UW-Madison celebrates imagination, discovery in the Year of Innovation
Excerpted from News.wisc.edu
by Kari Schrage
From dairy science to dance to vitamin D to stem cells, the University of Wisconsin–Madison has pushed the boundaries of what is known and the limits of what is possible for more than 160 years.
To mark this pioneering spirit, the campus will celebrate the Year of Innovation during the 2012-13 academic year.
The Year of Innovation focuses on three distinct themes.
The first theme reinvigorates the University’s longstanding commitment to innovation in how we teach, how we research, and how we operate.
The second theme explores campus and community interactions and examples of innovation through social entrepreneurship, engaged scholarship and service learning.
The final theme examines the real-world impact of UW-Madison innovations in the area of technology transfer and knowledge transfer.
“We have created an environment that stimulates the imagination and encourages discovery at UW-Madison,” says Interim Chancellor David Ward. “That culture has sparked innovative approaches that solve technological, medical and social problems. It also leads us to new and creative ways to advance the arts and humanities.”
Plans for the year are being led by a steering committee that draws its membership from across schools and colleges, student life, athletics, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the Wisconsin Alumni Association, the Office of Corporate Relations and many more.
“My hope is that the Year of Innovation will expand entrepreneurship, discovery and creativity in ways that will engage and benefit the entire campus and the broader community,” says Ward.
