Noted: In a similar case, bookstores around the University of Wisconsin sold â??Bucky Badgerâ? T-shirts royalty-free for years â?? until the university trademarked the mascot itself in the late 1980s and won its case in court, Lunney said.
Author: jplucas
Prof. to push diversity (Yale Daily News)
Jo Handelsman was in a faculty hiring meeting earlier in her career when the group suddenly came to an unusual consensus: They needed a potato virologist.A search for an expert on potato diseases had been underway at the university for six months, but no one had previously mentioned the need for that particular type of specialist, she said.
Handelsman became a Yale professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology earlier this month after transferring from the University of Wisconsin.
Can Asian carp invasion be averted? (The Bay View Compass)
One of the 450 who dropped everything and headed to Romeoville was Phil Moy, a fisheries and aquatic invasive species specialist with the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. Fifteen years ago, Moy served as the first manager of a project to erect an electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to repel foreign fish.
UWSP smoking ban on hold (AP)
Chicago Tribune
A proposal to make the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus entirely smoke free is on hold because of enforcement questions.
Suspect In Fatal Hit-And-Run Appears In Court, Waives Preliminary Hearing
WISC-TV 3
Johnny Jones waived his right to a preliminary hearing while making his first court appearance in the fatal hit-and-run crash that killed University of Wisconsin-Madison Student Shanica Adkins.
UW dance program’s Jin-Wen Yu observes a milestone with new and past works in Meta-50
Isthmus
UW-Madison dance program chair Jin-Wen Yu celebrates his 50th birthday with his companyâ??s Meta-50, an evening of works presented in Lathrop Hallâ??s Margaret Hâ??Doubler Performance Space. Thursday nightâ??s opening performance, which included four premieres from Yu, was crowded.
In Cutting Programs, Universities Try to Swing the Ax Gently
Chronicle of Higher Education
At the University of Iowa, multiple committees appointed by the provost are examining the institution to help chart a new course for its future in the wake of steep budget cuts.
But the work of one panel in particularâ??a group charged with scrutinizing the caliber of the universityâ??s 100 or so graduate programsâ??has triggered angst among some faculty members, alumni, and students who wonder if the process will result in their programsâ?? being eliminated.
City: No Beer Gardens For Camp Randall Hockey Classic
WISC-TV 3
Those headed to the Camp Randall Hockey Classic next weekend wonâ??t see beer gardens on Regent Street. Some confusion about the permit conditions for the bars led at least one to advertise a tented outdoor area, which the city quickly said was not allowed.
On Campus: Souper Bowl fundraiser to be held Feb. 6
Wisconsin State Journal
The UW-Madison Habitat for Humanity chapter will offer soup and handcrafted ceramic bowls in the 14th annual Souper Bowl fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 6.
Jin-Wen Yu Dance celebrates in style
Wisconsin State Journal
In â??Meta-50,â? Jin-Wen Yu Danceâ??s celebration of its namesakeâ??s 50th birthday, just one work is a solo danced and choreographed by Yu, who is also chair of the UW Dance Program
Companies in three regions of Wisconsin had decline in economic indicators in 2009
Wisconsin State Journal
Businesses in northeast Wisconsin weathered the recession better than those in Dane County in 2009 but both of those regions came out ahead of the Milwaukee area, according to a report being released Friday. In all, more than 1,300 business leaders responded to the poll by the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research at the UW-Madison School of Business.
Ask the weather guys: Do Groundhog Day forecasts work?
Wisconsin State Journal
Written by Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Readers Respond to J.D. Salingerâ??s Death
New York Times
Noted: Rejection never stopped the fans, though. In 2002, the University of Wisconsin put out a collection of â??Letters to J.D. Salingerâ? by readers and writers.
Progress on Minority Graduation Rates
Inside Higher Education
Education Trust, which just two weeks ago released a report slamming flagship universities for not doing enough to enroll and graduate low-income and minority students, is drawing attention to some success stories. On Thursday, the organization released its analysis on colleges that have made notable progress in increasing minority graduation rates and/or narrowing the gap between minority and non-minority graduation rates. For example, the analysis notes that Georgia State University increased its minority graduation rate from 32.3 percent in 2002 to 50.7 percent in 2007. And the University of Wisconsin at Madison increased its minority graduation rate by 11.5 percentage points, to 60.4 percent.
Dallas saw fewer crimes in 2009 (Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Morning News
Quoted: “My own general view is if youâ??re going to participate in the UCR Program, you are obliged to try to follow the guidelines as closely as possible,” said Michael Scott, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, a former police chief and director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.
Obituary: Francisco Orlando Canto
Madison.com
Francisco Orlando Canto died on Monday, January 25, 2010. Born in Cuba, he moved his family to the U.S. in search of a better life in 1962. Settling in Madison, he worked as a draftsman at the University of Wisconsin in the Department of Medical Physics until his retirement.
A ‘huge leap forward’ for stem cell research
USA Today
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine may have taken the controversy out of the entire field of stem cell research. In a paper published online today in the journal Nature, they report that they were able to transform mouse skin cells directly into functioning nerve cells without needing to go through a stem cell stage first.
College endowments lose 18.7% on returns
USA Today
Average college endowment returns plummeted 18.7% last year, the worst decline for higher education since the Great Depression, a report says. Overall, higher education endowments fared better than other indexes; the widely used S&P 500 was down 26.2% over the same period, the 12 months ending last June 30. And, the report notes, the economic forecast has improved for 2010.
Second local woman to attend State of Union as first lady’s guest
Wisconsin State Journal
Gabriela Farfan, 19, a West High School graduate and now a freshman geology major at Stanford University, will attend tonightâ??s State of the Union address as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama. While in high school, Farfan spent two years working with geology professor Huifang Xu in his UW-Madison lab and credits the universityâ??s geology museum for sparking her interest in minerals at age 7, according to UW-Madison.
New foreclosure mediation program approved for Dane County
Wisconsin State Journal
Starting Monday, Dane County residents facing foreclosure will have a new mediation option that could help them keep their homes even as new filings continue to mount. The program, approved recently through an order by Dane County Circuit Court judges, will require lenders in a foreclosure action to provide the homeowner with a court-approved form informing them of the mediation programâ??s existence. UW-Madison Law School students will help families prepare for the mediation sessions.
UW Hospital fully implements electronic medical records
Wisconsin State Journal
UW Hospital is one of 38 hospitals in the U.S. that have completely implemented electronic medical records, according to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. UW Hospital was the first academic medical center to reach the seventh, final stage of activating the electronic records, the society said.
Taking a shot at quitting smoking
Wisconsin State Journal
If pills, patches, sprays, inhalers, lozenges or gum havenâ??t helped you stop smoking, maybe some shots can. A UW-Madison study of an experimental nicotine vaccine seeks 60 adult smokers to roll up their sleeves for six injections over six months.
Big Ten Network to televise Camp Randall hockey games
Madison.com
The Big Ten Network has announced that it will televise both games of the Camp Randall Hockey Classic on Feb. 6. The University of Wisconsin menâ??s and womenâ??s hockey teams are playing a doubleheader, with the women taking on Bemidji State in a WCHA tilt at 2 p.m. and the men following with a non-conference matchup against Michigan at 5 p.m.
The new nutrition of UW
Madison.com
Supplements are out, whole foods are in as the University of Wisconsin reshapes its nutritional message to student-athletes.
Lucas: Alvarez empathizes with coaches who canâ??t quit
Madison.com
You could make the argument that University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer has taken on almost a Favresque appearance while vacillating on his immediate future. University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, who coached the Badgers for 16 seasons, and says coaching college football is one of the most stressful jobs in sports. â??In college football, every week, every game is critically important. And the attention and the stress builds from game to game over a 12-week season.â?
SHOT Show recession-proof?
Madison.com
Noted: Professor Tom Heberlein, former chair of the Department of Rural Sociology at the University of Wisconsin.
Applications hold steady at 2 Wis. biz schools
Madison.com
The business schools in Madison and Milwaukee say theyâ??re bucking a national trend that sees fewer incoming freshmen wanting to major in business. An annual survey by the Higher Education Research Institute says 14 percent of freshmen want a bachelorâ??s degree in business. Thatâ??s down from 17 percent last year. But the business schools at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University say applications are holding steady if not rising.
Wis. professor plans play about lynching survivor
Madison.com
An assistant acting professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to portray lynching survivor James Cameron in 18 characters. Patrick Sims is putting on a one-man play called “10 Perfect: A Lynching Survivor Story” Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 in Lathrop Hall on campus.
UW-P sorority on probation (Dubuque Telegraph-Herald)
A University of Wisconsin-Platteville sorority — Zeta Beta Chi — is on probation until Jan. 1, 2012, the result of hazing incidents that occurred in mid-November.
Richard Egley, Dean of Students, said the sorority is a local student organization not affiliated with an international or national Greek letter organization. It was founded in 1994 by 16 female UW-P students.
Absence policy could revert for H1N1 (Minnesota Daily)
Empty seats due to illnesses in University of Minnesota classrooms last semester went unchecked because of the Universityâ??s policy toward the second wave of the H1N1 virus.
For now, the University has reverted back to its original policy, and students must present proof from a doctor if they miss class due to illness. However, some experts predict that a third wave of the illness is possible, and the University is prepared once again to allow undocumented absences should that happen.
Wis professor plans 1-man play about Cameron (AP)
An assistant acting professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to portray lynching survivor James Cameron in 18 characters.
Patrick Sims is putting on a one-man play called “10 Perfect: A Lynching Survivor Story” Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 in Lathrop Hall on campus. The play imagines Cameronâ??s life until his 1930 lynching in Marion, Ind., when he was 16.
Doyle has hopes for high-speed rail (River Falls Journal)
Quoted: UW-Madison Prof. Charles Franklin said some Democrats wonâ??t be happy about it either, especially House Appropriations Chairman David Obey of Wausau.
Presidentâ??s message wonâ??t be â??Lostâ? to angry fans
Wisconsin Radio Network
Quoted: Mary Beltrán, Associate Professor of Chicano and Latino studies at UW-Madison, says when casting the first season of Lost, which premiered in 2004, staff were so impressed by actors who turned out for the roles that they modified the ethnicity of the characters.
Police Release Sketch Of Suspect In Bike Path Attack
WISC-TV 3
Madison police are searching for a man who attacked a woman on a bike path this past weekend and released a sketch of the assailant on Wednesday.
Fan Upset By Scarcity Of Camp Randall Public Skate Tickets
WISC-TV 3
The Camp Randall Hockey Classic is still more than a week away but at least one fan said planning could have been better — specifically the planning for a public stake the night before the games. “The opportunity to skate on the ice at Camp Randall — itâ??s special event,” said Curt Hellmer, a self-proclaimed University of Wisconsin hockey fanatic. “I just wish they would have treated it special.”
Investment Losses Cause Steep Dip in University Endowments, Study Finds – NYTimes.com
New York Times
Reflecting the difficult financial environment for higher education, university endowments lost an average of 18.7 percent in the last fiscal year, the worst returns since the Great Depression, according to a study of hundreds of public and private institutions.
Obituary: Mavis I. Score
Madison.com
Mavis I. Score, age 81, of Madison, passed away on Monday, Jan. 25, 2010. She was employed by the University of Wisconsin, where she worked in housekeeping.
State Of Speeches Play Big Part In Politics
WISC-TV 3
Quoted: Kathy Cramer Walsh, of the University of Wisconsin-Madisons Political Science Department said although the speeches are chiefly ceremonial, they play a crucial role in the political arena.
On Campus: Haiti Day of Action on Thursday at UW-Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
Students have organized a Haiti Day of Action on the UW-Madison campus Thursday.There will be drop-off locations across campus where people can donate spare change, cash or checks to the Red Cross. Locations include Memorial Union, Holt Commons and Gordon Commons. Look for students at tables sporting Badger red.
On Campus: Grant will help move stem cell research from lab to clinical trials
Wisconsin State Journal
A UW-Madison center got a federal grant of nearly $9 million, which will help researchers prepare to conduct stem cell studies in humans.
Nancy Currell: Research no longer requires live animals
Wisconsin State Journal
There is a great debate about the ethics of experimenting on animals. The simple answer is it is not necessary.
Study finds drop in age-related hearing problems
Madison.com
Sweet news for baby boomers: Despite all those warnings that loud rock music would damage their ears, their generation appears to have better hearing than their parents did. In fact, a new study suggests that the rate of hearing problems at ages ranging from 45 to 75 has been dropping for years, at least among white Americans. “Iâ??m less likely to have a hearing loss when I get to be 70 years old than my grandmother did when she was 70,” said Karen Cruickshanks of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who authored the study.
Slow Food meal hits the spot for a good cause (UPDATED)
Wisconsin State Journal
More than 110 people turned out at a church basement on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus for the locally sourced feast, the kickoff to the semester of weekly Family Dinner Nights that Slow Food UW organizes.
A reason to smile
Madison.com
When Bret Bielema was named football coach at the University of Wisconsin, he had an easily identifiable tag — the second-youngest football coach in Division I-A in 2006. Bielema is still a relatively young coach, having turned 40 earlier this month, but he has a track record, too.
Know your Madisonian: UW-Madison’s Vince Sweeney
Wisconsin State Journal
Vince Sweeney used to spend his morning drive to work listening to local sports-talk radio. These days, heâ??s more likely to turn on National Public Radio.
Thatâ??s just one of the changes Sweeney, who spent almost 20 years in the University of Wisconsin athletic department, made when he started a new position in August as the schoolâ??s vice chancellor for university relations.
State Democratic party ‘fighting a headwind’ with elections on horizon
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said Democrats have been hurt nationally by a drawn-out fight over a federal health care reform bill that has kept them from dealing with higher priorities for voters.
Ask Us: Is the swine flu (H1N1) pandemic over?
Wisconsin State Journal
Q. Is the swine flu (H1N1) pandemic over?
A. Since swine flu emerged in Mexico last year, itâ??s swept across the world, said Jonathan Temte, professor of family medicine at UW-Madison and an expert in infectious disease. Swine flu struck Wisconsin in the spring and again in the fall, when schools and universities returned to session.
Ask Us: When the UW-Madison Charter St. Plant is converted to burning biomass, what impact will it have on traffic?
Wisconsin State Journal
Q. When the UW-Madison Charter Street Power Plant is converted to burning biomass (such as wood, wood waste and switchgrass), what impact will it have on traffic in the area?
A. â??We do anticipate that switching from coal to biomass will impact traffic on and around campus,â? said Carla Vigue, a spokeswoman for the Department of Administration, which oversees state buildings.
Healthy soups can satisfy need for comfort food | wausaudailyherald.com | Wausau Daily Herald
Wausau Daily Herald
Quoted: “Thereâ??s quite a bit of science that shows levels of serotonin, which regulates appetite and mood, dip in the winter time,” said Dr. J. Adam Rindfleisch, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Obama to Recast Agenda to Focus on Jobs And Deficit (Reuters)
New York Times
Quoted: “The big mystery to me is, what on earth does he say about healthcare?” said Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Study finds drop in age-related hearing problems (AP)
Chicago Tribune
Sweet news for baby boomers: Despite all those warnings that loud rock music would damage their ears, their generation appears to have better hearing than their parents did.
In fact, a new study suggests that the rate of hearing problems at ages ranging from 45 to 75 has been dropping for years, at least among white Americans. “Iâ??m less likely to have a hearing loss when I get to be 70 years old than my grandmother did when she was 70,” said Karen Cruickshanks of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison study indicates influenza may hurt fetus (WPR)
A UW-Madison study on monkeys indicates influenza may do permanent damage to a developing fetus. The Centers for Disease Control has already urged pregnant women to get vaccinated against the flu and now thereâ??s more evidence as to the risks if they donâ??t. Brain imaging of year old offspring from 12 pregnant monkeys infected with a seasonal flu virus showed they had fewer brain cells than the healthy “control” group.
Wisconsin universities buck national business student trend
Wisconsin Public Radio
A national study says the number of freshmen wanting to major in business is at its lowest level in 35 years. But administrators at two business schools in Wisconsin say theyâ??re bucking that trend.
The Higher Education Research Instituteâ??s annual survey shows 14.4 percent of freshmen want to get a bachelorâ??s in business, compared to just under 17-percent in the previous year. Itâ??s the lowest rate since 1974, when 14-percent wanted a business degree.
Surgeon returns from treating patients in Haiti
WKOW-TV 27
For surgeon Craig Dopf, the high-tech operating rooms of Meriter Hospital are a world away from the makeshift ORs in Haiti. “It was just unbelievable,” he said. “In an area the size of a football field, you could have 5,000 to 10,000 people living. There was no sanitation.”
Empty Covenant?
Wisconsin Radio Network
As Governor Jim Doyle prepares to deliver what will be his final state of the state address, some Republican state legislators say the Democratic governor has failed to follow through on a promise made to 8th graders. In his state of the state address four years ago, Doyle said 8th graders who signed the Wisconsin Covenant Pledge, and lived up to its conditions, would be eligible for financial aid packages for college.
College gender gap remains stable: 57% women
USA Today
The gender gap on campus â?? about 57% female, 43% male â?? is troubling, but itâ??s not getting any worse, a report says today.
Regents to consider UW-Eau Claire tuition increase (AP)
Chicago Tribune
The Board of Regents is expected to consider a four-year plan to raise tuition by $1,200 for students at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Neti knows nose needs: Pots provide relief for congestion, colds, allergies (Foster’s Daily Democrat, Delaware)
Quoted: Dr. David Rabago, assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a leading researcher on nasal irrigation, was quoted by the medical advice web site as saying chronic sinus problems cause the cilia to beat in a slow and uncoordinated way.
Wilson: Schofield confirms he tore ACL (National Football Post)
University of Wisconsin defensive end Oâ??Brien Schofield told the National  Football Post that he has torn his left anterior cruciate ligament, a major injury that could sideline him for several months.
Tribute Held For Student Killed New Year’s Eve (WISN-TV, Milwaukee)
Monday, a tribute was held for a Milwaukee college student killed on New Yearâ??s Eve. Shanica Adkins, a senior at University of Wisconsin-Madison, was in a car when it was hit by a vehicle that police said was driven by a drunken driver fleeing officers.