Exterior of Nancy Nicholas Hall in the evening, with lamps and windows glowing.
News & Events

SoHE News: Sep 4–10

Thanks for reading our weekly roundup of news and events at the School of Human Ecology. Have something we should know about? Email Public Relations Manager Serena Larkin, or submit your SoHE event via this form. View past issues of news and events here.

From the blog & social

On Wisconsin magazine notes SoHE alumna, HLATC show

SoHE alumna Deb Alder’s dairy delivery company in Delavan, Wisconsin, kept up its business over the last several months to ensure Midwest families could still enjoy the high-quality Wisconsin dairy products her company moves throughout the region. She also invested in additional health and safety materials for her employees and said the team has remained as dedicated as ever, even if they can’t socialize as they normally would among themselves. The On Wisconsin alumni magazine profiled her work, and SoHE shared her story on its Facebook page.

On Wisconsin also featured the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection‘s searchable online archive, featuring more than 9,000 unique articles from around the U.S. and globally.

SoHE scholars in the news

Gaddis in The Atlantic, Cap Times, and more

The Atlantic quoted Dr. Jennifer Gaddis, SoHE’s Jane Rafferty Thiele Faculty Fellow and Assistant Professor of Civil Society and Community Studies, at length in an article about the overlooked risks to cafeteria workers amid school reopenings this fall.

The Cap Times quoted her on both the importance and limitations of new federal waiver extensions that will support school lunch programs.

The New York Society for Ethical Culture hosted Dr. Gaddis for its Sunday Platform virtual event to discuss her book, The Labor of Lunch: Why We Need Real Food and Real Jobs in American Public Schools.

Carter op-eds in Washington Post & Cap Times

Two women studying in the UW Practice Cottage (archive) - Crop
Two women studying in the UW Practice Cottage (archive) (cropped)

Dr. Sarah Anne Carter, Visiting Director of the Center for Design and Material Culture and Visiting Assistant Professor of Design Studies, penned an op-ed for the Washington Post this week on the potential benefits of learning from home, as considered through the material culture lens of SoHE’s historic “practice cottage.”

She also wrote for the Cap Times on the value of a human ecology approach to life under the pandemic and the lessons we can take from it after as well.

Sarmadi discusses mask safety on WPR

Dr. Majid Sarmadi, SoHE’s Rothermel Bascom Professor of Design Studies, joined Wisconsin Public Radio’s Central Time show on Monday afternoon, along with Epidemiology’s Dr. Amanda Simanek, to talk about mask safety, including how to choose and care for them.

Collins talks economic recovery with MPR

Dr. J. Michael Collins, the Fetzer Family Chair in Consumer and Personal Finance and Director of the UW Center for Financial Security, joined Minnesota Public Radio news this morning to discuss the likelihood and nature of another stimulus package from Congress to support struggling Americans and possibilities for economic recovery.

Addo cited in Cosmopolitan re rent/buy question

Dr. Fenaba Addo, SoHE’s Lorna Jorgenson Wendt Associate Professor in Money, Relationships, and Equality (MORE), was cited in Cosmopolitan magazine in an article on the question of renting versus buying property while mortgage rates are at historic lows.

Whelan on Trump’s disparagement of war dead in Globe and Mail

Dr. Christine Whelan, Director of Money, Relationships and Equality Initiative and Clinical Professor of Consumer Science, spoke with Channel 3000 about how to maintain one’s mental health and well-being in difficult times.

She was also quoted in the Globe and Mail on the detrimental effects for military families of recently reported comments by U.S. President Trump disparaging the sacrifices of war dead.

Events

“Beyond Health: The Social Impacts of COVID-19,” with Drs. J. Michael Collins and Sarah Halpern-Meekin

Virtual event | Wednesday, September 30, 7:00–8:30 p.m. CDT: The UW LaFollette School of Public Affairs will host a series of virtual town halls this fall in advance of the U.S. general election featuring expert panels from across the university. Dr. J. Michael Collins, the Fetzer Family Chair in Consumer and Personal Finance and Director of the UW Center for Financial Security, and Dr. Sarah Halpern-Meekin, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, will be panelists for the first discussion late this month, “Beyond Health: The Social Impacts of COVID-19.” The series is free and open to the public. More information and registration are available here.

“The Developing Mind,” with Dr. Poehlmann-Tynan

Virtual event | Tuesday, October 6, 7:00 p.m. CDT: According to a survey conducted by Sesame Street, nearly 80 percent of parents agreed it’s more important for their child to be kind than academically successful. Learn more about ways to nurture the development of children’s healthy minds and hearts in a session hosted by Center for Healthy Minds and featuring Dr. Sarah Short and Dr. Julie Poehlmann-Tynan, the Dorothy A. O’Brien Professor in Human Ecology. The event is free and open to the public. More information and registration are available here.

“The Past and Future of School Lunch as a Form of Public Care,” with Dr. Jennifer Gaddis

Virtual event | Tuesday, November 17: As part of the fall lecture series, “Forward? The Wisconsin Idea, Past and Present,” Dr. Jennifer Gaddis will discuss her research on school lunch systems in a talk titled “The Past and Future of School Lunch as a Form of Public Care.” The series is free and open to the public. More information and registration are available here.

SoHE Events

Tue, 9/15 | Where Mission Meets Advocacy: Telling Your Story in COVID-19

Thu, 9/17 | Washington Mandela Fellows – Follow Up on Community Projects

Fri, 9/25 | FOR SoHE RESEARCHERS: Online Workshop: Overview of Research and Sponsored Programs for SoHE Researchers

Wed, 10/14 | 2020 CommNS Annual Event: Getting the Work Done: “How-Tos” in Community and Nonprofit Efforts

View the full calendar of SoHE events, including ongoing online exhibitions from the Center for Design and Material Culture.