps my Administration and its partners are taking to help more young people succeed in these critical subjects.”

[...]

• A priority on undergraduate STEM education reform in the President’s upcoming budget: The President will announce more than $100 million in investment by the National Science Foundation to improved undergraduate STEM education practices through its programs such as Widening Implementation and Demonstration of Evidence-based Reforms  (WIDER), Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics  (TUES), and programs that impact community colleges and minority-serving institutions. This will support the development, identification and scale-up of educational practices that increase the number of STEM graduates and the quality of their preparation. In addition, the Department of Education’s proposed First in the World competition will include a STEM priority.

Excerpt:

“The problems that today’s college-going generation will face in the future are enormous—and the stagnant economy is just the beginning. Climate change, fossil-fuel constraints, rotting infrastructure, collapsing ecosystems, and resource scarcities all loom large. Meeting those challenges will require both abstract and practical knowledge. For example, some scientists have fretted over the world’s limited supplies of rock phosphate, which is used in agriculture. Because we live in a country that has more people in prison than in farming, most people could not tell you that phosphorus is one of the three vital nutrients needed to grow food crops, nor could they name the other two, potassium and nitrogen (the latter of which is produced mostly by burning finite fossil fuels). Even if students never work in agriculture, such knowledge could help them as aspiring businessmen, future policy makers, or mere citizens.”

As part of an exchange agreement, the Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University at Bonn will offer one 2012-13 academic year award and several short term awards to University of Wisconsin-Madison advanced graduate students who wish to follow an independent research program under the guidance of a senior faculty member.

Competition deadline is 12:00 PM Tuesday, April 10, 2012.

A full description of the competition is available at www.intl-institute.wisc.edu/fellow.

For information on the University of Bonn and its academic departments see http://www3.uni-bonn.de//the-university.

Visit the CALS IP site for this announcement

“How Stories Teach: Writing Case Studies to Internationalize Science Education”
Friday, March 16, 8:00am to 1:45pm
Union South

Effective case studies give context to scientific knowledge while engaging students in a vibrant storyline with characters, choices, and consequences. Today, case studies can be interactive multimedia explorations that give learners a dynamic and individualized means of grappling with a concept or task.

Sponsored by CALS International Programs and the Engage Program, this free half-day workshop will explore how stories teach, what makes for effective case studies in science education, how to determine appropriate global learning outcomes, and how to assess their impact.

Come prepared with a case study idea you would like to develop. Or just come to listen and learn.

The workshop, including lunch, is free and open to all UW-Madison faculty, staff, and future faculty. Priority will be given to faculty and instructional staff in the sciences.

MORNING SESSIONS: 


“How Stories Teach: High-Impact Innovations in the Classroom”

“Writing Effective Case Studies: Backward Design and Global Learning Outcomes”

“Engage Program’s Case Study Scenario Builder: Storytelling with Technology”

LUNCH & KEYNOTE:

Ethel Stanley: ”Using Cases to Explore Global Issues”

“Case study approaches to education are part of a future-oriented education.They help develop the skills that students need and employers want.”
-Aaron Brower, Vice Provost for Teaching & Learning

Contact: Masarah Van Eyck, mvaneyck@cals.wisc.edu, (608) 890-4196

Sponsored by: 


CALS International Programs
(with thanks to the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates)
and the
 Engage Program

Co-sponsors:

Delta Program, Division of International Studies, Global Health Initiative, Institute for Biology Education