When the phone call came, back in March, Dick Houden thought it was a joke. He has kids who are not above pulling pranks. When Houden realized it truly was Barry Alvarez, and that he was calling to tell Houden he had been selected for the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, Houden couldn?t help it. He wept. Houden was a sprinter who specialized in short distances, but he?d come a very long way. Friday evening, Houden will be one of six former UW athletes inducted into the hall, with Alvarez himself ? the winningest football coach in school history ? making a total of seven in the 2010 class.
Author: jplucas
UW praises stem cell ruling but wants law changed
Stem cell researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are relieved by a court ruling that will allow their federal funding to continue temporarily. Researchers had warned that studies on a range of diseases would come to a halt if a federal judge?s order blocking the funding stayed in place. An appeals court ruled Thursday the funding can proceed temporarily until the court rules on the Obama administration?s position in a lawsuit that calls the research illegal. UW-Madison?s federal lobbyist Rhonda Norsetter says the decision is terrific news.
Update: UW scientist praises court ruling that allows stem cell funding
A leading scientist at UW-Madison praised a ruling Thursday lifting a recent ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but said an ongoing court case still calls the future of the funding into question. “It?s good news; we hope this will allow the research to go on unimpeded,” said Dr. Tim Kamp, director of the university?s Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center. “The challenge is that it?s hard to plan for the future with this on-again, off-again situation.” A federal appeals court permitted federal funding of embryonic stem cell research to proceed while it considers a judge?s ruling last month that had temporarily shut off the funds.
Embryonic stem cell funding allowed — for now
The government may resume funding of embryonic stem cell research for now, an appeals court said Thursday, but the short-term approval may be of little help to research scientists caught in a legal battle that has just begun. It is far from certain that scientists actually will continue to get federal money as they struggle to decide what to do with research that is hard to start and stop.
Quoted: Dr. Norman Fost, director of the bioethics program at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who was on the National Academy of Sciences committee that wrote the first national guidelines on embryonic human stem cells.
Stem cell funding ban suspended during appeal
Federal judges Thursday temporarily stayed a human embryonic stem cell research funding cut-off, allowing experiments to continue for now.
Stem Cell Ban Lifted Pending Court Appeal
Following an outcry from the Obama administration and the scientific community, an appeals court Thursday lifted the controversial Aug. 23 injunction placed on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research by Judge Royce C. Lamberth.
UI?s five-year strategic plan to be released today (The Daily Iowan)
Quoted: But while any good plan isn?t dependent on a sole creator, losing a key player doesn?t help the process, said Paul DeLuca, the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Obama To Hold Rally In Madison
Quoted: “It?s going to be great to have the president back in Madison,” said Evan Giesemann, chairman of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College Democrats. “He obviously has a lot of fans here, and it will be great to hear his message.”
Wisconsin’s Davis is the latest law dean to step down (National Law Journal)
Want to run a law school? You?ve got options. University of Wisconsin Law School Dean Kenneth Davis Jr. is the latest to announce that he will step down at the end of this academic year.
UW praises stem cell ruling but wants law changed
Stem cell researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are relieved by a court ruling that will allow their federal funding to continue temporarily.
UW Modifies Carry-In Policies For Badgers Games
The Wisconsin Badgers will take the field at Camp Randall on Saturday, and with the new season comes new policies on what fans can bring to home football games.
Disagreeing Over Care After an Operation Fails
Noted: With support from the Greenwall Foundation, researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee asked a small group of doctors involved in high-risk elective operations about withdrawal of life support, advance directives and informed consent and presented clinical scenarios that involved withdrawing care.
U.S. Pressures the I.M.F. to Give Greater Role to Growing Economies
Quoted: ?The underlying problem is that the Europeans are overrepresented relative to the size of their economies, and the developing countries are underrepresented,? said Mark S. Copelovitch, a political scientist who studies the I.M.F. at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Beer and gloating in Las Vegas: A Badger fan’s dream journey
It was a sea of red every step of the way.Last Thursday night, I got to Rockford International Airport to board a flight to Las Vegas for what has become a regular Badger event ? a football game in Sin City against UNLV.
Early Warning for Endangered Species? (Science)
Ecologists have long wondered how to tell when a population of animals is about to slide toward extinction. A new study provides a statistical alarm that does just that. “The paper is an important test of early-warning signals,” says ecologist Stephen Carpenter of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who was not involved in the work. The result was based on a simple laboratory experiment, but if the technique works in the wild, it could help land managers know when they need to step up their conservation efforts.
Committee Begins Work to Lower Wisconsin’s Infant Death Rate (WUWM-FM)
Quoted: Dr. Phil Farrell, who works in pediatrics and health sciences at U-W Madison, kicked off the gathering by calling Wisconsin?s infant mortality rate a national disgrace
American Family Children’s Hospital receives $100,000 donation
A local hospital is getting thousands in hopes of better serving the needs of kids facing cancer.
UW Law School Dean will step down
The University of Wisconsin Law School will have to search for a new dean.
Dalai Lama gifts $50K for healthy minds center at UW-Madison
The Dalai Lama is living up to his promise to support research at UW-Madison?s Center for Investigating Healthy Minds.
Feingold accepts invitations for six debates
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
Dalai Lama gives $50K to support brain research
The Dalai Lama is putting his money where his mouth is. The Tibetan spiritual leader has given $50,000 from his personal trust to support research into the science behind kindness and compassion at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The grant to the school?s Center for Investigating Healthy Minds comes after the Dalai Lama promoted its work during a visit to Madison in May.
On Campus: University of Wisconsin law school dean to step down
The dean of UW-Madison?s law school, Kenneth B. Davis, said he will step down in September 2011 to return to the faculty.
Lucas at Large: Alvarez and Davey share UW Hall of Fame stage
Neither Barry Alvarez nor Don Davey gave it a passing thought 20 years ago that some day they would be a part of the same induction class for the University of Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame. “That?s why getting inducted together makes it extra special,?? Davey said.
Ron Johnson’s wealth could trump under-funded rivals Stephen Finn and Dave Westlake in bid to go up against Russ Feingold in Senate race (AP)
Noted: “He?s walked in every parade held in the state,” said Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Who Dreads College Sendoff More? Parents (AP)
The hour when Ariana Kramer will begin her college career is fast approaching – and her parents are in an office supply store, disagreeing about hanging files, of all things.
Geology: A trip to dinosaur time
The key to answering all of these questions will be accurate dating of the core. This will help to correlate the Songliao records with their marine counterparts. “Without a precise timescale, the values of any other pieces of information that can be recovered from the core would be diminished tremendously,” says Bradley Singer, a geochronologist at the University of Wisconsin?Madison.
Seven Tips for Overcoming E-Mail Overload
Quoted: “Have certain messages go directly into folders that you can look at just when you want to,” said Joanne Cantor, director of the Center for Communication Research at the University of Wisconsin?Madison and author of “Conquer CyberOverload.”
How surfboards and surf mags are changing the lives of L.A.’s at-risk youth (ESPN The Magazine)
You don?t know Kevin Solis. Why should you? He?s a quiet but articulate sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, who at first glance is much like any other kid his age. But arriving in Madison by way of the impoverished Los Angeles Unified School District, there?s something unique about Solis.
English assimilation process not always speedy
Noted: German immigrants to the Badger State between the 1830s and 1930s actually found little reason to master English, “appearing to live and thrive for decades while speaking exclusively German,” concluded Miranda Wilkerson, then an assistant professor of German at Western Illinois University and Joseph Salmons, a professor of German at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Un-Natural Selection: Human Evolution’s Next Steps
John Hawks, an anthropologist and geneticist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, says we?ve created a lifestyle that is at odds with the one natural selection provided us with. Consider, for example, what ate when we were hunter gatherers, long before we started farming.
Turkish physicists lose faith in Hawking (Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Turkey)
Quoted: Professor Hakk? Ogelman from the physics department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States told the Daily News that he agreed with Hawking. ?I have great respect for Hawking,? he said. ?The universe does not need a creator to be created.?
No recession here: Election spending sets records (BusinessWeek)
Quoted: “The whole notion of ?Vote against Snodgrass by Gillette shaving cream? — it?s just not going to happen,” said Kenneth Goldstein, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist who specializes in political media.
Catholic student group wrongly denied funding, court rules (US Catholic Magazine)
A federal appeals court has ruled that the University of Wisconsin imposed unconstitutional limits on the activities of a Catholic student group at the school.
Doyle Warns Of Impact Of Stem Cell Ruling
Gov. Jim Doyle said a court ruling blocking funding for embryonic stem cell research could be detrimental to Wisconsin?s growing biotechnology industry
Congressional Prospects Start to Look ‘Real’ for Former MTV Star
Quoted: “In a year like this, which is bad for Democrats, he has a legitimate shot at winning. In fact, I think he?s probably going to win,” said Kenneth Mayer, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ex-UW Researcher Gets Probation In Misconduct Case
A judge has sentenced a former University of Wisconsin-Madison genetics researcher to two years of probation for submitting false data to federal reviewers.
Report: 25% of WI Manufacturing Jobs Lost In Last Decade (WHBL-AM)
Analysts at UW-Madison say working Wisconsinites have ?little to celebrate? on this Labor Day.
Republicans have hotter contest in governor primary (AP)
Quoted: Neumann?s decision not to go after Walker was unusual, said UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
GOP nomination for governor hard to predict
Quoted: UW-Madison Political Scientist Charles Franklin says the race has been a very difficult one to handicap, since there?s been almost no recent public polling directly comparing the two candidates. He says that creates a situation where conventional wisdom can ?run away? and we just don?t know what the outcome will be.
Wisconsin to fight stem cell injunction, Gov. Jim Doyle says (AP)
Wisconsin will “move forward on every legal front we can” to overturn a court ruling that has blocked federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday.
Dalai Lama gives $50K to support brain research
The Tibetan spiritual leader has given $50,000 from his personal trust to support research into the science behind kindness and compassion at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jonathan Biatch and Charles L. Cohen: Islam is not the enemy
Noted: Co-author Charles Cohen is a professor of history and religious studies and director of the Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions at UW-Madison.
Wis. governor says stem cell ruling could hurt
Wisconsin will “move forward on every legal front we can” to overturn a court ruling that has blocked federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday.D oyle said the injunction entered by a federal judge in Washington last month could cripple Wisconsin?s growing bioscience industry and stop the search for cures for disease. Doyle spoke at the Waisman Center, where UW-Madison scientists using stem cells to study ways to treat eye disorders and Down syndrome expect to immediately lose grants totaling $400,000. UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin said two dozen university researchers have been affected by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth?s decision, and jobs and millions of dollars are at stake.
Scott Walker campaign pivots to attack Republican opponent Mark Neumann
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a UW-Madison political science professor and polling expert.
State, university band together to fight for University of Wisconsin stem cell research
With research grants on hold and dozens of scientists uncertain about ongoing experiments, Gov. Jim Doyle and UW-Madison officials said Tuesday that a recent federal court ruling that halts federally funded work with human embryonic stem cells is a serious threat that both the state and the university intend to fight. “There is an incredible amount of uncertainty,” Doyle said at a press conference at UW-Madison?s Waisman Center, where researchers are relying on stem cells to study maladies such as vision problems and Down syndrome. As they await the outcome of legal challenges, as many as two dozen UW-Madison stem cell researchers face costly disruptions in their efforts to test the cells? power to cure human ailments such as juvenile diabetes and spinal injuries, Chancellor Biddy Martin said at the news conference.
Walker, Neumann take aim at each other in gov race
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor and founder of pollster.com.
Bucky Badger head returned unscathed at UW-Madison
The head of Bucky Badger has been returned. A University of Wisconsin-Madison student who?s one of several who play the role of mascot Bucky Badger told police he and his roommates had a get-together with friends at their Madison apartment Sunday night. He said the 28-pound Bucky head was missing when he awoke Monday morning.
Doug Moe: University of Wisconsin graduate dreams big, like, castle-big
Jeremy Crane, 22, started a business derived from all the old furniture you see on Mifflin and Langdon Streets and everywhere in between when the students are moving in and out. The business is called Furnish U, and it?s likely only one of what will be many entrepreneurial successes for Crane.
New director selected for University of Wisconsin primate research center
UW-Madison announced a new director of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, one of eight federally funded primate research centers and the only one in the Midwest. Jon Levine, a neurophysiologist from Northwestern University, took over Sept. 1.
UW-Madison Reaches Out to Student Veterans
UW-Madison is making the college experience easier for its student veterans, and that?s because of John Bechtol. He?s the Assistant Dean of Students at UW-Madison and a former professor of military science there.
Best college towns (and cities) ranked
Shopping for colleges? Location may be more important than you think, according to a new index of 75 “best cities” for college students. “The education and experiences you get extend beyond the walls of the campus,” says Kerry Lynch, senior fellow at the non-profit American Institute for Economic Research, whose 2010-2011 College Destination Index is out Wednesday.
Note: Madison is ranked #6 in its size category.
Judge denies request to fund embryonic stem cell research pending
A Federal Judge denied the Justice Department?s request to temporarily delay an order to shut down federal funding for such work on Tuesday.
Gov. Doyle pushes for stem cell research funding
Governor Jim Doyle says Wisconsin will do anything it can to restore funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Thief changes mind and returns Bucky Badger head
A thief had a change of heart and returned Bucky Badger?s head.
Brazilian Universities Find Challenges in Internationalization
Noted: Certainly, Brazil?s top universities find they have no shortage of suitors from abroad. A number of Brazilian institutions have signed deals recently with universities elsewhere. The University of São Paulo recently arranged a student- and faculty-exchange agreement with China?s Henan University. In April, the University of Wisconsin at Madison announced a plan to deepen its ties to Brazil and its higher-education establishment.”We have started a series of symposia about Brazil. We are identifying some strategic partnerships with universities in Brazil,” says Giles Bousquet, dean of international studies and vice provost for globalization. “It is a paradigm shift, and that paradigm shift is refocusing the university in educating graduates that are going to see the emerging powers as a key group of partners and Brazil as a key country.”
Madison Muslims Have Concerns
Madison?s Islamic Center is a busy place. Only a few blocks from campus many students pour in for prayer. They do it with a lot on their mind. Muslim Students Association President Rashid Dar says, “It gets kind of disheartening after a while.”
Doyle vows to fight for stem cell research funds
The state joins national efforts to ensure that federal funding is available for stem cell researchers in Wisconsin, so says Governor Jim Doyle at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
GOP nomination for governor hard to predict
Quoted: UW-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin.
Officials to conduct on-site review of UW Hospital after syringe incident
Officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plan to conduct an on-site review of UW Hospital after a needleless syringe was reused there in July, the hospital said in a statement Friday.
On Campus: Nearly half of UW-Madison students own smart phones
Regardless of whether college students are reaching new intellectual heights, their phones are certainly getting smarter. Almost half (45 percent) of UW-Madison students reported owning a smart phone, a handheld Internet device like an iPhone or Blackberry, according to the university?s 2010 Computing Survey.