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Author: knutson4

US universities’ faculty unite to defend academic freedom after Trump’s attacks

Posted on
The Guardian

The 18 universities part of the Big 10 academic alliance include the University of Illinois, Indiana University, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, University of Oregon, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of Washington and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Trump’s trade war could turbocharge deforestation in the Amazon

Posted on
The Atlantic

In the Amazon, far more land is legally protected, and rules dictating how much farmers can clear their own land are much stricter. “Our published research shows that there is very little land that’s suitable for soy and that can be legally cleared in the Brazilian Amazon,” said Lisa Rausch, who studies Brazilian deforestation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Wisconsin’s name-change law raises safety risks for transgender people

Posted on
Wisconsin Watch

This is less privacy than the legal system typically affords young people, confirmed Cary Bloodworth, who directs a family law clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Bloodworth said both child welfare and juvenile courts tend to keep records confidential for a number of reasons, including that what happens in a person’s youth will follow them for a lifetime.

“I certainly think having a higher level of privacy for kids is a good thing,” Bloodworth said, adding that she thinks the publication requirement is unnecessary for people of any age.

The real reason why students are using AI to avoid learning

Posted on
Time

The confession hung in the air between us, startling in its honesty. My sister—a college senior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and one of the most hard-working people I know—wasn’t joking. We were sitting at the kitchen table late one night, sipping tea, when she said it. She stared into her mug. “AI is replacing my critical thinking skills,” she admitted quietly. “I know it’s not ideal, but it’s so tempting.”

Trump HHS eliminates office that sets poverty levels tied to benefits for at least 80 million people

Posted on
CNN

The poverty guidelines are “needed by many people and programs,” said Timothy Smeeding, a professor emeritus of economics at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin. “If you’re thinking of someone you fired who should be rehired, Swenson would be a no-brainer,” he added.

These young men were sucked into the manosphere. Here’s how they found a way out.

Posted on
USA Today

“If you are constantly consuming this content and you are isolated and women are responsible for the bad things that are happening to you, it’s very dehumanizing, right?” said University of Wisconsin-Madison public affairs professor Mariel Barnes, whose research focuses on backlash to gender equality and the manosphere. “You don’t see women as humans anymore, or as peers or as friends, and that dehumanization gives you permission to treat them as less than human.”

Why is Laila Edwards, one of the top young forwards in the world, playing defense?

Posted on
The New York Times

The 21-year-old first made headlines when she became the first Black woman to play for the U.S. senior women’s national team in November 2023. At worlds in Utica, N.Y., last year, she scored a tournament-leading six goals in seven games. This season, as a junior at the top-ranked University of Wisconsin, Edwards led the NCAA in scoring and was a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the best women’s hockey player in college hockey.

Science on our sleeves: the research that inspires our tattoos

Posted on
Nature

Liz Haynes, an biologist in the Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, also got a tattoo to mark a pivotal moment in her scientific career. The image, of the plant she studied in her undergraduate laboratory, serves as a reminder of the positive experience and the lessons she learnt from her mentor at the time.

“One of the things that I took away was that I really wanted to be that for someone in the future, help show them the pathway on this career, help guide them into grad school, influence them positively and really give them a home in the lab,” she explains.

Wisconsin and Great Lakes research could suffer under proposed cuts to NOAA

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

At Wisconsin Sea Grant, the program’s director Christy Remucal said NOAA funding is the largest source of revenue for the program that’s operated for 57 years on state and federal support. Federal funding makes up 32 percent of the program’s funding, or $2.4 million. Wisconsin Sea Grant and its 30 staff support conservation of Great Lakes resources and communities through research, education and outreach.

“We have staff that are working directly with communities and really making a difference on so many different things whether it’s flooding or clean marinas or invasive species,” Remucal said.

Researchers, lawmakers look to turn Wisconsin into the ‘Silicon Valley’ for nuclear energy

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A group of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Realta Fusion, a Madison-based nuclear startup, have developed a fusion device in Stoughton that creates the same kind of reaction that fuels the sun and stars. The process is much different than fission, the nuclear reaction that powers current nuclear reactors and the atomic bomb.

Impact of tariffs on tech prices, the promise of quantum computing, and new state historic places

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

President Donald Trump imposed and then last week rolled back tariffs he imposed on much of the world. But he increased tariffs on products made in China, which include most electronic devices. We talk to UW-Madison’s Beth D’Angelo about what this means for American consumers.

And then, able to solve problems exponentially faster than classical computing, quantum computing could potentially revolutionize entire industries. We learn the basics of quantum computing from Swamit Tannu, a UW-Madison assistant professor of computer sciences.

Letter to the editor: Sifting and winnowing requires evidence, shared governance requires responsibility

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Co-authored by James H. Stein, MD and Robert Turell Professor of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and Chad Alan Goldberg, PhD and the Martindale-Bascom Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

UW joins other Big Ten schools in implementing fiscal controls amid federal funding cuts

Posted on
The Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin will implement fiscal controls for the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year including hiring reviews, reductions in non-essential spending and the development of 5% and 10% budget reduction scenarios for fund 101 — a fund dedicated to state tax, federal indirect cost and tuition allocation.

What soaring uncertainty means for the U.S. economy

Posted on
NBC News

Menzie Chinn, a professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin, said, “People are maximally confused.”

To show how uncertainty plays out, Chinn gave an example of potential homebuyers: Lowering interest rates might entice them, but worries about a big drop in home prices over the next year — the kind that might arise from a recession — might scare them away.

“It’s better news, but washed out by this bad uncertainty,” Chinn said.

Fugitive immigrant convicted in Md. murder highlighted in 2024 campaign

Posted on
The Washington Post

“Many politicians, law enforcement personnel and ordinary citizens are nonetheless incensed because this person should not have been in the country and thus capable of committing a crime,” said Michael Light, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who has studied the issue. “This view that the person’s undocumented status is an aggravating factor is also likely a reason why these crimes generate such strong responses.”

Everything we believe about kids and phones might be wrong, study finds

Posted on
HuffPost

Dr. Megan Moreno, the principal investigator of the social media and adolescent health research team at the University of Wisconsin Department of Pediatrics, called the USF survey a “groundbreaking” addition to ongoing research, because too many studies do not include the possibility of there being positive outcomes to kids having phones. “It is just so rare for studies to consider both benefits and risks,” she said.

The best dog GPS trackers in 2025

Posted on
Business Insider

Even if your dog wears a GPS tracker, Dr. Jessica Pritchard, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, says microchipping is still essential. Your dog’s collar could become detached, or they may wander into an area without a signal. Pritchard, who previously used a tracker with her dogs, says that microchipping and GPS trackers work together like locking your doors and installing a home security system.

Education Minnesota, Wisconsin join 19 states in suing Trump administration over canceled student visas

Posted on
CBS News Minnesota

At least 40 student visas have been revoked at schools within the University of Wisconsin school system, with more than two dozen from UW-Madison alone.

A spokesperson from UW-Madison wrote, “As of April 9, UW-Madison is aware of the automatic sevis termination of 26 total records. This includes 15 current students and 11 recent alumni on employment authorization … A sevis record termination generally means that a nonimmigrant individual no longer holds lawful nonimmigrant status and should depart the U.S. immediately.”

Passover begins at UW: A celebration of community, tradition, student leadership

Posted on
The Badger Herald

For many students, being away from home can be especially challenging during major holidays — and Passover is no exception.

But, thanks to the efforts of student leaders like Sophie Genshaft, the engagement intern and holiday chair at UW Hillel, Jewish students at the University of Wisconsin can look forward to a warm, welcoming and meaningful Passover experience this year.

Wisconsin volunteers flock to count sandhill and whooping cranes this weekend

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Paul Robbins, dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a former board member for the ICF, told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that counting cranes might seem like a simple task, but it’s the only way to get a snapshot of the population around the state.

“Conservation is really based on pretty small numbers of beings in the world, so you actually have to find them and see them,” he said. “And that really requires people to be on the ground.”

Trump administration cancels visas for more than 40 University of Wisconsin

Posted on
WKOW - Channel 27

The number of University of Wisconsin students whose visas were canceled by the Trump administration has risen.

According to a spokesperson for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as of April 9 a total of 26 students have now had their visas revoked. Fifteen current students and 11 recent alumni on employment authorization were impacted.

More than $12M in UW-Madison research funding cut by Trump administration

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

More than $12 million in research grants destined for the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been cut by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a lawsuit filed by Wisconsin and 15 other states. Democratic state Attorney General Josh Kaul says the administration is “sabotaging medical and public health research.”