Some scientists believed from the start that it would be possible to repurpose this basic cellular function for medicine. In 1990, a Hungarian-born scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, Katalin Kariko brashly predicted to a surgeon colleague that his work would soon be obsolete, replaced by the power of messenger RNA therapies. That same year, a team at the University of Wisconsin startled the scientific world with a paper that showed it was possible to inject a snippet of messenger RNA into mice and turn their muscle cells into factories, creating proteins on demand.
December 7, 2020
Research
Scientific journal retracts decades old paper by UW professor due to homophobic content
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease flagged the article, “Observations on Homosexuality Among University Students,” which was written by UW professor Benjamin Glover. The study based itself on psychotherapy work and Glover’s belief that he could “cure” homosexual attraction.
Research inspired by COVID-19: ‘COVID toes’ likely a sign of successful viral response
Over a few weeks, there was nearly a 300% increase of patients in Wisconsin exhibiting the condition compared to 2019, said Lisa Arkin, director of pediatric dermatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Trends were similar across the United States. “This was a real pivot because there aren’t so many dermatologists doing COVID-19 research,” Arkin said. “Suddenly, in the spring, there was an avalanche of patients, many of whom had had symptoms for several weeks.”
Higher Education/System
Applying to college? These are some of the hardest to get into
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s children’s hospital was the site of the first bone marrow transplant in 1968. Twenty alumni have won a Nobel prize. Novelist Joyce Carol Oates, progressive politician Robert M. La Follette, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright are among the school’s alumni.
4 UW System Campuses Cancel Spring Break To Avoid COVID-19 Spread
A growing number of University of Wisconsin System campuses are canceling spring break in hopes of preventing outbreaks of COVID-19. While most UW System schools are keeping spring break plans in place, administrators say that could change.
Campus life
First-Year College Students Reflect On ‘Intense’ Pandemic Semester
University of Wisconsin System campuses are wrapping up their first full semester amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been anything but normal, and for some first-year students, finding a sense of community on campus has been hampered by heavy restrictions on social gatherings. Mental health experts say that isolation is a problem and has contributed to a myriad of anxieties faced by students.
UW-Madison student reimagines education through board game designed for Ugandan refugees
For University of Wisconsin-Madison senior Joel Baraka, there was one question that always lingered in the back of his mind: What can I do today to improve the life of another child?
State news
Wisconsin could face a budget gap of as much as $2 billion over two years
Prisons, schools and the University of Wisconsin System are also expected to need more money, adding to the challenges for Evers and lawmakers.
Report: Wisconsin faces big deficit, difficult budget session next year
What’s more, the report does not include the projected $1.1 billion cost of maintaining Medicaid services or additional spending on COVID-19 measures or state aid to K-12 schools, the University of Wisconsin System, local governments or prisons.
Agriculture
Wisconsin dairy farmers returning to their roots
A new initiative based at UW-Madison is helping others do the same in a bid to boost Wisconsin’s struggling ag economy while promoting healthy food and the environment.
Community
Dig deeper during this season of giving — Jeff Russell
Column by Jeff Russell, Dean of the Division of Continuing Studies, UW-Madison. :The economic fallout from the pandemic has touched all of us, but very disproportionately. Witness recent market highs that will benefit a fortunate slice of society while many struggle mightily.”
‘Empty Stocking is literally delivering Christmas to some families’
The Odyssey Project offers a two-semester, UW-Madison humanities course for adults who have faced barriers to higher education or who are living near the poverty level. Students earn six college credits upon completion.
Health
UW Health to serve as distribution hub for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
Even though the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has yet to be given emergency authorization by the FDA, UW Health says it will serve as a regional distribution hub for the vaccine once it is approved.
UW Health designated a hub for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine distribution
“We are proud to play a role in helping our partners in the area get vaccine doses they need to protect their frontline workers as fast as possible so we can get on to the next group of people to be vaccinated,” said Matt Anderson, senior medical director ambulatory operations, UW Health.
UW Health to serve as central hub for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine
If approved, the vaccine is still months away from widespread distribution.
Athletics
The Wisconsin basketball team still isn’t sure if it will play Louisville on Wednesday night
The status of Wisconsin’s basketball game Wednesday against visiting Louisville in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge remains uncertain because of at least one positive COVID-19 test within the Cardinals program.
Badgers women’s hockey series at Minnesota postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests
The University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team’s series at Minnesota was postponed Friday, less than 12 hours before it was supposed to begin because of at least two positive COVID-19 tests in the program.
UW Experts in the News
The Easy Way to Quit Smoking
“I am always a bit suspicious of silver bullets in public health,” Michael Fiore, one of the country’s leading experts on tobacco use and smoking cessation, told me. “Things are rarely silver bullets. But reducing the nicotine in cigarettes to near-zero is as close to a silver bullet as you get.”
Why Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide Might Save Our Lives
Four years later, those divisions are as solid as ever, and a pandemic has shown us how deadly they can turn. Cramer, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, watched the virus hit the state’s cities first. Amid a tornado of misinformation and political polarization, many people in more rural—and more conservative—corners of the state became skeptical about whether the pandemic response they were hearing about was designed for them.
Primer on Trump’s Visit to Georgia
Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told us it is not possible to know how many Georgians voted for Biden and no other candidate. That “would require individual-level information from ballots, not aggregation information about ballots cast in each race,” he said.
Professor: Let’s Drop The ‘Guilty’ In ‘Guilty Pleasure’
“I believe that pleasure is freedom,” said Schalk, an associate professor in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Pleasure is part of liberation.”
No, that’s not a mountain behind Madison…
Researcher Tim Wagner at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Space, Science, & Engineering Center (SSEC) knew exactly what it was. All he had to utter was “Superior Mirage” and his wife grabbed his camera for him. He snapped a photo shortly before 8:30 Wednesday morning – showing what appeared to be a mountain behind the capitol city.
How the pandemic is changing the future of the movie industry
UW-Madison media professor, Dr. Derek Johnson says even the largest theater companies are struggling right now. He says the new option to stream releases at home will likely be attractive to many families because of the lower cost.
UW Health psychologist explains importance of safeguarding mental health this holiday season
Dr. Shilagh Mirgain, a UW Health distinguished psychologist, recommends if you live by yourself, prioritize social connection in safe ways.
Top UW Health official says COVID-19 vaccine should be available for frontline workers before Christmas
UW Health Chief Quality Officer Dr. Jeff Pothof said he believes there will be a quick turn around once there is authorization , and the hospital is already preparing for which healthcare workers will get vaccinated first once shipments come in.
Obituaries
Kuczmarski, Thomas A.
From 1969 to 1980, he was employed as a systems programmer at the University of Wisconsin’s Madison Academic Computing Center.
Lammers, Barbara Ruth
She worked as a secretary for the University of Wisconsin, retiring in 2002.
West, Richard Carroll
Until his retirement, Richard was employed as the Senior Academic Librarian Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Laxova, Renata
In 1975, she moved to Madison, Wis., where she joined the faculty at the UW Medical School. During her tenure, Renata made foundational contributions to the fields of medical genetics, human developmental disabilities, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis. She established the Statewide Genetic Services Network in Wisconsin, instituted the University of Wisconsin Master of Genetic Counselor Studies degree program, and advocated tirelessly for genetics services in Wisconsin and at the national level.
UW-Madison Related
Know Your Madisonian: Radiolab editor calls Madison home
His voice may not be familiar, but Soren Wheeler’s stories are heard by millions of people each week. Wheeler, 46, is the managing editor of Radiolab, the show that explores heavy scientific and philosophical issues with an eccentric style and sound.
UW stops allowing student employees to work from abroad, student council tables response
Student government leaders and administrators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are failing to find common ground on new policies that prevent the university from hiring or paying hourly student workers who telecommute from outside the United States.
Scientific journal purges anti-gay UW-Madison paper published in 1951
Ascientific journal, in a fairly unusual and contentious move, recently retracted a decades-old paper by a UW-Madison psychiatrist who blamed the failure of his so-called conversion therapy on gay students who refused to cooperate.