UW - Madison Department of Chemistry 1101 University Avenue Madison , WI 53706 - 1396

The dual mission of the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy is to promote literacy in science, mathematics and technology among the general public and to attract future generations to careers in research, teaching and public service. At the March 5, 2010 UW-Madison Chemistry Department Colloquium, the director of the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy (WISL) encouraged all Ph.D. chemistry candidates to include a chapter in their Ph.D. thesis communicating their research to non-specialists. The goal is to explain the candidate’s scholarly research and its significance to a wider audience that includes family members, friends, civic groups, newspaper reporters, state legislators, and members of the U.S. Congress.