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Author: jplucas

3 Win Nobel in Medicine for Gene Technology

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New York Times

Two Americans and a Briton won the 2007 Nobel Prize in medicine yesterday for developing the immensely powerful â??knockoutâ? technology, which allows scientists to create animal models of human disease in mice.

The winners, who will share the $1.54 million prize, are Mario R. Capecchi, 70, of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City; Oliver Smithies, 82, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill; and Sir Martin J. Evans, 66, of Cardiff University in Wales.

Dr. Smithies has credited his interest in science to his boyhood love for radios and telescopes, and for a comic-strip inventor whom he wanted to emulate. He earned a scholarship to Oxford, then dropped out of medical school to study chemistry before moving to the University of Wisconsin. Because of a visa problem, Dr. Smithies worked in Toronto for about seven years before returning to Wisconsin. He became a geneticist and moved to the University of North Carolina 19 years ago.

Robert Seltzer column: Applying to UW-Madison? Here’s some advice

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Appleton Post-Crescent

As I travel around Wisconsin, I consistently hear one question from high school students, parents and counselors: What does it take to get into the University of Wisconsin-Madison?

Because I analyze every part of an application, from grades and class rank to personal statements and special talents, there isn’t one magic answer to that question.

However, during the past 30 years that I’ve worked in college admissions, I’ve seen hundreds of thousands of applications. I’ve also experienced the process firsthand, as my son ventured into his own college search.

Geek Extravaganza Launches At UW

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WKOW-TV 27

An idea that was the brainstorm of members of two small, student organizations, morphed into a spectacle of Star Wars characters, video game tournaments and role playing theater at UW-Madison in the first Geek.Kon.

“We were just blown away,” said Geek.Kon organizer Sarah Eichhorst. “I never expected to see anything this huge.”

An estimated one thousand people were expected to attend the weekend event at UW-Madison Humanities. Geek.Kon also included lectures from science fiction writers, and internet, television and film producers.

Justice on tap

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Badger Herald

The City Councilâ??s recent passage of the Alcohol Density Plan â?? which prohibits the issuance of new liquor licenses in the downtown area â?? was not the first time this decade that city officials attempted to regulate students into a state of sobriety, as proceedings at the Wisconsin Supreme Court last week reminded us.

Geek invasion

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Badger Herald

At this weekendâ??s Geek.Kon, all coexisted peacefully: The otaku got their share of anime, once arguments over English overdubs versus subtitles were resolved. The Trekkies and Star Wars junkies â?? often fierce rivals â?? shared limited space. And the classic nerds were bound to find something to pique their interest, from comic books to Guitar Hero.

UW e-mail on Doyle event called unethical

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Daily Cardinal

Some Republican lawmakers say UW-Madison and Gov. Jim Doyle acted inappropriately when they e-mailed 33 students waiting for financial aid to participate in a press conference Tuesday.

The notified students, who are typically low-income, are awaiting Wisconsin Higher Education Grants they need to pay tuition this semester. Since they have been waitlisted, funds can only be awarded after the state budget is finalized.

The e-mail asked students if they wanted to appear with the governor, who is asking for the prompt passage of a budget that funds higher education at the levels the UW System has asked for.

Student safety watchers take to the streets

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Daily Cardinal

Associated Students of Madison launched its Neighborhood Watch Program Friday night in an effort to increase the presence of student safety watchers on and near campus during crime-prone weekends nights.

Volunteers will cover the Spring Street/College Court and Camp Randall areas, an area south of Regent Street and an area south of State Street, including West Washington Avenue and Mifflin Street. Two shifts will run every Friday and Saturday night, from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. and 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Editorial: The right to choose

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

State employees do it. Teachers do it. Even cops who have beats do it. “It” is collective bargaining, negotiating with employers with the power of numbers behind them.

The state budget conference committee is considering a proposal that would extend this right to University of Wisconsin faculty and academic staff.

Put the kettle on: Tea is steeped in health benefits

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USA Today

How refreshing.

Tea, something that people around the world enjoy consuming, might actually be good for you.

“The most fascinating thing is, to my knowledge, there is no other natural product known that has such diversified effects,” says Hasan Mukhtar, vice chair of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Heart disease diagnostic gaining popularity (AP)

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Contra Costa Times

MADISON, Wis. — What if your doctor could swipe a wand over your neck and reveal whether you have hidden heart disease?

That is now possible in places other than the sickbay of the starship Enterprise.

Miniature ultrasound machines are starting to make their way into ordinary doctors’ offices, where they may someday be as common as stethoscopes and EKGs. A pocket-sized one weighing less than 2 pounds hit the market last week.

UW SWAP moves to Verona

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Wisconsin Radio Network

In the market for an air conditioner, chairs, or a dresser? How about a set of laboratory glass? There’s a new home, for a favorite destination of bargain hunters. SWAP stands for Surplus With A Purpose: collecting, processing , and redistributing surplus property from UW-Madison and state agencies, and providing that same low cost, quality surplus equipment and supplies to those same agencies, and the public.

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Geeks gather at UW-Madison

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NBC-15

Hundreds of self professed geeks converged at the UW Saturday afternoon to celebrate what they say nerds do best.

The Geek.Kon Convention was for anyone that enjoys, role-playing, video gaming, costumes, fantasy novels and of course science fiction.

‘Geeks’ Take Over Madison

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WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — You might call them “nerds,” “techies,” or just “those guys from the AV Club.” But this weekend, ‘”geeks” have taken over the UW-Madison.

More than 600 people got their “geek on” Saturday and Sunday on the UW campus for “Geek.Kon,” which bills itself as a conference for all things geeky.

Not Enough Yellow Jackets for Some Students

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WKOW-TV 27

For most of us, fewer wasps and yellow jackets is welcome news. It means eating outside is much more pleasant. But it’s not welcome news if you’re counting on yellow jackets for your doctorate, like Ben Taylor. He studies how the insects build their nests and search for food. This summer and fall, they’ve been mysteriously quiet.

“We’re not exactly sure why there are fewer numbers. It could be a parasite, it could be some sort of predator,” said Taylor.

Phil Pelleteri studies insects for a living with UW-Extension. He’s also mystified by the disappearance of so many of these stinging, aggressive insects.

Students Form Neighborhood Watch

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NBC-15

Neighborhoods just outside of the University of Wisconsin will soon see extra patrol on the street, but instead of police, they’re students! They aren’t being trained but instead they are working with Madison Police. It’s all part of a student watch program to increase off-campus safety.

Starting tomorrow, with flashlights in hand, students will be pounding the pavement to kick crime to the curb.

“There were a lot of muggings going on so we wanted to put a lot of students on the streets more later in the night and this is something that came out of it,” says Campus Safety chairman, Kelly Arendt.

State budget lobby gains voices (AP)

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Appleton Post-Crescent

MADISON â?? Bucky’s buddies are begging for a bigger budget.

Students, alumni and other backers of the University of Wisconsin System are asking lawmakers to include big spending increases for higher education in the budget.

They want enough money to continue academic programs, keep tuition relatively low and expand enrollments and research programs on some campuses.

The UW System Board of Regents joined the lobbying blitz Thursday by calling on lawmakers to end their budget stalemate and invest in higher education.

A loss for Ike

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Wisconsin State Journal

Jack Ikegwuonu lost part of his motion to supress statements made to police during a court appearance Thursday in Sycamore, Ill.

The judge denied part of the motion, which means those statements would be admissible at trial, while taking the rest under advisement. Ikegwuonu’s attorney had sought to suppress the statements on the grounds Ikegwuonu was not read his Miranda rights.

Ikegwuonu and his twin brother, Bill, both from Madison, were arrested last November in DeKalb, Ill., after they allegedly broke into an apartment and stole an Xbox system.

Frederick H. Burkhardt, a Prominent Educator, Dies at 95

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New York Times

Frederick H. Burkhardt, a prominent educator who headed both the American Council of Learned Societies and Bennington College and also helped put the open-admissions policy into effect at the City University of New York, died on Sept. 23 at his home in Bennington, Vt. He was 95.

Mr. Burkhardt began his career teaching in the philosophy department at the University of Wisconsin in 1937.

Freakfest tickets going on sale

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Wisconsin State Journal

Tickets go on sale today for Freakfest, Madison’s Halloween party on State Street.

New this year for the party, to be held Oct. 27, a Saturday, will be a third stage and corporate sponsors.

Officials, however, hope to again see the kind of reduction in the drunken mayhem and violence that made last year’s event noteworthy in comparison to previous years.

RFID history spans 60 years (Onalaska Life)

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Onalaska Community Life

In September 2003, a group of potential RFID users, technology developers and UW researchers formed the UW RFID Industry Workgroup, which is part of the UW E-Business Consortium.

More than 40 companies in the group share lessons learned and best practices for RFID strategy and implementation.

A gaggle of geeks to gather

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Wisconsin State Journal

Outcast and vilified in many places, they are coming together in Madison to be cool amongst their peers. They are the proud, the few, the . . . geeks.

Disputed stem cell patents amended (The Scientist, UK)

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The Scientist

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) has filed three supplemental amendments to its disputed embryonic stem cell claims, which are undergoing re-examination by the US Patent Office.

But the changes will have little impact on the point at issue, which is whether the techniques described were original enough to be patented, according to William L. Warren, an intellectual property lawyer with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan in Atlanta.

Bird flu virus mutating into human-unfriendly form (Reuters)

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – The H5N1 bird flu virus has mutated to infect people more easily, although it still has not transformed into a pandemic strain, researchers said on
Thursday.

The changes are worrying, said Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.”We have identified a specific change that could make bird flu grow in the upper respiratory tract of humans,” said Kawaoka, who led the study.

Some fraternities move away from party image

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USA Today

The basement of the Sigma Phi Epsilon house at the University of Missouri-Columbia is filled with familiar fraternity icons like a well-worn pool table, stacks of violent films like Kill Bill on DVD, and of course, the stench of stale beer.

A closer look reveals a much different scene. With the soothing sounds of a Zen Cafe CD playing in the background, Sig Ep brothers listen raptly as a campus yoga instructor leads them through a series of contortionist poses during an 8 a.m. workout.

Early morning yoga is just one of the changes at the fraternity since the Missouri chapter adopted its “Balanced Man” program in 2006 â?? just a few years after the university punished the chapter for hazing.

Pull pay when budget is late

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Wisconsin State Journal

Your state lawmaker has earned more than $12,000 in salary since July 1 for failing to produce a state budget.
Wisconsin senators and representatives continue to collect their government paychecks — as well as daily allowances — even when they fail for months on end to do their most important job.

Students take police videotaping in stride

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison engineering student Zach Heise, a member of the Campus Antiwar Network that organized the recent protest of Halliburton ‘s appearance at a campus recruiting fair, said he knew the rally was being videotaped by campus police.

He even talked to the plainclothes officer with the camera. “I saw his earpiece. I asked him and he told me right away he was with the police, ” Heise said. “I personally have no problem with the police videotaping us. If that ‘s part of their standard procedure … I ‘m not going to make a big deal of it. “

UW-Madison researchers wage war on cancer stem cells

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Wisconsin State Journal

Dr. John Kuo, a UW Hospital brain surgeon, knows all too well what frequently happens after he removes a cancerous tumor from a patient.

The tumor grows back, despite post-surgery radiation and chemotherapy.

Researchers have identified a new reason for such recurrences: cancer stem cells.

Studies endorse ‘virtual colonoscopy’

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USA Today

Having an X-ray to look for signs of colon cancer may soon be an option for those who dread the traditional scope exam. Two of the largest studies yet of “virtual colonoscopy” show the experimental technique works just as well at spotting potentially cancerous growths as the more invasive method.

Quoted: Dr. Perry Pickhardt, one of the researchers at the University of Wisconsin Medical School who are reporting the results of their study in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Editorial: Give State Budget Deadline Some Teeth!

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WISC-TV 3

The Wisconsin State Legislature has become dysfunctional, ineffectual, and counter-productive. It is an embarrassment and it is harming the state’s reputation and image. And the few good public servants in its ranks can do nothing. It is time for fundamental change.

The most important change will only come with reform of the redistricting process and the way campaigns are financed. Currently, government is pretty much run by rabidly partisan legislative staff members whose jobs are basically to cater to special interest money and keep it flowing. There is no longer even a façade of caring for the interests of the citizens of this state or responsible public policy. Cash and reelection are all that matter.

In case of emergency, check Facebook (Minnesota Daily)

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In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, college administrators, students, faculty and parents have become hyper-sensitive about the time it takes for a campus to be notified of an emergency.

Last April it took several hours for students to receive formal notification from the University of a bomb threat on campus. Subsequent emergency test e-mails took a matter of minutes. But even if e-mails appear in an inbox minutes after a threat is discovered, the chances that students would be at a computer or checking their University e-mail accounts are slim.

No State Budget Doesn’t Stop Wisconsin (AP)

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MADISON, Wis. | While its neighbors avoided government shutdowns by passing state budgets in the nick of time, Wisconsin has quietly operated 13 weeks without a new spending plan and is the only state left without a budget.

There is no hammer of a government shutdown in Wisconsin as lawmakers bicker over raising the cigarette tax and imposing new taxes on big oil companies and hospitals. And there’s no limit to how long lawmakers can be in session. Current taxing and spending levels continue even when there is no budget in place by the July 1 start of the fiscal year.

Police weren’t bigots (UW-Eau Claire Spectator)

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We live in a day and age where before anybody says or does something that affects the mass population, they must be cautious not to make their comments or actions related to race, no matter how remotely correlated they are.

Sometimes, however, minority groups need to be a little less hasty when they throw out the racial trump card.

Recently, the UW-Madison Police Department decided to cancel a party that would have kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month. It was scheduled by the fraternity Lambda Theta Phi, a Hispanic fraternity on campus, according to an article in the Daily Cardinal.

Lawyer: Wis. bars that banned drink specials broke the law (AP)

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MADISON, Wis. â?? Drinkers in this college town were wrongly cut off from two-for-one beer deals and cheap shots of liquor by bar owners who fixed their prices, a lawyer told the state Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Lawyer Kay Hunt asked the justices to reinstate a lawsuit claiming a 2002 agreement by bars to ban drink specials on weekend nights was an illegal price-fixing conspiracy. Her Minneapolis law firm represents drinkers who claim they were overcharged as a result of the ban.

‘Virtual’ Colonoscopy an Effective Option: Study (HealthDay News)

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A new study supports the effectiveness of an innovative form of colonoscopy that relies on a CT scanner that’s sent through a patient’s colon.

When it comes to detecting polyps that might become malignant, this so-called “virtual colonoscopy” is just as effective as the traditional approach of using a fiber-optic device, explained study lead Dr. David Kim, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Wisconsin.

Studies: New colon cancer test accurate, less invasive (AP)

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Chicago Tribune

NEW YORK – Having an X-ray to look for signs of colon cancer may soon be an option for those who dread the traditional scope exam.

Two of the largest studies yet of “virtual colonoscopy” show the experimental technique works just as well at spotting potentially cancerous growths as the more invasive method.

“This is ready for prime time,” said Dr. Perry Pickhardt, one of the researchers at the University of Wisconsin Medical School who are reporting the results in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

City Looks To Repeat Success With Freakfest 2007

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WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — Although ghouls and monsters and other unruly creatures of the night packed Freakfest on State Street last year, Madison’s annual Halloween celebration went off without the riots and police confrontations that marred the party in past years.

Officials said that success was due in large part to the city’s increased involvement in the 2006 event. For the first time, revealers were required to purchase tickets for admission onto State Street during the party, and authorities erected fences and set designated entry and exit points to help control the flow of the large crowds.

UW Police Are Watching You

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WKOW-TV 27

University of Wisconsin Police are watching you. Using cameras to document protests and crowds that have the potential of getting out of control. It’s something police say they’ve been doing for years.

Because a harmless protest can sometimes quickly get out of control UW police say they’re ready. “By accurately documenting the incident we have a better read of what happened,” says Lieutenant Bill Larson.

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Update on FBI-College Relations

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Inside Higher Education

In the two years since the Federal Bureau of Investigation pulled together a panel of university presidents, the 20-person National Security Higher Education Advisory Board has discussed matters ranging from cyber threats to counterterrorism to the Virginia Tech shootings.

Home pulls at hearts of many new college students

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Wisconsin State Journal

For the first two years Danielle Barker attended UW-Madison, almost every phone call home â?? and they were pretty much daily â?? involved tears.

“I would just bawl. I’d have these conversations with my mom, ‘I’m just not happy, I don’t want to be here,’ ” recalled Barker, now a fifth-year senior from Racine. “I listen now to my mom say how heart-wrenching it was for her that I was so very, very homesick.

Va. Tech lessons give rise to campus alert systems

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USA Today

College administrators say their quick actions stemmed from lessons learned after last April’s shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, where 32 people were killed by a suicidal gunman. While the number of violent campus incidents remains steady, there are more alerts since the Blacksburg tragedy, says Robin Hattersley-Gray, executive editor of Campus Safety Magazine.

Colleges go on offense against binge drinking (Stateline.org)

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To many college students, binge drinking and everything that goes with it â?? beer pong, keg stands and $1 shots â?? are a rite of passage, as integral a part of the college experience as midterms and all-nighters.

But to college administrators, drinking too much is a hazard to studentsâ?? health and safety. As a result, officials are addressing excessive drinking with tactics such as moving classes to Friday to prevent â??Thirsty Thursdays,â? convincing nearby communities to limit drink specials like ladiesâ?? night, and requiring incoming students to take online classes about alcohol use.

Va. Tech lessons give rise to campus alert systems

Posted on
USA Today

When a University of Memphis football player was found fatally shot on campus, resident assistants banged on doors warning students to stay in their dorm rooms.

When a man wearing a Fred Flintstone mask and toting a .50-caliber rifle was arrested at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y., students were alerted by text message 10 minutes later.

And when a deranged man called the University of Wisconsin-Madison and said he was on campus with a gun, administrators sent e-mails and put the word out on the Facebook website.

Doyle: State workers could get furlough

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Wisconsin State Journal

State workers could face temporary layoffs by the end of the year if the Legislature doesn ‘t pass a new two-year budget, Gov. Jim Doyle warned Monday.

Workers in all state agencies could be affected, but the threat could be most acute in the Department of Corrections, which faces a $370 million shortfall without a new budget, Doyle said in a meeting with the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board.

Doyle on Monday asked all state agencies to develop contingency spending plans if lawmakers are unable to reach a budget compromise. And he said furloughs are just one of many consequences if the 3-month-old budget impasse continues.

Steve Nass vs. the UW (Isthmus)

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Isthmus

For someone who generates headlines by vigorously attacking the UW every chance he gets, state Rep. Steve Nass is a remarkably quiet man. During long conversations about the UW, the Republican lawmaker from Whitewater sits mostly silent, hands folded, nodding his head as his research assistant, Mike Mikalsen, does the talking.

Mikalsen, who has worked in the Legislature for 16 years, including 12 with Nass, behaves like Nass’ critics might expect him to. He sputters and growls and waves his arms. His tone ranges from mild disgust to infinite disdain as he describes the UW’s various transgressions.

UW football: So much for a sense of humor

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Wisconsin State Journal

University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema is going to stop trying to joke with the media.

He blamed reporters on Monday for not having a sense of humor and understanding he was joking after the Michigan State game on Saturday, when he said cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu “called in sick today.”

Amid Complaints, Madhatters Owner Abandons Relocation Plan

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WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — State Street residents who have been outspoken in their opposition to the relocation of a popular local bar said that they are now claiming victory.

Ted Gervasi, the owner of Madhatters, had won approval by the Madison Alcohol License Review Committee to relocate to 651 State Street, the former location of Fuddruckers Restaurant. However, in light of the complaints from area residents, shop owners, and landlords, Gervasi said that he has now decided to abandon that plan, WISC-TV reported.