Ready to make your mark?
Growing the Future
The University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is an engine of scientific discovery, with researchers working across the spectrum of agricultural and life sciences. Academically, the college offers research-based, hands-on teaching of undergraduates; world-class graduate programs rich in research and project assistantships; and short courses, workshops and other programs. Our outreach activities bring the work of the college to Wisconsin businesses, organizations and communities throughout the state. Learn more about CALS.
Explore CALS
Events
Events
- 07/15/25 UW Forage and Cover Crops Field Day
- 07/15/25 The Colors of Insects
The term “climate change” is too narrow. “Global change,” however, includes the climate, terrestrial ecosystems and human behavior.
Min Chen
CALS Faces
Min Chen
When Min Chen, assistant professor of forest and wildlife ecology, first saw Google Earth and learned its images were created through remote sensing, he decided to attend graduate school to learn more about the evolving technology. After earning degrees and studying theories of remote sensing, he worked at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he helped improve models used by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He later received a grant from NASA to further explore remote sensing theory. Chen launched the NASA-funded project after joining the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology in 2021. He was recruited as part of a campus-wide cluster-hiring initiative focused on emerging polar regions. His big-picture goal is to improve understanding of Earth system dynamics using satellite remote sensing data and Earth system models.
Read more: go.wisc.edu/1f4x19
$1.1M
Scholarships awarded in 2023-24
4,082
CALS students in 2023-24
CALS Social
It’s June Dairy Month! 🧀🥛🐄 It’s an especially busy time for CALS alum Halei Heinzel, who has spent the last year traveling the state and the Midwest as Wisconsin’s 77th Alice in Dairyland. Alice is an advocate for Wisconsin’s diverse agricultural industry, and of course, Wisconsin’s multi-billion dollar dairy industry!
CALS Social
Some highlights from the CALS Graduation Celebration! 🎓🎉 Thank you for celebrating with us and congratulations!!! We are so proud to call you @uwmadison alumni. 👐
Follow Us @uwmadisoncals
CALS Social
Mason Polencheck spends his days searching lakes and streams for mudpuppies — reclusive, little-known salamanders. Mudpuppies have been the focus of Mason’s undergraduate research since sophomore year, where he developed and now leads a detailed research project to look at the skin microbiome of mudpuppies.
Follow Us @uwmadisoncals
CALS Social
For decades, CALS has worked closely with family farms to ensure healthy potato harvests. Our researchers are tackling disease prevention and management and the Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Program provides farmers with high quality seed stock. Together, we’re not just growing our food — we’re growing our futures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. One Wisconsin. #OnWisconsin.
CALS Social
The spring 2025 issue of Grow magazine is available online! Stories include an undergraduate in pursuit of a reclusive salamander, converting emotional connections with lakes and rivers into numbers, Grandparents University, and so much more. Read it now at grow.cals.wisc.edu.
