Volker Radeloff, a forest and wildlife ecology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the interface of wild land and urban areas accounts for roughly 10 percent of the state that’s potentially at risk of wildfires.
April 15, 2025
Research
Impact of tariffs on tech prices, the promise of quantum computing, and new state historic places
President Donald Trump imposed and then last week rolled back tariffs he imposed on much of the world. But he increased tariffs on products made in China, which include most electronic devices. We talk to UW-Madison’s Beth D’Angelo about what this means for American consumers.
And then, able to solve problems exponentially faster than classical computing, quantum computing could potentially revolutionize entire industries. We learn the basics of quantum computing from Swamit Tannu, a UW-Madison assistant professor of computer sciences.
Everything we believe about kids and phones might be wrong, study finds
Dr. Megan Moreno, the principal investigator of the social media and adolescent health research team at the University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics, called the USF survey a “groundbreaking” addition to ongoing research, because too many studies do not include the possibility of there being positive outcomes to kids having phones. “It is just so rare for studies to consider both benefits and risks,” she said.
Higher Education/System
Letter to the editor: Sifting and winnowing requires evidence, shared governance requires responsibility
Co-authored by James H. Stein, MD and Robert Turell Professor of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and Chad Alan Goldberg, PhD and the Martindale-Bascom Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison boosts aerospace engineering program with focused class for freshmen
Pioneering doesn’t always come with a lot of flash.
In a darkened auditorium on the UW-Madison engineering campus Friday, a bright green laser beam shone over a model airplane wing.
UW Madison students protest revocation of international student visas under Trump administration
Nearly a hundred students and community members protested the federal government’s termination of University of Wisconsin-Madison student visas and alumni visa employment extensions in a protest on Library Mall Saturday, urging the university to do more to protect its students.
Republicans take skeptical view of UW system’s ‘make-or-break’ funding request
At an April 1 hearing, in a sign of what the most contentious issues will be in this year’s state budget, the Republican-controlled budget committee only heard from two state agencies: Corrections and the Universities of Wisconsin system.
UW-Madison international student speaks out on visa terminations
International students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say many of them are still trying to figure out why their visas are being terminated by the government and how to protect themselves.
UW joins other Big Ten schools in implementing fiscal controls amid federal funding cuts
The University of Wisconsin will implement fiscal controls for the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year including hiring reviews, reductions in non-essential spending and the development of 5% and 10% budget reduction scenarios for fund 101 — a fund dedicated to state tax, federal indirect cost and tuition allocation.
Campus life
Earth Fest at UW-Madison celebrates sustainability, climate justice
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will host its second annual Earth Fest from April 21 to 29, a celebration of the planet over the week of Earth Day prioritizing environmental education, sustainability practices and climate justice.
Opinion
Trump’s crackdown on frivolous lawsuits: The pot meeting the kettle.
Written by John Gross, a clinical associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School and director of the Public Defender Project.
Business/Technology
What soaring uncertainty means for the U.S. economy
Menzie Chinn, a professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin, said, “People are maximally confused.”
To show how uncertainty plays out, Chinn gave an example of potential homebuyers: Lowering interest rates might entice them, but worries about a big drop in home prices over the next year — the kind that might arise from a recession — might scare them away.
“It’s better news, but washed out by this bad uncertainty,” Chinn said.
UW Experts in the News
Fugitive immigrant convicted in Md. murder highlighted in 2024 campaign
“Many politicians, law enforcement personnel and ordinary citizens are nonetheless incensed because this person should not have been in the country and thus capable of committing a crime,” said Michael Light, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who has studied the issue. “This view that the person’s undocumented status is an aggravating factor is also likely a reason why these crimes generate such strong responses.”