Skip to main content

Author: gbump

East Palestine train derailment polluted 16 states, study says

The Washington Post

When it began to rain in various places, the pollutants were pushed from the air and deposited on the ground. The National Atmospheric Deposition Program, at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, collects these ground depositions weekly across 260 sites across North America. David Gay, who serves as coordinator of the program, routinely analyzes the data to monitor air pollutants. “If you have a lot of pollution in the atmosphere, you get a lot of wet deposition pollution at the ground,” Gay said.

Ralph Andrew Hawley

Wisconsin State Journal

Soon after, the moved to Madison, where in 1955 Ralph was hired by John Bowers at the UW Medical School to be Business Manager but was immediately put to work shepherding the Alumni Association as his major focus for 34 yeas.

UW-Madison researcher develops ice cream that doesn’t melt

Wisconsin State Journal

In the UW-Madison basement-level lab, the answer was largely predestined. One scoop was regular ice cream, not unlike what visitors could buy upstairs at the Babcock Dairy store. The other was a concoction of UW-Madison Ph.D. researcher Cameron Wicks, in which an addition of polyphenols — compounds naturally occurring in plants such as blueberries and green tea leaves — helps ice cream keep its shape by counteracting melting ice crystals.

Wisconsin’s 38 Most Influential Asian American Leaders for 2024, Part 1

Madison365

Stacey J. Lee is the Frederick Erickson WARF Professor of Educational Policy Studies and a faculty affiliate in Asian American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kevin Wong is program coordinator for the Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American (AAPIDA) Student Center at the UW-Madison, which hosts academic, professional, and social programs throughout the year to enhance the student experience, support student success, and foster a sense of belonging for students from a wide variety of backgrounds.

New collaboration with UW-Madison lets 3 Wisconsin school districts grow their own principals

Wisconsin State Journal

A new collaboration between the UW-Madison School of Education and three Wisconsin school districts — Madison, Lake Mills and Middleton-Cross Plains — proposes a solution: Through the District Leadership Preparation Pipeline, a group of Wisconsin teachers will earn their master’s degree from UW-Madison for no cost. In return, they commit to working in their home school districts as a principal or assistant principal for at least two years.

Sneak peek inside the tarp covering the Royal Thai Pavilion at Olbrich Gardens

Wisconsin State Journal

The second phase, which began in March, involves cleaning, painting and applying decorative gold leaf, and repairing and replacing glass beads and tiles that add to the elegance of the pavilion. The project is being funded by UW-Madison, which was gifted the pavilion more than 20 years ago. The restoration will allow the pavilion to continue to shine on the east side of the botanical gardens.

Adaptive Gaming Expo gives gamers with disabilities options, community

The Capital Times

Sloan Gibson, meanwhile, came looking for ideas she could bring back to her job in the information technology division at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “A rising tide raises all boats,” Gibson said. “Just because a game is accessible … or a piece of tech is accessible doesn’t mean it’s just for people who need the accessibility. It just means more people can use it and enjoy it.”

See the Photos of the Rare Cicada Emergence

TIME

That slight overlap does not necessarily mean the two broods will breed with one another. “Is there a possibility of interactions and hybridization? That could occur—but given the long life cycles, it’s really hard to study,” PJ Liesch, the director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab, tells TIME.

UW-Extension receives $1 million to help site solar and wind projects

The Capital Times

The goal is to make large-scale solar and wind projects work for all involved, said Sherrie Gruder, sustainable design specialist and energy strategist for UW-Extension, who is overseeing the initiative. Gruder said the grant will help local governments and residents “have a voice in making the projects work well for the values and the goals of the communities in our state.”

Wisconsin cows must test negative for bird flu to attend fairs, state says

Wisconsin State Journal

Bird flu has not been found in Wisconsin cows, but voluntary testing has been minimal since late April, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture mandated testing of dairy cattle moving between states and quarantines of herds that test positive, said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at UW-Madison.

Study on tween screen use shows link between parents and kids

The Washington Post

The study caught the attention of Megan Moreno, professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and co-director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. Moreno, whose expertise is in the field of adolescent health and digital media, says she has been troubled by the widespread message — “almost to the edge of moral panic” — that social media use is causing adverse mental health outcomes for adolescents. “That has been a narrative I’ve been really interested in because I’ve really been wanting to see: Where is that evidence?” she says. “And it hasn’t been there.”

A Bird-Flu Pandemic in People? Here’s What It Might Look Like.

The New York Times

Crucially, no forms of the bird flu virus seem to have spread efficiently from person to person. That is no guarantee that H5N1 will not acquire that ability, said Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist and bird flu expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.“ I think the virus is clearly changing its property, because we never saw outbreaks in cows,” Dr. Kawaoka said.

New apartment building proposed for Langdon Street lot

Wisconsin State Journal

It’s at least the fourth proposal for 126 Langdon St. since 2008. The most recent attempt to redevelop the site, Core Spaces’ seven-story Hub II, failed to secure city approval in 2020 and again in 2021 after residents objected to the building’s height and its luxury amenities, which included a rooftop swimming pool and hot tub.

Opinion | Debating Covid’s Origins: A Lab or a Market?

The New York Times

Understanding the origin of Covid-19 is crucial for improving future pandemic responses. I strongly disagree with Dr. Alina Chan’s opinion piece. The overwhelming majority of scientific evidence points to a natural origin, like all pandemics in history.

Marta M. Gaglia
Madison, Wis.
The writer is an associate professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The US is losing wetlands at an accelerating rate − here’s how the private sector can help protect these valuable resources

The Conversation

Wetlands aren’t the most eye-catching ecosystems. They include swamps, bogs, fens and other places where soil is covered by water most of the time. But they perform a huge range of valuable services, from soaking up floodwaters to filtering out pollutants and providing habitat for thousands of species of mammals, fish, reptiles, insects and birds.

Professor of Law and Associate Dean, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Women Are America’s Safety Net

The Atlantic

In November 2020, in the thick of the coronavirus pandemic, Calarco, who is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, told the writer Anne Helen Petersen, “Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women.”

UWPD investigation of campus burglaries underway

Badger Herald

The notification said the burglaries, which occurred between noon and 8 p.m., targeted offices in the School of Pharmacy, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research and University Hospital. UW property, including a laptop and medical-style clothing, was stolen during the burglaries. UWPD also said credit cards were stolen from staff areas.

PFAS mitigation, hospital funding held up in Wisconsin

Wisconsin State Journal

PHOTO: Christopher Zahasky, associate professor in the Department of Geoscience at UW-Madison, stacks rock samples extracted from the drilling site on French Island on Tuesday, June 4. Three wells are being drilled on the island as part of a research project funded by the La Crosse County.

USDA, UW–Madison break ground on new dairy research facility

Wisconsin State Farmer

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Wisconsin–Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Jun. 10 in Prairie du Sac for the construction of a world-class dairy research facility that will expand the two organizations’ long-standing partnership to tackle key issues affecting dairy farms across the country.

Carbone Cancer Center aims to make research more accessible

Wisconsin State Journal

The UW Carbone Cancer Center is starting a research program for college students underrepresented in oncology this summer. The program — Science Careers in Oncology Research with Equity, or SCORE — is a 10-week program for college students to learn and participate in cancer research in a lab setting, working closely with professionals in the field as well as their peers.

Burton Wagner Obituary (1941 – 2024)

Wisconsin State Journal

Burt’s area of expertise was Healthcare Law and he advised nursing homes, doctors, acupuncturists, and hospitals. He taught courses in the School of Nursing and in the Law School at the University of Wisconsin (Madison).

UW-Madison Offers Support After Madison Mass Shooting

WKOW – Channel 27

None of those who were injured or involved in the shooting are known to be affiliated with UW-Madison, according to UWPD. UW-Madison is not currently in session. The university is offering sympathy and concern for those injured, along with resources and support to UW students who may have been impacted.

Downtown Madison shooting under investigation

Badger Herald

MPD shut down Johnson Street and surrounding areas to investigate the incident early Sunday. The University of Wisconsin released a statement offering resources for those involved or affected by the incident, though no one injured is known to be affiliated with UW.

Gov. Tony Evers to ask for $800 million more for UW system

Wisconsin State Journal

The announcement comes a day after the regents voted on their annual operating budget, which leaves seven universities with budget shortfalls for the upcoming year and has the UW system propping up one of its schools, UW-Oshkosh, after it became the first in UW system history to deplete its savings and run a cash shortfall in the millions.

Dennis Gunderson

Wisconsin State Journal

For three years he taught at UW Stout in Menomonie. The last fifteen years of his career he worked as a research engineer at Forest Products Lab in Madison.

Groups claim manure digesters contribute to pollution in Kewaunee County

WPR

Researchers, including Brian Langolf of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, say digesters cut greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane from manure in open lagoons. Around 36 percent of methane emissions from human activities are tied to livestock or agricultural practices, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.