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Category: Business/Technology

Gene Patent Case Fuels U.S. Court Test of Stem Cell Right

Bloomberg

As scientists get closer to using embryonic stem cells in new treatments for blindness, spinal cord injuries and heart disease, a U.S. legal debate could determine who profits from that research. Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit advocacy group, wants an appeals court to invalidate a University of Wisconsin-Madison?s patent for stem cells derived from human embryos, saying it?s too similar to earlier research. The Santa Monica, California, group also says the U.S. Supreme Court?s June ruling limiting ownership rights of human genes should apply to stem cells, a potentially lucrative field for medical breakthroughs.

UW students train computers to play angry birds

Daily Cardinal

Artificial Intelligence is defined as the ability for a machine such as a computer to perform functions analogous to learning and decision making. This past summer undergraduates Anjali Narayan-Chen and Liqi Xu taught the computer how to play Angry Birds. Angry birds is a popular game where using a slingshot, the player shoots wingless birds to kill pigs. And like other games, there are several levels of difficulty, different sizes and colors of birds, and different obstacles. With each game, new birds and special abilities can be activated by the player.

Rehabilitative device bridges the gap between stroke victims’ brains and hands

Gizmag

We?ve recently seen rehabilitative systems in which stroke victims use their thoughts either to move animated images of their paralyzed limbs, or to activate robotic devices that guide their limbs through the desired movements. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, however, have just announced an alternative approach. Their device acts as an intermediary between the brain and a non-responsive hand, receiving signals from the one and transmitting them to the other.

Still: Ten trends defining tech-based development in Wisconsin

WisBusiness.com

Campus entrepreneurism: A decade ago, it was difficult to find organized entrepreneurial education programs on Wisconsin campuses, the exceptions being the Weinert Center of Entrepreneurship at UW-Madison and the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship at Marquette University. Today, such programs are relatively widespread and popular. At the UW-Whitewater, for example, the “Launch Pad” is a student business incubator. At the UW-Madison, a dormitory floor has been set aside for self-identified entrepreneurs. This campus fad won?t soon fade.

Editorial: Boosting Entrepreneurism

WISC-TV 3

Cities seeking to be hubs of innovation ? in other words cities where smart, creative people want to be in the 21st century ? require collaborative partnerships. And if those partnerships include a major research institution and a world renowned patenting, licensing and investing organization all the better.

Dietram Scheufele speak at UW-Madison’s first TEDx conference

Daily Cardinal

Despite widespread skepticism about whether or not the digitalization of America?s dialogue can advance modern thought, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Dietram Scheufele said there are only three common behaviors that, if corrected, could transform the current state of polarizing disagreements online into beneficial conversations.

Inside Wisconsin: Tom Still

Wisconsin State Journal

Part of the global effort to predict storm behavior is being conducted through the UW-Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies. With support from NOAA, university scientists will work with data from NOAA satellites, current and future. The team will collaborate to improve satellite-based products that monitor weather and climate while enhancing sensors planned for future spacecraft.

Dane County rates No. 9 in U.S. in information technology job growth

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When Great Oaks Venture Capital decided to expand its reach and build digital start-up companies in Wisconsin, it didn?t take long for the New York firm to figure out where to begin: Madison. Andy Boszhardt Jr. and John Philosophos, two University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni, turned to their alma mater?s highly regarded computer science department to collaborate on a venture that invests in and supports technology companies launched by student entrepreneurs.

Explosion of Wireless Devices Strains Campus Networks

Chronicle of Higher Education

A few weeks into the fall semester, Bruce Maas, chief information officer at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, received an e-mail from his chancellor: A junior living in campus housing was frustrated with the wireless network, which he said often left him unable to connect to the Internet. Mr. Maas, who describes the university?s wireless capacity as “very robust,” asked his networking staff to investigate.

The wondrous world of the UW Digital Collections

Oxford University Press

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a presentation on archiving commemorative African fabrics, through the course of which I learned about the University of Wisconsin?s Digital Collections Center. As a historian-in-training and digital archive enthusiast, I became immediately intrigued by all the resources and projects described by Melissa McLimans, a digital librarian who works with the Center and helped digitally archive the fabric. After the talk, I decided to reach out to Melissa via e-mail to learn more about the UW Digital Collections Center. I also spoke with the Center?s resident audio expert, Steven Dast. I do work for the Oral History Review, after all.