Marquette University owes its name to Rev. Jacques Marquette, S.J., the 17th-century missionary who explored the western Great Lakes and Mississippi River. It’s a fitting namesake: The thirst for new knowledge and desire to chart new territory is still alive at Marquette today, and it’s in honor of that spirit that we named our third annual research
publication Discover.
As a Catholic, Jesuit institution, we seek to advance knowledge not just for knowledge’s sake, but always with the goal of improving the human condition. That’s obvious in the following stories about a breakthrough RNA discovery, innovations in fire-retardant technology, the potentially deadly effects of
biotoxins, and research in many other fascinating and critical areas. Marquette faculty also never forget their mission as teachers, and undergraduate and graduate students get valuable hands-on experience and mentorship through the research process.
Despite increased competition for federal research dollars, Marquette faculty continue to win substantial grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and other agencies. We further leverage our resources by engaging industry and forming multi-institutional partnerships with the Medical College of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin system and others.
It has also been a banner year for Marquette’s private fundraising. In 2007 we raised more than $100 million, much of which will go toward improving our teaching and research resources, including new facilities and more endowed chairs and professorships. During the past five years, we have invested millions of dollars in building and remodeling labs for the dentistry, chemistry, biomedical sciences, exercise science, and speech pathology and audiology departments. Such improvements are key to fostering a culture of discovery.
What’s included in the following pages is only part of the Marquette research story. For more, visit Marquette.edu/research or come visit us in person.
William Wiener, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School
BLAZING TRAILS
Armed with a new federal grant, Dr. Charles Wilkie heats up the field of fire retardancy.
ECO ENIGMA
NAZI CHIC
Dr. Irene Guenther unravels the sinister relationship between fashion and fascism.
MECHANICAL WONDER
LISTENING TO THE ANIMALS
IDENTITY CRISIS
What does it mean to be an individual? Dr. John Davis examines the human side of economics.
RESEARCH IN BRIEF
- Trial by TV: pop culture meets law
- Craving answers about appetite
- Oh favorite soda, how do I love thee?
- Text messaging: deciphering an electronic Babel
- Getting to the root of the problem
- Kannscht du Deitsch schwetze
- Innovations in family planning
- Healing pain
- Revving up rehab through robotics
- The other side of the therapy couch
- Marquette bookshelf
- Research at Marquette
Quick Facts About Marquette
| Identity: | Catholic, Jesuit, private |
| Established: | 1881 |
| Location: | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Undergraduate: | 8,048 |
| Postgraduate: | 3,500 |
| Campus: | Urban, 80 acres |
| Athletics: | 14 NCAA Division I teams (Big East Conference) |
| Colors: | Blue and Gold |
