Halloween is only a week away, but before you throw your Superman, skanky nurse or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume into the back of your buddy�s car and drive to Madison, stop for a second. (Written by DC Editorial Board.)
Author: jplucas
Potrykus: Fans rushing the field after games
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
I became involved in a discussion/debate last night regarding fans rushing the field after victories. It was sparked by the fact I noticed a story on the wire about a 20-year-old Minnesota-Morris student killed Saturday.
Officials believe he was hit by part of the goalpost after fans tore it down to celebrate the victory. I shared my thoughts with some UW fans because the incident struck me as tragic, a terrible waste of a life and a cautionary tale given that so many folks seem to ignore the potenial dangers when they rush the field.
If Deer Has Collar, Don’t Blast Away
Wisconsin State Journal
Researchers from UW-Madison are asking hunters during the upcoming deer season to refrain from shooting deer wearing radio collars.
Deer Travel Less Than Was Thought
Wisconsin State Journal
A UW-Madison study of radio-collared deer shows the animals do not move across the landscape nearly as much as was once believed.
A Free And Easy Way To Learn Science
Wisconsin State Journal
Samuel Gellman, a UW-Madison chemist, considers it one of the scariest — but maybe among the most interesting – experiments he’s ever conducted.
On Sunday, Gellman, a tall and soft-spoken fellow who studies proteins, will attempt to talk with ordinary people about the science that he does for a living. He is the first scientist — the lab rat, so to speak — to participate in an experiment in communication called “Science Cafe.”
Beetles Appear To Be Taking Over
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Phil Pellitteri, a UW-Madison entomologist
Scientists Are Missing The Whole Point
Wisconsin State Journal
For a guy who has dedicated his life to peace and compassion and tranquility, the Dalai Lama sure finds ways to upset establishments.
This time, those upset are scientists who are outraged that the Tibetan spiritual leader has been invited to speak at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience next month in Washington, D.C.
He is scheduled to speak about research he has done with UW-Madison professor Richard Davidson that purports to show monks who meditate produce very strong concentrations of gamma brain waves, as measured by an electronic scanner.
We could be ‘Saudi Arabia of ethanol’
Wisconsin State Journal
Richard Shaten sees both sides. Though ethanol carries its own problems, burning ethanol blends releases less soot and carbon monoxide into the air than gasoline, said Shaten, a faculty associate who teaches energy economics at UW-Madison’s Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
“I believe that every gallon of gasoline that is displaced by a gallon of ethanol lets us all breathe easier,” he said.
He’s in like Flynn
Wisconsin State Journal
UW alum Tom Wopat is not just a good old boy.
In fact, he didn’t even start out that way. The Lodi native started out as a song-and- dance man, doing high school plays, summer stock and even taking a run at Broadway.
Colleges Protest Call to Upgrade Online Systems
New York Times
The federal government, vastly extending the reach of an 11-year-old law, is requiring hundreds of universities, online communications companies and cities to overhaul their Internet computer networks to make it easier for law enforcement authorities to monitor e-mail and other online communications.
Breaking the silence about abuse
Wisconsin State Journal
In a 1994 study at UW- Madison, researchers surveyed 769 male students in grades 7-12 in rural Wisconsin; 52 percent reported engaging in sexually aggressive behavior. This number correlates with Warsaw’s research results that indicate that more than 50 percent of high school boys and 42 percent of high school girls believe that there are times when it is “acceptable for a male to hold a female down and physically force her to engage in intercourse.”
Pet owners shelling out big bucks for their beloveds.
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Sandra Sawchuk, a clinical instructor at UW-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
UW tries Halloween scare plan
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison is rolling up the red carpet as tightly as it can to try to keep Halloween revelry in check, with a special effort to “downsize, discourage and localize” the festivities.
UW Scientist Help Track Hurricane Wilma
NBC-15
Scientists right here in Wisconsin play a large role in helping predict exactly where Wilma will hit.
“Bucky Grants”
NBC-15
Right now, Sarah Lundquist Nuutinen has a successful career working at the capitol.
To get there, Nuutinen says she needed help paying for her education … help, that came in the form of a “Bucky Grant.”
The transplants from New Orleans to Madison report mixed results so far
Wisconsin State Journal
Ronald Hampton, 36, has a job at UW-Madison as a custodian at the Kohl Center, which he really enjoys, he said. But he works from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., and with no bus service at that hour, he has a hard time finding ways to get home without spending $15 on cab fare.
NEEDS OF THE POOR: New drive for toiletries is launched
Wisconsin State Journal
More than 70 volunteers have signed on to the Personal Care Items Drive. Churches, libraries and businesses have endorsed the effort and will provide drop-off sites.
….The Morgridge Center for Public Service, located in the Red Gym, will be the (campus) drop-off point, and the campus effort will be promoted by the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity.
State Street Business Owners Prepare For Another Halloween
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — Halloween weekend is one week away and State Street business owners are preparing themselves.
They aren’t going to the length of covering their windows with plywood, but they say the thought has crossed their minds.
Podcasting: It’s more than just tunes
Wisconsin State Journal
One locally produced podcast that is gaining popularity is Earthwatch Radio, which is distributed to 120 commercial radio stations and other media outlets across North America. Since 1972, the program produced by the staff and students of the Sea Grant Institute and the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW- Madison has provided news and information on advances in science and environmental protection. Earthwatch Radio’s podcast is helping it build an international audience, Web producer Richard Hoops said.
Mean Badger Fans
WKOW-TV 27
UW leaders say this football season, they’re receiving more complaints about Badger fans harassing, intimidating and bullying visiting fans, both in and near Camp Randall, particularly at the Michigan game.
“It’s just the nature of the game, people are going to be more excited and we have many more Michigan fans here,” says John Finkler, Guest Services Manager for the UW Athletic Departm
More UW Students in Detox
WKOW-TV 27
Some Badger fans took homecoming celebrations to a dangerous level. UW Police had to take several intoxicated students to get medical attention.
This just adds to UW’s already alarming detox record, which officials say is worse than any other school in the nation.
Alcohol-Related Numbers Troubling (WPR)
Wisconsin Public Radio
(MADISON) University of Wisconsin-Madison students appear to be drinking more, at a younger age. More UW-Madison students are going to detox after drinking too much.
Colleges add lessons on financial literacy
Milwaukee Business Journal
College senior Amy Block was stunned to learn in her recent personal finance class how much it costs her over the long run when she pays only the minimum required amount on her credit card bill.
Minority recruitment strategies paying off for UWM
Milwaukee Business Journal
Inspired by a new chancellor and an in-depth plan to diversify the campus, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee recorded double-digit gains in its recruitment and enrollment of minority students in 2005-06’s freshman class.
Spear to end rich career at UW-Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison Provost Peter Spear will finish his academic career at Bascom Hall today, spend one more night at a neighbor’s house and drive away Tuesday morning with his wife, Meredith, to their new home in Tucson, Ariz.
Don�t plan for a Madison Halloween (UW Green Bay Fourth Estate)
Students planning their latest trip to Madison this Halloween weekend should be aware of local law enforcement�s efforts to discourage the upcoming festivities. The Madison Police Department and UW-Madison officials will strictly enforce all city ordinances and university policies.
Wisconsin researcher says frog deformities increase with use of fertilizers (Minnesota Public Radio)
Minnesota Public Radio
Ten years ago Minnesota attracted national attention when severely deformed leopard frogs with oddly shaped and missing limbs were discovered in a Twin Cities wetland.
FBI trying to repair image on college campuses (AP)
CNN.com
WASHINGTON (AP) — The idea of academics collaborating with the FBI might once have aroused loud complaints on some campuses where agents had spied on student protesters and government institutions were viewed with mistrust.
Quoted: John Wiley, the University of Wisconsin’s chancellor.
State, Federal Officials to Probe State Travel Contract
WKOW-TV 27
U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic, with the help of the FBI, the Dane County District Attorney’s office, and the State Department of Justice, announced a joint investigation into the award of a $750,000 state contract to Milwaukee-based Adelman Travel Systems.
Students Drinking to Near-Death
WKOW-TV 27
UW Police say an alarming number of students are drinking themselves to near-death.
Records show more students at UW went to detox in the last 6 weeks than in previous years at the school.
UW leaders say Badger games play a part.
A creamier crop at UW-Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
After ranking No. 1 in her high school class and scoring a perfect 36 on her ACT, 18-year- old Suchita Shah had her pick of the college litter.
The Holmen resident narrowed it down to Harvard University and UW-Madison, before deciding that Harvard wasn’t for her.
Detox at Madison (Inside Higher Ed)
Inside Higher Education
When the Princeton Review in August named the University of Wisconsin at Madison as its top ââ?¬Å?party schoolââ?¬Â for the year, Wisconsin officials objected and boasted about their progress in curbing excessive drinking.
Binge drinking a problem for UW
Wisconsin State Journal
“Lucky” and “blessed” are the curious words University of Wisconsin police chief Susan Riseling used to describe the fact that no UW student has died this semester as the result of excessive alcohol consumption.
A report detailing the worst cases – students so trashed that they couldn’t stand, sit up, extricate themselves from their own bodily discharges, identify their surroundings and/or blow into a Breathalyzer – was open on the conference table in front of her. Riseling searched for the proper verbiage to express her relief that no autopsies have been needed.
Big dreams scene
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison students Nick O’Brien and Mitch Nick want to start a company. So far, all they have in hand is an idea they’ve been researching for more than a year: a system to help firefighters find their way out of smoke-blinded buildings.
Sculpture isn’t ready for public exposure
Wisconsin State Journal
For the past week I’ve been cruising the corner of Breese Terrace and Regent Street, waiting impatiently for the appearance of the giant sculpture that was to be unveiled today to kick off UW-Madison’s Homecoming events.
Where were they hiding it, I wondered? In the Field House? Under the roof of the McClain Center? Behind the steeple of First Congregational Church up the street?
ABC: University did not share security measures (Univ. of Maryland Diamondback)
The ABC investigative producer who appeared on the networkââ?¬â?¢s Primetime ââ?¬Å?Radioactive Road Tripââ?¬Â ââ?¬â? a broadcast last Thursday night that portrayed this universityââ?¬â?¢s reactor facility as unsafe ââ?¬â? said yesterday the university did not disclose the safety measures surrounding the campus reactor when the reporters were compiling the report.
Granting of travel agency contract investigated
St. Paul Pioneer Press
MADISON, Wis. ââ?¬â? A travel agency is now questioning why it lost a contract to sell airline tickets to state workers after reports that leaders at the winning company gave $20,000 to the governor’s campaign in the months surrounding the bidding process.
Warwick’s decision disrupts Singapore’s plans (Financial Times)
Financial Times
Quoted: Kris Olds, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Drink Special Advertising Scrutinized
WISC-TV 3
Downtown drink specials are the target of scrutiny.
Wednesday night the UW group PACE asked the Alcohol and License Review Committee to again address drink special advertisements, which they believe are unfairly targeting UW students.
UW, Big Ten Schools Prepare For Flu Outbreak
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — UW-Madison and other Big Ten schools are preparing for a possible flu outbreak.
UW-Madison epidemiologist Craig Roberts said university officials will meet next week to talk about concerns over the avian flu
Central District Planning for Halloween
WKOW-TV 27
Halloween weekend is less than 10 days away, and the Madison Police Department’s Central District is setting their day to day work aside, to finalize plans for what has become a violent night.
In the two months leading up to Halloween weekend, officers in the Central District planned for it every single day — and they still are. And because of that, special project have been put on ho
Colleges remain cautious in handling gender diversity
USA Today
As the numbers of college-going males dwindle, gender is a consideration in maintaining diversity. But admissions officials are cautious in their approach. At Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., admissions officials gave a nudge to males on the margin for several years, which helped increase the male share from 36% in 1999 to 45% in recent years, says Robert Massa, vice president for enrollment. At the same time, it tried to boost its male applicant pool by marketing to males, playing up sports opportunities and even choosing bolder colors in recruitment brochures.
College gender gap widens: 57% are women. Educators wonder whether men need preferential treatment
USA Today
In May, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education posted the inevitable culmination of a trend: Last year for the first time, women earned more than half the degrees granted statewide in every category, be it associate, bachelor, master, doctoral or profess.
Draw capital for entrepreneurs
Wisconsin State Journal
More and more entrepreneurs like Raymond Harter are setting up small businesses in Wisconsin.
But capital to help them grow isn’t keeping pace.
The Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium will attack that problem Wednesday and Thursday in Madison.
State lags in high-tech jobs
Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin is inching forward in its effort to morph into a high-tech state, but it still lags the nation in technology jobs, a new report shows.
The report, to be presented today at the Early Stage Symposium at Monona Terrace, shows Wisconsin scientists and engineers are racking up more patents per capita than most other states, and research funding is steadily rising.
State bureau to audit UW System
Wisconsin State Journal
The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau will take a top-to- bottom look at an array of employment practices within the University of Wisconsin System and issue a report next year.
The Legislature’s Joint Audit Committee voted 9-0 Tuesday to authorize the review, which state Auditor Jan Mueller said would be “large, broad-based and comprehensive.”
Where are your wireless manners?
CNN.com
Quoted: Lew Friedland, a communications professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
RFID can be a matter of life and death in the medical world
Wisconsin Technology Network
Madison, Wis. – Radio frequency identification technology is often touted as a way to improve supply chain management. But in the health care world, the technology is bringing other, perhaps more important benefits: safety and security.
Medical advances not science fiction (CNN)
CNN.com
Quoted: Alta Charo, a bioethicist at the University of Wisconsin.
Lawmakers authorize UW audit (AP)
Duluth News
MADISON – A legislative committee Tuesday ordered a sweeping state audit of the University of Wisconsin System’s employment policies.
Public Colleges Tame Tuition Costs, but Poorer Students Fall Behind
Chronicle of Higher Education
Public four-year colleges have managed to rein in the escalating cost of tuition at their institutions, according to the College Board’s annual tuition survey, released on Tuesday. But thanks to colleges’ increasing use of merit-based aid instead of need-based aid, and the stagnating value of Pell Grants, needy students found it more difficult to finance their higher education.
Tuition Rise Tops Inflation, but Rate Slows, Report Says
New York Times
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 – Average college tuition grew more quickly than did overall inflation again this year, although the rate of increase slowed after a period of explosive growth, according to an annual survey released here Tuesday by the College Board.
Sports Program Powers Up Mind, then Body
NBC-15
You’ve probably heard the phrase “knowledge is power.”
Now some working in sports medicine reinforce that statement.
A new sports program offered by UW Health Sports Medicine teaches kids how to practice. And practice is the athlete’s pregame.
UW Center Established To Promote Reading Recovery
WKOW-TV 27
A gift of nearly $3 million is being used to boost teacher training at the UW-Madison in a special, reading program.
But that program, Reading Recovery, has critics, who say it’s not worth the necessary investment.
Scientists Bridle at Lecture Plan for Dalai Lama
New York Times
In one widely reported 2003 study, Dr. Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison led a team of researchers that found that 25 employees of a biotechnology company showed increased levels of neural activity in the left anterior temporal region of their brains after taking a course in meditation.
Group wants to make new stem cell lines
USA Today
South Korean researchers are proposing to develop new embryonic stem cell lines that would be offered to other researchers. A consortium led by Seoul National University’s Hwang Woo Suk would establish labs in Seoul, San Francisco and England to ââ?¬Å?cloneââ?¬Â embryos needed to generate stem cells with patients’ genetic characteristics, reports The New England Journal of Medicine.
ââ?¬Ë?Technical virginity’ becomes part of teens’ equation
USA Today
Ten years after Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky’s relationship made oral sex a mainstream topic, there’s still plenty of debate over whether oral sex is really sex.
Quoted: John DeLamater, a sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin and editor of the Journal of Sex Research, a scholarly journal published by the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
College cost increases not as steep this year: But financial aid fails to keep up
USA Today
Sticker prices for full-time undergraduates at the nation’s colleges and universities rose more moderately this year than in recent years, although financial aid increases have not kept pace, new data show.
Financial report not standardized
USA Today
They rarely say so in public, but many college administrators and athletics directors generally dislike their obligation to declare financial information under the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act.
NCAA considers reforms
USA Today
An NCAA task force may finally do what Congress, the Department of Education and even the athletic association have failed to do for more than 10 years: provide an accurate and useful look at how individual athletic departments really spend money. And ââ?¬â? in a reversal of longtime NCAA policy ââ?¬â? the committee of university presidents will also consider making at least some of the disclosures public.