Portfolio

Journalism

Minerva uses data science to increase social impact

Minerva brings together volunteer data scientists and Australian not for profit organisations to work on problems using the power of data.

March 2018 | The QUO

Core Values: Diversity in the profession on the rise, aided by new initiatives

These figures suggest architecture—certainly not known as a diverse profession—is doing a better job of attracting and retaining female architects.  

March 2016 | Chicago Architect Magazine (page 34)

For Love & Money

Roger and Indy are one of more than 9,000 same-sex couples in the state of Wisconsin, as defined by the 2010 U.S. Census. Original research by Milwaukee Magazine shows legalizing same-sex marriage could add more than $43.6 million in wedding-related spending to the state’s economy in just the first three years. And the real impact could be much greater than that. Experts say that whether or not a state recognizes same-sex marriage could have even broader economic ramifications – including the ability of businesses to attract and retain top talent.

March 2014 | Milwaukee Magazine

End of the Line

The Milwaukee County Transit System has been trapped in a budget-induced death spiral – increased fares and reduced service, leading to fewer riders and less revenue, leading to increased fares and reduced service. But it wasn’t always that way. Can an out-of-state, for-profit company resurrect the public system?

November 2013 | Milwaukee Magazine

Best Places to Live

Analyzing single-family home data from the last two years (27,882 sales to be exact) in the city of Milwaukee (split into ZIP codes) and 85 other communities in the five-county area, we looked for emerging trends pointing to some of the best places to live. Want the most house for your money? We focused on price per square foot. Searching for the next big neighborhood? Check out average price increases.

In the end, 13 categories emerged, highlighting 20 neighborhoods worthy of extra attention this spring.

April 2013 | Milwaukee Magazine

21 Ideas to Change Milwaukee

With an eye to the future – the year 2050 to be exact – dozens of city leaders were put to the test. What does Milwaukee need to do to become a world-class city? A large time frame was chosen to escape the day-to-day politics, focus on the big ideas and think about the next generation rather than the next election cycle.

October 2012 | Milwaukee Magazine

A Dinosaur Graveyard in the Smithsonian’s Backyard

Last November, at the recently opened Dinosaur Park south of Laurel, Maryland, the Block family went searching for fossils. Karin Block, the mother, asked the park’s resident paleontologist, Peter Kranz, for tips. He suggested looking for porous, spongy-looking stones.

No sooner did he say that than 9-year-old Gabrielle came across a curious thumbnail-sized object. She showed it to Kranz, who immediately pegged it as a 110-million-year-old bone, a vertebra from the tail of a small carnivorous dinosaur, possibly a raptor.

February 2010 | Smithsonian Magazine

Artists’ Homemade Christmas Cards

The thick brushstrokes and cartoon-like blazing fireplace in Philip Guston’s 1970s Christmas card are unmistakably his, reminiscent of his darkly primitive renderings of hooded Ku Klux Klan members. “Right away you see that style, but it’s happy,” Mary Savig, one of the exhibition curators, says of the Guston image.

December 2009 | Smithsonian Magazine

Emmett Till’s Casket Goes to the Smithsonian

In 1955, Emmett Till—a 14-year-old African-American visiting Mississippi from Chicago—was murdered after whistling at a white woman. His mother insisted that her son be displayed in a glass-topped casket, so the world could see his beaten body. Till’s murder became a rallying point for the civil rights movement, and his family recently donated the casket in which he was buried to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Till’s cousin Simeon Wright, 67, who was with him the night he was kidnapped and murdered, spoke with the magazine’s Abby Callard.

November 2009 | Smithsonian Magazine

Is Free Coffee Against the Law?

Starbucks announced Saturday that stores would be offering a free “tall” coffee to anyone who voted today; Krispy Kreme promised a doughnut with red, white, and blue sprinkles. USA Today compiled a cheat sheet keeping track of other swag offers on Election Day, including chicken, beer, and sex toys. Wait a second, isn’t this voter bribery illegal?

November 2008 | Slate Magazine

The Quiet Protestor

When an affiliated community minister at Charlotte’s Unitarian Universalist Church first set out to help disadvantaged prisoners, she never imagined it’d be on screen.

August 2008 | Charlotte Magazine

Economic Boost of Same-Sex Weddings in Wisconsin’s Counties

This data visualization was originally published with the “For Love & Money” feature on milwaukeemag.com but was lost in a site redesign.

March 2014 | Milwaukee Magazine

End of the Line: By the Numbers

This data visualization was originally published with the “End of the Line” feature on milwaukeemag.com but was lost in a site redesign.

November 2013 | Milwaukee Magazine

How To Create A 3G/CDMA Sunset Strategy That Works For Your Customers

Yet another technology shift is coming to the cellular industry and that, of course, will affect the security industry. However, with effective planning, you can help your customers navigate this change—and even add value to current contracts. Whether you are looking at takeovers, upgrades or new installs, LTE is the way to go.

Article | September 2019 | Telular

How We Support Chicago Schools

The start of a new school year is always a time to reflect. As we settle into a new school year here in Chicago, we’re focusing on ways we can help schools create healthy environments for their students. Already this school year, we’ve trained almost 150 educators on teaching outdoors, opened four new green schoolyards (for a total of 13) and are recruiting parents for a leadership training later this fall.

Email Newsletter | September 2018 | Healthy Schools Campaign

An Animated Approach to Patient Education

Dr. Diana Lerner, assistant professor of pediatric gastroenterology at MCW, creates cartoons to explain procedures and conditions to pediatric patients.

June 2017 | Medical College of Wisconsin

Meeting Healthcare Needs with Telehealth in South Carolina

South Carolina’s school telehealth program started small—with a single provider in Charleston walking down the street to see children at a local school. It has since grown to encompass more than 80 schools across the state focusing on areas with high health disparities. The program increases access to certain school health services by linking students in school-based settings with local providers through technology.

March 2019 | Healthy Schools Campaign

Why Gun Violence Is a Student Health Issue

While gun control is on everyone’s mind right now, the issue of gun violence is not something that leaves the lives of many students when it leaves the headlines. The numbers are staggering: About 19 children are killed by or receive emergency treatment for gunshot wounds in our country each and every day. And children in low-income neighborhoods of color are more likely to witness or be the victims of gun violence.

March 2018 | Healthy Schools Campaign

How Community Eligibility Supports School Breakfast—In Chicago and Nationally

More low-income students—in Chicago and across the country—are eating breakfast at school. Chicago has been a leader with its Breakfast in the Classroom program, high nutrition standards, and, due to the community eligibility provision, districtwide free breakfast and lunch.

March 2017 | Healthy Schools Campaign

One-Third Local Food: How Dallas Independent School District Did It

A few years ago, Dallas Independent School District—home to 160,000 students in 227 schools—made a commitment to source and serve more local food. At the time, only 5 percent of the food served in the district’s school meal program was from Texas, says Margaret Lopez, the executive director of the district’s Food & Child Nutrition Services.

March 2016 | Healthy Schools Campaign

A School Food Revolution in Detroit

Betti Wiggins grew up on a farm in southeast Michigan. “Produce is near and dear to my heart,” she says. Now she’s the Executive Director of the Office of School Nutrition at Detroit Public Schools (DPS), and she’s brought that love of fresh produce and local farms into her work. As a result, she’s transformed the DPS school meal program. Now, nearly one quarter of the produce served to the district’s 55,000 students comes from Michigan farmers.

October 2015 | Healthy Schools Campaign