Column by Petersen, president of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.
Andrew S. Petersen: UW System encouraging input on its future
Wisconsin State Journal
May 22, 2020
Top Stories
Research
NOAA sees busy hurricane season, as pandemic strains emergency services
POLITICO
The outlook for the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season also comes as researchers at NOAA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison identified a link between the growing intensity of tropical storms and human-driven climate change, mapping out the growing strength of hurricanes and typhoons over the past four decades.
Do you see how I see?
Cosmos Magazine
Hongrui Jiang from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, US, is impressed, but notes in a commentary in the same journal that there is still work to be done, notably to reduce the size of the liquid-metal wires and establish the operational lifetime of the artificial retina.
Parallel Universe Discovered? No, NASA Hasn’t Found a Universe Where Time Runs Backwards
NDTV
Another neutrino observatory in Antarctica called IceCube that is run by the University of Wisconsin–Madison conducted an investigation on the ANITA findings and it published a paper in The Astrophysical Journal. The researchers said in January that “other explanations for the anomalous signals – possibly involving exotic physics – need to be considered” because the standard model of physics cannot explain these events.
A New Bionic Eye Could Give Robots and the Blind 20/20 Vision
Singularity Hub
“The structural mimicry of Gu and colleagues’ artificial eye is certainly impressive, but what makes it truly stand out from previously reported devices is that many of its sensory capabilities compare favorably with those of its natural counterpart,” writes Hongrui Jiang, an engineer at the University of Wisconsin Madison, in a perspective in Nature.
Monitoring mobility before and after Safer at Home
NBC-15
The UW-Madison Geography Department is using a mobility map to monitor behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crime and safety
Alleged ‘Serial Burglar’ linked to 21 break-ins in Dane Co., Southern Wisconsin
NBC-15
A 37-year-old Footville man is being called a ‘serial burglar’ after being linked to more than 20 burglaries, including the theft of musical instruments over Thanksgiving weekend at the University of Wisconsin.
Public safety order for gathering spots on UW-Madison campus
NBC-15
With warmer weather drawing a growing number of people to outdoor gathering spots, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has adopted a new order to ensure public safety through physical distancing and related public health measures as campus prepares to reopen.
UW-Madison closes off lakefront as hundreds gather
Madison365
The University of Wisconsin has erected temporary fencing to close off the Memorial Union Terrace and adjacent lakefront areas, including the piers, as hundreds of people have gathered in recent days in defiance of a county-wide order prohibiting large groups.
UW to temporarily shut down terrace, part of alumni park due to COVID-19
Badger Herald
New order to halt spread, ensure social distancing on campus.
Health
I’m heading out into this newly opened Wisconsin. What do I need to know? Our experts are here to help. John Diedrich, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Publi
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: The CDC recommends the public wear cloth masks and not use masks meant for health professionals, including N95 masks. Given that you have “significant underlying conditions,” it’s important that you keep yourself safe and consult your doctor on how best to do that.
It’s safer to avoid public restrooms. If you must use one, be sure you have your mask on when you are inside. If you are not the only occupant, keep six or more feet from others. Avoid touching surfaces including doors, faucet handles, pump soap, etc. If you can wash your hands safely and properly inside the restroom, it’s still a good idea to use alcohol rub to disinfect your hands once you get outside the bathroom. Avoid touching your face unless your hands are clean.
— Ajay K. Sethi, associate professor, population health sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Flu cases drop off as season ends, no clear timeline for COVID-19
NBC-15
“Especially the school closure part, which might explain why influenza disappeared as well,” said Dr. Nasia Safdar, UW Health’s medical director for infection prevention.
Athletics
Shortened preparation window for 2020 football season workable, Badgers athletic director Barry Alvarez says
Wisconsin State Journal
Six weeks of training leading up to the football season is an ideal length, University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said, but not necessarily a requirement.
UW Experts in the News
Another Casualty of the Coronavirus: Summer Internships
The New York Times
“You pick up a lot of subtle clues about how to behave in that profession, how to communicate like an engineer, how to work in teams like a nurse,” said Matthew Hora, an education professor at the University of Wisconsin who has studied internships. “Students are going to be missing that.”
Democrats ponder the political pros and cons of an unprecedented shift toward a more virtual convention
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: Asked if there is any precedent for two parties holding such very different modes of convention, political scientist Byron Shafer paused before reaching back to the year 1872, when the much-weakened post-Civil War Democratic Party simply endorsed another party’s presidential candidate at its six-hour convention (the shortest ever) without even adopting its own platform.
“There is no sensible prior analog” to the contrasting conventions that may be held in 2020, said Shafer, a retired University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who writes about conventions. “If the Democrats are all virtual and the Republicans are all live (and in person), we really don’t have anything to compare that to.”
Dispute over South Dakota tribal checkpoints escalates after Gov. Kristi Noem seeks federal help
NBC News
Tribal law expert Richard Monette, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the Supreme Court’s line of cases have supported the concept of tribal sovereignty, but this issue could quickly unravel should Trump decide to get involved in favor of Noem and compel federal law enforcement to descend on the checkpoints.
Urban Wildlife Habits Change With Humans Staying At Home
Wisconsin Public Radio
To find out more about how wildlife is reacting to the enormous change in human habits, WPR’s Melissa Ingells talked to David Drake, a professor and wildlife specialist in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Obituaries
Former GMU President Alan Merten Dies At Age 78
MSN
Merten, who was born in Milwaukee, received an undergraduate degree in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a masters in computer science from Stanford University, and a PhD in computer science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
UW-Madison Related
Political Organizing Is Moving Online for the 2020 Campaign Cycle
Teen Vogue
With face-to-face campaigning no longer an option, Koerth, 22 and a 2019 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said she steered young voters toward a strategy of relational organizing, which involves having volunteers contact their own social network to mobilize and persuade voters. Relational organizing has been a part of the DPW’s work from the start, but was put into overdrive when the pandemic hit, said Koerth.