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January 11, 2024

Research

‘Gain of function’ research prohibition bill receives public hearing

Wisconsin Examiner

A bill that would prohibit higher education institutions in Wisconsin from conducting “gain of function” research on “potentially pandemic pathogens” received a public hearing on Wednesday.

The bill — AB 413 — was introduced by Rep. Elijah Behnke (R-Oconto) and Sen. André Jacque (R-DePere), who cited several incidents at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and controversy over the origins of COVID-19.

Higher Education/System

Campus life

Madison cleans up after Tuesday snowfall

Spectrum News

Prageeshwar Chandran, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was up bright and early to experience the snow.

He’s an international student from India and said he had never experienced a big snowfall before.

“The last time there was a winter storm in Madison, I wasn’t here; I was in Chicago,” Chandran said. “So, I didn’t know what went down here. But this is the first time, and I don’t think it bothered me too much. I think everyone worked tirelessly around the clock.”

Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh stresses importance of new football practice facility as donations reach more than 80% of goal

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

According to University of Wisconsin officials, a total of $62.5 million has been raised for funding the new football indoor practice facility adjacent to Camp Randall Stadium.

That amount, bolstered by a $20 million commitment from alums Ted and Mary Kellner, is 83.3% of UW’s goal of $75 million. The fundraising efforts started in late October.

State news

Health

Nearly 1 in 10 teens worldwide have used ineffective and potentially harmful weight-loss products, study estimates

CNN

Dr. Paula Cody, medical director of adolescent medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, warned about the dangers of diet pills and supplements more than six years ago after hearing enough patients ask about supplements to lose weight or gain muscle — and the issue has only grown.

“The incidence of eating disorders has increased pretty dramatically after the pandemic. We’ve seen the numbers skyrocket,” she said. “So I do think that the concern I had before, which was not a small matter then — I’m even more concerned now.”

Opinion

Herb Kohl rose to heights of power. You could run into him at George Webb diner.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kohl gave a lot of money away. Like… a lot. He put Kohl in the Kohl Center at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, by donating $25 million to get it built. Twenty years later, he put up $100 million to build a new stadium for the Bucks, now known as the Fiserv Forum. And he gave over $50 million in grants and scholarships to teachers, schools and programs throughout Wisconsin.

Business/Technology

Totaled car guide: Key things to know in 2024

WalletHub

“When many talk about ‘totaling a car,’ it is often taken to mean that the car is a total wreck and cannot be salvaged, certainly not driven. However, in the insurance world, ‘totaling’ is when the insurer declares the book/cash value (e.g., Blue Book Value) of the car just before the accident is less than the costs of covered repairs from the accident,” says Karen C.A. Holden, professor emeritus, Department of Consumer Science and Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin – Madison Institute on Aging.

UW Experts in the News

PolitiFact: Did Democrats want to expand slavery pre-Civil War, while Republicans opposed it?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kathryn McGarr, an associate professor in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is also affiliated with the Department of History, pointed out the regional differences too, and then that there has been a shift since the Civil War for both of the parties. One example is the stance on equal rights.

“At the time of the Civil War, most members of what was then called the Democratic party supported slavery, and most members of what was then the newly formed Republican Party were anti-slavery,” she wrote in a December 28, 2023 email. “But what each party stood for has shifted dramatically over time, with the biggest realignments occurring in the middle of the Twentieth Century over civil rights. So someone like the segregationist senator Strom Thurmond was a Democrat until 1964 when he switched affiliation to the Republican Party.”