University of Wisconsin Madison - Badger Yearbook (Madison, WI)

Page 32 text:

28 Experimenters and students share the triumphs and sits- pense 0f laboratmy research. One integral part of university life cannot be found near any dormitory, college classroom, or State Street bar. It operates quietly - you could spend years on campus and never really know its there. Research at the University of Wis- consin-Madison is a massive effort involving everything from collecting gas samples to carillon music, from analyzing the smallest sub-atomic par- ticles to modeling the human body mathematically. Very few people are aware of how large the program has grown. A gradu- ate program which awarded its first PhD. degree to Charles Van Hise in 1892 awarded 248 PhD. degrees in May, 1977, with a budget of $95.mil- lion. A 1971 study ranked 20 of the UWls graduate programs in the top ten in the US. Allocating portions of the annual budget among the various departments is a complex task. In 1977, $90 million was provided and administered by sources outside the state, such as the federal government. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation tWARFl supplied about $4 million in W 4, , funds derived mainly from patent income on Warfarin, a substance more commonly known as rat poisons. Only about $1 million of all research funds came from state taxes. L i Students of nearly every Classifica- tion, from freshmen to fourth-year ' graduate students, are involved in SOme sort of experimentation.-The Ph.D. candidate doing his first original research will find that existence in a huge research department is a trying experience Departmental research requirements are often higher than the minimums set by the university, and there are many ways one can err in experimental and departmental proce- dure. Occasionally the graduate stu- dent will find that his original research a may no longer be so original, meaning 2 someone at another school is already a ' working on the same project. A UW-Madison requires a certain amount of published research from each faculty member, a policy which is sometimes crudely stated as, llpublish or perish? The university also has tried to direct its research toward areas which are rel- evant to current scientific problems or

Page 31 text:

The university soon developed guidelines for future construction. In 1906, planners adopted a general color scheme for all projects and required that each new building be made of fire- proof material. Because sandstone was becoming too expensive, contractors were told to use a buff-color brick for buildings near the principle group and a dark brown brick for those farther away. Architects also encouraged a return to the Italian Renaissance style. Enrollment and funding dropped because of World War I. The restraint and economic strain carried over to the early 19203. Even though enrollment increased after the war, there was little long-range planning done and few buildings were erected. In sharp contrast came the ttRoaring Twenties? Under new leadership, gov- ernment increased funds for university construction, enrollment, and expan- sion of programs. Tripp and Adams menls dorms were built, and the Mem- orial Union construction was funded by students, alumni and faculty. Construction and program expan- sion continued non-stop until the onset of the Depression. Aside from eco- nomic problems, there was a declining lack of confidence in university leader- ship, and political turmoil grew within the state. Student enrollment dropped dramat- ically, and those who remained rebelled againstithe status quo. Construction was sparse. The Caril- lon Tower, with its 56 bronze bells dan- gling from the 85-foot-high perch, was one of the only privately funded pro- jects built during the Depression. Com- pleted in 1935, the tower was a gift to the university from the classes of 1921- 1926. By 1935, economic pressures eased with the policies of the New Deal, and enrollment climbed. The Wisconsin Union Theater, Elizabeth Waters Hall and other dormitories were built in 1939 under the Public Works Adminis- tration program. During World War II, enrollment increased again when members of the armed forces took courses as part of their training. However, construction was limited. Because of the conserva- tism during the 505, only two struc- tures - Memorial Library and Bab- cock Hall - were built. As post-war babies grew up and began to enter col- leges, the university officials saw 21 dec- ade of successively Photos this page by S. Brown higher levels of enrollment. With this promising forecast for edu- cation, the administration received leg- islative backing for the most intense building boom ever carried out at the UW. Construction crews rebuilt nearly the entire campus with functional and low- cost structures placed amid the older, more graceful buildings. F irst to be built were Van Vleck and the southeast dorms. Soon to follow were Humanities, Vilas, the natato- rium, Elvehjem Art Center, Helen C. White library, Chemistry and Animal Science. The building boom slowed in the early 19705 when enrollment figures began to level off and economic pres- sures forced budget cutbacks. The uni- versity moved toward maintenance and remodeling instead of construction. The appearance of the campus has changed drastically over the years, but no matter what the social, economic or political atmosphere, the university has continued to build a tradition of aca- demic excellence.

Page 33 text:

Dijones may be significant in the future. While this is the case, a projectts significance : ., isn,t always apparent to the outside 1 observer. One can easily understand why researchers try to discover what causes cancer, but the justification of studying why flies can,t escape flyswatters isn,t ,5 'L M J; as obvious. For most of us, houseflies f g L ' ' , serve us best simply by being dead. I i b However, a study of their nervous f! '7 3 V! i5 M 5 M + reflexes may add to what is known about nervous systems in more com- plex animals. In the long run, the study could prove to be invaluable to the field of medicine. Working in the UW research labs can be as frustrating as it is interesting. It is rather unfortunate that professors and assistants involved in scientific pioneering are also teaching; because news of fascinating discoveries and enthusiasm tend to creep into under- graduate lectures and labs. Too often professors are forced to end a semester of suspense by announcing that a student has hjust scratched the surface? Although this is invariably the case in scientific research, such an announcement is difficult for a profes- sor to make and frustrating for an interested student to hear.