Skip to main content

Category: Community

Pining for tradition: UW Forestry Club revives Christmas tree sale

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

The UW Forestry Club will revive its Christmas tree sale this December, selling 300 trees after a six-year hiatus due to a pause in club membership and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite not being officially registered as a student organization, the club serves as a student-run professional development organization for forestry and natural resource majors. It provides hands-on skills training, certifications and industry networking opportunities and represents the student chapter of Society of American Foresters in Madison.

Afghans in Wisconsin face uncertainty amid Trump administration crackdown

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Some say they fear being scapegoated for the actions of one man — an Afghan national who has been charged in the ambush-style shooting of two National Guard members last week.

“No community is responsible for an individual’s act,” said Najib Azad, a lawyer and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was resettled along with his wife and children in Stevens Point almost four years ago.

Exact Sciences sale could benefit both companies, local economist says

Posted on
The Cap Times

Madison leaders and economists are still working to predict all of the major changes that could take place with the sale of local cancer diagnostics company Exact Sciences to Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories, which was announced late last month. But one local economist and business analyst says the merger is likely to be a net positive for both companies. Dan Olszewski, director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, studies mergers and acquisitions in prominent companies.

Medical Sciences Orchestra keeps music alive on campus

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Musicians in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health perform classical music with surgical precision as part of the Medical Sciences Orchestra. Founded in 2018 by fourth-year medical student Joohee Son, the orchestra provides a chance for new operations for students, faculty and alumni in the medical field.

Early study results show landfill runoff in Wisconsin has high PFAS levels

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Early results of a new study show landfill runoff contained the highest levels of PFAS among liquid wastes sampled statewide in Wisconsin.

Since 2023, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been collecting and analyzing samples from four waste materials that could be potential sources of PFAS in groundwater, which provides drinking water to two-thirds of state residents. It’s also a source of drinking water for around 800,000 private wells.

Teaching assistant receives UW fellowship for second consecutive year: a look into his research

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

PhD candidate Morgan Henson received the Gulickson fellowship for the second year in a row, an award given to graduate students working to improve the teaching experience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

His research focuses on how far-right political movements use digital platforms and media to gain political support. Outside the classroom, Henson is making a different kind of impact: helping his fellow teaching assistants.

UW-Madison will launch Wisconsin’s first public policy undergraduate major

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

In fall 2026, UW-Madison will launch the state’s first undergraduate major in public policy.  Students will be able to earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in public policy from La Follette.

“Our point here is not to change anybody’s values, but to have students exercise their intellectual muscles to hear different points of view with the hope that when they enter into the workforce, they will be more amenable and curious about other points of view,” said La Follette School Director Susan Webb Yackee. .

‘Drag Race’ star Trixie Mattel talks chasing dreams at UW event

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Mattel reflected on her younger self and the fear of not being good enough when she first began drag, adding she realized years later there is no exact path to success. She emphasized projecting confidence early on and “faking it till you make it.”

“Like who wants to see a drag show where some drag queen is like ‘I’m middle amount good?’” she joked to the audience. “I really believe that the only difference between people really clawing up that mountain and people staring at the top of it is the audacity. Nobody is better than anybody.”

Don’t let politics tear Thanksgiving apart. Talk it out.

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The good news amid the rancor is that people are not only studying why we’re so polarized, but they are also working on ways to fix it. I learned that fact during my recent interview with Susan Yackee, director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW–Madison.

The school is launching a new undergraduate public policy program in the fall of 2026, including a required course titled Advancing Public Policy in a Divided America.

In it, students literally practice talking across ideological divides. “If I don’t work out my bicep, it’s just not gonna get strong, right? It’s the same thing with our students and their skills in talking across differences,” Yackee told me. “[It’s] super easy for them to be siloed in their own little social media environments and not hear or have to interact with people that think differently than them. So we’re gonna force that in the class.”

If you want to be a [Bucky] Badger, just come along with former mascot Cecil Powless

Posted on
PBS Wisconsin

While a fuzzy microfiber suit, red-and-white striped Motion W sweater and 30-pound head are standard issue, it is up to the people inside the costume to make Bucky Badger unique.

In anticipation of the 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2 premiere of the new historical PBS Wisconsin documentary narrated by comedian Charlie Berens — Bucky! — we tracked down former Bucky Cecil Powless to unmask what it takes to become the chaotic and infectious icon of energy that is beloved by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the entire state.

How a Madison woman’s question sparked a growing statewide civics contest

Posted on
Wisconsin Watch

The competition has grown so much, in fact, that it’s too big for the five staff members of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association to handle. They’re now handing the reins to the Universities of Wisconsin, which has sponsored the event since its inception.

The games will be overseen by the university system’s Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue, which will soon become the Office of Civic Engagement, said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. Separately, that office will host civic education workshops for teachers across the state over the next three years, funded by a $1.1 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s American History & Civics Seminars program.

A first look at The Center for Black Excellence and Culture

Posted on
The Cap Times

Leaders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are excited about the Center, Gee said. The chancellor and provost recently toured the building.

He said the Center is developing partnerships with six university departments and that UW leaders “believe we can help sell the university as a place for students, researchers and faculty.” “I love that, but the other piece is if we connect (with) Milwaukee, Beloit, Racine, and we unite those Black communities so that we set agendas together, we dream together, we celebrate together.”

UW research examines AI’s role in journalism

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

Tomas Dodds, journalism professor and founder of the Public Media Tech Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, hopes to help local journalists understand the implications of AI in the newsroom by providing a variety of resources, such as training sessions and workshops.

“In the newsroom, you don’t know how your colleagues are using AI,” Dodds said, adding that the Public Media Tech Lab would facilitate discussions in the newsroom where coworkers could disclose how they use it and create AI usage policies from these discussions.

Kids are expensive. Do they have to be?

Posted on
NPR

Families across the country are asking that same question when it comes to childcare, as the yearly costs for daycare are becoming comparable to a year’s rent in many places. How did childcare become so expensive, and how might everyone benefit if the government provided more support to parents? Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Jessica Calarco, and Senior Fellow at the Think Tank Capita Elliot Haspel are here to help Brittany find out.

What are international students doing for Thanksgiving?

Posted on
The Daily Cardinal

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is home to over 7,000 international students from more than 120 different countries. For some students, visiting home means a long flight and an uncomfortable middle seat. But with fall break just around the corner, many international students are bringing fresh perspectives to Thanksgiving.

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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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.

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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

Posted on
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.