Susan Paskewitz, Director of the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease, explains how the center came into being and discusses vector-borne diseases caused by tick and mosquito bites.

Richard Anthes, President Emeritus of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, discusses the value of weather systems forecasts for predicting high-impact weather events.

Tamara Thomsen, Maritime Archaeologist at the Wisconsin Historical Society, and Mark Langenfeld, a Retired Attorney, discuss the history of the mines in the Baraboo Iron Range. Thomsen shares videos of her group of certified cave divers who explored the flooded mines, swimming past mining equipment that was left behind when the mine flooded.

Jim Lattis, Director of UW Space Place, discusses the history of Sherburne W. Burnham’s telescope, a 6-inch refractor telescope built in 1870. Lattis documents the locations around the country and around the world where the telescope was set up to view double stars and eclipses.

Carolyn Finney, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Kentucky, discusses the ownership and use of public lands. Finney questions who is allowed access to the land and focuses on prejudice in America.

John Hawks, Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UW-Madison, discusses new findings related to the Homo naledi fossils found in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa. Hawks reports that the fossils indicate this primitive, extinct, human relative may have been in existence as recently as 236,000 years ago.

Sarah Traynor, Associate Lecturer of Anatomy at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, explains the work of the teams who are analyzing the Homo naledi fossils found in South Africa. Traynor discusses her work determining the proportions of the upper and lower limbs of the hominin species and shares the impact these findings have on our understanding of their movements.

Ross Edwards, Visiting Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UW-Madison, discusses black carbon “smoke” nanoparticles on the surface of ice sheets in Greenland. Edwards traversed the country on a solar-powered Inuit Windsled, taking samples of the black carbon left behind from fires and fossil-fuel combustion.

Jacqueline van Gorkom, Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Columbia University, studies neutral hydrogen in the universe and discusses the influence collision, merger and gas exchange have on how galaxies form and evolve.

Walton O. Schalick, III, Clinical Assistant Professor in Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the UW Medical School, discusses how children with disabilities were historically treated. Schalick highlights the medical and scientific innovations inspired by the needs of the children.