Skip to main content

Category: Business/Technology

As election cycle heats up, WisconsinEye calls on Baldwin campaign to pull ad footage

Wisconsin Public Radio

BJ Ard, a copyright expert at the University of Wisconsin Law School, said four factors determine whether the material is being used fairly. That includes the purpose and character of the use, the nature of the work being copied, the amount and substantiality of the work being copied and the market impact of the copying.

“There’s not a specific rubric spelling out which of these factors takes priority,” he said.

Higher prices are burden for Wisconsin families. Senate candidates outline their remedies.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A scientific survey of nearly 4,000 Wisconsin residents by the UW Survey Center helped identify the top issues heading into the fall election. Throughout the year, we’ve been publishing opinion pieces from faculty at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison, our partner in the Main Street Agenda, exploring the public policy behind those issues.

Wisconsin’s low-wage workers have seen gains in recent years, but challenges remain

Wisconsin Public Radio

Wages for the lowest-paid workers in Wisconsin have risen faster than pay for higher earners in recent years, but workers still face challenges.

That’s according to the new “State of Working Wisconsin” report from the High Road Strategy Center, an economic think tank at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The report is released annually around Labor Day to provide insights into how workers are doing in the economy.

Is a Postmodern building historic? The answer might determine a downtown office tower’s fate

Milwaukee Journal Sentinelee

The building’s homage to Flemish Renaissance Revival architecture − City Hall’s design − resonated with board member Sissel Schroeder.

“I think that’s what made this stand out compared to other Postmodern buildings in Milwaukee,” said Schroeder, a University of Wisconsin-Madison anthropology professor who voted to support 100 East’s nomination.

Best & Worst Places to Retire (2024)

WalletHub

“Location during retirement is often based on an individual’s situation and desires. Many of the factors that should be considered will be specific to the person, couple, or family,” says Jonathon Ferguson a financial capability specialist with the Financial Education Division of Extension at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Yet, all retirees or soon to be retirees can benefit from understanding the taxation implications of their retirement locations. State rules regarding taxation of pension benefits, social security benefits, long term capital gains, etc. can vary a lot.”

Best personal loans for students

WalletHub

Do you have any advice for students shopping for a personal loan?

“Be realistic. Make sure you understand the terms of the loan and have calculated your expected loan payment,” says James M. Johannes, a professor emeritus at the Wisconsin School of Business. “Recognize that these scheduled debt payments will in almost all cases severely and adversely impact your ability to borrow to fund a car, house, etc. after you graduate until the loan is repaid. Be patient! Recognize that life is a journey, and you might have to live frugally until the loans are repaid.”

US ‘exorbitant privilege’ is alive and well

Reuters

Research this week published by the University of Toronto’s Jason Choi, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Rishabh Kirpalani and Duong Dang, and New York University’s Diego Perez highlights the extent of America’s ‘exorbitant privilege.’

In their report ‘Exorbitant privilege and the sustainability of U.S. public debt’ they note that this special status “increases the maximal sustainable debt by approximately 22% of GDP.”

In other words, the U.S. government can sustainably borrow as much as 22% of GDP more than it would otherwise be able to if it weren’t the supplier of the global reserve currency.

Middleton company trying to make your phone operate faster wins Madison Pressure Chamber competition

Wisconsin State Journal

SixLine was founded in 2022 by Katy Jinkins, a former materials science PhD graduate from UW–Madison. Jinkins focused her academic work on integrating carbon nanotubes—straws of carbon atoms, ten thousand times thinner than a human hair—into electronics. Her work began in Professor Mike Arnold’s lab in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and led to multiple papers and patents that cover alignment techniques and the integration of carbon nanotubes into electronics, which is the basis of SixLine.

Best savings accounts for kids

WalletHub

What advice do you have for parents who want to open a bank account for their child?

“To put into their children’s minds the importance of compounding of interest and that time is the great help in building wealth. also, to discuss the importance of FDIC insured banks vs. non,” says Phil Greenwood, senior lecturer in the Management and Human Resources Department at the Wisconsin School of Business.

New biohealth workforce training program aims to be ‘major catalyst’ for Wisconsin economic growth

Wisconsin Public Radio

A new workforce development program in Wisconsin will train 2,000 workers over the next five years in a growing sector of the health care industry.

The Actualizing Biohealth Career Pathways project is a partnership between Wisconsin technical colleges, universities and employers that want to keep up with anticipated demand in the field.

First of its kind ‘energy dome’ storage project takes another step forward in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Public Radio

Beyond partnerships between the utilities, Alliant is also working with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison College, Shell Global Solutions U.S. and the Electric Power Research Institute.

Oliver Schmitz is a professor in nuclear engineering and engineering physics at UW-Madison and director of the university’s Clean Energy Community Initiative. He said the Clean Energy Community Initiative helped Alliant craft its proposal for federal funding, and is providing support to the community benefits portion of the plan.

With available housing at an all-time low, Madison city planners look to increase density to accommodate rising population

PBS Wisconsin

Kurt Paulsen said he can understand that perspective, because for current residents, the market seems to be in good shape.

“We’ve lived in our house for a long period of time, it’s gone up in value,” said Paulsen, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of urban planning. “And we refinanced our mortgages at less than 3%. So for the majority of people who are already here, it does not look like there’s a housing crisis, right?”

But Paulsen, who researches housing policy and has written two of Dane County’s housing needs assessments, has many data points ready to illustrate the extent of the housing problem.

Wisconsin seeing record high employment, wage growth. Let’s break down what that means.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In February, March, and May of this year, Wisconsin led the nation in “inflation adjusted hourly earnings growth,” the release said, citing data from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That means “wages are going up faster than prices” — a very good thing, said Ross Milton, an assistant professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in state and local finance.

Wisconsin’s largest cities have synergies to make tech hub flourish with new partnership

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Madison serves as the innovator – home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where research is king. The school ranks eighth in nation for research expenditures among public and private universities according to the National Science Foundation with more than $1.5 billion invested annually. UW also ranks high in patents granted – 12th in 2023. Additionally, the city’s startup scene is consistently ranked within the top-150 ecosystems globally. This innovation leads to products that need to be manufactured. Enter Milwaukee.

Tom Still: Competitive federal grants aren’t target of Aug. 13 constitutional referendums

Wisconsin State Journal

One such proposal will come from the WiSys, a nonprofit supporting organization of the Universities of Wisconsin. It is the technology transfer office for 11 public universities, meaning it protects the intellectual property of academic inventors and aims to move such discoveries into the marketplace. The WiSys proposal, which got a Phase 1 nod from NSF, seeks to make Wisconsin a global leader in sustainable agriculture and involves about 30 partners.

How many manure spills is too many? St. Croix County residents scrutinize big farm’s new owner

Wisconsin Watch

Wisconsin researchers are among a select few to document manure spill trends.

In 15 years, reported incidents statewide jumped from about 40 to roughly 200 annually, but Department of Natural Resources and University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension staff don’t believe their frequency actually increased.

Evers’ broadband task force says ‘internet for all’ requires affordability, digital literacy

Wisconsin Public Radio

In addition to the cost of a monthly internet subscription, other barriers exist for households that have the internet infrastructure but don’t connect. Task force member Gail Huycke said barriers include a lack of digital literacy, not knowing how to use the technology, poor reliability and fear.

Huycke is a professor of practice and broadband specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension. As part of the Connected Aging Communities initiative, she worked with seniors on using the internet and found people over age 65 are the most likely to be disconnected.

Dale Kooyenga and Jason Fields: Madison plus Milwaukee equals promising tech hub

Wisconsin State Journal

Madison serves as the innovator — home to UW-Madison, where research is king. The school ranks eighth in the nation for research expenditures among public and private universities. According to the National Science Foundation, UW invests more than $1.5 billion annually. UW also ranks high in patents granted – 12th in the nation in 2023. Additionally, the city’s startup scene is consistently ranked among the top 150 globally.

UW-Madison scientists part of new study showing steepness of battle against climate change

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Gregory Nemet, professor of public affairs at UW-Madison, and Morgan Edwards, associate professor of climate policy at the school, are two of the lead authors on the 222-page report. Titled “The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal,” it is the second in a series of annual reports and shows how steep the battle against climate change is.

State task force recommends using AI technology in classrooms, support for businesses

Wisconsin Public Radio

Somesh Jha, a computer science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison researching artificial intelligence, said the rapid development of AI is expected to lead to more efficiencies in the workplace. But he said it could also lead to job losses in some industries, as well as lead to the creation of new jobs.

He praised the task force for taking on “questions, like, ‘okay, what are we doing now that can be done much more efficiently using AI? And what new positions which we might need, given that new capability?’”

Dairy shows remain ‘status quo’ at Wisconsin State Fair despite additional hurdles of avian flu

Wisconsin Public Radio

County fairs around the state have already gone through the additional testing requirements for avian flu this summer. The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has received nearly 400 samples every week since June, according to director Keith Poulsen.

Poulsen said they could accommodate more tests, but there hasn’t been the demand.

Inspired by Doritos as a child, a UW-Madison scientist cracked the secret of no-melt ice cream

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

As a graduate student at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wicks created ice cream that doesn’t melt even after four hours at room temperature. While her concoction isn’t ready for consumption, her work could change the way we eat, store, and transport the beloved dairy treat.

What really happens when you donate to charity at checkout? You asked, we answered

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“I just always wondered: Does the money really get where they’re telling me it’s going?” Grimm asked Public Investigator. “Do they get a tax break?”

The short answer is yes and no.

Yes, the money customers donate at the cash register does go to the appropriate organization or cause, said Ross Milton, assistant professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and tax expert.

“Assuming that they are following the law,” Milton added. And no, businesses can’t receive a tax break for donations raised by customers, Milton said. If the donations aren’t made with the business’s money, it can’t collect the tax benefits, Milton explained.

New report shows home insurance rates are skyrocketing — this interactive tool can help you save on bills where it counts

The Cooldown

Historically, getting an up-close look at home insurance costs across the U.S. has been almost impossible because private insurers don’t publicly disclose what they charge. Benjamin Keys, a professor of real estate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and Philip Mulder, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Business, have found a workaround.

UW-Madison one step closer to harnessing the power of the sun through fusion research

Wisconsin Public Radio

For the first time, a fusion device at the University of Wisconsin in Madison has generated plasma, inching one step closer toward using nuclear fusion as a a new source of carbon-free energy.

The university’s physicists and engineers have been building and testing the device at a lab in Stoughton for the last four years, which is referred to as the Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror or WHAM. The magnetic mirror device became operational on July 15.

UW scientists break new ground on nuclear fusion, which could be the future of energy

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists has taken a major step toward creating a clean, reliable and powerful source of energy.

Four years in the making, it is part of a broader approach to using nuclear fusion energy that, unlike existing nuclear technology, does not create large amounts of radioactive waste.

The dairy farm of the future could employ robotics

Wisconsin Public Radio

Dennis Hancock is center director at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, which will administer the new facility in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. He said part of the decline in Wisconsin dairy farms can be attributed to workforce shortage and a possible solution is replacing some of the workforce with technology.

“One of the ways to save smaller farms, in my opinion and those that have actually made the conversion would agree, is through the use of robotics,” Hancock recently said on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “Robotics are quite expensive, but they do save a lot of labor.”

Wisconsin farmers face profitability challenges with wet weather and soggy field conditions

Wisconsin State Farmer

“We had the warmest February on record and our soil moisture was down to 16% in some areas. And now we’ve gone from one of the most severe deficits to one of the most severe surpluses (of moisture) in just a couple of months,” said Kevin Jarek, University of Wisconsin Division of Extension Crops and Soils educator for Outagamie County. “In my 25 years with Extension, this is unbelievable.”

Lawmakers approve money for biohealth tech hub, communities affected by UW shutdowns

Wisconsin Examiner

The state budget committee on Tuesday approved the release of $27 million for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to cover grants aimed at creating a regional tech hub and to help communities affected by UW shutdowns. The committee also approved money for the Department of Corrections to cover the costs of youth who are serving adult sentences.

Tom Still: Wisconsin’s Biohealth Tech Hub has a long list of proud parents

Wisconsin State Journal

Anjon Audhya, senior associate dean for basic research, biotechnology and graduate studies at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Audhya brought the perspective of a biochemist to the team, with expertise ranging from genetics to mapping mechanisms and pathways that underlie human disease.

Chris Kozina, assistant vice chancellor for industry engagement, UW-Madison. Kozina brought deep industry experience to the party as well as a collegial way of navigating the university’s many colleges, schools and disciplines. There’s little doubt that research universities such as UW-Madison bring important breakthroughs to the table; organizing them in ways they can be applied commercially or for society is the trick. Kozina brought that perspective to the table.

A judge ruled parts of Act 10 are unconstitutional. What comes next

Spectrum News

Professor Michael Childers specializes in labor education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said he thinks the likelihood of the case going to the Wisconsin Supreme Court is all but guaranteed.

“This finding — if it was allowed to stand — would, in essence, remove the changes to collective bargaining laws and allow for the provision for all the public sector workers to again collective bargain similar to all the private sector workers in Wisconsin are able to do,” Childers said.

Wisconsin got $49M to invest in personalized medicine. What does that mean?

The Capital Times

Wisconsin’s application was submitted by a coalition of businesses (GE HealthCare, Accuray, Exact Sciences, Plexus and Rockwell Automation), colleges and universities (Madison Area Technical College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and the Universities of Wisconsin), economic development agencies (Milwaukee7, Madison Region Economic Partnership and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation) and workforce training organizations (Employ Milwaukee and WRTP | BIG STEP).

How Wisconsin is creating the future of precision medicine

PBS Wisconsin

Every patient is a unique individual. They have their own genetics, their own exposures to the environment that they have been in,” said Dr. Muhammed Murtazais, associate director of the Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicineat the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And, so, precision medicine is this approach that could we actually learn more about each individual patient, so that each patient gets the right drug at the right time.

Wisconsin biohealth industry named one of nation’s elite tech hubs

Wisconsin State Journal

The Wisconsin hub focuses on personalized medicine, or tailoring treatments to a patient’s genetic makeup or other individual characteristics. Along with UW-Madison and Madison Area Technical College, partners include Madison companies Accuray and Exact Sciences, GE Healthcare and Rockwell Automation in the Milwaukee area and Neenah-based manufacturer Plexus.

More efforts are underway to limit social media. How do you separate good from bad?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Heather Kirkorian is a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who studies how kids and parents interact with digital media. Warning labels are good for raising awareness, she said, but “my sense is that most teens and parents have heard about the potential risks and are aware that that might be a concern.” Treating social media “as analogous to cigarettes is unhelpful, because there are potential benefits of using social media as well, and I don’t think we can make that same argument for smoking cigarettes.”