He worked on the Northern Highland State Forest before being hired by the University of Wisconsin-Madison as State Extension Forester. His 39-year tenure was varied, challenging, and fulfilling.
Theodore Arthur Peterson
Wisconsin State Journal
Author: gbump
Walter Mirisch, Oscar-Winning Producer of ‘In the Heat of the Night,’ Dies at 101
Hollywood Reporter
Born in New York City on Nov. 8, 1921, Mirisch received a B.A. in history in 1942 from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, winning a graduate fellowship in history. Despite his scholarly bent, he loved movies, hoping to get into the entertainment industry, but with no film schools in existence, he chose to attend Harvard to study business.
Jackson Sharp fuels Wisconsin men’s track and field to cumulative Big Ten indoor title
Wisconsin State Journal
Redshirt junior Jackson Sharp claimed another title as the University of Wisconsin men’s track and field team earned the cumulative crown on the final day of the Big Ten indoor championships on Saturday in Geneva, Ohio.
Voting Rights Act’s private right of action is in danger
NPR
“I think it’s an open question only in the sense that no court has ever felt compelled to expressly say that people whose voting rights have been violated can sue under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because everyone — and I do mean everyone — understood that that’s what Congress meant,” says Dan Tokaji, dean of the University of Wisconsin Law School, who has written about private individuals suing for violations of federal election laws.
Walter Mirisch dies aged 101 as Steven Spielberg pays tribute to ‘trailblazer’
Metro
Mirisch was born in New York in 1921 and before studying at the University of Wisconsin worked at a bomber plane manufacturer.
China, Needing Babies, Eases Limits on Births
The New York Times
“The two-child policy failed. The three-child policy failed,” said Yi Fuxian, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has studied Chinese population trends. “This is the natural next step.”
Read our 2000 interview with Oscar-winning UW grad Walter Mirisch
The Capital Times
Walter Mirisch, a 1942 UW-Madison graduate and Oscar-winning producer of films like “In the Heat of the Night” and “West Side Story,” died Friday at 101.
Hitting the Books: Why America once leaded its gasoline
Engadget
In early 1921 Kettering learned about Victor Lehner’s synthesis of selenium oxychloride at the University of Wisconsin. Tests showed it to be a highly effective but, as expected, also a highly corrosive anti-knocking compound, but they led directly to considering compounds of other elements in group 16 of the periodic table: both diethyl selenide and diethyl telluride showed even better anti-knocking properties, but the latter compound was poisonous when inhaled or absorbed through skin and had a powerful garlicky smell.
Carla Vigue gives back to Native community as UW tribal relations director
The Capital Times
Growing up on the Oneida Indian Reservation, just outside of Green Bay, Carla Vigue fondly remembers the close relationships she formed with the tribe’s leadership.
Walter Mirisch, Oscar-winning producer, dead at 101
CBS Los Angeles
Walter Mortimer Mirisch was born in New York City on Nov. 8, 1921. After studying at City College of New York, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1942 and a graduate degree in business from Harvard in 1943.
Camel antibodies could help pioneer future medicine
Knowable Magazine
Every four months, pathologist Aaron LeBeau scoops into a net one of the five nurse sharks he keeps in his University of Wisconsin lab. Then he carefully administers a shot to the animal, much like a pediatrician giving a kid a vaccine. The shot will immunize the shark against a human cancer, perhaps, or an infectious disease, such as Covid-19. A couple of weeks later, after the animal’s immune system has had time to react, LeBeau collects a small vial of shark blood.
Walter Mirisch, Oscar-winning producer, dead at 101
Associated Press
Walter Mortimer Mirisch was born in New York City on Nov. 8, 1921. After studying at City College of New York, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1942 and a graduate degree in business from Harvard in 1943.
Marisa Moseley sees growth in Wisconsin women’s basketball program in Year 2
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Don’t get caught up in the record, focus on getting better. That is what colleagues told Marisa Moseley when she took on the challenge of building the Wisconsin women’s basketball program.
Chancellor Emerita Rebecca Blank: An enduring legacy
The Daily Cardinal
When news broke of former Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s death on Feb. 17, notes from university faculty, former colleagues and the greater University of Wisconsin-Madison community poured in, expressing admiration of the legacy left behind by the leader. Blank’s influence not only left a mark within the bounds of campus, but far beyond the confines of Madison and well before her time served as chancellor too.
‘It affects everything’: The long road to recovery following a concussion
Channel 3000
The prognosis can seem dim when the road to recovery is long and slow, but Dr. Benjamin Gillespie, a physiatrist from UW Health, said patients who come into his office feeling hopeless eventually leave feeling more like themselves, even if it takes some time.
‘This is more important than just rowing’: Badger rowing teams raise money for brain cancer research
Channel 3000
While it’s a little cold to get out on the water just yet, the Badger men’s and women’s rowing teams hit the gym Thursday to row, and honor one of their own lost to brain cancer by raising money to fight it.
Inflammation of the body may explain depression in the brain
The Washington Post
“Activation of these inflammatory pathways in the body and brain is one of the ways through which depressive symptoms can be produced,” said Charles Raison, a professor of human psychology, human ecology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Whitney Museum’s first Latina senior curator wants to elevate diverse artists
Axios
Details: Puerto Rican-born Guerrero, who received her doctorate degree in art history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joined the Whitney in 2017 and was most recently an associate curator.
After receiving tens of millions from federal government for internet upgrades, big telecom companies ask state for millions more
The Badger Project
Despite all the federal money that’s already been distributed, much work still needs to be done to bring high-speed internet to the entire state, said Gail Huycke, a community development outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension who focuses on broadband expansion.
Covid-19 pandemic: Celebrities may have helped shape anti-vaccine opinions, study finds
CNN
The study doesn’t get into exactly why celebrity tweets would have such an impact on people’s attitudes about the vaccine. Dr. Ellen Selkie, who has conducted research on influence at the intersection of social media, celebrity and public health outcomes, said celebrities are influential because they attract a lot of attention.
Badger women’s sports fans most loyal, formidable in NCAA
The Daily Cardinal
Wisconsin has topped 10,000 fans at a women’s game six times, even exceeding it by margins as great as 5,000. No other women’s college hockey program has ever had more than 7,000 attendees.
Cardinal View: We mourn with Michigan State University, grapple with yet another school shooting
The Daily Cardinal
We write this piece in support of our fellow Big Ten students. We write this in honor of Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner and Arielle Anderson as well as those injured — in support of their families, friends, classmates and educators.
SSFC discusses future of General Student Services Fund
The Badger Herald
The University of Wisconsin Student Services Finance Committee met to discuss ways to improve the committee Thursday.
Wisconsin’s Jake Newmark triumphs at Big Ten swimming and diving championships
Wisconsin State Journal
The junior defended his title in the 500-yard freestyle and was a member of the second-place 400 medley relay Thursday at Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
A touching video shows Madison-area nonprofit connecting with Ukrainian refugees
Wisconsin State Journal
Schumaker runs the Memory Project, a nonprofit he founded as a student at UW-Madison in 2004 and now operates out of an office in his Middleton garage. Over the years the organization (at memoryproject.org) has recruited tens of thousands of gifted teenage artists around the world to create more than 200,000 portraits of children living in orphanages, refugee camps and other difficult circumstances.
A Connecticut cheese with Wisconsin roots crowned U.S. champion
Wisconsin State Journal
The first runner-up, with a score of 98.61, was Vintage Cupola American Original Cheese, a hard raw milk cheese made by Door Artisan Cheese Company in Egg Harbor for Red Barn Family Farms in Appleton … The Cupola cheese was developed with the Center for Dairy Research at UW-Madison.
Outcomes in Wisconsin Supreme Court race, challenge to abortion law seen as inextricably linked
Wisconsin State Journal
“We are in fairly new territory here,” said Ryan Owens, a UW-Madison political science professor who briefly ran for attorney general as a Republican. “We have seen candidates in the past lay out their judicial philosophies pretty clearly. Judge Protasiewicz, however, takes this beyond what we have seen before.”
How free is speech on UW System campuses?
The Capital Times
Cultivating an inclusive environment while balancing free speech protections on campuses can be tricky — but it’s important for administrators and faculty, University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Howard Schweber said at a forum Wednesday.
UW-Madison announces details for Rebecca Blank memorial service
Channel 3000
The University of Wisconsin-Madison says a memorial service for former Chancellor Rebecca Blank will be held on March 4.
UW to ban TikTok on university-owned devices
The Badger Herald
In an email to students, the University of Wisconsin announced its plan to comply with the UW System’s direction to remove TikTok from all university-owned devices, including Macs, iOS and tablets.
Evers allocates $305 million for UW System in state budget
The Daily Cardinal
Gov. Tony Evers announced a significant funding increase for higher education in his much anticipated 2023-25 biennial budget address last Wednesday.
UW-Madison diversity committee hosting event reckoning former president’s promotion of eugenics
WKOW-TV 27
UW-Madison’s former president Charles Van Hise (1857-1918) led the school through the rough years of World War I and the university’s income quadrupled during his tenure, but did you know he was a eugenicist?
UW-Madison to hold memorial service March 4 for former Chancellor Rebecca Blank
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison will hold a memorial service for former Chancellor Rebecca Blank on March 4, with a dress code of Wisconsin Red encouraged.
New UW scholarship helps future pharmacist fill rural health care need
NBC-15
A new scholarship at University of Wisconsin-Madison will support students who want to make a difference in rural health care, and a third-year pharmacy student was the first to receive it.
Danny (Dan) G. Woolpert
Wisconsin State Journal
He was hired as the Administrator for the Research and Development Center for Cognitive Learning in 1966, and was instrumental in the design and construction of the Ed Sciences Building on the UW Campus. He later worked as an Administrator with the UW Madison Civic Engineering Department.
Slamming the Door on Scholarship
Chronicle of Higher Ed
“It’s a significant rupture,” said Theodore P. Gerber, a professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and director of its Wisconsin Russia Project. “It seems like there’s not going to be a happy ending any time soon.”
UW Health Sports Medicine training MedFlight doctors, nurses
Channel 3000
When UW Health’s sports medicine team isn’t keeping Badger athletes on the field, they’ve found a way to keep the community safe.
Sexual attacks against teen girls increased in 2021, CDC report found
NBC News
“We really don’t have that robust evidence-based, supportive, trauma-informed education at scale in the United States. And at this particular time in history, it is especially needed given what we’re seeing,” said LB Klein, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Such a curriculum would be included in what’s known as comprehensive sex education.
Wagner’s Ammo Problem Could Cost Them Bakhmut Amid Massive Losses
Newsweek
The contention of Mikhail Troitskiy, professor of practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is that Prigozhin is “going all in now” due to the number of mercenaries within his group being “decimated” in cities like Bakhmut and otherwise.
UniverCity Year program adds nine new Wisconsin communities to alliance for 2022-25
The Daily Cardinal
In a record-setting cohort, the UniverCity Year (UCY) program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced partnerships with nine new communities for the 2022-25 academic years. These collaborations will leverage university resources to move forward with the different communities’ goals to address specific issues facing their residents.
New building for College of Engineering listed as UW budget priority
The Badger Herald
The University of Wisconsin listed a new building for the College of Engineering as a priority in a recent report — citing that the new building would help produce new graduates in fields Wisconsin employers desperately need.
Proposed UW System tuition promise program looks unlikely
The Badger Herald
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers unveiled his proposed biennial budget proposal for the 2023-2025 fiscal period Feb. 15. Included in his proposal was a $305 million increase in funding for the University of Wisconsin System, according to the Office of the Governor.
Sanford Biggers Leads Re:mancipation Project At Chazen Art Museum In Madison, Wisconsin
Forbes
An example of Ball’s Emancipation Group has been on display at the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin in Madison for decades. It has long been a source of controversy. Increasingly so.
UW Lobbying Day 2023 focuses on mental health funding, affordable housing crisis
The Badger Herald
Nineteen University of Wisconsin students attended UW Lobbying Day 2023 to persuade Wisconsin legislators on the importance of a focus on mental health and housing crisis in the state budget, according to UW-Madison Legislative Affairs Committee Chair MGR Govindarajan.
What Happened to Jefferson Rodríguez
ProPublica
Ingolia learned Spanish in school, taking classes starting in the fifth grade in her native Louisiana and continuing through her freshman year at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Abortion, redistricting loom large over Wisconsin Supreme Court race
The Capital Times
“I’m not sure that there’s going to be much oxygen in the room for anything beyond that, frankly. It just seems to be where the left has made its home in this race, as it did in the midterms,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Ryan Owens.
UW-Madison launches center in India to develop vaccines, study disease
The Capital Times
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will soon have a health center in Bangalore, India, to research and develop new vaccines for the country.
David J. Mladenoff: Challenge Steve Chu and his message of sustainability at UW lecture
Wisconsin State Journal
Letter to the editor from Mladenoff, professor emeritus of forest ecology at UW-Madison who researched forest ecosystems, including disturbance, management, biodiversity, climate change, bioenergy and history.
UW-Madison’s west-campus vision could bring housing, lab spaces for businesses
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison’s west side could be dramatically reshaped under a new real estate strategy that would infuse high-density housing, hotels or retail into an area that, right now, is heavy with surface parking lots.
Miss America Grace Stanke on sexism, social media, nuclear engineering and what she wishes she could tell her younger self
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In the last few days, the University of Wisconsin-Madison nuclear engineering student answered questions and played the violin during an appearance at her college campus, unveiled her crown, sash and other items for “A Woman Who Can” exhibition in Oshkosh, and attended a meet-and-greet at Point Beach Nuclear Plant in Two Rivers.
‘Extremely consequential’ Supreme Court primary race
NBC-15
“If one of the liberal candidates win it means that the state Supreme Court is likely to hear more cases that might advantage more liberal constituencies in the state and potentially decide cases in ways that advantage them,” said Mike Wagner, political analyst and professor in the School of Journalism at UW-Madison.
Breaking down the big races in Wisconsin’s Feb. 21 primary election
Channel 3000
Video: Prof. Mike Wagner from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication joins Live at Four to talk about the key races on the ballot for Tuesday’s primary.
Weekly checkup with UW Health’s Dr. Jeff Pothof
Channel 3000
Video: UW Health’s chief quality officer Dr. Jeff Pothof joins Live at Four to talk about the latest COVID-19 news, including an analysis of immunity after a previous infection.
How Tiny Earth pushes boundaries of antibiotic research
The Badger Herald
Started just 11 years ago by Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery Jo Handelsman, Tiny Earth has since expanded worldwide to over 700 participating instructors teaching the course and over 14,000 students enrolled each year.
Black History Month brings conversations of unequal exposures to Black history
The Badger Herald
Though some students are passionate about the topic, others arrive at UW with varying levels of experience with or knowledge about Black history, Shashko said.
Wisconsin School of Business highlights future business leaders in new campaign
The Badger Herald
The Wisconsin School of Business launched a campaign highlighting the unique paths students may take while pursuing their business degrees. While each student’s experience differs slightly, a commonality amongst all University of Wisconsin business students is their ability to lead.
In New York, 2 Teens’ Deaths Underscore Dangers of ‘Subway Surfing’
The New York Times
In an increasingly digital world, the blurring of lines between screen and reality can normalize risky behavior, said Dr. Megan Moreno, interim chair of the department of pediatrics and principal investigator of the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team at the University of Wisconsin.
Peter J. Weix
Wisconsin State Journal
In 2001, Peter was employed with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Plasma Physics Group as a Sr. Instrumentation Technicianologist, working with Madison Symmetric Torus & Big Red Plasma Ball experiments. He was also the group safety officer, implementing safety procedures and life-saving training.
U.S. Cheese Championship returns as judge sees firsthand the surge in artisan cheeses
Wisconsin State Journal
(John) Jaeggi, who works at the Center for Dairy Research at UW-Madison, is one of 42 judges from around the country charged with evaluating 2,249 entries in 113 classes in the contest, which concludes Thursday and is only open to U.S. dairy producers. The World Championship Cheese Contest is held on alternating years at Monona Terrace in Madison and, like its name indicates, is open to dairy producers around the world.
UW-Madison students get out to vote in decisive Wisconsin Supreme Court primary
The Daily Cardinal
University of Wisconsin-Madison students and Madison residents gathered at campus polling locations on Feb. 21 to vote in local and state primary elections. Ballots across campus included primaries for Madison mayor, alderperson in districts 2, 4, 8 and 5, and for Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justices. The winners of each primary will face off on April 4 in the final election.