UW-Madison’s thousands of students and employees will return to normal operations middday Thursday.
UW-Madison re-opens Thursday at noon after arctic blast
Wisconsin State Journal
Author: gbump
Wisconsin is colder than Antarctica this week. South Pole scientists share cold-weather tips
Wisconsin State Journal
Researchers at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory — a National Science Foundation-supported project led by UW-Madison that is known for its astronomical breakthroughs — are fairly accustomed to the life-threatening cold temperatures seizing Wisconsin this week.
UW-Madison research discovery could impact lager production
NBC-15
A research team at UW-Madison said they made a groundbreaking discovery about industrial lager production that could impact an industry worth billions of dollars.
UW Health reports 7 cases of frostbite, 1 injured while attempting boiling water trick
WISC-TV 3
UW Health is reporting eight cold-related injuries during a cold snap that has reached life-threateningly low temperatures.
UW-Madison scientist in South Pole gets pass from running in the cold Wednesday
WISC-TV 3
While Kathrin Mallot, a scientist with The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, ran a half marathon at the South Pole earlier this month, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is giving her a pass in the current Wednesday temperatures.
6 times Wisconsin police didn’t let the cold chill their chuckles
WISC-TV 3
We also learned that University of Wisconsin-Madison police Chief Kristen Roman is the center of a Venn diagram merging law enforcement leaders, the rebel alliance and safe commutes:
Freezing temperatures prompt campus, city services to shut down during polar vortex
Badger Herald
Campus buildings will reopen at noon Thursday and instructions will resume at 1 p.m. Courses that start at or after 1 p.m. will be held.
ASM, Blank oppose Title IX changes, encourage survivor empowerment
Daily Cardinal
While Blank found some changes helpful, she noted five areas that needed to be improved in order to provide equitable protective policies and procedures to students. Her concerns focused on the role of campus disciplinary proceedings, appropriate standards of proof, off-campus conduct, informal resolutions and cross-examination processes.
How working from home helps the environment
AccuWeather
Quoted: “Anything that reduces vehicle miles helps improve air quality and reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming,” said Jack Williams, a professor who researches global climate change in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Extreme Cold Grips Midwest: Thousands Without Power, Schools Closed, Mail Delivery Suspended
The Weather Channel
The cold prompted several major Midwest universities to close, including the University of Notre Dame, the University of Minnesota, the University of North Dakota, the University of Wisconsin, the University of South Dakota and Iowa State University.
Alleged armed robber arrested by Madison police after fleeing into frozen Arboretum
Wisconsin State Journal
A man suspected of robbing a South Side restaurant at gunpoint Tuesday, then running into the UW Arboretum, was arrested after more than two hours in the bitter cold, a pursuit that involved a large police contingent searching for the man before the extreme cold could make matters worse.
Extreme cold increasingly rare for Wisconsin, but polar vortex could be more common in warmer climate
Wisconsin State Journal
A sudden warming of the stratosphere 20 miles above the Earth can cause those swirling winds to slow, allowing a “lobe” of cold air to slip down into the middle latitudes — covering places like Wisconsin, said Stephen Vavrus, a senior scientist at UW-Madison’s Center for Climatic Research.
Pundits who decry ‘tribalism’ know nothing about real tribes
The Washington Post
Although “ethnic labels .?.?. have pre-colonial origins, they became comprehensive and rigidly ranked categories only in the colonial period; they were heavily influenced by imperial codifications and further transformed by politicized actions in the last half [of the 20th] century,” writes Merwin Crawford Young, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
UW-Madison, schools, businesses and government offices close in response to arctic blast
Wisconsin State Journal
As potentially life-threatening temperatures settle into south-central Wisconsin, it’s a safe bet that just about anything you had planned to do outside the home Wednesday and Thursday has been canceled or delayed.
The Polar Vortex: Hard Facts About Cold Weather
The New York Times
Many colleges across the Midwest have canceled classes during the cold snap, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, the University of South Dakota and Kent State University.
Editorial: Tony Evers calls across aisle for renewed commitment to Wisconsin Idea
Capital Times
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers began his State of the State address with a blunt statement about the disconnection between Wisconsin’s historic commitment to doing big things and the state’s diminished circumstance after too many years in which irresponsible Republicans — and some neglectful Democrats — have stood in the way of addressing fundamental issues.
Awake on the Table
The New York Times
“There’s plenty of evidence” that even without an explicit memory of surgery, humans can form implicit or subconscious memories under anesthesia, said Dr. Aeyal Raz, an anesthesiologist at the University of Wisconsin.
State Prepares For Possible Record-Low Temps
WPR
As of 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, all four-year universities in the University of Wisconsin System had canceled classes, events and campus activities due to the severe cold.
Midwest universities canceling classes due to the polar vortex
CNBC
Other state institutions closing campuses late Tuesday and throughout Wednesday include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Minnesota, the University of North Dakota, the University of South Dakota and Iowa State University. The University of Michigan said it will make its decision later today.
New blood thinners better than warfarin for atrial fibrillation
Reuters
“Stroke due to atrial fibrillation tends to be quite severe,” said Dr. Craig January of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who helped draft the new guidelines published in Circulation.
The Latest: Extreme Cold Stops Mail Delivery in Some States
US News and World Report
Hundreds of public schools are closed from North Dakota to Michigan. The universities closing their campuses include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Minnesota, the University of North Dakota, the University of South Dakota and Iowa State University.
How a high-flying balloon could search for life on hellishly hot Venus
NBC News
Conditions are more hospitable 30 miles above the surface. In fact, temperatures in this region of the atmosphere are much like those on Earth — “similar conditions to Miami, Florida in summertime,” said Kevin Baines, a planetary scientist at the JPL and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison 2019 Agricultural Outlook Forum
NBC-15
This year’s Wisconsin Agriculture Outlook Forum was held on Tuesday at UW-Madison. One of the main concerns touched on is that Wisconsin is losing twice the number of farms compared to years prior.
UPDATE: Following petition, UW-Madison to cancel classes due to the cold
WKOW-TV 27
Hairu Zheng started the petition to UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. The petition notes the extremely cold temperatures and wind chills expected in the next two days.
Column: Changes in attitudes toward higher education must prompt changes within institutions
Badger Herald
UW Stevens Point aims to cut majors with low enrollment, but still integrate liberal arts in meaningful way.
Column: Food insecurity at UW requires campus-wide effort
Badger Herald
Lack of transparency about SNAP benefits leaves students confused, unable to take advantage of resources.
UW astrobotanist paves way for deep space exploration
Badger Herald
By tweaking plant genes, Gilroy Lab has improved growth of plants in space, benefitting life everywhere.
Cell biologists, biomedical engineers discuss the history and potential of UW’s pioneering stem cell research
Badger Herald
Outreach, exchange with public are key to building confidence in and realizing scientific research.
After course syllabus backlash, state reps join in support of UW professor
Daily Cardinal
Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, joined 14 of her assembly members in detailing their reasons for supporting the longtime political science professor.
UWPD lead investigation of armed robbery at Pizza Hut
Daily Cardinal
The suspect has been found and is currently in custody.
Classes cancelled due to extreme cold
Daily Cardinal
The university’s decision to close came from the latest weather forecast, noting it would impact safety of students, faculty and staff, according to UW-Madison’s News and Media Relations Director Meredith McGlone.
Bitter cold leads UW-Madison to cancel classes through noon Thursday
Wisconsin State Journal
The life-threatening temperatures forecasters are calling the coldest in a generation prompted UW-Madison to cancel classes, events and campus activities from 5 p.m. Tuesday through noon Thursday.
AP Exclusive: US Nobelist Was Told of Gene-Edited Babies
AP
Quoted: It’s not clear how someone would have raised concerns about He’s project, said University of Wisconsin bioethicist Alta Charo, who was one of the leaders of the Hong Kong gene-editing conference where He gave details of the experiment.
Adam McKay on the Veracity of “Vice”
The New Yorker
In fact, Cheney’s parents were F.D.R. Democrats, and Cheney was pretty indifferent to politics coming into the University of Wisconsin. He definitely started leaning conservative during those years, when there were protests on campus.
Wisconsin Livestock Owners Prepare For Frigid Temperatures
Wisconsin Public Radio
Some of the biggest concerns for livestock owners are maintaining dry bedding and supplying enough food, said Alana Voss, agriculture educator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Sauk and Juneau counties.
5 Takeaways From 24 Hours at a Major Teaching Conference
The Chronicle of Higher Education
In a follow-up email, Hora, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, offered a bit more context. He noted that the these “internships” were part of a two-week program of educational lectures in the mornings followed by workplace observations in the afternoons.
Northwestern Community-Based Lobbyists To Ask State For More Support
Wisconsin Public Radio
Farther north, those attending the 34th annual Superior Days — put on by the University of Wisconsin-Extension in mid-February — plan to lobby the state to increase reimbursement through the state’s Medicaid program.
Howard Schultz’s presidential ambitions draw backlash
Financial Times
Quoted: Barry Burden, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has studied third-party runs, agreed. However, he said Mr Schultz would face other obstacles to a winning candidacy.
John Nichols: Erik Olin Wright envisioned Real Utopias in Madison and around globe
Erik Olin Wright never gave up on the dream of a just and equitable society in which human beings might treat one another as kindly as the University of Wisconsin sociology professor and internationally renowned public intellectual treated his students, his colleagues and the communities that he nurtured in Madison and around the world.
UW students petition to cancel classes due to dangerously cold temperatures
Wisconsin State Journal
Thousands of UW-Madison students have signed an online petition calling for the university to shut down Tuesday and Wednesday because of dangerously cold temperatures.
Frigid temperatures bring concern for frostbite
NBC-15
Quoted: “If you really need to be out, cover up. So making sure you are wearing hats that go down far over your forehead, scarfs that go over your nose. Mittens are better than gloves because it keeps your fingers together in the warm,” Dermatologist Apple Brodemer from UW-Health said.
Editorial: Meeting the need for more teachers
WISC-TV 3
Teaching is a noble profession and special calling that should be honored and well-paid. So we applaud the UW System for creating a task force to help identify how UW System institutions can better meet Wisconsin’s needs for more teachers and school leaders.
Warfarin no longer recommended for most atrial fibrillation cases
CNN
Quoted: “It becomes an even bigger problem as people age into their 70s and 80s,” said University of Wisconsin cardiologist Dr. Craig January, who was the lead writer for both the 2014 and 2019 guidelines. “So the numbers of people affected by Afib will go up a great deal in our society as the population of baby boomers age.”
Integrating wellness into everything we do
Madison Magazine
Quoted: The U.S. spends more of its gross domestic product on health care than any other country, yet Americans as a whole are still among the unhealthiest people in the developed world. “Our numbers still aren’t changing,” says Nicole Youngberg, chief employee wellness leader at UW–Madison.
Colleges take into account ‘game-changer’ weather as they determine class cancellations
WISC-TV 3
Many students grade school through college level enjoyed a snow day Monday. That doesn’t include the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Column: In the interest of community safety, UW must re-evaluate conditions for school closure
Badger Herald
UW’s failure to cancel class, despite knowledge of the weather’s danger, displays disregard for students’ safety.
UW faces backlash after holding classes despite citywide snow emergency
Badger Herald
This announcement caused an immediate backlash on both Facebook and Twitter from students, alumni and professors. The university’s statement on Facebook garnered hundreds of comments, many criticizing UW’s judgement.
UW-Madison transit, child care budgets up for hearing
Daily Cardinal
The UW-Madison Student Services Finance Committee heard budget requests from the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program and the ASM Transportation Board during their meeting Monday night.
Falling temperatures, winter weather prompt campus closure questions
Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison has a history of conservative policy when it comes to allocating snow days and/or extreme cold days. The last time class was canceled as a result of cold weather was in 2012 when 15.2 inches of snow fell within 24 hours in Madison, the fourth highest total in the city’s history according to Weather Underground.
Gov. Evers calls for state of emergency due to weather, UW pending class cancellation
Daily Cardinal
Via social media, mass emails and other local news outlets, the university has made an effort to prepare students for the dropping temperatures by offering tips for students going to class. McGlone highlighted the importance of wearing appropriate gear and utilizing the Madison Metro Buses in order to minimize time spent outside.
How I wrote a song with Bob Dylan: A 57-year collaboration about my home state of Wisconsin
Salon
But in 1961 a young freewheelin’ Dylan made a vital stop in Madison, WI, where he checked out the folk scene and hung out with Marshall Brickman and Eric Weissberg. Brickman became a noted screenwriter, winning an Oscar for cowriting “Annie Hall” with Woody Allen; Weissberg went on to record the “Dueling Banjos” theme for “Deliverance.” Through the Madison folk scene Dylan caught probably one of the most pivotal concerts of his young life — Peter Seeger at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Mystery outbreak of human viruses is killing chimpanzees in Uganda forest
The Star Kenya
’These are very common human viruses that circulate worldwide and cause ’the sniffles’ in kids,’ Tony Goldberg, a University of Wisconsin–Madison professor, said.
Islwyn Watkins obituary
The Guardian
Together with Bruce Lacey, John Latham and others, they created the sTigma, a 1965 installation at Better Books in Charing Cross Road, London. Islwyn left for the US, taking a master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and taking part in other remarkable happenings.
Lakes ‘skating on thin ice’ as warming limits freeze
BBC News
“The deeper the lake is, the more heat storage it has and it takes more cold weather to get the lake down to a temp where it could freeze,” said Prof John Magnuson, a co-author from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
As Wisconsin farmers struggle, new effort aims to prevent suicide
Wisconsin State Journal
Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program started a farmer suicide prevention project this month. The effort, funded by a $50,000 grant from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program, was prompted by an increase in stories about suicides or suicidal thoughts among farmers, said Wally Orzechowski, executive director.
UW-Madison hosts Farm and Industry Short Course Reunion
WISC-TV 3
The University of Wisconsin is one of the only universities in the country to offer a short course program, a hybrid between attending a four-year university and a technical college. Most graduates go on to work in production agriculture or a related field.
UW System uses federal funds for $6.3 million agreement involving UW-Oshkosh Foundation
Wisconsin State Journal
The University of Wisconsin System will use federal money to pay off bank loans taken out by the UW-Oshkosh Foundation, according to agreements released Friday.
Former UW sociology professor Erik Olin Wright dies at 71
Badger Herald
Wright focused his research on inequality, alternatives to capitalism.
Editorial Board: Fake outrage over class syllabus shows that sometimes facts really don’t care about your feelings
Badger Herald
Mayer’s choice to include this background information about our current president is not a product of his own bias — it is rather the product of an awareness that our current political moment is unlike anything we’ve seen before.
UW student alleging bias in political science prof’s syllabus now expects class to be objective
Capital Times
A University of Wisconsin-Madison student whose Facebook post alleging liberal bias by a political science professor went viral this week said that after attending two lectures, she doesn’t think the class will be slanted.