More than 100 international students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their family members are learning about agriculture firsthand Sunday.
International students spend day on farm
NBC-15
Author: jplucas
International Students Visit Cottage Grove Farm
WISC-TV 3
COTTAGE GROVE, Wis. — More than 100 international students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their family members are learning about agriculture firsthand Sunday.
Gov. Walker Signs Budget Into Law
WISC-TV 3
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — Having survived months of protests, injunctions, and appeals, Wisconsin?s budget is now officially law.
UPDATE: Walker signs state budget
WKOW-TV 27
ASHWAUBENON (WKOW) — Gov. Scott Walker signed his first budget on Sunday afternoon at a private ceremony near Green Bay.
Wisconsin has a new state budget
Wisconsin Radio Network
In signing the two-year $66 billion budget, Governor Scott Walker eliminates the debt saying ?Republicans and Democrats alike have caused this problem.? He says ?Unfortunately for all of us ?honest budgeting? was one of those areas where both political parties tended to look the other way.?
The perfect firestom (Audubon magazine)
Quoted: University of Wisconsin zoologist Martin Simard.
Weight loss surgery may cure diabetes in many cases
Reuters
Quoted: Jon Gould, who heads the weight loss surgery program at the University of Wisconsin and was not involved in the review.
G.I. Bill Cuts: Veterans Enrolled In College Face Uncertain Futures
Huffington Post
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.
As a 31-year-old Army veteran, Lee took advantage of one of the most successful tuition assistance programs in the nation?s history — the G.I. Bill. In exchange for his nine years of military service, the federal government agreed to pay for Lee?s college education.
But on a brittle February night, the rules suddenly changed. At a Vets for Vets meeting on campus, Lee listened in disbelief as a university official told his classmates that the government had reneged on its original promise. In December, Congress voted to cut their G.I. Bill benefits.
Bucks say they’re pleased with Leuer selection
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Bucks general manager John Hammond said it was pretty much a no-brainer when the University of Wisconsin?s Jon Leuer was still available to them with the 40th overall pick in Thursday?s NBA draft.
Long-lasting heart-shaped balloon in Capitol is ‘symbol of our fight’ for protest movement
Wisconsin State Journal
The tens of thousands of protesters have left. The metal detectors are gone. But a small reminder of the massive demonstrations that rocked the state Capitol for weeks on end remains. A mysterious heart-shaped red balloon still floats inside the Capitol dome, where it has hovered high over the rotunda since mid-February. Some say it has been hovering atop the dome since Feb. 14, the day hundreds of protesting UW-Madison students and teaching assistants held a Valentine?s Day march along State Street before flooding the Capitol with “valentines” for the governor and signs reading, “Please don?t break our hearts.”
UW librarian killed by bus remembered as great storyteller who loved to share knowledge
Wisconsin State Journal
Longtime UW-Madison library employee Maureen E. Grant, 58, of New Glarus, was identified Thursday as the pedestrian killed when struck by a Metro Transit bus on campus Wednesday morning. Grant was on her way to work at Memorial Library, walking across busy University Avenue in a crosswalk at around 9 a.m. A makeshift memorial of flowers now marks the corner where police say the bus hit her as the driver tried to make a left turn from North Lake Street onto University Avenue. The bus was driven by Debra Foster, a two-year employee of Metro Transit, according to information released by the city of Madison on Thursday afternoon. Metro Transit said it will not release more information about Foster due to its ongoing investigation.
Woman struck, killed by Madison bus IDed (AP)
Madison.com
The woman struck and killed by a Metro Transit bus on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus was a longtime university library employee. The Dane County medical examiner?s office identifies the victim as 58-year-old Maureen Grant of New Glarus. The Wisconsin State Journal reports Grant was walking to work at Memorial Library on Wednesday morning when police say she was struck by the bus turning left. Grant was in the crosswalk and had a walk signal.
Why Climate-Related Heat Waves Will Be Bad for Your Health (TIME.com)
For every 2 degrees the mercury in your thermometer rises over 85 Fahrenheit, hospital admissions for conditions such as diabetes and kidney disorders are predicted to rise by 13 percent, according to a study conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Purdue University and the National Center for Climatic Research.
Tale told by their genes: Testing for heart condition explains past deaths in family
Wisconsin State Journal
When Doug Bartow learned he had a genetic heart condition that can cause sudden death, he had mixed emotions: fear, blame and relief. Knowing the family has Long QT Syndrome ? a cause of sudden death in children and young adults, especially athletes ? also brought comfort. Some in the Bartow family are taking medications and avoiding strenuous activities to ward off dangerously irregular heartbeats, and all are being treated at UW Health?s Inherited Arrhythmias Clinic. The clinic, which started in 2004, treats more than 100 families with hereditary heart diseases. Doctors and genetic counselors help the families navigate the expanding world of genetic medicine, where knowledge of diseases can bring fear and hope, often at the same time.
Trip suggests he gets biotech
Wisconsin State Journal
It?s nice to see that Gov. Scott Walker?s ?open for business? mantra extends beyond the traditional sectors of Wisconsin?s economy ? agriculture, tourism and manufacturing ? to the biosciences and biotechnology. The Republican governor plans to tout Wisconsin as a great place for scientific businesses to thrive next week at the 2011 BIO International Convention in Washington, D.C. This is no small thing for Madison and Dane County, which are home to UW-Madison, its more than $1 billion in annual research, and a growing number of private companies making breakthroughs and developing products in the life sciences.
Lake Mills woman?s skin cells used in Long QT Syndrome research
Wisconsin State Journal
A skin sample from Helen Eckert, transformed into a colony of heart cells in a UW-Madison lab, could give scientists clues to what causes Long QT Syndrome, a genetic heart disease. Researchers reprogrammed her skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, containing the genetic mutation she carries that causes Long QT Syndrome. The iPS cells were coaxed into heart cells, also with the mutation. The process involved an iPS cell method developed by UW-Madison stem cell pioneer James Thomson.
UW football: Bargain rate for tickets
Madison.com
Here?s one way to measure the entertainment value of the University of Wisconsin football team heading into the new season: At $49, it will charge one of the lowest single-game ticket prices in the newly expanded Big Ten Conference. ?I?m surprised, quite frankly,? UW athletic director Barry Alvarez said, alluding to the sizeable gap between schools at the top and bottom of the list.
Pedestrian dies after being hit by Metro bus
Wisconsin State Journal
A woman struck by a Metro Transit bus Wednesday morning on the UW-Madison campus has died, according to the Dane County Medical Examiner?s Office. The woman was walking north across University Avenue in a crosswalk shortly before 9 a.m. and had a walk signal when she was hit by the bus turning left from Lake Street, the Madison Police Department said. The woman, whose name is not being released pending notification of relatives, was taken to UW Hospital.
Barry Alvarez Will Appear On ‘Entourage’
WISC-TV 3
University of Wisconsin-Madison athletic director Barry Alvarez will make an appearance with Mike Ditka on an episode of HBO?s “Entourage” this season, Ditka said in a radio interview.
Woman Struck By Madison Bus Dies
WISC-TV 3
A woman has died after being struck by a Madison Metro bus on Wednesday morning in downtown Madison.
Bill exempts researchers from animal cruelty cases
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A provision in the state budget would give more legal protection to researchers performing animal testing in the state.
Some animal rights activists say this will let researchers off the hook for animal cruelty, while researchers say it is necessary to close a loophole to ensure scientific studies continue. The amendment would exempt animal researchers in Wisconsin from any state criminal penalties for animal cruelty. Researchers would still be liable under federal law if they violate the protocol of their research institution.
UW Hospital: Abortion language inserted into state budget could jeopardize OB/GYN accreditation
Wisconsin State Journal
A provision inserted in the state budget would prohibit UW Hospital and Clinics from funding abortions, but it?s unclear whether that will stop the hospital from offering required abortion experience to doctors-in-training. Abortions are not performed at UW Hospital and Clinics, but obstetrics and gynecology residents train at Planned Parenthood to learn about family planning, which includes the opportunity to perform abortions. State law currently prohibits the use of public funds to pay physicians to perform abortions with few exceptions, but the new legislation specifically targets UW Hospital and Clinics. UW Hospital and Clinics is a public authority and does not receive state funding.
U.S. Senate panel probes Medtronic
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The growing controversy involves Medtronic?s spine surgery product Infuse, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002. Over the last year, Journal Sentinel reports have revealed large payments made to prominent surgeons around the country, including a University of Wisconsin-Madison orthopedic surgeon, who were involved in the clinical testing of Infuse or who wrote positive medical journal articles that failed to link the product to serious complications.
Heat will kill more than cold in Europe eventually (AP)
Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin, said there seems to be fewer cold-related deaths in the United States than in Europe. That may mean that America will see heat deaths outweigh cold deaths sooner than Europe does, he said. Other experts say air conditioning in the U.S. is a big factor so that scenario is unlikely.
New warning labels for cigarettes
Wisconsin Radio Network
Cigarette labels have not been updated in the US for more than 25 years. Dr. Michael Fiore is the director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention. He says the new graphic warnings will send a clear message to smokers about debilitating and fatal diseases caused by tobacco use.
Reforms will affect political activities (wisconsinreporter.com)
Quoted: ?In my mind, that?s the most important part of the legislation in terms of how it affects the strength of unions going forward,? said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UPDATE: Assembly passes concealed carry bill
WKOW-TV 27
The concealed carry bill is heading to Gov. Scott Walker?s desk for his signature. The Assembly has passed the legislation with bipartisan support Tuesday.
Assembly Passes Concealed Carry Bill
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin state Assembly passed a bill Tuesday with bipartisan support to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons, a change Republican Gov. Scott Walker supports and was expected to quickly sign into law.
Assembly passes concealed carry bill
Wisconsin Radio Network
Legislation legalizing concealed carry in Wisconsin is on its way to the Governor?s desk, following a bi-partisan vote in the Assembly Tuesday night. The legislation includes permit and training requirements, which supporters say will help to ensure the public is protected.
Tononi: A Test for Consciousness
Scientific American
Computers inch ever closer to behaving like intelligent human beings?witness the ability of IBM?s Watson to beat the all-time champs of the television quiz show Jeopardy.
Amherst College?s First Female President (WBUR-FM, Radio Boston)
We talk with the newly named president of Amherst College, Carolyn Martin, the college?s first female president, about her new post and politics in higher education. (Audio.)
Its Leader Under Fire, UMass Flagship Has No Clear Route to Elite Status
Chronicle of Higher Education
Noted: When chancellors appear to work back channels without buy-in from a system, they often undermine their own causes, says Aims C. McGuinness Jr., a senior analyst at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, a nonprofit consulting group. He equated Mr. Holubs medical-school move with recent efforts to gain autonomy by Carolyn A. Biddy Martin, the departing chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who was criticized by system officials when they learned of her quiet pursuit of a plan to break away from the system.
ESPN analysts see draft plans for MU’s Butler, UW’s Leuer
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla, who will provide analysis on ESPN?s presentation of the NBA Draft, both said Marquette?s Jimmy Butler and Wisconsin?s Jon Leuer will be among the 60 players chosen Thursday night.
About 100 illegal immigrants paid in-state tuition in 2010-11
Wisconsin State Journal
About 100 illegal immigrants took advantage of a law allowing them to pay in-state tuition at University of Wisconsin System schools in the 2010-11 academic year, according to a State Journal analysis, under a short-lived program that will likely expire July 1. Republican Gov. Scott Walker is expected to sign a two-year budget that will ban resident tuition for illegal immigrants, ending a program that former Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, signed into law just two years ago. The State Journal obtained data from the 13 four-year campuses in the UW System and found that about 70 illegal immigrants filed paperwork for resident tuition in 2009-10, while about 100 did so in 2010-2011.
St. Francis apartment plan hits snag
Wisconsin State Journal
A proposal by the Episcopal student center at UW-Madison to add a 12-story student apartment building to its site has met major pushback from a neighboring church, forcing a delay. The Madison Plan Commission voted Monday to send the proposal by St. Francis House Episcopal Student Center back to architects for adjustments.
On Campus: UW System administration must cut 50 jobs under budget plan
Wisconsin State Journal
University of Wisconsin System administration must cut about 50 full time positions — or 40 percent of its staff — under the budget that Gov. Scott Walker is expected to sign this week. That means the size of administrative staff will be reduced from 126 to about 75.
Blogs battle over New York Times’s report on Justice Clarence Thomas
Politico.com
Quoted: Ann Althouse, a University of Wisconsin law professor who writes an eponymous blog, suggested a double standard at play. Another justice seeking to secure funding for a hometown museum, she wrote, would result in starkly different coverage.
Lawsuit against Blackstone could test LBO defense
Reuters
Quoted: Jonathan Lipson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, said that settlement payments defense has been enlisted to protect a far broader group than intended by lawmakers, who were trying to prevent the roiling of stock markets if a deal was voided in a fraudulent transfer case.
Are Law Schools Opening Themselves to Deceptive-Advertising Claims? (Law.com)
Quoted: He?s not alone in believing that law schools are treading shaky legal ground. University of Wisconsin Law School professor and advertising law expert Gerald Thain agreed that the agency could take action against law schools that publish false or deceptive employment data.
UW System To Cut Administrative Positions
WISC-TV 3
The University of Wisconsin System is bracing for budget cuts that will require it to cut some positions.
Could Dumb Reality Shows Make Us More Stupid? (Jezebel.com)
Quoted: Joanne Cantor, a psychologist and professor of communication arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains that this may be because what we?ve just been thinking about is, “at a higher level in your consciousness, so your brain is kind of predisposed in that direction.”
Michigan May Get to Vote on Budget Cutters
Bloomberg News
Quoted: The fight over a Wisconsin law championed by Governor Scott Walker that curbs public unions? bargaining power prompted recall elections for six Republican senators July 12 and three Democratic senators July 19, said Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political-science professor.
Why are air conditioners so heavy? (Slate Magazine)
Quoted: Douglas T. Reindl of the Industrial Refrigeration Consortium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Criminal charges rare in cases of bullying, professor says (Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune)
Quoted: “In general, you don?t normally see criminal prosecution of any kind of bullying situation, short of someone suffering physical harm,” said Mike Scott, clinical professor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.
Epilepsy Organization Helps Fund Research Fellowship
WISC-TV 3
A new traumatic brain injury research project at UW-Madison could benefit service members
UW System sees some budget benefit
Wisconsin Radio Network
The University of Wisconsin System has gotten some of what it wanted from the state budget. The Madison campus will not be spun off, although the issue will be studied. Michael Spector, President of the UW System Board of Regents, said the campuses will have some long sought flexibilities in areas including budgeting and personnel management. ?Not everything we wanted in those areas, but certainly a significant amount. I think, the way legislation works, it?s a good start for the next biennium,? he said.
Assembly to vote on concealed carry
Wisconsin Radio Network
The state Assembly is expected to vote today on legislation legalizing the concealed carry of weapons in Wisconsin. The bill passed in the state Senate earlier this month creates a permit system and requires training to carry concealed guns and other weapons.
Cancer: Education may play role
Quoted: Dr. Patrick Remington, professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Public Health, and research by the Carbone Cancer Center.
The Healthy Skeptic: Gripe water is safe for babies with colic, but there is no scientific evidence that it works – chicagotribune.com
Chicago Tribune
Quoted: Dr. Anne Eglash, a family physician and clinical associate professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison.
UW System sees some budget benefit
Wisconsin Radio Network
The University of Wisconsin System has gotten some of what it wanted from the state budget. The Madison campus will not be spun off, although the issue will be studied. Michael Spector, President of the UW System Board of Regents, said the campuses will have some long sought flexibilities in areas including budgeting and personnel management. ?
News: Saying More With Less – Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Education
Mission statements, despite being referenced as the philosophical essences of their respective institutions, don?t get much respect on college campuses. Often wordy and cumbersome, they don?t get the airtime or T-shirt placement enjoyed by new advertising slogans or the classic Latin motto. Experts say the ideal statement for all organizations is between 40 and 70 words, and clearly articulates the organization?s desire to satisfy the needs of various stakeholders using aspirational and superlative terms. One can easily find numerous examples of declarations that fall outside suggested parameters. The City University of New York?s Borough of Manhattan Community College has a 338-word statement. The University of Wisconsin at Madison?s mission stretches to 425 words. And the University of Texas system?s multifaceted, bulleted statement tops out at 478 words.
Blogs battle over NYT’s report on Thomas – seattlepi.com
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Quoted: Ann Althouse, a University of Wisconsin law professor who writes an eponymous blog.
Michigan May Get to Vote on Budget Cutters
Bloomberg News
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political-science professor.
State budget will force most school districts to cut property taxes – JSOnline
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: State budget analysis by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Andrew Reschovsky.
National Concrete Canoe Championship Claimed by California Polytechnic State University – PR Newswire – sacbee.com
UW-Madison placed second in the American Society of Civil Engineers? 24th annual National Concrete Canoe Competition, losing to California Polytechnic State University.
Public Union Strife Redefining Wisconsin’s Identity : NPR
National Public Radio
In Wisconsin, the partisan fight over public union rights is changing the culture of the state. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks with political science professor Kathy Walsh from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Could Dumb Reality Shows Make Us More Stupid? – Jezebel
According to a new study, the entertainment we consume can influence our emotions and behavior. Joanne Cantor, a psychologist and professor of communication arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains that this may be because what we?ve just been thinking about is, “at a higher level in your consciousness, so your brain is kind of predisposed in that direction.”
Side dishes: UW-Madison team wins food product contest
Wisconsin State Journal
Pixie Dust was magic for a team of UW-Madison food science graduate students in New Orleans last weekend. That?s the name of the drink mix that earned them first place in a Disney-sponsored food product development contest at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting. The contest called for Disney-themed entries of products healthy for kids. Pixie Dust is made from freeze-dried fruit and can be mixed with either milk or water. It supplies the equivalent of a full serving of fruit.
UW should consider business leader
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
As Chancellor Biddy Martin prepares to clean out her office in Bascom Hall by August, the coming national search for her successor should take into account some trends that are shaping higher education in other states.
As Biddy Martin leaves UW-Madison, opinions formulate about next chancellor – JSOnline
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The pay is good. The perks are, too. But who will want to be the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison? When Carolyn “Biddy” Martin abruptly announced last week that she was leaving the top post to become president of Amherst College, it was clear her relationship with the Board of Regents and UW System President Kevin Reilly had soured over a battle for campus autonomy, hatched behind her bosses? backs. With budget cuts looming and a raucous political atmosphere in Madison, the new person at Bascom Hall will have to be tenacious, politically astute and a peacemaker. Moreover, that person will have to show that leading a top-five public research institution has somehow not been tarnished by the turmoil.