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March 5, 2026

Research

Tax credit meant to help struggling workers mostly helps employers, Wisconsin study finds

Posted on
Wisconsin Watch

In a 2025 working paper, researchers from UW-Madison and the University of Southern California studied two decades of records of Wisconsinites who received food aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the most common way an employee qualifies for the tax credit. Researchers compared SNAP recipients who were eligible for the credit with similar recipients who weren’t.

Wisconsin bets big on nuclear through university-state partnership

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

“The siting study includes looking at nuclear energy systems, anything from similar to today’s reactors that are operating to a variety of advanced reactor concepts, including microreactors and other smaller reactors, as well as fusion energy systems in the future,” said nuclear engineering professor and department Chair Paul Wilson.

Higher Education/System

UW-Madison students studying abroad in Middle East relocated

Posted on
WKOW - Channel 27

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is addressing the impact of the ongoing conflict in Iran and the broader Middle East. Students who are studying abroad in the region are being moved to new locations, where the university says they will continue their programs. Their plan aims to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff.

“The situation is evolving rapidly, and we are closely following developments,” said Fran Vavrus, vice provost and dean of the International Division. Vavrus emphasized the university’s commitment to connecting with both international students in Madison and those studying abroad.

Campus life

Eight student staff, 2,500 mouths to feed: The Open Seat Food Pantry’s campaign for help

Posted on
The Badger Herald

The Open Seat food pantry, located in the UW Student Activity Center, provides food and hygiene products to students experiencing food insecurity. Open to all UW–Madison students without income verification, the pantry aims to remove barriers to basic needs so students can focus on academics instead of worrying about their next meal.

Now, the eight part-time student employees who operate the pantry are calling on Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor to fund a full-time, permanent staff position dedicated solely to pantry operations. Student organizers say the current model — in which students manage every aspect of a large-scale food distribution program — is no longer sustainable.

Student group repurposes gently used items during dorm move-out

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

When University of Wisconsin-Madison juniors Amelia Wozniak and Kaleb Roessler worked for a moving company last spring, they were shocked by the amount of housing items that were thrown away in good condition. That observation led them to create Badger Reclaim, an organization dedicated to helping other UW-Madison students by recycling and distributing gently used items to those in need.

State news

‘The government put me out of business’: Wisconsin hemp growers, sellers brace for new federal hemp law

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin currently has 274 licensed hemp growers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Last November, that number was 470.

The decline could be due to people waiting to see how the law plays out and if the loophole will close or not, said Shelby Ellison, an agricultural professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It might be clearer in another month how many people reapply for licenses through the USDA.

Legislators, UW professor talk future of Wisconsin data centers

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison Data Science Institute associate professor Anna Haensch raised concerns with the potential electrical demands of data centers. In 2024, Wisconsin’s peak demand was 14.6 gigawatts, and the Wisconsin Policy Forum expects it to increase about 17 gigawatts by 2030.

Additionally, Haensch emphasized the need to separate hyperscale data centers from the broader cultural narrative surrounding artificial intelligence.

“Connecting data centers so explicitly to AI has made these projects almost untenable,” Haensch said, noting that AI is often framed in apocalyptic terms.

UW Experts in the News

UW Professor Richard C. Keller on the U.S. government ending pollution regulation

Posted on
Civic Media

Richard C. Keller, the Robert Turell Professor and Chair of Medical History and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin, joins the Nite Lite podcast to talk about President Trump’s administration erasing the endangerment finding. With this change, the Environmental Protection Agency will now longer have the legal authority to regulate pollution linked to climate change.