Noted: Baobabs, especially old ones, can be more vulnerable to drought than their grizzled appearance might suggest, says David Baum, an ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But more evidence is needed, he says, to strengthen the link between climate change and the baobab deaths.
Quoted: David Canon, professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said research suggests there is an advantage to being higher on the ballot — particularly in such a large field. “There is definitely work I’ve seen that says that being first is definitely an advantage to being second,” he said.
Column by Burden, a political science professor and director of the Elections Research Center at UW-Madison
Noted: Timothy Smeeding, a UW-Madison professor who led the study, said the findings reflect that while more Wisconsinites are working, their earnings may not be increasing as quickly as costs such as housing, health and child care.
The choice of materials used in e-commerce packaging makes a big impact on consumers’ perception of product value, claims a joint study by converter Pregis and the University of Wisconsin (UW).
Despite a robust job market, Wisconsin’s poverty rate increased to 10.8% in 2016, compared to 9.7% in 2015, according to a report released Friday by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The toxins can cause issues such as upset stomach, rashes and respiratory problems. Such blooms can also lead to fish kills once the bacteria sinks, according the UW Center for Limnology.
Walker has appointed UW-Madison Director of Dairy Policy Analysis Mark Stephenson to chair the committee. His first task will be to assemble the rest of the team. Walker says that will include stakeholders in the dairy industry from across the state.
Titletown Brewing Company and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are teaming up for “UW-Madison Presents: The Rise of the Craft Brewery” this Thursday at the Titletown Brewing Company taproom.
The June 12 summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore seems back on the calendar. But it’s not likely to result in the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Andrew Kydd is a professor in the University of Wisconsin’s department of political science.
Quoted: “Democrats are sure to make gains in this year’s midterm elections, but the monstrous wave that appeared to be building in late 2017 now appears to be more modest,” says Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin will once again answer questions from citizens in his annual, multi-hour, live television call-in show, “Direct Line With Vladimir Putin.” Many observers describe these shows as entirely fake, and “Direct Line” is indeed a highly staged and controlled event: Journalists have reported on this year’s preparations and the elaborate rehearsals that those selected to appear undergo.
Christine E. Evans is an associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and author of “Between Truth and Time: A History of Soviet Central Television” (Yale University Press, 2016).
Quoted: Jack Huddleston, emeritus professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said trying to re-open negotiations now would be “pretty risky” for the state.
Quoted: “The attempt to compare something that humans created or restored to something natural has shown a shortfall in the outcome,” said Joy Zedler, professor emerita of botany and restoration ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Some functions and some magnitude of functions fall short of what would be present in the same kind of wetland in the same place if it were left in its natural condition.”
Noted: Rick Kohrs, a graphic artist at NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, created this image of the plane’s “terrifying track.” He superimposed AA 1897’s flight path from Flight Aware with weather data from GOES-16, the latest sat from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program. These sats capture storms as they develop, giving meteorologists a space-based tool to predict storms and warn people about ones that exist.
“I think we’re in a good situation today because of what was done (by the first task force) back then. I sort of hope we can be half that good,” said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at UW-Madison, who will lead the new group of experts dubbed by Gov. Scott Walker as Wisconsin Dairy Task Force 2.0.
“I think we’re in a good situation today because of what was done (by the first task force) back then. I sort of hope we can be half that good,” said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at UW-Madison, who will lead the new group of experts dubbed by Gov. Scott Walker as Wisconsin Dairy Task Force 2.0.
The task force will be chaired by Mark Stephenson, director of Dairy Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said he wants to listen to those in the dairy industry to better understand and prioritize the biggest concerns.
The Task Force will be chaired by Mark Stephenson, who is the director of dairy policy analysis at UW-Madison. It will seek to gain consensus on issues facing the dairy industry and release recommendations for the industry going forward.
Noted: Meanwhile, the World Bank commissioned the University of Wisconsin at Madison as a part of its East Asia urbanization data initiative. The Wisconsin team typically studies urban sprawl in order to assess how costly it would be to provide infrastructure. Mapping houses and buildings may seem like a straightforward task, but converting data into information depends on the objectives of the institution conducting—and funding—the project.
Noted: According to a Wisconsin School of Business study, people who learn how to use credit cards early in life are less likely to have “a serious default in the future” and more likely to have a high credit score.
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Ryan Owens talks about the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of a Colorado baker.
Op-ed by R. Alta Charo, the Warren P. Knowles professor of law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Noted: “I’m not sure how much people will know that term,” says Dominique Brossard, a communications professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison specializing in life science issues like GMOs. “I don’t think it’s going to be very easy for people to find out [which foods are genetically modified].”
Noted: This is the planet now. Of the seven major storm regions on Earth, five had their strongest storms on record since 2013. And any of them, or any other storm, could be worse depending on if or where it comes ashore. “Irma, we had a chance of having a $500 billion disaster, had it taken the eastern track along the Florida coastline,” says Shane Hubbard, a disaster researcher at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Generally we plan for the 1-percent annual chance flood, and in Houston we had an event that was so far from that, how do we plan and prepare? Should we? Did they just flip a coin and win a $500 billion jackpot?”
The United States government reinstated tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. The Trump Administration said that the tariffs were in the interest of national security. But U.S. allies disagree with that claim. Since then, Canada and the EU have been swift to retaliate by implementing tariffs on some U.S. exports. We speak with Mark Copelovitch, associate professor of political science & public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about the move and how it could import foreign trade.
Noted: “I think the people making these videos are tapping into a need where you want to be social without being disrupted from your study goals,” says Mitchell Nathan, professor of educational psychology and learning sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Think of it like parallel play. This is parallel studying: You’re ignoring each other, but that’s still much more preferable than doing it all by yourself.”
Noted: Brad Singer, a geology professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who investigates lava flow magnetic fields, said: “When the lava flows erupt and cool in the Earth’s magnetic field, they acquire a memory of the magnetic field at that time.
Noted: “It’s definitely a paradigm shift to use it earlier rather than later,” Dr. Nasia Safdar, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Wisconsin — Madison.
Noted: “There’s some risk that if (the party’s) candidate doesn’t win the primary, they have to decide what to do,” said UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. “Neither candidate is going away anytime soon.”
Quoted: Susan Paskewtiz, a professor in the entomology department at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the area’s mosquito hatch is off to an early start thanks to a very rainy May.
Noted: UW’s Chief Information Security Officer, Bob Turner, tells us what these emails mean and what you should do with them.
UW-Madison research reveals how optimum plant populations for corn silage differ from those of corn grown for grain. In recent years farmers have increased corn-plant populations at the rate of 250 to 300 plants per acre per year, Lauer said.
A study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison released this week revealed that President Donald Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act led to an increase in defined-benefit pension plans in 2017.
Companies substantially increased their contributions to defined-benefit pension plans in 2017, likely because of the new tax law that President Trump signed in December, according to a new paper from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Noted: Terry Taylor wasn’t alone in bringing out the very best in his students. Head to the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business and you’ll hear Jan Heide’s name come up often. A charismatic force who teaches Introductory Marketing, Heide was more than a professor whose door was always open to students like Linda Liu.
Quoted: “They’re fabulous structures given what they’ve done. But it’s time,” said Ernie Perry, principal investigator of a recent University of Wisconsin-Madison study examining how agriculture products would move to markets if the locks and dams closed.
Quoted: The USDA only just announced how they would require manufacturers to disclose GM ingredients, though the law was enacting back in 2016, and the new rules don’t use the term “GMO” or even “GM.” Instead, they opt for “BE” or “bioengineered,” perhaps to avoid using loaded terminology. “I’m not sure how much people will know that term,” says Dominique Brossard, a communications professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison specializing in life science issues like GMOs. “I don’t think it’s going to be very easy for people to find out [which foods are genetically modified].”
Bassam Shakhashiri, who pushed for chemistry graduate education reform as ACS president, hopes every chemist will read this important report. Its findings echo many of the recommendations an ACS committee made in 2012. Shakhashiri adds, “This really is about the future of the university.”
Quoted: Mostly floodwater species of mosquitoes — those bloodsuckers laying eggs in heavy woods, low-lying areas or wherever they find a pool of water, such as a tire or bird bath — were out in force for the first time over the holiday weekend, said Patrick Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison insect diagnostics lab.
Quoted: Alfonso Morales, a professor of food systems and urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, seconded that. “Urban agriculture is a process,” he said. “It’s not something that happens from one day to the next.”
Quoted: “This is a really innovative approach to conserving biodiversity in our landscapes,” UW-Madison Entomology Professor Claudio Gratton said.
Quoted: “We’re seeing an obvious center of the storm just a couple of hundred miles south of us, across northern Indiana, which is just unbelievable,” said Jonathan Martin, UW Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.
Quoted: “It makes sense to have free public transport paid for by taxation, as it’s beneficial for the whole of society, not only those who use public transportation,” says João Peschanski, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has examined free public transit systems around the world.
For an administration that has made no secret of its hostility to immigration, punishing unauthorized migrants may be a good in and of itself. But it isn’t clear that deterrence is an effective policy tool.
Anna Oltman is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press’ book Somos Latinas (“We Latinas”): Voices of Wisconsin Latina Activists first began as part of a UW-Madison course in an effort to engage students in documenting the lives of Latina women in Wisconsin.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher is examining ways to improve athletes’ reporting of brain injuries — a key to preventing long-term neurological damage.
Quoted: A 1,000-year rain event, as its name implies, is exceptionally rare. It signifies just a 0.1 percent chance of such an event happening in any given year. “Or, a better way to think about it is that 99.9 percent of the time, such an event will never happen,” explained Shane Hubbard, a meteorological researcher at University of Wisconsin’s Space Science and Engineering Center.
Quoted: The short answer: It’s hard to say. One of the biggest problems with bias training is that so few people have evaluated whether it’s effective, said Patricia Devine, a professor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison who focuses on how to manage prejudice in society. Some studies have also found that, when done the wrong way, these kinds of trainings can actually make the problem worse.
Quoted: Through the end of June, justices are expected to hand down decisions on 29 more cases, said Ryan Owens, a professor of political science and affiliate law faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The next opinion day is scheduled for Monday, June 4, Owens said, and decisions will likely come every other day after that.
Noted: Last year the number of births fell 4% from the year before and China’s fertility rate was at 1.24 births per woman, below the expected rate of 1.63, according to Yi Fuxian, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health.
Quoted: Bob Cropp, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the slowdown in milk production is good for milk prices, which have remained at low levels for the last three years thanks to an abundance of milk on the market.
Quoted: Urban and rural divides are not new, as University of Wisconsin political scientist Kathy Cramer told the New York Times. What’s unique about our moment, however, is that “cultural divides overlap with political divides, which overlap with geography,” creating a maelstrom of suspicion and disconnect.
Quoted: “Last year did not seem to be a boom year for tick density,” said Susan Paskewitz, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of entomology who conducts field research on ticks and the diseases they carry. “We didn’t see a lot more ticks like we did in 2013 … I think the infection rates were higher in those ticks, and we don’t have an explanation for why that would be.
Quoted: “That surprised me,” said Arlin Brannstrom, associate professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I thought there would be some dampening in that enthusiasm for land ownership given the weak prices we’ve seen for agricultural commodities, in particular milk. But I think there’s still a lot of demand.”
Noted: “In general, the results look like (what) I would have expected from the general literature on perceptions of police,” said Pam Oliver, a UW-Madison sociology professor who’s studied racial disparities in criminal justice in Wisconsin. “There is a substantial literature that says the police and policing are actually different in different kinds of places or for different kinds of people, so that experiences with police differ.”
Quoted: Dee Warmath, an assistant professor of consumer science at the School of Human Ecology.
Noted: Even with the switch from rain to heat, mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus may not emerge right away, said Tony Goldberg, an epidemiology professor at University of Wisconsin.
Noted: Bradley Bolling, a food-science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, decided to put some women on a yogurt-heavy diet. He and his colleagues had 60 women, half of whom were obese, eat 12 ounces of low-fat yogurt every day for nine weeks. A control group ate a non-dairy pudding during that same time. Then, they measured the levels of proteins excreted by immune cells to determine how much inflammation was in these women’s bodies.
Noted: “People are scared of what their neighbors think,” said Paul Robbins, the director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of “Lawn People: How Grasses, Weeds and Chemicals Make Us Who We Are.”
