Written by ssistant professor of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Earth-size stars and alien oceans – an astronomer explains the case for life around white dwarfs
The Conversation
August 28, 2025
featured
The home of UW–Madison’s game day hype committee
Madison Magazine
Sure, there are other marching band houses on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus: Tuba Haus, Clarinest, Pi Palace (for the saxophones), Bone Zone (trombones). Nine in all. But only Trumpet Haus — Thaus, for short — lays claim to being the unofficial game day hype committee. This is where a lucky few trumpet players in the UW Marching Band call home.
Higher Education/System
Wisconsin Democrats move to change state law to ban concealed carry of guns on college campuses
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Democrats announced legislation to amend Wisconsin law to prohibit the concealed carry of firearms on college and university campuses in Wisconsin.
The legislation, which has been introduced in previous sessions and failed to advance, would make it a misdemeanor to possess a gun on campus, making the penalty up to nine months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. The new stipulations would not apply to law enforcement or military personnel, nor anyone who possesses a gun on campus with permission.
Wisconsin Democrats propose banning concealed carry of guns on college campuses
Spectrum News
Wisconsin Democrats introduced new gun safety reforms on Wednesday, focusing on colleges and universities. Lawmakers proposed extending gun-free zones, currently in place for K-12 schools, to all college campuses to protect students and staff.
Democratic lawmakers propose prohibiting concealed carry on college campuses in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Examiner
Democratic lawmakers want to align gun laws for Wisconsin colleges and universities with those in place for K-12 schools by prohibiting concealed carry on campuses.
Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and Rep. Brienne Brown (D-Whitewater) said during a press conference Wednesday that the bill would help protect students at a time when schools continue to be targets of gun violence.
UW-Madison part of a wave of active shooter hoaxes across US
Wisconsin Public Radio
As students are returning to campus, authorities are investigating false reports of active shooters at more than a dozen universities across the country, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Extremist group claims responsibility for ‘swatting’ calls
Inside Higher Ed
As of Wednesday afternoon, Inside Higher Ed counted 19 confirmed swatting calls since Aug. 19, including at Mercer University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Utah and the University of New Hampshire.
Campus life
Wisconsin men’s basketball sets date for annual Red-White scrimmage
Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin will host its annual Red-White Scrimmage on Oct. 19 at noon in the Kohl Center, it announced in a release Wednesday afternoon. The intra-squad scrimmage is ticketed, yet free, and fans can redeem their reserved seat tickets online in advance for a first look at this upcoming season’s Badgers team.
New Badgers learn UW–Madison traditions ahead of football season
WKOW - Channel 27
New UW–Madison students gathered at Camp Randall Stadium Wednesday evening to learn game day traditions and take the annual “W” photo on the field.
Community
What parents should know about the Sun Prairie Area School District and Meta collaboration
Channel 3000
Catalina Toma is a communication professor at UW-Madison and says that preventative measures like this are beneficial.
“By some accounts, amongst American teenagers, about a third have suffered some sort of cyberbullying victimization online. And about 15%, according to the latest reports, have engaged in cyberbullying. So these incidents do happen, and there’s a lot of evidence about how damaging cyberbullying can be,” said Toma.
Business/Technology
A Wisconsin vibe as construction of state’s namesake submarine begins
Wisconsin State Journal
Stanke, a Wausau native with a nuclear engineering degree from UW-Madison, spoke from the stage in Rhode Island and is part of the nuclear fuels team and a spokesperson for Constellation, the nation’s largest producer of nuclear energy. During her tenure as Miss America, she was an outspoken advocate of zero-carbon nuclear energy.
UW-Madison Related
Susan Monarez, CDC director with Wisconsin ties, out after less than a month on the job
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Susan Monarez, who noted her Wisconsin roots prior to her confirmation as head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 30, is out at the agency after less than a month on the job.
Monarez had had a long career in the health field but was the first person to assume the position without a medical degree in more than 70 years. She said in her testimony before the U.S. Senate that she grew up the daughter of a dairy farmer in rural Wisconsin. She holds bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in microbiology and immunology from UW-Madison.
Popular Instagram account Cats of Madison boosts shelters and shops
The Cap Times
Jason Nolen, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, started the account in 2016 and didn’t expect it to take off. But with the sale of annual cat calendars, the project has become another source of income for him, as well as a resource for cat lovers across the community.