The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation operates the building, including the 48,000-square foot Town Center,[3] which functions to encourage interaction among scientists and community members and hosts events and educational programs.
A former CEO and chairman of Cisco Systems, John Morgridge and wife Tashia, a retired special education teacher, met in high school in Wauwatosa and graduated from UW–Madison in 1955.
The foundational research activities at the Morgridge Institute were driven by the work of scientific leaders regenerative biology, virology, and medical engineering, including James Thomson[8] and Paul Ahlquist.
[12] In 2024, Morgridge formalized its research focus in scientific communication by hosting two Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellows under the mentorship of Dietram Scheufele and Dominique Brossard.
Behind the 5-foot (1.5 m) clay tiles, which are supported on aluminum framing, a mineral fiber insulating membrane made from 90 percent recycled material provides additional buffering from heat and cold.