rofessor of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Thailand’s judiciary is flexing its muscles, but away from PM’s plight, dozens of activists are at the mercy of capricious courts
The Conversation
July 7, 2025
Research
Expanded genetic testing for babies across Wisconsin could help identify rare conditions
Wisconsin Public Radio
“Regardless of … where a baby is born, we want them to be able to have access to this genomic testing,” said genetic counselor April Hall, who’s an assistant professor of pediatrics at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
Are people at the South Pole upside down?
The Conversation
Written by Ph.D. student in physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Why is the Trump administration focused on undocumented immigrants, not their employers?
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
While the Wisconsin dairy industry is known to rely on unauthorized workers (it’s believed about 70% of the workforce is working illegally), the majority in the state actually work elsewhere, said Laura Dresser, a labor economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
From Dresser’s perspective, undocumented workers are especially vulnerable when law enforcement agencies focus more on immigration status and less on violations of workers’ rights.
That culture of fear can create “incentives for some employers to find a way to drive wages and standards down,” Dresser said.
I became a scientist, but I don’t know if my career will exist in five years
The Sacramento Bee
Since then, I’ve graduated from UC Davis with honors and am now a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My research investigates how plants sense nutrients so we can grow healthier plants using fewer resources like fertilizers.
How good was the forecast? Texas officials and the National Weather Service disagree
NPR
Michael Morgan, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said precipitation forecasting remains “one of the most vexing problems” of his field.
But he said he believed the National Weather Service did its job by giving a general sense of the Texas storm and then providing more specific local forecasts as additional information became available to highlight the most serious potential threats.
“I think the [National] Weather Service forecasts were on point,” Morgan said. “Specifically targeting in locations that are going to receive the maximum rainfall is an incredibly challenging forecast problem.”
Higher Education/System
Homes owned by several UW Regents vandalized with pro-Palestinian slogans
Wisconsin State Journal
At least four homes owned by members of the UW Board of Regents, including two in Madison, were vandalized early Friday with pro-Palestinian slogans, police and university officials said.
We should hold lawmakers to the standards they force on UW
The Cap Times
In their latest attempt at micromanaging an institution for which their support ranks 44th among the 50 states, the budget contains a provision that requires faculty members to teach at least 24 credit hours per year, a number that is reduced to 12 credit hours for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Faculty can buy down the number of courses they must teach by replacing their compensation with funding from other sources, like grants, the reporters explained.
Wisconsin has a new budget. Here’s what UW-Madison will receive
The Daily Cardinal
Gov. Tony Evers signed Wisconsin’s 2025-27 bipartisan state budget into law Thursday morning, securing a $256 million increase to the University of Wisconsin System budget after months of negotiations with Republican lawmakers. It’s a far cry from the $856 million the system requested, but a welcome alternative to the $87 million cut Republican legislators floated just two weeks ago.
UW-Madison sues University of Miami for tampering with football transfer
The Daily Cardinal
The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced on June 21, 2025, a lawsuit against the University of Miami for tampering with and ultimately poaching defensive back Xavier Lucas from their roster in violation of a name, image and likeness (NIL) agreement.
UW Regents homes vandalized with pro-Palestinian messages
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The residences of several University of Wisconsin Board of Regents members were vandalized with pro-Palestinian messages overnight on July 3, according to interviews and photos provided to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
ROTC cuts by Army will affect 2 University of Wisconsin schools
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The U.S. Army is cutting ROTC units at 10 universities nationwide, including the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Dozens of other institutions, including UW-Stevens Point, will see fewer on-campus resources and staff for their ROTC unit because of federal workforce reductions.
Gov. Tony Evers’ re-election decision looms over battleground Wisconsin
NBC News
“Evers got most of what he wanted. He is now in a position to say, ‘I’ve done what I needed to do. I got funding back to UW [the University of Wisconsin system], I got funding for child care, we’ve saved the kids in Wisconsin.’ We’ve got a kids budget — I think that gives him an out,” said Brandon Scholz, a Wisconsin Republican strategist. “He can go out on top.”
Which universities mint the most PhDs in key technology areas?
Forbes
The University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Purdue University, and UCLA also ranked among the top 5 institutions in 4 or more of the CETs. The University of Wisconsin ranked first in Biotechnology dissertations. UCLA led in Communications and Networking. Purdue claimed the top spot in Data Privacy and Cybersecurity. The University of Colorado-Boulder was first in Space Technology.
State news
Federal budget bill could raise Wisconsin energy costs, threaten renewable energy jobs
Wisconsin Public Radio
Tim Baye, a professor of business development and a state energy and energy finance specialist with the University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, said developers have been rushing since November to get planned projects moving in time to qualify for tax credits.
While there may be an initial rush to meet requirements for tax credits in the short term, Baye said he expects the bill will cause a slowdown in renewable development once those incentives sunset.
“We’re going to see a real slowdown,” he said. “It’s going to have a chilling effect.”
Crime and safety
Body found in Lake Mendota near Memorial Union Sunday
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison police are investigating after the discovery of the body of a middle-aged man in Lake Mendota early Sunday.
Dead body found on Lake Mendota, UWPD investigating
WMTV - Channel 15
The Madison Fire Department and the UW-Madison Police Department have confirmed that a body was found on Lake Mendota early Sunday morning.
UW-Madison Police investigating body of middle-aged man found in Lake Mendota
Spectrum News
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department (UWPD) said it’s investigating the discovery of a body in Lake Mendota found Sunday morning.
Body found in Madison’s Lake Mendota early Sunday morning
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A passerby contacted the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department after spotting what appeared to be a body about 50 feet offshore near the school’s Memorial Union, according to police.
Community
A youth-led hip hop movement grows in Madison
The Cap Times
Russell, who was Madison’s 2024-2025 youth poet laureate and is a First Wave Scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, described the collectives’ long-term goal to create infrastructure that supports creative careers.
UW-Madison Related
Pat Connaughton bids farewell to Milwaukee in moving Instagram post
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Connaughton included a series of photos from his Bucks tenure, including photos of him with the Larry O’Brien Trophy commemorating the championship; images with his young child, teammates and former coaches; plus even a couple shots from his experience in the NBA slam-dunk competition in 2020, a shot of him delivering a commencement address at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and glimpses of his real-estate and charity work.