Herb Kohl Philanthropies announced a pledge to extend the late Sen. Kohl support of the UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs with a $30 million lead private gift.
Author: barncard
Ho-Chunk sculptor Truman Lowe honored in Smithsonian retrospective
For most of his career, Lowe taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he received his Master of Fine Arts in 1973. After more than two decades of teaching sculpture and American Indian studies, he moved to D.C. in 2000 to take a job as the first curator of contemporary Native art at the National Museum of the American Indian — the same museum now honoring his work.
Polzin: Wisconsin’s NIL bill requires scrutiny from state
Taxpayers, the University of Wisconsin is desperate for your help. Athletic director Chris McIntosh made that perfectly clear last week while backing a bill that is making its way through the state Assembly.
Hypermobile EDS afflicts thousands in Wisconsin
Rudin has incorporated lectures about EDS into the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s medical school curriculum, hoping to expand awareness in academia. He’s also given lectures to various clinical departments to “sensitize” them to the condition and helped create an addition to UW Health’s electronic records that can help assess, diagnose and begin treatment for people with EDS.
Farm bankruptcies tick up in Wisconsin, US
Ag economist Paul Mitchell with the University of Wisconsin-Madison said milk prices declined last year, while corn and soybean prices have been down for several years. At the same time, producers are paying more for the labor and supplies they need to operate.
Land-grant schools spark ag future
Like most schools, UW started out small with just a couple of buildings – North Hall and South Hall – on Bascom, a hill in Madison where the campus was established. And though agriculture was part of the mission from the beginning, the School of Agriculture at the university we now take for granted began much later.
UW School of Veterinary Medicine gives park safety tips after report of Warner Park dog death
The University of Wisconsin- Madison School of Veterinary Medicine is warning dog owners about signs of sickness they might miss.
Herb Kohl foundation gift will expand UW’s School of Public Affairs
The late Sen. Herb Kohl’s name will now grace not one but two buildings on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
UW-Madison students demand campus leaders better support food pantry | Education | captimes.com
After experiencing increased demand in recent years, organizers of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s student food pantry are asking campus leaders for help.
Lawmakers pause bill that would fund UW-Madison program
As the current legislative session wraps up, the odds that a UW-Madison program that recovers the remains of missing-in-action soldiers will secure state aid are shrinking.
UW Library Friends should be thanked not booted off campus
Readers most likely have encountered the Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries by attending their semi-annual book sales that bring in some $60,000 a year. The friends group has used the proceeds in various ways, including supporting speakers and making grants to visiting scholars using special and often unique material in the UW’s and State Historical Society’s libraries and archives.
UW-Madison fraternity cancels ‘Lily’s Classic’ fundraiser
Sigma Alpha Epsilon at UW-Madison has canceled its massive annual fundraiser party on frozen Lake Mendota scheduled for this weekend after the university set rules around the event the fraternity says are unattainable.
Ask The Weather Guys: Why don’t trees freeze and burst in winter like cold pipes?
Trees are cold hardy because of many factors. In preparation for winter, many trees reduce the amount of water in their tissue. They usually enter a dormant state to survive cold winters. Some trees, such as maple trees, produce more sugar. When this sugar dissolves in the water, it lowers the freezing point of the fluid. Unlike plumbing pipes, tree tissue is somewhat flexible; as water in the channels freezes and expands, the tree’s tissue can stretch somewhat.
Flu vaccines still effective despite new strain, UW-Madison doctor says
The flu season is now fully underway, and Dr. James Conway, professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, is worried that this year will be a challenging one. That’s in part because a new strain of the virus called the “K subclade,” is circulating and people may not have the immunity to easily fight it off.
“We’re looking at another bad season. Last year was pretty brisk … But this one really seems to be picking up,” Conway told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “This new K clade of the H3N2 influenza A is really kind of a novel and really rapidly expanding virus, and so we’re seeing a lot of disease related to that particular strain.”
Health workers praise plan to ease respiratory therapist licensing | Government | captimes.com
“There is a clear shortage of respiratory therapists, so anything we can do to reduce barriers to recruiting qualified RTs for our system would be welcome,” said Nathan Lepp, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and the neonatal medical director for UW Health Med Flight.
UW Health psychologist talks how to keep up with New Year’s resolutions
UW–Madison psychologist Shilagh Mirgain shares five strategies for making and keeping New Year’s resolutions.
UW Madison experts analyze US strike on Venezuela, capture of Maduro
UW–Madison professor Alexandra Huneeus discusses the implications of United States strikes on Venezuela and capture of the country’s leader.
Wisconsin bill targets AI deepfake scams with criminal penalties
UW–Madison professors Annette Zimmerman and Kyle Cranmer describe some of the concerns about AI-aided scams that led to a bill before the Wisconsin state legislature.
CDC changes childhood vaccine schedule. How is Wisconsin impacted?
Dr. Jon Temte, a professor of family medicine and community health at UW-Madison’s medical school, said he and physician colleagues are “totally outraged” over changes to childhood vaccination recommendations. Temte served on the federal vaccine advisory committee from 2004 to 2015.
UW-Madison weighs cuts to afford new Trump H1-B visa fees
UW-Madison leadership says the university will be forced to cut programs or hire fewer top international employees and researchers to afford the Trump administration’s new lofty fees on H-1B visas.
Why Cheeses Such as Mozzarella and Cheddar Melt Differently Than Ricotta
Cheese makers’ key tool in adjusting the number of these bonds is acidity, says John Lucey, a food scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and director of the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research.
UW–Madison researchers share key takeaways about invasive species in Wisconsin’s lakes
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who have studied invasive species in lakes for decades published a summary of key findings in the journal BioScience in August. “These were the ones that we felt challenge conventional views,” said Jake Vander Zanden, director of UW–Madison’s Center for Limnology and lead author of the analysis. “Almost all of these were surprising to me.”
Future Spuds: The Hardy Potatoes of Tomorrow
Hybrid breeding will enable breeders to create new varieties faster and more systematically, said Shelley Jansky, a retired plant breeder at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
As If Feral Hogs Weren’t Bad Enough, They Likely Help Spread Invasive Plants
It’s no mystery to what kind of damage feral pigs can create on a landscape. Their incessant rooting for food ultimately disturbs native ecosystems and rips up crops, and they’re often able to outcompete native wildlife species for resources. As if that weren’t bad enough, new research from a team of biologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison [Sara Hotchkiss Lab in Botany] offers some insight into just how much damage feral pigs on the Big Island are causing to Hawaii’s already fragile ecosystem.
Donald Trump is the most prominent politician to link immigrants and crime but not the first
“There’s a lot of research on immigration and crime, there’s far less on undocumented immigration and crime,” said Michael Light, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and co-author of the study on Texas data.
Pollution from Ohio train derailment reached 110 million Americans | Grist
“Everybody expected a local contamination issue,” said David Gay, coordinator of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and lead author of the new study. “But I think what most people don’t understand about this fire is how big it was and how wide-ranging the implications are.”
Wisconsin scientists study how to keep cheese fresh and prolong the squeakiness of cheese curds
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research, tasting cheese is serious business.
“Everything is prescribed, down to what temperature we taste at, how many chews we do, how forcefully we chew and a lot of other things that standardize how we taste,” said Brandon Prochaska, a sensory coordinator for the center, during a recent appearance on WPR’s “The Morning Show.”
Scientists study emotional reactions to 2023 being the hottest year ever recorded
“One of the things that the research is suggesting right now is that young people, in particular, have a tendency to move towards emotions like anxiety and anger, which are activating – you know, they compel you to do something,” said UW–Madison’s Dekila Chungyalpa, director of The Loka Initiative.
Learning to sleep like a bear could save your life
“It’s an exciting time for hibernation biology,” said Hannah Carey, UW–Madison professor emerit of Comparative Biosciences. “People from outside of traditional hibernation world are wanting to come in and collaborate.”
Nobel awarded to Swedish scientist who deciphered the Neanderthal genome
At the time, the ancient DNA field was “kind of a joke,” full of incredible claims that would turn out to be incorrect as scientists tried to recover DNA from dinosaurs, said John Hawks, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. “It was Svante who came along and made this into a science,” Hawks said.
As Wildfires Grow, Millions of Homes Are Being Built in Harm’s Way
“That’s the perfect storm,” said Volker Radeloff, a professor of forest ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who helped lead the research. “Millions of houses have been built in places that will sooner or later burn,” he said, even as climate change increases the risks of major wildfires across the West with extreme heat and dryness.
Counties with more slaves in 1860 have higher gun ownership rates today, study finds
The researchers, led by psychology professor Dr. Nicholas Buttrick of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, hypothesize that this correlation exists because of the Reconstruction period in American history, which occurred immediately after the Civil War — “a moment when a massive upsurge in the availability of firearms co-occurred with a worldview threat from the emancipation and the political empowerment of Black Southerners.”
Wisconsin researchers look to sharks to improve cancer detection, treatment
Wisconsin researchers have turned to sharks to develop new ways to detect and treat cancer. Dr. Aaron LeBeau, an associate professor of pathology and radiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been leading the research.
Cutting fossil fuel air pollution saves lives
“These [particles] get deep into the lungs and cause both respiratory and cardiac ailments,” says Jonathan Patz, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and one of the authors of the study. “They are pretty much the worst pollutant when it comes to mortality and hospitalization.”
Curbing energy-related air pollutants could save 50,000 US lives, $600B each year: study
“Our work provides a sense of the scale of the air quality health benefits that could accompany deep decarbonization of the U.S. energy system,” lead author Nick Mailloux, a graduate student at University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
Cutting air pollution from fossil fuels would save 50,000 lives a year
Eliminating air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels would prevent more than 50,000 premature deaths and provide more than $600 billion in health benefits in the United States every year, according to a new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers.
Ethanol at the Gas Pump May Be Hurting Air Quality, Study Says
The lead author of the study, Tyler Lark, an assistant scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, told Reuters, “Corn ethanol is not a climate-friendly fuel.”
‘Call of Duty’ can make you a better sailor or Marine, according to science
“Anyone who is in a position where they would benefit from greater than normal cognitive control, top-down attention, peripheral visual processing would benefit from playing action games, which are primarily first- and third-person shooter games,” said Dr. C. Shawn Green, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose work studying the effect of video games on cognitive performance was supported by the Office of Naval Research.
UW study finds rivers emptying PFAS chemicals in Lake Michigan
Christy Remucal, an associate professor with the UW Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and postdoctoral investigator Sarah Balgooyen looked at the water and sediments within 41 of the tributaries that feed water into the bay, and the impact water from tributaries broadly could be having on the Great Lakes.
“Special Needs” Is a Euphemism That Hurts Disabled Kids
The term “‘disability’ is not a slur,” says Morton Ann Gernsbacher, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies how language is used in relation to disability. But the term “special needs” may be moving in that direction, she says.
How Psychedelic Drugs Can Be Used for Mental Health
That research isn’t conclusive yet, said Paul Hutson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies psilocybin and leads the school’s center for psychedelics research. But he anticipates there will soon be enough evidence for the Food and Drug Administration to approve psilocybin capsules to treat at least some of these disorders — most likely in the next five years or so.
Road salt threatens Michigan lakes and rivers. Can an alternative take hold?
But even small increases can trigger unknown ecosystem changes and secondary effects such as drinking water pipe corrosion, said Hilary Dugan, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Limnology and lead author of the study.
UW-Madison study shows fasting, calorie restriction lead to longer, healthier lives for mice
Dudley Lamming, an associate professor of medicine at UW-Madison, and graduate student Heidi Pak were in the midst of a calorie restriction study using mice when Pak noticed the mice ate the food they were given within two hours, going another 22 hours before eating again.
Meteorologist: Too early to know if unusual Wednesday weather is product of climate change
Steve Vavrus, a senior scientist with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, said the record warmth is a byproduct of a warming climate. “We always expect an event like this to be rare, but climate change loads the dice so that these freakishly warm days, like we had today, become more likely,” he said.
UW-Madison professor talks about Wednesday’s record-breaking heat, climate change
Jonathan Martin, an atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor at UW-Madison, joins Live at Four to talk about Wednesday’s record-breaking heat and climate change.
Wisconsin’s ‘mad scientist’: How DE Matt Henningsen’s passion for academics has him succeeding on and off the field
This fall, Henningsen is one of 13 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, known in college football circles as the academic Heisman Trophy. The award annually recognizes the best in the country for combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Ancient child’s bones deepen mystery of enigmatic human relative
“Our reaction to death, our love for other individuals, our social ties to them—how much do they depend on being human?” wonders says John Hawks, a palaeoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
First Homo naledi child fossil found in the Cradle of Humankind
“This makes this the richest site for fossil hominins on the continent of Africa and makes naledi one of the best-known ancient hominin species ever discovered,” said John Hawks, Vilas-Borghesi Distinguished Achievement Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lead author of a previous study on the Neo fossil skeleton, in a statement.
Widespread Coronavirus Infection Found in Iowa Deer, New Study Says
“If deer can transmit the virus to humans, it’s a game changer,” said Tony Goldberg, a veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies the evolution of infectious diseases as they jump between animals and people. “To have a wildlife species become a reservoir after transmission from humans is very rare and unlucky, as if we needed more bad luck.”
Why student absences aren’t the real problem in America’s ‘attendance crisis’
“But what if America’s attendance crisis is about much more than students missing class?” write Eric Grodsky, sociology professor, and education researcher Elizabeth Vaade. “What if, instead, it is a reflection of family and community crises these students face – such as being evicted from the family apartment, fearing for their safety in their neighborhood or suffering an illness?”
Wisconsin winery American Wine Project makes low-intervention wines
Nicholas Smith, instructor of wine science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also said he is not aware of anyone else in this state who is making low-intervention wines on the scale that Rasmussen is.
“I’m happy to see what Erin is doing, drawing customers into the local industry, while being introspective into how we produce products and being transparent about it,” Smith said. “It’s a benefit to everybody.”
Magic Mushrooms May Be the Biggest Advance in Treating Depression Since Prozac
“The idea psychedelics liberate some of these powerfully valent, deeper emotional areas of the brain—the limbic areas involved in memory and emotion—to have their say is consistent with what people are reporting,” says [Charles Raison, a psychiatrist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison], who also serves as director of clinical and translational research for Usona Institute, a nonprofit that is leading a clinical trial of psilocybin. “They are often overcome by these really, really powerful emotions that are surprising, as if they’re coming from the outside but yet seem completely credible and utterly believable. These areas are liberated and get their day in court.”
Statues Toppled After George Floyd’s Death Return to Wisconsin Following $82K in Repairs
The reinstallations come as a task force works to erect a statue of Vel Phillips on the Capitol grounds. Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, the first female judge in Milwaukee County and the first Black judge in Wisconsin.
The Godmother of the Digital Image
In mathematical terms, as in common parlance, a signal is something that conveys information. Jordan Ellenberg, a mathematician at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who first met Daubechies in 1998 when they were colleagues at Princeton, points out that signal processing “makes up a huge proportion of applied math now, since so much of applied math is about the geometry of information as opposed to the geometry of motion and force” — that is, it’s more about the warp and weft of information than physical problems in, say, fluid dynamics or celestial mechanics.
Students And Faculty Are Complying With College Vaccination Mandates
The University of Wisconsin reported that 90% of its campus community had been vaccinated despite not having a mandate in place.
Madison addiction recovery program reduces six-month recidivism odds
“[Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative] works or at least is doing what it is intended to do,” said Veronica White, a University of Wisconsin-Madison doctoral student and research assistant for the program. “MARI needs more support to make it more effective to help more people stay engaged.”
The Delta Variant and Pandemic Prevention
Scientists and public health officials are using genomic sequencing to plan for future pandemics and to detect variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such as the more contagious Delta variant. UW-Madison virology professors and researchers Tom Friedrich and Dave O’Connor explain.
The common cold could predate humans and have plagued Neanderthals 700,000 years ago, | Daily Mail Online
Not everyone in the field is convinced of the timeline, though: Caitlin Pepperell, a microbiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison not involved with the study, told NS that when organisms recombine their DNA—like adenovirus C often does, ’the signal gets scrambled.’
Study finds plasma effective for patients with COVID, blood cancer
“The difference in the survival rate among ICU patients was much higher than I expected,” said William Hartman, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Hartman was not one of the study authors.
Ticks are active in Wisconsin. How to protect yourself in the outdoors
While it may seem there are more of the pesky biters this year, it’s not clear if the number of ticks is higher this year than other years, said PJ Leisch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison insect diagnostic lab.