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January 7, 2025

Research

First U.S. fatality from bird flu reported in Louisiana

Los Angeles Times

Yohishiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo, said the the death “highlights the need for vigilance in avoiding contact with the virus wherever possible.”

At the same time, however, Kawaoka said it was “important to note that the individual was over 65 and had underlying health conditions, which may have contributed to the severity of the illness.”

Higher Education/System

Student loan debt: How to pay off loans faster

Newsweek

Dr. Nick Hillman, school of education professor and director of the Student Success Through Applied Research Lab (SSTAR) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Newsweek: “Leaving college with debt but no degree is one of the biggest factors that makes it hard to repay loans. Say a student borrows $10,000 for college but then has to leave before earning a credential. They don’t have the degree to show for it, but they have the debt. This can make it really hard to get established in the labor market and, as a result, to stay on top of monthly loan payments.”

Arts & Humanities

Jean Milant, founder of Cirrus Gallery and Cirrus Editions, dies at 81

Los Angeles Times

Milant was born in Milwaukee in 1943, and earned a degree in fine art from the University of Wisconsin before beginning his career as a painter. He spent time in a master’s program at the University of New Mexico in 1967, before heading to Los Angeles to begin his printmaking work at Tamarind. He founded Cirrus with $1200 in a Hollywood space that Ruscha helped him find near his studio. The collector Terry Inch later bought shares of Cirrus, becoming a behind-the-scenes partner.

Health

HMPV cases are rising across Asia, but experts say not to panic

Scientific American

“The virus has circulated for at least 60 years, and genetic evolutionary studies suggest that it diverged from a bird virus between 200 to 400 years ago,” says John Williams, a pediatrician and infectious diseases professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who has studied HMPV for more than 20 years. “HMPV causes regular annual seasonal epidemics, similar to the more widely recognized influenza virus and RSV. The typical HMPV season is late winter to early spring. So this isn’t totally unexpected.”

Athletics

Wrigley Field hockey series puts UW announcer on ice, and he loved it

Capital Times

University of Wisconsin hockey play-by-play announcer Brian Posick originally thought his radio broadcast location would be in the Wrigley Field press box for Saturday’s game in Chicago. But he learned early last week that he would be doing the game from right behind the glass on the ice level in the “Frozen Confines,” and he was alerted to “dress accordingly.’’

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