On Monday, April 12, Governor James Doyle visited the Waisman Center, where he toured a number of its new research facilities. Accompanying him during his two-hour visit were Roberta Gassman, Secretary of Workforce Development; JoAnna Richard, Executive Assistant, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development; John Wiley, Ph.D., Chancellor, UW-Madison; and Lisa Maroney and Kristi Thorsen, both assistant directors in the UW-Madison Office of State Relations.
The morning began with a welcome by Waisman Center Director Marsha M. Seltzer, followed by tours of the Stem Cell Research Program, led by Clive Svendsen and SuChun Zhang; the Waisman Clinical BioManufacturing Facility, led by Derek Hei; and the W.M. Keck Lab for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, led by Richard Davidson. Several members of the press participated in the tour and additional press representatives attended the press conference at the end of the tour, which was held in the Conference Center. In his remarks at the press conference, Governor Doyle acknowledged the Waisman Center’s importance as the focal point at the UW-Madison for research, service, training, and outreach related to developmental disabilities and neurodegenerative diseases.
Secretary Gassman also spoke briefly, commenting that the Department of Workforce Development and the Waisman Center share a common concern with the well-being of children. She also cited the Waisman Center’s powerful impact on the state.