Category: UW Experts in the News

Quoted: The average amount of debt per student has climbed not only because college costs have increased but also because state financing for schools has fallen, said Cliff Robb, an associate professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Quoted: “I hope it’s a matter of when [national regulation is put in place], and not if,” said David Abel, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who focuses on energy systems, air pollution and public health. “It really has to be, if we’re going to avoid some of this really catastrophic damage.”

Quoted: Microsoft can’t claim sole ownership of the term. Xiaojin (Jerry) Zhu, a professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, has used “machine teaching” to describe a set of approaches to training machine learning algorithms since 2013, though he and Microsoft both agree there’s some overlap in their definitions.

Quoted: Ryan Owens, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the justices will be wary of how the court looks as it takes up a politically charged case.

Quoted: “It’s this idea that we must be so helpless and dependent, if we’re showing that we’re not those things, our disability can’t be real,” said Ellen Samuels, a disability scholar at the University of Wisconsin at Madison whose book “Fantasies of Identification” explores the issue. “[Fraud] is about people using other people’s permits, yet it leads to this thought that a lot of people are getting permits they don’t really need.”

Quoted: They are also awkward, both to talk about and to use, says Chris Barcelos, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who researches safe sex in queer communities. “People say dental dams take the fun out of oral sex,” Barcelos says.

Mike Samuel, an emeritus professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the previous bounty program was very unpopular with hunters and did little to control spread of the disease.

Quoted: “People these days are constantly rearranging their facial appearance in ways that prevent engaging in facial mimicry, having no idea how much we use our faces to coordinate and manage social interactions,” said Paula Niedenthal, a professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has published several studies on facial mimicry and its emotional and social importance.

With the market tight, more elders are remaining homeowners. A Boston College study last year found 8 in 10 people aged 80 to 84 are homeowners — up by nearly one-fifth since 1980. University of Wisconsin professor Michael Collins, who worked on the study, said more older homeowners may feel they can still handle a larger home.

Featured: Dietram Scheufele studies the science of science communication and researches public attitudes and policy dynamics regarding science. He is a professor in science communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Quoted: Tornadoes are typically formed by thunderstorms known as supercells, which are not usually found in Nepal, says Leigh Orf, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Public opinion about gay rights has shifted enormously in the United States over the past few decades. What are some of the factors that have led to this historic change in attitudes?

–Featured: William Cox, assistant scientist, Dept of Sociology

Quoted: In countries such as the United States, which is hit by some 1,200 tornadoes every year, these rotating columns of wind are identified using Doppler radar imagery, says Leigh Orf, an atmospheric scientist at University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Quoted: “The economic issues are real and significant,” Christine Whelan, director of Money, Relationships and Equality Initiative in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told TODAY. “Increasingly what both men and women are looking for it a good financial prospect.”

Quoted: One strange event may be luck; two suggest something more interesting,” asserts John Hawks, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Quoted: Moon will be looking for a South Korean exception to international sanctions on North Korea, said David Fields, the associate director of the Center of East Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Quoted: University of Wisconsin psychologist Shilagh A. Mirgain has offered tips on how to avoid a crash landing, such as savoring the memories and planning a new goal or happy event. “I’m a big fan of repurposing and thinking about what’s next,” Mirgain said. “When I come back from vacation I have my next travel destination chosen. Athletes can focus on the next race, and someone who just had a wedding could start thinking about the honeymoon or one-year anniversary.”

Noted: Reading Monica M. White’s new book, “Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement” (University of North Carolina Press), I couldn’t help but think about the family farm my mother grew up on, and the supportive community of black farmers our family was a part of in Florida’s Panhandle.

Quoted: Michael Light, a sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said totals for charges or convictions, like the number offered in Bettencourt’s resolution, are fine to consider, but they don’t offer much insight into overall safety or behavior.