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Author: knutson4

Wisconsin Businesses Step Back From In-Office Work Plans As COVID-19 Delta Variant Spikes

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Steve Deller, an applied economics professor with University of Wisconsin-Madison, said for some businesses, not leasing office spaces has allowed them to bring down operating costs.

“I think three things are happening: a lot of businesses are embracing telecommuting as an alternative to maintaining office spaces; businesses are allowing greater flexibility for some of their workers to continue to telecommute; and finally, some workers are still uncomfortable returning to the office,” Deller said in an email.

But Deller said it’s “too soon to tell” whether shifts to remote work will continue in the long term.

For the sake of rural science students in Wisconsin, we have to get broadband right

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: One of the best examples demonstrating both the limitations and the potential of broadband for science is our collaboration with the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Each summer, Morgridge holds a series of Rural Summer Science Camps designed to expose students from isolated settings to some of the world’s top scientists who lead them in cool experiments on campus. They are exposed to exciting ideas and the joy of science. Most importantly, kids walk away from these camps with the confidence in knowing “I can compete at this level.”

1 Month After Child Tax Credits Expanded To More Families, Food Insecurity Drops 24 Percent

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: “That’s a great thing in just the first month, I’m guessing that those numbers are going to improve,” said Timothy Smeeding, a University of Wisconsin-Madison economist and child tax credit expert. “The word’s getting out, so I expect it’ll even be better soon for people who really need it.”

The Urban Institute estimates 78 percent of eligible families will be receiving their tax credits by February, though Smeeding said he expects it will take even longer. He’s been working with several groups in Wisconsin to help connect harder-to-reach groups to the payments, especially immigrant families.

“All U.S.-born children who have Social Security numbers are eligible for the child tax payment, but (the families) are gun-shy because they fear public charge rules, they fear all sorts of things that took place under the last administration, and they need trusted people who they can work with,” he said.

Wisconsin’s athletic director is determined to see venues at full capacity this school year

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

University of Wisconsin officials remain determined to see full attendance at campus athletic venues during the 2021-2022 academic year.

“I am so excited for our fans to get back here in Camp Randall on Sept. 4 and get back to business,” athletic director Chris McIntosh told a crowd of several thousand fans who attended football practice Saturday morning.

Empty Cradles: Priceless preemies, costly care

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: The U.S. health system excels at the specialized, high-tech care provided by the most advanced neonatal intensive care units in Wisconsin.

“You probably won’t find newborn intensive care that’s any better in the world,” said Philip M. Farrell, a specialist in neonatology and former dean of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

With COVID-19 Surging, Cases Will Show Up In Classrooms. Many Will Come From Community Spread.

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Because schools can’t be separated from their larger communities, some of those cases will spill into schools, as well, said University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatric disease researcher Dr. Greg DeMuri. Those are “primary cases,” or cases of COVID-19 that were picked up at home, at birthday parties and other places in the community. He said the more concerning question is whether there are “secondary cases,” or cases of COVID-19 that were transmitted between students and staff within the school.

“Those are the ones that we really worry about,” he said. “That’s the one that tells you, ‘Hey, it’s dangerous for kids to be in school.'”

rea veterans and experts react to fall of Afghanistan

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Kenosha News

Quoted: Andrew Kydd, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that while he was surprised by the speed of the takeover, the lack of commitment by Afghan forces and rampant corruption in the government made a long-term defense of Afghanistan impossible.

“The Afghan military simply wasn’t fighting for the Afghan government,” Kydd said. “There’s no way to overcome that with training.”

Mou Banerjee, an assistant professor in the UW-Madison history department, wondered what the human and emotional toll, both in Afghanistan and here in the U.S., would be.

Although Banerjee said it would likely be decades before the U.S. had a full understanding of the Afghanistan war, she said a key takeaway was the costs — whether of people, resources or foreign relations — that came with fighting a war of this magnitude for this long.

“It’s almost impossible to sustain a war against an idea, the ‘war against terror,’” Banerjee said.

Wisconsin’s prairies shine in late summer, from Lapham Peak to the UW Arboretum

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison botany professor John Curtis came up with the idea of intentionally burning the prairie to kill the invasive plants. Other universities out west were doing fire research at the time, but theirs was mainly geared toward increasing forage for livestock grazing, Hansen said. The idea of using fire to restore a landscape to prairie was new.

Tommy Thompson explains why he got vaccinated – and why you should, too

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When I had an opportunity to become vaccinated against COVID-19 last spring, I didn’t hesitate. The vaccine clearly was the best way for me to protect myself and the people I care about from death or hospitalization due to COVID. I was also eager to do my part to help our society beat back this insidious disease.

After More Than A Year Away, Fans Are Returning To UW-Madison Athletic Facilities

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Wisconsin Public Radio

The University of Wisconsin-Madison hasn’t welcomed fans to its athletic facilities for 17 months. That’s set to change Saturday.

The Badgers are hosting an open football practice at Camp Randall Stadium, featuring appearances by Athletic Director Chris McIntosh and the marching band. The volleyball team’s annual Red-and-White Scrimmage at UW Field House will follow. Both events are free, but tickets are required, according to a news release from UW Athletics.

Gripping biography details how Milwaukee’s Mildred Harnack led resistance to Hitler while living in Berlin

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: Born in 1902, Mildred Fish grew up poor on the west side of Milwaukee in a series of boardinghouses, the youngest daughter of an unreliable father. After his death, her mother took her daughter to Maryland for a few years. But Mildred returned here to attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and taught English as a grad student. At UW she also met Arvid Harnack, a visiting scholar from Germany working on his doctorate. They married in 1926.

Bucks guard Pat Connaughton will speak at University of Wisconsin celebration for 2020 graduates

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The University of Wisconsin is tapping into the state’s sports scene for its keynote speaker at a celebration in September.

Pat Connaughton, a key contributor to the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA championship run that wrapped in July, will speak at an event at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 18 that will acknowledge 2020 graduates.

All UW Campuses Enact Mask Requirements, Expectations Amid Rise In COVID-19 Cases

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Every University of Wisconsin System campus in the state has instituted mask requirements or expectations for individuals regardless of their vaccination status as the number of new coronavirus cases rises. The measures come amid an effort by Republican lawmakers to block COVID-19 restrictions at universities.

‘It’s all or nothing’: A small pay bump can cut benefits for Wisconsin workers

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TMJ4

Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison economics professor Timothy Smeeding said the rise in wages for low-income workers means it’s a good time to reassess their jobs and find a better one.

“For those reasons, the job market is in favor of workers right now and turnover is good,” Smeeding said. “When people voluntarily leave jobs, economists think that’s good, because that meant they found something better.”

Milwaukee took a big hit in the new census numbers. The question is whether they’re accurate.

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “It’s sort of like a race, where you’re only seeing people at the starting line and people at the finishing line but you’re not seeing how they go around the track,” David Egan-Robertson, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said of the data released every 10 years.

Wisconsin cities look to basic income to close racial, other wealth gaps

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: Stephen Young is a University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor who studies basic income programs in the United States and worldwide. Young said universal basic income is not a “magic bullet solution” but an idea that has gained traction in the past decade to “address structural unemployment and poverty.”

The U.S. Census Bureau is releasing key information Thursday. Here’s what to expect in Wisconsin.

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: David Egan-Robertson, a demographer in the Applied Population Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said one of the key points he would be looking at is changes in the state’s race and ethnicity data.

Much of the state’s growth in recent decades has been attributable to an increase in the Hispanic population, he said.

Wisconsin Natural Resources Board Sets Quota Of 300 Wolves For Fall Hunt

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Adrian Treves, an environmental studies professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the population is at risk of dropping below 350 wolves. A recent study by Treves and other researchers concluded that hunters and poachers might have killed a third of the wolf’s population since the animal’s delisting.

In a statement following the vote, conservation group Wisconsin’s Green Fire said the quota is likely to cut the state’s wolf population in half.

“Removing 300 wolves in another hunt would likely have a destabilizing effect on almost every wolf pack in the state,” said Adrian Wydeven, a former DNR wolf biologist. “There is no other wildlife species where that level of reduction would be acceptable. And it’s highly likely it would trigger a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review of state management.”

Pandemic Inflation Trends Put Wisconsin Businesses, Consumers Under Pressure

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: “I think that there was some concern that inflation would continue to accelerate,” said Tessa Conroy, an assistant professor of agricultural and applied economics with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Producers haven’t been able to respond with supply as enthusiastically as consumers have responded with demand as the economy has sort of opened back up.”

Conroy said the new numbers indicate the current accelerated inflation is a temporary trend brought on by supply shortages.

“I think that’s hopeful for a lot of consumers in particular, that as some of the short-term problems resolve themselves, prices will stabilize,” said Conroy.

UW School of Medicine to begin enrolling children ages 6 months to 11 years for Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Vaccinating children as young as 6 months of age against COVID-19 may become the new front in the global pandemic fight, if the vaccines prove to be safe and effective.

One such trial by the American pharmaceutical company Moderna will begin enrolling children 6 months through 11 years old on Friday at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. UW will be one of 75 to 100 sites in the U.S. and Canada for the trial, which has been named the KidCOVE study.

The critical race theory controversy drives an hourslong legislative debate over classroom instruction in Wisconsin

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “Teachers do not deliberately set out to make students feel bad about themselves. The problem this bill seems to identify, that Wisconsin’s teachers intentionally or otherwise want to make students feel bad, is simply not real,” said Jeremy Stoddard, a University of Wisconsin-Madison curriculum and instruction professor.

“What I fear is that if it becomes law, it will have a chilling effect inhibiting teachers from teaching a full account of history.”

Former Badgers star and Colts running back Jonathan Taylor gives financial advice to Urban Underground youths

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Former Wisconsin Badgers star Jonathan Taylor, now a running back for the Indianapolis Colts and brand ambassador for UW Credit Union, recently gave financial advice to an audience of about 30 youths at American Family Field’s Skyy Pavilion.

Taylor went to University of Wisconsin-Madison on a football scholarship and graduated in 2017.

As a new academic year begins, the state should recommit itself to the Wisconsin Idea

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This August, faculty, staff, and more than 160,000 students at the 13 University of Wisconsin campuses are hard at work, getting ready for a new academic year.  Wisconsinites are justifiably proud of the UW System, and with good reason. Our public university system, built on the foundation of the Wisconsin Idea, truly serves every corner of the state.

Panpsychism: The Trippy Theory That Everything From Bananas To Bicycles Are Conscious

Posted on
Awaken

Noted: Giulio Tononi, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has developed something called the integrated information theory of consciousness (IIT). IIT holds that consciousness is actually a kind of information and can be measured mathematically, though doing so is not very straightforward and has caused some to discount the theory. 

Worker shortage likely to continue, long-term trends seen as likely in play as well

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Kenosha News

Quoted: According to Noah Williams, director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy, the state’s labor force participation has been declining for decades as the state’s demographics shift over time.

“The way I think about it is there’s long term trends and then on top of that there’s been the shorter term issues,” Williams said, “The population is aging; it’s aging more rapidly in Wisconsin than in the rest of the country.”

Friday’s jobs report is the last before the new school year starts in earnest, but some school districts bemoan the lack of job applications

Posted on
MarketWatch

Quoted: The overall job numbers showed “a strong contribution from education hiring, as more schools than normal retained teachers through the summer and ramped up hiring for a planned return to instruction in the fall,” said Noah Williams, an economist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a right-leaning think tank.

The upward trend, however, is threatened by the virus spread, Williams added.

Study: New housing for the rich leads to more evictions for the poor

Posted on
48 Hills

A new study out of Madison, Wisconsin shows that building dense, amenity-rich market-rate housing in vulnerable neighborhoods leads to higher evictions.

While there are significant differences between Madison and San Francisco, the data has implications for new local attempts to encourage more dense housing into existing residential areas that may be threatened by gentrification and displacement.

The author, University of Wisconsin Professor Revel Sims, looked at areas where five-unit or larger buildings were constructed in areas with older buildings and lower-income residents.

Bizarre Black Hole Shoots X-Ray Rings While Making Spacetime Wobble

Posted on
Forbes

Noted: The team, led by Sebastian Heinz of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, took a look at several telescopes’ data from the 2015 outburst to probe the dust clouds, finding that most of the grains are likely graphite and silica. More importantly, the observations found that the dust cloud is not the same density in all directions, contradicting the theory suggested in previous studies.

Health Officials To Public: Countering COVID-19 Misinformation Saves Lives

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Epidemiologist Ajay Sethi teaches a class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison called conspiracies in public health. He says misinformation can have serious consequences and if people see or hear something that’s wrong, they should try and counter it, similar to rejecting racist remarks or actions.

“I don’t tell my students to do this, but I tell them maybe we should draw on the principles of calling out racism,” said Sethi. “If you see something, say something, recognizing you may be talking to a Russian bot online. So, we have to decide when our efforts are worth it.”

Wildfires Degrading Air Quality In Wisconsin Are Driven By Climate Change

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Climate change is driving the extreme heat and record-breaking drought that have set the stage for wildfires to burn more than 3 million acres so far this year, according to Jonathan Patz, a professor and director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Patz has served as a lead author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which warned in its 2018 report that drastic shifts are needed to reduce global warming to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

“These extreme events of drought and heat waves are definitely linked to climate change,” said Patz. “They don’t only affect those states that are burning in the West, but the wildfire smoke travels across the country. We’ve seen very high levels in northern Wisconsin and across the state.”

How the daddy-long-legs gets long legs

Posted on
Nature

The first sequenced genome of a daddy-long-legs has revealed the genetic tricks that these creatures use to make their lengthy, grasping legs.

Most of these leggy invertebrates are not spiders but belong instead to a group called harvestmen (order Opiliones). Guilherme Gainett at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vanessa González at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC and their colleagues sequenced the genome of the long-legged harvestman Phalangium opilio and found that the creature has a single cluster of Hox genes, a type of master gene that influences the body plan of all animals.

The Truth Behind The So-Called Labor Shortage

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WORT FM

“No one wants to work anymore.” This is a common refrain from business owners around the country as the economy opens back up. Conservative commentators claim that unemployment insurance is keeping people from going back to work and fueling widescale laziness—but is that really what’s going on?

Today on the show, labor economist Laura Dresser joins Thursday host Allen Ruff to challenge these myths of the “labor shortage” narrative. They talk about the working class in Wisconsin, the pandemic economy, the importance of worker power, and the real reason employers are struggling to hire.

Laura Dresser is associate director of the Center On Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) and assistant clinical professor in the School Of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is co-editor of The Gloves-Off Economy: Workplace Standards at the Bottom of America’s Labor Market(Cornell University Press, 2008) and co-author of the annual State of Working Wisconsin report from COWS.

Native American burial mounds stall plans to remove ‘racist’ rock at UW-Madison

Posted on
The College Fix

University of Wisconsin Madison leaders have yet to make good on their promise to remove a 70-ton boulder on campus deemed racist by some student protesters.

Progress has stalled as officials review concerns that its removal could interfere with Native American effigy mounds.

Campus spokesperson Meredith McGlone told The College Fix the project to move Chamberlin Rock is on standby.

Study: Masks, Social Distancing Still Necessary To Combat COVID-19

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Thomas Friedrich is a professor of virology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and another study author. He said vaccination, while extremely effective, is not necessarily a magic shield.

“This does not indicate that the vaccine is not effective,” said Friedrich. “What it does mean is that in some people who are vaccinated — at least for a certain amount of time after infection — there’s enough virus around in their systems that they could pass the virus on to others.”

Dave O’Connor, also a UW-Madison professor of virology and the third co-author of the study, said it’s important to continue to recalibrate expectations as circumstances change.

“The vaccines are imperfect, but they’re still going to help keep me out of the hospital right now, and we should be really thankful for that,” said O’Connor. “But we also need to be on guard, because just because we might be done with the virus doesn’t mean the virus is done with us.”

How a Daddy Longlegs Grows Such Strange Legs

Posted on
New York Times

Noted: Some scientists have wondered whether such duplications might help explain some of the wild variety of the animal kingdom, said Prashant Sharma, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and also an author of the study. Complex genomes and more varied organisms might seem to go together.

But despite harvestmen’s variety — there are more than 6,000 species in the group — there is no sign of duplication in the harvestman genome, the researchers report. And horseshoe crabs, arachnids that had at least one genome duplication in their evolution, have only a handful of species.

“Arachnids really challenge this idea,” Dr. Sharma said. Having more genes might help organisms diversify, but only if environmental conditions and other factors line up correctly as well, he speculates.

Environmental, Ag Experts Warn Drought Conditions Sign Of What’s To Come With Climate Change

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Much of southern and western Wisconsin has continued to experience abnormally dry conditions this year, with far southeastern Wisconsin seeing severe drought earlier this summer.

But agronomist Chris Kucharik from the University of Wisconsin-Madison said lower precipitation hasn’t had as much of an impact on the state’s crops as he was anticipating.

“I’m a bit surprised at how well the crops have been doing,” Kucharik said. “Honestly, once the crop is in the ground, (farmers) are kind of at the mercy of what happens during the growing season with the weather.”

Researchers Look For Ways To Stop Flow Of PFAS Into Rhinelander’s Water Supply

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

After Rhinelander Mayor Chris Frederickson found out in 2019 that at least one of his city’s municipal water wells was contaminated with a dangerous compound, he got in touch with Jim Tinjum.

Tinjum is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also heads the geological engineering program, which is how Frederickson found him.

“I was contacted to help them figure out where the PFAS was coming from and what to do about it,” Tinjum said.

Wisconsin Wants To Let Hunters Slaughter More Wolves

Posted on
HuffPost

Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers warned in a new study that Wisconsin’s plans for another hunt “raise questions about sustainability.”

The state’s stated goal is maintaining a stable population of wolves, a top predator that helps sustain ecosystem health, study co-author and Madison environmental studies professor Adrian Treves told The National Geographic.

Treves called plans for a November hunt unwise, particularly since officials have no clear understanding of the impact of the February killings. Hunters often seek out the largest animals, for example, which are frequently pack leaders whose loss could leave entire groups to starve to death. The killing of fertile females would further reduce the population.

Charts show 2020 was not as bad a year for the dairy industry, but the crisis continues

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: Even though the situation in the industry remains tough, Mark Stephenson, head of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said “2020 was not as bad a year for dairy farmers.”

Milk prices had been low since 2015 — “for a longer period of time than we’ve seen in quite a while,” according to Stephenson. Farmers did their best to cut costs, and waited for demand to increase and boost prices with it.

Scientists have turned daddy long legs into ‘daddy short legs’ by altering their genes to shrink six of their legs by half

Posted on
Daily Mail

Noted: Utilizing RNA interference, researchers at the University of Wisconsin Madison were able to sequence the genome of Phalangium opilio and modify six of the arachnids’ eight legs and turn them into half their normal size.

“We’ve shown… how the combinations of these genes create a blueprint in the embryo to differentiate between what’s going to be a leg that is used for walking and what is going to be a pedipalp, which can be used to manipulate food and assess the surroundings,” the study’s lead author, Guilherme Gainett at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in an interview with New Scientist.

Should you cancel travel plans because of the coronavirus’s delta variant? Ask these questions.

Posted on
Washington Post

Quoted: “If they have issues with their immune system or are immunocompromised, I would say now is probably not a great time to travel, because there are so many things that are outside of your control,” said Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.

Studying poverty through a child’s eyes

Posted on
Knowable Magazine

Researchers studying how poverty and adversity affect children’s development often track how negative experiences — be they poverty itself or factors such as having an incarcerated parent — affect decision-making, stress levels or aspects of brain function. But Seth Pollak, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, says that most of these efforts miss a crucial but long-overlooked component: children’s perceptions of their experiences.

Pollak spoke with Knowable Magazine about the importance of studying individual differences in experience.

University of Wisconsin in standoff with legislature over mask mandate

Posted on
The Hill

A top university official in Wisconsin is butting heads with state Republican legislators over who has the authority to impose COVID-19 restrictions on campus.

Just hours after a Wisconsin state legislature committee on Tuesday required all University of Wisconsin schools to receive permission before issuing new coronavirus guidance, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank reinstated her campus’s indoor mask mandate.

School Districts That Aren’t Requiring Masks Put Worried Families In A Tough Spot

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: “We know that masking allows children to be in school safely, reduces transmission of COVID, and, really importantly, if children are masked, then it provides much less disruption to kids, because they don’t need to be quarantined if they’re exposed to a case of COVID,” said Greg DeMuri, a pediatric epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

State employees in Wisconsin will be required to wear masks starting Thursday

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

State employees will have to wear face masks starting Thursday because of a surge in coronavirus cases, Wisconsin officials announced Wednesday.

The move came shortly after the two largest University of Wisconsin schools, in Madison and Milwaukee, put in place their own mask requirements. The policies are being enacted as the delta variant of COVID springs up around the world, including among those who have been fully vaccinated.

Schools Are Defying State Governments And Imposing Their Own Mask Mandates

Posted on
Forbes

Branches of the University of Wisconsin and school districts in Arizona and Florida are ordering students and staff to wear masks indoors in spite of statewide regulations and laws that prohibit them from doing so, as the Delta variant’s rapid spread sparks new showdowns over mask orders between state and local governments nationwide.