WARF public affairs analyst says university researchers may become ‘collateral damage’ under proposal.
Proposed changes to Bayh-Dole Act stir controversy over innovation, growth in university research
Badger Herald
Category: Research
Older Wisconsinites have the highest suicide rate of any age group. Why don’t we talk about it?
Green Bay Press-Gazette
There’s a disconnect in how we respond to older people struggling with their mental health, said Dr. Sarah Endicott, a clinical professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison focused on geriatrics. Some of that, she suspects, may be chalked up to ageism, which the World Health Organization defines as the stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination toward others based on age.
“I don’t think it’s intentional, but the lower value we place on older adults in general, especially when it comes to end-of-life, I’m guessing that’s part of the cause,” said Endicott, who also works as a geriatric psychiatrist at Stoughton Hospital in Dane County.
Student podcast recognized by NPR, America’s hardest jobs, Research on daddy longlegs, Carbon neutral parks
Wisconsin Public Radio
A UW-Madison student tells us about his podcast on changing technology. Then, a Washington Post columnist and a member of the Milwaukee Fire Department talk about America’s hardest jobs. Then, we explore new research on daddy longlegs. Then, we discuss efforts to make national parks along Lake Superior carbon neutral.
Members of UW-Madison community visit Washington, D.C. for annual lobbying day
Spectrum News
Members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison community descended on Capitol Hill Wednesday to make the case for more research funding.
“We can create jobs. We can create innovation, new technologies, and improve human health and improve the human condition,” said Charlie Hoslet, the vice chancellor of university relations at UW-Madison.
Daddy Longlegs Have Four Extra, Hidden Eyes, Researchers Say
Smithsonian Magazine
The eyes are vestigial organs, or the remnants of body parts that no longer function—they are the “leftovers of evolution,” as study co-author Guilherme Gainett, who was a biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when he conducted the research but now works at Boston Children’s Hospital, tells Science News’ McKenzie Prillaman. In humans, vestigial organs include wisdom teeth and the appendix.
Cancer, immunology, HIV research ensnared in fetal tissue politics – STAT
STAT
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have spent years trying to unravel the details of Down syndrome: What happens inside the womb, how the genetic disorder alters the formation of neurons, and what specific processes affect brain development. The work can’t proceed without studying fetal tissue. Anita Bhattacharyya, an associate professor of cell and regenerative biology, said her lab’s findings so far are significant, having identified a layer of late-developing neurons that are reduced in the brains of fetuses with Down syndrome. If she were to start her career again, however, she isn’t sure she would follow the same path. “It seems too risky,” she said.
Lower fishing bag limits aim to help struggling walleye
Wisconsin Public Radio
Zach Feiner is a research scientist at the state Department of Natural Resources and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Limnology. On WPR’s “The Morning Show,” Feiner said the state hopes lowering the number of fish caught can help walleye recover.
Fresh. Buttery. Soapy. Astringent. Enter the world of professional cheese tasting.
Green Bay Press Gazette
It’s quiet as a group of eight people stand bent at the waist, intently staring at a pizza sitting on a gleaming stainless-steel counter.
It’s an early March Wednesday morning, and they are in the Hilmar Cheese Dairy Applications Lab of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research.
UW-Madison launches Sustainability Research Hub
Spectrum News
On Friday, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced the launch of its Sustainability Research Hub.
In early Feb. 2024, UW-Madison chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced a new cross-campus initiative focused on environmental sustainability.
UW-Madison botany professor sends plants to outer space
Wisconsin State Journal
When it comes to space gardening, UW-Madison botany professor Simon Gilroy believes there’s plenty of room to grow. Gilroy himself is at the root level of the science of galactic farming, as he and his research team are in the midst of his sixth plant expedition into space, this time seeing how tomato plants grow without gravity and whether some of the biology that naturally exists on Earth can be engineered and replicated in space.
Cat Filmed ‘Vibing to Some Music,’ but He Has a Brother
Newsweek
A study by the University of Wisconsin determined that pets like to listen to music that fits into how animals communicate.
When is allergy season? Early spring brings pollen (and sneezing)
USA Today
Higher pollen counts and a longer, earlier pollen season are brought on by warmer temperatures. From 1990 to 2018, the overall amount of pollen increased by up to 21%, according to a study by the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Texas and the Midwest experienced the largest increases.
Sen. Baldwin secures $1 million for UW agriculture research facilities
Badger Herald
Funding falls short of Baldwin’s original request of $7 million, will go towards improving facilities in conjunction with USDA.
The planning behind prescribed burns; Amphibians and pollution
Wisconsin Public Radio
Includes interviews with Jeb Barzen, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture and Jessica Hua, an associate professor in forest and wildlife ecology, both at UW-Madison.
Wisconsin’s pay gap between men and women is worse than the national gap
Wisconsin Public Radio
The pay gap for men and women in Wisconsin is worse than the gap between genders nationally, even as female representation on the state’s corporate boards continues to grow.
Nationally, women working in full-time, year-round jobs earn about 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Wisconsin, women make nearly 81 cents to every dollar a man makes, Census Bureau data shows.
A recent report from the University of Wisconsin-Extension found the pay gap persists, even for those with college degrees.
Scientists have found a way to 3D-print brain tissue for research
Scripps
“We think this work could help people to understand neuropsychiatric diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, compared to the other models,” said Yuanwei Yan, a scientist in the Zhang Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW researchers find economic disparities for families of children with developmental disabilities during COVID-19
Badger Herald
In a study published last month titled “Economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families of children with autism” researchers analyzed how families of children with developmental disabilities, including autism, faced significant economic disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from the Study to Explore Early Development, a case control study designed for young children with developmental disorders.
UW professor studies ‘sin tax’ on unhealthy products
Badger Herald
University of Wisconsin assistant professor in economics Martin O’Connell is investigating the theoretical effects of a sin tax, which are placed on products that have external costs — such as sugars, nicotine and alcohol. The idea behind implementing these taxes is decrease consumer consumption of unhealthy products, like soda, according to O’Connell’s research.
Wisconsin sees ticks active months ahead of schedule
Wisconsin Public Radio
Adult ticks, approximately half of whom are infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, are ready to feed earlier than usual this year.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases at the University of Wisconsin-Madison started to look for ticks in February, almost two months ahead of schedule.
Researchers asked Wisconsinites if they wanted a sandhill crane hunting season. Here’s what they found.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Fewer than one in five Wisconsinites supports a sandhill crane hunting season in the state, according to a study conducted by University of Wisconsin researchers. And approximately half of Badger State residents oppose such a hunt.
The data are part of an effort by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center to scientifically assess attitudes on hunting the large, long-legged birds.
More published research should be debunked and retracted, watchdogs say
Wisconsin Public Radio
The cofounder of Retraction Watch and a Wisconsin medical analyst take academia’s ‘publish or perish’ dynamic to task.
UW researcher presents research on supporting Native communities through water research
Badger Herald
Raymond Allen speaks of past, present, future of lakes in Madison.
All in a day: A mix of research victories — large and small
Wisconsin State Journal
The titles of the 150 or so posters on display in the Capitol’s Rotunda sounded just as impressive as what might be found at a symposium of doctoral students — such as “The cost of clean water: An efficiency analysis of Wisconsin’s water utilities” or “Investigating alternatives to antibiotics using phage.”
Women Are Better Negotiators Than Men in Some Cases: Study
Bloomberg
That’s one takeaway from a recent paper by Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, a professor at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Anyi Ma at the University of Wisconsin business school and Rebecca Ponce de Leon of Columbia University.
The Era of the Much Older Sibling
The Atlantic
This new norm of spaced-out siblings seems to be a by-product of the changing American family. The reasons are difficult to parse, but “we know that partner switching explains some of it,” Christine Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who co-authored that 2020 study on the phenomenon, told me.
Universities of Wisconsin undergraduates showcase research in 20th annual Research in the Rotunda
Spectrum News
More than a 150 undergraduate student researchers from the Universities of Wisconsin gathered together for the 20th annual Research in the Rotunda at the Capitol.
UW professor’s book explores economics of dog ownership
Channel 3000
Dave Weimer, a professor of political economy at the UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs, has a new book called “Dog Economics” that dives deep into the costs and decisions associated with dog ownership.
Under scrutiny, UW-Madison virus lab opens its doors
Wisconsin Public Radio
Scientists studying viruses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently opened their lab door for a tour, looking to shine a light on their work after being targeted by a Republican bill.
The Comet Strike Theory That Just Won’t Die
The New York Times
When the paper came out, Jacquelyn Gill was working on her dissertation at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, studying the Pleistocene mammal populations of the Upper Midwest through the proxies of ancient pollen, charcoal and fungal spores.
Leopold Week kicks off with Madison Reads Leopold: Voices Of A Land Ethic
WORT-FM
Every first week in March, the state of Wisconsin celebrates Leopold Week, honoring the legacy of the esteemed conservationist, writer and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Aldo Leopold with events and demonstrations in the spirit of his land ethic.
‘I am a champion for growing Milwaukee’: Takeaways from Cavalier Johnson’s State of the City address
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
His comments included a reference to a city plan that prioritizes lead service line replacement based most heavily on the area deprivation index, which ranks neighborhoods by “disadvantaged status,” according to the Center for Disparities Research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Will $1 Billion Given to a Bronx Medical School Improve the Borough’s Health?
The New York Times
Year after year, the Bronx is ranked as the least healthy county in New York, coming in 62nd out of 62, according to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a project of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute that compares counties’ health metrics.
Cleveland’s income inequality gap is ninth in nation
Axios Cleveland
The fine print: 98 cities were surveyed, with data from the University of Wisconsin’s County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.
Daddy Longlegs Have Been Hiding Extra Eyes From Us
The New York Times
Guilherme Gainett, then a biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was looking through a microscope at the embryo of a daddy longlegs when he saw it — or, rather, saw them.
Trump’s claims of a migrant crime wave are not supported by national data
NBC News
The data is incomplete on how many crimes each year are committed by migrants, primarily because most local police don’t record immigration status when they make arrests. But the studies that have been done on this, most recently by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, show that in Texas, where police do record immigration status, migrants commit fewer crimes per capita.
Former professor gives $1 billion to NYC medical school to pay for student tuition
Reuters
The school, attended by some 1,100 students, is located in the Bronx, an area that ranks last in New York state for health outcomes and factors, according to the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Diverse businesses have grown in recent decades. But they’re still underrepresented.
Wisconsin Public Radio
UW study: Wisconsin ranked last out of all 50 states for the rate of business ownership among people of color.
My friend’s husband pressured her to give up her job — and ‘lost’ her passport
MarketWatch
Coercive control and financial abuse are often tied together. The vast majority of domestic-abuse cases also involve economic abuse, and finances are one of the main reasons a person stays with or returns to an abusive partner, as noted in a research brief by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Financial Security. The fact that your friend’s husband pushed her to give up her job is a bad sign.
The truth about illegal immigration and crime
The Washington Post
“Many politicians, law enforcement personnel and ordinary citizens are nonetheless incensed because this person should not have been in the country and thus capable of committing a crime,” said Michael Light, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who has published several studies showing undocumented immigrants are not more crime-prone than native-born Americans. “This view that the person’s undocumented status is an aggravating factor is also likely a reason why these crimes generate such strong responses.”
Study shows warming waters affecting reproduction of walleye in Upper Midwest lakes
Wisconsin State Journal
A study from a UW-Madison researcher published Monday in the journal Limnology and Oceanography Letters contends that walleye, one of Wisconsin’s most sought-after fish and one of its tastiest, are not only struggling to survive in warming waters; their reproduction is also being interfered with and has been “unable to keep up with increasingly early and more variable ice-off dates.”
Badger Challenge scholars move cancer research and treatment forward
WKOW – Channel 27
The Badger Challenge surpassed $1 million in 2023 to fund cancer research and treatment right here in Madison. 100% of participant raised funds were awarded to 8 scholars working to move cancer research and patient treatment initiatives forward.
UW alumna bridges ancient archeology with modern medicine in research
Badger Herald
Andrea Samz-Pustol embodies Wisconsin Idea through impactful research.
Smith: On its 75th anniversary, lessons of “A Sand County Almanac” more relevant than ever
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Leopold, born in Iowa in 1887, received a forestry degree from Yale and began his professional career in 1909 with the U.S. Forest Service. In 1924 he became associate director of the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison and in 1933 the University of Wisconsin created a chair of game management for him. Leopold died in 1948 fighting a grass fire on a neighbor’s farm. The property is now part of the Aldo Leopold Foundation near Baraboo.
Tulsa offered remote workers $10,000 to move there. The results show how the program shook up the local economy — and what the future of smaller cities could look like.
Business Insider
But what happens to the rest of the economy when remote workers come to town? A new paper from Hoyoung Yoo, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, looked at the impacts of the program on local residents.
Is the 100-year old TB vaccine a new weapon against Alzheimer’s?
The Guardian
A pilot study by Coad Thomas Dow of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his colleagues suggests that BCG injections can effectively reduce plasma amyloid levels, particularly among those carrying the gene variants associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. Although the sample size was small – just 49 participants in total – it has bolstered hopes that immune training will be an effective strategy for fighting the disease.
UW Arboretum showcases spider species of Wisconsin
Badger Herald
Professor Michael Draney debunks myths, explores spiders biology.
Wisconsin Democrats talk a lot about Child Care Counts. But what is it?
Appleton Post-Crescent
A study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty found the most commonly reported use of Program A funding among providers participating in the study is for physical operating expenses, such as rent and utilities. This was followed by materials and supplies for enhancing the program and then payroll and benefits.
Healthier Potato Chips Promised as ‘Toxic’ Problem Cracked
Newsweek
The gene for CIS was identified in 2010 by Jiang and his team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They have since worked at Michigan State University to modify this gene to prevent CIS from occurring.
UW-Madison’s Big Bet on AI
City Cast Madison
Podcast interview with Provost Charles Isbell: As one of the leading research universities in the country, UW-Madison marshals more than a billion dollars in research money annually. And the way Provost Charles Isbell sees it, the university’s scale and its public service mission makes it the perfect place to be at the forefront of the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, where computer systems are emulating human cognition.
Smith: Legislators propose UW study on effects of wake surfing on Wisconsin lakes
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
With a pro-boating industry bill apparently dead in the Legislature and after a more lake-protective proposal failed to muster support among the Republican caucus, the prospect is dim for any new, statewide wake surfing law to take effect this year in Wisconsin.
But a measure to bolster the science of the impacts of wake-enhanced boating could garner more favor. A proposal announced Tuesday by Republicans would task the University of Wisconsin System with conducting a study on the effects of wake boating.
Cloudy or clear skies for the April solar eclipse? – The Washington Post
Washington Post
Source: GOES imagery analysis by University of Wisconsin-Madison Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)
Colleges counteract a lack of public confidence in higher education with outreach
NPR
ELDER-CONNORS: UVM isn’t the only college doing this. Auburn University in Alabama and the University of Wisconsin received money from the same federal program that funds UVM’s work. Glenda Gillaspy at the University of Wisconsin says they’re setting up weather stations to help cranberry farmers time their harvests, which involves flooding their fields.
Looking back at Aldo Leopold’s environmental work in Wisconsin
Milwaukee Magazine
A pair of notable anniversaries in environmental circles are occurring this year, both owing to Aldo Leopold, hailed as the father of modern conservation and wildlife ecology who carried out much of his groundbreaking work while living in Wisconsin, where his legacy endures.
Patient overcomes prostate cancer thanks to UW Health clinical trial
WKOW-TV 27
Gary Davey found out he had prostate cancer after a routine physical and blood test. After multiple treatments failed to get rid of his cancer, he enrolled in a phase 1 clinical trial with UW Health.
UW-Madison study highlights support for LGBTQ+ youth in schools
WKOW-TV 27
The latest Wisconsin Youth Risk survey revealed that LGBTQ+ students, particularly those identifying as transgender or questioning, often feel safer confiding in teachers and staff than in their own parents.
Study reveals positive relationship between art representation, science understanding
The Badger Herald
In a recently published study on the effects of visual art on emotions, interest and social media engagement, assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin’s Life Science Communications department Nan Li and a team of researchers discovered a positive correlation.
Wisconsin parents of young kids more likely to struggle with bills
The Capital Times
Conducted by the UW Survey Center and analyzed by UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs, the survey went to around 3,500 people across the state. Researchers compared the responses of participants who have children under age 6 with those who don’t.
None of those findings are really “huge surprises,” said La Follette School professor Sarah Halpern-Meekin, who analyzed the results.
Trans youth feel less safe than LGBTQ+ counterparts at school
Wisconsin Public Radio
Transgender and LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to report unsafe school climates and mental health concerns than their cisgender, heterosexual peers, according to research by graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This Is Your Brain on 3-D Printing
Wall Street Journal
But then the journal Cell Stem Cell—always on my nightstand—reported that scientists at the University of Wisconsin had not only perfected a way to create brain tissue this way but could create brain cells that mimicked the behavior of real ones, and I knew that the breakthrough was real. Kudos to the Badger State scientists for figuring out that arranging the printed brain cells side by side, like a row of stick pretzels or a batch of linguine, would allow neurons to communicate just like those in a conventional brain.
Wisconsin on track to have warmest winter ever recorded
Wisconsin Public Radio
Steve Vavrus, a senior scientist at UW-Madison and the state’s climatologist, said the weather is already causing economic impact, especially on the tourism industry in northern Wisconsin.
“They depend on snow and ice for skiing and skating and ice fishing and so forth,” Vavrus said. “There’s been closed snowmobile trails. There’s been winter festivals that have been canceled, unsafe ice conditions for fishing and so on.”