UW System President Kevin Reilly lured former UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward out of retirement to serve as interim chancellor of the state?s flagship university, an effort to provide an experienced and familiar leader after a period of contentiousness. ?He?s someone who can bring people together on campus, who can reach out to the other UW System chancellors and can serve as a very strong advocate for our flagship, land-grant, global institution that is UW-Madison,? Reilly said at a news conference Wednesday at Bascom Hall.
Author: jplucas
Did Australian Aborigines Change the Weather? (ScienceNOW)
Noted: Previously, researchers have linked such burning to the extinctions of some species of Australian megafauna, including several species of kangaroos, wombats, and other marsupials, thousands of years ago. But whether these burns affected the region?s climate was unclear. The fact that previous climate simulations were limited to the core months of the rainy season may have limited their scope, says Michael Notaro, a climate scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Students Try Groundbreaking Science underwater (WSAW-TV, Wausau)
Quoted: “We?re attempting to target that cold water habitat that the Rainbow Smelt need,” said Jordan Read, a University of Wisconsin-Madison doctoral student and organizer of the project. “In order to do that we?re mixing the bottom lake waters, which are normally very cold, with the surface waters which are much warmer. The end result is a lake that is too warm for the invasive fish to survive but has normal temperatures for some of the warmer water fish.”
Analysis: Weak economy shadows Obama even in bright areas (Reuters)
Quoted: “At this point, it?s awfully hard to see an Obama commercial that says ?It?s morning again in America,?” said Charles Franklin, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin and a founder of Pollster.com.
Multiple Sclerosis Study Shows Promise In Improving Patients (KETV-TV, Omaha)
OMAHA, Neb. — Kurt Shafer is walking stronger and more confidently than he has in years, and he credits an experimental electronic device he uses five times a day.
Democrats want non-partisan approach to redistricting (Wisconsin Public Radio)
Quoted: The plan has the support of University of Wisconsin Madison political science professor David Canon, who says that this year provides a good example of how redistricting is politicized. He says that with recall elections on the horizon, state Senate Republicans may pass a new map this summer before many local political boundaries are redrawn.
Justice Prosser’s temper being questioned (WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee)
Quoted: “I think it does exemplify the political messiness of this,” University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said. “It does reflect the extreme partisan atmosphere. All sides are so committed to winning, whatever the issue is, that any sense that there could be an objective judgment appears to be lost in the rhetoric.”
Onslaught of Allergies, Part Two (WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee)
Quoted: Dr. Dan Jackson, of UW-Madison, believes there are several other factors at play.”It is likely related to how we live, but what those factors are remain unclear,” Jackson said. “It could related to food processing, food handling, a variety of other things.”
State Supreme Court: Investigation of alleged State Supreme Court altercation continues (WITI-TV, Milwaukee)
Quoted: UW-Madison Political Science Professor Charles Franklin says even though the supreme court scuffle has a punch-line quality, it?s actually a very serious matter. “No matter what way the evidence ultimately ends up about who did what to whom the fact that we?ve reached the point of physical altercation between justices I think is powerful evidence that the courts normal judicial decorum has broken down.”
Walker, UW officials, Johnson Controls to announce research deal involving energy storage (AP)
GLENDALE, Wis. ? Gov. Scott Walker and several University of Wisconsin officials are expected to announce a research partnership involving energy storage.
UW names David Ward interim chancellor
Former UW Madison Chancellor David Ward serve as interim chancellor as the school looks to replace Biddy Martin.
Former UW-Madison Chancellor Back On Interim Basis
A former University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor is returning to the position on an interim basis while UW officials seek a permanent replacement for the most recent chancellor.
Ward named UW interim chancellor
A former UW Madison chancellor will serve in that post until a replacement is found for Biddy Martin.
Experts repudiate Medtronic’s research
Doctors who received millions of dollars from device maker Medtronic repeatedly failed to reveal serious complications linked to the company?s lucrative back surgery product in 13 papers they co-authored for medical journals over the course of nearly a decade, according to a scathing new review.
In The Spine Journal, Specialists Repudiate Medtronic Research
Noted: Several researchers who were involved in the Medtronic-sponsored studies have defended their reports as scientifically sound and free of company influence, either directly or indirectly. For example, one of them, Dr. Thomas A. Zdeblick of the University of Wisconsin, said that he did not have a ?direct financial interest in the success of Infuse or Medtronic.? Over the years, Dr. Zdeblick has received over $20 million in royalty payments from Medtronic in connection with patents on devices, including one that is used with Infuse.
Court watchers say high court has hit new low
Quoted: Donald Downs, a UW-Madison professor of law and political science.
Mahoney turns Supreme Court investigation over to chief deputy
Quoted: Charles Franklin, political science professor at UW-Madison, and Howard Schweber, a political science professor at UW-Madison.
UW building evacuated temporarily after gas leak discovered
The UW-Madison Social Sciences Building was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after construction crews damaged a gas line. The gas leak was discovered at about 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of North Charter Street and Observatory Drive.
Wis. sheriff distances himself from court probe (AP)
Quoted: Howard Schweber, a UW-Madison political science and law professor.
Collective bargaining law takes effect
After months of protest marches, court hearings, and marathon legislative sessions, Governor Scott Walker?s law that rolls back the ability to collectively bargain for many state workers officially takes effect today. It?s been a historic journey for the measure to get to this point, as it has worked its way through the Legislature and the courts in a battle like no other in recent memory. It has left many in the state divided and will likely impact the political landscape of Wisconsin for the next several years.
Tensions rising over cost disparities at U
Departing University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks calls it one of his proudest achievements: The state?s flagship campus in the Twin Cities, which serves 50,000 students, has done a better job than most across the country at steering scholarships to its poorest undergraduates.
Engineer Simon Chen built strong connection to UW
With hindsight – and all history is hindsight – it made sense that Simon K. Chen would write a history of his family in retirement.
Justice Prosser was asked to get help for anger, sources say
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a UW-Madison political scientist.
UW football: Badgers went to great lengths in unusual courtship of Wilson
University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema has never been through a recruiting process like the one that landed North Carolina State transfer quarterback Russell Wilson. It?s unlikely Bielema will go through anything like it again. Bielema kept using the word “unique” during a news conference Tuesday to describe the two-month courtship that landed the Badgers their likely starting quarterback for the upcoming season.
UW-Madison?s freshman admission rate the lowest in 20 years
UW-Madison accepted about half of the students who applied to be a member of the freshman class, the lowest admission rate in at least 20 years for the state?s flagship university. It?s a function of the fact that a record number of students applied, while the size of the freshman class remained the same as in recent years, at about 5,900.Officials say more applicants for the same number of spots have led to an unintended consequence: Admission to UW-Madison is more selective.
John Bayer: Wiley trumps Martin on accomplishments
I read with interest outgoing UW Chancellor Biddy Martin?s list of ?accomplishments,? which included increased tuition for most middle class students, starting a book club, giving President Barack Obama a jersey, appearing in a music video, posing for pictures with students during snowball fights, going to China twice and apparently tweeting a lot with students.She also failed to achieve the New Badger Partnership Plan. For this she was paid more than 1.2 million dollars over three years.
Parasitic Worms May Offer Hope of New Multiple Sclerosis Treatments
For people suffering from debilitating autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, there is growing evidence that help may be at hand from an unusual source: parasitic worms.
John Fleming, a professor of neurology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, led a recent study suggesting a pig parasite is effective in treating MS symptoms.
Dane County sheriff endorsed Prosser’s opponent
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin.
Walker says he should have prepared public earlier for his sweeping changes
Gov. Scott Walker said Monday he should have done more to prepare the public for his plan to eliminate most collective bargaining for public employees.
“We had not built enough of the case” for the sweeping plan, Walker said during a wide-ranging session with Journal Sentinel reporters and editors.
The collective bargaining law, which goes into effect Wednesday, will allow future bargaining only on wages with increases capped at the rate of inflation. It also will require annual certification votes on union representation and bar deduction of union dues from public workers? paychecks.
Wilson gives UW much-needed experience at quarterback
Time will tell if Russell Wilson fills the quarterback void for Wisconsin, but the Badgers? latest recruit talks a good game. In a conference call Monday, the former North Carolina State signal caller came across as mature and levelheaded while displaying a balance of confidence and humility that should serve him well as he navigates a new locker room and pursues the starting job at the team?s highest-profile position.
‘Adolescent’ fruit flies need extra sleep to cope with their active social lives
Like human teenagers, busy fruit flies with an active social life need extra sleep, scientists have found.
G.I. Bill Cuts: Veterans Enrolled In College Face Uncertain Futures
MADISON, Wis. — Nearly two years ago, Stephen Lee uprooted his wife and two children from their home in Clarksville, Tenn., to study political science here at the University of Wisconsin.
Weight loss surgery may cure obese diabetics: Study (Reuters)
Quoted: ?Surgery ought to be considered front line therapy for diabetes among obese people,? said Jon Gould, who heads the weight loss surgery program at the University of Wisconsin and was not involved in the study.
The potato preserve (The Charlotte Observer)
Quoted: Shelley Jansky is a research geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been developing strains of potatoes that are resistant to diseases such as blight, the common scab and virus Y.
UNL prepared for historic marriage to Big Ten (Lincoln Journal Star)
No cold feet here. Like a giddy bride about to marry her high school sweetheart, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is making last-minute preparations and ensuring all members of the wedding party are in their proper places for the walk down the aisle.
Hate takes over in S.C. – The Civil War: 150 Years Later
Quoted: ?Tillman is present at the polls in Edgefield County, waving a gun, telling black Republicans, ?If you come any further, you?ll have to come through blood,?? said Stephen Kantrowitz, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin and author of ?Ben Tillman and the Reconstruction of White Supremacy.?
As nation of immigrants, Canada must now confront its emigrants
Quoted: Jonathan Gray, a Canadian citizen who lived in five countries during his childhood, did graduate studies in Britain and now teaches at the University of Wisconsin. He last lived in Canada in 1999 and hasn?t voted in a Canadian election in several years. Prof. Gray, 35, is also a British citizen and will soon be eligible to become a U.S. citizen.
Weeds from hell (The Columbus Dispatch)
Quoted: Powerhouse perennials such as Japanese knotweed sometimes are paved over. That won?t stop them, said Mark Renz, a professor of agronomy with the University of Wisconsin.
Are Wood-Pellet Grills Healthier?
Quoted: Researchers say there is a possibility the smoke from pellets could contain PAHs. Hardwoods, which Traeger uses for its pellets, tend to burn cleanly. But “if nobody?s analyzed the smoke, it?s all guesswork,” says Michael Pariza, a scientist at the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Access a struggle for Metro bus riders
Quoted: Brian Ohm, chairman of the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, said design of urban areas veered away from a focus on public transit for decades as American consumers turned to personal automobiles.
What’s next for state Supreme Court after alleged physical confrontation between two justices? (WLUK-TV, Green Bay)
“You go back just 10-15 years the Wisconsin State Supreme Court really was viewed as an exemplary institution of good government, above the political fray, ” said Howard Schweber, a political science and legal studies professor at U-W Madison.
Hawks: CultureLab– The latest chapter in the story of our ancestors
I ADMIT it was with some trepidation that I began to read Chris Stringer?s new book, The Origin of Our Species, on a long train journey. I mention the train because I wondered if I was fit to survive hours spent captive with the Darwinian prose suggested by the title. I needn?t have worried. Stringer has a crisp style that helps lighten what might have been heavy material.
Blog U.: Retuning GlobalHigherEd
After experiencing the busiest academic years of our respective lives, we?ve decided to adjust the pitch of GlobalHigherEd, somewhat, and include a broader mix of long (for a weblog) analytical entries with shorter updates regarding important new reports, interesting visualizations, video clips, links to key stories or event-related websites, and so on. This should enable us to keep the weblog moving on a more measured pace, and also complement our active Twitter feed (which now has 2,700+ followers).
On Campus: UW System will no longer collect dues for employee groups
UW System will no longer deduct membership fees from the paychecks of employees who are part of membership organizations such as the UW-Madison faculty group PROFS, or the academic staff group ASPRO.
Dog found in trash bin makes ‘miraculous’ recovery
Braveheart, the emaciated mutt found in a commercial trash bin in Kentucky with mange and worms and covered with sores, is now strong and healthy and virtually unrecognizable after being treated at the UW Veterinary Care Small Animal Hospital and finding a loving home.
Tom Oates: Five reasons why Badgers are poised for special season
By turning his back on professional baseball and rejecting national champion Auburn in order to play his final college football season at UW, quarterback Russell Wilson shifted the balance of power in the Big Ten, if not the nation. Reaction to Wilson?s announcement made national headlines, with many pundits calling UW the new favorite in the Big Ten and a legitimate national title contender.
Walker vows to continue pressing for UW-Madison autonomy
Gov. Scott Walker vowed Monday to keep pushing for his plan to split off UW-Madison from the rest of the University of Wisconsin System, even after the state Legislature axed it from the two-year state budget. The state Legislature commissioned a special 17-member task force to study the structure of UW System. It must submit a report on that issue by Jan. 1. Walker will appoint two of the task force members. He said he will work with the state Legislature to develop reforms for the campuses by the next two-year budget.
Wis. Supreme Court argument leads to investigation
Quoted: Howard Schweber, a political science and law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rob Nixon: Slow Violence
Environmentalists face a fundamental challenge: How can we devise arresting stories, images, and symbols that capture the pervasive but elusive effects of what I call “slow violence”? Climate change, the thawing cryosphere, toxic drift, deforestation, the radioactive aftermaths of wars, oil spills, acidifying oceans, and a host of other slowly unfolding environmental crises confront us with formidable representational obstacles that hinder efforts to mobilize for change.
Madison Police Investigate Downtown Burglaries
Madison police are investigating several downtown residential burglaries that were reported Saturday morning.
Professor: State Supreme Court Has Become ‘Laughingstock’
MADISON, Wis. — A University of Wisconsin law professor said that bickering among the state?s Supreme Court justices has made the court a “laughingstock.”
Quoted: Howard Schweber, UW-Madison associate professor of political science and legal studies
Recent illness outbreak may hurt raw milk legislation
Noted: As written, the new bill lacks a lot of safeguards that were included in the last– like requiring all farmers to test their milk for pathogens. That irks Scott Rankin, chair of UW’s Food Science Department. He says this latest bill is so oversimplified, “It doesn’t even come up to the standard of any food, really.”
Among Antiques, Lalique, Snuffboxes and Soviet Film Posters
Noted: In October a new wing at the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will display about 30 Lalique objects. The Chazen goblets, vases and perfume bottles are molded with pine needles, grapes, butterflies, scarabs, parakeets and grasshoppers.
Walker signs budget bill, vetoes just 50 items
Gov. Scott Walker signed a two-year $66 billion budget Sunday that will cut nearly $800 million from public schools, expand taxpayer support for private voucher schools, cut taxes for investors and businesses, clamp down on property taxes and put the state?s finances in better shape than they?ve been in for more than a decade.
Can ‘fake’ Democrats really pull an upset?
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political scientist at UW-Madison.
Young and old praise Tosa Pool’s opening
Although the temperature was only in the 50s, the cool weather didn?t deter John Morgridge from being the first person down the slide into the new Tosa Pool at Hoyt Park at a preview party May 27, the night before the facility?s grand opening. Following Morgridge into the pool was Milwaukee County Parks Director Sue Black, and the two high-fived it afterward.
Walker Makes 50 Vetoes In State Budget
Noted: Walker also used his veto pen to eliminate Board of Regents review and approval of University of Wisconsin-Madison compensation, personnel system plans and tentative labor agreements because “these plans will already require approval from the Joint Committee on Employment Relations?? and “removing this level of approval will give the state?s flagship campus the level of autonomy it needs to successfully compete in the global higher education environment.”
Officials: Bus Driver Involved In Fatal Crash Had Won Safe Driving Award
MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Metro bus driver who was involved in a fatal crash that killed a pedestrian on Wednesday had received an award for safe driving in 2010.
Wisconsin’s freshmen lawmakers expand their outreach
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said there is no right or wrong way for members to cultivate constituent relations.
Wisconsin raw milk debate: Health issue or consumer issue?
Quoted: Scott Rankin, chairman of the Department of Food Science at UW-Madison and member of the working group, says the latest bill is not based on science.