Category: Experts Guide

Noted: In 2000, Dr. List and Dr. MacMillan — working independently of each other — developed a new type of catalysis that used organic molecules called asymmetric organocatalysis.

Organic molecules, such as carbohydrates, are called that because they build all living things. The researchers discovered “cheaper, smaller and safer” catalysts that used organic molecules had the same rich chemistry as metal compounds, according to Tehshik Yoon, a chemist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their technique was also simpler and more environmentally friendly.

Professor Erin Barbato, director of the clinic, and her law students will help the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with volunteer legal aid, helping refugees with information about their legal status in the country, possible visa applications, and what pathways to citizenship might be open to them.

Noted: Keith Findley, a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that person will then review all the evidence in the case. They could ask the police for more reports or issue subpoenas, as well.

They’ll then evaluate the evidence and determine whether they want to prosecute Mensah.

Yamahiro found probable cause that Mensah committed homicide by the negligent handling of a dangerous weapon. The special prosecutor will not be required to file that specific charge, but they could, Findley said. They could also file additional charges, different charges or no charges at all.

Quoted: PJ Liesch, a University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologist, said he started getting calls from folks in August. Most were from eastern parts of the state, but he also heard from people in Stevens Point and Wausau.

Some of the worst swarms have been “floodwater” mosquitoes.

“They’re very good at taking advantage of temporary pools of water,” Liesch said. “The eggs are always present in low-lying areas and can sit there for months, even a couple of years, waiting for the rain to come. Once they hatch, those mosquitoes turn into adults very quickly.”

Quoted: The racial wealth gap began with slavery, but even after the institution was abolished, the gap persisted, said University of Wisconsin-Madison history professor Steve Kantrowitz.

Many Black Americans could not qualify for Social Security, as jobs typically held by Black workers, such as agricultural and domestic positions, were excluded from the program. Black residents also were blocked from getting some home loans and from living in the types of neighborhoods where home values were steady or rising. Such barriers made it nearly impossible for Black people to acquire and accumulate wealth at the rate of white Americans, Kantrowitz said.

“So the end of slavery didn’t mean that Black and white people were suddenly on an equal economic, political, civil footing,” Kantrowitz said. “It meant instead that the institution of slavery had been formally abolished, and disabilities that followed from slavery were supposed to be abolished.”

Andrew Kydd, a new assistant professor, tries to get The New York Times web page to load in his Harvard office — a stark, unlived-in place with a scattering of books.

Tommy Thompson, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, views television coverage from his office in Washington, D.C., and knows the day’s meeting — a discussion of pandemic flu preparations — is history.

“At the end of the ’90s some intellectuals thought, ‘History is going to be kind of boring for a while,'” says Kydd, now a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“My memory is that 9/11 was unlike anything I’d ever seen before and potentially disastrous in terms of the follow-up. A lot of us were thinking about chemical plants, oil refineries, nuclear power plants. It struck me, if they could do this, they could probably do more. I thought this could be the precursor to a lot more high-casualty attacks.”

Claudio Gratton wants people to slow down and smell the flowers — or at least spend a few minutes watching them. The UW-Madison entomologist hopes people will discover the abundant wildlife that eludes the casual glance, but he’s also interested in using crowdsourced data to study the state’s native bees.

The making of the racial wealth gap starts with slavery, but University of Wisconsin-Madison history professor Steve Kantrowitz said after the institution was formally abolished, it manifested in other ways.

Many Black Americans could not qualify for Social Security, as jobs typically held by Black workers, such as agricultural and domestic positions, were excludedfrom the program. Black residents also were blocked from getting some home loans and from living in the types of neighborhoods where home values were steady or rising. Such barriers made it nearly impossible for Black people to acquire and accumulate wealth at the rate of white Americans, Kantrowitz said.

“So the end of slavery didn’t mean that, that Black and white people were suddenly on an equal economic, political, civil footing,” Kantrowitz said. “It meant instead that the institution of slavery had been formally abolished, and disabilities that followed from slavery were supposed to be abolished.”

Quoted: Andrew Ruis, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of a book about the origins of school lunch, said universal lunches are good for families as well as children even beyond providing meals to students who need them.

“One of the things that school meal programs have always done, going back to the turn of the century, is that they’re extremely beneficial for parents and in particular for mothers, who tend to bear a larger portion of the child care burden,” he said.

There is a “social component” of back-to-school shopping, said Hart Posen, a professor of management and a retail expert at UW-Madison. Children are excited to pick out personalized items that will make them look cool in front of their friends, Posen said.

UW-Madison assistant professor of history Mou Banerje joined News 3 Now Live at Four to provide some perspective on what is happening with the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan and what may lie ahead.

“This is a sales tactic that some salespeople and finance people use at dealerships,” said Sarah Orr, Director at UW-Madison’s Consumer Law Clinic. The clinic provides legal services to those who can’t afford to hire an attorney.