For many Wisconsinites, summer means swimming in the region’s freshwater lakes. But in some places, it can also mean danger — especially from rip currents.
The Secret To Safe Swimming: Traffic Lights?
Wisconsin Public Radio
Category: Community
Sound it out: Why are Madison students struggling to read?
Isthmus
Quoted: Mark Seidenberg, a UW-Madison professor and cognitive neuroscientist, has spent decades researching the way humans acquire language. He is blunt about Wisconsin’s schools’ ability to teach children to read: “If you want your kid to learn to read you can’t assume that the school’s going to take care of it. You have to take care of it outside of the school, if there’s someone in the home who can do it or if you have enough money to pay for a tutor or learning center.”
From astronomy to zoology, UW-Madison science talks inform public
Wisconsin State Journal
Wednesday Nite @ the Lab, which started in February 2006, allows the public to hear campus scientists — and occasionally researchers from other universities — share their expertise.
Black women’s health and wellness center to open in Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
The organization received a boost in funding last fall from the Healthy Dane Funders, made up of Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin, SSM Health, UnityPoint Health-Meriter and UW Health.
Graduation 2019: Which cities are best for college grads?
USA Today
Madison is #1. Many of the top 10 cities that received A-minus to A-plus grades were also home to sizable colleges, such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, North Carolina State University and Texas Tech University.
New sculpture installed on Library Mall
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. – After part of it was covered with blue tarps for months, a new sculpture was completed on Library Mall.
Welcome to campus
Isthmus
In mid-March Madison learned that a much-maligned spire will disappear from Camp Randall. But lost in the excitement is news that it’s part of a plan to renovate the nearby Field House and create a large, new, outdoor gathering place.
MGE targets carbon-neutral electricity by 2050; Madison utility says new technology will be needed
Wisconsin State Journal
The company said the plan will rely on “significant” new renewable-energy resources and reducing the use of fossil fuels, as well as helping customers become more energy efficient. MGE said it will work with scientists at UW-Madison to evaluate the goal and ensure it is consistent with the IPCC assessment.
Rhinelander grads win ‘Wisconsin Idea Fellowships’
Rhinelander Star Journal
Two Rhinelander High School graduates have been awarded 2019-20 Wisconsin Idea Fellowships (WIF) for undergraduate projects at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In its 21st year, WIF are awarded to UW-Madison projects working to solve issues identified by local or global communities.
Crime victims get chance to confront perpetrators through The Restorative Justice Project
60 Minutes
When we heard about The Restorative Justice Project, it was hard to believe and we certainly didn’t understand it. The program at the University of Wisconsin Law School introduces victims of violence to the convicts who committed the crime. Our first reaction was “who would want to do that?” And to what end? It was only after we met these families and the convicts that we could see what a life-changing experience could come from the most unlikely of meetings.
UW’s Institute for Research on Poverty joins nework to fight opioid addiction
Capital Times
The opioid epidemic is such a massive problem, it would probably be impossible to tackle without a collaborative solution, said Barbara Wolfe, professor emerita of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Madison School District plays the ‘long game’ in training students to become teachers
Wisconsin State Journal
The joint effort by the Madison School District and UW-Madison School of Education is part of a larger collaboration between the organizations, known as Forward Madison, that also includes new teacher mentoring, principal coaching, a student-teacher component and an effort to fully certify special-education teachers.
More than a meal
Isthmus
It’s a typical Wednesday evening for Slow Food UW volunteers in South Madison. Children enrolled in the Odyssey Explorers program are playing a board game while their parents attend classes in the UW Odyssey Project, a college humanities program for adults facing economic barriers.
Wisconsin Union, Porchlight ‘all in’ on jobs partnership
Behind the scenes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s bustling Union South, where many students are taking shelter from a rainy afternoon, Bret Kuhn is busy wrapping up a shift washing dishes in the lower-level kitchens.
Edgewood High students’ science project launches into space
Wisconsin State Journal
Kiley and Pashaj worked with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space and the UW-Madison Molecular Structure Laboratory to devise an experiment to be done at the station based on the optimum growing conditions for their crystal.
How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Serena Williams Inspired This 19-Year-Old to Run for Office—and Win?
Elle
When you hear the phrase “the future of politics,” they’re talking about people like Avra Reddy. At just 19, this Illinois-native University of Wisconsin-Madison student has become the first woman in 26 years—and the first woman of color—to represent District 8 on Madison’s City Council. And like many women who’ve sought to be the first, she faced sexism and doubt along the way. Here, she talks about the women who helped pull her through and the steps to take to follow in her footsteps.
Back Porch Serenade: Music, Memory And The Shoah
WORT FM
Almost a year ago, a viral photograph of high school students mugging for the camera with a Nazi salute after a prom in Baraboo caused a worldwide scandal. Since then, some prominent Madisonians have joined with residents of the Sauk County town in public education efforts about the grim realities of fascism and the legacy of the Holocaust. Among these is Teryl Dobbs, associate professor and chair of music education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Music. Having long studied the music of Eastern European Jews under Nazi occupation, Professor Dobbs will share her research with the public at the Baraboo First United Methodist Church on Thursday, May 2nd at 6:30 pm.
UW law clinic helps victims attain restraining orders
Capital Times
To support survivors of domestic violence, the UW Law School created the VOCA Restraining Order Clinic, with attorney Ryan Poe-Gavlinski as director. Since January, the clinic has trained students to represent or advise about 25 clients seeking restraining orders.
Baraboo church hosts music from the Holocaust program for Remembrance Day
Baraboo News Republic
Noted: Teryl Dobbs, a University of Wisconsin-Madison music professor, will present the free community event “Music, Remembrance, and Repairing Our World: Lessons on Yom Ha’Shoah” on Thursday at First United Methodist Church. Through her work, she has interviewed Holocaust survivors and studied testimony and oral history, with a focus on how they made music while undergoing hardship and oppression.
Bucky’s Classroom introduces middle school students to UW-Madison campus
Wisconsin State Journal
Bucky’s Classroom is designed to increase college opportunities for all students, in part by giving them access to the UW-Madison campus. Presented through the new UW Connects statewide outreach program, the program also establishes a “classroom to campus” connection by having university students teach pre-college preparedness and career exploration at the middle schools through a curriculum developed by the UW-Madison School of Education. The college student ambassadors also develop relationships with the younger students.
To divert wasted food, the city looks into digesters, returns to composting
Capital Times
Several initiatives around wasted food in the Madison/Dane County area have seen recent progress. Last fall, a trio of University of Wisconsin-Madison undergrads and a communications coordinator at FairShare CSA Coalition created a food waste recovery guide on behalf of the city and county, now available as a spiral-bound print copy and online at UW-Extension. Magnets that say “Got food waste?” with a picture of an apple core include a short link to the guide.
Leslie Orrantia named new deputy mayor in Madison – WISC
WISC-TV 3
Since 2016, Orrantia has been the director of community relations on behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor.
Know Your Madisonian: Former Badgers, NFL receiver Donald Hayes returns to community center of his youth
Wisconsin State Journal
The former University of Wisconsin and NFL wide receiver played a key part in that expansion and is now back to help the children it benefits. The EMCC hired Hayes, 43, as a youth worker after he moved back to Madison in August to finish his degree in Afro-American studies. He’s set to graduate from UW-Madison on May 11.
Sabrina Madison’s Black Women’s Leadership Conference to make space for mental health
The 2019 BWLC will take place on Thursday and Friday, May 2 and 3, at UW-Madison’s Discovery Building, 330 N. Orchard St. This is the fourth annual conference, which aims to empower and equip black women and girls through education, networking and leadership training.
Local partnership helps give back to the community
NBC-15
The relationship between Porchlight, a nonprofit that works with the homeless, and the Wisconsin Union started about a year and a half ago. Both groups said so far, it has been a huge success.
Alder-elect first woman to represent district 8 in over 20 years
NBC-15
The 19-year-old freshman at UW-Madison is studying philosophy and political science. Reddy said she had heard the District 8 seat might be opening before she arrived at UW, and after encouragement from a friend, decided to run.
Bucky’s Classroom helps increase college opportunities for young students
NBC-15
Middle school students got a sneak peek at life on a college campus at UW-Madison. The UW-Madison’s Bucky’s Classroom program aims to increase college opportunities for young students.
Passion pushes women to provide agricultural training around the globe
The Country Today
Quoted: “We make a great team,” added Karen Nielsen, who heads up Global Dairy Outreach in Madison. “Even though she’s in Vermont and I’m in Wisconsin, we’ve worked a lot to help those in the dairy industry.”
Report seeks to highlight health needs, strengths of Madison Latino community
Members of the Madison Latino community and the health issues they face “tend to be invisible for many reasons,” according to Dr. Patricia Tellez-Giron, co-chair of the Latino Health Council and associate professor in the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health.
Aaron Yarmel: Classrooms — and society — need balance of structure and freedom
Noted: Aaron Yarmel is the director of Madison Public Philosophy and a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fixer uppers
Isthmus
Noted: Tonight’s workforce is another layer of the “skin in the game” model: volunteers who are interested in giving back but who also want to learn how to fix a bike. Wheels is one of the most popular destinations among UW-Madison students enrolled in the Badger Volunteers program. UW grad student Alex Lai will end 12 semesters of service here this summer when she completes her doctorate in environmental chemistry and heads to the west coast.
Local Voices Network: Madison residents discuss climate change concerns
Noted: The conversations are led by volunteer facilitators, recorded on a “digital hearth,” then transcribed and posted on the LVN.org website. In Madison, University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Kathy Cramer, author of “The Politics of Resentment,” is a partner in the effort.
Madison alder wants to see Mifflin Street party safe again this year, public meeting Thursday
Wisconsin State Journal
The Fourth District council member is having a neighborhood meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St., to discuss ways to keep the April 27 party a safe success.
Arts center apologizes for calling off discussion panel on ‘Miss Saigon’
NBCNews.com
“We had said that education was really important in contextualizing the play so when people go to see it they have a sense of this history and they understand why Asian Americans have organized to protest it in the past,” Lori Lopez, an associate professor of Asian-American studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who helped organize the panel, said by phone.
The panel that wasn’t
Isthmus
“This is not how I thought today was going to go,” said Timothy Yu at the “teach-in” he helped organize on the sidewalk outside Overture Center on March 27. With the poster for the blockbuster musical Miss Saigon in the background, Yu, a UW-Madison professor of English and Asian American Studies, looked slightly chagrined as he surveyed the crowd that was gathering to hear concerns about Asian representation in the touring show, which is scheduled for eight performances, April 2-7 in Overture Hall.
After Overture cancels ‘Miss Saigon’ panel, Asian American scholars host ‘teach-in’ on street
Capital Times
Leslie Bow, a professor of English and Asian American studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, had signed on to moderate the panel. She prepared for it during spring break like she would have for a class.
Overture Cancels Panel on Asian American Representation in Miss Saigon Over “Inflammatory” Questions
Madison365
The panel was to be moderated by University of Wisconsin Professor of English and Asian American Studies Leslie Bow and was to include Josephine Lee from the University of Minnesota, Lori Kido Lopez from the University of Wisconsin, Nancy Vue Tran from Freedom Inc, Sarah Marty from Four Seasons Theater and Gajic.
500 attended a vigil at the Islamic Center of Milwaukee for victims of the New Zealand mosque attacks
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison students Ufaira Shaik and Yaseen Najeeb read the names and ages of the victims to the crowd gathered for the vigil. The recitation of the dead was followed by 51 seconds of silence. One second for each person cut down by hate.
One City Schools, Access Community Health Centers announce partnership
One City Schools, which expanded from One City Early Learning Center, is one of the state’s first 4K and kindergarten charter options authorized by the University of Wisconsin’s Office of Educational Opportunity.
UW Chancellors: Evers Budget Plan Could Keep Talent In Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Radio
Some Wisconsin higher education leaders say the proposed state budget from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers could reduce a worker shortage and keep more talent from leaving the state.
Wisconsin Dairy Farmers Say It’s Go Creative, Or Go Out Of Business
WUWM
He is among hundreds of farmers who were in Madison this week for the annual business conference of the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.
Editorial: State, UW employees partner in giving
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. – Among other positive changes from the election of a new governor in Wisconsin is the return of respect for state employees and their contributions to the quality of life that state government supports for all citizens.
Driverless shuttle could debut Downtown this fall
Wisconsin State Journal
The city and UW-Madison have been key participants in the quest to make autonomous vehicles part of the transportation system. In early 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation chose UW to be one of 10 automated vehicle proving grounds in the U.S.
Smith: Wisconsin Hero Outdoors extends a hand to vets, first responders and their families
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: They linked with the Waukesha County Community Foundation to gain 501c(3) nonprofit status. They also were accepted as partners with the UW-Madison Law and Entrepreneur Clinic. They also established an endowment to help fund its operations. With administrative support from the Waukesha foundation and legal affairs handled pro bono by the UW-Madison clinic, all funds raised go to run the programs to benefit vets, first-responders and their families, Falkner said.
Milestone Democratic School approved by UW charter office with strings attached
Capital Times
The University of Wisconsin’s Office of Educational Opportunity approved a plan to bring a new charter school to Madison that would open in 2020, with several contingencies attached.
Developer proposes hotel near Kohl Center
Wisconsin State Journal
A developer is proposing to build a six-story hotel that would be the closest to UW-Madison’s 17,230-seat Kohl Center.
Woman recognized for impact on Madison community
NBC-15
Last year’s Athena Award recipient, Emily Auerbach, the director of the UW Odyssey project and odyssey graduate Keena Atkinson, who received one of the business forum scholarships, stopped by NBC15 to talk about the upcoming celebration.
Q&A: Danielle Yancey works to recruit and retain more Native American health professionals
The Cap Times
In Wisconsin, Native Americans suffer from sharp health disparities, including higher rates of heart disease, cancer mortality and death and hospitalization from diabetes than the collective Wisconsin population.
Upham Woods offers winter, summer programs
Baraboo News Republic
Winter is fully here in Wisconsin Dells, but at Upham Woods preparations are already underway for summer even as the camp operates snowy activities.
As Wisconsin farmers struggle, new effort aims to prevent suicide
Wisconsin State Journal
Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program started a farmer suicide prevention project this month. The effort, funded by a $50,000 grant from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program, was prompted by an increase in stories about suicides or suicidal thoughts among farmers, said Wally Orzechowski, executive director.
DreamUp Wisconsin finalists selected, strive for prosperous Dane County
Daily Cardinal
After serious deliberation, the DreamUp initiative successfully narrowed down to three proposals aimed at boosting and strengthening Dane County’s middle class.
Wisconsin Partnership Program awards grants to Madison orgs to narrow health disparities
The $50,000 Community Catalyst grants from the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health are meant to “improve health equity.” The funds help new ideas off the ground, rather than sustain existing programs.
Competing protests at state Capitol ends safely after several tense hours
Badger Herald
The state Capitol was the backdrop to a clash of competing protests Saturday afternoon, as both conservative, gun rights advocates and anti-fascist activists organized two opposing protests.
Baraboo teacher works with UW-Madison researchers examining rural education
Baraboo News Republic
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are looking to school districts such as Baraboo for insight into what it’s like to teach in rural areas and how to better connect university graduates to those schools.
Q&A: Sara Dillivan-Graves and T.R. Williams work to empower Wisconsin women
Capital Times
The mentorship program is a year-long program with a new cohort every January. Partnering with UW-Madison and Madison College, it pairs undergraduate women with professional women.
Know Your Madisonian: Academia gets real
Wisconsin State Journal
As director of the UniverCity Alliance at UW-Madison, Gavin Luter tries to bridge the gap between academia and the “real world.”
FCDI to build $21M stem cell production facility in Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison cardiologist Timothy Kamp, director of the UW Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, was a co-founder of Cellular Dynamics and said the expansion is a significant development for the company and for the community.
UW-Madison Ranks No. 1 For Peace Corps Volunteers For Second Year In A Row
Wisconsin Public Radio
For the second year in a row, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been ranked the No. 1 feeder school for the Peace Corps.
Amid disparities, white Madison activists press fellow whites for progress on racial justice
Wisconsin State Journal
Noted: Nehemiah’s program includes lectures by Gee and his sister, Lilada, as well as UW-Madison faculty Christy Clark-Pujara, Alexander Shashko, Steve Kantrowitz and Neil Kodesh.
‘Settlin” tells a revealing Madison story
Wisconsin State Journal
Noted: Simms started out with two friends to compile a list of people who might share their family’s history, and began her research in 2003, the year after receiving her Ph.D in educational administration at UW-Madison. A lifelong Madisonian and educator, Simms has received many civic honors, and in 1992 was named Wisconsin Elementary Principal of the Year.