Category Archives: Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

September 10: AI is the New Electricity: CDIS at UW

Posted on September 11, 2025 by | Leave a comment

-submitted by Valerie Renk

Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, Director UW School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences (CDIS), shared how the UW is advancing AI. 

“The term AI is actually older than computer science,” Arpaci-Dusseau said. “The idea couldn’t advance until there was the computing power and speed to carry it out.”

Arpaci-Dusseau says he sees their work growing from a department to a college, bridging all colleges/schools with three impacts: technology, applications, and society/policy.

“Steve Jobs once said computers are a bicycle, making the mind more efficient. Our challenge is teaching students to multiply impact, yet know the underlying infrastructure to recognize good answers.” 

If you missed the program, you can watch it here: https://wiseye.org/player/?clientID=2789595964&eventID=2025091044

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Uncategorized

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September 3: Madison LakeWay Project

Posted on September 9, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Kevin Hoffman

Former Madison Rotary President Jason Ilstrup and Madison LakeWay Partners CEO Jayme Powers presented a comprehensive overview of the project that will transform Madison’s 1.7 miles of Lake Monona lakefront that stretches from Olin Park to Law Park near the intersection of Wilson Street and Blair Street. With the goal of improving public access and connecting downtown to Lake Monona there are four areas envisioned to facilitate access along the entire length of John Nolen Drive. They will feature peers and boating facilities, event spaces, bio retention basins to improve lake health, segregated traffic lanes for cars, pedestrians, and bicycles. The first phase is in conjunction with the road reconstruction of the John Nolen Causeway starting in October 2025 and to be completed by Winter 2028.

If you missed the program, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/CDCzUhtg8z8

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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June 25: Is There a Path for Immigration to US Anymore?

Posted on June 27, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Larry Larrabee

Grant Sovern, a local immigration attorney, made an interesting and very entertaining presentation on the three levels of benefits for immigrants: Visas, Permanent Residence, and Asylum.  He began by pointing out there is no such thing in America as an application for immigration.  The process for obtaining any of the above is extremely complicated, as well as frequently changing with each administration since the law was written in 1952.  Without legal representation, it is practically impossible for the average person.  New York City, in response to this, began providing legal representation which has cut the number of deportations by 50%.  As a result, Madison has the Community Immigration Law Center located in Christ Presbyterian Church on Gorham, staffed by 7 volunteer attorneys, has seen the same results here. For more information, visit https://www.cilcmadison.org/.

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison Club Service Award, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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Dane County Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Posted on June 23, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Larry Larrabee

Dane County Executive, Melissa Agard, prefaced her presentation on the $125,000,000 renovation of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum by briefly summarizing Dane County’s current financial situation and the uncertainties of State and Federal funding.  She pointed out the renovation is needed to address the declining number of events held there and that renovation is far less expensive than replacement.  The county is currently seeking corporate partnerships to accomplish the goal as has taken place in Champaign, IL, Minneapolis, MN, and Grand Rapids, MI. Ms. Agard concluded by outlining her proposal for qualifying the Dane County Airport as an international airport similar to Rockford, IL, and Des Moines, IA.

If you missed our meeting last week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/m8pMnRhV89Q.

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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May 7: Global Humanitarianism: That’s the Magic of The Rotary Foundation

Posted on May 9, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Sharyn Alden

Mark Maloney, Rotary International Foundation Chair, passionately shared the impact of the Foundation’s “Magic Wand.”

On a balmy day in May, Rotarians were taken on a mesmerizing journey around the world. Mark Maloney explained how Rotary is making a difference in many ways, especially in global health, in some of the world’s most challenging circumstances.

There are seven themes of Rotary International’s focus, but Polio Plus is the # 1 initiative that puts Rotary front and center in the world. “We would still be ‘sitting at the children’s table’ if we weren’t doing the magic of this work,” he said. Ninety-nine new polio cases cropped up last year. Immunization is challenging work. In some countries going house-to-house is not permitted, and defunding of aid has hurt.

He explained, “We shouldn’t say what can we do, but rather, how can we work around it? The point is we need to get immunization drops get into children’s mouths.”

More than ever, Rotary contributions matter. “With your help,” he said, “we WILL eradicate polio. Right now, you’re saving someone’s life.”

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/nVJ6xzNqogg.

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

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April 23: A Scientist’s View of the Bird flu

Posted on April 25, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Rich Leffler

Thomas Friedrich, a UW Professor of Virology, spoke to us about the possibility that Bird Flu will spread to humans. It originated in wild birds, spread to dairy cattle, then to poultry (deadly), and there have been 70 cases in humans, all mild. No human-to-human transmission. Yet. Will it cause a pandemic? Various factors have been studied. Only four mutations are needed to allow it to spread to humans. It needs to be tracked by human health systems. Many have recently been defunded. One of Professor Friedrich’s funders has rescinded its grant. Crazy, no?

Attendees also got to hear Soprano Sachie Ueshima, who will sing Zerlina in the Madison Opera production of the great Mozart opera Don Giovanni on May 2 and 4, as she opened the program with a superb performance of an aria from the opera.

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/qJyFMAJS_uQ.

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Posted in Madison WI, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

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