Noted: Some election scholars, however, cite the charged atmosphere. “We’ve got a perfect storm of open challenges from the president to the integrity of the election process, and the termination of the consent decree,” said Kenneth Mayer, an election law expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s not too hard to envision circumstances in which this really gets out of hand.”
Category: UW Experts in the News
What It’s Like to Be a Teacher in 2020 America
Noted: “Our public education system is a massive hidden child care subsidy,” said Jon Shelton, a historian of the teaching work force at the University of Wisconsin.
What All That Touch Deprivation Is Doing to Us
Noted: Jo Carter, 50, a project manager at the University of Wisconsin in Madison who lives alone, said that, pre-pandemic, she would regularly get massages and pedicures to have consistent touch.
Some medical experts question Trump’s exit from Walter Reed hospital
Dr. William Hartman, who is leading several Covid-19 clinical trials at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, said it is unusual for patients to go home before they have finished their IV medications. But “the White House is a different situation, obviously,” Hartman said. “He can get that type of care there.”
Trump Walter Reed visit raises questions about White House spin
But the stroke was not made public while Wilson remained in office. Neither was a urinary infection that “nearly killed him,” according to John Milton Cooper, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who wrote “Woodrow Wilson: A Biography.
GOP lawmakers stand still as virus rages in Wisconsin
“I think, unfortunately, more people are going to have to die before our policymakers accept we need laws and policies that improve the health and safety of our state” — when lawmakers are personally tied to a person who has died or has been hospitalized, said Patrick Remington, former epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s preventive medicine residency program.
COVID-19 hospitalizations at record levels in Wisconsin, Dane County
“It is vital at this point to preserve the capacity of the health care systems and, equally importantly, to protect the health care workforce,” said Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at UW Health.
‘Frustrated and heartbroken’: Health care workers say Wisconsin’s COVID-19 spike is the result of people ignoring preventive steps
Ajay Sethi, an associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, said that colleagues who went to cottages during the summer began reporting that they’d seen towns where no one appeared to be wearing a mask.
With COVID-19 hospitalizations up in Dane County, officials urge masks, staying home
“We are perilously close” to the county’s peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations in April, said Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at UW Health. “It is vital at this point to preserve the capacity of the health care systems and, equally importantly, to protect the health care workforce.”
Wisconsin Struggles to Explain Sudden Covid-19 Spike
“When it’s not enforced, you’re seeing very low mask-wearing rates,” said Jeff Pothof, chief quality officer with UW Health, a health system that serves more than 600,000 patients each year. “When we do contact tracing, it’s not the people who have been wearing their mask and doing social distancing that we’re talking to.”
Cap Times Idea Fest: Scientists always on the lookout for the next pandemic
“It’s hard to know what’s going to be the next pandemic,” said Kristen Bernard, a UW virologist who studies animal-borne viruses, like the one that turned the world on its head this year. Bernard spoke with Kelly Tyrrell, an award-winning science writer and director of UW-Madison’s research communications, in a one-on-one session for the Cap Times Ideafest on preparing for the next pandemic.
What happens now that Trump has COVID-19?
Quoted: David Cannon, department chair of the UW-Madison political science department, explains.
UW professors react to first presidential debate, believe undecided voters remain unswayed
Quoted: UW political science professor Donald Downs said he believed the various interruptions from Trump and the refusal to answer key questions from former Vice President Biden were key takeaways from the debate.
The Highs And Lows Of Parenting In A Pandemic
Margaret Kerr, Assistant Professor, Human Development & Family Studies, talks about mental health for parents right now, how to relish moments of positivity and how to make the most of a challenging time.
The State Of Race: Education — COVID In The Classroom
In this segment of “The State of Race: Education” presented by WGBH and The Boston Globe, host Dan Lothian talks to Founder & Director, The NET Mentoring Group, Jamal Grant; Professor of Urban Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gloria Ladson-Billings and Boston Globe Education Reporter Bianca Vázquez Toness about how COVID has widened the opportunity gap in the classroom.
Why Some People Are Still Getting Sick–but Not with COVID – Scientific American
Noted: “You might be immune to the flu, but you are not going to be immune to all those rhinoviruses,” says James Gern, a rhinovirus researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “That’s one unique feature of rhinoviruses—you are always going to be susceptible to some.”
At-Home Learning, When Home Is in Ashes
Noted: Schools can step in and provide support when parents themselves are traumatized. Familiar adults at school can also provide a buffering effect against trauma, said Travis Wright, an associate professor of counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rapid Coronavirus Spit Tests Aren’t Coming Soon
Noted: Another saliva LAMP test is being tested by David O’Connor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their technique bears many similarities to the Columbia test, including a color-based readout, but takes slightly longer and involves a couple of extra steps. Early trials of the test on volunteers in Wisconsin have gone well, Dr. O’Connor said, and one school district in Illinois is using the test to screen about 1,400 students and teachers on a weekly basis.
Deaths, hospitalizations and infections are surging, but some GOP lawmakers tell constituents not to worry about COVID-19
“If these legislators were practicing medicine, they would be sued for malpractice,” Patrick Remington, a former Centers for Disease Control epidemiologist and director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said after reviewing the lawmakers’ statements.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Has Evidence for Life on Venus Been in Our Grasp for 40 Years?
Other archived data could prove useful, too. Sousa-Silva is currently looking through old infrared telescope observations of Venus, hunting for additional overlooked evidence of phosphine. And Sanjay Limaye of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who is a co-author of Mogul’s preprint paper, says old data from the Soviet Venera probes—while unlikely to have been sensitive enough to detect phosphine—may contain evidence for atomic phosphorus, which could hint at the presence of molecular phosphine, too. He notes, however, that the whereabouts of much of those data is unknown. Still, Limaye says, “somebody probably has some records.”
Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is ‘Very Likely to Work,’ Studies Suggest
“Reading these papers gives me the sense that they’re going to have the controlled thermonuclear fusion plasma that we all dream about,” said Cary Forest, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin who is not involved in the project. “But if I were to estimate where they’re going to be, I’d give them a factor of two that I give to all my grad students when they say how long something is going to take.”
Infected by a Virus, a Killer Fungus Turns Into a Friend
“There have been some reports about how viruses are able to manipulate hosts, but this one is so unique,” said Aurelie Rakotondrafara, a plant pathologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who was not involved in the study. “You can’t help but ask: How is this possible?
IRS Estimates More Than 111K Wisconsinites Might Have Not Claimed Coronavirus Stimulus Checks
Tim Smeeding, a professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty, said trying to reach the remaining people by mail might be a challenge because those with low incomes tend to move more often and might not have current addresses on file with the IRS.
How scientists can attribute parts of 2020’s hurricanes and wildfires to climate change
Climate change is also tipping the scales toward larger fires. Monica Turner, a fire researcher and a professor of integrative biology at the University of Wisconsin Madison, said in an email that climate is a big driver of megafires, those burning through an area larger than 100,000 acres.
At-Home Learning, When Home Is in Ashes
Schools can step in and provide support when parents themselves are traumatized. Familiar adults at school can also provide a buffering effect against trauma, said Travis Wright, an associate professor of counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
WATCH: UW-Madison political expert breaks down first presidential debate
Mike Wagner, a journalism and mass communications professor at UW-Madison, joined the Wake Up Wisconsin team Wednesday morning to take a closer look at some of the night’s biggest moments.
NBC15 Investigates: Chaos in Kenosha, the questions that remain
Quoted: “When you’re being unlawfully interfered with by another person, you have a right under the law to defend yourself against that unlawful interference,” says Cecelia Klingele, associate professor of law at University of Wisconsin Law School. “But we also require that when you do so, you’re using force reasonably. So you’re making a reasonable judgement about whether or not you’re in danger, how much danger you’re in, and how much force you need to use in order to protect yourself.”
Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is ‘Very Likely to Work,’ Studies Suggest
“Reading these papers gives me the sense that they’re going to have the controlled thermonuclear fusion plasma that we all dream about,” said Cary Forest, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin who is not involved in the project. “But if I were to estimate where they’re going to be, I’d give them a factor of two that I give to all my grad students when they say how long something is going to take.”
Wisconsin’s September COVID-19 Spike ‘Couldn’t Have Come At A Worse Time’
“It’s bad,” said Ajay Sethi, a public health professor with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and it’s likely to get worse.
UW professor explains what to watch for during the first presidential debate
Interviewed: Joining us to talk about what we can learn from debates from years past is UW professor Mike Wagner.
Chadwick Boseman’s death reinvigorates focus on lessening racial disparities in colorectal cancer
Quoted: “We think that the racial disparities we see are something that we can really start chipping away at,” Dr. John Eason, an associate professor of sociology at UW-Madison, tells Madison365.
UW-Madison faculty member addresses Kenosha shooting, broader racism in Wisconsin
Interviewed: Jackson is a Vilas Distinguished Professor and Chair of the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.
Human connection despite social distancing theme of virtual Chamber of Commerce event
Dr. Vivek Murthy, a surgeon general under former President Barack Obama, spoke with Richard Davidson, the founder and director of UW-Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds, in an online fireside chat as part of this year’s IceBreaker event, which the chamber held through a video conference due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 ‘far from done,’ expert tells biotech meeting in Madison
Lennon Rodgers, director of the UW-Madison College of Engineering’s Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Lab, said that two weeks after UW Health asked him in early March if he could make 1,000 face shields, companies from around the country were contacting the university to use its design. “You think elastic is easy to get, or foam; it is, if you want to make 1,000 or even 10,000 (face shields),” he said. “But when you’re talking millions, it’s truckloads upon truckloads of material.”
Woodward says CNN reporter urged him to release Trump tapes
But it’s an important role for journalists to advocate for public release of as much information as possible, said Kathleen Culver, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin.
“I have no problem with a reporter telling an author that it’s in the public interest to see that the tapes are released,” Culver said.
‘Mussel-bola’ Could Be Spreading. Maybe Now You’ll Pay Attention.
But this could be the year that freshwater mussels get the attention that Jordan Richard, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Wisconsin, believes they’re owed.
After years of searching for a potential explanation for the mysterious and massive die-offs that have suddenly killed thousands of mussels in streams from Washington to Virginia, Mr. Richard and his colleagues have finally identified a potential “mussel-bola” culprit.
Wisconsin College Towns Top Nationwide List For Rapid Spread Of COVID-19
Malia Jones, of the Applied Population Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studies how the places we spend time affect our health and how diseases spread in those places. She said while it’s difficult to pinpoint one culprit for the state’s spike in coronavirus cases, there is evidence that students returning to colleges and universities have contributed quite a bit.
American Suburbs Are Tilting for Biden. But Not Milwaukee’s.
“If you had to find a part of the country that is an example of white flight, Milwaukee would be a poster child,” said Barry Burden, the director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Educational Video Game Executive Breaks Down How Games Can Impart Real-World Skills
Javornik said Wisconsin is a pioneer of the latest wave of educational video games, particularly because of research done by James Paul Gee, a former University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who wrote “What Video Games have to Teach us about Learning and Literacy.”
More Than 40 Percent Of 2020 Farm Income Projected To Come From Federal Payments
Paul Mitchell, director of the Renk Agribusiness Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said farmers were already expected to receive $37.2 billion in direct government payments this year, according to projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Supreme Court’s Obamacare case was high stakes before Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. Here’s why it’s even more important now
But Ryan Owens, a political science professor and director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership, isn’t so sure.
UW professor talks about what happens next following the death of Justice Ginsburg
University of Wisconsin-Madison Journalism Professor Mike Wagner discusses what the future will look like.
Declaring 2020’s Winner Could Well Hinge on How Quickly States Count Mail Ballots
“There’s a lot of suspicion among hard-core Trump supporters, and hard-core Trump opponents, about people trying to manipulate the voting system,” said Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s just very tempting for people to believe that something nefarious has happened when the results don’t seem to be going in the way they expected.”
After a tantalizing discovery at Venus, what could an astrobiology mission look like? | Space
“This is something more that we can’t explain about Venus,” Sanjay Limaye, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who wasn’t involved in the new study, told Space.com. “Venus has got more questions [about it] than Mars, which is why we are suggesting that Venus should be considered an astrobiology target.”
Is higher COVID-19 mortality in Black adults linked to essential work?
Tiffany Green, an assistant professor in the Departments of Population Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has pointed out that physical distancing is difficult to achieve in some essential occupations and while using public transport.
How to Save the Pandemic Generation
Black young adults hold 10.4 percent less wealth, on average, than their white counterparts due to student debt, according to research by Fenaba Addo at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Black and Latinx borrowers also have higher rates of default than white borrowers, and two in five Native American or Alaska Native borrowers have defaulted on a federal student loan.
Why Milwaukee could determine Joe Biden’s fate in November’s election
Milwaukee is an “essential part” of the coalition any Democrat needs to win a statewide election, said Barry Burden, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who runs the Elections Research Center. A small change in turnout in the city is more consequential for Democrats than it is for Republicans.
David Canon on Campaign 2020 and Wisconsin
David Canon, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, talked about the 2020 presidential campaign in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
Law Firms Pay Supreme Court Clerks $400,000 Bonuses. What Are They Buying?
Ryan J. Owens, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the other author of the study, said its basic conclusion was that “knowing your former boss gives you a leg up.”
“When you clerk for a justice for a year, you come to know how that justice thinks very intimately,” he said. “You know the ins and outs of the justice’s thought processes.”
Sleep scientists urge consistent schedule during unusual school year
“People think a lot about how sleep is important for consolidating memory, but what they don’t think about is that sleep resets your brain for learning, meaning in order to take in information during the day, you need to have a rested brain,” said Dr. Stephanie Jones, the assistant director at the Institute for Sleep and Consciousness at UW-Madison.
What have we learned from virus — Patrick Remington
The feature on Madison.com “10 things we’ve learned about COVID-19 in less than a year” is an excellent summary of what we’ve learned “about” COVID-19. But what have we learned “from” COVID-19 about ourselves and our systems?
How RBG’s vacancy could affect decisions at the polls
Howard Schweber, a political science professor who also teaches law at UW-Madison, described how he saw the late justice interpreting the law. “Not only on issues involving women’s rights, [but] her dissenting opinions in the voting rights decision that stripped protections from minority voters in numerous jurisdictions. Her dissenting opinions in particular, rang with passion.”
Black Maternal and Child Health Alliance launched to improve the birth outcomes of Black mothers and babies in Dane County
Noted: The group will be co-chaired by inaugural members Dr. Tiffany Green, assistant professor in the Departments of Population Health Sciences and Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Alia Stevenson, Chief Programs Officer with the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness.
“The Black Maternal & Child Health Alliance is comprised of Black women serving in important roles in health care, our community, and as decision-makers and knowledge experts. Our highest priority is to ensure that the health and wellbeing of Black mothers remains front and center,” says Co-Chairs Green and Stevenson in a statement. “As the Alliance moves forward, we are pleased to join the Dane County Health Council as we work together to advance the health of Black mothers, babies and their families in this county.”
There’s no evidence of fraud in mail-in ballots, part infinity
As part of an ongoing lawsuit in Montana regarding whether completed mail-in ballots can be collected from voters and turned in to the elections office, Kenneth Mayer, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was called to testify about a study he had conducted on mail ballots cast in Montana between 2006 and 2016.
State Unemployment Rate Declined Slightly In August
Manufacturing employment continued to grow, albeit more slowly, in line with national trends, said Menzie Chinn, a professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
‘We Are Part Of A Storm’: Virtual Schooling Takes A Toll On Children And Families
Alejandra Ros Pilarz, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s school of social work, has found similar changes in behavior when studying children who changed child care providers frequently at a young age.
‘Wisconsin Funnies’ highlights comics artists from the Badger State, including Denis Kitchen and Lynda Barry
Formats and preoccupations change, but comics never lose their power to communicate, criticize and entertain.
“Wisconsin Funnies: Fifty Years of Comics,” presented through Nov. 22 by the Museum of Wisconsin Art in two locations, surveys our state’s role in the great hurly-burly of funny words and pictures, especially from underground and alternative points of view.
Expert: Voters may not lean Biden now that Green Party is off Wisconsin Ballot
Howard Schweber, UW-Madison Political Science Professor, believe’s Green Party votes could be overlooked in this election when comparing the influence the party played in Wisconsin during the 2016 election cycle.
More wildfire smoke to move into Wisconsin
Ankur Desai, a climate science professor at UW-Madison, said well-meaning fire prevention efforts over the last century have also contributed to the worsening of west coast wildfires.
Student debt is fueling the Black-white wealth gap — and pursuing a college degree has become ‘racialized,’ this professor says
That’s thanks in part to Fenaba Addo, an associate professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies debt and its role in racial wealth inequality. Addo’s research has shown, among other things, that the gap in student debt held by Black and white borrowers grows by 6.8% each year. As a result, Black young adults hold 10.4% less wealth on average than their white counterparts due to student debt.