Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, including one of an Indian-origin, have identified a gene that could explain why some people are more susceptible to diabetes.
Author: jplucas
Americans recall personal impacts of Jobs’ vision
Wall Street Journal
On Wednesday night, as much of the world was learning about Jobs? death, Katy Culver was sitting in an emergency room with her son, who had a severely broken arm. She looked at the technology around her and was struck by the degree to which Jobs had impacted her life.
A hospital specialist was lifting her son?s spirits by helping him play Angry Birds on an iPad with his good arm. Doctors appeared to be reviewing X-rays on a MacBook. And Culver used her iPhone to alert friends and family.
“It just hit me in that moment, how much his visionary technologies have changed my life ? the way I communicate with family and friends, the way I work with my students, the way I relate to my kids,” said Culver, a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Economic expert urges central Wisconsin to build on strengths to compete globally
Wausau Daily Herald
Much of what the early speakers at a University of Wisconsin Marathon County conference on the economy chose to emphasize already is well known here.
Leaders need to focus on advanced manufacturing, health care and other service industries while playing to the fact that Wausau could develop into a transportation hub for the state, said Michael Knetter, president and CEO of the UW Foundation in Madison and former dean of UW-Madison?s business school.
UW president urges state to reinvest in universities
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The state must reinvest in its universities to meet ambitious goals of boosting its number of college graduates, University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly said Thursday.
Just last year, the UW System set its sights on increasing the number of college-degree holders in the state by 30% over the next 15 years – a cumulative increase of 80,000 degree holders by 2025 – in an effort to lure companies and boost Wisconsin?s economy. But then state funding for the UW System was cut $250 million for the 2011-?13 fiscal years.
Enjoy this moment of Wisconsin sports dominance
Isthmus
In case there remained any doubt about which team reigns over Wisconsin in October, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel?s Bob Wolfley erased it on his SportsDay blog Monday.
Congestion at Memorial Union makes some wish for a city depot
Isthmus
Now that the Badger Bus terminal on West Washington Avenue is long gone, the UW Memorial Union is becoming the city?s de facto bus depot.
The Wisconsin Institute for Learning will serve dyslexic students
Isthmus
Quoted: Audrey Trainor, associate professor of special education at UW-Madison and an expert on adolescents with learning disabilities, believes there can be academic benefits to attending schools like the Wisconsin Institute for Learning, especially for students at risk of dropping out. But she believes the decision to attend one must be weighed carefully.
UW System making credit transfers easier
Wausau Daily Herald
GREEN BAY ? The University of Wisconsin System is looking to boost graduation rates by making it easier for students to transfer to its campuses, and regents heard Thursday about an online tool that could help students plan for the move.
GAB reconsidering its recommendations on petitions, student ID
WKOW-TV 27
Just last month, the Government Accountability Board made several recommendations to state lawmakers regarding new recall petitions and voter identification provisions.
Americans reflect on Steve Jobs’ impact (AP)
Noted: On Wednesday night, as much of the world was learning about Jobs? death, Katy Culver was sitting in an emergency room with her son, who had a severely broken arm. She looked at the technology around her and was struck by the degree to which Jobs had impacted her life.
Today’s King Corn Can Thank A Jumping Gene
National Public Radio
Ever wonder where your food came from? No, I mean where it really came from ? as in, where did humans first find the plants that we now depend on for survival, like potatoes or wheat or corn, and what made those plants such generous providers of food, anyway?
UW System to ease transition for transfers, lessen stigma
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin System is trying to help transfer students get a degree quicker and cheaper as part of its effort to increase the number of college graduates in the state.
Another great team
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
This is Wisconsin at its best: A team that includes the state?s four largest engineering schools and several large Milwaukee-area employers is working on a new project that aims to make Wisconsin a leader in the creation of “microgrids,” energy islands that can function off a main power grid.
Scientists hail gain in human embryonic stem cell research
CNN.com
For the first time, researchers have succeeded in creating human embryonic stem cells by injecting DNA from a skin cell into an unfertilized egg, according to a study published Wednesday. Ted Golos, a professor of Comparative Biosciences at the school of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who is not involved in this new research, says this new study isn’t a giant leap forward but it’s an interesting one.
It figures to be a pivotal year for Heatley, other ex-UW hockey stars
Green Bay Press-Gazette
With 17 former University of Wisconsin hockey players on NHL rosters heading into tonight?s season openers, there is no shortage of storylines with local angles. Here are the Top 5:
What are Quasicrystals, and What Makes Them Nobel-Worthy? (PBS NewsHour)
Quoted: The real implications of the discovery may still lie in the future, said Bassam Shakhashiri, professor of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and president-elect of the American Chemical Society.
Editorial: The Car – And Economy – Of The Future
WISC-TV 3
Some of the most exciting innovation and research to positively impact the health of our planet is going on in the automobile industry. And much of it is going in two places – Germany, and UW Madison. This week, researchers, business and civic leaders, government officials and economic development experts are gathering to consider the car of the future and how Germany and Wisconsin might partner to create it. The first obvious connection is the technology and science potential of a partnership of UW engineering experts and German automakers. The second is the shared commitment to sustainable supply chains and green energy. And third is the Madison region?s interest in establishing a globally competitive entrepreneurial and employment sector as an economic development engine.
Scientists hail gain in human embryonic stem cell research
CNN.com
Quoted: “It?s the machinery within the egg that allows the egg to progress normally in development,” said Ted Golos, who is a professor of Comparative Biosciences at the school of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Steve Jobs had Green Bay roots
Green Bay Press-Gazette
Noted: Schieble and Jandali were students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1955. They had gone to California to secretly have the baby, said Schieble?s nephew, Jim Giese of Green Bay.
Teammates may suffer after gruesome ankle injury (ABC Radio)
Quoted: Shilagh Mirgain, a sports psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said players who see a gruesome injury like Foster?s may worry about their own vulnerabilities, even though they were not the ones suffer. But she said that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
Facebook Photos of Drunken Students May Indicate Real Alcohol Problems, Study Says
ABCNEWS.com
College students who post the details of their drunken nights on Facebook can end up with a few problems on their hands ? embarrassment, regret or explanations to mom and dad. But a new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests those Facebook postings may also signal that a student is at clinical risk of having a drinking problem.
More Fed easing could do harm, hawks say
Reuters
Two top Federal Reserve officials known for their hawkish views on inflation reiterated on Monday their opposition to further Fed monetary policy easing, saying it would do more harm than good.
Police Say Badgers Blowout, More Security Kept Game Day Calm
WISC-TV 3
University of Wisconsin-Madison police said that although 36 people were arrested at the Badgers? home game against Nebraska this weekend, Saturday night was a “best-case scenario.”
Tommy Thompson’s Name Will Soon Be Back On Ballot (WISN-TV, Milwaukee)
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said Thompson?s conservative credentials may not mean the same to today?s Wisconsin Republican voter.
Addison Trail Freshmen head to college for unique program
Chicago Tribune
From the time he learned to read, Alex Avalos? parents told him he would someday go to college to create a better life for himself. The first glimmer of that day arrived last week, although not in the way Avalos expected, as the 14-year-old Addison Trail High School freshman visited the University of Wisconsin- Madison campus with 99 of his classmates.
Consortium Announces Steps In The Energy-Innovation Direction
WUWM
At U-W Milwaukee this morning, a team will announce a renewable energy venture. UWM, along with UW-Madison will test small systems ? called microgrids.
Field of GOP Senate Candidates Could be Crowded
WUWM
Quoted: UW-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin describes Thompson as a major force but with a barrier to overcome.
Ward?s term at UW extended
Wisconsin Radio Network
University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly is extending UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward?s interim appointment to two years. Ward agreed in June to a one year term as UW?s interim Chancellor following the departure of Chancellor Biddy Martin.
College Flash Mobs Become Pep Rallies Made for YouTube
New York Times
Three steps to starting college: Meet roommate. Unpack in dorm room. Then, sometime during orientation, hear music, see a student start dancing, watch as more dancers join in, and join the campus flash mob. (Or if you miss the actual event, watch it over and over on YouTube, to see how many people you recognize.)
Interim UW-Madison Chancellor Gets 2nd Year
WISC-TV 3
The chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has had his one-year interim term extended to a second year.
A.C. Nielsen Jr., Who Transformed Research Firm, Dies at 92
New York Times
Arthur C. Nielsen Jr., who transformed the company his father founded in 1923 into an international leader in market research, helping to make its name synonymous with television ratings, died on Monday in Winnetka, Ill., where he lived most of his life. He was 92. He was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.
‘Microgrids’ energy storage project announced
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Microgrids will be set up at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2012 and at UW-Madison?s new Wisconsin Energy Institute Building, scheduled to open in 2013, according to the initiative by the Center for Renewable Energy Systems. The Center aims to conduct applied research to help Wisconsin companies develop projects for the renewable energy and energy storage markets.
Public health grants totaling $24 million awarded to Wisconsin
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A community outreach program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has received a federal grant of $23.5 million over five years to help 10 Wisconsin cities tackle the root causes – such as smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity – of some chronic diseases.
Why Doctors Protest Too Much (The Atlantic)
Atlantic Monthly
Doctors are in the cross-hairs of the nation?s politics more than ever. We?re all being asked to achieve more with less. We must cope with nightmare scenarios precipitated by cracks in the social and healthcare infrastructure so often these days that medical schools insist students become effective patient advocates as well as healers. Practicing good medicine necessitates navigating a minefield of competing interests. Doctors are increasingly tempted to just walk out, to lay down the pen, or to use their power in ways that subvert the system. As I wrote earlier this year, a group of Wisconsin doctors, all dedicated patient advocates, carried out a plan they hatched in the latter category.
Badgers show they belong in BCS title talk
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Two brief responses, both dramatic understatements, summarize where Wisconsin stands one game into Big Ten Conference play.
“Through Game 5,” UW coach Bret Bielema said, “we?re pretty good.”Specifically, UW 5-0, 1-0 on Sunday climbed two spots to No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches? poll and three spots to No. 4 in The Associated Press media poll after a 48-17 whipping of Nebraska.
Bill Lueders column: Who funds these bias busters?
Wausau Daily Herald
The other day, a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked me if I knew where the Center for Equal Opportunity gets its funding.
Fans pack the Badger Bash
WKOW-TV 27
Fans packed the Badger Bash before Saturday?s game.
36 Arrested At Wisconsin-Nebraska Game
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — University police say 36 people were arrested at Wisconsin?s home game against Nebraska.
Police, Fans Prepare For Badgers-Nebraska Faceoff
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — Saturday?s game between the University of Wisconsin and Big Ten newcomer Nebraska is one of the most highly anticipated matchups at Camp Randall in a very long time, and local law enforcement and fans of both teams were busy Friday making last-minute preparations for the historic match-up.
White House Gives High Honor To 3 Wis. Researchers
WISC-TV 3
The White House is giving three Wisconsinites the highest honor the government can give to science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
Guns Come to Campuses
Inside Higher Education
Universities and anti-gun lobbyists have had many reasons to celebrate this year, with the death or delay of bills in more than a dozen states that would have allowed the concealed carry of weapons on campuses. But it seems the momentum may be shifting.
Obesity and stem cell researchers possible contenders for Nobel prize in medicine
Washington Post
Two scientists who unlocked some of the mysteries linked to obesity or a professor who figured out how to make stem cells without human embryos could be candidates for the medicine award when the first of the 2011 Nobel Prizes are announced Monday.
Wilson and Wisconsin Run Down Nebraska, 48-17
New York Times
MADISON, Wis. ? On his first day on the Wisconsin campus this summer after transferring from North Carolina State, Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson called his own team meeting. He delivered a short and simple message to his new teammates: he had come to work hard and compete. But just the simple act of introducing himself to his teammates and acknowledging that nothing would be handed to him spoke to his savvy and maturity.
With Nebraska in Town, Wisconsin Gets Ready to Jump
New York Times
When Nebraska travels to Wisconsin for its Big Ten inauguration Saturday night, the game will resonate as a cultural event as much as a sporting contest. Wisconsin is bracing for the presence of some 30,000 Nebraska fans in Madison this weekend, many of whom do not have tickets and are just tagging along for the revelry and history.
Nebraska built the model for Badgers’ success
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In late 1989, the new athletic director at the University of Wisconsin made a discreet visit to South Bend, Ind., to talk to Notre Dame?s defensive coordinator about becoming the next head football coach at UW. At some point in the interview, Pat Richter asked Barry Alvarez the standard interview question.
“Where,” Richter said, “do you see yourself in the future?”
Always regarded for his high level of preparedness, Alvarez was virtually born to answer that one.”I laid it out like this,” Alvarez recalled this week. “My vision is to do what my college coach did. Build a program, sustain it and after 10 or 15 years, do it like Bob Devaney. Pick my successor and keep it going.”
UW diversity officer at center of admissions maelstrom
Wisconsin State Journal
Talk show host Bill O?Reilly called him “a loon.” The head of a conservative think tank said he fed students propaganda and egged on a student “mob.” The comments were directed at UW-Madison?s Chief Diversity Officer, Damon Williams, who has been at the center of an admissions maelstrom ever since the Virginia-based Center for Equal Opportunity alleged in a report this month that the university gives preferential treatment to black and Hispanic students.
Know Your Madisonian: Badgers fans recognize Mike Mahnke’s voice, if not his face
Wisconsin State Journal
Mike Mahnke has enjoyed a prime vantage point for University of Wisconsin football and men?s basketball games for two decades as the Badgers public address announcer. What does enjoy most about being a public address announcer? “I’ve had a front-row seat in a true “Golden Era” of Badgers sports but I also do it for the camaraderie. That esprit de corps with the basketball and football crews is amazing.”
On Campus: Director chosen for Wisconsin Institute for Discovery
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison announced the first permanent director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, a publicly-funded research institute on human health. David Krakauer, a professor at the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, will take over from interim director John Wiley in November.
Bill Lueders: UW bias busters not open about funding
Capital Times
The other day a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked me if I knew where the Center for Equal Opportunity gets its funding.It?s a good question. The Virginia-based center, which opposes affirmative action and bilingual education, recently released a pair of reports accusing the UW-Madison of rampant discrimination ? against white people and Asians. The beneficiaries of this alleged bias are African-Americans and Latinos. That an outside group would raise a fuss about reverse discrimination at UW-Madison, commonly seen as having too little diversity, struck some as peculiar.
Nebraska Fans To Invade Madison With Or Without Tickets To Game
WISC-TV 3
University of Wisconsin officials tout Saturday night?s game against Nebraska as the toughest ticket ever at 94-year-old Camp Randall Stadium.
Wisconsin Badgers fans known for partying, while Nebraska faithful focus on winning (Herald Times Reporter)
When comparing the Nebraska and University of Wisconsin?s football programs, one word, other than red, comes to mind: passion. It?s the common denominator between Badgers fans and Huskers fans
The New Soft Sell (SmartMoney.com)
SmartMoney.com
Quoted: “We?re not that far off from walking into a store where they have your profile and tailor everything to you,” says Deborah Mitchell, executive director for the Center of Brand and Product Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Which Wisconsin colleges offer the biggest paydays? (The Business Journal)
PayScale Inc. has the answers. The Seattle company, which surveys compensation, has ranked hundreds of schools by the median salaries of graduates when they are at mid-career. PayScale also ranks the schools based on average starting salaries for graduates. The top school in Wisconsin turned out to be the Milwaukee School of Engineering, with graduates on average starting careers at $54,100 a year. That’s well ahead of the second-ranked school in the category, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. UW-Madison grads start at $46,900 a year, on average.
Kydd: Palestinian bid for U.N. recognition is brilliant
Los Angeles Times
Everyone knows that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas? bid for statehood through the United Nations Security Council will fail. Even if the Palestinians get the nine votes needed , the United States will veto it. And yet the strategy is brilliant. Why? Because the Palestinians win even if they lose. Andrew Kydd is a professor of political science.
Rucks and scrums with Badger rugby
Isthmus
The UW-Madison rugby club plays its home matches on the western edge of the University Bay fields, prudently near UW Hospital. Its out-of-the-way location recalls an Oscar Wilde description of the sport: “Rugby is a good occasion for keeping thirty bullies far from the center of the city.”
Specialized gear for Saturday’s game selling fast
WKOW-TV 27
Whether it?s the Brewers, the Packers, or the Badgers, it?s a good year to be a Wisconsin sports fan.
Badger players visit with kids at children’s hospital
WKOW-TV 27
Despite the hype leading to Saturday?s football game, Badger players took some time for the kids Thursday.
UW police remind fans of game day rules
WKOW-TV 27
If you?re going to watch the Badgers take on the Cornhuskers on Saturday, the UW Madison Police Department has some important information to remember.
Kickoff Looming, But Gameday Is Already Here
NBC-15
For 11-years Mike Ruhlman has traveled the country setting up lights, stages and cameras for ESPN?s College Gameday.
Fans Can Enjoy Beer Gardens Longer For Saturday’s Game
WISC-TV 3
Local bars are extending hours at their beer gardens for the highly anticipated game between Nebraska and Wisconsin on Saturday night.