“Data centers need electricity all day, every day, not just when the sun’s shining or the wind’s blowing,” said Paul Wilson, who chairs the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Nuclear Engineering.
April 22, 2025
Research
Physical therapists talk about prehabilitation, and surgeons research burn wound treatment
Our physical therapists return to prehabilitation for hip and knee replacements. Then, we talk to a surgeon and a medical physics researcher at UW-Madison about their research into a treatment for burns.
‘It’s nice to see democracy in action,’ says Wisconsin media expert of recent protests against Trump administration
“It’s nice to see democracy in action,” said Douglas McLeod, a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I’m always inspired by peaceful demonstrations that show citizen engagement.”
McLeod’s research shows that how news outlets cover protests has a big impact on how the public views the demonstrations and whether they are ultimately effective. He says traditional media coverage tends to focus on what happened at the protest rather than the issues protestors are raising — something he calls the “protest paradigm.”
Wisconsin professor joins team of art experts to authenticate a possible long-lost Van Gogh
Susan Brantly is a professor in the German, Nordic and Slavic department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A few years ago, she got a call from art research firm LMI Group asking her to lend her expertise in reading and analyzing 19th-century Scandinavian literature to help authenticate an artwork.
“I didn’t know initially what the call was about — that there was some painter or another,” Brantly told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “And then came the reveal [that it was Van Gogh], and I just was grinning from ear to ear. I couldn’t have been happier. I thought, ‘Oh, this is too cool for words.’”
Federal funding cuts threaten life-saving severe weather forecasting at UW-Madison
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is known for its innovations in forecasting technology, but its work could be in jeopardy if the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration loses funding.
“Weather is woven into the fabric of everyone’s life,” atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor Michael Morgan said.
Poison control calls are rising as more people use psilocybin, study finds
About 1 in 20 people report ongoing difficulties after their psychedelic experience, Dr. Charles Raison, a professor of psychiatry and human ecology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, told CNN in a prior interview. He was not involved in the new research.
“A year later, they say, ‘I had an experience that was so distressing to me that it messed up my ability to function, or alienated me from my family, or gave me post-traumatic stress disorder,’” Raison said.
National Science Foundation sets new priorities
The detriment to higher education and scientific innovation, however, is crystal clear, research advocates say. Mike Wagner, a journalism and communications professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, called the NSF changes a “Friday Night Massacre of accurate information.”
How Earth Day started and grew beyond founder Gaylord Nelson’s dreams
Gaylord Nelson, the late U.S. senator and governor of Wisconsin, is considered the founder of Earth Day.
Nelson established himself as a conservation leader in Wisconsin, where he served as governor between 1959 and 1963. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962 and served three terms.
Higher Education/System
Mnookin talks SEVIS terminations at University Committee meeting
The University Committee — the elected shared governance body for University of Wisconsin faculty — met with Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, Graduate School Dean Bill Karpus and other university and student leaders to discuss student SEVIS record terminations.
Parent groups oppose plan for charter school at former UW campus in Washington County
Several parent groups say plans to put a charter school at the former UW-Milwaukee Washington County campus is prioritizing profit over community.
Parents push back on charter school plan for closed UWM-Washington County campus
A proposal to repurpose the former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Washington County campus to a charter school fell apart amid parent pushback, sending county officials back to the drawing board.
Campus life
Inside the rivalry: Wisconsin women’s hockey vs Ohio State
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Ohio State University are no strangers in women’s hockey, playing together in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) since 1999
State news
DataWatch: Trump’s tariffs and Wisconsin’s economy
“That whipsawing back and forth, that creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty,” said Steven Deller, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who researches the state’s agricultural and manufacturing economy. “And one thing that the economy hates is uncertainty.”
Arts & Humanities
In Focus with Christine Wenc: America’s finest satire source
Interview with author Christine Wenc about “Funny Because It’s True,” her book chronicling the history of “The Onion” from newspaper to multimedia American satirical standard.