Lake Ridge Bank Begins Operation as of February 13

Contacts:
Jim L. Tubbs
CEO
Lake Ridge Bank
608-798-3961

Paul Hoffmann
President
Lake Ridge Bank
608-223-2183

Lake Ridge Bank Begins Operation as of February 13
Merger of Equals Creates 7^th Largest Bank in Wisconsin 

(MADISON, Wis.) – On February 13, two of the largest independent community banks in South Central Wisconsin officially complete their merger to become Lake Ridge Bank. As of today, all Monona Bank and State Bank of Cross Plains locations begin operating under the new name. 

Lake Ridge Bank is now the seventh largest bank headquartered in the State of Wisconsin, with 23 branch locations and nearly 400 associates serving almost 40,000 households across 17 communities. The goal was to create a bank with resources and services that compete with regional or national institutions but still maintains the local focus, mission, and philosophy of a community bank. 

The new name is meant to reinforce the bank’s focus and priorities. With a nod to local geography, Lake Ridge Bank wants to help shape the communities within the bank’s service area in the same way the glaciers shaped the region’s lakes and landscape. 

With more than 95 percent of the bank’s 1,400+ shareholders living in Wisconsin – most within Dane and Rock counties – Lake Ridge Bank is both widely held and locally owned. Combining for total assets approaching $3 billion, Lake Ridge Bank is well-positioned to fulfill its commitment to support and invest in our local area. 

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For additional information, please contact Mark Schellpfeffer at mschellpfeffer@lakeridge.bank.  

WPS Health Solutions named a 2023 Top Workplaces USA award winner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
DeAnne Boegli
Vice President of Communications
608-512-5754
deanne.boegli@wpsic.com

WPS Health Solutions named a 2023 Top Workplaces USA award winner

MADISON, Wis.—Feb. 3, 2023—WPS Health Solutions has earned the 2023 Top Workplaces USA award issued by Energage, a purpose-driven organization that develops solutions to build and brand Top Workplaces. The Top Workplaces program has a 15-year history of surveying more than 20 million employees and recognizing the top organizations across 60 markets for regional Top Workplaces awards.

“In a remote-first work environment, feeling seen over being seen is more important than ever.  We work daily to drive a culture of connectedness by showing appreciation, focusing on mental health and well-being, and fostering an inclusive and empowering employee experience,” said Moira Klos, WPS Chief People Officer. “Making health care easier for the people we serve is at the heart of what we do at WPS. When we take care of our people, they are able to take care of our customers and beneficiaries in meaningful ways.”

Top Workplaces USA celebrates organizations with 150 or more employees that have built great cultures. More than 42,000 organizations were invited to participate in the Top Workplaces USA survey. The award selection is based solely on employee feedback gathered through an employee engagement survey, issued by Energage.

Results are calculated by comparing the survey’s research-based statements, including 15 culture drivers proven to predict high performance against industry benchmarks.

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” Energage CEO Eric Rubino said. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

About WPS Health Solutions^® 

Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS Health Solutions), founded in 1946, is a nationally regarded benefits administrator for a variety of U.S. government programs and a leading not-for-profit health insurer in Wisconsin. WPS Health Solutions serves active-duty and retired military personnel, seniors, individuals, and families in Wisconsin, across the U.S., and around the world. WPS Health Solutions, headquartered in Madison, Wis., has more than 2,600 employees. Within the enterprise, there are three divisions: WPS Government Health Administrators, WPS Military and Veterans Health, and WPS Health Insurance/WPS Health Plan/EPIC Specialty Benefits. For more information, please visit wpshealthsolutions.com.  

About Energage
Making the world a better place to work together.^™
Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 14 years of culture research and the results from 23 million employees surveyed across more than 70,000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com.

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New Promega Chemistry Will Enable Forensic DNA Labs to Solve More Challenging Cold Cases, Sexual Assault Cases

Eight-color STR multiplex system provides more information per casework sample

MADISON, Wis.–New chemistry for DNA analysis will empower forensic laboratories to overcome common challenges including degraded and contaminated samples. PowerPlex® 35GY System, launched today by Promega Corporation, is a first-of-its-kind eight-color DNA analysis kit that helps forensic laboratories get more information out of their most challenging samples. The kit works in tandem with Spectrum CE System, a capillary electrophoresis instrument launched by Promega in 2022.

“Together, PowerPlex® 35GY System used with Spectrum CE System provide the most advanced forensic analysis available,” says Rohaizah James, Senior Product Manager at Promega. “The eight-color chemistry used in PowerPlex® 35GY System gives more information per sample, even with degraded DNA.”

Next-generation eight-color STR kit

PowerPlex® 35GY System is the first of a series of next-generation eight-color STR kits that Promega is producing to take full advantage of the Spectrum CE System’s eight-color capability. The biotechnology manufacturer has been developing and providing products for DNA-based human identification for more than 25 years.

Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis is the most widely used tool in human identification efforts. Currently available kits rely on five or six colors of dyes to mark regions of DNA that can help identify a match. PowerPlex® 35GY System is the first STR multiplex to include eight dyes. This major improvement in chemistry is made possible by the Spectrum CE System, the first commercially available capillary electrophoresis instrument equipped for eight-color fragment analysis.

“Mini-STRs” for enhanced resolution

PowerPlex® 35GY System includes the amplicons of 15 loci that have been reduced in size to less than 250 base pairs in length. These “mini-STRs” are less likely to “drop out” or disappear during STR analysis, which helps ensure data is not lost. This is especially important in cold case samples where DNA may be degraded or where there may be a limited amount of sample to work with.

Y-STRs for sexual assault investigation and familial searching

PowerPlex® 35GY System is also ideal for working with sexual assault samples or for identifying unknown matches through familial searching. The kit includes 11 STR loci that are located on Y-chromosomes. These Y-STRs, along with the increased sensitivity of the kit, can help labs more easily determine how many individuals’ DNA are present in a sample.

Quality Indicators for Improved Efficiency

Finally, PowerPlex® 35GY System includes two Quality Indicators to help forensics labs work efficiently by quickly identifying sources of failure. These indicators let DNA analysts quickly determine if a sample is degraded or if there was a problem during their analysis. This information can help labs decide if they need to re-analyze samples or if they should move on to the next sample. By combining these Quality Indicators with the high-throughput capabilities of Spectrum CE System, PowerPlex® 35GY System can help forensics labs efficiently work through their sexual assault kit backlog, for example.

Learn more about PowerPlex® 35GY System at www.promega.com/Introducing35GY

About Promega Corporation

Promega Corporation is a global leader in providing high-quality solutions and technical support to the life science industry. Over its 44-year history, Promega has built a portfolio featuring more than 4,000 catalog and custom products supporting cellular and molecular biology. Today, bioluminescent and other technologies developed at Promega drive innovation in fields such as live cell analysis, drug discovery, molecular diagnostics and human identification and are used by scientists and technicians in labs for academic and government research, forensics, pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics and agricultural and environmental testing. Promega is headquartered in Madison, WI, USA with branches in 16 countries and over 50 global distributors. For more information, visit www.promega.com and connect with Promega on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and the Promega Connections blog.

Contacts

Penny Patterson
VP, Corporate Affairs
Promega Corporation
Phone: (608) 274-4330
E-mail: penny.patterson@promega.com

Monona Terrace Call for Sculpture Artist Submissions

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, WI is soliciting submissions for its 2023 sculpture exhibition. We seek works that engage visitors and complement the organic architecture of Wright’s glass-centric façade.

The exhibition will include five sculptures from regional artists. The four sculptures chosen for the rooftop will be exhibited from May – October 2023. Selected rooftop artists will receive a $1,350 stipend for loaning their work for the exhibition. One sculpture will be chosen for the Olin Terrace and exhibited from May 2023 – April 2024. The Olin Terrace artist will a stipend of $2,400 for loaning their work.

• Sculptures will be located in high traffic public environment with unsupervised audiences and must be original, created within the past five years, appropriate for visitors of all ages, considerate of the safety of the audience.
• Soundly and professionally constructed of durable and safe components and require no maintenance during the display period.
• Suitable for outdoor display in adverse weather conditions.
• Meet the physical installation restrictions of the rooftop, including being under 200 pounds and able to be physically lifted into raised garden beds and attached to 48” diameter concrete pads.

Anticipated Timeline:

• Deadline for entries: March 1, 2023
• Artists notified: March 8, 2023 
• Sculpture Installation: May 1-4, 2023
• Opening Reception: Gallery Night, Friday, May 5, 2023
• Rooftop Sculpture Removal: November 1-3, 2023
• Olin Terrace Sculpture Removal: April 8-11, 2024

See past Art on the Rooftop exhibitions at https://www.mononaterrace.com/art-on-the-rooftop/. For full submission details see the Call for Artists PDF.

Contacts

• Kristen Durst, (608) 261- 4011, kdurst@mononaterrace.com
• Rosemary Bodolay, Art Industry, rosemary@artindustry.org

Division of the Arts Celebrates Artistic Achievement at UW–Madison with the 2023 Creative Arts Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Media contact: Kate Lochner, Marketing & Communications Manager, Division of the Arts, krlochner@wisc.edu

URL: go.wisc.edu/ArtsAwards

Read online: https://artsdivision.wisc.edu/2023/02/01/caa-recipients-2023/ 

Media: https://uwmadison.box.com/s/0v5o05xe6dn4juyj67uovyeqemvxfoh3 

Division of the Arts Celebrates Artistic Achievement at UW–Madison with the 2023 Creative Arts Awards

Madison, Wis. – The UW–Madison Division of the Arts announces the recipients of the 2023 Creative Arts Awards, who will be recognized at an award ceremony on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. These awards celebrate artistic achievement, recognize service to the arts and support arts research. Nine awards were open to a variety of arts practitioners, researchers, students, staff and faculty from any area including arts academic departments and programs. This includes Art, Art History, Arts Administration, Communication Arts, Creative Writing, Dance, Design Studies, Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies, Music and Theatre and Drama. Applications and nominations for these awards were juried by a panel of seven committee members including previous recipients of the awards and campus arts research administrators.

This year, the Division was able to provide two new awards for students. The Joan Spero and C. Michael Spero Graduate Student Award supports graduate students in developing arts programming and is presented in collaboration with the Chazen Museum of Art. The Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Arts Award supports undergraduate students working across disciplines to create work and/or to conduct scholarly research.

The Division encourages staff, faculty, students and community members to attend the ceremony this May at the Mitchell Theatre, Vilas Hall (821 University Avenue), which will feature student performances and showcase the arts on campus. The Division also thanks the donors who make the awards possible as well as members of the 2023 Creative Arts Awards Selection Committee, including Wei Dong (Design Studies), Daniel Grabois (Music), Florence Hsia (History), Baron Kelly (Theatre and Drama), Beth Nguyen (Creative Writing), Darcy Padilla (Art), Marlene Skog (Dance).

Additional information about the recipients may be found online.

Faculty Arts Research

Creative Arts Award

Douglas Rosenberg, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Art
Project title: “The Sea”

Emily Mead Baldwin Award in the Creative Arts
Finn Enke, Professor
Project title: “With Finn and Wing: Archive of an Amphibious Childhood in a Nuclear Age”

Mimmi Fulmer, Professor
Project title: Women’s voices then and now: at the center of Finnish music as artists, activists, and muses

Helen Lee, Associate Professor
Project title: “Present Tense: A Decade of UW Glass”

Staff and Faculty Arts Outreach

Joyce J. and Gerald A. Bartell Award in the Arts

Spatula&Barcode: Laurie Beth Clark, Professor, and Michael Peterson, Professor

Edna Wiechers Arts in Wisconsin Award
Michael Velliquette, Assistant Professor of Art Foundations
Project title: “Embodied Looking // Embodied Making”

Graduate Student Arts Research and Achievement

David and Edith Sinaiko Frank Graduate Fellowship for a Woman in the Arts
Sachie Ueshima, DMA student, Music Performance 
Project title: Last Letters Home: Voices of Japanese Soldiers in WWII

Lyman S.V. Judson and Ellen Mackechnie Judson Graduate Student Award in the Creative Arts
Trace Leighton Johnson, DMA student, Music Performance 
Ruth Llana, Ph.D. candidate, Spanish with a Minor in Transdisciplinary Study of Visual Culture
Matthew Francis Ludak, MFA student, Art
Orion Lee Risk, Ph.D. student, Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies 

Joan Spero and C. Michael Spero Graduate Student Award
James Carl Lagman Osorio, MM student, Piano and MA student, Historical Musicology
Project title: “Pagbabagong-anyo” (Transformation): Rediscovering Nicanor Abelardo’s “Violin Sonata”

Graduate Student Creative Arts Award
Sahada Jewel Buckley, MM student, Violin Performance & Trace Leighton Johnson, DMA student, Music Performance
Project title: Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival

Esther Jihye Cho, MFA student, Design Studies
Project title: “Silent Sufferings”

Ben Ferris, MM student, Music Performance
Project title: Roland Hanna Bass Concerto Project

Sophie Loubere, MFA student, Art
Project title: “Trespasses”

Praveen Maripelly, MFA student, Art
Project title: “Vasudaiva Kutumbham” (The World Is One Family)

Skyler Simpson, MFA student, Art
Project title: “Dream House”

Anamika Singh, MFA student, Art
Project title: “FIRE ON THE WATER”

Undergraduate Student Arts Research and Achievement

Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Arts Award

Maile Evelyn Llanos, Undergraduate, Art
Project title: Plants of Wisconsin 

Maia Therese Rauh, Undergraduate, Textiles and Fashion Design and Certificate in Studio Art
Project title: Exploring Structural Weavings Using Elastic Yarns

Katie Ryann, Undergraduate, Dance and Environmental Studies
Project title: The Renaissance Woman: THE BODY

Donors that support the awards include the Joyce J. and Gerald A. Bartell family, Suzanne and Roberto Freund, Bassett and Evjue Foundations, Edna Wiechers Arts in Wisconsin Fund, Emily Nissley and Joan Spero and C. Michael Spero.

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