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September 8, 2026

Research

In 2024, scientists dyed Peter Lake blue with Aquashade to starve algae of light, but the water still turned green, and the team suspects repeated rain kept flushing the pigment out.

Posted on
Space Daily

The lake is Peter Lake, a long-serving subject of one of ecology’s most patient experiments, and the person tipping pigment over the gunwale was Danny Szydlowski, a PhD candidate and CASC graduate fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Limnology, working with a colleague, Dat Ha. Their account of the season, published on the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center blog on 22 January 2025, reads less like a triumph than a puzzle: the dye went in, the fertiliser followed, and the water still bloomed.

Michigan expands EV infrastructure, but access remains unequal, study finds

Posted on
The Alpena News

esearchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that Michigan’s EV policies place significant emphasis on expanding charging infrastructure and increasing EV adoption, but pay less attention to whether low-income residents can afford to participate in this transition.

“Access to an electric vehicle is not just the ability to buy a vehicle. It is access to the entire system that makes using that technology possible,” said Chelsea Schelly, a co-author of the study and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Higher Education/System

UW-Madison applications more than doubled in a decade. Here’s why.

Posted on
The Cap Times

Year after year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has touted a record number of applicants seeking spots in its incoming class.

Applications have steadily increased since 2009, and the number of new freshman applicants has more than doubled in the past decade from over 32,000 in 2016 to nearly 74,000 last school year, according to the latest university figures.

Agriculture

Warmer temperatures, spring frosts cause challenges for Wisconsin apple growers

Posted on
WPR

Many Wisconsin orchards are preparing to open their fields to apple pickers across the state. But after a year of late frosts, drought and hail damage in some areas, many apple orchards are not expecting a large yield this fall.

Mark Christopher is an owner of Maple Leaf Orchard in Spring Valley. He said warmer temperatures in March and April caused the trees in his western Wisconsin orchard to start blooming earlier. When temperatures dropped again, it damaged the crop.

Wisconsin Program Helps Farms Prepare for Transition

Posted on
Wisconsin Ag Connection

Farm families and agricultural business owners can prepare for the future through Cultivating Your Farm’s Future, an interactive virtual program offered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.

The program is designed to help farm families begin meaningful conversations and develop a practical approach to succession planning.

Arts & Humanities

UW-Madison screening of ‘Ugly Little Monkeys’ sheds light on pioneering U.S. youth mariachi group

Posted on
Madison 365

A screening of “Ugly Little Monkeys” will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the documentary’s directors look to bring the film to schools with mariachi groups and highlight the group’s origins.

Released in early 2026, “Ugly Little Monkeys” tells the story of “Los Changuitos de Tucson,” the first youth mariachi group in the United States, its original members and the legacy they left behind. The documentary was directed by David Valdez, whose father, Joel, was one of the founders of Los Changuitos, and actor Enrique Castillo. The Madison screening was brought to the city by Oscar Mireles’ Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development (LOUD).

Health

Scientists reflect on the health of cities around the world Scientists reflect on the health of cities around the world

Posted on
Universidad de Guadalajara

The Director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), Jorge Osorio, added that it is important to think about the concept of “One Health (onehealth)”, which involves human health, environmental health, plant health, and animal health.

“At UW-Madison we work on the implementation of one health centers in different parts of the world“…where various disciplines are involved to address global health issues. We need to move forward with topics for the university, but also for industry, improve local capacities, and prepare for future pandemics,” he said.

Athletics

Wisconsin marches band marches through Green Bay ahead of Badgers Lambeau matchup against Notre Dame

Posted on
WTAQ

The excitement for another season of Badgers Football kicked off Saturday afternoon in downtown Green Bay with the “Badger Bash.

The excitement for another season of Badgers Football kicked off Saturday afternoon in downtown Green Bay with the “Badger Bash.”

Crowds of Bucky fans lined Broadway Street as the 350 member UW-Madison Marching Band and cheer squad were featured in a parade.

Thousands of UW-Madison alumni gather for Badger Huddle ahead of season opener

Posted on
ABC 2 Green Bay

Thousands of Wisconsin Badgers alumni from around the world filled the Resch Expo for the Badger Huddle to kick off the season.

The event is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Alumni Association. Organizers said they want Badgers fans to have a home away from home at Lambeau Field.

Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots said the energy among fans is high.

Luke Fickell buyout: How much would it cost Wisconsin football to fire coach?

Posted on
USA Today

Luke Fickell and Wisconsin football have once again ended up on the wrong side of a high-profile game, dropping their 2026 season opener vs. No. 5 Notre Dame, 41-13.

The latest defeat drops the fourth-year Wisconsin coach’s record to 17-22, with each defeat raising the pressure on his performance in Madison — particularly against ranked opponents. Following the loss to the Fighting Irish, Fickell’s Badgers are 1-12 against Top 25 teams.

UW Experts in the News

Reader has her head in the clouds

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Questions: One of our readers awoke recently to some beautiful clouds in the summer sky and two excellent questions popped into her mind. First, what holds the clouds up in the air. And then what makes some clouds appear to be fluffy on top but flat on the bottom?

25 years after 9/11, teachers challenge students to make meaning of the attacks

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

“There are so many things that happened after 9/11 that are still sort of affecting us today, but young people wouldn’t know what those are,” Stoddard said.

No high school students today were alive on 9/11. Increasingly, many teachers weren’t either. That’s changing how the attacks are taught, Stoddard said, with states taking different approaches to the required curriculum on the topic.

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Philip Rocco, Sec. Karen Hyun, Laura Dresser

Posted on
PBS Wisconsin

Dresser: “Inflation, the rate of inflation ,is higher than the rate of wage growth. This is what happened in 2022. Wages, workers’ wages, went up in nominal terms, but the cost of living just wiped that right out. That looks like what we’re heading into for 2026. So while we got a high in 2025 and that’s great news, 2026 looks much less likely that that will be a strong gain and possible that it will be a loss because of the high inflation.”

UW-Madison Related

‘I’m fired up’: Wilcots, Reesor discuss campus future at media roundtable

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The Daily Cardinal

University of Wisconsin-Madison Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Lori Reesor discussed federal funding pressure, artificial intelligence and an update to the Wisconsin Exchange at a media roundtable on Bascom Hill August 27.

Wilcots spoke about how federal funding changes, international student visa changes and AI are affecting university operations. He promised an “unrivaled” student experience at UW-Madison with the university’s newly-announced “Forward Together” strategic framework.

8 Reasons you should’ve went to Madison for Kane Brown’s back to school bash

Posted on
OnMilwaukee

There are plenty of ways to welcome students back to campus. Amazon Music decided to do it with Kane Brown.

On Saturday night, one of country music’s biggest stars took over Library Mall at UW-Madison for “Amazon Music Presents: Off to College”, transforming the heart of campus into a concert venue for a free, student-only show. Before Brown took the stage, the festivities included a back-to-school block party and an opening set from DJ D-Nice, while Brown’s performance was livestreamed to viewers around the world through Amazon’s platforms.

Desire paths: distracting or something deeper?

Posted on
The Miami Student Herald

According to Aaron Williams, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus planner, we form desire paths out of time efficiency, experience and resistance. There’s a certain allure to human-made trails, especially if you already see other students using them. It’s not too dissimilar from why we jaywalk so frequently: We have somewhere to be, and if that means breaking out of conventions a bit, so be it.