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Author: Kelly Tyrrell

Scientists in Germany switch on nuclear fusion experiment

Posted on
AP (via WKOW TV)

David T. Anderson, a professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin who isn’t involved in the project, said the project in Greifswald looks promising so far.

“The impressive results obtained in the startup of the machine were remarkable,” he said in an email. “This is usually a difficult and arduous process. The speed with which W7-X became operational is a testament to the care and quality of the fabrication of the device and makes a very positive statement about the stellarator concept itself. W7-X is a truly remarkable achievement and the worldwide fusion community looks forward to many exciting results.”

UW spends millions to keep faculty

Posted on
WKOW TV

UW-Madison is digging into its pocketbook to keep other schools from stealing away faculty members.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank told the UW system Board of Regents the university has spent almost $8 million in the past six months to fight off outside offers.
She said 85 percent of faculty members who received offers have been retained.

12th annual ‘Read Your Heart Out Day’ expands to 3 days

Posted on
Madison365.com (via Channel3000.com)

Noted: As “Read Your Heart Out Day” added more schools, they began to add more community readers. “Pastors joined The 100 Black Men and we had community representation from sororities and fraternities and high school students and athletes,” Belnavis said. “We just grew and grew and embraced the UW sports – some of our UW basketball players and football players came to join in.”

WISC Editorial Agenda: Innovative collaborations for equity

Posted on
Channel3000.com

Our final agenda item for 2016 is a direct response to one of the community leaders we asked to advise us on community issues who said he and other new young leaders had a responsibility to collaborate and urged us to “call them out” on doing so. So we will. The collaboration needs to be at the highest levels of the UW, Madison leading non-profits, business sector leaders and public officials.

Finance committee OKs dementia bills

Posted on
Channel3000.com

Noted: The bills would lay out $50,000 in additional funding annually for Alzheimer’s research at UW-Madison. The committee adopted all the bills Thursday. The only legislator to cast a “no” vote on any of them was Sen. Leah Vukmir. She voted against the UW-Madison bill.

Health officials warn Zika virus spreads through blood transfusion

Posted on
Channel3000.com

Quoted: “What they’re recommending is that if you traveled to a place where Zika virus is, which is an ever-changing thing, that you avoid donating blood, if you’ve traveled there within 28 days,” said Dr. Daniel Shirley, a clinical professor of infectious disease at UW Health.

Shirley said that right now there is not a test to screen for the Zika virus in donated blood.

“Each test that they run on transfusion blood is a big process to institute that across the board, and so it would take some standardization and some testing before that ever happened,” Shirley said.

‘Pro rape’ events canceled; Police say concept still ‘very concerning’

Posted on
Channel3000.com

Noted: UW Madison police spokesperson Marc Lovicott said the website’s values go against everything the department and campus stands for. He says the department was made aware of the possible meetings this week, and in response, officers were in communication with other departments around the state.

Lovicott said there is no indication a meeting like this will take place in Madison, but he said the idea of “pro rape” events is disappointing.

“The fact that there’s an organized group that promotes this, I think that’s really disappointing and really disturbing,” Lovicott said. “What we can do as a community, though, is stand up against it and make sure people realize that this type of behavior, this mentality, just won’t be tolerated here.”

How can viruses like Zika cause birth defects?

Posted on
Smithsonian

In adults, the symptoms of the Zika virus are relatively mild—rashes, fever, joint pain, malaise. Most who are infected may not even know it. But as this seemingly routine disease spreads across the Americas, so do cases of a much more severe problem: infants born with microcephaly. UW-Madison’s Kristen Bernard talks about a potential reason why.

Sexually transmitted Zika case in US turns attention to how virus can spread

Posted on

Kristin Bernard, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who specialises in dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases, said that tropical diseases are often under-researched because they do not affect developed countries. “Now because [Zika is] potentially causing a pandemic, and it’s definitely widespread in the Americas, the WHO is concerned,the CDC and the NIH is concerned,” she said.

February welcomes musical guests to Madison

Posted on
Madison Magazine

Noted: The University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Music presents its “Symphony Showcase” Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall.

The month closes with two essential annual events, the first a recital by an artist whom Madison is incredibly blessed to have based here. In case you haven’t heard, pianist Christopher Taylor’s critical reputation in places far and wide makes it clear he could have a full-time international career if he chose to. Go hear for yourself on Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall; you’re guaranteed to learn a few secrets from the works of Bach, Scriabin and Brahms.

Letter to the editor: I am a token for the University’s gain

Posted on
Badger Herald

Sometimes I ask myself, “Why would UW completely fund my education?” I’m here for myself, but I am also here for UW. There are a ton of brilliant black and brown kids in Milwaukee, but for some reason, UW was inspired to recruit me from Washington, D.C. Am I a token? Definitely. I am the projection of their illusion of a racial democracy and diversity. I’ve been given access to this institution as a means to their end.

Teachers, UW-Madison game designers collaborate on video games

Posted on
Daily Cardinal

Noted: Field Day Lab is continuing to develop some of the ideas that were born in the workshop into free, open-sourced video games. The game designers said they aim to further engage students with an interactive learning environment.

“By engaging science teachers right from the start, we want to build games that will actually be used in classrooms,” said David Gagnon, the director of Field Day Lab, in the release. “Too many games languish because they do not fit what teachers want. With the teachers’ help, we want to build them right—right out of the gate.”

Higher temperatures make Zika mosquito spread disease more

Posted on
AP (via WKOW)

Noted: El Nino, a natural warming of parts of the central Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide, usually puts northeastern Brazil into a drought, as it did last year. Aedes aegypti does well in less-developed regions in droughts, because it lives in areas where poorer people store water in outdoor containers, said Jonathan Patz, director of the global health institute at the University of Wisconsin.

Nigel Hayes clutch in crunch time

Posted on
WKOW TV

One of the biggest reasons for Wisconsin’s four-game winning streak is the clutch play of junior Nigel Hayes. In the final minutes, and into overtime against Indiana and Illinois, Hayes went a perfect 17 for 17 from the free throw line. According to UW, in the final five minutes of games this season Hayes is 87% (48-55) from the foul line.

Desbiens earns pair of weekly honors

Posted on
WKOW TV

After moving up the NCAA record books last weekend in the No. 2 Wisconsin women’s hockey team’s sweep of St. Cloud State, junior goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens was recognized not only as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, but the American Sports Network Player of the Week, the organizations announced Tuesday.

Campus, legislative officials promote education on voter ID changes

Posted on
Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank outlined the university’s efforts to educate students on voter ID information in a Friday blog post.

Blank said in the post that after the 2011 voter ID law was implemented, she and other administrative officials worked with legislators to ensure that students across the UW System could obtain voter ID cards.

Happ earns third-straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor

Posted on
NBC15

For the third-straight week, Ethan Happ of the Wisconsin men’s basketball team has earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, as announced by the league on Monday.

Recognized as Co-Freshman of the Week, Happ averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game and helped lead the Badgers in wins over No. 19 Indiana and Illinois. The forward from Milan, Illinois, poured in a career-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting against the Hoosiers, pulling down eight rebounds and swiping a career-best four steals in UW’s overtime win in Madison.

Wilcox introduced at press conference as Badgers new DC

Posted on
WKOW TV

Justin Wilcox was introduced Monday at a press conference as the Badgers new defensive coordinator. Wilcox appeared with head coach Paul Chryst in front of the media four days after being officially hired. Wilcox replaces Dave Aranda who left UW for the same job at LSU. Wilcox comes to Wisconsin after being let go as USC’s defensive coordinator. Wilcox was one of several assistants let go after former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian was fired.

Want to end prejudice? Watch a sitcom

Posted on
CNN

Quoted: “We thought the effect might be dampened with the groups actual media exposure prior to watching the program. Typically Muslims and Arabs are shown on television as more violent and aggressive and are shown in more stereotypical ways like as terrorists,” said Sohad Murrar, the study author. Murrar is a graduate student studying social and personality psychology in at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It was particularly exciting to see this positive shift it was quite a robust effect, and we think if people’s prejudice was dampened in this case, this could be applied to other target groups.”

12 on Tuesday: Hedi Rudd

Posted on
Madison365 (via Channel3000.com)

Noted: As a graduate of the UW Odyssey Project, I have been able to see up close and personal what a game changer education can be. One day, we are going to see the families of those Odyssey graduates changing the game in Madison, as they and their children go on to college. Odyssey exposes us to literature, art, history and philosophy, which is empowering. It might take time, but I believe that we are going to see some serious outcomes as a result of Odyssey and Odyssey Junior.

Trap and tag project underway to deal with urban coyotes

Posted on
AP (via Channel3000.com)

A new effort to deal with urban coyotes is underway in Milwaukee County.

The county parks department is collaborating with University of Wisconsin-Madison wildlife ecologists to trap and tag coyotes beginning Monday. The coyote management project continues through the end of next month along Underwood Creek Parkway.

WISC Editorial Agenda 2016

Posted on
Channel3000.com

Noted: We will encourage our bedrock civic institutions; the UW, United Way, the Madison Community Foundation, Urban League of Greater Madison, Centro Hispano, 100state, Young, Gifted and Black, and more to collaborate and be held accountable for real, innovative, measurable problem solving.

University to draft updated campus smoking policy

Posted on
Daily Cardinal

Executive Director of University Health Services Sarah Van Orman said Thursday the campuswide smoking policy will undergo three changes in an updated version.

UW-Madison’s current smoking policy, developed in 1991 and last amended in 2008, calls for all university-owned buildings, indoor areas and vehicles to remain smoke-free, as well as outdoor areas belonging to the university medical center.

Van Orman said campus policy does not fully align with the Wisconsin Indoor Air Act, a change that will appear in the updated version to comply with state law.

Wilcox named Badger’s defensive coordinator

Posted on
NBC15

Justin Wilcox, who has spent the last 10 years as a defensive coordinator at Boise State, Tennessee, Washington and USC, has been named Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator pending University of Wisconsin Board of Regents approval, head coach Paul Chryst announced Thursday.

Local health care providers make humanitarian trip to Nicaragua

Posted on
NBC15

A group of health care providers from Dean Clinics recently returned from a 10 day trip to Nicaragua.

Dr. Trent Thompson made the trip along with Physician Philip Bain and Physician Assistant Jeff Welsch. They were accompanied by a cardiologist from Oconomowoc and undergraduate students from the University of Wisconsin and University of Virginia.

UWPD K9 Campus Training

Posted on
NBC15

UW Police’s K9 Unit is a regular attendee at large campus events for explosive and narcotics detection. This afternoon, NBC 15’s Saira Anwer got to watch the unit show off their skills in a residence hall exercise.

Today’s drill was the first time the UWPD K9 unit trained with students present.

Uganda: Little concern, impact of Zika virus in Zika Forest

Posted on
AP (via WKOW TV)

Quoted: Matthew Aliota, a University of Wisconsin expert on the spread of mosquito-borne viruses, said scientists believe the cycles of Zika transmission are different in Uganda. While the Aedes aegypti aegypti in Latin America and the Caribbean prefers feeding on human blood, in Uganda the other type of the mosquito is spreading the virus. And that one prefers feeding on animals.

“Most of the transmission is in the animal cycle, with occasional spillover in humans,” said Aliota, who recently studied the eruption of Zika cases in Colombia.

Navigating social media in a political year

Posted on
WKOW TV

Quoted: “I think a lot of people now perceive politics as even more acrimonious and sort of distasteful than they might have before social media,” UW Journalism Professor Chris Wells told 27 News.

Professor Wells researches the growing impact of social media on politics. He said people who comment or post a lot about politics share many of the same traits.

“Some research has traced their personality type to people who are really low in conflict avoidance. So they don’t mind getting in a fight. In fact, they even get a little bit of an adrenaline rush from it,” said Professor Wells.

Former UW track & field star trains for Rio 2016 Olympics

Posted on
WKOW TV

As a kid, you might dream of going to the Olympics, but for one former UW athlete that dream is within reach.

Japheth Cato was the first-ever four-time Big Ten Title holder for the heptathlon, and he also still holds three school records for the University of Wisconsin.

Cato is now putting all his eggs in the decathlon basket and training to hopefully be a part of the US team during the Rio 2016 Olympics.

For Dad: The Shelley Marble Story

Posted on
WKOW TV

You could say Roichelle Marble was made for a life on the hardwood.

“Honestly I don’t remember not having a basketball growing up, ” Roichelle, better known as Shelley, said after their Tuesday morning practice, “I think I was just born with a natural love for the game. Of course, from my dad.”

Scientists at UW-Madison studying Zika virus

Posted on
WKOW TV

Quoted: Dr. Kristen Bernard (associate professor, pathobiological sciences) says the biggest threat is to unborn babies, with the potential of birth defects. In adults and children, Bernard says the symptoms are relatively minor, like feelings of weakness or the flu.

“It is possible that we could have some locally acquired transmission in the United States,” said Dr. Bernard. “If we do have that happen, it would probably be in the southern areas, such as Florida.”

WIAA board takes action on fall sports recommendations/realignment

Posted on
NBC15

Noted: The Board voted to approve a proposed University of Wisconsin study entitled “Academic Effects of Concussion in High School Student Athletes,” reflecting the membership’s constant commitment to the safety and well-being of Wisconsin high school athletes. The Board’s support of the research study does not obligate a member school to participate in the study.

2017 ‘Super Saturday’ to include Wisconsin at Madison Square Garden

Posted on
NBC15

With the inaugural “Super Saturday – College Hoops & Hockey” doubleheader set for Saturday in New York City, the Big Ten announced future matchups for 2017, 2018 and 2019, with Wisconsin set to compete at legendary Madison Square Garden on Jan. 28, 2017.

The doubleheader features conference competition on an annual basis in late January or early February, with nine different Big Ten institutions competing in men’s basketball and/or hockey from 2016-19.

Next season, the Badgers will take on Rutgers in men’s basketball and Ohio State in men’s hockey.

D is for Do-gooders

Posted on
Madison Magazine

Jonny Hunter: “To me, the most exciting thing in food is that plant breeders are starting to look at flavor instead of production agriculture. The work at Dawson Lab [Julie Dawson, assistant professor of horticulture] has the opportunity to transform how we use vegetables in our diet.”
What he’s doing: Head of the Underground Food Collective, Hunter is working with a University of Wisconsin–Madison horticulture program that teams up farmers, breeders, students and chefs to grow new and more flavorful vegetables.

Eclectic perspectives in local art

Posted on
Madison Magazine

What’s going on in local art? A gloriously diverse answer to that question can be found in the Art Department Faculty Quadrennial Exhibition, a new show at the Chazen Museum of Art that highlights recent work by nearly thirty current and former members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Art Department.

Creativity unchained: UW affiliated program teaches humanities to local inmates

Posted on
Badger Herald

Vergara was working with a unique demographic — his students ranged from 18 to more than 80-years-old. Instead of a UW classroom, they gathered in an all-male minimum security corrections facility. His students were inmates at the Oakhill Correctional Institute, about 30 minutes south of Madison.

At the time, Vergara was the program coordinator for the Oakhill Prison Humanities Project. It received its first major grant in 2013, giving numerous inmates at the Oakhill facility the chance to take classes in the humanities. About 20 UW graduate students and faculty teach courses in history, literature, art, drama, creative writing and philosophy.

Major worldwide relief organization moving its headquarters from D.C. to Madison

Posted on
WKOW TV

Noted: Ervin is excited that all of the organization’s endeavors will soon be directed from an office in downtown Madison, under a new name: Blumont, Inc.

“It is a great place to live, so employees will want to come here. We have access to the University (of Wisconsin) and all the research capabilities that are offered here, and a very dynamic and technology driven private sector,” said Ervin.

Ervin knows he has a good base of homegrown talent here, primarily due to the high number of UW students who join the Peace Corps.

Michel: We need another Carson Gulley

Posted on
Madison Magazine

Unless you’ve eaten at Carson’s Market on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus or watched local cooking shows on television in the 1950s, you’re probably unfamiliar with the name Carson Gulley. Born the son of Arkansas sharecroppers in 1897, Gulley moved to Madison in 1926 and eventually became head chef of the UW residence halls. Among his many achievements was being the first African American to star in his own local TV program.

Senator proposes organ donation leave of absence

Posted on
AP (via Channel3000.com)

University of Wisconsin doctors said the bill will help break down barriers and could lead to more organ donors.

“We need to be cognizant of what subtle disincentives are out there and try to remove as many as possible and job security is really important,” said Dr. Dixon Kaufman, the Chief of the Division of Transplantation (and professor of transplant surgery).