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Author: gbump

How Madison landed a major international women’s hockey tournament for June

Wisconsin State Journal

The period of time between when USA Hockey asked to host a rescheduled IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship and when the request was granted was short. So, too, was the time for bid partners with the Madison Area Sports Commission, the University of Wisconsin and the operators of Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton to put together their case to be the site.

Demand for This Toad’s Psychedelic Toxin Is Booming. Some Warn That’s Bad for the Toad.

The New York Times

“People hunger for the narrative that the toad was used ancestrally by the Indigenous people of Sonora,” said Ana Maria Ortiz, a doctoral student who is carrying out a population study of the toad at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Human Ecology. “There’s an appeal to that narrative, and even I believed it at the onset.”

Both of the planet’s poles experience extreme heat, and Antarctica breaks records : NPR

NPR

“Not a good sign when you see that sort of thing happen,” said University of Wisconsin meteorologist Matthew Lazzara.Lazzara monitors temperatures at East Antarctica’s Dome C-ii and logged 14 degrees (-10 degrees Celsius) Friday, where the normal is -45 degrees (-43 degrees Celsius): “That’s a temperature that you should see in January, not March. January is summer there. That’s dramatic.”

Demand for Psychedelic Toad Venom Leads to Fears for Species’ Survival

The Daily Beast

Toad venom proponents are divided between those who insist that “milking” straight from the source is the only way to smoke up, and those who advocate for a synthetic version of the venom. “Synthetic 5-MeO-DMT is just as good,” said Ana Maria Ortiz, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin studying the species. “People need to leave the toads alone.”

Health Care — FDA panel to weigh more vaccine boosters

The Hill

Corresponding research: Research led by Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Tokyo, indicated that other antivirals such as Paxlovid, remdesivir and molnupiravir were effective against the BA.2 variant. Kawaoka’s research team found that AstraZeneca’s Evusheld was the most effective against the BA.2 variant out of the antibody treatments that were tested.

Dane County saw 40% increase in fatal car crashes in 2021

The Capital Times

“We’re seeing that pretty much everywhere. It started in the pandemic (and) the theory has been when traffic congestion dropped, that created more space on the road for people to drive fast,” said Chris McCahill with the State Smart Transportation Initiative. “That’s part of what we’re seeing.” McCahill is the managing director of the SSTI — a joint project of the University of Wisconsin and Smart Growth America that aims to promote transportation practices that advance environmental sustainability and equitable economic development.

Professor twice investigated for bullying shows potential gaps in how UW-Madison monitors labs

Wisconsin State Journal

A UW-Madison professor accused twice in the past decade of bullying behavior continues to lead a lab and hold significant sway over students. The university’s most recent investigation found students felt “trapped” in a situation filled with fear and threats, leading officials to recommend safeguards such as ongoing monitoring of the lab.

Policies preventing pass-the-harasser don’t include bullying. UW is weighing if its should

Wisconsin State Journal

There’s a phenomenon in academia known as “pass-the-harasser,” where someone commits sexual misconduct, quietly resigns and lands a job at a different institution. The University of Wisconsin System portrays itself as a leader in tackling the problem with a policy passed in the wake of the #MeToo movement that has received national attention.

Threats, abuse, retaliation: UW-Madison confronts persistent problem of academic bullying

Wisconsin State Journal

The problem exists at most research universities, but takes on increased importance on a campus that consistently ranks among the top doctoral-granting institutions. Academic bullying, a shorthand for what UW-Madison formally refers to as “hostile and intimidating behavior,” is broadly defined as unwelcome behavior so pervasive or severe that it impairs another person’s ability to carry out their work responsibilities.

Thompson calls for UW surveys on campus freedom of expression

WKOW-TV 27

As he wraps up his term as president of the University of Wisconsin System, Tommy Thompson told reporters Thursday he wants to better gauge perceptions students’ freedom of expression on the state’s campuses. Thompson, whose final day as system president is Friday, said he wanted buy-in from campus leaders on a survey of all students and faculty across the system’s 13 campuses.

Thompson won’t rule out run for governor as he steps down as interim UW System president

WISC-TV 3

Tommy Thompson, the former Republican governor whose time leading the University of Wisconsin System is coming to a close, has not ruled out running for his old job. Speaking to reporters Thursday morning, Thompson said he has not made a decision about whether he will run for governor again this cycle but that he plans to look at his options next month.

Badger fans turn out for open practice as March Madness begins

NBC-15

Badger fans are traveling down the road to cheer on their home team. They showed game day-level spirit Thursday afternoon at open practice. The free event at Fiserv Forum came ahead of Wisconsin men’s basketball team opening the NCAA tournament play on Friday against the Colgate Raiders.

For Some Teens, as Masks Come Off, Anxiety Sets In

New York Times

Quoted: The imaginary audience shapes how teenagers think about even ordinary tasks like getting dressed, speaking in class or going shoe shopping, said Seth Pollak, a psychologist and director of the Child Emotion Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Whereas an adult may be thinking about cost or comfort, an adolescent may think about what specific people at school are going to think when they walk into homeroom in the new shoes. Those people aren’t necessarily friends. They may even be enemies. “Some adolescents’ lives are very dominated by these audiences in their heads that the

Raskin’s out, but climate’s still in play

POLITICO

Biofuels trade group Growth Energy is calling on Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to “correct the record” on a recent peer-reviewed study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison that said the carbon intensity of corn-based ethanol is likely at least 24 percent higher than gasoline. Proponents of ethanol have pushed back against the study, but critics of the Renewable Fuel Standard program have pointed to it as evidence that ethanol has worsened the climate crisis.

Could the Keystone XL pipeline help lower U.S. gas prices?

CBS News

It’s important to understand what’s contributing to the high prices of oil in the first place. Gregory Nemet, professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Energy Institute, pointed out that the cost of oil has steadily increased since last fall, when it was around $70 a barrel, to more than $130 last week before settling back at around $100 a barrel on Tuesday. That initial jump in the cost of crude was driven by the ongoing economic recovery, which boosted demand by consumers and businesses that had been dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Razzlekhan: The Untold Story Of How A YouTube Rapper Became A Suspect In A $4 Billion Bitcoin Fraud

Forbes

It was a small-scale version of the type of calculating that would shape his career as a self-described hacker. In 2009, Lichtenstein described himself as a “huge geek” who had been the “captain of math team and quiz bowl … and even managed to date a couple girls who were way out of my league.” After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a degree in psychology, Lichtenstein moved to California.

Tommy Thompson: Stop apologizing, start bragging about UW System

Wisconsin State Journal

When I left my parents’ farm in Elroy to attend UW-Madison, we were so poor that I carried my belongings in a paper bag instead of a suitcase. I went on to earn a law degree, serve in the Legislature, get elected to four terms as governor, lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as its secretary, and become president of the University of Wisconsin System.

Madisonians turn to plants to ease COVID isolation and stress

The Capital Times

Quoted: There’s a scientific explanation for that feeling, according to Simon Gilroy, a professor of botany at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gilroy researches how plants sense and respond to their environment. Houseplants are an occupational hazard, he said. “The real thing that defines where you are is the plants that are around you, because they’re absolutely everywhere. That is the environment where we, as human beings, grow up,” Gilroy said. “That’s the background of what it means to be alive.”

Could the Keystone XL pipeline help lower U.S. gas prices?

CBS News

It’s important to understand what’s contributing to the high prices of oil in the first place. Gregory Nemet, professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Energy Institute, pointed out that the cost of oil has steadily increased since last fall, when it was around $70 a barrel, to more than $130 last week before settling back at around $100 a barrel on Tuesday. That initial jump in the cost of crude was driven by the ongoing economic recovery, which boosted demand by consumers and businesses that had been dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Putin’s Revised Foreign Agent Law Could Enable Mass Repression

Lawfare Blog

In the past two weeks, it has become increasingly dangerous for Russian citizens to participate in anti-war demonstrations, to express opposition to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, or to share true information about the military campaign. The Russian State Duma has introduced legislation that threatens fines, forced military conscription and prison sentences for speaking the truth.

Francine Hirsch is Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg: A New History of the International Military Tribunal After World War II (Oxford University Press, 2020).

White House Internships Will Be Paid for the First Time

Business Insider

In years past, interns across industries may have found themselves paying thousands to hold their positions, worsening income inequality. A recent brief from the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions at University of Wisconsin-Madison found that it’s likely middle-class and low-income students “self-select out of unpaid work due to their socio-economic status,” and therefore “are kept from these opportunities and their later rewards or take out loans that may be adding to an already considerable debt load.”

Women Are Creating a New Culture for Astronomy

Scientific American

“I’m a first-generation woman of color who has to learn a completely new world,” says Melinda Soares-Furtado, Ph.D. 2020, a Hubble fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who studies stars with odd chemical abundances. “I can code-switch, but it’s exhausting.” Kao is first-generation Taiwanese-American: “From day one I’ve struggled to belong in the space I’m in. Half the time I want to change my name.” Lopez says, “I’m Mexican-American and have cerebral palsy, so that’s another set of hurdles.”

Bacon buying guide: What uncured, center-cut and other package terms really mean

The Washington Post

According to Jeffrey Sindelar, meat extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison: “The primary reason most bacon is not lower sodium is due to consumer preference. A majority of consumers expect bacon to have a certain amount of saltiness. So unless all bacon is lower in salt, some companies will lose market share if they reduce sodium (while others do not) since the majority still prefer ‘regular’ salt bacon. It’s all consumer driven.”

UW driving up housing prices

The Capital Times

Letter to the editor: Students at the university, armed with either wealthy out-of-state parents or endless supplies of student loans, have driven housing prices in Madison to the breaking point.

Madison media company puts lens on equity in STEM fields through exhibit

Wisconsin State Journal

Now, thanks in part to a $5 million UW-Madison grant meant to facilitate anti-racism in higher education, Represented Collective has launched a project called “Legendary” — a portion of the money is funding an interactive exhibit at nine Dane County libraries that spotlights the women who made STEM history, but weren’t celebrated for their accomplishments as much as their male counterparts.

The history of Lyme disease has a Wisconsin chapter. It’s still being written.

Wisconsin State Journal

During the past three decades, Susan Paskewitz, a medical entomologist at UW-Madison, has documented the growing prevalence of ticks in Wisconsin. Paskewitz found that deer ticks, also called black-legged ticks, have moved steadily from northwest to southwest, and then into the central and eventually slowly into the eastern and southern Wisconsin.