UniverCity is in its third year at UW-Madison. It’s helped or is in the process of helping the city of Monona, Dane County and Green County.
UniverCity Program Blends Student Research With Local Government Challenges
WPR
April 5, 2019
Top Stories
Inclusivity campaign asks students to share ‘I am UW’ stories
Daily Cardinal
“It’s really meant to show that every person in Madison has different stories and they come from different backgrounds,” the Associated Students of Madison Vice Chair Yogev Ben-Yitschak said. “But in Madison … we’re all the one identity of being UW students, even though we all have our own stories and experiences of how we got to where we are.”
Research
High School Yearbook Study Claims to Show the Genetic Roots of Beauty
Inverse
Searching for the genetics behind a subjective trait like beauty is a dangerous game, but lead study author Qiongshi Lu, Ph.D., a biostatistician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was willing to try. He turned to the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a database of genetic information and high school yearbook photos of high school seniors who graduated in 1957. After a team of coders assigned attractiveness scores to each photo, Lu noted that there was “genetic architecture” that seemed to be related to how high — or low — a person’s score was.
Is Beauty In Your DNA?
Health Day News
Why would that be? The researchers, led by Qiongshi Lu, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, speculated on a reason: Cholesterol is involved in synthesizing testosterone, and more testosterone might mean higher attractiveness ratings for men
Lots of trees can help keep cities cooler in summer
Sustainability Times
“We knew that cities are warmer than the surrounding countryside, but we found that temperatures vary just as much within cities,” explains says Monica Turner, a professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was a co-author of the study. “Keeping temperatures more comfortable on hot summer days can make a big difference for those of us who live and work there.”
Lots of trees can help keep cities cooler in summer
Sustainability Times
“We knew that cities are warmer than the surrounding countryside, but we found that temperatures vary just as much within cities,” explains says Monica Turner, a professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was a co-author of the study. “Keeping temperatures more comfortable on hot summer days can make a big difference for those of us who live and work there.”
‘Beauty spots’ in human genome found
Press Trust of India
Humans tend to be preoccupied with beauty — a person’s attractiveness is associated with academic performance, career success and economic mobility, said researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US.
Feeling frazzled? Follow these three simple steps to a sharper brain
Woman & Home
High stress levels can block memory processes, making us forget what we’ve learnt. But, more importantly, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that each stressful incident could age your brain by 1.5 years.
Higher Education/System
UW President Hopeful For UW Construction Projects Despite Building Commission Rejection
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross says university officials will continue to push lawmakers for investment in campus buildings despite the State Building Commission rejecting $2.5 billion in state renovation projects around the state.
Demand For UW Campus Counseling Services Up 55 Percent Since 2015
Wisconsin Public Radio
A growing number of students in the University of Wisconsin System say they are struggling with anxiety and depression while counseling services have increased on campuses but they haven’t kept pace with demand.
2 ousted University of Wisconsin regents return to work
Madison.com
Two University of Wisconsin System regents whom Democratic Gov. Tony Evers fired last month following a court ruling returned to work Thursday, openly defying the governor and brushing aside arguments that he had legally stripped them of their jobs.
Regents panel OKs raising salary range for UW president
Madison.com
The regent Business and Finance Committee voted unanimously Thursday to set the minimum salary at $489,334 and the maximum salary at $734,000. The current minimum salary is $399,000 and the maximum is $598,500.
Rescinded University of Wisconsin regent attends meeting
WISC-TV 3
University of Wisconsin System Regent Scott Beightol is attending a meeting even though Gov. Tony Evers fired him last month.
Regents panel OKs raising salary range for UW president
WISC-TV 3
The regent Business and Finance Committee voted unanimously Thursday to set the minimum salary at $489,334 and the maximum salary at $734,000. The current minimum salary is $399,000 and the maximum is $598,500.
Demand For UW Campus Counseling Services Up 55 Percent Since 2015
Wisconsin Public Radio
A growing number of students in the University of Wisconsin System say they are struggling with anxiety and depression while counseling services have increased on campuses but they haven’t kept pace with demand.
Campus life
Stretch of West Dayton Street closing Monday through October
Wisconsin State Journal
A stretch of West Dayton Street will be closed for up to seven months beginning Monday, because of work on a steam tunnel for UW-Madison.
University of Wisconsin Arboretum joins National Register of Historic Places
WKOW-TV 27
The designation means the arboretum will qualify for grants and income tax credits while still allowing the public to use the property. When the arboretum first opened in 1932, it was on 246 acres. It now spans 1,200 acres.
UW-Madison cook makes 900 eggs a day any way students like ’em
The Cap Times
Seeman said her goal is to bring “a little smile” to the faces of the hundreds of UW-Madison students she serves each day.“After almost 30 years, the highlight of my day is being able to say good morning to everyone who is standing there just waking up,” Seeman said. “Even if they’ve had a rough night or rough morning and they come in for their omelette at 11 o’clock in the morning, you gotta smile, you gotta say, ‘Hi, how’s it going?’ So at least, if they are having a bad day, it’s like ‘OK, it’s good.’”
State news
Toasting a lizard, doing 180, flashing: News from around our 50 states
USA Today
Former Alderwoman Satya Rhodes-Conway easily defeated 22-year Mayor Paul Soglin, 73, to become the first openly gay and second female mayor in city history. Rhodes-Conway, 47, is managing director of the Mayors Innovation Project at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy. She promoted change such as using an affordable housing fund to fix up existing housing stock, along with several green initiatives.
Agriculture
Now is the time to invest in research for our dairy future
WI Farmer
UW System agricultural research, which Wisconsin farmers of the past relied on to help build America’s Dairyland, still focuses on nutrition, production efficiency, welfare and disease prevention in dairy cows. In addition, UW researchers are also developing new stress-reduction programs for farmers, formulating new dairy-based food products, and creating sustainable practices that benefit water, land, rural communities and farm workers.
What Else Is in Your Ice Cream These Days?
Consumer Reports
Quoted: There are two main schools of thought about choosing a “healthy” ice cream, according to Scott Rankin, Ph.D., a professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “On the one hand, you have consumers who want the fewest ingredients possible,” he says. “On the other, you have customers who want their ice cream to have specific ‘attributes,’ such as no sugar added or nonfat.”
Can Ice Cream Ever Be Healthy?
Consumer Reports
Quoted: In its simplest form, ice cream has just four ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, and flavoring, such as vanilla. For many years, there were limited options in overall ingredients, composition, and flavor, says Scott Rankin, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the department of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Arts & Humanities
Mike Leckrone goes over the top and out
Madison Magazine
Varsity Band Concert is Leckrone’s last big show.
Health
This Pewaukee man used to have trouble walking down stairs. On Saturday, he’ll run his first 5K.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: He underwent tests to see if he would be able to handle a transplant. On Oct. 25, he found out he was too high risk. But UW Health University Hospital agreed to take on his case, and two hours later, he was flying there on Flight for Life. He had to do the same set of tests. This time, he passed.
Marathon Season Begins in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Radio
Noted: Interview with Jenny Kempf, a physical therapist at UW Health.
Athletics
NSIA Looks to Diversify Intercollegiate Sports
Diverse Education
Doing so, will help institutions move the needle and attract talented people of color to their athletics department, says Frazier, who served for many years as deputy athletic director at the University of Wisconsin Madison, before accepting the job at NIU in 2013.
Business/Technology
Seed money: Madison has become fertile ground for venture capitalists
Quoted: Risk management is something that Jon Eckhardt — the director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the Wisconsin School of Business — said often gets overlooked by the general public.
“When they read about a company that worked out really well, what they’re missing is all the effort and money and energy that went into companies that didn’t work out,” he said.
UW Experts in the News
Personal finance courses help people make better borrowing choices
CNBC
Quoted: “Consumers should use alternative financial services as a last resort,” said Melody Harvey, author of the study and a fellow at the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Should Nuclear Power Plants Have A Place At The Table? Nuclear Physics Professor Argues Yes, It’s A Viable Option To Curb Dependence On Fossil Fuel
Wisconsin Public Radio
Noted: Paul Wilson, a University of Wisconsin-Madison nuclear engineering professor, disagrees, saying nuclear can play a role in the reduction of carbon so long as the U.S.’s current fleet of about 100 nuclear power plants is maintained and innovation in the field — such as building smaller reactors that are less expensive — is supported.
Obituaries
Kitty Tucker, antinuclear activist who brought national attention to Silkwood case, dies at 75
The Washington Post
She received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin in 1967 and a law degree from the Antioch School of Law, now part of the University of the District of Columbia, in 1978.