If you are one of a billion people who rely on glasses to read small print, a self-adjusting liquid contact lens could one day restore perfect vision.
Auto-focus contact lenses that help you see in the dark thanks to liquid film
Daily Mail (UK)
Category: Research
WATCH: Shadow Of The Moon Crosses Earth During Solar Eclipse
NPR
The Himawari geostationary satellites, operated by Japan’s meteorological agency, captured the sight of the moon’s shadow traveling across the Earth. Yasuhiko Sumida, a scientist visiting the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, stitched them together into the video above. It was shared on the CIMSS Satellite Blog.
Tracking coyotes in the Madison area
NBC15
Noted: Dr. David Drake starts his mornings when the campus is just lit by a few headlights and street lamps. He’s on the look out for coyotes, the animals you hope you don’t see in your backyard. He leads the UW-Canid Project. “At least with some of our preliminary data, the coyotes are concentrating a lot of their time and activity to green spaces within the urban landscape,” said Dr. Drake.
There’s Lots of Advice for Women on Fetal Health. What About Men?
Undark Magazine
Quoted: It was another sobering counterpoint to idea that women alone risk the health of their child the longer they wait to conceive them. But according to Maureen Durkin, an epidemiologist and professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers have long understood that the age of both parents has an effect on a developing fetus.
UW to study headgear on soccer players as concussion prevention
WKOW TV
A national grant will help researchers at UW-Madison study concussions in soccer players.
The UW School of Medicine and Public Health received $300,000 from the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.
A Real-Time Window Into Zika Research On A Pregnant Monkey
NPR News
Anyone can follow the pregnancy of a monkey infected with Zika virus in real time, thanks to a University of Wisconsin–Madison experiment in data sharing that’s unusual for biology.
New plan to save rare bees
WKOW TV
Noted: The Rusty Batch Bumble Bee was first discovered at the Arboretum a few years ago and researchers said it works harder than any other bee species. They said its an important part of our State’s agriculture.
“They are crucial,” said Susan Carpenter, ranger unit coordinator at the U-W Madison Arboretum. “They are important for our food system.”
UW professor looking forward to the Dalai Lama’s visit to Madison
WKOW TV
Noted: The Dalai Lama is also a longtime friend of the Center for Healthy Minds’ founder, Richard Davidson. The UW-Madison neuroscience professor, who is a participant, is looking forward to seeing the Dalai Lama.
Said Davidson, “He may not have any formal scientific training, which he clearly does not have, but he has an extraordinarily sophisticated understanding of how the mind works, because he’s been so attentive to his own mind.”
How To Keep Money From Messing Up Your Marriage
National Public Radio
Noted: “We know that these discussions or conflicts concerning money are difficult for couples to handle,” says Lauren Papp, a psychologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.Papp conducted a study of 100 married couples who kept diary entries about their arguments. During the 15-day period of the study, the spouses reported squabbling more often about issues other than money — for example, the kids or household chores.
Nine common shopping myths, busted
Christian Science Monitor
Noted: Let’s get philosophical for a minute: Is the best price always the best deal? A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business suggests that shoppers consider a retailer’s reputation as well as its prices. Savvy shoppers will think twice before buying from a less reputable merchant.
One paycheck away from poverty
The Hill
Noted: Author Michael Collins is a professor of Public Affairs and faculty director of the Center for Financial Security, University of Wisconsin—Madison and editor of the book A Fragile Balance: Emergency Savings and Liquid Resources for Low-Income Consumers, Palgrave Macmillan.
U.S. cheesemakers try to end long drought at World Championship
Wisconsin State Journal
Noted: The gala, added in 2012, draws a throng of media and serves as a fundraiser for the graduate studies programs at UW-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research.
During 10th visit to Madison, Dalai Lama will offer teaching, appear on panel
Wisconsin State Journal
During the course of a professional friendship spanning more than two decades, UW-Madison neuroscientist Richard Davidson has had many opportunities, formally and informally, to discuss his research with the Dalai Lama.
BTN LiveBIG: Wisconsin team takes on the Zika virus
Big Ten Network
Little is known about the Zika virus. First identified in 1947, the reach of the disease in both geographic and population terms was barely noticeable for decades. However, new cases have rapidly increased since May 2015, starting in Brazil and spreading as far as Mexico, Puerto Rico and even the continental United States.
Wisconsin Life: Specimens From George Washington Carver Discovered At UW-Madison
Wisconsin Public Radio
On today’s Wisconsin Life we’ll be learning about a recent discovery at the Wisconsin State Herbarium: Century-old research specimens collected by the historically prominent scientist, George Washington Carver.
Scientist George Washington Carver’s fungi found in Wisconsin
Reuters
U.S. inventor George Washington Carver, known for his creativity with the peanut, has excited modern scientists with an unexpected find: century-old specimens of fungus.
UW team tests drill to be used in Antarctica climate studies
Channel3000.com
Quoted: “We have a 50-foot well filled with ice, and at the bottom, we’ve got about six feet of rock. And we’re doing testing of both configurations or both media. So we’ll go through the 50 feet of ice and then drill some rock, which represents what we’ll be doing in Antarctica,” said Chris Gibson, the engineering project manager for the ASIG drill.
Field stations in a box
Isthmus
Never mind Punxsutawney Phil. The thirteen-lined ground squirrels that hibernate in plastic drawers in the UW-Madison Biotron take their cues from Hannah Carey.
Wisconsin’s Seasonal Weather Might Look Different In Next 5, 10 Years, Experts Say
Wisconsin Public Radio
Typical Wisconsin seasons might not be so typical in the coming years, particularly the Badger State’s notoriously cold winters, according to two University of Wisconsin-Madison professors. “We’ll still have winters,” said Steve Ackerman, director of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at UW-Madison and a professor of atmospheric sciences. “But they will be shorter and warmer.”
Claudio Gratton: Raising awareness is first step to improving plight of bees
Wisconsin State Journal
Gratton is a professor of entomology at UW-Madison.
UW-Madison’s Washburn Observatory reopens next week after long hiatus
Capital Times
Keep your fingers crossed for clear skies Wednesday night, because UW-Madison’s Washburn observatory will be open for public stargazing for the first time in nearly two years.
Tom Still: Why basic research matters at Wisconsin’s colleges and universities | Madison Wisconsin Business News | host.madison.com
Wisconsin State Journal
There are 115 universities in the United States that can lay claim to an “R1” rating from the national organization that ranks research institutions, and Wisconsin is now home to two of them: UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, which joined the elite Research Level 1 list in February.
Ask the Weather Guys: What is ‘sea smoke’?
Wisconsin State Journal
Noted: Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on WHA radio (970 AM) at 11:45 a.m. the last Monday of each month.
Venturing to the Arctic for art
Wisconsin State Journal
Noted: Zanichkowsky will be among the some 200 artists, scientists, architects and educators who have taken the trip since 2009. Those alumni include artist Stephen Hilyard, professor of digital arts at UW-Madison, who did the Arctic residency in 2012.
Blue Sky Science: What’s the science behind leap year?
Wisconsin State Journal
Noted: Jim Lattis is the director of the UW Space Place, which is part of the astronomy department at UW-Madison.
Sociologist opens door on devastating effects of evictions
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Manhattan-based Crown Publishers, which also is publishing a mass-market edition for British readers, chose Milwaukee for the national book launch, which takes place Tuesday. Desmond will speak at Marquette University Law School and Boswell Book Co., followed Wednesday by an appearance at his grad-school alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW professor awarded prestigious national position in engineering
Badger Herald
Long time University of Wisconsin professor James Rawlings joined a group of scientists across the country that have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to science throughout their careers.
UW-Madison spin-off company studies potential autism identifiers
Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison spin-off organization Stemina Biomarker Discovery is attempting to create a biological method to diagnose autism by screening blood samples.
CEO Elizabeth Donley and UW-Madison professor in the Department of Animal Sciences Gabriela Cezar founded the company in 2006, according to a university release.
Wisconsin Poverty – State Senate must focus on bills that improve economy
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Even as the nation’s economy was recovering from the Great Recession, the number of Wisconsin residents living in poverty averaged 13% — the highest since 1984, according to a trend analysis by UW-Madison’s Applied Population Laboratory.
Matthew Desmond’s ‘Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City’
New York Times
Lamar, his sons and some other adolescent boys from their Milwaukee neighborhood are sitting around, playing cards and smoking blunts, when there is a loud and confident knock on the door, which could be “a landlord’s knock, or a sheriff’s.” Mercifully it is only Colin, a young white man from their church, who has come to read them passages from the Bible, most of which Lamar knows by heart. The subject wanders off to God and the Devil, with Lamar adding, “And Earth is hell.” “Well,” Colin corrects him, “not quite hell.” An awkward silence falls.
BTN LiveBIG: Badgers’ ‘CAVE’ a haven for experiential learning
Big Ten Network
To describe different levels of human thought, the ancient Greek thinker Plato came up with the Allegory of the Cave. Essentially, he described a metaphorical situation in which some people (the ones with true knowledge) could see the world as it really is. But many more only experienced life as a series of shadows upon a cave wall, never really understanding what was going on.
Business, research interests likely stalled fetal tissue bill this session
Badger Herald
A controversial bill that would have banned the use and sale of aborted fetal tissue failed to make it through the Assembly this session, but one expert said he expects similar bills to be proposed in the future.
University of Wisconsin political science professor Barry Burden said the Legislature did not take up the bill likely because of overwhelming opposition from businesses and research organizations that were worried it would push jobs out of the state and shut down essential research.
Laughter may not be medicine, but it sure does help
Madison Commons
Noted: Research “is accelerating right now,” said Dorothy Farrar-Edwards, chair of the department of kinesiology at University of Wisconson-Madison and core leader of outreach, recruitment and education at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, referencing recently passed legislation that will give $300 million to the National Institute of Health specifically for Alzheimer’s research in 2016.
Also quoted: Barbara Bowers, professor and associate dean for research in the school of nursing at UW, said “decades of research” have shown that “social engagement is actually one of the most important things you can do for quality of life and longevity.”
SHINE Medical wins NRC’s OK to build medical isotope plant
Wisconsin State Journal
Noted: Piefer was in the UW-Madison’s nuclear engineering Ph.D program, and after getting his degree, he developed the technology, he said, and forged a partnership with the private, nonprofit Morgridge Institute for Research on the UW campus.
UW-Madison research team creates model to predict climate change
Daily Cardinal
A research team led by UW-Madison atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor Galen McKinley released new information regarding the capacity for oceans to absorb carbon dioxide emissions, according to a university news release. The researchers hope their model will more accurately address climate questions.
Poverty across Wisconsin reaches highest level in 30 years
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Poverty in Wisconsin hit its highest level in 30 years during the five-year period ending in 2014, even as the nation’s economy was recovering from the Great Recession, according to a trend analysis of U.S. census data just released by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.
Wisconsin Poverty Rate Reaches Highest Level in 30 Years
Wisconsin Public Radio
A new analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Applied Population Laboratory shows that poverty is on the rise in Wisconsin. In 2014, the most recent data in the study, the poverty rate reached 13 percent, the highest rate since 1984. The rate increased 20 percent in just five years between 2010 and 2014.
Study finds Wisconsin poverty rate at 30 year high
Wisconsin Radio Network
Poverty in Wisconsin is at its highest level in 30 years, according to a trend analysis of U.S. Census data by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.
UW report says Wisconsin poverty level at 30-year high
Badger Herald
According to a recently published University of Wisconsin Applied Population Laboratory report, the state’s poverty level has worsened significantly in the last several years despite economic growth.
The lab’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data collected between 2005-09 and 2010-14 revealed poverty reached 13 percent — its highest level in 30 years — during the latter period, Malia Jones, assistant scientist at the Applied Population Laboratory, said.
UW professors win prestigious research fellowships
Wisconsin State Journal
Three UW-Madison professors have been selected as Sloan Research Fellows, one of the top awards given to young researchers.
UW-Madison team helping to develop system for thwarting cyberattacks
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of three schools working with non-profit research institute SRI International under a $5.3 million federal grant to develop technology to thwart particularly costly cyberattacks.
Smart Sole Can Charge Your Smartphone as You Walk
Wall Street Journal
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have developed a new energy-harvesting technology capable of capturing energy produced as humans walk. WSJ’s Monika Auger reports. Photo: UW-Madison College of Engineering
Balancing act
Isthmus
Balance is like breathing. It’s essential, and we take it for granted when it comes easily. Without a reliable sense of balance dressing, cooking, driving and many job skills become exhausting tasks.
UW-Madison grad student updates research on Wisconsin prairies
Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison graduate student Amy Alstad released survey findings Friday about human influence on the rate of species change in Wisconsin prairies.
Zika researchers release real-time data on viral infection study in monkeys
Nature
Researchers in the United States who have infected monkeys with Zika virus made their first data public last week. But instead of publishing them in a journal, they have released them online for anyone to view — and are updating their results day by day. The team is posting raw data on the amount of virus detected in the blood, saliva and urine of three Indian rhesus macaques, which they injected with Zika on 15 February. “This is the first time that our group has made data available in real time,” says David O’Connor, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a leader of the project, whose scientists have dubbed themselves ZEST (the Zika experimental-science team). He hopes that releasing the data will help to speed up research into the nature of the virus that has spread across the Americas.
The Great Expectations of Matthew Desmond
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The selling of sociology’s next great hope began with a long talk between a literary agent and her potential client. Jill Kneerim was a veteran dealmaker known for helping Boston-area academics publish trade books. She’d done it for Stephen Greenblatt, shepherding the Harvard Shakespearean’s Will in the World (W.W. Norton) onto the bestseller list. She’d done it for Caroline Elkins, also of Harvard, whose history of colonialism in Kenya, Imperial Reckoning (Henry Holt and Company), won the Pulitzer Prize. Now here was Matthew Desmond, an urban ethnographer eager to fight poverty. Another Cambridge star paying a visit to her office near Boston’s North Station.
How Planned Parenthood foes are thwarting research Into Alzheimer’s, Ebola, and more
After an anti-abortion organization released videos portraying Planned Parenthood as callously haggling the price of aborted fetuses, legislators have attempted to restrict research using such material, while scientists have found their work limited and riskier. Interviews with Anita Bhattacharyya, Gail Robertson and Alta Charo.
UW scientist Dave Pagliarini wins presidential award
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison scientist Dave Pagliarini has been selected by Pres. Barack Obama as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Study shows high school athletes at greater risk to lower body injury
Channel3000.com
The first comprehensive study of lower extremity body injuries in high school athletes shows those who specialize in one sport are at a much higher risk of injury.
Quoted: “We found overall slightly less than 40 percent specialized in a sport, meaning they really concentrated on that one sport. They may play in multiple sports, but concentrated on one,” says Tim McGuine, senior scientist at UW School of Medicine and Public Health and author of the study’s findings.
Critics: State’s plan to save bees provides little protection from pesticides
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (via Channel3000.com)
Quoted: Claudio Gratton, professor of entomology, who worked on the pollinator proposal for the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Paul Mitchell, associate professor and co-director of the UW-Extension’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program; Russell Groves, an insect ecologist and vegetable crop specialist at the UW-Madison Department of Entomology.
Critics: State’s plan to save bees provides little protection from pesticides
Capital Times
Noted: By 2012, virtually all corn seed, and about 30 percent of soybean seed planted in Wisconsin and across the country, was coated with neonics, said Paul Mitchell, a UW-Madison associate professor who co-directs the UW-Extension’s Nutrient and Pest Management Program. Neonic-coated seeds also are widely used on other crops such as potatoes and in lawns and gardens. Also: Russell Groves, an insect ecologist and vegetable crop specialist at the UW-Madison Department of Entomology, said farmers continually search for ways to reduce the risk of crop loss due to pests in part to meet consumer demand for low food prices. Groves said federal policies also incentivize larger farms, where natural pest solutions are less practical.
Specimens in State Herbarium linked back to George Washington Carver
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
They were just tiny black dots on sesame stalks, unnoticed except to the trained eye.
Railroad crossing bill moves down track
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Coyote meeting, chat: A public meeting on the Milwaukee County coyote trapping and tracking project will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at Wil-O-Way Underwood, 10602 Underwood Parkway, Wauwatosa. Researchers from the UW-Madison Urban Canid Project will discuss coyote ecology, coyote-human conflict and behavior modification as well as ongoing monitoring and management efforts. Representatives of the Milwaukee County Parks Department and DNR also will be on hand.
A Harvard Sociologist on Watching Families Lose Their Homes
New York Times
The first time the sociologist Matthew Desmond rode along during an eviction, he was shocked by the suddenness of “seeing your house turn into not your house in seconds.”
Survey Of Wisconsin Prairies Shows Some Plant Species There Are In Decline
Wisconsin Public Radio
About 60 years ago, renowned University of Wisconsin-Madison Botany Professor John Curtis and some of his students did a survey of plants growing in hundreds of prairie remnants in southern Wisconsin. Thirty years later, researcher Mark Leach returned to those same sites to find that many of those species had disappeared.
Mapping brains of people with epilepsy
Isthmus
An ambitious project to map the human brain by the National Institutes of Health has funded a four-year, $5 million statewide study to image the brains of people with epilepsy. Researchers at UW-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin have joined the NIH Human Connectome Project, a national library of medical imaging data being used to create maps of human brain connectivity.
UW Event Will Focus On Impact Of Alzheimer’s Disease In Black Communities
Wisconsin Public Radio
Free memory screenings and caregiving workshops will be part of a University of Wisconsin Health event in Madison dedicated to raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in African-American communities.
Assembly passes bills aimed at Alzheimer’s, dementia research and support
Wisconsin State Journal
Among the legislation passes is a bill to provide $50,000 in additional funding annually for Alzheimer’s research at UW-Madison
10-bill dementia research, funding package passes Assembly
WISC-TV 3
Noted: The 10-bill package includes proposals to spend $50,000 for virtual dementia tours, in which participants wear goggles to simulate dementia effects, and give the University of Wisconsin-Madison an additional $50,000 for Alzheimer’s research.
UW assistant geology professor co-authors climate change paper in science journal
Badger Herald
A University of Wisconsin assistant professor co-authored a paper which projects the impact of four different CO2 emission scenarios by 2300. Shaun Marcott, assistant professor in the Department of Geoscience at University of Wisconsin, is the co-author of a perspective paper published in Nature Climate Change on Feb. 8.