Monthly book column by Merri Lindgren and Megan Schliesman, librarians at the Cooperative Children’s Book Center of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
It’s no mystery: Books are good gifts
Wisconsin State Journal
Author: jplucas
State ranks low in help for charity
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Sandy Wilcox, executive director of UW Foundation.
Earth fertility maps reveal a growing problem (Guardian, UK)
Sydney Morning Herald
NEW maps show that the Earth is rapidly running out of fertile land and that food production will soon be unable to keep up with the world’s burgeoning population.
The maps reveal that more than one third of the world’s land is being used to grow crops or graze cattle.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison combined satellite land-cover images with agricultural census data from every country to create detailed maps of global land use. Each grid square was 10 kilometres across and showed the most prevalent land use.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater failed to monitor spending (AP)
Duluth News
MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Whitewater failed to monitor the spending of a former dean who improperly used $50,000 on an academic group he founded and took trips that may not have been in the university’s interest, according to an audit.
Who’s in the Corner Office?
New York Times
The University of Wisconsin has tied Harvard as the most common alma mater for top executives, according to Spencer Stuart, an executive search firm.
If it’s cold and snowy, he’s in his element
Wisconsin State Journal
Professor Jonathan Martin knows why cold weather was his professional destiny and snow shoveling would be one of his greatest personal pleasures.
As a child, Martin, with his two brothers, delivered the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and the Christian Science Monitor.
“I got to be the first one outside on those mornings. When we had a giant snowstorm, I was the first person to put footprints in it. I imagined I was Neil Armstrong on the moon,” said Martin, who heads the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences. “And after that I never really got weather out of my system.”
College should be a place of higher learning
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
I don’t recall dorm life as being for the faint of heart.
Apart from hall surfing, contact highs and “the walk of shame” following an ill-advised romantic encounter, living in a dormitory requires young people to learn to put up with beliefs and behavior that may make them uncomfortable.
At Forum on Evolution, Beliefs Remain Static
Washington Post
Quoted: Sean B. Carroll, a Hughes institute investigator at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
World without snow means warmer weather but colder land (Guardian, UK)
Sydney Morning Herald
Quoted: Stephen Vavrus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Good sleep, sociability may keep grandma healthy (Reuters)
ABCNEWS.com
Quoted: Dr. Elliot M. Friedman, from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Labs unsure whether to join stem cell bank (AP)
MADISON, Wis. – The Bush administration’s plan for a bank of federally approved stem cells unveiled here two months ago is being met with apathy, confusion and derision.
23 of 56 Bowl Teams Fail to Meet New NCAA Academic Standards, Report Says
Chronicle of Higher Education
Forty-one percent of the college football teams headed to bowl games this year have failed to meet new academic standards set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, according to an annual report released on Monday by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida.
Badgers Get Ready to go Bowling
NBC-15
The Badgers are Bowling.
Wisconsin will take on Auburn in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on January second.
Of course the news means many Badger fans are already inquiring about trip costs.
UW-Madison third in nation in tech-transfer value
Wisconsin Technology Network
Madison, Wis. ââ?¬â? A report from the Association of University Technology Managers has ranked UW-Madison and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation third in the country in value of the inventions created by faculty members for 2004, behind only the University of California System, counted as a single entity in second place, and New York University.
Dean Who Founded Academic-Diversity Group Is Demoted Following Audit
Chronicle of Higher Education
The University of Wisconsin at Whitewater has demoted a black dean who has been at the forefront of the campus’s efforts to diversify, and it is starting proceedings that could lead to his termination.
Friday’s action resulted from a November 2 audit report of alleged misspending by the dean — Lee Jones, who in 1999 helped found Brothers of the Academy, a nationwide group aimed at increasing the number of black men who earn Ph.D.’s and work in higher education (The Chronicle, November 29, 2002).
Whitewater Dean Is Demoted
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Whitewater removed a dean from his administrative post Friday, saying he had misused university funds.
Growing number of black families attracted to home schooling (AP)
Quoted: Michael Apple, an education professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Uw Bands Stage Holiday Food Drive
Wisconsin State Journal
Kids are used to leaving cookies for Santa, but three UW-Madison bands are looking for earlier holiday help for the hungry. The roughly 320 students in the three University Bands, along with service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, ask audience members to bring donations of non-perishable food to their Sunday concert for the Second Harvest food bank.
University Licensing Fees Rank No. 3
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison and its technology transfer organization — the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation — received more than $47.5 million last year in licensing revenues, or fees paid to use the patents the university holds for inventions and discoveries made by campus faculty and researchers. That’s the third highest in the nation, according to the Association of University Technology Managers, behind only the University of California System and New York University.
Audit Rips Whitewater Dean
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Whitewater hired a dean months after he resigned from Florida State University, where auditors contended he spent thousands of dollars of school money for personal benefit, The Associated Press has learned.
Docs here not ready to do face transplants
Quoted: Dr. Michael Bentz, professor and chairman of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ex-CEO in running for chancellor (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Madison, Wis. ââ?¬â? He rises at 5 a.m. for two-hour workouts and brings stacks of reading material to sporting events to read during down time.
Colleagues and friends describe him as an intense intellectual who remains approachable and down to earth despite his driven nature.
As chairman and former CEO of a $3 billion energy company, Erroll Davis might not seem the obvious choice for Georgia’s next University System
chancellor.
Quoted: Bernice Durand, associate vice chancellor for diversity and climate at the University of Wisconsin.
Rally ‘Round the Flagship (Lexington Herald.-Leader)
Lexington Herald-Leader
University of Kentucky President Lee Todd believes he has a solution to many of the economic problems that have plagued the state: Turn the commonwealth’s flagship institution into a Top 20 research university by 2020.
Today, he will unveil a plan that will ask for state funding increases of between $15 million and $23 million a year for UK through 2020, totaling $260 million over the next 15 years. The exact amounts will vary according to state allocations and tuition increases.
The Gamer as Artiste
New York Times
Quoted: James Paul Gee, a professor of education at the University of Wisconsin at Madison,
UW Runner Faces Assault Charges
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — A member of the University of Wisconsin’s national champion cross-country team will be in court on Monday morning facing felony assault charges. Bobby Lockhart was arrested last month, WISC-TV reported.
Student fee hike deserves rejection
Wisconsin State Journal
Hemmed in by a desire to keep tuition affordable and by a tight state budget, campuses in the UW System have been turning to another source for money to cover the cost of running a college – student fees. A proposal circulating on the UW-Eau Claire campus would take the trend too far.
Some scary stories on binge drinking
Wisconsin State Journal
When David Brailey was a freshman at UW- Madison, his friends found him passed out on the street after he had been out drinking.
Elizabeth Berwitt, a senior at the university, had to shell out $900 to buy another student a new computer after spilling a drink on the keyboard.
Water floods floor of UW-Madison building
Wisconsin State Journal
About 30,000 gallons of water cascaded down the floors of a UW-Madison building that houses delicate mechanical instruments after its air circulation system failed Friday.
Court weighs whether funds can be cut for schools that limit military recruiting
USA Today
The Supreme Court on Tuesday will consider whether the U.S. government may withhold funds from colleges that limit military recruiters’ access to campus to protest the Pentagon’s policy of barring openly gay people from serving in the armed forces. The dispute between the Defense Department and a group representing about 30 law schools tests whether a law known as the Solomon Amendment ââ?¬â? which could allow government to withhold billions of dollars from colleges that inhibit military recruiting on campus ââ?¬â? violates the schools’ First Amendment speech rights.
Ruling called ‘do-or-die’ for DeLay (AP)
Quoted: David Cannon, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Lab Mistakes Threaten Credibility, Spur Lawsuits (Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Times
Quoted: James Westgard, from the University of Wisconsin.
Academics consider “intelligent design” museum talk (Reuters)
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Ronald Numbers.
UW dean faced allegations in Florida (AP)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater hired a dean months after he resigned from Florida State University, where auditors contended he spent thousands of dollars of school money for personal benefit, the Associated Press has learned.
College student sues over Bible-study ban (AP)
Duluth News
MADISON – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire violated a student’s constitutional right to free speech and religious freedom in banning him from leading Bible studies in his dorm room, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court.
Dick Barrows to Retire Next Spring
Wisconsin Ag Connection
Another top administrator with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is about to retire. Richard Barrows, associate dean for academic student affairs and professor of agricultural and applied economics, announced that he will step down from the university after the end of the academic year.
UW’s SAFEWalk, Cab Service Programs In Flux
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — A popular service that ensures University of Wisconsin-Madison students get home safe might not be around much longer.
The student government, the Associated Students of Madison (ASM), wants to scale back funding for SAFEwalk, which provides walking escorts for students on campus, and beef up support for the SAFEride Cab Service.
Student Activity Center Part Of University Square Project
Wisconsin State Journal
Plans are firming up for some welcome breathing room for student groups at UW-Madison, as student government leaders this week released blueprints for an activity center slated to be a major piece of the planned University Square redevelopment.
For Two Decades, Uw Med Flight Has Taken To The Air To Bring The Highest Level Of Care
Wisconsin State Journal
A turkey hunter falls off a cliff.
A bus full of retirees is hit head-on by a van.
A teenager injures himself making a homemade cannon.
And people suffer heart attacks, strokes and are involved in car crashes by the thousands.
After 20 years of transporting these and other patients, the doctors, nurses, dispatchers and pilots of the UW Med Flight program can safely say they never know what a day on the job will bring.
Imago To Anchor Second Building At Fitchburg Campus
Wisconsin State Journal
The Fitchburg Technology Campus has broken ground on a second building to house early-stage companies that will have Imago Scientific Instruments as its anchor tenant – the second local nanotechnology company to move onto the campus.
The fast-growing Imago Scientific ââ?¬â? a UW-Madison spinoff company ââ?¬â?Ã? has won national attention for a microscope that can provide 3-D images of samples down to the level of individual atoms.
Research Park Incubator To Grow
Wisconsin State Journal
There will be more space for young technology companies at the MGE Innovation Center at University Research Park. A $1 million remodeling project will add 20 suites to the center, at 510 Charmany Drive, in space being vacated by Epic Systems. The Innovation Center currently houses 34 companies and demand for incubator space continues to grow.
Sales rise but Sonic doesn’t break even
Wisconsin State Journal
A search engine for presentations recorded and archived on Sonic’s technology, Mediasite.com debuted Thursday, featuring talks on a range of subjects. They include UW-Madison Medical School professor Dennis Maki discussing infectious diseases such as avian flu and former presidential candidate John Kerry speaking to a rally in Madison last year.
Glimpses of Friends of David Busta Basketball Benefit (The Chetek Alert)
In the past two years the Busta Tournament has raised more than $50,000 for spinal cord injury research. All proceeds from the auction and tournament will be donated to the Waisman Center through the University of Wisconsin Foundation for research in the areas of spinal cord injuries, as well as other debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.
Enlist India or else,…(Bloomberg)
Quoted: Menzie Chinn, an economics professor who studies current-account balances at the University of Wisconsin
Second black UW-Whitewater dean unhappy with campus audit (AP)
MADISON, Wis. – A second black dean at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is raising questions about whether his race played a role in a campus audit of his spending.
With win over epilepsy, goalie aims for Turin berth (Chicago Tribune)
CHICAGO – Chanda Gunn was a freshman goalie at Wisconsin when epilepsy began to take over her life.
She was far from her home in suburban Los Angeles, trying to adjust to college life and college sports, confused by the sudden ineffectiveness of medicine she took to control her seizures.
Prosecutor’s withdrawal a blow to tobacco lawsuit – World (AP)
Sydney Morning Herald
Quted: Michael Fiore, director of the Centre for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin Medical School
Reynolds targets TAs (Wisconsin Radio Network)
Wisconsin Radio Network
A State senator wants to take away the right to collective bargaining, from UW System teaching assistants.
UW-Madison’s Teaching Assistants Association has reached a tentative deal with the state after nearly three years of negotiations which included a two day work stoppage. That action got the attention of West Allis Republican, Senator Tom Reynolds. “When the law is broken, is there particular consequences for that, and what should those consequences be?” Reynolds asked. “It’s a violation of state law to go on any kind of illegal work action.”
University Research Park will expand (wisbusiness.com)
www.wisbusiness.com
MADISON – Demand for ââ?¬Å?incubatorââ?¬Â space for early-stage technology companies will lead to a $1 million renovation at the MGE Innovation Center in University Research Park, director Mark Bugher announced Wednesday.
Twenty suites ranging from about 700 square feet to nearly double that size will be added on the east side of the Innovation Center, 510 Charmany Drive, in space being vacated by the move of Epic Health Systems to its new headquarters in Verona. Construction begins Monday.
Competition for stem cell research is fierce
Wisconsin Technology Network
While Wisconsin�s position in stem-cell research is strong, there are pitfalls and competitors to reckon with if the state wishes to hold its leading position, according to UW-Madison stem cell researcher Prof. Gabriela Cezar.
Cezar, who recently joined UW to assist with its stem-cell work, spoke this week at a luncheon sponsored by the Wisconsin Innovation Network, a division of the Wisconsin Technology Council, about the current state of stem-cell technology and where the field can go in Wisconsin and worldwide.
UWEC suspends Bible study ban (AP)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
MADISON, Wis. ââ?¬â? The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire suspended a practice Wednesday of banning resident assistants from leading Bible studies in their dorm rooms after it was slammed by politicians and conservative groups as infringing on religious freedom.
Kidney Disease on the Rise (WPR)
Wisconsin Public Radio
(MADISON) Kidney disease is sharply increasing in Wisconsin. One reason may be the increasing lifespan of residents. It was the focus of a study done by the Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Uw Plan Would Allow Faster Firing
Wisconsin State Journal
Faculty members accused or convicted of serious crimes could be suspended without pay and fired more quickly under a plan being hammered out by a special committee of the UW Board of Regents.
Burke gets six months in jail
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor Dennis Dresang said in addition to the reform initiative, Wisconsin should make it clear that politicians who break the rules will face severe and specific penalties.
Dresang also said those who raise money on state time should not be allowed to use the money if they are caught.
UW researcher says Wisconsin set to capitalize on stem cell boom (wisbusiness.com)
A top UW-Madison researcher who has worked for the Pfizer drug company said Tuesday that firms using stem cells to test and create new drugs could generate more than $3.6 billion in revenues by 2020.
And Wisconsin could be home to new companies doing doing that work, thanks to a wealth of scientific experts here, said Dr. Gabriela Cezar, who spoke at a Wisconsin Innovation Network luncheon.
Who Owns An Idea? Researchers At Prestigious Universities Are Choosing Up Sides
Wisconsin State Journal
colleague’s summary of her forthcoming book, he thought he was hearing an echo of his own work.
Today that echo has become an uproar, a dispute that’s set scholar against scholar and led researchers at some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges to choose sides.
The charge? “Conceptual plagiarism.”
Bogged down (San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego Union-Tribune
Quoted: Joy Zedler, a professor of botany at the University of Wisconsin in Madison,
Pointing Fingers (www.GovExec.com)
Quoted: University of Wisconsin political scientist Charles O. Jones
College towns make the grade with entrepreneurs (AP)
NEW YORK – As a student at Davidson College in North Carolina, art-lover Drew Crawford saw business potential in the small college town. The nearby suburbs of Charlotte, N.C., were growing, and the town saw a steady stream of students and their parents each year.
A one-stop shop for the ‘best’ blogs (Christian Science Monitor)
Christian Science Monitor
Quoted: Ann Althouse, a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin.
Conklin: Living her nightmares
Wisconsin State Journal
Who should go away and never again be seen in the public eye? That’s the question UW-Madison professor John Coleman put to the 460 freshmen and sophomores in his Political Science 104 class this fall.