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Category: Community

UW-Madison’s new center studies the link between aging and diseases

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison researchers at a new federally funded center on campus will examine how aging influences diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s.

The Wisconsin Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging will fund new research that examines how metabolic changes associated with aging are linked to disease. The center’s researchers aim to develop improved treatments or methodologies that physicians can use to better address their patients’ conditions.

Dean Emerit of Nursing Linda D. Scott passes away at 69

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The Daily Cardinal

Dean Emerit of the School of Nursing Linda D. Scott died Monday at the age of 69, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced Tuesday.

Scott stepped down as Dean just six days ago due to health reasons, moving her retirement up from June 2026. She was the first Black dean of the College of Nursing — and the eighth dean ever — and spent almost ten years in the role, being appointed in July 2016. She led expansions to the program as well as the school’s centennial celebration.

Veterans Day ceremonies in Madison and freebies for veterans

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Wisconsin State Journal

Tuesday is a day to remember those who served this country. There is a ceremony planned to honor veterans at the state Capitol, and many businesses are offering free meals and more to veterans. Here are a few.

UW-Madison’s Memorial Union is hosting a free Veterans Day event featuring free refreshments, a program and a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Memorial Union breaking ground as a memorial to service members. The event is from 1:30 to 2:50 p.m. Tuesday.

 

Madison Jamaicans anxiously await word as Hurricane Melissa devastates the island

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NBC 15

People in Madison are working to help Jamaicans prepare as a Category 5 hurricane is hitting the islandon Tuesday.

Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm. It’s currently tied for the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Atlantic. At least seven people have died from the hurricane.

Co-owners of Fya Syde Kitchen in Madison say they have been trying to stay in contact with their family, who are still in Jamaica, to make sure they know just how devastating this storm is.

UW-Madison center enlists community pharmacies to prevent overdoses

Posted on
The Capital Times

Local pharmacies across the state are playing a bigger role in preventing people from dying from opioid overdoses, largely because of the work of a Madison-based program that started one year ago. The Wisconsin Opioid Overdose Response Center estimates it has brought more than 185,000 residents into contact with a variety of expanded services since launching last year.

Health care conference highlights cancer caregivers

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ABC 27

A conference at the Monona Terrace in Madison focused on how to support caregivers for cancer patients.

Speakers at the annual Fall Cancer Conference touched on how families are impacted by cancer.

Kristin Litzelman, an associate professor at the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology, said family members of cancer patients may not recognize themselves as caregivers, so they may not realize they have access to resources to support them.

Detox center’s closure is a ‘looming disaster’, 4 police chiefs say

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Wisconsin State Journal

Dane County’s detoxification center has been a resource for police officers and sheriff’s deputies for nearly four decades. But at the end of 2025, without renewed talks between county officials and the company that runs it, that tool to handle the region’s intoxicated will be gone.

On Oct. 17, four police chiefs representing the Madison, Sun Prairie, Middleton and UW-Madison departments sent a letter to Dane County Executive Melissa Agard imploring her and county government to work out a deal to keep Tellurian Behavioral Health’s detox center open.

Alex Warren concert helps launch ‘Future Friends’ mental health initiative

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The Daily Cardinal

Pop artist Alex Warren brought his Cheaper Than Therapy Tour to Madison Thursday night for the nationwide launch of Future Friends on college campuses. Future Friends, a new initiative merging live music, mental wellness programming and community action on college campuses, was created by Harris and Sabrina Schwartzberg, founders of Two Bridge and Corey McGuire.

The event opened with remarks from Schwartzberg, who thanked University Health Services for their support and emphasized the importance of mental health on college campuses.

Nurse turned doctor developed home so people don’t have to die on the street

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Wisconsin State Journal

Solace Home’s residents have a life expectancy of six months or less. Residents arrive there after living on the street, in shelters or in unstable housing situations.

Catlett, 67, had been a nurse for 16 years before she went to medical school. Much of her nursing career was part time so she could also be somewhat of a stay-at-home mom. Then she did her four years of medical school at UW-Madison over six years and did her residency at UW, too. She got her undergraduate degree at Duke University.

UW hosts Homecoming Blood Drive

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The Daily Cardinal

As part of the Big Ten’s “We Give Blood” campaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosted a Homecoming Blood Drive at the Nicholas Recreation Center Tuesday and Wednesday. Working with Abbott Laboratories, a health care company, the 18 universities in the conference aim to address the nation’s blood shortage by targeting first-time blood donors.

Effigy mounds on UW-Madison campus get national historic nod

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Wisconsin State Journal

Dugout canoes discovered in Lake Mendota have been getting much attention in recent years, but a series of burial mounds on the lake’s shoreline are now getting their turn.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has announced that a grouping of burial mounds on the UW-Madison campus has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Most Wisconsin schools protect students from discrimination against everything but this.

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A study of Wisconsin school board policies has found that nearly all districts have policies protecting students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and the vast majority protect students from discrimination based on gender identity.

“I don’t think there’s enough work that describes the environment that we’re in.  But then the project gained some urgency when we started hearing from educators across the state about the need for some sort of description of the state of guidance affecting teachers and students,” said Mollie McQuillan, lead author of the school board policy research and an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at UW-Madison.

13th annual ‘Fill the Hill’ at UW-Madison kicks off, raising thousands for student causes in 24 hours

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WKOW - Channel 27

‘Fill the Hill’ at UW-Madison kicked off at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9. The event is the university’s largest fundraising day, allowing donors to gift money to student groups for 24 hours.

To celebrate the event, a flock of flamingo rubber duckies will be dumped into the fountain at Library Mall at 9 a.m. on Friday Oct. 10. Participants can rescue them with a net and keep the ones they catch.

In the 608: ‘Fill the Hill’ returns to UW-Madison with flock of pink flamingos

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Channel 3000

Thousands of pink plastic flamingos will once again cover Bascom Hill as the University of Wisconsin–Madison celebrates its 13th annual Fill the Hill fundraiser.

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association hosts the event each fall as part of the University’s day-of-giving campaign. Each donation of $5 or more adds another flamingo to the growing flock on the hill.

These UW-Madison faculty have been awarded MacArthur fellowships

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Wisconsin State Journal

wo more MacArthur fellows were added Wednesday to UW-Madison’s growing list of faculty who have received the prestigious award.

Since 1985, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has granted eight UW-Madison professors the fellowship, which often is referred to as a “genius award.”

2 UW-Madison professors named MacArthur Foundation ‘genius’ fellows

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Wisconsin State Journal

Two UW-Madison professors have been named MacArthur Foundation fellows, called “genius awards,” for their work in studying weather patterns in the tropics and investigating the effects of nuclear weapons.

UW-Madison professors Ángel F. Adames Corraliza, who is an atmospheric scientist, and Sébastien Philippe, a nuclear security specialist, were selected Wednesday for the prestigious fellowships. Fellows receive $800,000 paid out over five years for any use.

MacArthur 2025 ‘genius’ grant winners include 2 UW-Madison professors

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation named atmospheric scientist Ángel Adames Corraliza, 37, and nuclear security specialist Sébastien Philippe, 38, as recipients of the prestigious MacArthur fellowship. Also known as the “genius grant,” the national award is given annually to a small group of people across a range of disciplines who show exceptional creativity in their work and future ambitions.

Prodigy Greg Zelek joins UW-Madison Concert Choir for harmonious organ-chorus performance

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The Daily Cardinal

The Overture Concert Organ Series opened on Oct. 2 with a performance by Madison Symphony Orchestra Principal Organist Greg Zelek and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Concert Choir, conducted by Director of Choral Studies Dr. Mariana Farah.

At 31, Zelek is an organ prodigy and has played all over the world. He is one of a handful of full-time symphony organists in the US and has the privilege of performing on the Overture Center’s own stunning, custom-made organ.

Bat Brigade: The UW group contributing to bat conservation

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The Daily Cardinal

A University of Wisconsin-Madison collective is working to establish a long-term data set of little brown bat populations on campus with national implications for conservation.

The UW-Madison Bat Brigade is a collaboration between students, professionals and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to monitor and study bats on campus. The Brigade is part of Biocore, an honors biology program.

Lake Winnebago wild rice restoration project continues despite federal funding cut

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Wisconsin Public Radio

For Jessica Skeesuck, vice chair of the Brothertown Indian Nation, restoring wild rice goes beyond just helping the environment.

“It is an important food from a nutritional value perspective, but also from a very important cultural perspective for many tribes, including Brothertown Indian Nation,” Skeesuck told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”

Skeesuck and Jessie Conaway, an outdoor educator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are co-leads on the Intertribal Lake Winnebago Wild Rice Revitalization Project.

Tool developed at UW-Madison helps map health disparities nationwide

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Wisconsin State Journal

Where someone lives can shape their health, just as much as the care they receive. That’s why Dr. Amy Kind of her team at UW-Madison have developed the Area Deprivation Index (ADI).

The tool maps health disparities using the impacts of income, housing, education and employment on health.

UW-Madison cuts diversity-related unit in human resources office

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison has shuttered the equity and well-being department in its human resources office, which worked to retain LGBTQ+ and employees of color.

The university established the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Employee Well-Being in spring 2021 to offer consultation and promote inclusive policies and environments, with a focus on support for traditionally marginalized communities.

UW-Madison lab creating archive of historic, significant locations for Black Madisonians

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Spectrum News

New research going on at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is focused on how Black residents find and build community in the City of Madison, which is predominantly white.

About a dozen students are part of the first research lab within UW-Madison’s Department of African American Studies. It’s called the Soulfolk Collective.

Trump education cuts quietly declare that opportunity should be rationed on race

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Written by Anthony Hernandez, a faculty member in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He received a research award from the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation for his study on leadership in higher education.

UW panel discusses impact of housing quality on equity, well-being

Posted on
The Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Research on Poverty hosted a webinar Sept. 30 to examine the impact of housing quality on families and communities — focusing on health, stability and the lasting effects of discriminatory policies such as redlining.

The event featured presentations from senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Erik Hembre, Emory University assistant professor of epidemiology Christine Ekenga and Boston University assistant professor of sociology Steven Schmidt.

Dairy farmers discuss ongoing farming struggles at World Dairy Expo

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Spectrum News

Wisconsin is welcoming guests from around the globe as the 2025 World Dairy Expo is now underway in Madison.

According to a report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension Farm Management program, Wisconsin exported $3 billion of agricultural products in 2024, making agriculture a major economic driver for the state.

Trout Lake Station documentary highlights local, global impact of Wisconsin research

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Wisconsin Public Radio

For nearly a century, Trout Lake Station in Boulder Junction has been at the center of environmental research in Wisconsin. Now, a new documentary aims to show how the year-round field station’s work extends far beyond lake shorelines.

Operated by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Limnology, Trout Lake Station has been supporting research since 1925.

Finding joy and confidence in writing with new ‘Whoopensocker’ collection

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PBS Wisconsin

PBS Wisconsin Education, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education, recently launched Whoopensocker, a new educational resource collection for upper elementary learners that provides an on-ramp to writing through group games and scaffolded lessons.

Whoopensocker was first developed as a six-week teaching artist residency by Erica Halverson, a professor in the department of curriculum and instruction at the UW-Madison School of Education. Halverson teamed up with PBS Wisconsin Education to make a multimedia version of the program that’s accessible to more educators around the state and in spaces where an artist residency may not be available.

Got cheese? UW-Madison’s Badger Cheese Club hosts first meeting of semester

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The Daily Cardinal

One of the University Wisconsin-Madison’s largest student organizations packed a lecture hall in Ingraham with over 200 students in attendance last week. The Badger Cheese Club’s goal is to bring Wisconsin’s cheese culture to their 500 official members.

The club of cheese connoisseurs — established in 2006 — offers its members a smorgasbord of cheese each meeting, educates its members on the differences between all the unique types of cheese made in Wisconsin and builds a strong community among its members with a variety of special events.

Anti-war group calls for end to Israeli war funding during Willy St. Parade

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The Daily Cardinal

Janet Parker, who leads World Beyond War’s Madison chapter, said the group’s main goal was to “abolish war” and push the University of Wisconsin System to “divest from all weapons manufacturing.”

The group’s march was part of a global movement created by World Beyond War, an international organization with chapters campaigning against issues like war profiteering, police militarization and starvation.

UW-Madison’s first African American research lab conducts survey on Black affirming spaces

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WMTV - Channel 15

University of Wisconsin-Madison’s first research lab in the African American Studies department is collecting data on spaces where Black people thrive throughout the city.

The UW-Madison research lab, Soulfolk Collective, partnered with the Center of Black Excellence and Culture to determine how to amplify Black voices, stories and lived experiences.

Badgers partner with MMSD to get students excited about reading and develop better literacy habits

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WKOW - Channel 27

Badgers were spotted at Sandburg Elementary on Monday helping students get excited about reading.

The partnership between the Wisconsin Badger football program and Madison Metropolitan School District helps UW athletes give back to the community through the support of the district’s reading literacy initiative.