Wisconsin has one of the leading nuclear physics programs in the United States at UW-Madison’s College of Engineering. One of a handful of academic reactors in the United States sits on the UW-Madison campus and its graduates are largely coveted by companies hoping to build a talented workforce.
Author: Nathan Steagall
UW-Madison course examines prisons, terrorism through ‘queer of color critique’
The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a course that teaches students to analyze topics such as prisons, welfare, racial justice, and terrorism through the lens of ‘queer of color critique.’
The public university offers a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Women’s Studies, a program that provides ‘a platform for students to study how equity and social justice are connected to gender, sexuality, and identity.’
Did Wisconsin have more than 40,000 KKK members in the 1920s?
No.
We found no authoritative estimate that the number of Ku Klux Klan members in Wisconsin in the 1920s was 40,000.
That’s the current population of Wausau in central Wisconsin.
“No one knows for sure how many Americans joined during the 1920s but the best estimates are around 2 million members, some 15,000 of whom were in Wisconsin,” according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Chris Borland stunned the NFL by leaving. But he never quit caring.
At the end of a 20-minute conversation, focused until then on Chris Borland deservedly going into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame, the questioning took an abrupt turn.
Fitchburg pickleball tournament raises funds for Alzheimer’s research
“The University of Wisconsin-Madison has done a great job of research and finding a path to help and hopefully someday cure Alzheimer’s,” Lenz said. “So we’re here supporting that initiative to raise funds for everyone so that the research can continue and so that we can find an end to Alzheimer’s.”
Smithsonian Speaker To Discuss National Native American Veterans Memorial In Madison
A Smithsonian museum specialist will visit Madison later this month for a free lecture focused on the military service of Native Americans.
Rachelle B. Pablo, who is Diné and serves as a Museum Specialist with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, will present “The National Native American Veterans Memorial: Honoring the Military Service of Native Americans” on Tuesday, June 23rd, at 7 p.m. at the Fluno Center on the UW-Madison campus.
UW-Madison alum André de Shields drops a ‘joy bomb’ on the world in ‘CATS: the Jellicle Ball’
Broadway legend and University of Wisconsin-Madison alum André de Shields says he’s dropping a “joy bomb” on the world with his work in a reimagined revival of a classic musical.
Last weekend, de Shields performed at the 2026 Tony Awards, where he was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. The nomination was for his portrayal of the wise and respected Old Deuteronomy in “CATS: the Jellicle Ball” a new version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s play.
Scientists May Have Found a Way to Mimic Sleep in the Brain Without Actually Sleeping. Here’s How.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison used optogenetics, a technique that controls genetically modified brain cells with pulses of light, to recreate the brain rhythm of deep sleep in mice that were fully awake and moving.
7 Candidates, 5 minutes each: Democrats make their pitch for governor
It was the second and final day of the Democratic State Convention and all seven democratic candidates running for governor were given five minutes to tell their party why they should be the democratic nominee for governor.
Dem activists call for abolishment of ICE, increase in minimum wage
Democratic activists today approved a slate of resolutions that call for the abolishment of ICE, the support of gender-affirming care for young people, and an end to the state’s choice and voucher programs.
The resolutions were largely approved by voice vote without debate. But the party broke out two resolutions for discussion, including one that called for raising the minimum wage to a living wage of roughly $21 an hour.
I’ve Been Teaching for 15 years. I’ve Never Been Afraid in the Classroom — Until Now.
I walk into a lecture hall that seats nearly a thousand students and do something I never used to do: I look for shadows in the corners. It’s the first day of class, and there are 971 students enrolled. The room rises in tiers, balconies fading into darkness. I scan the space, trying to see faces, and checking for my blind spots. Concealed carry is legal in Wisconsin, but getting shot at isn’t my greatest fear.
Lifelong Learner: Beyond travel, language learning creates valuable connections
If you’re finalizing a late-summer itinerary for Paris or planning a fall foliage tour through Japan, you may be thinking about how you can best learn a little French or Japanese before you go — and with good reason. Learning a language for travel not only helps with logistics like getting directions but also fosters deeper connections with a country’s people and culture.
‘It sucks for the kids’: Dive club loses practice space at UW-Madison
For a long time, Megan Kokalj refused to jump into the water at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Soderholm Family Aquatic Center from any point higher than the 5-meter platform.
‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Jeff Lamont, Elmer Moore, Jr., Paula Tran, Taylor Odle
Here’s what guests on the June 12, 2026 episode said about a PFAS settlement, housing help for renters, the State Health Assessment and UW tuition hikes.
MMSD proposes a tiebreaking process for Wisconsin Guarantee ranking system
The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is seeking state approval to change how it ranks high school students for the Wisconsin Guarantee program, potentially affecting how many students are automatically admitted into University of Wisconsin-system schools.
Students who place in the top 10% of their class at the end of the 11th grade are automatically admitted to all UW universities, save for UW-Madison, under a state program known as the Wisconsin Guarantee, provided they apply by the regular deadlines. Students who apply by the early deadline and rank in the top 5% of their class are automatically admitted to UW-Madison.
Wisconsin Basketball Team Files Lawsuit Against Former Head Coach Alleging Disability Discrimination
On August 15, 2025, five former University of Wisconsin women’s basketball players filed a federal lawsuit claiming they experienced psychological abuse and discrimination by former head coach Marisa Moseley. The suit also alleges the university failed to respond appropriately and includes claims of retaliation, emotional harm, and disability discrimination.
Wisconsin Dive Club holds final practice at Soderholm Aquatic Center after scheduling issues with UW Athletics
The Wisconsin Dive Club held its final practice at the Soderholm Family Aquatic Center, ending a three-and-a-half-year run at the downtown Madison facility.
The club, which serves nearly 90 families, will no longer have access to the pool this fall after the University of Wisconsin-Madison denied its specific request for pool time.
Katie Knill said her son joined the club almost a year ago.
Polzin: Why Wisconsin rowers ‘pulling our weight’ is critical to program’s survival
So much of rowing is working together as one, often when nobody is watching. As such, it’s a sport where it’s possible for stars to get overlooked.
All of those things serve as the backdrop to an idea that has been brewing inside the Wisconsin Rowing Stewards of 1874 for about a year: The creation of the Wisconsin Rowing Hall of Fame.
Outdoor playtime can hinge on income. A Madison elementary school is using bikes to close the gap
Participating in physical activity, particularly while surrounded by “elements of nature,” can improve classroom focus and concentration for young students, said Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, a UW professor of pediatrics and human development and family studies. Yet environmental and economic disparities can prove significant barriers to many, he said.
Quantum tech firm with Madison presence accelerating after going public
Infleqtion, a leading quantum tech firm with offices in Madison, is accelerating with $550 million in new funding after going public earlier this year.
Chief Scientist and UW-Madison physics Prof. Mark Saffman addressed attendees of yesterday’s launch event for the Wisconsin Quantum Alliance in Madison, organized by the Wisconsin Technology Council. The initiative aims to accelerate tech development and commercialization of quantum in Wisconsin, as well as preparing for future workforce needs.
Rides, routes, rails: UW students shape Madison transportation
From bus routes to a new train service, University of Wisconsin-Madison students are fueling alternative transportation options in Madison.
A 2023 UW Transportation Services survey showed 70% of students walk or ride the bus on good weather days and 80% on bad weather days.
Federal green card policy change could add extra hurdles for UW-Madison international students
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS) announced a new policy memo May 22 stating that individuals seeking a green card must return to their home countries to complete the process. Students who arrive on visas and stay for longer than its validity will be among those most affected.
The USCIS memo describes obtaining a green card, or an “adjustment of status,” as an “extraordinary act of administrative grace,” and a privilege granted by the government rather than a right.
Do qubits dream of electric sheep? Inside UW-Madison’s push for quantum
Teams of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison spent months submitting proposals to the Department of Energy’s vast new Genesis Mission — an initiative centered around artificial intelligence (AI) but naming research goals in fields as varied as nuclear fusion and molecular biology. Many of UW-Madison’s proposals center around one burgeoning cross-college priority: quantum.
Rival passes Wisconsin’s Mark Johnson for title of highest-paid NCAA women’s hockey coach
The winningest NCAA women’s hockey coach no longer is the highest paid in the sport.
Temporarily, at least.
‘Had to pinch myself’: Badgers great discusses dream year at AmFam Championship
The University of Wisconsin’s Mark Johnson in March became the first to 700 women’s hockey wins and the first in college hockey to win nine NCAA championships.
Far from Philadelphia, Wisconsin region in 1776 was focused on fur trade, frontier diplomacy
In Philadelphia, New York and Boston, American colonists were preparing to pledge their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to declare their independence from an oppressive monarch.
But in the faraway frontier territory that would later become Wisconsin, Native and European peoples were on a wholly different journey in 1776.
Madison leaders approve Regent Street redesign, fusion research funds
Madison’s City Council approved plans Tuesday to redesign Regent Street near Camp Randall Stadium, following months of debate over a new layout for one of Madison’s main cultural hubs and one of the west side’s major east-west connector streets.
Bradley Carl on Wisconsin rural school district referendums
UW-Madison Wisconsin Center for Education Research scientist Bradley Carl explains the basis for school districts holding referendums and the choices faced by voters being asked to raise local taxes.
Is Frozen Yogurt Better for You Than Ice Cream?
Q: I eat frozen yogurt regularly, assuming it’s better for me than ice cream. Is it?
Since frozen yogurt took off in the 1970s, it has been pitched as a healthier alternative to ice cream. In TCBY advertisements from the 1990s, their low-calorie, nonfat version was said to have “all of the pleasure, none of the guilt.” Today, some Greek yogurt shops tout gut-friendly probiotic benefits.
The public can weigh in on UW-Madison’s chancellor search this month
The Universities of Wisconsin’s search for UW-Madison’s next chancellor is kicking off with public input sessions starting next week.
The 23-member committee leading the search to identify former Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s successor will gather feedback from the faculty, staff, students and the public on Monday and June 22 at two listening sessions, the university announced Tuesday.
New USDA rule could impact how grocers accept SNAP benefits
A new federal rule aimed at increasing access to nutritious foods for SNAP recipients is raising questions for some small grocery stores in rural communities.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in May that retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be required to carry a wider variety of staple foods beginning in November.
Milwaukee stakeholders push for UW system president who values campus beyond Madison
Here is what Milwaukee community members said as a statewide listening tour kicked off at UWM.
Records show Ridglan beagles at UW-Madison were injected with blue dye, then euthanized and dissected
Newly disclosed records have put a new focus on the beagles used in research facilities. At UW-Madison, dogs were involved in 2023 experiments that included injections of blue dye before the animals were euthanized and dissected.
Those records, secured by the animal advocacy organization Rise for Animals and first reported by FOX6 News, intensify the continuing attention on Ridglan Farms and broader animal-welfare concerns.
The USDA fired its experts on seed industry concentration. Then, it proclaimed it was working on the issue.
Last month, when the Trump administration reached an agreement with Bayer to curb what officials lambasted as anticompetitive practices, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins hailed it as a win for farmers. But she cautioned the concentrated nature of the seed industry required continued antitrust vigilance.
15-foot ‘death bloom’ draws visitors to UW-Madison greenhouse
A plant in one of UW-Madison’s greenhouses is making a dramatic exit.
The Botany Garden and Greenhouse’s Agave victoriae-reginae plant, which is about 30 years old, has erected a towering 15-foot “death bloom,” which looks like a spikey, oversized stalk of asparagus, as a finale to its multigenerational lifespan.
Childcare subsidies, UW tuition hikes and a PFAS settlement
Aid for childcare providers is expiring, the Universities of Wisconsin raises tuition, and the state reaches a $10 million PFAS settlement — Inside Wisconsin Politics reviews a busy start to summer.
Dust from the Sahara in Tennessee? Here’s what to know
The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a handy tool that uses data from a NOAA satellite and other resources to track the Saharan air layer as it ebbs and flows across the globe.
Researchers trigger sleep’s restorative effect in parts of the awake brain
By inducing specific patterns of activity in small portions of the brain in awake mice, researchers have triggered a recalibration of neural connections that normally only occurs during sleep. This new approach offset the effects of sleep deprivation on memory tasks and revealed features of sleep that are key to its restorative effect.
UW Report: Universities of Wisconsin tuition is too low
A new report from the University of Wisconsin says tuition in the state is actually too low.
UW regents last week voted for a 2% tuition increase across the UW System, but the report from the university’s Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy said that tuition increase is modest at best.
2% UW tuition hike draws criticism from Republican lawmaker Senator Rob Hutton
The University of Wisconsin board has approved a tuition increase of 2% for the 2026-2027 academic year. That decision has some lawmakers in disagreement.
UW Researcher Highlights Need For Hybrid Approach To Cellulosic Pretreatment
A researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has published a paper that demonstrates hybrid combinations of lignocellulosic feedstock pretreatment methods can achieve high glucose yields with reduced energy consumption.
Opinion: School cellphone bans alone won’t reverse test score drops
In his article in The Atlantic, grimly titled, “America is sliding toward illiteracy,” Idrees Kahloon uses data largely from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, to reflect on the recent degradation of American education. Kahloon uses this data to test theories as to why K-12 test scores have plummeted since 2007 after a brief but substantive window of improvement.
UW-Madison defends use of Ridglan beagles in research, restricts future funding
Before documents detailing its use of Ridglan Farms beagles in a 2023 study could become public, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine released a statement June 5 alongside a letter to clients of UW Veterinary Care, an animal hospital run by the university.
Ridglan Farms beagles sacrificed in painful experiments at UW-Madison
What we know:
In January 2023, the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine bought six, 11-month-old beagles from Ridglan Farms.
More than 1,600 beagles once caged at Ridglan Farms are getting a second chance at life. But for every Bailey, Milo, Lucy, or Ginger, there are countless others whose fate looks different.
UW-Madison think tank report argues resident tuition rates aren’t high enough
While Republicans are decrying the recently approved 2% UW tuition hike that Regents call “balanced and modest,” a new report from a UW-Madison think tank argues the university’s in-state tuition isn’t high enough.
University Place Recording: ‘An Overview of the Geology of Wisconsin’
PBS Wisconsin’s University Place will record “An Overview of the Geology of Wisconsin,” a presentation by Sue Swanson, Ph.D., Director of the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) and State Geologist.
He helped rebuild UW athletics. He questions the athletic director search.
A game-changing administrative catalyst in the University of Wisconsin athletic department and football turnaround of the ‘90s has some thoughts on today’s challenges.
The ongoing chaos in the present college model holds some personal intrigue and piqued the curiosity of Al Fish, one of 12 inductees to the 2026 UW Athletics Hall of Fame.
Farewell to the McClain Center, built and demolished out of Wisconsin falling behind peers
The University of Wisconsin football team was falling behind its Big Ten peers. It needed a better place to practice when weather wasn’t cooperating.
The mid-1980s plan to solve that problem initially was to install a translucent dome over the Camp Randall Stadium field for the offseason. The Athletic Board got on board — briefly, anyway.
What is the prediction for the 2026 hurricane season?
Question: What is the prediction for the 2026 hurricane season?
Answer: Tropical cyclones are large, whirling storms that obtain their energy from warm ocean waters.
What does UW-Madison want in its next chancellor? For starters, students say there’s some healing to do
UW-Madison’s new chancellor will be stepping onto campus within the next year.
The search is underway after Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin left UW-Madison in May to lead Columbia University, closing a four-year tenure marked by the growth of the university’s research enterprise, historic enrollment, federal policy changes and several controversial high-profile decisions.
AG Chat – New Numbers Show UW Madison has big impact on Wisconsin Agriculture
Spot in Wisconsin’s hall of fame ‘surprising’ for Janet (Huff) Dyer
Janet (Huff) Dyer followed her sister to the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team. Now she’s following her into the Badgers’ hall of fame.
Badgers star back leads Wisconsin’s 2026 hall of fame class
“It was definitely surprising,” Dyer said. “I never expected it. But it was a very important moment for me.”
Mobile home parks at risk in Wisconsin
Roughly 20 million Americans live in manufactured houses, which are made in factories.
Though they’re often called mobile homes or trailers, that’s really a misnomer because their owners can’t easily relocate them. Typically, the people who own them rent the land underneath the houses from the owners of parks for manufactured home. Sometimes an owner will rent their home to someone else while paying to rent the land as well.
Regents approve tuition increase for Universities of Wisconsin
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved a proposal to increase resident undergraduate tuition by 2 percent for the 2026–27 academic year.
“This 2 percent tuition increase represents a balanced and measured approach to addressing the rising costs our UW universities face,” said Regent President Amy B. Bogost.
The decision, by a vote of 15-1, comes after several years of significant financial restructuring across UW universities, including reductions in structural deficits, operational changes, and campus-level cost containment efforts designed to strengthen long-term financial stability.
Badgers will pay more, but UW-Madison’s tuition still low in Big Ten
In-state students will once again pay a higher tuition rate to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison — but their cost remains lower than at peer schools.
On Thursday, the UW system’s Board of Regents approved a 2% tuition increase for resident undergraduates next school year. Tim Nixon was the only regent to vote against the measure.
“We’ve increased tuition four years in a row. I personally have not been provided with sufficient information to believe it is again necessary. No matter how reasonable the increase, the burden on students, parents and the public is real,” Nixon said at the board’s meeting at UW-Milwaukee.
Republicans Push Back Against UW System Tuition Increase Proposal
Several Republican lawmakers are upset with the University of Wisconsin System’s proposal to increase tuition by 2% a year after a 5% increase.
Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, went as far as saying that a pair of trustees “lied to all our faces” in committee testimony when they said that tuition would not be raised again this soon.
“Unfortunately, students and their families are the ones who will be paying the price for this dishonesty,” Testin said in a statement. “At least we now know that we can no longer take the UW Board of Regents at their word.
UW Investigates Animal Advocacy Student Group Amid Breeding Facility Raids
The University of Wisconsin at Madison is investigating whether the student group Animal Advocacy encouraged members to participate in an illegal raid of a puppy mill earlier this spring, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
UWPD K9 Ritter retired on Wednesday
Wednesday was a bittersweet day for the UW-Madison Police Department.
After nine years, K9 Ritter is retiring.
The furry friend joined UWPD in 2017 alongside officer Justin Zurbuchen as an explosives-detection and human-tracking team.
Ritter has helped keep the UW campus safe through 327 deployments, special events and every Badger football game.
Madison one step closer to getting Amtrak service
The Joint Committee on Finance approved the $10 million sale of the state’s former Human Services building to Landmark Development Tuesday, bringing Madison one step closer to getting Amtrak service.
A key part of the company’s plan is to bridge gaps between Madison and other Midwestern cities.
“Madison is ideally situated amongst the sort of arc of bigger cities within the Midwest. We really can play a key position economically, culturally, politically, by the location we have,” Jason Ilstrup, the president of Downtown Madison Inc., said.
Next UW-Madison chancellor may be chosen by end of 2026
Students, faculty and staff could learn by fall who will become the next leader of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“We hope to have a new chancellor named … by the end of the calendar year, at the latest,” Jason Beier, who oversees human resources for the broader UW system, recently told a group tasked with finding Jennifer Mnookin’s replacement.
UW Health rolls out next-day home delivery for prescriptions for patients in Dane County
UW Health has delivered prescriptions to their patients’ homes since 2012, but now those deliveries will come much faster.
For patients in Dane County, UW Health can now deliver prescriptions to the patient’s home the day after the order is placed – for free, Aaron Webb, the director of ambulatory care pharmacy services at UW Health said Tuesday.
“We are trying to make this as convenient as possible for patients, by meeting them where they are,” Webb explained.
Prescription home delivery through UW Health used to take several days, using outside vendors such as USPS and UPS.