The start of a third stem-cell company in Madison shows, yet again, how UW-Madison’s dynamic research is spurring business and economic growth.
It also is leading to better health for Wisconsin citizens.
A former top executive at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s patenting arm and a high-profile university researcher are forming the state’s third embryonic stem cell company.
….During a break in the action of last Saturday’s (12/2) game between the Badgers and Florida International at the Kohl Center, the UW took the time to thank Top Promotions, Inc., of Middleton for outfitting the visitors with game jerseys.
But inquiring minds wanted to know: Who supplied FIU with the shoes?
Probably the last place some Badger backers might expect: The Shoe Box. Yes, that Shoe Box – the Black Earth store where the NCAA said UW athletes were receiving impermissible discounts and lines of credit from 1993 to 2000.
MILWAUKEE – The median family income in Madison is $64,264 a year compared to $35,765 in Milwaukee, according to a report by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.
The group said Monday that the difference has grown to about 80 percent after being less than 10 percent about 15 years ago.
….Madison has some “built-in advantages,” such as the major research center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and that it is the state capital, said Ryan Parsons, a research associate for the alliance.
Parson said, “One of the reasons Madison has such an edge over Milwaukee is having people who can fill high-tech science research jobs. A lot of that work force is missing from a city like Milwaukee.”
The former head of UW- Madison’s stem-cell patenting arm has teamed up with a stem-cell scientist on campus to launch a company using stem cells to develop tests for diseases.
A state commission might recommend a huge incentive for University of Wisconsin students to stay in the state after they graduate: four years of free tuition at any UW System school.
MILWAUKEE (AP) – A commission is considering recommending free tuition for all students in the University of Wisconsin System who agree to live and work in the state for 10 years after earning a bachelor’s degree.
The commission which was created to upgrade UW’s two-year college campuses is scheduled to meet Tuesday in Madison to discuss that idea along with other changes primarily geared toward improving the two-year campuses.
Q: What is the financial education center at UW-Madison that you’re helping to develop?
A: We’re still working on the mission of it, but it’s very much in concept form. It’s research and outreach. It’s yet another avenue to get consumer education into people’s hands and to help people with the behavior change of that. We all know that working out is really good for us, but actually getting to the gym is the next leap and there’s a disconnect in the same way with financial services. We all know we would be better off in the future by saving money but doing it is a whole other aspect.
UW-Madison students were assigned to write profiles of businesses on State Street, Downtown Madison’s unique cultural and shopping zone where 80 percent of businesses are locally owned. The stores and restaurants the students chose – ranging from a chocolatier to an import store to a landmark watering hole reflect State Street’s claim as the place Madisonians go to shop, dine and play.
In an effort to retain and attract quality staff members, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted Thursday to ask for domestic partner benefits for university faculty members.
Funny bugs in the basement? Messy fungus growing on your favorite tree? Perhaps you want help starting a new business, a nonprofit organization, or a new farmers’ market in your town. Maybe you want advice on being the best child care provider you can be.
Every year, the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension helps more than 300,000 people with a wide range of needs, knitting together community life and building the state’s economy.
ST. FRANCIS – No one predicted that a strange, wedge-shaped chunk of yellow foam would someday symbolize a state and its way of life.
That includes Ralph Bruno, the 45-year-old guy who invented the Cheesehead, which is in its 20th year of production.
Ruth Olson, a folklorist at the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, is quoted.
If and when the allure of the Cheesehead vanishes, what will be the next pop culture symbol for Wisconsin?
The UW’s Ruth Olson posed that question to her Folklore 540 class and says she got the same response over and over: Sconnie.”
The idea came off the slang word for Wisconsin but has grown to represent all things that pertain to a Badger lifestyle, such as eating cheese curds or driving a John Deere tractor,” says Amy Peterson, responding via e-mail to her teacher’s query.
Much of the rhetoric surrounding the gay marriage ban last month claimed that its passage would eliminate the possibility of UW-Madison ever offering its employees domestic partner benefits. In meetings beginning Thursday, the UW Board of Regents may try to skirt the amendment and offer those benefits anyway in its unclassified pay plan.
The University of Wisconsin System already has a school of public health. It is in Madison.
For that reason, the UW Board of Regents should reject a proposal to begin a years-long, multi- million-dollar effort to build a school of public health in Milwaukee.
With New York officials voting Tuesday to become the first major city in the nation to ban the use of artery-clogging artificial trans fat in restaurants, can Madison be far behind?
Despite the city’s reputation in the business community for interventionism, the answer may be “No way.”
(Dr. Pat Remington, director of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, is quoted.)
Optimism about the local economy is high: More Dane County business leaders think business will be strong in the coming year than a year ago. More than eight of every 10 of the companies surveyed said they expect their performance to improve in 2007, according to a survey prepared by the UW-Madison School of Business’ A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research and sponsored by First Business Bank and the UW-Madison School of Business.
While most Wisconsinites are proud to reside in the Badger State, one University of Wisconsin faculty member has been looking to leave since this fall.
UW-Madison�s Faculty Senate passed a resolution Monday afternoon supporting domestic partner benefits for state employees, though it recognized the difficulty of working against obstacles like the statewide vote to ban same-sex marriages.
The Sierra Club will sue the state and the UW-Madison over allegations that several coal power plants in Madison violate the 1976 Clean Air Act.
The lawsuit targets the university�s Charter Street Power Plant and the Wisconsin�s state Capitol Heat and Power Plant.
The state of Wisconsin ââ?¬â? and the University of Wisconsin in particular ââ?¬â? could face litigation for violating the federal Clean Air Act.
A sprinkling of snow was enough to bring out an avalanche of skiers for the 43rd annual Wisconsin Hoofers Ski and Snowboard Resale at the Memorial Union on Saturday and Sunday.
The event featured more than 6,800 pieces of discounted cross-country, downhill and snowboarding equipment and accessories from area vendors, as well as used gear from the general public.
For a second straight year, fresh powder enhanced the enthusiasm of area skiers, and sales were unusually high, topping $250,000.
While American women overall are closing the wage gap with men, the situation in Wisconsin is worsening, according to a recent report.
“The State of Working Wisconsin 2006” by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in September found that women earned 25 percent less than men in 2005, a gap that actually increased from about 23 percent in 2000.
Dear Editor: I found your editorial regarding Judge O’Brien’s decision on the dispute between Roger Charly and Dr. McLellan misguided.
While I agree that the University of Wisconsin should be a good neighbor, the case was not a dispute between the university and Charly. The case arose because Charly failed to honor his agreement to sell the property to Dr. Richard McLellan.
Another election season has come and gone. In Wisconsin, there was little intelligent discussion about our environment and how we should protect, manage and use our incredible natural resources to maintain the quality of life and recreational opportunities most Wisconsinites cherish.
….Gov. Jim Doyle and his agencies, along with a new Legislature and new local leadership, now have a responsibility to lay out their vision for Wisconsin’s environment, including what actions they plan and what resources they propose to commit.
(Born is a UW-Madison emeritus professor of planning and environmental studies)
Already the subject of campus discussion and debate, the question of permit renewal of Madison�s coal power plants is now the cause of legal action against the state of Wisconsin.
….Those who want to see “The Madison Kid” filmed in Madison have mobilized one last push to see if they can get state government to change the date of implementation of the tax incentives to Jan. 1, 2007. As part of that effort, Hellmuth has written an op-ed piece that will be offered to numerous papers in the state.
In his piece, Hellmuth makes both a logical and passionate case for moving the date so “The Madison Kid” can be filmed here. He stresses the economic benefits, as well as the karmic importance of having it shot in Madison.
It may work. But I have an idea that will work even better. It’s this: Promise them all a role in the movie! Everyone wants to be in the movies, especially legislators….
Renovar Inc., a fledgling Madison-based company focused on the development of kidney disease diagnostics, announced that it has raised $1.22 million in funding.
The financing round, the UW-Madison spin-off’s second, brings the total capital raised by the company to $3.2 million.
A Madison homebuilder who had planned to build a couple of small homes on lots he owns in the Arboretum had his proposal shot down Wednesday, which he said could result in two “incredibly large” homes built on the land instead.
UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley announced plans to launch a student wage review Wednesday.
A committee of students, faculty and staff will be appointed to review and possibly recommend market-based increases to student hourly wage scales.
University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley is appointing a committee to determine whether hourly wages should be raised for student employees on campus.
Big changes are happening for financial advisors in Madison, from a new center focused on the workings of the financial world to national certification to help better educate and prepare financial advisor students.
University of Wisconsin-Madison is in the process of creating the Center for Financial Security, an interdisciplinary center drawing from the resources of many schools such
as Law, Business, Human Ecology and Economics. Their mission is simply to improve consumer financial management.
Dane County Circuit Judge Sarah O’Brien made it clear earlier this week that the University of Wisconsin cannot just throw its weight and money around to get its way.
Wisconsin is lagging far behind other, comparable states in providing basic education and training for adults and that could be hurting the state’s economy, a report by UW- Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy says.
The Charter Street Heating Plant has recently come under fire from environmentalists who want the state Department of Natural Resources to deny its application for a 5-year permit renewal. The DNR has preliminarily approved its application and recently invited citizens and activist groups to weigh in on the future of the plant.
A public hearing was held Tuesday evening to discuss proposed utility improvements on the University of Wisconsin�s west campus.
Madison residents and members of the Sierra Club delivered 700 postcards to University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley Tuesday in an effort to encourage the university to take steps toward building a more energy-efficient campus.
Those who want to develop a film industry in Wisconsin are back for the sequel and are working to bump up the effective date of a package of tax incentives intended to lure movie, television and commercial projects here.
Sen. Ted Kanavas (R-Brookfield) said he’s preparing two bills that aim to put the tax credits in effect earlier than the current start date of Jan. 1, 2008.
Students aiming to become successful entrepreneurs have a new academic option at the UW-Madison.
The School of Business now offers students the opportunity to pursue a concentration in entrepreneurship within its undergraduate major in management and human resources.
Backers of a research animal cruelty museum have a valid contract to purchase a building located between two University of Wisconsin-Madison primate research labs, a Dane County judge ruled Monday.
Although Circuit Judge Sarah O’Brien said it “seems like a quintessential Madison case,” in which animal rights protesters square off against the university, O’Brien said she was deciding the case between Budget Bicycle Center owner Roger Charly and the Primate Freedom Project as a contract matter.
A building in between two primate research centers is the rightful property of an animal rights group, a Dane County circuit court judge ruled Monday.
The University of Wisconsin campus may become home to the nation�s first-ever animal rights exhibition hall, as a judge ruled Monday in favor of a Madison-based animal rights group in a longstanding property dispute.
A Dane County judge said Monday that the law is on the side of animal-rights activists who want to buy buildings next to the UW-Madison’s primate labs and open a museum highlighting the cruelty they say happens at the labs.
Federal regulators are clamping down on the use of microscopic particles of silver in consumer products because of potential harmful effects on the environment, but scientists are working on testing standards as the new nanotechnology industries develop, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced new regulations this week on the use of nanosilver, tiny particles of silver a few ten-thousandths the diameter of a human hair thick, that have been infused into products such as food containers, shoe liners and bandages to kill bacteria.
Thanksgiving means turkey and shopping, but several experts warn that e-mail spam could put a lot of turkeys in your inbox as spammers take advantage of the holiday season.
“It happens over the holidays, or anytime there is an expectation that people will be more interested in buying, such as Mother’s Day,” said Gerald Thain, a consumer law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies spam – unsolicited and unwanted e-mail.
(DoIT’s Brian Rust is also quoted.)
Some 70 UW-Madison business students are participating in a real-life exercise that provides 15 Wisconsin companies with development plans, marketing and advertising information and data about their competitors.
Marshfield Clinic said Monday that it will become the first organization outside of the states public university system to use the systems technology transfer expertise to commercialize the work of researchers.
Marshfield has signed a contract with WiSys Technology Foundation Inc. that will give the clinic instant patenting and licensing expertise and encourage collaboration between Marshfield and state public research institutions. WiSys is a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, one of the oldest and most successful university technology transfer organizations in the country.
Taking the next step in the UW-Madison Campus Master Plan, the Chazen Museum of Art held its campaign kick-off Friday evening for its forthcoming expansion.
The Chazen, 800 University Ave., will take over the space currently occupied by the Alfred Walter Peterson Building, 750 University Ave.
I don’t know about you, but it rankles me that the juggernaut known as the University of Wisconsin athletic department is picking on little high schools whose names just happen to begin with a W.
“Oh my gosh, yes, Monroe Street has changed,” Hank Reese acknowledges. “But is it really such a bad thing?”
It is 10:55 on a recent midweek morning, and the 81-year-old Reese, dapper as ever in a powder blue shirt and beige cardigan sweater, is standing in the same spot where he has spent much of the last 59 years – behind the cashier counter at Mickies Dairy Bar, the most popular diner this city has ever known.
He is also giving me his own no-holds-barred perspective on the vast transformation that continues to take place in the neighborhood southwest of Camp Randall Stadium.
One of the state’s biggest lobbying firms will announce today it has formed a joint venture with a Pittsburgh-based consultant that helps companies attract more federal and state grants and contracts. The article quotes Mark Bugher, director of the University Research Park.
IT TURNS out that while the rest of us were oversleeping, the wake-up call industry has been buzzing. Who knew?
This is occurring on many fronts, each of which warrants examination. There is now, for instance, a company – WakeUpLand – that will give you a wake-up call at home.
….a Madison hotel could feature wake-up calls like these:
….”Good morning, this is John Wiley. Your mini-bar is locked and it’s going to stay that way.”
….”Good morning, this is Barry Alvarez’s personal assistant. Please hold for Mr. Alvarez.”
It’s been an eventful year for Gilda’s Club of Madison.
In July, Sara Sinaiko became chief executive officer of the cancer support organization’s local chapter.
And last month the group, which was started in honor of actress and comedian Gilda Radner after she died of ovarian cancer, got a big boost in the form of capital contributions.
Investment managers Phill Gross and Paul Leff have been named winners of the Distinguished Business Alumnus Awards given by the UW-Madison School of Business.
The award is given to graduates of the School of Business who achieve outstanding success in their career, and give back to the community. In the school’s more than 100-year history, fewer than 75 individuals have been honored with this award.
Despite the ending of its partnership with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Madison-based Deltanoid Pharmaceuticals remains confident about prospects for its lead drug.
“It’s a very safe compound and it looks like it might work,” said UW-Madison Professor Hector DeLuca, who led the team that developed 2MD, a potentially revolutionary osteoporosis drug that is the first to show the ability to stimulate new bone formation, rather than just prevent bone loss.
OK, so her visit lasted just three days. And much of it was spent on State Street.
Nonetheless, Jamie Gumbrecht says she now understands what the hype’s about ââ?¬â? why Madison continues to be regarded as one of the most desirable places to live in the country. And what an incredible recruiting tool that reputation is for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
People typically enter a church to feed their soul, but nearly 60 people walked into Madison’s Asbury United Methodist last Saturday to assess their vascular health. Each paid up to $109, by cash or credit card, for ultrasound services that could help save their life or simply flatten their wallet.
….While mobile screenings are a growing trend in health care, their value is debated among medical professionals, including vascular specialists at UW Health and Wisconsin Heart, which in Madison is based at Meriter Hospital.
Proud to be a Sconnie? Now you can advertise it.
A pair of University of Wisconsin-Madison students have trademarked the term “Sconnie” and created a lifestyle brand that evokes all things Wisconsin.
“We are under attack,” were the words Wisconsin Alumni Research Association Director Carl Gulbrandsen used to open his talk at the UW Law School Friday night.
Gulbrandsen spoke in grave terms about the prospect of losing the Bayh/Dole bill, legislation that enables the conversion of federally funded research into innovative scientific products and procedures. The speech was sponsored by the Kastenmeier Distinguished Lecture Series.
Gulbrandsen warned that many Bayh-Dole critics come from the ranks of academia. They want to remove Bayh/Dole’s protection for institutions like WARF which share the benefits of federally funded research to the benefit of the reseracher and the university.
roud to be a Sconnie? Now you can advertise it.
A pair of University of Wisconsin-Madison students have trademarked the term “Sconnie” and created a lifestyle brand that evokes all things Wisconsin.
