Wisconsin
Wisconsin science, industry play critical roles in creating powerful new Rubin Observatory
The NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory is a groundbreaking achievement for astronomers. Scientists and companies in Wisconsin made the endeavor possible.
Light from faraway galaxies can show us what the universe was like billions of years ago. But the movements and mysteries of those galaxies tell physicists that we still don’t know what makes up the vast majority of the universe.
“How did it begin? When will it end? What is it made of?”
Keith Bechtol, a physics professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said these are some of the questions scientists will try to address with a new observatory in Chile featuring the biggest camera ever built.
The NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, released the first set of images on June 23. The stunning images represent the fruits of a decades-long effort to push the study of the cosmos well past its current limits.
Building the Rubin Observatory, which sits on a summit in Chile’s Andes Mountain range, spanned three decades and involved parts and people from three continents. Some of the most important support came from Wisconsin.
‘Visionary’ Rubin Observatory provides detailed look at the cosmos
Beginning in October 2025, the Rubin Observatory will embark on the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Over the next 10 years it will scan the entire Southern Hemisphere sky about 800 times, providing the most detailed look at the universe to date.
The plan going forward sounds deceptively simple.
Getting to the starting point was anything but that.
“The whole idea for the (Rubin) observatory was so visionary when it was conceived (in the 1990s) that many of the technologies didn’t exist at that time” said Bechtol.
Bechtol served as the System Verification and Validation Scientist for the international team in charge of the Rubin. He oversaw much of the testing that ensures scientists will reliably get the high-quality data they are seeking.
Observatories usually face trade-offs between how big an area they scan, the resolution of the photos they take and how fast they can take them. The scientists designing the Rubin attacked these challenges on all three fronts.
The Simonyi Survey Telescope installed uses an innovative mirror system to reflect incoming light onto a camera the size of a car. After scanning one piece of the sky, the whole system rapidly spins to look in a different direction, rotating in coordination with its protective dome while maintaining near perfect alignment of the mirrors.
According to Bechtol, displaying one image at full resolution would require enough high-definition TVs to cover a basketball court.
The final step in building the Rubin — installing the 80-ton mirror system — was made possible by the Milwaukee-based company PFlow Industries.
Pieces of the telescope were assembled at a staging area but needed to be raised five stories to be installed in the dome. PFlow custom-built a lift capable of moving critical equipment from the assembly area to the dome. A video shared by Rubin Observatory shows this lift in action.
During and after construction, Bechtol organized a series of “rehearsals” to simulate how the Rubin will operate. He accounted for details including the workflow of operating it, the challenge of transferring massive amounts of data from the summit, and even making sure the summit hotel was staffed and had food for its residents.
After nearly 30 years of dreaming, designing, building and testing, the first images from Rubin Observatory arrived.
Scientists share new images with the public
UW-Madison hosted a First Look Party on June 23 to view these images with the public. Nearly 100 people gathered in a physics department auditorium to watch a livestream of a press conference in Washington, D.C., before participating in a panel discussion with Bechtol and other scientists who will use data from the Rubin.
Even though Monday was the first chance for the public to see the images, some of the scientists involved in the project had a sneak peek.
“I woke up in bed and saw messages” that the first images had come in, said Miranda Gorsuch, a graduate student at UW-Madison who has Bechtol as an advisor. “It was like waking up from a dream.”
Gorsuch plans to use the data to study the structure of the universe and how it evolves over time.
Rubin Observatory is named after Vera C. Rubin, an astronomer who first provided observations suggesting we might not be able to see most of the matter making up the universe. Understanding the properties of this “dark matter” is one of the top priorities for scientists who will use the collected data.
But there is so much more to learn; the Rubin is already showing outer space in incredible detail. Just one small slice of our solar system imaged by Rubin Observatory already led to the discovery of 2,000 new asteroids. In one image of the full field of view, scientists detected 10 million galaxies — many for the first time. By repeatedly scanning the sky, scientists hope to use the Rubin as an alert system for rare events, like supernovae, which they can then observe in more focused follow-up studies.
“This is when science works best – when you have this interplay” between new discoveries and the new questions they raise, Bechtol said.
“There’s a science case (for building the Rubin), but any time you do this, there is also a set of questions you haven’t thought to ask yet” said Eric Wilcots, dean of the College of Letters and Science at UW-Madison.
While UW-Madison was just one of many universities involved in the international project, Wilcots believes its participation will inspire future scientists and attract them to Wisconsin.
Both Bechtol and Wilcots stressed the importance of sustained financial support from the NSF and DOE to bring the project to fruition.
Rob Morgan was one of the first graduate students advised by Bechtol, working on a Dark Energy Survey that served as a precursor to Rubin Observatory. According to Morgan, the Rubin is the culmination of the astronomy field’s shift towards a “big data” approach. Now, Morgan applies the skills he learned as an astrophysicist to his work at Google’s office in Madison.
“Google is where ‘big data’ is done for the rest of the world,” said Morgan.
This week’s image release represented a beginning. Scientists will spend years collecting and analyzing data. Still, the opening provided a moment worth cherishing.
“We don’t get a lot of observatory openings,” said Alyssa Jankowski, who recently completed an undergraduate degree at UW-Madison. “It’s important to celebrate.”
A Republican-authored bill would require Wisconsin school boards to adopt a policy that would inform a parent or guardian if a student requests to be called by names and pronouns not aligned with their gender assigned at birth.
The bill would require legal documentation, parental approval and a principal to approve changes to a student’s name and pronouns. The bill makes exceptions for nicknames or students going by their middle names.
Although the bill has no chance of being signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, it reflects the continuing political energy of two issues: parental authority in schools, and the treatment of trans youths.
Notably, hundreds of trans-related bills were introduced at multiple levels of government across the country in the last year.
The lawmakers who introduced the bill, Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) and state Sen. Andre Jacque (R-Franken), said it is about parental rights and transparency. At a Capitol public hearing Jan. 6, Jacque cited a ruling from October 2023 in which a Waukesha judge sided with parents who sued the Kettle Moraine School District after staff at the middle school used a child’s chosen name and pronouns. The parents did not support their child’s transition.
But the Senate Committee on Education hearing grew heated as LGBTQ+ youth, parents of transgender children, Democratic lawmakers and other advocates called the bill unnecessary and potentially violence-inducing. They said it makes life worse for a vulnerable population that makes up less than 1% of Wisconsin pupils.
Jacque argued that without the bill, educators can make decisions about children’s health and well-being in secrecy.
“Hiding from us important things that are going on in their lives is not only disrespectful to parents, it is harmful to our children and deliberately sabotaging the ability for vital communication to take place,” Jacque said.
Sen. Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi) questioned why the Legislature should be involved when school boards already have the ability to approve such policies.
“I think it’s interesting how much you lean on local control for certain things, but then all of a sudden, you want government control,” she said.
Abigail Swetz, executive director of Fair Wisconsin, said such a bill would prevent educators from “engaging in the best practice” for using names and pronouns. Swetz, a former middle school teacher who advised a Gender and Sexuality Alliance club, said she’s seen firsthand the positive impact of affirming trans and nonbinary students.
“The mental health struggles that trans youth face are not a self-fulfilling prophecy. They’re entirely pressured outcomes, and bills like SB120 add to that pressure,” Swetz said.
Jenna Gormal, the public policy director at End Abuse Wisconsin, said forcing students to come out to parents before they’re ready reinforces power and control while stripping students of their autonomy.
Alison Selje, who uses they/them pronouns, spoke of the seismic shift in their well-being and academic performance when someone used their correct pronouns. Selje was a student at Madison West High School at the time. The Madison Metropolitan School District has a policy – which has survived a court challenge – protecting the use of names and pronouns of trans students.
“I remember the first time I heard someone use the right pronoun for me. This was during the pandemic so I was still wearing a mask, but underneath it, I was smiling ear to ear,” Selje said. “The use of my pronouns was a confidence boost, but it was also a lifesaver.”
Support for the bill came from two women representing Moms for Liberty. Laura Ackman and Amber Infusimo shared stories of parents finding out about their children’s new gender identity through school playbills and yearbooks.
“This bill rightly affirms schools shouldn’t be making significant decisions without parental knowledge or involvement,” Ackman said. “It does not prevent kindness, respect or compassion.”
Nolan Winter, Nick Boyd comment on flagrant, technical fouls vs UCLA
Wisconsin forward Nolan Winter and guard Nick Boyd explain what happened with their flagrant and technical fouls in the Badgers’ win over UCLA.
MADISON – Wisconsin men’s basketball got the palette-cleanser it needed.
After losing to its last three high-major opponents by double-digit margins, the Badgers enjoyed a double-digit lead for almost the entire game en route to an 80-72 win over UCLA on Jan. 6 at the Kohl Center.
“The thing I like about tonight is we showed some fight and some togetherness and some heart,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said after the game. “And it wasn’t perfect, but when you have heart and you have fight, you always have a chance. … We were physically and emotionally engaged and after it.”
BOX SCORE: Wisconsin 80, UCLA 72
Wisconsin boasted a balanced scoring attack. Nick Boyd had a team-high 20 points, followed closely by Nolan Winter with 18 and John Blackwell with 17. Andrew Rohde also had 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
UCLA, meanwhile, relied on 18 points from Eric Dailey Jr. and 16 points from Tyler Bilodeau while the Bruins were playing without standout guard Skyy Clark.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Badgers benefit from far superior 3-point shooting
One of the many what-ifs from Wisconsin’s 16-point loss to then-No. 6 Purdue was its 3-point shooting. UW went a mere 4 of 25 against the Boilermakers, marking its second consecutive game with sub-20% perimeter shooting.
The Badgers’ Jan. 6 win over UCLA was a much different story, as they made more 3-pointers in the first nine minutes against the Bruins than they did in all 40 minutes against Purdue.
UW finished the game with 33% shooting, going 10 of 30. But the perimeter shooting was more of a difference-maker than one might surmise from glancing through the final box score.
The early 3-pointers helped the Badgers claim 16-4, 28-9 and 38-19 leads throughout the first half – a sizeable enough cushion to withstand UCLA’s 14-4 run in the second half without the outcome ever seeming in serious jeopardy.
“When you see your teammates shoot with confidence and you see see them go in a few times, then it’s contagious,” Blackwell said. “It rubs off on others to make other shots and just be aggressive.”
Gard similarly said the improved 3-point shooting “creates energy.”
“As much as you try to say, ‘Don’t get emotionally attached to your shot going in or not,’ I thought we got good looks,” Gard said. “We knocked them down. We took the right ones. And that energizes both ends of the floor.”
Meanwhile, UCLA – ranking 16th in the NCAA in 3-point shooting at 38.6% ahead of the Jan. 6 game – had uncharacteristically lackluster shooting from deep, missing its first 14 3-point attempts and ultimately going 1 of 17. The Bruins’ lack of Clark – a 49.3% 3-point shooter – surely played a factor in that.
Wisconsin shows improvements, imperfections in halfcourt defense
As much as Wisconsin’s improved 3-point shooting captured the spotlight, the Badgers’ improved halfcourt defense also was instrumental in the Badgers enjoying a double-digit lead for much of the game.
“We were connected,” Gard said. “We were energetic. We were physical. We were covering for each other. We had each other’s back.”
UCLA averaged .969 points per possession in the first half, and the Bruins did not score outside of fastbreak opportunities until the 13:23 mark in the half.
UCLA was better in the second half, but even then, its 1.029 points per possession over the course of the entire game was the fewest allowed by UW to a high-major since holding Marquette to exactly one point per possession on Dec. 6.
“Our communication was really high-level,” Winter said. “These last two days of practice probably have been some of our best practices all year from a communication standpoint and a defensive standpoint.”
That’s not to say Wisconsin’s defense was perfect against the Bruins, however. UCLA made six straight shots at one point in the second half, and Gard picked out a few other issues with UW’s halfcourt defense.
“We had a couple ball-screen mistakes – one we hedged way too far, one we didn’t hedge at all,” Gard said. “Other than that, I thought we were pretty solid, and a lot of good things to build upon. We’ll have to continue to get better on that end of the floor.”
What happened with Nolan Winter’s flagrant foul, Nick Boyd’s technical foul
The Wisconsin-UCLA game ended with some drama as the officiating crew handed out a Flagrant 1 and offsetting technical fouls.
Winter received the flagrant foul after a somewhat of a hard foul on Eric Dailey Jr. as the UCLA forward attempted a layup.
“Yeah, it was a hard foul,” Winter said of his flagrant. “I didn’t really mean to get a flagrant, obviously, but I didn’t want to give him any free points, especially at the end of the game. … We played to the whistle.”
Gard pointed out that UCLA was “pressing us until the very end,” too.
After Winter’s foul, Dailey appeared to give Winter a light shove. Boyd and others ran to Winter’s defense, and Boyd made contact with Dailey. Boyd and Dailey received offsetting deadball technical fouls after replay review.
Boyd saw Dailey “push my guy,” he said after the game.
“Over these last couple weeks, man, we’ve just been getting pushed around too much,” Boyd said. “So I just had to have his back. That’s the mentality we’re carrying with us the rest of the year. We get pushed. We’re stepping right back up.”
UCLA coach Mick Cronin, unlike many of his peers this season, did not hold a postgame press conference at the Kohl Center. So Gard was the only coach in a position to share his thoughts on what transpired.
Gard’s thoughts were shaped by other officiating decisions that he did not want to specifically identify.
“I’m not going to get into refereeing, and those guys got a really hard job,” Gard said. “But there was some actions on the other end that if they get them under control, then that never happens because the play would have been whistled dead. … I’ll deal with that with the league in terms of we should have never gotten to that based on some other stuff.”
Badgers writer Mark Stewart on UW quarterback transfer Colton Joseph
What should Badgers fans know about transfer-portal quarterback Colton Joseph? Mark Stewart discusses on the Terrace View podcast.
MADISON – When it comes to grabbing offensive linemen in the transfer portal, Wisconsin is going with what it knows.
Blake Cherry is the latest example.
The rising sophomore guard, who announced his commitment to the Badgers on Tuesday, Jan. 6, played for new UW offensive line coach Eric Mateos at Arkansas.
Cherry announced his commitment on X. He joins former Oklahoma State center Austin Kawecki, who was recruited by Mateos when Mateos was at Baylor, as the first two offensive line pickups for Wisconsin during this portal cycle.
Cherry, who was listed as 6-foot-5 and 316 pounds, played in 11 games at Arkansas in 2025 with the bulk of the work coming on special teams. He was the top backup to second team all-SEC selection Fernando Carmona.
Cherry was a three-star prospect coming out of Owasso High School in Oklahoma. He joins an offensive line room that underperformed in 2025 but featured some promising young players like tackle Emerson Mandell and guard Colin Cubberly, who will be a redshirt sophomore next season.
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