How bogus stats can get repeated again and again until they end up influencing policy at governments and major multilateral institutions.
Featuring Kathryn Moeller, professor of educational policy studies
Zombie statistics
BBC World Service
Category: UW Experts in the News
The comeback crop: Hemp farming returns and it promises big rewards
Isthmus
Quoted: Dr. Aleksandra Zgierska, a family doctor who practices and researches addiction medicine at UW Health, remains skeptical of CBD. “The research on CBD oil has not been sufficient to say that this is evidence-based treatment for x, y or z,” she says.
Dairy farmers are in crisis — and it could change Wisconsin forever
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: “This downward cycle has been brutal,” said Kevin Schoessow, a University of Wisconsin-Extension agent in Washburn County.
Stephen Miller’s claim that ‘thousands of Americans die year after year’ from illegal immigration
The Washington Post
Noted: A 2018 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Criminology, led by Michael Light, a criminologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, examined whether places with higher percentages of undocumented immigrants have higher rates of violent crime such as murder or rape.
The Vanishing Flights of the Monarch Butterfly
The New Yorker
Quoted: “We should celebrate the fact that we go up to this six-hectare number, and people who are living in areas where monarchs breed really noticed them this summer,” Karen Oberhauser, the director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, who researches monarchs, told me. “It illustrates the fact that they have this incredible potential.”
How The Badger Burrowed Into Wisconsin’s Identity
WPR
Luckily, Jim Leary, a UW-Madison emeritus professor of folklore and Scandinavian studies, was able to shed some light on the subject. He explained the state’s association with badgers goes back to the early 1800s when settlers were mining for lead in southwest Wisconsin.
Hagedorn focuses on adoption in first Supreme Court ad
Noted: Hagedorn says his daughter’s battle brought home the opioid crisis and how it affects families. The ad ends with images of Hagedorn in his judicial robe, walking next to police officers as he promises to “hold people accountable” as a Supreme Court justice. Such a claim is “largely nonsense” given the types of cases that come before the Supreme Court, said Howard Schweber, a law school and political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who is not endorsing anyone in the race.
University of Wisconsin Extension hits the road for Dairy & Beef Well-Being Conference
Wi Farmer
At all locations, Jennifer Van Os, the University of Wisconsin Dairy Welfare Specialist will discuss dairy calf management to foster socialization that improves growth and performance.
Digging Deeper: Why knee injuries are on the rise in women athletes
WKOW-TV 27
Quoted: Kapinus’ story is not unusual for young female athletes, according to Dr. Pamela Lang with UW Health. “It seems that anywhere from kind of twice as likely to even four times more likely to have ACL tears with women compared to men.”
Dr. Mirgain explains how to bring more love into your life
WISC-TV 3
UW Health distinguished psychologist shares four ways to bring more love into your life.
Froedtert becomes the second hospital in the U.S. to use a new device in the war against cancer
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted: “I think it’s a very significant advance,” said Mike Bassetti, an associate professor in the department of human oncology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “Up until this point, there has been no way to directly visualize the tumor and the surrounding tissue as we are treating the tumor.”
2019 Midwest Manure Summit at Lambeau Field
Agri-View
The University of Wisconsin’s 2019 Midwest Manure Summit is being held Feb. 27 in the Lambeau Field Atrium, 1265 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The History And Impact Of Wisconsin’s Only School Integration Program
WUWM - Milwaukee
“Across the country, I think many places have lost hope in desegregation because the resistance to desegregation was so great,” said UW-Madison professor Walter Stern. Stern studies school segregation. “So you see much more emphasis on living with segregated schools and communities and trying to promote equity within those settings.”
Specialty crops bring opportunities despite decreased consumption
The Country Today
“Specialty crops can add diversity in the long-term strength that really balances our outlook for agriculture,” he said during his presentation at the Wisconsin Agricultural Outlook Forum held in late January on the UW-Madison campus.
New mosquito repellent comes from bacteria
The Country Today
“If you can use less of an active ingredient in a formulation, it may be less expensive,” said Paskewitz, who with Kajla has filed for a patent related to this work through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Life, work of Leopold on display at UW
The Country Today
“The exhibit reveals many seemingly incongruous facets of Leopold’s complex relationship with nature,” said Stanley Temple, who also served in the same position from 1976 to 2008 at UW-Madison and is a senior fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation.
‘I know what intolerance looks like’: Ilhan Omar takes her turn in the spotlight
The Guardian
Quoted: Patrick Iber, an assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin, said it was “entirely appropriate” to press Abrams on his work in the Reagan years.
China’s leaders want more babies, but local officials resist
AP
Quoted: Cases such as the Wangs’ remain common, despite a growing recognition of the seriousness of the population crisis, said Yi Fuxian, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison and a leading critic of Chinese population policies.
Report shows increasing special needs education funding benefits all students
Daily Cardinal
Noted: Although the need is variable from school to school, LaFollette School of Public Affairs Professor John Witte said special needs students on average cost 2.2 percent more than a student that does not.
Plant earlier for better yield, study suggests
Agri-View
An important consideration in early planting is spring-frost occurrence, which can damage or destroy the crop – but only after emergence at 15 to 25 days after planting.
Remember When Jeff Bezos Told Peter Thiel To ‘Develop a Thick Skin’?
Forbes
Quoted: Indeed, Dr. Kathleen Bartzen Culver, the director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, said news organizations should expect to be held accountable by the public.
Gerrymandering solutions possible, Forum speaker says
Eau Claire Leader-Telegram
While Wisconsin waits to reargue a gerrymandering case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, the state should look to examples of better redistricting procedures, like those found in Pennsylvania, California and Iowa, a UW-Madison political science professor argued Wednesday night to an audience of roughly 75 people at the UW-Eau Claire Forum.
Barry Burden, also director of the Elections Research Center, said those three states have each come up with different solutions to the problem of gerrymandering.
With Climate Change, Washington, D.C. Will Feel More Like Arkansas by 2080
Smithsonian
Quoted: The study could even spur action, suggests Kevin Burke, a climate scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was not involved in the new study. “One notable outcome of this work is the potential for cities and their analog pairs to transfer knowledge and coordinate climate adaptation strategies,” Burke tells Wired.
Microloans continue to assist furloughed federal workers
Badger Herald
Quoted: Jirs Meuris, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Business, stressed the importance of the loans. According to Meuris’ research, employees who are financially insecure tend to be less productive. This financial insecurity leads to anxiety, making employees unable to focus on work, he explained.
“These interest-free loans are trying to create these safety nets for these workers … providing these safety nets can reduce a lot of the psychological strain that comes along with financial insecurity,” Meuris said.
Despite deal to avoid another shutdown, aviation safety workers are wary
Washington Post
Quoted: Jirs Meuris, an assistant professor of management and human resources at the University of Wisconsin at Madison said that while the rest of the country may have moved on, many federal workers, not to mention critical safety programs, have not.
“The first shutdown created very long-term problems,” Meuris said. “It posed threats to our security — and those effects will be felt for a very long time if we have a second shutdown.”
Gerrymandering solutions possible, Forum speaker says
Eau Claire Leader Telegram
While Wisconsin waits to reargue a gerrymandering case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, the state should look to examples of better redistricting procedures, like those found in Pennsylvania, California and Iowa, a UW-Madison political science professor argued Wednesday night to an audience of roughly 75 people at the UW-Eau Claire Forum.
What Happens If Russia Cuts Itself Off From the Internet
Wired
Quoted: “I’m absolutely sure that’s the case. It may not break from the perspective of their major infrastructure grinding to a halt, but that’s a risk that they’re taking,” says Paul Barford, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who studies computer networking.
Financial Well-Being Is In Your Reach, Adviser Says
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted: Look at your previous month’s spending record, said Olive, a financial capability specialist who holds a joint appointment with the School of Human Ecology Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Extension.
This Scary Map Shows How Climate Change Will Transform Your City
Wired
Quoted: “Framing results in a digestible manner for the public sector, to inform policy, and for the scientific community, is notoriously difficult,” says University of Wisconsin–Madison climate scientist Kevin Burke, who wasn’t involved in the study.
Sixteenth Street’s new program helps children and adolescents struggling with behavioral health problems
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Jason Fletcher, a professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose research includes child and adolescent health policy, found that when comparing siblings, one who had ADHD and one who did not, the sibling with ADHD earned approximately 33 percent less as an adult.
The Importance of Seed Banks in an Uncertain Future
WXPR
Today, agronomists still find it critically important to preserve seeds and plant germplasm to guard against losses of genetic variation in the face of an uncertain future. Many seeds and germplasm are held at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in a remote Arctic Archipelago, about 800 miles from the North Pole.
Measles Outbreak Being Tracked Close To Home
WSAU - Wausau
Public health experts are closely watching measles outbreaks in Oregon and Washington state. It could happen here. Tracy Saladar, an expert on pediatric primary care at UW Madison, says the measles virus is easily transmissible.
A Christian Group Is Building a Movement That Could Destabilize Jerusalem’s Most Explosive Holy Site
The Daily Beast
Quoted: According to Dan Hummel, a historian of Christian Zionism and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Christian interest there grew after Israel gained control of the site in 1967. This interest included evangelicals and fundamentalists who believed the future Third Temple would “play a role in the events in the lead up to Jesus’ return,” he wrote in an email to The Daily Beast.
Doctors In Wisconsin Writing Fewer Prescriptions For Painkillers
Wisconsin Public Radio
Quoted “We expected a decrease in mortality as a result. That is not what we have seen,” said Gina Bryan, an associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing who worked with the Governor’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse.
A ‘Fountain Of Youth’ Pill? Sure, If You’re A Mouse.
Kaiser Health News
Quoted: “A lot of what goes on here is really, really careful phrasing for what you say the thing is for,” said Charo, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Trump Trade War Helps Push Farmers Into Record Number Of Bankruptcies
Huffington Post
Quoted: “The problem is that both nations have stubborn leaders,” Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said at an agricultural forum last week in Madison.
Wisconsin educators look to retain teachers amid shortage
AP
Noted: Diana Hess is dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Education and one of the task force’s leaders. Hess says enrollment in teacher education programs is down about 35 percent nationally and the enrollment decrease is even more dramatic in parts of Wisconsin.
Study: transition to renewable energy could create 162,000 jobs in Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Journal
“The impetus for this whole study was just to figure out whether producing our energy in-state would be beneficial to the economy and people and the environment of Wisconsin,” said David Abel, a UW energy researcher and lead author of the study.
Vaccinations up in Madison public schools, but lag in some Dane County private schools
Wisconsin State Journal
This “herd immunity can happen at lower percentages when the disease is less contagious,” according to Tracy Saladar, a UW-Madison nursing professor, but that’s not measles, which she called “the most contagious infectious disease.”
Study: Transition to renewable energy could create 162,000 jobs in Wisconsin
La Crosse Tribune
As of 2016, Wisconsin was spending about $14.4 billion a year on those fossil fuels, according to the study released this week by COWS, a UW-Madison think tank.
Changes To Opioid Policy Could Lead To Fewer People Being Addicted
WUWM - Milwaukee
Aleksandra Zgierska is an associate professor of Family Medicine at UW-Madison. She agrees that there is a problem with opioid abuse in the U.S., but she has concerns about blanket policies.
Why Don’t Students Want To Be Teachers?
Urban Milwaukee
Quoted: “We know that nationally, enrollment in teacher education programs is down about 35 percent and in Wisconsin it is down more dramatically in some places,” said Diana Hess, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Education.
Integrated management key to success when combating top soybean diseases
The Country Today
Some research has been conducted at UW-Madison in regards to white mold-resistant varieties, although nothing is 100 percent immune to the disease. Smith recommended farmers study the yield and white mold score before selecting a variety and consider the environments and fungal populations on their operations as they can differ from field to field.
Yodeling fame: Jim Leary gets a second Grammy shot for “Alpine Dreaming”
Isthmus
The first time Jim Leary was nominated for a Grammy, it went to Joni Mitchell. This time around, Joni isn’t part of the competition, though an homage to Bob Dylan is probably a crowd-pleasing favorite. Even so, who says there isn’t time to throw some Grammy love at yodelers? That’s the hope of Leary, a folklorist who is up for his second Grammy Award nomination for Best Album Notes for a release of archival music with a Wisconsin connection.
Ag economists: no huge improvement in farm income predicted for 2019
Wi Farmer
Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the UW-Madison said that 2018 was “another challenging year” for dairy farmers and that there was a significant amount of stress in the state’s dairy industry.
The Milky Way is warped, but astronomers still aren’t sure why
Popular Science
And while the warping of the galaxy isn’t a new revelation, Elena D’Onghia, an astronomer at the University of Wisconsin who was not involved with the study, thinks it’s interesting how the team took advantage of the Cepheids in creating the new galactic map that can characterize the warp at a rather high accuracy.
What’s ahead? Change for sure
Wi Farmer
Paul Mitchell, Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, at the UW-Madison, the leadoff speaker at the recent 2019 Ag Outlook Forum called 2018 “a year of tight margins in farming with income down and expenses up. Total crop income gained a bit (1.5 percent) but dairy income was down some 7 percent.”
Hot but not bothered: Warm soils favor microbes with small genomes
Earth Magazine
Quoted: Microbial evolution to a more streamlined state is often suggested as a route to small genomes, says Jo Handelsman, a soil microbiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was not involved in the new study.
Inside Wisconsin’s Disastrous $4.5 Billion Deal With Foxconn
Bloomberg Business
Noted: Noah Williams, an economics professor from the University of Wisconsin at Madison whose fiscal analysis supported the Walker administration’s case for the project, says the state ought to redo the math.
Artificial Intelligence Finds Ancient ‘Ghosts’ in Modern DNA
Quanta Magazine
Quoted: The technique “is powerful because of its simplicity, but it leaves a lot on the table in terms of understanding evolution,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Blue Sky Science: How do we identify new species from fossils?
Wisconsin State Journal
Noted: Answer by John Hawks, paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Local immigration lawyer Aissa Olivarez attends State of the Union with Rep. Mark Pocan
The Cap Times
Noted: Olivarez and Erin Barbato, director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked for hours on behalf of detainees. They called ICE to see where the detainees had been taken, started intakes to see who could be eligible for relief and worked with other immigration attorneys to find out who could take cases pro-bono or at a low cost, referring families who could afford it to private attorneys.
Inside Wisconsin’s Disastrous $4.5 Billion Deal With Foxconn
Bloomberg
Quoted: Noah Williams, an economics professor from the University of Wisconsin at Madison whose fiscal analysis supported the Walker administration’s case for the project, says the state ought to redo the math.
Why are fewer Wisconsin students studying to become teachers?
Superior Telegram
“We know that nationally, enrollment in teacher education programs is down about 35 percent and in Wisconsin it is down more dramatically in some places,” said Diana Hess, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Education.
Video: Professor explains what to expect during State of the Union address
WISC-TV 3
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison Journalism professor Michael Wagner discusses what to expect during Pres. Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
How Does Wisconsin’s Pre-Existing Conditions Proposal Line Up With The ACA?
WisContext
Noted: Donna Friedsam, the health policy programs director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Population Health Institute, spoke on the Jan. 25, 2019, episode of Wisconsin Public Television’s Here & Now about the bill and how it compares to the regulations set out in ACA.
There’s a corner in Madison where Baldwin and Johnson meet
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Leave it to a University of Wisconsin-Madison math professor to notice a special intersection in Madison: the corner of North Baldwin and East Johnson streets.
Relief comes to those who had cabin fever during polar vortex
WKOW-TV 27
Quoted: Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, a professor of kinesiology at UW-Madison, said it’s important to get out after several days cooped up.
“The combination of cold temperatures and short daylight hours can be really, really challenging,” she said.
Meet Nemuri, the Gene That Puts Flies to Sleep and Helps Them Fight Infection
Smithsonian Magazine
Quoted: Chiara Cirelli, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was not involved in the study, is interested in seeing what the nemuri gene’s effects are at less extreme levels.
“We knew there was this correlation, but here, we have an animal model, we have a specific gene, we can start asking these more mechanistic questions,” she says. The study opens up new avenues for research to drill down on the relationship between sleep and the immune system, explains Cirelli.
See the vibrant ice fishing culture under threat in the Great Lakes
National Geographic
Quoted: “The lakes are so sensitive to climate,” says John Magnuson, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who has studied lakes in the region for decades. “Already people notice that ice is getting shorter, and there’s an impact on winter recreation—the skating, the ice fishing.”