June 25, 2026

Cool Classes

Collage made of images from 2014 vampire film What We Do in the Shadows, interior of the Palace of Versailles and the 2023 film Barbie.

Vampires, palaces, blockbusters and more. Beyond the catchy titles, these courses aim to leave students with a more critical eye for folklore, history and film.

Life’s Work

The Civil Rights Match on Washington, National Archives Catalog.

Mapping the Path to Polarization

They witnessed the Civil Rights Movement. They lived through the Vietnam War. And in the story of a group of ’60s graduates’ journey from high school to older adulthood, there may lie critical clues to the fractured political polarization the United States is experiencing today.

On Campus

Etching of Sifting and Winnowing plaque.

Celebrating Fearless Sifting and Winnowing

Sifting and winnowing is at the heart of everything we do in the College of Letters & Science, and an alumna just donated a powerful reminder of that mission to hang in South Hall.

The Human Side of AI

Gisela Perez de Acha instructs trainees about using open source tools.

Investigating in the Open-Source Landscape

The Public Tech Media Lab hosted a boot camp to train an audience of journalists, students and UW–Madison academic staff how to use a sizable array of online tools to conduct investigations, verify data and tell stories.

One Wisconsin

Stock photo of vegetables being sold at a farmers market.

Harvesting Data to Grow Farmers Markets

Since 2011, a team of UW–Madison researchers and community collaborators have secured $5.3 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Science Foundation (NSF) funding to support local food systems and farmers markets around the country.

From the Magazine

Professors Michael Titelbaum and Jordan Ellenberg.

Embracing Uncertainty

A mathematician and a philosopher walk into a bar … and they debate the concept of uncertainty. It’s a concept we all struggle with. It’s also the central theme of books currently being written by two College of Letters & Science faculty members.

Support Students

Empower the Next Generation of Badgers

A new class of bright minds is arriving at L&S this fall, ready to leave their mark. But they can’t do it alone. Your gift today helps ensure our incoming students have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed from the moment they step onto campus. Make your fiscal year-end gift before June 30 and help our newest students move forward from day one.

Madison Moment

Recent Grads posing on Memorial Union Bucky Badger statue during the 2026 Revent Grad Weekend event.

Catching Up at Recent Grad Weekend

Alumni returned to campus for Recent Grad Weekend to soak up the best of summer on campus, partake in a cheese curd crawl and sing their hearts out at karaoke. Once a Badger, always a Badger!

About Sift & Winnow

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