A pair of notable anniversaries in environmental circles are occurring this year, both owing to Aldo Leopold, hailed as the father of modern conservation and wildlife ecology who carried out much of his groundbreaking work while living in Wisconsin, where his legacy endures.
February 20, 2024
Research
Patient overcomes prostate cancer thanks to UW Health clinical trial
Gary Davey found out he had prostate cancer after a routine physical and blood test. After multiple treatments failed to get rid of his cancer, he enrolled in a phase 1 clinical trial with UW Health.
Higher Education/System
These are Wisconsin’s best companies to work for in the U.S., according to Forbes
Top employers across Wisconsin landed on the latest Forbes report ranking midsize and large employers for the nation’s best places to work. The University of Wisconsin-Madison was ranked 113th nationally among large employers with more than 5,000 employees.
University of Wisconsin extends May 1 commitment deadline, citing FAFSA delays
May 1 has long been the traditional decision deadline for high school seniors to commit to college. But the federal government’s delays with a new financial aid form are prompting some institutions to extend the registration deadline. The University of Wisconsin-Madison joined the growing list Monday, moving their admitted student deposit and on-campus housing contract deadlines to May 15.
U.S. Department of Education announces new strategies to improve FAFSA processing
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the Department of Education’s new college support strategy Feb. 12. The plan aims to help universities process FAFSA information easier and simpler.
Campus life
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Has Fallen Out of Favor
“Chocolate chip used to be a flavor we produced constantly,” said Caroline Crowley, communications specialist for Babcock Dairy Plant, which has 75 years of ice-cream making under its belt, in Madison, Wis. Chocolate chip hasn’t been a staple for a decade, she said: “Now it’s seasonal.”
UW biochemists’s vision extends past US, impacts communities in Uganda
University of Wisconsin biochemistry professor James Ntambi and former associate director of UW’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences international program John Ferrick have been working to combat roadblocks for up-and-coming scientists in developing countries by leading UW’s community health initiative in Uganda.
Pro-Palestine groups protest arms manufacturers at UW-Madison engineering career fair
University of Wisconsin-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and other pro-Palestine student groups protested the presence of weapons manufacturing companies at an engineering career fair on Feb. 13.
UW ranked fourth-best campus for students with disabilities, but room for improvement remains
The University of Wisconsin was recently named the fourth-best university for disabled students, according to a report from Neurodivergent-U. UW is the only campus from the rankings offering peer counseling services, mutual aid and a Disability Cultural Center, according to the report.
State news
Deceptive AI campaign ads could target Wisconsin. Lawmakers have a plan to fight them.
“There has not been a line in terms of what modifications are okay,” said Dietram Scheufele, who studies misinformation and social media at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Public opinion about what’s acceptable in altering content has changed, such as editing photos of ourselves on Instagram or LinkedIn, he said.
“If some deepfake comes out of Biden falling down repeatedly right before the election in key states, and it all turns out to be fake five days later, that’s completely irrelevant,” Scheufele said. “We don’t have video-assisted review like we have in in football, which means the game will have ended and the result will stand.”
A game-changing moment for Wisconsin Democrats. New maps put legislative majorities within reach
Michigan and Minnesota — two Midwestern states where Democrats took control in 2022 for the first time in many years — could serve as examples of what Wisconsin Democrats would do with a legislative majority, said Barry Burden, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center.
Democrats in those states have “eagerly legislated in new directions on issues such as criminal justice and environmental protection,” Burden said. Given the chance, Wisconsin Democrats would likely pursue a variety of policy changes unavailable to them under GOP control, he said.
Health
Physical therapy: How to improve your sense of balance
Several systems govern our body’s sense of balance: the muscles, joints, inner ears and more. Our physical therapists are back. They’ll share the exercises you can do to bolster your balance and decrease your risk of falling. Interview with Jill Thein-Nissenbaum, a professor in the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Lori Thein Brody, a physical therapist at UW Health Spine Physical Therapy Clinic.
Athletics
Former Wisconsin basketball player Larry Petty dies at age 65
Former University of Wisconsin center Larry Petty, who played for the Badgers from 1977-81, died last month at his home in Poynette. He was 65.
Edwina Qualls recognized for advocacy, inducted into class of difference-makers
Former University of Wisconsin women’s basketball head coach Edwina Qualls was recently inducted into the Big Ten Impact Pioneers Class of 2024.
UW Experts in the News
Do California’s High Road worker training programs offer a step up?
The High Road program is an improvement compared to many other workforce programs, which often prioritize training people for jobs regardless of the quality, said Laura Dresser, the associate director of the High Road Strategy Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She helped coin the term “high road” and served as a consultant to California’s workforce programs in 2017.
Love can affect your heart health
UW Health Distinguished Psychologist Dr. Shilagh Mirgain says spending time with loved ones – family and friends alike – can reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and may even improve our cardiovascular health.
Gov. Tony Evers signs his legislative maps into law, giving Democrats big boost in Legislature
Now that Evers has signed the new maps into law, one of the parties involved in the court case could ask the court to dismiss the case as moot, UW-Madison Law School associate professor Robert Yablon said.