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Author: jplucas

Molly Jahn Brings Scientific Muscle – and Enthusiasm – to CALS (Agri-View)

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Molly Jahn, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison, was on hand at the Jan. 10 meeting of the board of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Her task was to discuss agricultural issues and the future direction of CALS.

DATCP Secretary Rod Nilsestuen introduced the new dean to the board, noting “she brings a lot of scientific muscle to the job.”Although she’s only been at her job for the past five and one-half months, Jahn’s made it a priority to get out in the state and has shown up at most UW campuses across the state.

Bo Ryan Court Dedicated At Platteville

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WISC-TV 3

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — It was a day of hoop dreams in Platteville on Saturday as former UW-Platteville players and fans turned out to honor former coach and current UW coach Bo Ryan.

The brand new basketball court at Williams Fieldhouse in Platteville will now be called Bo Ryan Court.

“He means a lot to this town and I know talking with him that this town means a lot to him,” said former player Brian Gilmore.

In the city of just 10,000, he was the all-time winningest coach.

Dunn against all (Isthmus)

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Isthmus

Dunn�s greenspace is facing future annexations from Oregon and Stoughton, spillover from new Fitchburg development, a huge unwanted research facility and a new and bigger power line traversing the township.

To stroll, bike or drive down the handful of two-lane roads that crisscross the town of Dunn is to step back in time. New subdivisions don�t intrude on the farms and wetlands that define much of its landscape. Sandhill cranes still nest in its marshes, and full-time farmers raise hogs, dairy cattle and organic vegetables in its fields. And in a normal winter, acres of unbroken white snow stretch across fields knit with the stubble of last year�s corn crop and dapple the crests of glacial hills.

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Police, cameras will boost safety

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Wisconsin State Journal

Madison police have proposed a strong initiative to improve safety Downtown.
Devised with input from property owners and students, the safety plan will add more police patrols and two surveillance cameras at a cost of $100,000.

New WARF Stem Cell Rules To Benefit Biotech Research (Bioworld Today)

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Embryonic stem cell research should advance a bit more freely because of policy changes announced this week by a major patent holder in this area, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). The move could clearly benefit biotech companies and possibly negate for now some criticism that the organization has endured.

“It creates a little more comfort in academic research institutions,” explained Tom Quinlan, an attorney in the San Francisco office of Reed Smith LLP. He added that the new guidelines would provide “an increased opportunity to get research going or continue.” It also would delay questions on “whether the WARF patents are going to continue to be challenged or should have been issued in the first place,” he added.

2 Veterans Leading Group To Anti-War Rally In D.C.

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WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — Two University of Wisconsin-Madison students who are both Iraq War veterans are preparing for a rally in Washington, D.C., to protest the war.

Ben Ratliffe and Todd Dennis will help lead a bus tour of more than 140 people from Madison to Washington, D.C., on Friday where they will join the Act Now to End the War protest.

Jurassic plant (Isthmus)

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http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=5422
Most people who look at plants just see plants � ferns, perhaps, or perennials or weeds, or trees. When Dr. Mohammad Fayyaz looks at plants, the director of the UW botany department�s greenhouses and garden looks beyond species and sees opportunity.

He did not, for example, acquire a rare Wollemi pine seedling just for the educational uses ââ?¬â? although ââ?¬Å?it is a good specimen for teaching,ââ?¬Â he says, citing applications in courses ranging from plant geography to classification, morphology and anatomy.

Colleges Regroup After Voters Ban Race Preferences

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New York Times

With Michigan�s new ban on affirmative action going into effect, and similar ballot initiatives looming in other states, many public universities are scrambling to find race-blind ways to attract more blacks and Hispanics.

At Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, a new admissions policy, without mentioning race, allows officials to consider factors like living on an Indian reservation or in mostly black Detroit, or overcoming discrimination or prejudice.

Shoreline rights contested

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Wisconsin State Journal

A proposal to build two houses and expand this one near Arboretum Lane and Arboretum Drive has triggered a reinterpretation of Dane County zoning laws that could affect hundreds, if not thousands, of property owners in shoreland districts in unincorporated parts of the county.

Business School May Hike Tuition

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison’s School of Business has served notice to undergraduate students of a proposed $500-per-semester tuition increase that could take effect by fall 2007.
That would make it the first undergraduate program at UW-Madison to charge more than the university’s base tuition.

UW is cutting campus ash trees

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Wisconsin State Journal

The emerald ash borer, a half-inch long, metallic green beetle native to Asia, could potentially put more than 550 ash trees on the developed parts of the UW-Madison campus – plus more in the adjacent Lakeshore Nature Preserve – on a hit list for removal in an attempt to forestall the beetle’s spread.

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The war on smoking

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Wisconsin State Journal

Combining a sharp price increase with a smoking ban is the most proven way to reduce the number of smokers, said Marion Ceraso, a senior health policy analyst with the Comprehensive Cancer Center at UW-Madison. About 922,000 of the state’s 5.5 million residents smoke, she said.

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Editorial: Stem cells untethered? (Sacramento Bee)

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Embryonic stem cell research faces numerous challenges, including hype about its medical potential and legal roadblocks erected by opponents.Until Monday, there was a third obstacle: restrictive patents that forced scientists to establish licensing agreements before working with embryonic stem cells.

Starting in 1998, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has maintained patent claims on both the method used to isolate embryonic stem cells and the cells themselves. The foundation, known as WARF in scientific circles, secured these patents after a University of Wisconsin researcher was the first to successfully isolate these cells in 1998

Fees relaxed to boost stem cell research (AP)

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BusinessWeek

The Wisconsin foundation that holds patents covering U.S. embryonic stem cell research will waive some of its fees to encourage more industry-sponsored research.

The changes follow criticism from scientists who said the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation’s fees and its licensing system were driving some investment overseas.

Scientists around the country hailed the policy changes, which will let researchers share their cells for free and allow companies to sponsor research at universities without having to obtain licenses that cost up to $400,000.

Venture Investors to open Michigan office

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Wisconsin Technology Network

Madison, Wis. – In a move that could bring additional investment partners to Wisconsin deals, Venture Investors of Madison will open an office in Ann Arbor, Mich. after receiving money from a Michigan venture fund.

The Madison venture capital firm, which recently moved into a larger space in the MGE Innovation Center in University Research Park, was one of three venture firms selected to receive funding through a competitive bidding process conducted by Venture Michigan Fund I. The three firms, which also include Arboretum Partners of Ann Arbor and Nth Power of San Francisco, will receive investment commitments of $95 million over the next three years.

Palcic Says He’ll Remain With Badger Football Team

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WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Madison offensive line coach Bob Palcic said he plans on remaining with the Badgers.

The Cleveland Browns recently received permission from Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema to talk to Palcic about joining their staff.

But Palcic said on Wednesday in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he hadn’t been offered any other job and expected to be back with the Badgers.

UW Researchers Praise Proposed Smoking Ban, Tax Hike

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WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Jim Doyle’s proposal for a statewide smoking ban and a tax hike on cigarettes by $1.25 a pack isn’t supported by some smokers or businesses, but it’s getting rave reviews by the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention.

Officials said on Wednesday that it’s the shock value that tends to convince people it’s time to quit smoking, and this could provide that impetus, WISC-TV reported.

Twenty-year smoker Moe Bird celebrates a month free from cigarettes this week.

Hardwood Honor: UW-P Recognizes Bo Ryan

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NBC-15

Before Bo stood courtside at the Kohl Center, he spent time on the hardwood 70-miles southwest of Madison. Under Bo Ryan’s lead, UW-Platteville netted four national titles. His success really put Platteville on the map. Now, nearly eight years after his departure, the university is showing its appreciation.

Ask anyone at Platteville and they’ll tell you Bo knows basketball. His teams won it all in ’91, ’95, ’98 and ’99.

Nation’s college elevators scrutinized (AP)

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Yahoo! News

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Like many students at the country’s largest college campus, Melissa Nail now thinks twice before boarding crowded elevator cars.

It was on her campus three months ago that an 18-year-old freshman was killed while trying to wriggle out of an overcrowded dorm elevator that was stuck between floors.

“I’ve always had a little bit of a fear of the elevators and definitely now I just don’t get into overcrowded ones,” said Nail, 18, a freshman at Ohio State University.

UW poly sci professor “grades” State of the Union (Wisconsin Radio Network)

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Wisconsin Radio Network

So how did the President really do last night explaining the State of the Union?

UW-Madison political scientist Charles Franklin says the President probably used the best approach he could Tuesday night. If he tried to deliver ambitious programs most, Franklin says, would have considered them dead on arrival because of the democratic controlled congress.

Editorial: UW Admissions Forums Welcome (Channel 3)

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WISC-TV 3

Next week, five UW System campuses are hosting statewide educational forums on a draft policy for freshman admissions. The draft under review is a rewrite of the System’s admissions criteria, some of which are 35 years old. The Board of Regents considered the proposal in December but postponed action. So the System is seeking input on the guidelines for just how applications are reviewed.

UW women’s soccer: Search down to four

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Wisconsin State Journal

Paula Wilkins, who has led the Penn State women’s soccer team to the last six Big Ten Conference regular-season championships, is among the four coaches who interviewed for the opening at the University of Wisconsin.

Venture to open second office

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Wisconsin State Journal

“We’ve had tremendous success, especially with companies spun out of the nation’s fourth largest research institution (UW-Madison),” Neis said. The University of Michigan is the nation’s third largest research institution, he said, calling it “fertile territory.”

Universities graded on environmental practices

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USA Today

Pressure is mounting for colleges to be top performers in a category with stakes as large as the planet: the fight to stop global warming. A report card released today evaluates North America’s 100 wealthiest colleges and universities. Those that rely on renewable energy sources, buy locally grown food and disclose where endowment money is invested get high mark.

2-state tuition pact in jeopardy

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The University of Minnesota is threatening to pull out of a tuition reciprocity agreement between Minnesota and Wisconsin unless its students from Wisconsin start paying between $1,200 and $2,700 more a year.

Wisconsin has rejected the proposal, but the University of Minnesota is pushing back.

“We would like to reach agreement within the existing agreement,” said Craig Swan, vice provost for undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota. “That’s the preferable outcome. But I don’t want to rule other things out.”

A Sustainability Report Card (Inside Higher Ed)

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Inside Higher Education

The Sustainable Endowments Institute, a two-year-old group that studies university investment policies, has kept tabs on the slew of green initiatives and whether colleges invest in green-friendly ways. In its College Sustainability Report Card being released today, many of the nation�s top colleges receive high marks for their campus greening practices. But many of those same colleges receive much lower grades in categories that measure green investment decisions and willingness to share information about how they use their endowment money.

Only six colleges earned ââ?¬Ë?Aââ?¬â?¢ grades for their endowment transparency: Dartmouth College, Williams College, University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of Texas at Austin, University of Tennessee and Purdue University. A host received flunking grades in that category. By comparison, 30 institutions earned the top mark for their administrative actions in becoming a greener campus.

UW Researchers Looking Toward Future Of Ethanol

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WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — President George W. Bush’s call for decreasing dependence on foreign oil has researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison talking about the future of biofuels in the state.

Gov. Jim Doyle said he thinks Bush’s speech on Tuesday is the symbolic opening of the door for Wisconsin to be at the forefront of energy production. Doyle said he wants Wisconsin to be at the forefront of becoming self-sufficient in producing its own energy.

Members of UW-Madison’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences gathered on Tuesday to talk about ethanol and the changes needed for the future.

Researchers are already looking at ways to make the production of ethanol, which is currently made from corn, more efficient. Researchers said they are now looking beyond the corn kernel for alternative energy sources.

Scott Converse, UW-Madison School of Business, on the innovation mind-set

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Wisconsin Technology Network

Scott Converse, director of technology programs for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is part information technologist, part futurist, and part ââ?¬Å?anti-change agent,ââ?¬Â as he demonstrates in Part II of this interview. In Part I, he addressed information technology workforce development issues. In Part II (below), he addresses creating a culture of innovation and finding IT talent.

Boosting Battery Power

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Wisconsin State Journal

Engineering physics researchers at UW-Madison are devising a way to insulate tiny batteries, allowing them to squeeze as much electricity as possible from nuclear-powered batteries the size of a coarse grain of salt.
The tiny batteries, which generate electricity from the natural decay of radioactive isotopes, could provide virtually endless power for micro-technologies such as fly-sized robots for military applications or sensors that monitor a building’s health.

Lehmans’ $1 million Gift Aids UW

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison and its School of Human Ecology have announced that Elliot and Frances Lehman have provided a $1 million lead gift for a teaching and research preschool laboratory, a key component of a new addition to the school’s historic building.

Stem cell institute clears a hurdle (Los Angeles Times)

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Los Angeles Times

California’s voter-approved stem cell research institute cleared a roadblock Monday when a University of Wisconsin alumni group said it would not seek to collect licensing fees on discoveries made with institute grants.

Proposition 71, passed in 2004, created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and all but promised taxpayers royalties in return for approving $3 billion in bonds for research. A move to collect fees out of any royalties would likely have led to a court battle.

The Politics Of Gap’s Advertising

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New York Sun

Gap’s holiday ads were part of an emerging trend of advertisers using symbols and iconography with political overtones, a professor of marketing at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a former executive at the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, Aric Rindfleisch, said.

Exercise helps stoke fat-burning fires

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Reuters

It may be easier for active people to stay slim after a few days of eating too much fat, a new study shows.

Given that eating lots of fat over short stretches likely leads to accumulation of excess body fat over time, Dr. Kent C. Hansen of the University of Wisconsin in Madison and his colleagues write, regular exercise may help people maintain a healthy weight even if they do indulge occasionally.

Showdown Looms in Congress Over Drug Advertising on TV

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New York Times

Quoted: R. Alta Charo, a law professor and bioethics specialist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. ââ?¬Å?I donââ?¬â?¢t believe either side really wants to see a definitive case go to the Supreme Court because neither side is willing to take the risk that they will lose.ââ?¬Â

Tufts, MIT funds soared in 2006 (The Boston Globe)

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Boston Globe

Among institutions with endowments of $1 billion or more, the second-strongest growth in the overall endowment was posted by the University of Wisconsin — 26.7 percent — followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with 24.7 percent growth after a year of strong investment returns.

Tech-Transfer Arm of U. of Wisconsin Retreats From Licensing Demands on Stem-Cell Patents

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Chronicle of Higher Education

The foundation that manages the University of Wisconsin at Madison’s patents on groundbreaking discoveries on embryonic stem cells is backing away from many of the aggressive licensing demands it had been making on academic scientists.

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which had angered many scientists with its tactics (The Chronicle, September 15, 2006), said it hoped three changes, announced late Monday, would improve the climate for embryonic-stem-cell research in the United States.

WARF will ease stem cell restrictions

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Wisconsin Technology Network

Madison, Wis. – The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a California consumer watchdog organization, says policy changes that ease licensing requirements on human embryonic stem cell patents held by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation are a step in the right direction, but don’t go far enough to relinquish WARF’s claims on embryonic stem cells.

Distractions in the Wireless Classroom

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Chronicle of Higher Education

To combat technology distractions, some universities are relying on educational campaigns to make students more sensitive to classroom etiquette. The University of Wisconsin at Madison provides information via links to Web pages that faculty members can note in their syllabi.

Tuition pact in debate (Minnesota Daily)

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A tuition reciprocity pact in place between Minnesota and Wisconsin since the 1980s could be renegotiated in upcoming weeks, meaning students from Wisconsin might be paying a higher tuition bill.

The Minnesota Office of Higher Education sent a letter to the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board Dec. 14 asking to rework the tuition pact due to a growing tuition gap between the University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.