“Why isn’t this being shouted from the rooftops?” asked Stanke, a 21-year-old nuclear engineering student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is too Wisconsin-nice to shout, but in more than 20 states so far she has touted clean energy and nuclear medicine at schools, nursing homes, a state legislature and once on a water-skiing podcast.
September 25, 2023
Higher Education/System
Communities that lose UW System branch campuses could see millions under GOP bill
Communities affected by University of Wisconsin System branch campus closures could see millions in state assistance to reshape how the county-owned facilities are used under a GOP-authored bill circulated this week.
Campus life
Damage to research equipment after flooding a big challenge, College of Engineering dean says
“It’s home to a large amount of equipment, and it’ll take time for us to assess the damage occurred to that, whether we need to restore it or whether we need to replace it,” Robertson said.
Bernie Sanders champions free public education, support for working class in UW-Madison talk
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders discussed his stance on education and promoted his new book at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Friday evening as part of Cap Times Idea Fest.
New exhibit at Memorial Library explores 250 years of Phillis Wheatley, landmark poet
In 1773 — 250 years ago — Phillis Wheatley published “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.” She became the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry and only the third colonial American woman of any race to publish a book.
Crime and safety
UWPD arrest at speaking event under review
UWPD explained its officers were providing support at speaking events on Tuesday at Library Mall when someone confronted a public speaker. Police stated that the suspect grabbed the speaker’s microphone card and wouldn’t let go of it, despite officers asking the person to cooperate and let go of the cord several times.
UWPD recommends alcohol in moderation, buddy system for students on game day
“We understand that alcohol consumption is going to happen,” Kirchman said, “Us standing here and saying ‘don’t do it,’ that is not going to solve anything … So instead [we consider], what can we do to help affect behaviors so that people are more safe, because that’s the more important thing.”
Community
Madison business parks add housing to fill demand, create walkable communities
University Research Park, with 250 acres at the intersection of Mineral Point Road and Whitney Way, is also in the process of urbanizing, with a plan a few years ago to build 400,000 square feet of new construction, housing, a hotel, lab, offices, a food hall, a climbing gym and parking. The project is called Element Collective.
Health
These free Wisconsin programs will pay your way to a job in healthcare
UW Health also offers free training to become a nursing assistant. At the end of the course, graduates earn their CNA credentials by passing the exam administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Athletics
Former Badger men’s hockey player dies
Kerdiles died in Nashville after his motorcycle allegedly drove through a stop sign and hit the driver’s side of an SUV. According to Metro Nashville Police Department, the crash was reported just after 3:30 a.m.
Nic Kerdiles, Savannah Chrisley’s ex-fiancé, dies in motorcycle crash
Kerdiles was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2012 NHL Draft. He played two seasons with the Ducks between 2016 and 2018, according to hockeydb.com. He attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he played with the Wisconsin Badgers.
NHL Alum Nicolas Kerdiles Dies In Motorcycle Crash At 29
He played in college for the University of Wisconsin, whose hockey program also mourned Kerdiles on social media, posting about his “great spirit as part of our Badger family.”
Opinion
Tom Still: Time to find a solution to Legislature’s stalemate with the UW System
The standoff between the Wisconsin Legislature and Wisconsin’s public universities threatens to harm the state’s economy the longer it persists. There needs to be a negotiated end.
The public needs its say on AI regulation — Dietram A. Scheufele, Dominique Brossard and Todd Newman
Scheufele is a professor of life sciences communication, Brossard is a professor and chair of life sciences communication, and Newman is an assistant professor of life sciences communication — all at UW-Madison.
UW Experts in the News
Ukraine Finds Defects in More Than Half of Tanks Sent by Ally
Mikhail Troitskiy, a professor of practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Newsweek that recent military developments are not “insurmountable” for Ukraine and could simply be a byproduct of different governmental systems not properly repairing equipment.
Alien life may not be carbon-based, new study suggests
“It’s important to explore these possibilities so that we have an idea of what all forms of life can look like, not just Earth life,” study senior author Betül Kaçar, an astrobiologist, bacteriologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Space.com.
We carry DNA from extinct cousins like Neanderthals. Science is now revealing their genetic legacy
Human evolution was not about “survival of the fittest and extinction,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It’s about “interaction and mixture.”
Meet the Climate-Defying Fruits and Vegetables in Your Future
Phil Simon, a horticulture professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has spent more than a decade trying to breed a carrot whose seeds can germinate even when the soil is salty, hot and dry.
AOC? Romney? If voters don’t want Biden or Trump, who’s their pick?
For Biden, one of voters’ biggest concerns appears to center around age. Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, previously argued that, even if Biden’s age has not affected his ability to do the job, “some members of the public may nonetheless believe he is not mentally sharp enough or that he lacks the necessary physical stamina.”
Obituaries
Carl A. Baumann
MURA then became part of the University of Wisconsin, known as the Physical Sciences Laboratory, and Carl worked there as a research tech until his retirement fifty and a half years later. Carl was a member of the University Academic Staff and his title was Distinguished Senior Instrumentation Technologist Emeritus.
Kenneth Waterman Ragland
Ken’s professional and personal interests led him to a career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he spent over 30 years conducting research and teaching. Ken’s research was centered around fluid dynamics, combustion, air pollution control, and renewable energy. In 1995, Ken was chosen Department Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department. In 1999, Ken’s career was recognized by UW-Madison with Emeritus status.