Each semester the University Roundtable features 3 lunch programs with a talk or program by a member of the university community. Roundtable programs are open to members of the university community and their guests.
- Most Roundtable events are held in Varsity Hall in Union South; see event registration page for location information
- Roundtables begin at 11:30 a.m. and end by 1:00 p.m.
- The registration cost for each event is $15 and includes lunch
- Registration and payment must be received in advance; there will be no day-of registration
- Registration deadline is 15 days prior to each event
- Register online at: https://www.talent.wisc.edu/catalog/ or via the direct links below
- If you are experiencing difficulty registering, please call LTD (Learning and Talent Development, formerly OHRD) at 608-262-7107 or e-mail registrations2@ohr.wisc.edu
- Payment must be received by the registration deadline, or your registration will be cancelled
- We are not able to offer refunds after the registration deadline has passed; if you are no longer able to attend, you may let someone else attend in your place
- If you would like to pay by credit card or pay for multiple individuals once they are registered, please call 608-262-7107
- Checks should be made payable to UW Roundtable and can be sent to: Learning and Talent Development, UW-Madison, Suite 5101, 21 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53715
Fall 2025 Programming
October 29
From First Response to the Factory Floor: Human Robot Teams in Action
Ranjana Mehta
What does it take for humans to trust and work effectively with robots, especially when lives are on the line? Drawing on studies in the context of disaster response to Industry 4.0, Dr. Ranjana Mehta, Professor in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, will discuss her lab’s approach to combining neuroscience and engineering principles and techniques to reveal how human mind-motor interactions and behaviors shape collaboration with robots, and what this means for the future of work.
November 19
A Psychedelic Renaissance in Humanities Education
Ramzi Fawaz
In this roundtable talk, Ramzi Fawaz, Romnes Professor of English, proposes that we view humanities education as a form of collective psychedelic therapy, which uses works of art, literature, and media, rather than psychoactive drugs, to induce positive emotional effects in students that have long-term mental health benefits. Fawaz considers how both the recent psychedelic renaissance and contemporary humanities education—especially the study of literature, media and the arts—share a mission to improve the quality of life of the so-called anxious generation. In so doing, he questions the sustainability of an educational model that overvalues the utility of STEM education and divorces technical and scientific fields from humanistic questions about the nature of the good life, the meaning of artistic production, the struggle for political freedom, and the faculty of the imagination.
December 17
Hunting High and Low for Viruses
Dave O’Connor
How would the earliest and most devastating months of the COVID pandemic have been different if we had earlier warning about its spread in the United States? What about other viruses that make us sick? Dave O’Connor, UW Medical Foundation Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, will share how monitoring the air in congregate settings like schools and hospitals provides a cost-effective way to understand the spread of exotic and routine viruses and how widespread adoption of air sampling has enormous promise for improving public health.
Have ideas or questions?
If you have ideas for speakers for University Roundtable or questions about the program, please contact Lesley Fisher at roundtable@soas.wisc.edu or 263-1011.