A dangerous bird flu, in other words, was suddenly circulating in mammals — mammals with which people have ongoing, extensive contact. “Holy cow,” says Thomas Friedrich, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “This is how pandemics start.”
A University of Wisconsin–Madison professor says the recent Cellcom outage may be exposing a larger problem: insufficient investment in communication infrastructure, particularly in rural regions.
Professor Parmesh Ramanathan, who teaches electrical and computer engineering, says many networks lack backup systems to keep services running when critical lines go down.
A recent survey of Wisconsin’s farmers found that 56 percent of them believe climate change is happening. Another 26 percent think it isn’t happening, and 18 percent are unsure.
Michael Bell, the University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who helped conduct the study, said attitudes and behaviors don’t always match up. Bell found encouragement in how the farmers are acting, not their beliefs. The same survey asked farmers if they are practicing any of 15 different sustainable agricultural practices.
Preschoolers often miss the lessons we think they learn from watching Clifford, Sesame Street, and other educational programs, while teens may use TV sitcoms to broach difficult topics with their parents. Includes interview with Marie-Louise Mares, a professor of communication science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
As Elissa and Russell said their vows, Xu and Cain were working to build HistoSonics, the company they’d formed in 2009 with Tim Hall, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and J. Brian Fowlkes, a professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at U-M.
Their company created the Edison System, a device with a robotic arm that delivers precision histotripsy treatments using a specialized, high-powered ultrasound transducer through a tub of water.
In the summer before I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I had the opportunity to intern with Meta. I loved the scale of the projects the company worked on, and I returned to the company full time as a software engineer in 2023 — Meta’s “year of efficiency.”
Still, other researchers argue broad restrictions on gain-of-function research could stifle studies that could ultimately protect people from risky viruses. The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin testified against the bill last year.
“Gain-of-function experiments allow investigators to understand the complex nature of host-pathogen interactions that underlie transmission, infection, and pathogenesis and can help attribute biological function to genes and proteins,” a UW-Madison spokesperson said in a statement to WPR.
UW-Madison conducts a wide range of health and disease studies, including research that helps track viruses like avian influenza. The university is assessing how the order and related NIH guidance might affect research on campus, the spokesperson said.
“Without the continued research that’s made possible with federal funding, it would set us back,” said John Shutske, an agricultural safety and health specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We’ve seen over the last several decades a pretty dramatic decrease overall in our farm fatality rate. And while I think [the number of deaths] would probably plateau, I don’t think we would be able to continue to make the kind of progress that we’ve had.”
li’s sales and strategy teams are spending three days at what he calls “Meat School,” a Chomps-designed course on meat-stick manufacturing at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, learning exactly why Chomps “is a very hard product to make.”
Realta raised $36 million in a round led by Future Ventures with participation from other investors, including Avila VC, GSBackers, Khosla Ventures, Mayfield, SiteGround, TitletownTech, and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Dorothea Salo, an expert in privacy at UW-Madison’s Information School, said personal data has become extremely valuable for companies to purchase.
“There is a sense that advertising and a lot of other businesses, work better, are more effective, make more money if they have access to personal data,” Salo said.
Nonprofit organization 5 Lakes Institute announced a regional fusion energy alliance at the Great Lakes Fusion Energy Summit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Tuesday. The alliance focused on “connecting the dots” between stakeholders, John Myer, 5 Lakes Institute fellow, said in a press release.
Written by Dave Schroeder, associate director of intelligence and security initiatives in the College of Letters & Science and research director of the Wisconsin Security Research Consortium.
Kevin Jarek, regional crops and soils educator with UW-Madison’s Division of Extension for Outagamie & Winnebago counties, noted, “If I were to go to counties like Shawano and Waupaca, especially the western parts of those counties, they get much lighter in soil. It’s a sandy loam texture, whereas here as we get closer to Lake Michigan, we tend to have a lot of clay.”
Whenever you do a Google search or send a Gmail, an office in Madison, Wisconsin has a supporting role.
The office, in a nondescript commercial building overlooking Wisconsin’s Capitol, is more than 2,000 miles from Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. But it’s home to over 100 engineers at work on designing hardware and software for the tech giant’s data centers.
48. University of Wisconsin System – UW
A new independent study by the University of Wisconsin found that preschool-aged children who used the Toniebox showed 32% higher emergent literacy scores compared to those who didn’t. The randomized control study focused on kids ages 3–5 and measured literacy gains over time.
Tariffs enacted under the Trump administration could have significant impacts on the agriculture industry in the U.S. and particularly on the dairy industry in Wisconsin, according to University of Wisconsin associate professor of agriculture and economics Chuck Nicholson.
“The tariffs have a number of different impacts, whether that be the tariffs we are placing on imports from other countries or the tariffs that other countries will place on us,” Nicholson said.
We talk with Steven Deller, an economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about what a decline in the country’s gross domestic product means for Wisconsin.
Daniel Smith with UW Extension’s integrated pest and crop management says that since February, the temperatures have warmed up and had more precipitation.
Jama, 22, is a business and economics student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and will start an analyst job after graduating in May.
Three of the country’s 25 nuclear fusion companies are located in Wisconsin, with ties to the top-ranked nuclear engineering program at UW-Madison. A package of bills in the state Legislature would pave the way for these companies and others to eventually build fusion reactors in the state.
Steve Deller, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the seasonality of Wisconsin’s housing market helped insulate the state from similar month-to-month declines.
“I’m not going to rush my purchasing of a house because I think tariffs are going to hit,” Deller said. “I’m going to rush my purchasing of, say, a washer and dryer or refrigerator or a car because I think tariffs are going to cause prices to go up and I want to get them now. The housing market isn’t going to be hit by tariffs the same way.”
The gradual retreat from telework “presents a valuable opportunity for companies that continue to offer remote work to differentiate themselves from the competition,” said Anyi Ma, an assistant professor of management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “These companies now have the chance to attract and hire the most talented employees who prefer remote work.”
To learn more about the jobs Wisconsin will most need to fill in the coming years, we spoke to Matt Kures, who researches state labor and demographic trends as a community development specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension.
Prioritizing location, especially one near family, rather than salary explains Hali Jama’s post-college plans “bar for bar,” she tells CNBC Make It. The 22-year-old will graduate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in May and move to Chicago for an analyst job.
“It has been many years since new nuclear power plants have been considered in the state of Wisconsin, and in that time there have been many substantial changes in the technology of nuclear energy,” said Paul Wilson, a nuclear engineering professor at UW-Madison, at the hearing.
Three innovators were awarded the 2025 Chancellor’s Entrepreneurial Achievement Award. Established in 2011, the achievement award recognizes UW-Madison innovators and alumni who have contributed to economic growth and the social good.
Professor Line Roald wanted to make a difference when she joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Now, she uses mathematical methods like risk assessment and optimization to further the development of America’s electric grid.
Elliot Novak is about to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in art education, but it’s a hard time to start as a teacher. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to close the Department of Education, and there have been mass layoffs within the department.
Armenta came to Madison from Santa Cruz, California, in 2019 to pursue a master of fine art degree in printmaking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Finding studio space has been a challenge from the beginning of his art career, he said.
“That whipsawing back and forth, that creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty,” said Steven Deller, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who researches the state’s agricultural and manufacturing economy. “And one thing that the economy hates is uncertainty.”
“Data centers need electricity all day, every day, not just when the sun’s shining or the wind’s blowing,” said Paul Wilson, who chairs the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Nuclear Engineering.
Anthony Gitter, a computational biologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, had a grant about using deep learning for protein modelling flagged by the Cruz report. It contained a single sentence about offering summer research opportunities to underrepresented minorities as part of the broader impact statement. The Cruz report “plays into the narrative that universities are these elitist places that harbour out-of-touch academics that are no longer doing science,” he says. “But it’s out of touch with the data.”
UW-Madison officials’ sense of relief Thursday was almost palpable at the official groundbreaking for the new engineering building.
Written by Luke Fuszard, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Senior Fellow at the High Road Strategy Center.
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.”
At Memorial Union’s Grand Hall, a room of 100 University of Wisconsin-Madison students gathered to hear 14 speakers from the worlds of tech, medicine and business share business tips and their views on the evolving application of artificial intelligence (AI) in their industries.
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.
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.
Pioneering doesn’t always come with a lot of flash.
In a darkened auditorium on the UW-Madison engineering campus Friday, a bright green laser beam shone over a model airplane wing.
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.
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.
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.
Under the tariffs, the price of a drink at a coffee shop could go up 3-5 cents per dollar, while the price of coffee at the grocery store could rise 10%, said Andrew Stevens, University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor of agricultural and applied economics.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health used artificial intelligence to screen the electronic health records of patients admitted to the UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, between March and October 2023, for any sign that they were at risk of or had an opioid use disorder.
A new recycling sorting system at UW-Madison is using artificial intelligence to help reduce waste on campus. “Oscar Sort” systems was introduced in four campus buildings a few weeks ago.
“Wisconsin has a lot of small companies that rely on imports,” said Chris Wojtowicz of the Small Business Development Center at the Universities of Wisconsin.
Wojtowicz spoke with WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” about the local effects of tariffs.
A report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison estimates immigrants without legal status perform about 70 percent of the labor on Wisconsin dairy farms.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have shown a new AI tool was successful at flagging patients at risk of opioid addiction and at reducing hospital readmissions.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health have developed an artificial intelligence-driven tool to identify hospital patients at risk of opioid use disorder.
Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison Monday to discuss the economy and government spending, despite saying he made no attempt to read Gov. Tony Evers’ 2025-27 Capital Budget.
Former Gov. Scott Walker says he’s no fan of tariffs but he’s willing to give President Donald Trump’s gamble on taxing foreign imports a chance.
Walker spoke Monday night to about 100 students and members of the public gathered at UW’s Grainger Hall for an event hosted by Young America’s Foundation, of which Walker is the president.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) hosted British journalist David Rennie Thursday, who argued that the United States and China must remain economic allies, even as the Trump administration heightens ideological divides between the nations.
Madison is projected to grow by 34% over the same period to about 371,000. The census last estimated the city’s population at 280,000 in July 2023.
The Applied Population Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison produced the new projections for the state Department of Administration. Historically, the state’s projections have underestimated Madison’s growth, according to city officials.
Co-authored by J. Michael Collins, a professor in the School of Human Ecology and the La Follette School of Public Affairs, and Tyler Q. Welch is a PhD candidate in the Wisconsin School of Business’ Risk and Insurance department, both at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Tim Carr, deputy chair of the real-estate department at the University of Wisconsin, says another option is to invest through online platforms that offer slices of ownership of large properties to investors, a process known as syndication. Two popular platforms—BiggerPockets and RealtyMogul—offer a variety of properties, deal structures and potential returns.
A dangerous bird flu, in other words, was suddenly circulating in mammals — mammals with which people have ongoing, extensive contact. “Holy cow,” says Thomas Friedrich, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “This is how pandemics start.”
Martin Ventura, the Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens Specialist at UW-Madison Extension, manages and maintains farms in the Milwaukee area, some of which are farmed by immigrants, particularly in the Hmong community. UW-Extension, Ventura said, had a former partnership with the Hmong American Friendship Association to establish a Hmong heritage garden plot, allowing local communities to farm.
“Although Green Bay being a city, you know, of course has a substantial number of Democratic leaning votes as well,”said Howard Schweber, a professor emeritus of political science and affiliate faculty member at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “Counties like Brown County and other northern counties, which are traditionally conservative strongholds in Wisconsin depend heavily on manufacturing and agriculture, and those are areas that are being slammed by the tariffs.”
