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September 11, 2024

Top Stories

Chancellor Mnookin reflects on free speech, student housing, protest violations during media roundtable

The Daily Cardinal

A lot has been on University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s plate since the spring.

Between a 12-day pro-Palestine encampment and juggling the university budget process, she’s had to carefully tread an upcoming election with a student body that has divided perspectives. Mnookin and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor sat down with campus media Tuesday to discuss free speech efforts, the affordable housing shortage and protest culture.

Looking To The Future By Reckoning With The Past With UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin

Black Like Me Podcast with Dr. Alex Gee

Dr. Gee has an in-depth conversation with University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin on what the university is doing to improve the sense of belonging for students of color. Their discussion covers Dr. Gee’s participation in a committee working to recognize the universities history with students of color and what can be done moving forward. The committee will be releasing a report soon with their findings and recommendations. Chancellor Mnookin shares about her plans and initiatives in this role at the university and how she sees that they are developing so far.Jennifer L. Mnookin is the 30th leader in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s 175-year history, and one of the nation’s top legal scholars.

Research

Higher Education/System

Wisconsin students failing reading exams, and so are future teachers

The Capital Times

In 2020, UW-Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District created a task force to study effective ways to teach literacy. Around that time, test scores showed about 80% of the school district’s students were failing to read proficiently.

Beverly Trezek, a UW-Madison professor who specializes in reading, said university administrators used the research to adjust courses. They added more instruction on topics like spelling and writing, and added opportunities for prospective special education teachers to teach reading in schools, she said.

Campus life

‘Harm or Harness’: AI anxieties among UW students, faculty increase along with demand for skills

The Badger Herald

For University of Wisconsin computer science major Tanvi Wadhawan, envisioning a future where artificial intelligence is not only present but omnipresent has been a no-brainer. Growing up in the Silicon Valley area, Wadhawan has long understood the potential of AI, so much so that it caused her to switch career paths.

“It’s [AI] why I switched gears from straight software engineering to security… it 100% has made me rethink my entire career,” Wadhawan said. “If ChatGPT or cloud AI can do my homework, it can do my job.”

State news

Agriculture

Wisconsin Master Naturalists, Ho-Chunk Nation to host ‘Caring for Grandmother Earth’ volunteer summit

Wisconsin Public Radio

For more than a decade, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension has been offering the opportunity for people to become Master Naturalists by attending expert-led training sessions and volunteering their time to conservation efforts. Altogether, Master Naturalists volunteer over 25,000 hours of service each year to over 700 organizations across the state.

Why Are US Agricultural Emissions Dropping?

Civil Eats

‘There’s so much uncertainty in those predictions that I would hesitate to really read too much into any small variation from year to year, outside of demonstrable changes and practices out on the landscape,” said Steven Hall, a professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The emissions inventories published by EPA are subject to substantial uncertainty.”

Community

Athletics

UW Experts in the News

UW-Madison Related

How Undecided Voters Reacted to the Harris-Trump Debate

New York Times

Samira Ali, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, entered the debate unsure whether she would vote at all. She left a raucous viewing party on campus still unsure. “She still has to impress me,” said Ms. Ali, 19. As someone who recently moved into her own place off-campus and has had to buy groceries for the first time, Ms. Ali said she wanted to hear Ms. Harris speak more about housing costs and inflation. “I’m still deciding,” she said as the debate neared its end.