Noted: Lucas Richert is the George Urdang Chair in the history of pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of “Strange Trips: Science, Culture, and the Regulation of Drugs.”
The return of ‘reefer madness’
Washington Post
April 18, 2019
Research
To ensure that 10 billion future people can eat, look at your carbon ‘foodprint’ today
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: “Most people don’t realize that the food system is one of the primary ways that humans are affecting the environment,” explained Valerie Stull, an interdisciplinary environmental health scientist and a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Global Health Institute.
Uganda: Human Viruses Threaten the Future of Uganda’s Chimpanzees
The Conversation
But our team leader, Dr Tony Goldberg of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tested samples, and we learned that the outbreaks were caused by two different viruses commonly found in humans.
Pregnant women affected by long commutes, study finds
NewDay Live
According to the new study published last month by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Lehigh University, long hours of commute may affect pregnancy in a negative way making their coming child face the worst scenarios.
Human viruses threaten the future of Uganda’s chimpanzees
My colleagues and I recently analysed two outbreaks of respiratory disease in two different chimpanzee groups, both located in Uganda’s Kibale National Park…Initially, we feared that the same virus caused both outbreaks, which would mean a single virus had been rapidly transmitted throughout the forest. But our team leader, Dr Tony Goldberg of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tested samples, and we learned that the outbreaks were caused by two different viruses commonly found in humans.
Robin Vos unmoved by poll showing support for Medicaid expansion
Wisconsin State Journal
Meanwhile, the study released Wednesday by two UW-Madison economists looked at extending Medicaid coverage to about 80,000 people whose pay is up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, as Evers proposed.
Students from across the state showcase research at the Capitol
NBC-15
Nearly 130 UW undergraduates showed off their research in the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday. Topics ranged from environmental research to social media analysis.
UW students prepare to compete at SpaceX
NBC-15
Engineer students at UW Madison are trying to change the way people travel.
UW Badgerloop team unveils new pod
WKOW-TV 27
The next generation of transportation may come right out of UW-Madison.
UW economics professors find Medicaid expansion could save Wisconsin $100 million
Badger Herald
Finding conflicts with February report that said expansion would cost $600 million.
Higher Education/System
‘What were you wearing?’ UW Baraboo exhibit addresses sexual assault
WISC-TV 3
An art installation at University of Wisconsin Platteville Baraboo Sauk County is challenging stigmas surrounding sexual assault.
National report shows Wisconsin had fourth-largest decline in higher education funding over five years
Badger Herald
While most states re-invested in higher education after Great Recession, Wisconsin did not follow suit.
Effects on UW System funding remain uncertain a decade after Great Recession
Daily Cardinal
Chancellor Rebecca Blank has spoken out multiple times about the state’s lack of taxpayer funding and the “challenges” it poses. “The first challenge was a set of budget cuts that reduced our state funding by almost $90 million,” Blank said, referencing the 2015-’17 budget cuts. “About $50 million of those cuts was absorbed by units around the university. It was not an easy task but I think these were implemented in a way that minimized their effects as much as possible. The remaining state cuts were offset by expansion in other revenue sources.”
Campus life
Sabrina Madison’s Black Women’s Leadership Conference to make space for mental health
The 2019 BWLC will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 2 and 3, at UW-Madison’s Discovery Building, 330 N. Orchard St. This is the fourth annual conference, which aims to empower and equip black women and girls through education, networking and leadership training.
UW-Madison Arboretum Added To National Register Of Historic Places
Wisconsin Public Radio
The Arboretum joins 70 other properties around UW-Madison’s campus that are already listed as protected historic places. To be eligible, a location must be at least 50 years old and have one of the following: significance in history or architecture, archeological value or association with a significant person.
Wisconsin Badgers bid to host NCAA men’s hockey regional at Kohl Center
Wisconsin State Journal
The school entered bids to host a regional in 2021 and 2022, officials confirmed this week. The host sites for 2020 and 2021 events are expected to be announced by the NCAA on Thursday or Friday.
State news
Wisconsin Prepares For Another Gerrymandering Trial
WUWM
Quoted: The court is expected to rule in those cases by the time Wisconsin’s trial begins in July. UW-Madison Political Science Professor Barry Burden says those rulings could have an impact on the state’s case.
“If the court for example, were to rule in a majority opinion that the Maryland and North Carolina districts should be redrawn in some way because they violated some constitutional rights, that might lead to a remedy being proposed in Wisconsin without a full trial. If the Supreme Court instead issues a kind of mishmash of different opinions without a clear majority on one side or the other, the trial might go forward trying to resolve some issues that didn’t come up in the Supreme Court opinions,” he says.
Crime and safety
Attacks on three woman bring more than 22 years for Monona man
Wisconsin State Journal
A Monona man who tried to abduct a woman from the UW-Madison campus in 2017, and in the same week sexually assaulted an unconscious woman and attacked and tried to rob another woman on a Downtown street, was sentenced Wednesday to 22½ years in prison.
‘I can’t thank them enough’: UWPD officers get surprise visit from men whose lives they saved
WISC-TV 3
The University of Wisconsin Police Department hosted its annual awards ceremony Wednesday to present awards to a number of department personnel and community members. At the event, four award recipients got quite the surprise.
Health
Risk averse
Isthmus
By now it’s well documented that UW-Madison lags behind most of its peers in turning its esteemed research into marketable goods. The question is what would it take for the university to get on track and become a pacesetter in the lucrative development of pharmaceutical drugs and cutting-edge medical treatment? One answer: a “major culture change spearheaded by top leadership.”
Opinion
Column: Trend of UW students joining the Peace Corp is promising for future of the US, world
Badger Herald
For the second year in a row, UW was awarded No. 1 for Peace Corp’s 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities.
UW Experts in the News
Does the fire still Bern? Sanders faces new challenges as he tries to complete his “political revolution”
Isthmus
Quoted: Although Sanders’ message may be mainstream now, Howard Schweber, a UW-Madison political science professor, says that doesn’t assure the Vermont senator the Democratic nomination. In the last election, many younger and more progressive voters were “uninspired” by Hillary Clinton, he says.
“That is not likely to occur if Bernie is pitted against someone like Kamala Harris, for example,” Schweber says.
Barry Burden, another UW-Madison political science professor, agrees that the competition will make it harder for Sanders to stand out this time around. “He is just one among almost 20 Democratic candidates rather than being seen as the main alternative to the establishment frontrunner,” Burden says. “Many of his fellow candidates have positions that mimic his agenda, so it will be harder for Sanders to differentiate himself in such a field.”
Pleasant smells may curb cigarette cravings
The Standard
Quoted: Repeated exposure to the same pleasant smells might eventually diminish any effect on cigarette cravings, said Timothy Baker, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison who wasn’t involved in the study.
Conservation Congress Survey Participants Support Pilot Program To Prevent Spread Of CWD
Wisconsin Public Radio
Mike Samuel, an emeritus professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the previous bounty program was very unpopular with hunters and did little to control spread of the disease.
Can Botox and Cosmetic Surgery Chill Our Relationships With Others?
New York Times
Quoted: “People these days are constantly rearranging their facial appearance in ways that prevent engaging in facial mimicry, having no idea how much we use our faces to coordinate and manage social interactions,” said Paula Niedenthal, a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has published several studies on facial mimicry and its emotional and social importance.
Census: Dane County leads state in population growth; more than double any other county in Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Journal
David Egan-Robertson, a demographer with the Applied Population Lab at UW-Madison, said the effects of the economic recovery are starting to be more widely apparent.
Why are fewer people wanting to become teachers?
WISC-TV 3
UW-Madison put together a task force to find possible solutions. Deb Kerr is one of the leaders of the team. Kerr, with the help of the dean at UW Madison’s School of Education Diana Hess, is leading the effort to combat the teacher shortage in Wisconsin. What they’ve found is felt by teachers everywhere.
Obituaries
Dave Zweifel’s Madison: Remembering Jack Westman, a champion of parenthood
You may have seen the obituary last week delivering the news that Dr. Jack Westman passed away at the age of 91. It told of his accomplishments through his long career, beginning at the University of Michigan and followed by his many years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he became one of the nation’s preeminent child psychiatrists.
Treslley Sr., James Anthony
Jim worked in construction as a brick layer … in the UW-Madison’s carpenter shop.
Iowa County DA dies unexpectedly in his office, officials say
WISC-TV 3
Larry Nelson was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School who served first as the assistant district attorney and corporation counsel of Iowa County for 17 years.
UW-Madison Related
Code Names and Secret Lives: How a Radical Underground Network Helped Women Get Abortions Before They Were Legal
Vanity Fair
Noted: In the spring of 1966, an 18-year-old campus activist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison named Margery Tabankin was approached by a high-school girl who’d just found out she was pregnant. She was terrified.
Iowa County DA dies unexpectedly in his office, officials say
WISC-TV 3
Noted: Nelson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School who served first as the assistant district attorney and corporation counsel of Iowa County for 17 years, the statement said. Nelson was appointed district attorney by Gov. Jim Doyle in 2006.