Quoted: Dr. Ben Wedro, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin and a consulting onsite physician at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, agrees.
Its “Hip” to do Drugs (The Sports Network)
Aggregate Research Industries
Author: jplucas
NIH receives 49,015 opinions on stem cell funding
USA Today
The federal National Institutes of Health received 49,015 comments on its proposed human embryonic stem cell research funding rules. NIH actually received slightly more comments, about 50,000, in 2000, concerning draft guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research proposed by the Clinton administration.
‘You’ll try anything,’ says cancer patient (AP)
Guardian (UK)
As a criminal defense lawyer, Meg Gaines valued evidence. But as a 38-year-old mom with ovarian cancer that had spread to her liver, evidence took a back seat to emotion as she desperately sought a cure.
With a cancer that grim and two young children to raise, “you’ll try anything,” she explained.
Gaines started out as a victim of traditional care. A surgeon removing an ovarian cyst accidentally burst it, spilling its contents into her abdomen. A biopsy revealed it was cancerous.
Economist Michael Knetter: Technology is the key to U.S. recovery
Wausau Daily Herald
The United States is in the midst of its deepest economic downturn since World War II, but unlike the recession of the early 1980s, there is a clear avenue to recovery: technology.
That is the outlook of Michael Knetter, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, who will be among the featured speakers during a regional business summit Thursday in Wausau.
Dark, destructive anniversary
Wisconsin Radio Network
Quoted: The tornado was described as F-5 which leaves “nothing but the cement foundation of a building,” according to Jonathan Martin, Chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UW Madison. The categories ranges from F-0, a harmless funnel cloud, to F-6, an “inconceivable” storm which has yet to be observed
NIH Is Deluged With 21,000 Grant Applications for Stimulus Funds
Chronicle of Higher Education
The National Institutes of Health has received about 21,000 applications for its main category of grants through the federal economic-stimulus measure, both thrilling and overwhelming agency reviewers responsible for evaluating the proposals and distributing the money.
Long road to economic recovery, economist predicts
Wisconsin State Journal
It will be the end of 2009 before the nation starts to pull out of its recession, and even then, it will take several years for a robust recovery to set in, renowned economist Nouriel Roubini said Monday.
Roubini, named to Time magazineâ??s list of the worldâ??s 100 most influential people and one of the first economists to forecast the current global economic crisis, disagrees with optimists who say the recession should be over this month, followed by rapid economic growth.
UW Sees A Silver Lining In Budget — New Buildings (AP)
Amid pay cuts, furloughs and larger class sizes, University of Wisconsin System officials see one silver lining in the otherwise harsh state budget: a big investment in new buildings.
The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has approved 36 major UW System building projects, including new residence halls, state-of-the-art research laboratories and academic buildings.
UW System building and maintenance projects would receive $380 million in taxpayer support and another $486 million in student fees, private donations and other non-tax sources under the plan pending in the Legislature.
A Look At Some Of The UW System Building Projects (AP)
The Legislature’s budget committee has approved 36 major University of Wisconsin System building projects. Some of the notable ones include:
â?? UW-La Crosse: $49.5 million residence hall.
â?? UW-Madison: $59 million lakeshore residence hall and dining facility, $27.7 million Kohl Center Hockey facility addition.
On Campus: Lawmaker seeks relief from furloughs for some workers
Wisconsin State Journal
State workers who get paid by federal or private funds could be exempt from having to take furloughs, under legislation proposed by Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D-Madison.
Gov. Jim Doyle announced last month that most of Wisconsinâ??s 60,000 state employees would have to take 16 unpaid days off over the next two years to help the state cope with a swelling budget shortfall.
Some UW-Madison employees paid by federal grants criticized the widespread furloughs, noting the state wonâ??t be able to use the federal money to help close the budget gap.
Summer Flu, Fall Headaches?
Inside Higher Education
As college students begin leaving for summer vacation, the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, is cropping up on a surprising number of campuses across the nation. Some national experts say this trend could be an ominous sign for students and health centers in the fall, when flu season traditionally intensifies.
Obituary: Donald T. Fullerton, Jr.
Madison.com
Donald T. Fullerton Jr., age 76, died Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Before retiring as Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, he was Associate Dean at the UW-Madison Medical School and Clinics, Director of Clinical Affairs, and Chairman of the Medical Board.
Obituary: Irene Lee Mueller
Madison.com
Irene Lee Mueller, age 95, passed away on Friday, June 5, 2009. After her children were raised, Irene worked at the Wisconsin Center on the UW campus.
Editorial: UW not exempt (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter)
University of Wisconsin officials are complaining that furloughs, proposed for all state employees as a way to reduce a $6.6 billion budget deficit, will create many difficulties for them.
Now there’s a news flash.
Furloughs are meant to save money. They are difficult for everyone, and all state agencies will be asked to sacrifice if they are implemented. UW is no exception.
‘Mindfulness’ meditation being used in hospitals and schools
USA Today
Noted: Of course, nobody knows whether these meditators’ brains were different to begin with. And that’s the problem with much of the meditation research so far. Although studies have improved, most still aren’t large and lack good control groups, says Richard Davidson, a pioneering meditation researcher and neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin.
His research shows that even novice meditators have greater activation in a part of the brain tied to well-being. The more activation, the greater their antibody response to a flu vaccine, which makes the vaccine more protective. By changing the brain, meditation could affect many biological processes, he says.
University of Wisconsin regents approve rules for student misconduct (AP)
Duluth News Tribune
University of Wisconsin campuses will be able to discipline students for serious off-campus misconduct for the first time under a controversial policy adopted Friday.
Glaxo Fails To Learn Lesson of Avandia
Forbes
Quoted: “This study does nothing to assuage my concerns about [Avandia],” says James Stein of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He notes that patients and doctors knew which drugs they were on, weakening the result, and that in a subgroup of patients who had established heart disease the risk of heart attack increased by nearly 26%.
Is Now Best Time To Buy New Vehicle?
WISC-TV 3
QUoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business Associate Dean Deborah Mitchell agreed that now is truly the time when consumers can find great deals on vehicles.
“There are going to be some amazing things going on,” Mitchell said. “The manufacturers are making it easier for the dealers to cut prices, and in fact all of them, manufacturers and retailers, want to move cars — move the metal off the lot.”
Milwaukee DA drops charge in 1995 murder case (AP)
Noted: Chaunte Ott, 35, was freed in January after a state appeals court ruled that he deserved a new trial. Wisconsin Innocence Project, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked the state crime lab for new DNA tests, which concluded it didn’t match Ott, but instead matched DNA from the suspect in the other killings.
Know Your Madisonian: Cynthia Haq, UW-Madison Center for Global Health
Wisconsin State Journal
Dr. Cynthia Haq directs UW-Madisonâ??s Center for Global Health, formed in 2005. It includes students and faculty from the schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and veterinary medicine.
Haq also heads up the medical schoolâ??s new program in Milwaukee, called Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health. She lives in Madison and Milwaukee.
Robson: Budget initiatives bode well for expanding nurse workforce, improving health care
Janesville Gazette
The Wisconsin Legislatureâ??s budget-writing committee has approved three measures that will help alleviate Wisconsinâ??s nursing shortage: a nurse workforce survey; a home for the UW School of Nursing to expand capacity; and support for a bachelorâ??s degree nursing program in Rock County.
Stimulus Money Helps Colleges Avoid Slashing Budgets Now, but Big Cuts May Loom
Chronicle of Higher Education
This year was bleak for state higher-education budgets. But college leaders are even more worried about what comes next.
The billions of dollars in federal stimulus aid to plug shortfalls in state education budgets have helped limit the damage this year, but the money hasn’t prevented all of the cuts to college budgets. Most states are spending the bulk of the stimulus money they are receiving for education on elementary and secondary schools, and roughly 20 percent on public colleges. In one state, Wisconsin, none of that federal aid is going to higher education.
Education Dean’s Fraud Case Teaches U. of Louisville a Hard Lesson
Chronicle of Higher Education
At the end of 2005, Robert D. Felner was riding high. A well-paid dean at the University of Louisville, he had just secured a $694,000 earmarked grant from the U.S. Department of Education to create an elaborate research center to help Kentucky’s public schools.
The grant proposal, which Mr. Felner had labored over for months, made some impressive promises. Five Louisville faculty members would devote time to the center, and four other people would be hired. The advisory board would be led by Virginia G. Fox, Kentucky’s secretary of education.
Editorial: The state budget is bad bet for Wisconsin’s future
Wisconsin State Journal
You must do better than this.
That should be Wisconsin’s response to the state budget proposal to go before the Assembly for a vote this week.
This budget amounts to a huge, irresponsible gamble likely to haunt the state for years.
Rather than seizing the current economic downturn to put the state’s fiscal house in better order for the future, the Legislature’s budget committee shrank from the opportunity.
Cool temps may have curbed twisters
Wisconsin Radio Network
The tornado season in Wisconsin is off to a slow start but will it continue this way? Jonathan Martin, Chair of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UW-Madison can’t give predictions on this summer’s potential tornado activity. He calls the atmosphere “a mystery” and notes forecasting regular weather is only possible about 10 days out. Another difficulty is the nature of twisters which are spontaneous when they appear.
Union looking to organize University of Wisconsin System faculty and staff
Wisconsin State Journal
The state budget hasnâ??t been approved yet, but state labor organization AFT-Wisconsin has already posted a job announcement for someone who could help university employees form unions.
Gov. Doyleâ??s budget included legislation that would allow UW System faculty and academic staff to form unions and collectively bargain for better wages, hours and working conditions. They donâ??t currently have that right.
Board of Regents, UW officials, review impact of budget cuts
Wisconsin Public Radio
The University of Wisconsin regents are trying to prepare for the impact state budget cuts will have on employees and students. At yesterdayâ??s meeting in Madison, UW officials told the Regents there will likely be cuts in student financial aid, and lay offs of university staff are still on the table.
While the financial picture for the university system won’t become clear until the legislature approves the budget and the governor signs it later this month, UW campuses are bracing themselves for significant cuts.
UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin says all campuses are dealing with how unionized employees will be affected. Contracts for the next biennium have already been signed including a 2-percent raise. She says that’s something each campus will have to absorb, noting that the UW Madison campus alone will be hit up for â??millions of dollars.” (Second item.)
Illinois scandal exposes favoritism in admissions
USA Today
Many universities â?? public and private alike â?? give special treatment to some degree to the sons and daughters of big donors, politicians, trustees and others with control over the school’s purse strings or other clout, admissions experts say.
Apes Laugh, Tickle Study Finds
National Geographic
Quoted: It’s previously been argued that chimps chuckle, but their methodâ??”laughing” on both the exhale and inhaleâ??had been deemed too different from the human, exhale-only laugh.
The tickle study, however, found evidence that most ape laughter, especially among gorillas and bonobos, shares key traits with human laughter.
Like humans, for example, gorillas and bonobos laughed only while exhalingâ??leading University of Wisconsin zoologist and psychologist Charles Snowdon, who was not involved in the study, to conclude that, “contrary to current views, the exhalation-only laughter is not uniquely human but is found in our ape ancestors.”
Construction gives SOAR officials new problems
Daily Cardinal
As the 2009 Student Orientation and Registration session begins, officials say some challenges may arise as extensive construction projects continue throughout campus.
According to Wren Singer, director of the Center for First Year Experience, about 5,700 incoming freshmen and 1,200 transfer students will visit UW-Madison this summer for SOAR between June 3 and July 31.
She said she expects many travel problems to occur for students and families coming to SOAR this summer because of the campus construction.
Editorial: Slice sneaky earmarks from budget
Wisconsin State Journal
It’s hard to take state lawmakers seriously when they talk about how difficult the state budget is when they’re splurging on pet projects.
Just look at the laundry list of earmarks Democrats who control the Legislature’s budget committee slipped into the budget in the middle of the night last week before quickly advancing the state’s two-year spending plan:
â?¢ $28 million in state-funded borrowing for a nursing building on the UW-Madison campus — something the university didn’t ask for or prioritize.
Physiology chair makes final presentation for Provost job
Badger Herald
The presentations of the three provost candidates wrapped up Monday with Richard Moss, chair of the University of Wisconsin Department of Physiology in the School of Medicine.
Moss acknowledged the financial problems facing the university and stressed an interdisciplinary approach to solve them.
â??Weâ??d all agree the financial situations for us are a challenge,â? Moss said, adding the stateâ??s funding for the university has remained static over the last ten years.
UW-Madison IDs Could Soon Double As Checking Cards
WISC-TV 3
University of Wisconsin-Madison students will soon have the option of using their school identification as debit cards.
UW-Madison is entering into a contract that gives UW Credit Union the exclusive right to provide the service for up to 10 years. In exchange, the university is expected to receive as much as $6.4 million in revenue.
University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor to hire more officers to review backlogged campus research
Wisconsin State Journal
With more than 100 research projects in limbo, dozens of labs behind on safety inspections, and the investigation into a â??Major Actionâ? violation unfinished, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin has vowed to hire more safety officers to review campus research.
Martinâ??s response came after a campus committee sent her a letter last month stating that UW-Madison is not in compliance with National Institutes of Health guidelines because of â??gross and chronicâ? understaffing.
UW System leaders say furloughs will be difficult (AP)
Implementing furloughs for all University of Wisconsin System employees will be difficult to track, hurt the competitiveness of researchers and raise legal concerns, system leaders said Thursday.
UW System President Kevin Reilly and chancellors at several campuses also acknowledged they were preparing for the possibility of employee layoffs. The comments came as the UW System Board of Regents was briefed on the two-year budget plan approved by the Legislature’s budget committee last week.
Breaking: Girls are good at math!
From: Salon.com
Maybe the infamous Barbie doll who announced that “math is hard” was on to something — that is, if she had continued on to say “when you live in a sexist society.” A new study shows that differences between boys’ and girls’ math performance has more to do with gender inequality than hard-wired ability. (Here’s a freebie for all the young’uns in the audience: “But, ma, it’s society’s fault that I failed my math test!”) Not only that, but it pokes a hole in Lawrence Summers hypothesis that men innately show more variability in mathematical ability.
Janet Hyde, a University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology professor, said: “It may have to do with the percentage of women in the labor force, inside technology and computers, teaching math and science at the college level” — the list goes on and on. The short of it: The math gap can’t be explained away purely by inherent biological ability.
Rulings offer colleges lessons on how to protect their students abroad
USA Today
No one knows how many study abroad-related lawsuits are settled before landing in court. But you can probably count on two hands the number of cases where courts have ruled, several legal experts say. None of those rulings creates “a binding precedent nationwide,” says William Hoye, executive vice president and chief operating officer of IES Abroad, a Chicago-based non-profit that offers more than 80 study-abroad programs in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand.
Stem cell scientist Svendsen leaving UW-Madison
Wisconsin Technology Network
Clive N. Svendsen, a highly regarded stem cell researcher, has been named director of the new Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, and will start his new position on Dec. 1, 2009.
Currently a professor of neurology and anatomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and joint leader of the widely-respected Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center at the University of Wisconsin, Svendsenâ??s groundbreaking research focuses on both modeling and treating neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrigâ??s disease) and Parkinsonâ??s disease using a combination of stem cells and powerful growth factors.
Debate Continues Over Safety Of BPA
WISC-TV 3
Quoted: “Can it be bad for you? Without a doubt. We could say that about nearly every chemical,” said Robert Moore, senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy.
Battle city over bike path at University Research Park
WKOW-TV 27
The city’s public works committee passed a proposal that builds a bike path that runs through University Research Park on Madison’s west side.
The path would start on the dead end on Tacora Lane and would run 700 feet across University Research Park, connecting with Science Drive.
New student representative for the UW Board of Regents named
WKOW-TV 27
A University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student will join the UW System Board of Regent.
Governor Jim Doyle says Aaron Wingad will replace UW-Madison graduate student Colleene Thomas as the student representative on the 18-member board that sets policy for the UW System.
Class rank system could be on way out in several Dane County school districts
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Tom Reason, associate director of admissions for UW-Madison, said while the university â?? and all of the UW System â?? has moved toward a more comprehensive view of applications, class rank â??is still pretty meaningful.â?
High ed and high tech heavyweights join the StudyBlue board
Wisconsin Technology Network
Former Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin John D. Wiley and serial entrepreneur Eric Apfelbach join the StudyBlue Board of Directors. They will be joining current board members Charles S. Wallman, a securities analyst and a primary investor in StudyBlue, and CEO Becky Splitt.
Proposed policy would allow lawyers to speak for students at University of Wisconsin System disciplinary hearings
Wisconsin State Journal
A University of Wisconsin System student who faces suspension, expulsion or has been charged with a crime could have a lawyer speak for him or her at a campus hearing, according to new language that will be presented to the UW Board of Regents on Thursday.
Thatâ??s a change to the current law, which most System officials interpret to mean that lawyers can be present at hearings but canâ??t speak on behalf of students.
Letter to the Editor: Wrong time to fund new nursing school
Wisconsin State Journal
Most Wisconsin residents probably want good training for our nurses. But last Friday’s budget addition of $47 million for a UW-Madison facility doesn’t seem like a responsible way to deal with the budget deficit.
With so many Wisconsinites concerned about stagnant wages, unemployment and mortgage foreclosures, the budget committee should have given more thought to that last-minute surprise.
Positively Wisconsin: The best and the brightest of the art world
WKOW-TV 27
The best and brightest of the art world can often be found visiting UW-Madison’s Tandem Press.
They come for a special opportunity they can’t find anywhere else.
Those who work there know that operating a printing press can be a challenge both physically and mentally.
UW’s Picnic Point in line for improvements
WKOW-TV 27
One of the iconic spots on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus is going to get a facelift, of sorts.
The UW announced Tuesday that privately funded improvements to the tip of Picnic Point, will be detailed at a meeting on Tuesday, June 9.
Extreme drinking puts college students at risk (Reuters Health)
Extreme binge-drinking may be putting college students at significant risk of accidents and injuries, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among more than 2,000 college students with drinking problems, those who admitted to “extreme” drinking — eight or more drinks in day for men, five or more for women — were more likely than their peers to have suffered a recent alcohol-related injury.
Women Are Seen Bridging Gap in Science Opportunities
New York Times
The prospects for women who are scientists and engineers at major research universities have improved, although women continue to face inequalities in salary and access to some other resources, a panel of the National Research Council concludes in a new report.
UW-River Falls names new chancellor (AP)
Dean Van Galen has been named chancellor at University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
The Wisconsin native comes from the University of West Florida (Pensacola), where he was vice president of advancement for six years. He led alumni relations, development, marketing communications and the foundation.
UW report sees progress, challenges on safety (AP)
University of Wisconsin campuses have made progress on plans to prevent and respond to mass shootings but budget problems will slow down some of them, according to a new report.
UW’s 13 four-year campuses are giving students more information about safety, have teams to identify and intervene with potentially dangerous students and plans to notify students about emergencies, according to the UW System report.
4-year colleges graduate 53% in 6 years
USA Today
Even as colleges nationwide celebrate commencement season, hundreds of schools are failing to graduate a majority of their students in six years, a report says today. Nationally, four-year colleges graduated an average of just 53% of entering students within six years, and “rates below 50%, 40% and even 30% are distressingly easy to find,” says the report by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. Its based on data reported to the Education Department by nearly 1,400 schools about full-time first-time students who entered in fall 2001.
UW’s accountability report new and improved
Wisconsin Radio Network
The UW’s accountability report is new and improved. The University of Wisconsin System’s new report, “Investing in Wisconsin’s Future (PDF),” is the latest in an annual series of accountability reports.
System spokesman Dave Giroux says they’ve try to answer the most frequently asked questions. “For example, people are often understandably concerned about the level of administrative overhead in the University of Wisconsin,” says Giroux. “We now have a section of the accountability report specifically related to that.”
Judge Dismisses Parts Of Zimmermann Lawsuit
WISC-TV 3
A Dane County judge on Tuesday dismissed elements of a lawsuit filed by the parents and fiance of slaying victim Brittany Zimmermann.
Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi dismissed parts of the wrongful death lawsuit that was filed in January by Kevin and Jean Zimmermann and Brittany Zimmermanns fiance, Jordan Gonnering.
Obituary: Darlene A. Palmer
Madison.com
Darlene A. Palmer, age 71, passed away on Sunday, May 31, 2009. In the 1950s and 1960s Darlene worked as an L.P.N. at Madison General Hospital, University Hospital, the Beaver Dam Hospital and at Central Colony.
Jon and Kate plus hate? Ways to deal with common relationship stress
CNN.com
Quoted: Sleep deprivation can trigger depression and anxiety, said Dr. Ken Robbins, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin. New moms are also at risk for postpartum depression, and both parents will likely feel stretched for time.
Math: It’s not a gender thing
Los Angeles Times
Math hasn’t always been thought of as a girl thing. For decades, boys in the U.S. were considered the brainiacs when it came to mathematics, with many believing that their gender predisposed them to better understanding it. They just naturally had a head for numbers.
Jur5lenc But new research from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, seeks to dispel that myth via a meta-analysis of studies and data showing that the gap is more a cultural issue than a gender-based one. The study, published in the June 2 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sought to answer three questions: Do gender differences in math performance exist in the general population, do gender differences exist among the mathematically talented, and do females exist who possess profound mathematical talent?
Girls Get Math: It’s Culture That’s Skewed
LiveScience.com
Just as boys tend to gravitate to toy trucks and girls usually prefer dolls, the gender differences in math performance have more to do with culture than aptitude. That’s according to a new review of relevant studies.
Such findings challenge the century-old idea that males are innately more capable than girls in mathematics. More recently, the gender bias showed up in the 1990s when Mattel introduced a Barbie doll that said, “Math is hard.” And in 2005, Lawrence Summers, then president of Harvard University and current economic adviser to President Barack Obama, brought the debate into the spotlight again.
While speaking at an event, Summers stated that males are intrinsically smarter than females in science and engineering.
“I have to say that Larry Summers’ comments in 2005 inspired me,” to complete the current study, said Janet Hyde, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of psychology.
Sharon Begley: The Math Gender Gap Explained
Newsweek
Even the most hidebound male chauvinists have been forced to admit that girls are as good at math as boys, on average. Boys no longer start outperforming girls at age 12 or 13, as they did as late as the 1970s; in the U.S., high school girls now take calculus at the same rate as boys; tests mandated by No Child Left Behind show that girls have reached parity with boys in math achievement through high school; and tests of complex problem-solving (which NCLB doesnâ??t measure) find that girls have now pulled even with boys through 12th grade on this skill, too.
State Employee Furloughs Possible (AP)
All Wisconsin state employees will be subject to 16 days of forced time off, whether they are totally funded with federal money or are part time only.
Those details and others are contained in a document released by a state agency answering some of the most frequently asked questions about the furloughs ordered by Gov. Jim Doyle to deal with a projected $6.6 billion budget shortfall.
Doyle has the power under the collective bargaining agreement to issue up to eight furlough days a year. That is roughly a 3 percent pay cut.