There are thousands of new college grads in the Madison area looking for work. According to a new study, they may not have to look farther than the city limits.
Author: Kelly Tyrrell
Department of Health Services officials announced Wednesday a Wisconsin resident has a confirmed case of Zika virus infection.
Department of Health Services officials announced Wednesday a Wisconsin resident has a confirmed case of Zika virus infection. DHS has been working on this issue with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local health departments, health care professionals, the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Entomology Department, according to the release.
New bike bridge to offer amazing infrastructure
Noted: In addition to the Habitat bike program, Pacific Cycle has partnered with the Wisconsin Bike Federation on various local rides and programs, including the UW-Madison Department of Human Oncology/Carbone Cancer Center on the first ever “The Ride”, scheduled for Sept. 16.
Nursing school teaches students to use music to rescue memory
Memory loss impacts the lives of more than 5 million Americans according to the Alzheimer’s Association. To address the growing need for care, the University Of Wisconsin School Of Nursing has begun teaching students how to utilize music and memory.
Black women to converge in Madison for leadership conference
Noted: The keynote speaker for the event will be Gail Ford. Over the past 13 years, Ford has worked in non-profits and post-secondary institutions to advocate for systematic changes to better align K-12 education programming with college-ready expectations. In March of 2015, she was asked to serve as the Interim Assistant Director for the Pre-College Enrichment Program for Leaning Excellence (PEOPLE) at UW-Madison. Her work with youth and professionals afforded her the opportunity to attend First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Beating the Odds Summit” at The White House in July 2015.
Supreme Court admits law school grad to bar despite ‘character and fitness’ questions
A Wisconsin law school graduate who was denied a license to practice here over academic misconduct and honesty issues won conditional admission to the bar Wednesday from a divided Supreme Court.
Wisconsin trail cam project goes live
Quoted: “Something like this has never been done before, not for such a large area,” said UW–Madison Professor of Forest and Wildlife Ecology Phil Townsend, a leader on the project, in a statement released Tuesday by the university. “The number of trail cams and the spatial scale we’re working on will make this project unique.”
Sumner Slichter worked as Feingold top aide for decades
Noted: Sumner Pence Slichter was born Aug. 31, 1953, in Champaign, Ill. He came to Madison to attend the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated in 1980 with a degree in mathematics. He also played viola in the UW orchestra. Slichter Hall at UW was named after his great-grandfather, Charles Sumner Slichter.
Groups raise concerns about new overtime rules
Noted: At the level of state government alone, the nonpartisan Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau found that nearly 2,000 employees would be affected by the changes, increasing costs for state taxpayers by as much as $13.7 million per year. That estimate didn’t include potential costs for local governments or schools, the UW System, the Legislature or the state courts system.
In a letter to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, UW System President Ray Cross said the rules would affect more than 5,000 UW employees in jobs such as student life, development, administration and academic affairs.
Badgers receive oral commitment from Minnesota forward
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard and his staff continue to add key pieces to keep the program competing at a high level nationally.
Nathan Reuvers, a versatile 6-foot-10 forward from Lakeville (Minn.) North High School, gave UW an oral commitment for the Badgers’ 2017 freshman class during an unofficial visit on Wednesday.
UW-Madison suspends Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity over racial slurs
University of Wisconsin-Madison has suspended the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity through Nov. 1 after an investigation found chapter members repeatedly used racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic slurs, and then ostracized a black member who told them to stop, according to documents released by the university.
UW-Madison SAE chapter suspended over racist, bigoted slurs
University of Wisconsin administrators have suspended the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at the school’s flagship campus, saying members were found to have repeatedly used racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic slurs and ostracized a black student who tried to stop it.
Report: 12 of top 20 drunkest cities are in Wisconsin; Madison ranks 4th
Metro level data was aggregated from county level data provided by County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program.
Chappell: Mayor, council politics derail African American presidency
Noted: The spotlight remains on local governments when it comes to equity. Madison and Dane County are still reeling from the very damning Race to Equity report published nearly three years ago. Violence among people of color has reared its head recently. Tension between communities of color and police remain high. Incidents of hate and bias on the University of Wisconsin campus continue, to say nothing of the near-constant microagressions students there report.
UW suspends Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity for ‘creating discriminatory environment’
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity has been suspended from all university activities until November, according to a release. The fraternity will be suspended until Nov. 1, officials said.
UW’s Card named Big Ten’s best
UW senior Kelsey Card is the Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Championships. Card swept those awards for both the indoor and outdoor track seasons.
Increased number of ticks becomes bigger problem in Madison area
Noted: Researchers at UW-Madison have seen a spike in the ticks in the UW arboretum, increasing from around 40 in 2014 to 600 found last year.
“It’s a new risk for people to worry about for both themselves and for their families and for their animals,” said Susan Paskewitz, a UW-Madison entomologist.
Paskewitz is leading a group of students to find ways to reduce the risk of Lyme disease from ticks.
Big, beautiful photos of insane physics experiments chasing the ‘ghost particle’ around the world
Meet the largest neutrino detector in the world. IceCube, located at the South Pole, uses 5,160 sensors distributed over a billion tons of ice to spot high-energy neutrinos from extremely violent cosmic sources like exploding stars, black holes, and neutron stars.
Police: Ducklings rescued from storm drain
Ten ducklings were rescued from a storm drain Monday morning.
According to the UW-Madison Police Department, the ducklings were stuck in a strom drain at Park Street and Observatory Drive.
Kickoff time set for Badgers’ game at Lambeau Field
Wisconsin opens the season Sept. 3 by facing LSU in the Carmex Lambeau Field College Classic in Green Bay. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT).
Report: Genetically altered food safe but not curing hunger
Quoted: “To some extent we know more about some genetically engineered food than we do about other food,” said committee member Dominique Brossard of the University of Wisconsin [professor and chair of Life Sciences Communication]. “There are limits to what can be known about any food. That’s something we’re not used to hearing as consumers.”
Madison company invents compound to make lithium ion batteries safer
Noted: Silatronix was founded by two UW-Madison chemistry professors, Robert Hamers and Robert West, after a hallway conversation in which the “two Bobs” sought to literally change the world.
“The safety issues are very real,” Hamers said recently in an interview in the company’s laboratory on the city’s east side, near the Madison College campus. “Our goal is to make lithium ion batteries perform better and be safer, and the way we did that is by inventing a new liquid called an electrolyte. It’s one of the three major components of the lithium ion battery.”
UW student Majeski signs NASCAR team deal
UW student and 21-year-old Seymour resident Ty Majeski has formally signed on with a NASCAR team. Area media report Majeski is joining Roush Fenway Racing as a development driver, with expectations that he will make his ARCA Racing Series debut for Roulo Brothers Racing next month.
What it means to be mindful and how it can help your kids
Noted: According to Lisa Thomas Prince, there’s even research going on in Madison on the topic of mindfulness and children. She said prior research proves kids who can tap into their thoughts and feelings and “check in” can better focus their attention, lower their anxiety and maintain good physical health. In addition, adolescents who have participated in the Center for Healthy Minds courses have had an easier time sleeping and navigating social situations.
Research tackles communication disorders in kids
In a special column for the paper, Katie Hustad, Waisman Center professor of communication sciences and disorders, writes about her work studying how communication develops in children with cerebral palsy.
Russell Wilson offers three pieces of advice to 2016 UW graduates
Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson had a message of positivity and resolve for graduates at University of Wisconsin’s 2016 commencement ceremony Saturday.
UW-Madison community braves frigid May weekend for Spring Commencement
According to UW-Madison spokesperson Meredith McGlone, a crowd of roughly 47,500 families and friends of graduates attended the 2016 Spring Commencement Saturday in Camp Randall Stadium despite strong winds, cold temperatures and brief snow.
Wisconsin Republicans gather for annual state convention
Noted: Gov. Scott Walker is taking swipes at University of Wisconsin faculty who have recently been passing no-confidence resolutions targeting the Board of Regents and system president Ray Cross.
Walker said Saturday at the state party convention that faculty are upset because changes to the law affecting tenure took away what he calls “job for life” protections. The faculty argue that’s a mischaracterization of tenure and that the law changes make it too easy to fire someone without justification.
Walker is also saying he “gets a kick” out of Democrats who talk about student loan debt. Walker asks why they didn’t support his tuition freeze at UW which has been in place for four years.
Celebrating National Poetry Month with the UW Odyssey Project
Participants in the Odyssey Project share their original works of short poetry.
UPDATE: Parents accept posthumous degree for inspirational student
UW-Madison is giving special recognition to a graduate student who overcame a lot to continue his important work but passed away before he was able to finish it.
Thousands brave cold winds at UW–Madison graduation
Over 47,000 students, parents and educators have braved chilly temperatures today at Camp Randall Stadium for commencement events for the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The forecast had called for wind chills near 40 degrees and some of those attending reported seeing snow flurries and hail.
Tommy Thompson receives honorary UW degree
Former Wisconsin governor and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson was honored at spring commencement at the University of Wisconsin Friday night.
He received an honorary degree.
Remembering a local radio legend
I was travelling last month and returned home to the news that Karl Schmidt had died, “peacefully at home,” according to the obituary, on April 21, at 93.
UW Odyssey Project Celebrating 13 Years of Transforming Lives
If you come out to the Union South Varsity Hall tonight for the University of Wisconsin Odyssey Project’s graduation ceremony, you will hear some amazing life stories. Be prepared to laugh, and probably cry.
University of Wisconsin Odyssey Project graduates 27
Tamara Thompson Moore was at a crossroads in her life when she was pressured, she says, to apply for the Odyssey Project. Like many of this year’s grads, she knew people who had gone through the program and was familiar with its quality. A counselor at the Parental Stress Center long ago encouraged her to consider her own goals in life, as well as the needs of her children. At last she has done that.
UW-Madison encourages summer courses
For three years, University of Wisconsin-Madison officials have been working toward adding more summer courses to the school’s curriculum. “The campus is now moving toward not just having summer school, but having a summer term,” the associate dean for curriculum and global affairs for the School of Education, David Rosenthal, said.
Former Badger Russell Wilson headlines UW-Madison commencement
Former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson headlined UW-Madison’s spring commencement Saturday, speaking to more than 5,500 new graduates.
How UW Army ROTC conducts cultural training
Noted: Uli Schamiloglu, Middle Eastern studies program chair at UW, raised concern that without a substantive understanding of a region’s cultures, religions and values, role play exercises that have cadets dress up and impersonate locals may reinforce problematic stereotypes for students and future officers who may not have had other exposure to Islamic cultures. “My concern here is to what extent do these students have any real factual, concrete, even basic information about those cultures?” Schamiloglu said. “My guess would be that most are not familiar enough with those cultures to enter into role playing.”
In photos: The return of the Terrace
May 12 was a joyous day: The return of the Memorial Union Terrace.
An inside look at the Memorial Union Terrace renovations
(Video) Crews have been hard at work for more than seven months, updating and improving the Memorial Union Terrace at UW Madison. This weekend the sunburst chairs are out, and our 27 News viewers are getting an exclusive tour of the upgrades on Wake Up Wisconsin.
Chappell: People of color shut out of common council leadership
Quoted: “Madison has had African Americans in prominent leadership positions before — two police chiefs and I believe at least two school board presidents,” said UW Professor of Education Gloria Ladson-Billings. “However, none of that matters without the backing of other decision makers. The President of the United States is a Black man who has been stymied at every turn. More important than ONE person’s election or appointment is the mobilization of an electorate who will get behind the person and their agenda.”
Ticks that can carry Lyme disease becoming abundant in Madison
When Susan Paskewitz,a UW-Madison professor of entomology, searched the UW Arboretum two years ago for immature deer ticks, the kind most likely to infect people with Lyme disease, she found 32. Last year, during the same amount of sampling at the same 17 sites in the Arboretum, she found 592.
UW’s Jenkins named first team All-Big Ten
Wisconsin Badgers third baseman Kelsey Jenkins has been named to the first team All-Big Ten softball team. Jenkins led the Badgers in hitting (.411), home runs (7), walks (48) and stolen bases (15) this season.
Pitcher Taylor-Paige Stewart was named to the second team.
Wisconsin’s Ashley Van Zeeland was named a Sportsmanship Award winner.
WISPIRG asks Culver’s to buy meat not raised on routine antibiotics
Quoted: “If antibiotics are eliminated from animal feed and only used by veterinarians to treat infected animals, we can prevent development of additional resistance and hopefully regain the use of antibiotics,” said Carol Spiegel, professor emerita at University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
According to Dan Schaefer, UW-Madison professor and department chair of Animal Sciences, the Federal Drug Administration is already accomplishing that mission through a new veterinary feed regulation that will take effect Jan. 1, 2017.
Badger men’s rowing contends despite being underdogs
Noted: “There’s no doubt we’re underdogs,” Clark said. “I don’t want to overplay it too much because if you hear that term too much, you might start to believe it. ”
Wisconsin is the only Big Ten school with men’s varsity rowing.
Soccer concussion concerns
Quoted: “It’s interesting that parents are upset about their kids playing football but won’t be upset or worried about their daughter playing soccer,” says University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health senior scientist Tim McGuine. “We should be concerned about everything.”
That concern prompted McGuine and his colleagues to launch a new study into the effectiveness of soccer headgear.
Possible impact if Paul Ryan steps away from Republican Convention
Quoted: UW-Madison political communication professor Mike Wagner believes unity is something Ryan wants, but currently he’s is in a difficult position. He says Ryan is being pressured to both support the presidential candidate and to also keep members of the republican establishment happy by protecting their majority in the house and senate.
“I think there’s a real question about what happens after this race if Trump loses,” Wagner says. “Paul Ryan has to be thinking about the future of the party.”
UW-Madison Arboretum officials find tiny painted turtle
The land manager at the UW-Madison Arboretum found a tiny painted turtle earlier this week.
According to their Facebook post, painted turtles this small are extremely rare to see. After they took a quick picture comparing it to a quarter, they took the turtle back to the pond.
UW Med Flight now in Iowa County
UW Health’s medical helicopter is now flying out of its new base in Iowa County.
The satellite location is at the Iowa County Airport in Mineral Point.
State officials to monitor for mosquitoes carrying Zika virus
Noted: The two species known to carry Zika do not currently live in Wisconsin because they can’t handle the cold, University of Wisconsin-Madison entomology professor Susan Paskewitz said.
But the species have been found in neighboring states, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently released a map of their potential range, which includes parts of lower Wisconsin.
Walker plans trade mission to Mexico next month
Noted: Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel will be among state administrators joining the governor, as well as representatives from Wisconsin businesses and the University of Wisconsin Madison and River Falls campuses.
UW System president: Tenure shouldn’t guarantee lifetime job
A newly released email from the University of Wisconsin System president praised the decision to remove faculty tenure protections from state law.
Gene editing transforms biology, raises ethical questions
UW-Madison researchers are joining scientists around the world in using a powerful gene editing tool that is transforming biology and could improve human health as much as anything since the first successful isolation of human embryonic stem cells, at UW-Madison, in 1998.
Scientists peel back the carrot’s genetic secrets
Scientists have gotten to the root of the carrot, genetically speaking. Researchers, including lead scientist, University of Wisconsin horticulture professor and geneticist Phil Simon, said on Monday they have sequenced the genome of the carrot, an increasingly important root crop worldwide, identifying genes responsible for traits including the vegetable’s abundance of vitamin A, an important nutrient for vision.
Burke inks deal with New York Riveters
Wisconsin women’s hockey defenseman Courtney Burke is taking her talents to the Big Apple, as the 2015-16 UW captain signed a deal with the National Women’s Hockey League’s New York Riveters on Thursday.
A Miracle for Mother’s Day
Quoted: “We know living kidney transplant donation has the best outcome in terms of functioning immediately, less complication,” Dr. Maha Mohamed said. “As well as long term kidney transplant function,” she added. Dr. Mohamed says in the years to come, simpler chains and universal donors will be a real thing. “I don’t see a reason why not, honestly, it’s called desensitization where we can transplant patients across immunotechnology barriers to give them an opportunity at life,” she said.
Four to be inducted into Madison Sports Hall of Fame
Noted: Marc Behrend was the goaltender for two national championship teams at the University of Wisconsin in 1981 and 1983, winning the tournament MVP award both years. Karen O’Malley-Crowley also lettered three years in basketball at the University of Wisconsin. Dennis Tiziani also was the men’s and women’s golf coach at the University of Wisconsin.
UW Crew tradition remains strong
Badger coxswain James Roen measures in at only five-feet, eight-inches, but he’s the engine that drives the UW men’s varsity eight crew.
Hail Mary procedure saves baby’s life
Noted: They met with Dr. Kara Hoppe, a UW Health specialist at the Center for Perinatal Care, a collaborative program between UW Health and UnityPoint Health-Meriter.
Thousands more flee fast-spreading wildfire in Canada
Fast-moving wildfires spread farther across the Alberta oil sands region on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of three more communities south of Fort McMurray and the work camps north of the city. Thousands of people who fled the flames earlier in the week had to evacuate for the second time in three days. UW-Madison’s SSEC helped interpret satellite imagery of the fires.