Faculty news

Professor Kenneth Potter has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the newly-formed Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science. The consortium's goal is to develop an infrastructure for research in hydrologic sciences. The immediate mission of the group is to address critical needs in the field and to develop an implementation plan for the National Science Foundation.

The August 8 issue of the Wisconsin State Journal included an article about Assistant Professor David Alumbaugh's stray voltage research project. With the help of a $350,000 grant from the state legislature, he will start testing four Wisconsin farms for stray voltage. The tests will gather more information about electric current that flows through farmland and the effect it has on livestock.

In a Sept. 12 Wisconsin State Journal story on World Trade Center security, Professors Lawrence Bank and Jeffrey Russell are quoted discussing the presentation given by the former Trade Center security director at a building security conference here last January. The two also discussed hopes for resubmitting a proposal to the National Science Foundation to create a center for building-vulnerability science and education at UW-Madison.

Research by Professor William Sonzogni and associate researcher Jon Manchester documenting the presence of chemical flame retardants in Lake Michigan salmon received notice in Field and Stream magazine. The research showed that levels of the retardant (called PBDEs) in the Lake Michigan salmon are among the highest in the world. The substance is used in the plastics, electronics and computer industries. It has been found to accumulate in the environment much like PCBs, and some initial health studies indicate it can be as toxic as PCBs.

The Midwest Regional University Transportation Center hosted the fourth National Transportation Asset Management Workshop in Madison in October. This conference, which explored steps for implementing transportation asset management techniques, marked the first time that a national transportation asset management workshop was attended by state, local, and transit officials. More than 225 people from federal, state and local governments, transit agencies, consulting organizations, and application vendors convened during the three-day meeting. For more information about the event and the Midwest Regional University Transportation Center, visit Midwest Regional University Transportation Center.