At least three-fourths of all University of Wisconsin System classes will be in-person this fall according to system interim President Tommy Thompson.
Tommy Thompson: 75 Percent Of UW’s Fall Classes Will Be In-Person
Wisconsin Public Radio
February 19, 2021
Top Stories
As COVID-19 vaccines roll out, Thompson sets goal of 75% of courses in person on UW campuses in fall
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin System interim President Tommy Thompson told campus chancellors to aim to have at least 75% of their courses in person next fall, with the hope that COVID-19 vaccines will allow a return to some normalcy.
Research
Urine analysis could detect early signs of some cancers, research shows
NBC-15
UW School of Medicine and Public Health explained that the study, published in Science Translational Medicine, explains how urinalysis has been used to detect other diseases or disorders, but never cancer.
Pleasure Practices with Sami Schalk: A recipe for rest
Tone Madison
As we approach a full year of this pandemic and attempt to survive sub-zero Wisconsin winter, many of us are tired; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I teach at UW-Madison and the beginning of the semester is always an intense energetic marathon for me so I find myself having to be extra mindful about resting. So this month’s piece isn’t about food, but about rest as a political practice of resistance.
Ancient Trees Show When The Earth’s Magnetic Field Last Flipped Out
NPR
Quoted: “That high-resolution temporal record is, I think, pretty impressive,” says Brad Singer, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies the history of the Earth’s magnetic field but was not part of the research team. “This is only a small number of specimens that they measured, but the results look fairly reproducible in the different trees, and I think that’s a pretty impressive set of data.”
When There’s No Heat: ‘You Need Wood, You Get Wood.’
New York Times
Noted: The connections between climate impacts, wood supply, and poverty have drawn researchers at the University Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Wisconsin to study wood banks on a national scale. Growing out of dozens of interviews of wood bank volunteers done by Clarisse Hart, director of outreach and education at the Harvard Forest, the team has identified 82 wood banks across the country.
People Answer Scientists’ Queries in Real Time While Dreaming
Scientific American
Quoted: These findings “challenge our ideas about what sleep is,” says Benjamin Baird, a postdoctoral researcher who studies dreams at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and was not involved in this study. Sleep has classically been defined as unresponsiveness to external environmental stimuli—and that feature is still typically part of the definition today, Baird explains. “This work pushes us to think carefully—rethink, maybe—about some of those fundamental definitions about the nature of sleep itself, and what’s possible in sleep.”
Scientists entered people’s dreams and got them ‘talking’
Science Magazine
Quoted: “This work challenges the foundational definitions of sleep,” says cognitive neuroscientist Benjamin Baird of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who studies sleep and dreams but was not part of the study. Traditionally, he says, sleep has been defined as a state in which the brain is disconnected and unaware of the outside world.
Why do people have lucid dreams? Study questions the limits of consciousness
Inverse
Quoted: “That would be a really interesting future direction of this methodology,” Benjamin Baird tells Inverse. Baird is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison who studies lucid dreams, but was not involved in this study. He also has lucid dreams himself.
Higher Education/System
Thompson wants 75% of fall UW classes in-person
NBC-15
Students at UW-Madison have to prove they’re COVID-negative before entering buildings and must get tested every three days. University officials even wrote to students this week, in part, “If you miss multiple tests, or if there is a pattern of missing tests, sanctions could be applied.”
UW System President announces goal for 75% classes to be in-person for fall semester
Badger Herald
’It is time for us to plan to resume as much of an in-person campus experience as possible this fall,’ UW System President says.
UW System plans at least 75% in-person classes next fall, back to pre-pandemic levels
Capital Times
Thompson announced the plan to chancellors this week and said that they were all “very supportive” of the new goal. Given that about 20% of courses were taught virtually even prior to the pandemic, Thompson said this goal will bring System schools back to previous levels of in-person education while maintaining the benefits of online courses.
UW campuses planning for fall semester to be ‘as close to normal as possible’
Wisconsin State Journal
At UW-Madison, 82% of classes this spring semester are fully online, according to System data. That’s up from 64% of classes delivered remotely last fall.
Campus life
UW officials are planning for full capacity at Camp Randall Stadium next season
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
After being forced to host football games without fans in the stands in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, University of Wisconsin officials are taking a decidedly optimistic stance in preparing for the ’21 season:
Their goal is to see Camp Randall Stadium at full capacity.
Adams County blown away with marketing campaign UW-Madison students did to increase winter tourism
WISC-TV 3
Through UW-Madison’s UniverCity Alliance program, local governments can tap into resources to get help with whatever they need. The program matches students and courses at UW-Madison to take on real world projects.
UW students stay indoors, take extra measures to stay warm during cold spell
Badger Herald
’I am excited for it to warm up and be spring soon so it’s not as miserable outside as it is now,’ UW student says.
Lines at the Nicholas Recreation Center send students into the arms of private gyms
Daily Cardinal
The Nicholas Recreation Center is home to approximately 30,000 square feet of fitness space, including eight courts and five studios, as well as an Olympic size pool on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. But while the facility is only operating at 25% capacity, this seemingly enormous gym has proven to fill up incredibly fast, resulting in a crowded facility and long lines.
State news
‘We need beacons of hope’: Community groups gather $125K for Vel Phillips statue in Madison and seeking more donations
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The legacy of Vel Phillips is one filled with firsts.
In 1951, she was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. In 1956, she was the first woman and first Black member of Milwaukee’s City Council. In 1971, she was the first woman and first Black judge in Milwaukee County.
UW System to get $191 million in Gov. Evers’ budget, doubling UW’s original request
Daily Cardinal
In the 2021-23 budget package Gov. Evers presented Tuesday, an additional $191 million is allocated towards the UW System — doubling the number UW officials asked for and marking the largest state funding increase in nearly two decades.
Vel Phillips statue effort gets a big financial boost
AP
Phillips, who died in 2018, experienced many “firsts” in her lifetime. She was the first Black woman to graduate from the UW-Madison Law School, the first female judge in Milwaukee County and the first Black judge in Wisconsin.
Crime and safety
19-year-old found unconscious in a snowbank near the UW campus
NBC-15
Alcohol may have been a factor for a 19-year-old man who was found passed out in a snowbank near the University of Wisconsin campus, according to the Madison Police Dept.
Community
BIPOC community of Madison less likely to get mental health support despite higher COVID-19 rates
Badger Herald
’The cultural stigma in discussing and addressing mental health illnesses is also prevalent, particularly among communities of color,’ state rep. says.
Health
UK COVID-19 variant discovered in Dane County
NBC-15
“What we need to do is modify the vaccines to specifically target the variant that is causing trouble and the good news there is the ability to modify the vaccines is a little bit easier,” Dr. Jeff Pothoff, UW-Health’s chief quality officer said.
The Next Generation of Vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna pediatric trials underway
NBC-15
“One of the things pediatricians will commonly tell you is that kids are not just little adults,” said Dr. Matt Anderson, a Senior Medical Director for UW Health. “They have different things going on in their bodies that need to be studied.”
Athletics
UW announces plans to allow fans in Camp Randall for football season
WKOW-TV 27
“We are planning to have our fans back in the stands,” said Alvarez. “We really don’t know how many people we’ll have in the stadium but we do know we have a great schedule. We’re really looking forward to getting people back in the stands.”
UW planning to allow fans at Badgers football games
NBC-15
Athletics Director Barry Alvarez made the announcement Thursday morning in a video statement posted on YouTube. He explained that they have not been able to determine how many fans would be allowed to attend each game.
UW plans to allow fans at Camp Randall for 2021 football season
WISC-TV 3
For the first time since the 2019 season, fans will be allowed into Camp Randall for Badgers games this coming fall.
Badgers will plan for full crowds at Camp Randall in 2021 football season
Wisconsin State Journal
“If we’re going to spend the time to plan for something, let’s plan for bringing a ruckus back into Camp Randall and bringing our fan base back,” deputy athletic director Chris McIntosh said.
Opinion
For Generations, African Americans Have Led Global Antiracist Movements
History News Network
Noted: Brenda Gayle Plummer is a historian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in African American history, the history of U.S. foreign relations, race in international affairs and Caribbean history. She is the author of several books, most recently of In Search of Power: African Americans in the Era of Decolonization, 1956-1974.
Biden, UW and international community denouncing Burmese Coup will not end military’s oppression
Badger Herald
Though Biden has imposed sanctions on Burma and UW SEARG has called on international community to denounce coup, the Burmese military remains undeterred.
Business/Technology
Experts Say Cold Is Unlikely To Cause Power Crisis In Wisconsin, But There Are Still Lessons From Texas
Wisconsin Public Radio
Noted: Demand for electricity goes up when temperatures drop, said Dr. Line Roald, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The surprising part of what happened in Texas was that so many generators — from nuclear and natural gas plants to wind turbines — stopped producing energy due to the freezing temperatures, she said.
UW Experts in the News
Built for cold, Wisconsin grid hums along in temperatures that crippled Texas
Wisconsin State Journal
“It’s a mix of everything coming together,” said Line Roald, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UW-Madison. “It’s the generators we think of as being super reliable not being reliable at all.”