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June 12, 2025

Research

UW-Madison lake researchers face uncertainty over potential cuts to the National Science Foundation

Channel 3000

UW-Madison researchers, who study Wisconsin’s lakes, are grappling with uncertainty as cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) could threaten decades of freshwater research.

Professors Emily Stanley and Hilary Dugan from the UW-Madison Lab for Limnology have dedicated their careers to studying freshwater systems, with Lake Mendota serving as a key research site.

Higher Education/System

UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin set to receive $150K bonus

The Cap Times

Jennifer Mnookin stands to earn an extra $150,000 if she stays in her role at the helm of the University of Wisconsin-Madison through the end of the month.

The Board of Regents, which oversees UW-Madison and the state’s 12 other public universities, approved the “retention incentive” for Mnookin last summer. The goal was to create “continuity at our flagship university where total compensation is not competitive with its peers,” UW system spokesperson Mark Pitsch said at the time.

What’s next for University of Wisconsin athletics after the House vs. NCAA settlement

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Major college athletic departments can now pay their student-athletes directly but also must comply with more stringent rules for NIL deals and adhere to uniform guidelines for roster sizes.

At Wisconsin the job will be to adjust to those changes while managing an athletic program that features 11 men’s and 12 women’s teams and attempting to maintain the standards of an athletic program that has been pretty competitive across the board.

Nearly quarter of WI college students are single moms. They need child care help.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

While the daycare dilemma is large and complex, colleges have a unique role. Student parents (and faculty and staff) can be supported with resources by the university. Tuition paid by students should cover the costs of child care, if provided on campus.

According to an analysis by the American Council on Education, nearly one in every five undergraduate college students, about 18%, are parents, typically to preschool-aged or younger. In Wisconsin alone, 22% of all undergrads are single moms.

Arts & Humanities

Jon Hickey explores belonging and tribal politics in debut novel, ‘Big Chief’

Wisconsin Public Radio

In an interview with WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Hickey, a University of Wisconsin-Madison alum, said it wasn’t easy writing about the nuances of tribal politics, especially because it was inspired by his own tribal community. He was worried about how the book would be received — whether he was going to get called out for getting something “completely wrong.” Instead, people embraced the story.

Health

Many falls are preventable. These tips can help.

The New York Times

Many falls can be prevented, said Dr. Gerald Pankratz, a geriatrician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. That makes him “optimistic about this issue,” he said.

In his practice, Dr. Pankratz said, it is not unusual for people assessed as having a 50 percent chance of falling over the next year to cut their risk in half by taking action to avoid slips and trips.

Business/Technology

Wisconsin state lawmakers, industry experts share concerns about proposed limits to AI regulation

Wisconsin Public Radio

University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Annette Zimmermann is a political philosopher of AI and co-lead of the school’s Uncertainty and AI research group.

“Much like many other experts working in this area, I’ve been deeply concerned about imposing such a heavy handed blanket ban on any sort of state-based efforts to effectively regulate this space,” Zimmermann said. “Right now, unfortunately, we’re in a regulatory landscape where we are heavily relying on individual states to think very hard about how to protect ordinary citizens and consumers from these kinds of harmful outputs.”

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