Discovery World’s ‘He The dean of UWM’s Graduate School and physics professor Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska was selected to be featured in Discovery World’s “Heroes of Science” gallery. “Heroes of Science” is a temporary 3D gallery experience produced in the recently remodeled mezzanine level of Discovery World’s Technology Building.
Tyler Mader cooks in the kitchen with his children. Mader believes that good meals create warm memories of those you shared it with. Photo courtesy of Tyler Mader.
Trad to Rad He made his Radical Root Beer Ribs. He got invited back. Mader’s been doing Trad to Rad ever since. The show combines his culinary expertise and his UWM degree. “To be able to interact with people, to be on camera, and to be able to share some of my background experiences since I was growing up, and my love for food and cooking, is the absolute perfect marriage (of my education) and I’ve never been so passionate and excited about something in my life,” Mader said. That’s not to say there aren’t challenges. Putting together a two-and-a-half-minute segment takes two to three weeks of preparation. Mader has to lay out his ingredients and memorize their order, then cook a dish, show off a finished product, and entertain the audience with a story all at the same time. It’s nerve-wracking, but he’s delighted that his show has helped making cooking more accessible to Milwaukeeans. For everything else nervewracking in his life, Mader turns to his faith - “It’s a very important part of my life,” he said. “It will be part of every decision I make moving forward and it’s something that has provided incredible stability for me.” Come Jan. 8, Mader is embarking on a new project. The first episode of “Mader’s Menu” airs as a monthly feature where he reviews a Milwaukee restaurant. “But it’s not just about food,” he warned. “It’s about delivering the experience that people don’t realize is critical to a memorable meal.” Whether that meal is a five-star dish or a grilled cheese sandwich by the fire, Mader is sure it will deliver memories that make us smile. By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science 8 • IN FOCUS • January, 2020
A selection of 37 posters features the unsung heroes of science, engineering, astronautics and research. Two of the posters feature Milwaukee scientists, including Gajdardziska-Josifovska. Guests wear 3D glasses to tour the interactive gallery and uncover hidden messages. “We wanted to highlight a few extraordinary people who have done some incredible science and have changed the world in some way,” said Ryan Kresse, Discovery World’s senior exhibit content strategist. “This experience tells the surprising stories of interesting people who did or are doing remarkable work.” Gajdardziska-Josifovska was selected for her research on the behavior of nanomaterials used for sustainable energy and environmental applications. She and another UWM physics professor, Carol Hirschmugl, developed a material not found in nature called graphene monoxide, which is used as an electrode in the lithium-ion batteries that are found in electric cars and consumer technologies. Gajdardziska-Josifovska and Hirschmugl founded a startup company, SafeLi LLC, to commercialize the material and sell battery components that improve battery life and storage in electronic and wireless power devices. ‘It’s an honor’ As the founder and director of the Laboratory for High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy in UWM’s physics department, Gajdardziska-Josifovska is pictured in the gallery with her Hitachi microscope and statements about what fascinates her about physics and microscopy. “It’s an honor,” Gajdardziska-Josifovska said in response to her selection. “I think it’s a huge privilege to work on a question that nobody in the whole world knows the answer to, and it still gives me goosebumps.” Gajdardziska-Josifovska joined UWM’s physics department in 1993 as its first female faculty member and is the first woman to hold the position as the university’s graduate school dean. “In physics, the science we work on is genderless,” Gajdardziska-Josifovska said. “I was lucky to grow up in a place where nobody told me that physics was just for boys.”
