Dubbed a self-driving laboratory, the system uses a computer algorithm to identify the relationship between protein sequence and function and suggest changes likely to improve certain functions. The computer then sends the protein sequences to a robotic lab that tests them and provides feedback from experimental data to help the agent improve its “understanding” of the system and guide future rounds of experiments. 

From early childhood, Harrison Moon was fascinated by the natural world, and this fascination eventually steered him towards a career in plant pathology. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher in the Hittinger Lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 

Using machine learning, UW–Madison scientists have identified more than 30 million acres of U.S. farmland abandoned between 1986 and 2018, creating a field-level map of lands that could be used to mitigate climate change.

The award, established in 2019, honors those who demonstrate a spirit of generosity in sharing science with the public. Winners may coordinate outreach programming, dedicate time to support services, or share expertise with public audiences.

Enright, a doctoral candidate in genetics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, was awarded the 2024 Jennifer L. Reed Bioenergy Science Award, given annually to recognize early-career women with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center for outstanding research and leadership. 

Winds on the Great Lakes could provide more than enough clean energy to meet the needs of the eight bordering states, yet logistical, social, and environmental challenges have stymied development of offshore wind turbines. 

Direct air capture with carbon storage (DACCS) could help remove nearly five gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) by midcentury if the emerging technology, which uses chemicals to capture the heat-trapping gas directly from the air, develops at a rate similar to other technologies that grew quickly in the past.