In the last few decades Wisconsin has experienced some unusual weather–lakes freezing later and thawing earlier, summer nights with the temperature never going below 70 degrees, and heavier rainfalls. Climatologists Daniel Vimont and Steve Vavrus get into the reasons for the change and discuss how we can adapt to it.
John Hitchcock, a professor of printmaking in the Art Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pitched “Ceremonial (Pow-wow ribbon chair)” specifically for the Icon staircase in the museum’s west-facing atrium.
“It is a really important moment in this three-year cycle,” said museum director Paul Baker Prindle, who took over as the head of the museum in 2024. “We’re celebrating 20 years in the building. We’re coming up on 125 years as an organization.
Written by Juliette Becker, an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a founding member of the Wisconsin Center for Origins Research. She studies exoplanet dynamics and planet formation, and she is passionate about teaching UW–Madison undergraduates how to conduct scientific research.
Written by Dave Schroeder, associate director of intelligence and security initiatives in the College of Letters & Science and research director of the Wisconsin Security Research Consortium.
As of May 3, UW-Madison has been ordered to stop work on three federally funded projects and told to stop work on 10 others involving other organizations. Another 62 research grants have been terminated.
UW-Madison has appealed three of the terminations; one of those has already been denied. The numbers have been in constant flux for weeks as new cancellations are handed down and judges authorize temporary restraining orders.
“I think it’s all about energy: energy use, energy storage, and the type of pathways that are being engaged to derive energy,” said Rozalyn Anderson, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (per Business Insider).
According to Cortland Dahl, a research scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds, a mindful body scan is a powerful way to ease chronic stress and mental rumination. You can do this simple mindfulness exercise while lying in bed.
“Bring attention to each part of your body, starting with your head and moving slowly down until you reach your toes,” he told HuffPost. “Pay attention to the sensations you notice in your body with a sense of warmth and non-judgmental curiosity. This activates the brain network critical for self-regulation and inner balance. It’s also a great way to de-stress and let go of all the tension that builds up in our busy lives.”
These statements appear to blame parents for vaccinating their kids and causing autism, a developmental and neurological condition that is overwhelmingly genetic, said Jessica Calarco, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.
“That’s very much what he’s implying and how it’s going to be read,” Calarco said.
Kevin Jarek, regional crops and soils educator with UW-Madison’s Division of Extension for Outagamie & Winnebago counties, noted, “If I were to go to counties like Shawano and Waupaca, especially the western parts of those counties, they get much lighter in soil. It’s a sandy loam texture, whereas here as we get closer to Lake Michigan, we tend to have a lot of clay.”
Whenever you do a Google search or send a Gmail, an office in Madison, Wisconsin has a supporting role.
The office, in a nondescript commercial building overlooking Wisconsin’s Capitol, is more than 2,000 miles from Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. But it’s home to over 100 engineers at work on designing hardware and software for the tech giant’s data centers.
The award-winning UW-Madison Odyssey Project is graduating its 22nd cohort tonight during a ceremony from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Great Hall in the Memorial Union on the UW-Madison campus.
Earlier this year, Dr. Avtar Roopra, a professor of neuroscience at UW-Madison, published research that shows a drug typically used to treat arthritis halts brain-damaging seizures in mice that have a condition similar to epilepsy. The treatment could be used to provide relief for a subset of people with epilepsy who don’t get relief from other current treatments.
In an Instagram story, Li Chiao-Ping Dance noted that its production of “Dirty Laundry” — a “multimedia dance theater work that explores Asian American identity, culture and historical events including the Stop Asian Hate movement” — no longer qualifies either. Produced by University of Wisconsin-Madison dance professor Li Chiao-Ping’s company, which is a resident of Overture Center, “Dirty Laundry” had been granted $15,000 over two years.
“This is a major setback to us all,” the company wrote, “but it won’t keep us down. I know we will all create the work anyway.”
Dr. Ryan Spencer is an OB/GYN at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He says the state is in a maternal health care crisis, in part due to years without Medicaid expansion.
“I think we’re actually in the long-term impacts of having not addressed those for decades,” he said. “Any expansion to Medicaid is highly likely in any given area or state to improve access that women have to prenatal care, intrapartum care, and postpartum care.”
Birders, hikers, anglers and hunters are out and about enjoying nature this spring. Retired wildlife ecologist Scott Craven tells us what they’re encountering. Then, we talk to two UW-Madison Extension geologists about a new map of Wisconsin.
In the woman’s case, a contingent of supporters just want to fight cancel culture, said Franciska Coleman, an assistant professor of law at University of Wisconsin Law School, who has written about cancel culture and social regulation of speech. For some it can include donating “to everyone who they in quotes try to ‘cancel.’”
Some people are focused on how “it just seems too much that this mother of two young kids is getting death threats and rape threats,” Coleman said.
“It amounts to an extraordinary, unprecedented, dangerous assertion of almost unlimited executive or presidential authority,” said Kenneth Mayer, a professor of American politics at University of Wisconsin-Madison who authored a book on executive orders by U.S. presidents.
Tariffs enacted under the Trump administration could have significant impacts on the agriculture industry in the U.S. and particularly on the dairy industry in Wisconsin, according to University of Wisconsin associate professor of agriculture and economics Chuck Nicholson.
“The tariffs have a number of different impacts, whether that be the tariffs we are placing on imports from other countries or the tariffs that other countries will place on us,” Nicholson said.
Ditto for potential candidates weighing the rigors of a campaign, says Joel Rogers, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s High Road Strategy Center: “Running for office is a drag for sure, and has become much more dangerous to one’s mental health and a happy family life.”
Written by Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, FAAP, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and also holds master’s degrees in public health and children’s librarianship.
Anna Bierbrauer, an assistant professor of landscape architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Milwaukee could get more out of its RiverWalk by smoothing out some of that incongruity and making it a more accessible thoroughfare for users year-round. Stairs and elevators like those Milwaukee has are not uncommon to riverwalk systems, but Bierbrauer said they’re “a temporary solution that is not realistic if we want to think about really using the area as a long-term network to move people downtown,” Bierbrauer said.
We talk with Steven Deller, an economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about what a decline in the country’s gross domestic product means for Wisconsin.
In a demonstration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, weather researchers showed WISN 12 News how it works.
“The balloon is launched from the ground and rises up into the atmosphere, can rise up to 50,000, sometimes 60,000 feet or so, and gathers temperature, moisture and wind data as it rises through that column of the atmosphere,” Derrick Herndon said.
Daniel Smith with UW Extension’s integrated pest and crop management says that since February, the temperatures have warmed up and had more precipitation.
Kristin Litzelman deals with data sets and research studies in her work studying caregiving as an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
But she wanted to contribute something artistic for “In Care Of: Postcard-Sized Portrayals of Caregiving in Wisconsin,” a new exhibit she helped put together at UW-Madison’s Nancy Nicholas Hall, 1300 Linden Drive.
The administration for Mental Health Services at University Health Services is working to connect with the student body at the University of Wisconsin to shut down rumors of inaccessible mental health services that may prevent students from seeking mental health support.
Learn how Black communities in the Midwest formed before the Great Migration with University of Wisconsin-Madison historian and professor Christy Clark-Pujara.
Written by meteorologist and research program manager at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Democrats in Congress are trying to find a unified message in opposition to President Donald Trump’s agenda, and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan said the focus should be on the economy. Howard Schweber, a UW-Madison professor emeritus of political science, said the arrest of a Milwaukee County judge was a political message to judges around the nation.
Written by Anthony Hernandez, a faculty member in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin—Madison (UW-Madison), who received a research award from the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation for his study on leadership in higher education. He has been recognized with four teaching awards at UW-Madison. He led the evaluation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Dane County, Wisconsin for two years.
Niemeyer has described the instinct to blame livestock deaths on coyotes and wolves as “hysteria.” The roots of such hysteria trace back to America’s early European settlers, who believed (wrongly) that the eradication of wolves was necessary for livestock production, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison environmental science professor Adrian Treves.
Trump’s base, in particular, feels slighted by institutions. Katherine Cramer, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor and the author of “The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker,” sums up the prevailing attitude: “It’s this sense that, ‘Hey, wait a minute, things aren’t working out for me the way they should, and it seems like the way everything is set up is not set up for people like me.'” By taking aim at those seen as “elites,” Trump is able to create a clear target for voters angry about what they view as a rigged system.
Niemeyer has described the instinct to blame livestock deaths on coyotes and wolves as “hysteria.” The roots of such hysteria trace back to America’s early European settlers, who believed (wrongly) that the eradication of wolves was necessary for livestock production, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison environmental science professor Adrian Treves.
Leonard Polzin, a Dairy Markets and Policy Outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joined on News 3 Now Live at Four on Thursday about whether you should be concerned.
A new, limited-edition mini terrace chair will be sold to support the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s The Open Seat Food Pantry, the Wisconsin Union team announced on Thursday.
Experts’ main advice is to be proactive and act now. “All of the responsibility is on the borrower,” says Nicholas Hillman, professor in the school of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But there are options out there for borrowers.
Julie Poehlmann with the University of Wisconsin-Madison said, “Positive parent–caregiver relationships are associated with more stability in children’s living arrangements when mothers are in prison, and relationship quality is related to parent–child contact as well.”
Like much of her work, a new project by University of Wisconsin-Madison genetics professor Ahna Skop includes research, experimentation and inspiration from other scientists.
The general public wants clean rivers and streams. Less clear is how much people are willing to pay to ensure waterways are unpolluted. UW-Madison environmental economist Daniel Phaneuf shares the data.
Led by Dr. Abigail Cutler, a practicing OB-GYN at UW Health, the new study intended to document changes in clinical practice among Wisconsin doctors as a result of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.
New research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that 1 in 31 American 8-year-old children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder — raising renewed focus on arguments why autism diagnosis rates have increased for the last 25 years.
For decades, astronomers were certain that half of the ordinary matter in the universe — protons and neutrons, the building blocks of everything we see — had simply gone unaccounted for.
April 30th is known as Demin Day which is a day dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence and supporting victims by wearing denim.
Steve Deller, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the seasonality of Wisconsin’s housing market helped insulate the state from similar month-to-month declines.
“I’m not going to rush my purchasing of a house because I think tariffs are going to hit,” Deller said. “I’m going to rush my purchasing of, say, a washer and dryer or refrigerator or a car because I think tariffs are going to cause prices to go up and I want to get them now. The housing market isn’t going to be hit by tariffs the same way.”
UW-Madison has one of the few artistic woodworking programs in the country. The program’s leader, Katie Hudnall uses reclaimed wood to craft pieces that tell a story. Hudnall talks about the program and the “language of woodworking.”
The arrival of drug treatment has made people living with Alzheimer’s more optimistic, says Dr. Nathaniel Chin, a geriatrician at the University of Wisconsin who was not involved in the survey.
“Even if it doesn’t stop the disease in its tracks, it tells people that we’re making progress,” he says. “They want to know if they potentially could have this therapy or maybe the next therapy or two therapies down the road.”
“There are many kids with autism that have IQ scores that would define them as having intellectual disability, but their adaptive scores are higher,” said a co-author of the research, Maureen Durkin, a professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Barry Burden, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center, said while there is no silver bullet to inject harmony into the state’s politics, “allowing fusion to be used once again in the state has the potential to at least begin moving politics in a healthier direction without any negative side-effects.”
The gradual retreat from telework “presents a valuable opportunity for companies that continue to offer remote work to differentiate themselves from the competition,” said Anyi Ma, an assistant professor of management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “These companies now have the chance to attract and hire the most talented employees who prefer remote work.”
Outside of specific genetic diseases, scientists have identified more than 250 genes that are associated with a higher likelihood of ASD. As Maureen Durkin, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explained to me, some of these genes are also associated with beneficial traits. “It’s not as simple as ‘these are causes of autism, and you’d want to edit them out of the genome,’” she said.
While the documentary takes a nationwide view, there’s a lot of Wisconsin in it. Among the interview subjects is Ethelene Whitmire, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who talks about Regina Anderson Andrews, the first African American to lead a branch of the New York Public Library and a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
To learn more about the jobs Wisconsin will most need to fill in the coming years, we spoke to Matt Kures, who researches state labor and demographic trends as a community development specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension.
“Influenza infection can become severe in anyone, in particular older adults,” said Ajay Sethi, associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “One of the reasons it can become severe is due to the damage that influenza does to the lungs.”
On Wednesday, UW Health physicians reflected on Med Flight 40 years after its first ever dispatch.
Most doctors are used to staying indoors whether it be a hospital or clinic, but 21 UW Health physicians prefer a different method, where they take to the sky to meet those in need.
Four UW-Madison faculty members have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
“It has been many years since new nuclear power plants have been considered in the state of Wisconsin, and in that time there have been many substantial changes in the technology of nuclear energy,” said Paul Wilson, a nuclear engineering professor at UW-Madison, at the hearing.
Aquaponics is a system in which the waste of fish provides nutrients for plants which purify the water. To learn more, we talk to Johanna Oosterwyk, instructional manager of the D.C. Smith Greenhouse on the UW-Madison campus.
The day-long event featured presentations from renowned scholars including Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dr. Fred Bonner II of Prairie View A&M University.
Professor Line Roald wanted to make a difference when she joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Now, she uses mathematical methods like risk assessment and optimization to further the development of America’s electric grid.
Seeking to help more low-income adults earn college degrees, a longtime academic program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison wants to expand into housing services.
