Illuminating Discovery Hub

Crossroads of Ideas: How Failure Fuels Innovation
2026-01-28 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Part I in our Productive Failure Mini-Series

Amalgam Improv Presents Yes and Science Improv Workshop
2026-01-30 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-02-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
FREE WORKSHOP! Better Science Communication through Improv

This 2-hour workshop is designed for graduate students, post-docs, staff, and faculty in STEM related fields who want to sharpen their ability to communicate effectively and adaptively. In research and industry alike, ideas often need to be shared in real time with diverse audiences- from colleagues and collaborators to decision-makers and the public. This session provides a lively, low-stakes space to build confidence in handling the unexpected and the ability to pivot one’s communication. Through fun applied improv practice, participants will experiment with spontaneous speaking, respond to mistakes, and network.

Crossroads of Ideas: The Upside of AI Failure
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
What failure in AI can teach us, and how it can inspire innovation, critical thinking, and resilience.

Failure is part of progress, especially in the fast-moving field of artificial intelligence. This Crossroads of Ideas event, part of our three-part mini-series on “productive failure,” brings together David Fields (UW-Madison Department of East Asian Studies) and Rob Nowak (UW-Madison Computer, Data & Information Sciences) to explore what happens when AI technology falls short. From real-world research that didn’t go as planned to the broader implications for society, this conversation highlights how failures can deepen our understanding, shape future innovation, and help us navigate technology’s role in our lives. Together, they’ll discuss what failure in AI can teach us, and how it can inspire innovation, critical thinking, and resilience.

SoundWaves: Macro Scale
2026-02-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
This academic year, SoundWaves is exploring scales. In this second edition, we will be zooming out to the macro scale!

Crossroads of Ideas: When Antibiotics Fail
2026-03-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
How do we manage when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines? What are our options?

Crossroads of Ideas: Memory in Motion
2026-04-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Art, Science, and the Living Nature of Memory- featuring Viviane Silveras, John Yin, and hosted by Guy Thorne.

In this Crossroads of Ideas conversation, we explore the dynamic life of memory through the artistic lenses of film and painting alongside the analytical lens of science. Featuring Viviane Silvera, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts 2026 Artist in Residence, the event highlights her 2025 Telly Award winning film See Memory which invites audiences to visualize a reality where abstraction, emotion, and evolving ideas converge. Created from more than 30,000 hand-painted stills, See Memory weaves together cutting-edge research and deeply personal storytelling to illuminate how memory works and how it can be reframed.
Moderated by WID researcher, Dr. John Yin, the discussion brings together creative practice and scientific inquiry revealing deeper perspectives on emotion, experience, and the mind itself. Through moving images and thoughtful dialogue, we will consider memory not as something fixed, but as a living process that is continually shaped by how we sense, interpret, and imagine.

SoundWaves: Astronomical Scale
2026-04-24 19:30 - 21:00 | Hamel Music Center, 740 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
This academic year, SoundWaves is exploring scales. In this final edition, we will be zooming WAY out to the Astronomical scale!

Sci-prov
2026-04-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Discovery Building, 330 North Orchard Street, Madison, WI, 53715, United States
Science Meets Improv Comedy

Join the Illuminating Discovery Hub and Amalgam Improv for an evening fusing science and spontaneous improv comedy like no other at Sci-Prov!
Sci-prov combines science and improv in creative, funny, and never before seen ways. Scientists will present their work in short, digestible presentations followed by brief Q&A, all of which can become fodder for the improv scenes. The improv scenes are created on the fly & unique to each show.
Light refreshments and cash bar available. Tickets are free and registration is requested to ensure adequate seating.

Parking: The closest parking ramps to the Discovery building are Lot 80 (Union South), lot 20 (Medical Science Center), and Lot 17 (Engineering/Camp Randall). Additional surface lots are also available. Please see the campus parking and transportation map for complete options.

Bus: The closest bus stop westbound is University & North Orchard (A, C, D, F, J, O, R), and eastbound is Campus at Babcock (A, C, F J, R). Free campus route 80 also stops at University & North Orchard

We value inclusion and access for all participants. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations to enhance your participation experience, please email idhub@wid.wisc.edu no later than 2 weeks prior to the event. This event is wheelchair accessible.
