The latest spike in COVID cases may mean you won’t see your doctor soon — at least not face-to-face.
UW Health pushing back some appointments
WISC-TV 3
Author: gbump
Temperature Tightrope: Health officials break down Pfizer vaccine distribution plan
NBC-15
“If you’ve ever had steaks or ice cream delivered to your home, they deliver it with dry ice. That’s the temperature we’re talking about here,” David Andes, UW-Madison professor and infectious disease chief said.
UW Health evaluates if primary care appointments can be postponed
NBC-15
UW Health implemented a new emergency surge plan Thursday, including evaluating if some primary care appointments can be postponed until the spring of 2021.
Nursing schools readying next generation of health care workers
NBC-15
“I think everybody knows being able to graduate the nursing students in the middle of a pandemic is critically important to make sure that we have the workforce that we need,” said Barabara Pinekenstein, the Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for UW-Madison School of Nursing.
Wisconsin Union Theater continues to host virtual events for community
Badger Herald
Wisconsin Union Theater presents virtual events like their concert series, performances from Christian Sands Trio, Jeremy Denk.
Survivor of Nazi genocide went on to become acclaimed geneticist at UW-Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
Renata Laxova died early Monday after a brief illness, according to her older daughter, Daniela Lax. She was 89. Laxova was a professor emeritus of genetics at UW-Madison, where she worked from 1975 until her retirement in 2003. Her long list of academic accomplishments on both sides of the Atlantic include establishing the first genetic counseling clinic in Europe and the first cytogenetics laboratory, and extensive work in genetics with children and the developmentally disabled, according to her curriculum vitae.
UW Alumni, faculty doctors talk COVID-19 and vaccine
Daily Cardinal
In a lecture hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Association on Tuesday, UW-Madison faculty Dr. James Conway, R. Alta Charo and Dr. Jonathan Temte discussed a source of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic: the newly created COVID-19 vaccine.
International student workers haven’t been paid since September, and are likely to lose their jobs altogether
Daily Cardinal
According to an email from Human Resource officials at the university, officials were unaware of student workers telecommuting from outside the country until recently and will pay students for any hours already logged — though they did not specify when. However, per a decision made by university HR in early July, students telecommuting from outside the country will not be able to hold hourly positions going forward.
Bars played crucial role in COVID-19 outbreak at UW-Madison, study says
Daily Cardinal
MIT professor and physician Jeffry Harris utilized public health data with anonymized smartphone tracking data to reach his conclusion. Harris collected the smartphone data from late August through early October and compared it to COVID-19 cases from the 19 census tracts on and around UW-Madison’s campus.
Big Ten may need to change rules for Big Ten title game, Badgers AD Barry Alvarez says
Wisconsin State Journal
University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez believes the Big Ten Conference may need to change rules regarding the conference’s football championship game if Ohio State isn’t eligible.
Bars were hotspots in UW-Madison’s COVID-19 outbreaks, MIT professor’s study finds
Wisconsin State Journal
Bars played a critical role in the COVID-19 outbreaks plaguing UW-Madison earlier this semester, according to a scientific paper by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist.
UW surveys find mixed preferences for in-person vs. remote learning
The Capital Times
Survey results show an even split between University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate students’ preferences for how they are taught during the COVID-19 pandemic. Graduate students were more averse to in-person activities and cited reduced access to physical resources, spaces and research as the biggest barriers to academic progress this year.
Grinch steals citrus-scented fir tree from Ohio landscaper
Fox News
This wasn’t the only recent tree theft. Last month, someone cut down and removed a rare 25-foot Algonquin pillar Swiss mountain pine tree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The tree had been planted in 1988 and it was worth an estimated $13,000, according to police.
Pricey mini campus promises students maskless, safe spring term
Inside Higher Ed
Craig Roberts, epidemiologist emeritus at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said that “bubbles sound good in concept but are difficult to pull off, especially at this scale.”
“The key, he said, “is the degree to which the community stays in the bubble, of course, and nobody violates the rules” — sneaking into town, for example. But staff members could be potential problems if they’re coming and going from the community. That makes it more like a long-term care facility, he said, where only residents are on lockdown.
Report: Limited Workforce, Housing And Broadband Coverage Create Challenges For Rural Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Radio
Steven Deller, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, agreed the COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for rural Wisconsin.
Behind the frontlines: A glimpse inside University Hospital’s COVID unit
NBC-15
Doctors and nurses are working around the clock fighting to keep covid-19 patients alive as cases climb in the Badger State.
UW Madison to continue rapid antigen testing, appointments available
NBC-15
As the demand for COVID19 testing in Dane County continues to surge, the free public testing site at UW Madison will remain open for most of this month.
Free COVID-19 testing continues on UW-Madison campus
WISC-TV 3
UW-Madison officials are reminding people that they are continuing to provide free COVID-19 testing on campus.
UW-Madison seeks students’ input with new Coronavirus Student Task Force
WISC-TV 3
Students were selected for the task force by an application process. Several positions on the committee were held for people that represented different student groups — such as first-year students, international students and house fellows.
UW BIPOC Coalition discusses organization’s goals at first public forum
Badger Herald
As a relatively new group on campus, BIPOC Coalition co-founder Tarah Stangler said the organization is trying to gauge what students would like to see the group accomplish in upcoming semesters.
UW-Madison Primate Research Lab’s history of complaints from animal rights groups
Daily Cardinal
A recent complaint against the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC) over mistreatment of animal research subjects at UW-Madison is just one item in a decades-long list of grievances animal rights groups have brought against the laboratory.
UW Health opens new COVID-19 testing site on Madison’s east side
WKOW-TV 27
The new site is located at 3819 John Wall Drive. It will take over the COVID-19 testing that is currently being done of symptomatic patients, pre-surgical patients, and UW Health employees at an outdoor site on Madison’s west side.
How US Hospitals Are Stretched Way Too Thin Due to Covid-19
The New York Times
When Ms. Fine went to UW Health’s University Hospital in Madison, she found doctors there overwhelmed and distracted. “They just parked me in a hallway because there was no place for me to go,” said Ms. Fine, 61, who was eventually found to have a severe bout of shingles that threatened her eyes.
For First Time In Months, Wisconsin’s COVID-19 Cases Are Declining. Experts Say It May Not Last.
Wisconsin Public Radio
Before Thanksgiving, Wisconsin was “at least leveling out, maybe trending down a little bit on some of the measures we look at,” said Dr. Jeffrey Pothof, the chief quality officer for UW Health. It would have been too soon to know if the state’s outbreak had begun to recede, but there was data suggesting that was possible.
As COVID-19 vaccine nears, Wisconsin looks at how to divvy up first doses
Wisconsin State Journal
Dr. Jonathan Temte, associate dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index gives some priority to rural areas. The index includes socioeconomic status, minority population, housing, transportation and other factors.
Research inspired by COVID-19: UW Hygiene lab uses wastewater samples to detect trends
The Capital Times
The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene and the Department of Health Services are collecting samples from over 100 wastewater treatment facilities, the largest network of its type yet, to trace patterns in the spread of COVID-19.
Student Council endorses resolutions banning UWPD from using facial surveillance, tabled resolution demanding UW pay international student workers · The Badger Herald
Badger Herald
Council also passed resolution asking UW to decriminalize marijuana possession on campus to match Madison laws.
Holiday air travel surges despite dire health warnings
AP
Previous holidays including Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day were followed by increases in new cases. David O’Connor, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin who has studied the role of travel in the pandemic, expects the same thing to happen after Thanksgiving and leading up to Christmas.
Trump Repeats Baseless, False Claims About the Election
FactCheck.org
When asked to comment on similar claims about “Biden-only” voting in Georgia, Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told us it is not possible to know how many Georgians voted for Biden and no other candidate. That “would require individual-level information from ballots, not aggregation information about ballots cast in each race,” he said.
25 Reasons to Support Civil Eats on #GivingTuesday
Civil Eats
25. Grassland 2.0 Aims to Replace Soy and Corn Farming with Perennial Pasture in the Upper MidwestThe University of Wisconsin-Madison project will help farmers transition to pasture-based systems to protect the environment and boost rural livelihoods while meeting demand for grassfed meat and dairy.
For First Time In Months, Wisconsin’s COVID-19 Cases Are Declining. Experts Say It May Not Last.
Wisconsin Public Radio
That’s what Ajay Sethi is expecting. The epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health said the data in the next two weeks will likely tell us where Wisconsin will stand a month from now. He isn’t optimistic.
UW System offers tuition break for nursing students’ help in hospitals, nursing homes
WISC-TV 3
As COVID cases continue to overwhelm our hospitals, UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson said, “We have a terrible situation in Wisconsin.”
Share Your Holidays’ Celebration Drive-Thru Food Drive welcomes UW celebrities
NBC-15
As drivers pull through to drop off their donations, some of big names in University of Wisconsin sports history will be on hand to greet them as they pull through. Current players aren’t able to attend because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Covid Vaccine Legality: Will you be required to take it?
NBC-15
Alta Charo is a law and bioethics professor at UW-Madison. She said a vaccine mandate at the federal level is unlikely because it would be challenged in courts. Charo explained there’s more public health power at the state level.
Column: The danger of the status quo: How Wisconsin institutions maintain white supremacy
Badger Herald
UW’s messaging may support BIPOC, but actions embrace white-centric status quo.
Judge dismisses Title IX lawsuit against UW precollege summer university program
Badger Herald
’We remain committed to supporting survivors and to responding promptly and fairly to allegations of sexual misconduct,’ UW spokeswoman says.
Thanksgiving will lead to increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, UW expert says
Badger Herald
Associate Professor Ajay Sethi, an expert on infectious disease epidemiology, said in an email to The Badger Herald that students should space out their COVID-19 tests.
UW-Madison takes part in GivingTuesday
Daily Cardinal
GivingTuesday, a self proclaimed holiday that falls every year on the Tuesday after the shopping mania of “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday,” encourages people to donate to charitable causes. This year, UW-Madison has made it easy for Badgers to “do good” and refocus their efforts on their community.
UW Black student journalists frustrated, disappointed after meeting with Blank
The Capital Times
Following an interview with Chancellor Rebecca Blank last month, Black student journalists published a piece expressing dissatisfaction with her response to the concerns of Black students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Students seek pass-fail options again for fall in light of COVID-19
Inside Higher Education
The University of Wisconsin at Madison is resisting general pass-fail requests from student groups.
Short, Danny Robert
Wisconsin State Journal
Dan spent his entire career working for the University of Wisconsin Extension Service, primarily for Dodge County as the Livestock Specialist and farm financial analyst.
Research inspired by COVID-19: Dipo Oyeleye examines African music as pandemic response
The Capital Times
But while there have been some songs here and there, Dipo Oyeleye, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said European and American music have largely been devoid of COVID-19 topics.
Will Bascom Hall be removed next? — Andrew Khitsun
Wisconsin State Journal
Letter to the editor: So if I go on campus and call Bascom Hall an offensive name, and if someone overhears that and posts it on Facebook and it goes viral — will Bascom Hall be raised to the ground then? It’s completely obscene and unjustified for the university to dishonor the memory of Chamberlin by removing the rock.
Minority students share their stories in science so others feel power of representation
Wisconsin State Journal
MJ was among the students and teachers who took part in an online session called “My Story in Science So Far: From Voices Underrepresented in Science,” which was part of a field trip to the Wisconsin Science Festival in October. It was the 10th festival, but this year was offered differently because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was produced by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Morgridge Institute for Research and UW-Madison.
Lawsuit against precollege summer program at UW-Madison dismissed
Wisconsin State Journal
Afederal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former participant of a UW-Madison summer program who alleged the university failed to respond to multiple reports of sexual harassment and assault.
Young Voters Helped Biden Beat Trump After Holding Back in Primaries
Wall Street Journal
In Dane County, Wis., home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received nearly 35,000 more votes than the Democratic ticket got four years ago. And in Centre County, Pa., home of Pennsylvania State University, the running mates received 1,800 additional votes over the 2016 count.
Research inspired by COVID-19: UW work on genetic sequencing traces community spread
The Capital Times
Genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 — the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — reveals that the virus, which was once distinct between Dane and Milwaukee Counties, now reflects patterns of geographic mixing across the state, according to a paper published by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers this month.
Howard Temin’s research is key to vaccine — Max J. Rosenbaum
Wisconsin State Journal
Letter to the editor: Once again, I am writing to laud the monumental discovery of reverse transcriptase by the late Nobel Prize winner, professor Howard Temin of the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research at UW-Madison.
Fears of coronavirus jump intensify in Thanksgiving’s aftermath
The Washington Post
Days after millions of Americans ignored health guidance to avoid travel and large Thanksgiving gatherings, it’s still too soon to tell how many people became infected with the coronavirus over the course of the holiday weekend. But as travelers head home to communities already hit hard by the disease, hospitals and health officials across the country are bracing for what scientist Dave O’Connor called “a surge on top of a surge.”
“It is painful to watch,” said O’Connor, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. “Like seeing two trains in the distance and knowing they’re about to crash, but you can’t do anything to stop it.”
Recount in two Wisconsin counties reinforces Biden’s victory.
The New York Times
Dane County, which includes the city of Madison and the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin, found that 260,094 votes were cast for Mr. Biden, while 78,754 were cast for Mr. Trump. Compared with earlier results, the final tally included 91 fewer ballots for Mr. Biden and 46 fewer for Mr. Trump — a net gain of 45 for Mr. Trump.
Berbee, Flora Mathilda
Wisconsin State Journal
Flora worked as a research assistant in Prof. Andrews’ lab, in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin. She took pride in supporting the research students and contributing to family income.
Canadian illustrator Julie Flett’s books reveal the truth about modern Indigenous life
NBC News
Only 46 out of 4,035 books for children and teens reviewed in 2019 were by Indigenous authors, according to data compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wisconsin Corn Growers Expected To Bring In Record Yields
Wisconsin Public Radio
Joe Lauer, an agronomy professor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said farmers were grateful for more normal weather patterns this year after an extremely wet season in 2019.
Retail Experts Say Black Friday Will Be Very Different For Retail Industry This Year
Wisconsin Public Radio
“The in-store experience is going to be so much different,” said Hart Posen, a professor of management and human resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business.
Health Experts Ask People To Avoid In-Person Black Friday Shopping As Spread Of COVID-19 Remains High
Wisconsin Public Radio
Malia Jones researches how our social environment affects our health as a social epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Applied Population Laboratory. She also serves as the editor in chief of Dear Pandemic, an interdisciplinary group of all-female researchers and clinicians who create fact-based social media content about COVID-19.
Bock, Orpha Alberta
Wisconsin State Journal
Orpha spent a few years teaching and providing in-home daycare services before her long-term employment at UW-Madison Registrar’s office, retiring in 1996.
How Biden’s Climate Goals Could Play A Big Role In Shaping Wisconsin’s Energy Future
Wisconsin Public Radio
Greg Nemet, an energy researcher and professor of public affairs at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Biden can accomplish a lot through executive orders.”The downside is they’re not durable if a new president comes in in four years or eight or 12 years and changes direction,” said Nemet.
Pound, Robert Arthur
Wisconsin State Journal
Bob was a member of the U.S. Army Reserves in 1968, worked throughout his years in Human Resources and became HR Director at the University Wisconsin Hospital, Madison.
Midwest has yet to see peak of latest COVID-19 surge, experts fear
Washington Examiner
“I think it is premature to feel that we turned the corner until we see at least a week or two to have sort of [a] decline,” said Dr. Oguzhan Alagoz, an expert in healthcare analytics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Could lawmakers ‘mess’ with Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes? Possibly
Wisconsin State Journal
As established under Wisconsin law, officials from both the Democratic and Republican parties convene at the state Capitol and nominate one slate of electors per party, according to UW-Madison Law School professor Rob Yablon. Each slate contains 10 electors, one from each of the state’s eight congressional districts and two at large.