Quoted: “While it is too early to determine the cause, it is definitely not too early to worry about how building and other infrastructure will be impacted as the flooding from sea-level rise worsens, and whether there is a plan to modify and sustain these buildings or whether they should ultimately be abandoned and removed,” Andrea Dutton, a geoscientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and former associate professor of geology at the University of Florida, wrote in an email.
Author: knutson4
Editorial: A trusted messenger
Quoted: Zeroing in on individual concerns such as these is exactly what it will take to have any hope for change, explains Dietram Scheufele, a professor of science communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of “Misinformation About Science in the Public Sphere,” published this spring by the National Academy of Sciences.
Research shows that we must reach people where they are at in terms of gut-level beliefs and first acknowledge their fears rather than preach science, Scheufele says. And having a trusted messenger is key to leading the way toward bringing people back to reality and on that path toward making good choices.
Project aims to identify traffic crash hot spots in Portage County, seeks to reduce them
Noted: There is a Wisconsin crash mapping site put out by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation anyone can use, Plover Police Chief Dan Ault said. The crash data is out there for the public, he said.
Disrupted cell skeletons may explain brain wiring changes in autism-linked condition
Quoted: “We were very surprised,” says Timothy Gómez, professor of neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who led the new study. “We were expecting this to be all mTOR.”
Amidst Door County’s rich tourism industry, working families struggle to find suitable, affordable housing
Noted: Another ongoing project is a University of Wisconsin- Madison program, UniverCity, comprised of around 150 students in three classes studying real estate. The students were tasked with studying properties in Egg Harbor and coming up with project ideas, but the scope has since expanded into the other northern areas and Sturgeon Bay, with a focus on affordable housing.
The Senate’s oddest of ‘odd couples’: In Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, Wisconsin has produced a historically divergent pairing
Quoted: “With the polarization of our politics, there are fewer states in which you have truly competitive elections at the state level,” said political scientist David Canon, a congressional scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And we’re also seeing a tighter connection between presidential results and Senate results.”
UW System sees an increase in applications following a lag in 2020
After enrollment lagged last year due to COVID-19, the University of Wisconsin System has seen a 29% increase in applications for the upcoming academic year, an early indication that students are still willing to invest in college after an uncertain year.
UW-Madison confirms no COVID-19 vaccine mandate this fall and outlines plans for a ‘more typical’ semester
The University of Wisconsin-Madison said this week it will not require COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, as a growing minority of campuses across the country, including in the Big Ten, are doing so.
UW System officials stepping up efforts to reach underrepresented groups
Officials are ramping up efforts to reach minority and other underrepresented high school graduates and get them to enroll at UW System schools.
UW officials ready to welcome back fans to Camp Randall, other campus venues, without restrictions
When University of Wisconsin officials announced in February they were determined to have no restrictions on attendance at Camp Randall Stadium during the 2021 season, they acknowledged they were choosing to be optimistic.
Cambodians struggle to stay afloat, retain their identity after losing their homes to country’s biggest dam
Noted: In a study commissioned by the Asian Development Bank in 1999, British engineering consultancy Sir William Halcrow & Partners Ltd called the then-proposed Lower Sesan 2 dam “unattractive” due to its marginal financial viability. The study also expressed concerns about the “extremely heavy environmental and social impacts”, in the words of Ian Baird of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Want kids to learn math? Level with them that it’s hard.
Written by Jordan Ellenberg, a math professor at the University of Wisconsin and author of “Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else.”
Bad tick season approaching, UW Health experts say
As the warm weather is making its way through Wisconsin, the tick population is growing and experts are predicting a bad tick season. However, the University of Wisconsin Health is offering tips to residents on how to track and treat tick bites.
State “Pollinator Protection Package” Would Target Harmful Pesticides
Quoted: Christelle Guédot is an associate professor of entomology at UW-Madison. She says establishing more habitat for pollinators could help them out.
“So having more habitats for them, and more connectivity between those habitats, and not have, like, islands of habitat for pollinators, would really help in bringing those populations – not necessarily back to where they were, but improving in their abundance and diversity,” says Guédot.
Newly public federal data shows Wisconsin’s internet disparities
Quoted: “The FCC target for these is 25mpbs, which is sufficient for most applications. However, we are far from that in most places,” UW-Madison computer science professor Paul Barford says. “And, it’s not just about up/down speeds, it’s also about where there is still zero connectivity and about the reliability of connectivity in deployed areas. Many things must be considered.”
Former Mosinee athlete, UW professor addresses brain trauma in new book about youth sports
She was studying athletic training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when she met the athlete who would change the trajectory of her career.
Now a 34-year-old assistant professor at UW-Madison’s Department of Kinesiology, Mosinee native Julie Stamm was an undergraduate then, in the midst of the clinical portion of her studies — working with a high school football team, getting hands-on training in treating athletic injuries.
“We had a lot of concussions that fall, probably seven or eight just in preseason camp,” Stamm said.
Israeli fossil finds reveal a new hominid group, Nesher Ramla Homo
Quoted: It’s intriguing that stone tools usually associated with H. sapiens were found with such distinctive-looking fossils, says paleoanthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who did not participate in the new research. “That’s not a smoking gun proving there were close interactions between Nesher Ramla Homo and Homo sapiens, but it’s very suggestive.”
Will Face Masks Remain Post Pandemic?
Quoted: “Even though it has been politicized in the last year, I think people generally recognize that if you put a physical barrier between you and someone else, then there’s a lower risk of spreading germs in a community,” said Ajay Sethi, an epidemiologist and associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A real-life butterfly effect: How weather in Africa drives butterfly bursts in Europe
Quoted: This suggests that butterflies as far north as Scandinavia are affected by habitat in countries like Chad and Nigeria. “It’s brilliant, really,” said Karen Oberhauser, a monarch expert and professor of entomology at the University of Wisconsin Madison, who was not involved in the study. “Until you know this, you’d never think that, ‘Wow, what’s going on so far away could have an impact.”
Massive human head in Chinese well forces scientists to rethink evolution
Quoted: Prof John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the idea of a new lineage of humans was “a provocative claim”, because skulls can look similar even among distant relatives. The skull being Denisovan was a good hypothesis, he added, though he was less keen on a new species name. “I think it’s a bad moment in science to be naming new species among these large-brained humans that all interbred with each other,” he said. “What we are repeatedly finding is that the differences in looks didn’t mean much to these ancient people when it comes to breeding.”
Discovery of ‘Dragon Man’ Skull in China May Add Species to Human Family Tree
Quoted: “It’s a beautiful thing,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s very rare to find a fossil like this, with a face in good condition. You dream of finding this stuff.”
Appleton attorney Yadira Rein likely first person of color appointed judge in Outagamie County
Noted: Rein, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said she was “honored and humbled” by the appointment.
‘Dragon man’ claimed as new species of ancient human but doubts remain
Quoted: John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison agrees. “My opinion is that… this is more than likely Denisovan.”
‘Filthy Animals: Stories,’ by Brandon Taylor: An Excerpt
Written by UW alum Brandon Taylor whose debut novel “Real Life” was a finalist for the Booker Prize for fiction.
What to Do When Your Hamster Has a Bald Spot
Noted: Regardless of the specific cause of your hamster’s hair loss, your veterinarian will be your best ally in coming up with a strategy to tackle the problem. Christoph Mans, DVM, a clinical associate professor of zoological medicine at the University of Wisconsin, said that in some cases deep skin scrapes are necessary for a diagnosis. Finding the cause can be important in case there’s a serious health problem at play.
Practicing Self-Care Could Boost Your Immune System – Here’s How
Noted: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered that mindfulness meditation could actually enhance immune function. Participants in the study were injected with the flu vaccine. Half of them also received mindfulness training, while the others did not. After eight weeks, the mindfulness group showed greater levels of antibodies, effectively giving them better flu-fighting ability. (P.S. a strong immune response isn’t the only health benefit of meditation.)
PODCAST: How Does Climate Change Affect Door County?
Deb Fitzgerald sits down with Steve Vavrus, Sr. Scientist at the Nelson Institute at UW-Madison, to talk about climate change and what’s in store for Wisconsin in general and Door County’s specifically. They also discussed what’s causing climate change, and some ways people can change their behaviors to reduce their carbon footprints.
UW System Applications Rise Nearly 30 Percent, But National Trends More Mixed
University of Wisconsin System campuses saw a jump in freshman applications for the fall semester, which could be due in part to a recent streamlining of the application process.
Emily Hynek named new Jackson County District Attorney
Noted: Hynek is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Jay Anderson Jr. died in a police shooting. Five years later, his family is still hoping for charges to be filed
Noted: The law Motley is using — Wisconsin statute 968.02 — is similar to a John Doe proceeding, but it is technically not the same thing, according to Keith Findley, a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Findley said the law is essentially used as a check on the court system. Findley also said statute 968.02 means a judge has more discretion when it comes to filing charges. Under 968.02 a judge “may” file charges if they find probable cause.
Despite Drought Conditions, Wisconsin Corn, Soybeans Still On Track Thanks To Recent Rain
Quoted: The state’s field crops are in fairly good condition, but are behind schedule considering the early planting accomplished by farmers this spring, said Shawn Conley, a soybean and small grains specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension.
“In southern Wisconsin and even northern Wisconsin, it was a record planting time frame this spring,” Conley said. “I had a lot of farmers in southern Wisconsin have all of their crops in by May 1. I talked to a farmer of 40 years and that’s never happened.”
From campus open carry to student surveillance, these are the project and schools in our College Media Project
Noted: The Daily Cardinal of the University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to examine the impact of gentrification around campus and its impact on marginalized communities.
Fox Valley Technical College chooses next president
Noted: Matheny earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA with a concentration in organization and management from Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from DePaul University in Chicago.
GOP Lawmakers Want Answers On Unemployment Fraud In Wisconsin
Quoted: One interpretation of that data, said economist Noah Williams of the conservative Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is that “fraud detection basically dropped to near zero” in 2020.
“We had a huge explosion in claims in 2020, but the actual cases in the state that were referred for fraud fell,” Williams said. “We don’t know how big the problem is, but … I wouldn’t have expected the absolute number of cases to fall.”
How heat waves form, and how climate change makes them worse
Quoted: “It compounds on itself,” said Jonathan Martin, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Wisconsin Madison. “When you’re dry, you get warm. When you’re excessively warm, you tend to build and strengthen the anticyclone, which encourages continuation of clear skies, which in turn encourages a lack of precipitation, which makes it drier, which makes the incoming solar radiation more able to heat the ground.”
Dr. LaVar Charleston Appointed Chief Diversity Officer at University of Wisconsin–Madison
Dr. LaVar Charleston has been appointed University of Wisconsin–Madison’s chief diversity officer, deputy vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion, vice provost, and Elzie Higginbottom Director of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement (DDEEA).
Thai Protesters Return as Parliament Eyes Charter Recast
Quoted: “The repressive response from the state indicates the fear of those who hold power. The sophistication and steadfastness of response by activists indicates that they’re not swayed by this fear,” said Tyrell Haberkorn, professor of Southeast Asian studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “As the impact of the pandemic on the economy and future opportunities continues to intensify, citizens are likely to question how well authoritarianism is working and call for change.”
A New York Times article sought to expose Wausau and Marathon County’s racial tensions. Some say that ‘snapshot’ only made things worse.
Quoted: Doug McLeod, a journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said conflict can indeed be threatening, especially to smaller cities, and that the national attention that Wausau is receiving would “disappear into everything else” in a city like New York or Chicago.
“(Conflicts) can be more divisive, they can raise tensions in smaller communities,” said McLeod, who studies social conflicts and the mass media. “Those communities might look for scapegoats to place blame, (and) it’s often the person coming in from outside — like a journalist from New York.”
You may see yellow-green water off Park Point this summer
Quoted: “The spotter sensor is a basketball-sized, solar-powered yellow buoy that will be anchored,” said Chin Wu, a lead researcher from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The GPS drifter tracker looks rather like a red post floating upright in the water. It will be drifting with the current. We’d appreciate it if the public would allow the equipment to operate.”
If You Notice This at Night, It May Be an Early Alzheimer’s Sign, Study Says
Quoted: “Previous evidence has shown that sleep may influence the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease in various ways,” Barbara B. Bendlin, PhD, the study’s author from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, said in a statement. “For example, disrupted sleep or lack of sleep may lead to amyloid plaque buildup because the brain’s clearance system kicks into action during sleep. Our study looked not only for amyloid but for other biological markers in the spinal fluid as well.”
University of Wisconsin athletes punched their tickets to the Olympics over the weekend
Two track standouts from the University of Wisconsin, competing for different nations, punched their ticket to the Tokyo Olympics over the weekend, as did a UW swimmer.
‘Did I waste a year of my life to come back here?’ Leaked recording reveals conflict between UW seniors, Greg Gard
Chris McIntosh, set to officially replace Barry Alvarez as University of Wisconsin athletic director in a little more than a week, vigorously defended men’s basketball coach Greg Gard on Tuesday.
After COVID-19 vaccinations, Milwaukee singles say they’re ready for a summer of dating
Quoted: “It’s really a litmus test for a world view right now,” said Christine Whelan, clinical professor at University of Wisconsin’s School of Human Ecology. “If you have been vaccinated, you trust in the science. You have sort of a proactive approach and you believe in public health and research.”
A proposed law has Wisconsin’s two public college systems at odds — but may give students more options
The debate over how Wisconsin’s colleges should deal with declining birth rates has come roaring to the fore this state budget cycle, as legislators, college administrators and academics grapple with major questions of how, if at all, higher education should adapt for an uncertain future.
Yung Bleu, Lakeyah, breakout Milwaukee rappers take center stage for city’s first big concert since COVID-19
Noted: The Madison club Liquid first took a chance on Mando in 2017, where he played his first residency while studying marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He used his talent as a DJ, and his marketing skills, to get prime gigs around the Midwest.
35 years later, shift to specialty cheese paying off for Wisconsin farmers
Quoted: “Mind you, it’s a difficult thing to do, and to do well,” said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at UW-Madison.
Stephenson said farmers often make about $20 per hundredweight (cwt) for milk. By selling the cheese instead of the milk, they can get somewhere closer to $100 cwt for their milk.
“Sure, there are additional costs along the way, but potentially the income stream is bigger,” Stephenson said. “But there are a lot of ways it can go wrong.”
As Milwaukee goes, so goes Wisconsin? If we truly mean that, we should invest in UWM.
The Wisconsin Idea, a fundamental philosophical pillar of the University of Wisconsin, charges the system with serving all parts of the state.
But the system has fallen short in its most populous region — Milwaukee.
UW-Whitewater Chancellor Dwight Watson resigns following cancer diagnosis
UW-Whitewater Chancellor Dwight Watson has resigned following a diagnosis of stomach and intestinal cancer, officials announced Thursday.
Wisconsin Republican legislative leaders unveil more than $3 billion in cuts to income, property and business taxes
Noted: Whether the measures can win the support of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers remains unclear. Evers has said lawmakers need to do more for schools and the University of Wisconsin System before cutting taxes.
Why Humans Can’t Lift as Much as Ants (And How We Could)
Noted: John Hawks is an expert in paleoanthropology, genetics, and evolution. He is also professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
New research shows prosecutors often fight winning innocence claims, offer deals to keep convictions
Quoted: Keith Findley co-founded the Wisconsin Innocence Project, and was the co-director for years. Now he teaches on criminal law, evidence and wrongful convictions at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
“One of the things that innocence advocates have noticed over the years is that not always, but sometimes, prosecutors, when confronted with very powerful evidence of innocence, go to great lengths to try to preserve the convictions,” Findley said. “Including making plea offers that are essentially so good that it’s hard to turn them down, even for an innocent individual.”
Most of Wisconsin has no native earthworms. What’s with that?
Noted: Fittingly, the thrashing invaders were first confirmed in the state by both Williams and Brad Herrick, ecologist and jumping worm specialist at UW-Madison Arboretum. The worms were discovered during a 2013 talk they were leading about invasive species at the Arboretum in Madison.
In 2013 when the jumping worms were first documented, they were probably already established in Wisconsin and the Midwest, Herrick said.
“They have been in North America for around 100 years,” he said, creeping here from the northeastern part of the country. “The Midwest states have been the recent invasion.”
Herrick, also known as Dr. Worm by Williams, is beginning his PhD study on the biology, ecology and control of jumping worms. He is helping lead a statewide jumping worm survey beginning in July.
Where Traffic Deaths Surged In Wisconsin During the Pandemic
Noted: Milwaukee’s new traffic unit is using DOT data to focus its enforcement efforts on intersections and stretches of road identified as particularly dangerous. The DOT partners with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Traffic Operations and Safety Laboratory to collect collision report data that flows in from law enforcement agencies across the state every day and organize it into an interactive statewide map of crashes.
Assembly approves bills to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports
Assembly Republicans approved bills Wednesday that would ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s athletics — proposals that have pushed Wisconsin into a national firestorm.
There Is No Art Without Culture, No Culture Without Community
Chris Walker is a renowned dancer and the founding Artistic Director of the groundbreaking First Wave hip-hop program at UW-Madison, and was recently appointed director of the Division of Arts. He joins us to talk about the power of art, and what is happening with art and diversity at UW-Madison.
Wisconsin Assembly To Vote On Bills Limiting Transgender Athletes
Noted: A second bill would require the same policies at University of Wisconsin System schools and state technical colleges for women’s teams.
Continued Drought Could Affect Wisconsin Fruit, Vegetable Crops
Quoted: Amaya Atucha is a fruit crop specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension. She said the hot and dry conditions over the last few weeks have put stress on everything from strawberry plants to apple orchards.
“Plants in general use water mostly to be able to control temperature. So the warmer it gets, the more water they need to be able to cool down,” Atucha explained.
Cole Lubinski manages the UW-Extension’s Langlade Research Station, which supports the state’s potato industry. He said his area has gotten enough moisture so far this year, but farms in the Central Sands have had irrigation systems running around the clock.
“Vegetable crops, they’re considered a high-moisture crop, so it’s very crucial to keep proper soil moisture levels,” Lubinski said. “When you have weeks like last week where there was a lot of heat and you get put on electrical (peak) control, where you can’t run your system if it’s run by electric, then you’re going hours without water for your crop.”
‘Both harmful and dangerous’: The 3 times Wisconsin legislators equated COVID and gun rules to the Holocaust
Quoted: Simone Schweber, Goodman professor of Education and Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said such comparisons are not rare — likely because there are few events that trigger such universal agreement.
“The Holocaust is still, and deservedly so, a very powerful moral paradigm, and it may be one of the few large-scale events that we all agree, on the political spectrum, that it’s awful,” Schweber said.
Southern Wisconsin’s Deepening Drought
UW-Madison agronomy and environmental studies professor Chris Kucharik details how limited rain and hot weather are contributing to drought conditions across southern Wisconsin.
Ron Johnson called Joe Biden ‘a liberal, progressive, socialist, Marxist.’ Can someone be all those things?
Quoted: Richard Avramenko, a UW-Madison political scientist and director for the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy, said Johnson would have been more accurate to describe Biden as a “left liberal.”
“Liberals, socialists and Marxists are, by definition, progressives,” Avramenko said in an email. “But Biden is not a ‘classical liberal’ (i.e., libertarian) — he’s a ‘left liberal.’ “
Avramenko added, “If he said, ‘Don’t ask me to get inside the mind of a liberal, progressive, socialist, Marxist — whatever you want to label him — like President Biden’ it would have been less questionable.”