This month marks a major anniversary for the prestigious UW Health MedFlight program. It’s their 30th anniversary and the medical and aviation service continues to set new standards and soar to new heights, all thanks to their unique approach to patient care. Quoted: Ryan Wubben, clinical associate professor, medicine; medical director, UW Med Flight.
Category: UW Experts in the News
Groups let Scott Walker’s backers give unlimited sums
Quoted: “We can call it a kind of legal fiction that Walker is not a candidate, even though he’s done lots of things that candidates do,” says campaign finance expert Ken Mayer, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Who Owns Pre-Embryos?
Noted: After the Tennessee case, there was a move across the country to try to anticipate these disputes, according to Alta Charo, a professor at the University of Wisconsin law school.
As Manny Pacquiao’s stock rises so does the Philippine peso
Noted: “It’s a very interesting question, I would guess something like demand for sports paraphernalia [could cause a spike], but bets placed might be enough to move the currency if the markets are thin enough,” Menzie Chinn, professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin said.
Republican Presidential Candidate Rand Paul to Justify US Use of Drones
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison Political Science Professor Barry Burden told Sputnik on Tuesday that Paul is facing a field of conservative opponents for the Republican nomination. “Standing up for US military intervention helps mute their criticism of his isolationist tendencies,” Burden said.
Beating the Odds: UW Health patient champions life-saving early lung cancer detection
Lung cancer doesn’t have to be a death sentence. It’s the message one UW Health patient wants to get out now that CT scans are covered by the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid. Quoted: Nizar Jarjour, professor of pulmonary medicine.
Business groups poll finds public support for downtown arena
Quoted: Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor, said the Marquette and MMAC polls were limited in different ways.
Professor: Wisconsin Supreme Court Corruption Is Center Of John Doe Investigation
Quoted: Howard Schweber, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that the John Doe investigation is very important, but difficult to understand because of its complexity. He said the first point to understand is the severity of the police raids.
UW Advising to benefit from spring Badger game
Video: News 3 at Noon talked with Wren Singer (director of undergraduate advising) about the UW Advising office which will benefit from the UW Badgers spring game on Saturday.
Kindergartners stump college professor
At the start of his Intro to American Government class, political science professor Ken Mayer braced himself as nearly two dozen kindergartners demanded answers to the toughest questions they could think of.
Lands End CEO will call New York – not Dodgeville – home
Quoted: Whatever Marchionni’s reasons for working mainly in New York rather than the Lands End headquarters in Dodgeville, the arrangement poses issues, said Hart Posen, a professor of management and human resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Cost is high to jail parents for missed child support
Quoted: “I don’t know whether there are any (states) that have solved these problems satisfactorily,” said Tonya Brito, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. Her research largely focuses on the trouble some child support debtors have finding legal help.
UW’s Space Place celebrates 25th anniversary of Hubble Telescope
VIDEO: The famed Hubble Telescope marks its 25th anniversary in space Friday. The first telescope was built in a clean room at the UW Space Science and Engineering Center on Dayton Street. Jim Lattis runs the Space Place and talks about the telescope’s anniversary.
The stakes of the failing Comcast-Time Warner merger
Quoted: Peter Carstensen, emeritus professor of law at the University of Wisconsin, says they’re not competing for broadband customers—but they are competing when they buy programming. A merger could have given them sizable market power, and Senator Al Franken says competing TV networks complained to him in private, fearing reprisals.
Washington State Turns to Neurotoxins to Save Its Oysters
Quoted: Russell Groves, a University of Wisconsin entomologist who closely tracks imidacloprid, notes that neonics are not the sole cause of bee die-off. Mites play a role, he says, as does a poor diet. Still, Groves is worried. “Here in Wisconsin,” he says, “neonics are showing up in measurable levels in our riverine systems, and in our lakes, and it’s a little spooky to think about the unintended consequences they may bring.”
America Needs to Figure Out the Ethics of Gene Editing Now
Quoted: R. Alta Charo, co-author of Science moratorium; professor of medical history and bioethics—University of Wisconsin-Madison
Why Well-Being Is a Skill That Can Be Learned
“I kept doing the body scan to feel calm,” a fifth grade student explained to my colleagues as he recollected coping with a stressful situation at home. A “body scan” involves checking in with your body and noticing how it feels in the present moment. There’s no action required other than observing experiences as they unfold.
As a neuroscientist applying the insights of my center’s research to the real world, including in classrooms, I hear similar stories from people of all ages expressing a desire to calm their minds, to take baby steps to reduce negative emotions, improve well-being and respond with resilience to factors outside of our control.
Common asthma steroids linked to side effects in adrenal glands
Quoted: To be sure, more physicians are aware of the risk now than in the 1970s, and the standard doses and durations of corticosteroid treatment have been reduced in part because of this risk, said Dr. Douglas Coursin, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. He, too, advises medical alert bracelets for patients on long-term or high-dose treatment.
Comcast, Time Warner deal appears dead
Quoted: UW-Madison telecommunications professor Barry Orton says the federal government was throwing up red flags. He says the justice department and the FCC were sending signals that significant changes would be made.
Energy tracking app developed at UW-Madison
Want to keep track of how environmentally conscious you’re being? There’s an app for that. The MyEarth app launched this week in conjunction with Wednesday’s Earth Day holiday. The app, which was made available on the Apple and Android app stores on Monday, had already been downloaded by roughly 800 people as of Wednesday afternoon.
Iowans eager to see Walker, but wary of possible shifts
Quoted: “If you’re a Democrat, you don’t like the way he gets out of bed in the morning, and if you’re a Republican, you think the way he brushes his teeth will make him a great leader,” said Kenneth Mayer, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Walker supporters think the press has been horribly mean to him, and Democrats in Wisconsin can’t believe the national press hasn’t figured this guy out yet.”
UW researcher says his Ebola vaccine nearing trials on humans
Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka presented his Ebola research at the State Capitol Tuesday. He is conducting it with other international infectious disease specialists who are using funding provided by the Japanese government.
Raining on Scott Walker’s parade: Will his GOP opponents seize on Wisconsin’s gloomy economic outlook?
Quoted: “Certainly a good case can be made that the sum of the Walker administration policies have had the effect of increasing income inequality in Wisconsin,” said Andrew Reschovsky, professor of public affairs and applied economics at UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. UW-Madison political scientist Ken Mayer said ultimately, Walker record’s on the economy may not matter.
CNBC explains: Avian influenza, or bird flu
Noted: That does not mean health officials won’t be watching it, said Keith Poulsen, a veterinary scientist at the University of Wisconsin. Influenza viruses are “dynamic,” he said, and can spread from one species to another quickly if they mutate. But there have been no such cases reported so far.
Ecomodernism: a 21st century environmental philosophy that embraces a “good Anthropocene”.
Quoted: Paul Robbins, director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, says the collection of ideas espoused in the new document couldn’t come at a better time. (He was not involved with writing the manifesto.)
Voices: Wisconsin’s schizo politics a study in polarization
Quoted: Michael Wagner, a political science and journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, agrees that the state’s politics “look pretty schizophrenic to people on the outside — and the inside, too.”
The Guilty Looking Companion
To date, researchers have not found direct support for the claim that dogs look “guilty” in the absence of concurrent scolding, but this doesn’t necessarily mean nothing’s going on. In her book “For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend,” Patricia McConnell, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison comments on what numerous clients have said: “So often people think their dog ‘knows’ she shouldn’t potty in the house because she greets them at the door looking ‘guilty,’ with her head and tail down, her eyes all squinty and submissive” p. 17.
Prosecution to continue calling witnesses in Andrew Steele trial Monday
Walter Dickey, a former professor of law at UW-Madison who also previously led the Wisconsin Division of Corrections, said the case of whether Steele is insane will be tried much like a civil case. Dickey said the burden of proof rests with the defense to prove Steele is, more likely than not, mentally incapacitated.
Yogurt by-product could bring additional profit to dairy companies
Dairy researchers at UW’s Center for Dairy Research are figuring out how acid whey could be beneficial in some other items you consume, as the production of Greek yogurt has taken off in the past several years. Quoted: John Lucey, professor of food science and director of the Center for Dairy Research.
Nearly 5 percent of Madison students opt out of new Common Core state test
Noted: Brad Carl, associate director and researcher at the Value-Added Research Center, said the increased scrutiny can be traced to the tests themselves being unpopular, and that the tests are tied to new Common Core academic standards that are unpopular among some parents.
No additional cases of dog flu in the Madison area, UW-Madison says
Just one Madison-area case has been reported so far so far, confirmed earlier this month. The dog is being treated at home and doing well, said Keith Poulsen of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at UW-Madison.
Stop shaming people on the Internet for grammar mistakes. Its not there fault.
Noted: To find out, I spoke with Maryellen MacDonald, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who studies how the brain processes language. She said that even though your brain knows the grammar rules, other forces override that knowledge. The brain doesn’t just store words like a dictionary does for easy retrieval, it’s more of a network. You start with a concept you want to express and then unconsciously consider several options from its associative grouping and quickly select one. For instance, if you’re explaining how you hit a ball, you might cycle through the concept of a stick, a pole and a bat. Next, your brain will use sound to aid its expression. Here’s where things can get tricky.
Holocaust education prepares for era without eyewitnesses
Quoted: At its best, says Simone Schweber, the Goodman professor of education and Jewish studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose research has focused on Holocaust education, teaching the Holocaust challenges students to examine their own deeply held ideas.
Curing Cancer: UW Health hosting free head & neck cancer screening this Friday
It’s quick, painless and it could save your life. A free screening at UW Health for head and neck cancer is being held this Friday, in observance of Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week. In its eight year history, UW Health doctors have examined nearly 1,000 patients. Quoted: Matthew Witek, assistant professor of radiation oncology.
Know Your Madisonian: Paul Robbins
Q&A with Paul Robbins, director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
Local expert: harsh sentence in CA revenge porn case not enough
MADISON – A harsh sentence for a man who ran a revenge porn website in California could deter others from posting intimate photos of people without their consent, but more is needed to address what one expert believes is the root of the problem.
Chicago canine influenza epidemic traced to Asian strain
UW-Madison veterinary researchers helped confirm an outbreak of a new strain of canine influenza virus, which the current vaccine may not protect against. Dr. Keith Poulsen, a researcher and clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Veterinary Medicine, said getting the vaccine can’t hurt.
Outbreak of dog flu caused by new strain of virus, researchers report
A canine flu outbreak that has sickened hundreds of dogs in the Midwest over the past couple of weeks is caused by a different strain of the virus than was earlier assumed, researchers have now concluded.
Race to modify the DNA of endangered animals and resurrect extinct ones
Noted: Stanley Temple, emeritus professor University of Wisconsin-Madison, believes that even if it works, the de-extinction approach could end up with a net loss of biodiversity, with less charismatic species in particular losing out. “Conservation biologists worry about de-extinction having a destabilising effect. If extinction is not forever, a lot changes… de-extinction might undermine conservation efforts. It could reduce concern over threats to biodiversity by giving us an unfortunate ‘out’,” he says.
John Kasich Charms Unions as Scott Walker Embodies New Republican Antipathy
Quoted: Kasich is following that traditional approach, said William Jones, a University of Wisconsin-Madison labor historian. Walker represents a shift by Republicans, employing more confrontation as union membership, influence and the threat of retaliation has declined.
Atlanta School Workers Sentenced in Test Score Cheating Case
Quoted: Erica O. Turner, an assistant professor of educational policy studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, called the Atlanta sentences “entirely unprecedented.”
Hunting Chimps Offer New View on Evolution
Noted: Travis Pickering, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin, said that with less food available it seems that the Fongoli chimps, “have to be more inventive” and that “these hunting weapons even the playing field for non-adults and females.”
UW professor tells story of Ebola through voices of Liberians
It’s a story that quickly spread across the nation, but one that has not been told from the perspective of those affected in Madison until now. “When the crisis hit Liberia there were fewer than 200 doctors in a country that has the population of about 3.5 million people,” said University of Wisconsin professor Gregg Mitman.
Highly contagious avian flu found at egg-laying facility in Wisconsin
UW-Madison animal sciences professor Mark Cook, an expert on avian health, comments. Noted: the UW-Madison Poultry Research Laboratory has been in lockdown mode since word got out that an avian flu virus was found in turkeys in Arkansas and Missouri several weeks ago.
Chris Rickert: Wisconsin voters opt for balance, democracy on their highest court
Noted: UW-Madison law professor Donald Downs comments.
PETA wants dairy farmers to breed genetically modified cows
Noted: UW-Madison veterinary school professor Sheila McGuirk comments.
More Wisconsin voters welcome increased property taxes to operate schools
Noted: Comment from Andrew Reschovsky, a professor of public affairs and applied economics at the UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs.
To evaluate shootings, experts say, look beyond charging decision
Noted: Comments from UW Law School professor Cecelia Klingele.
Short people’s genes may confer higher heart risk, study shows
Quoted: The message, said Dr. James Stein, a preventive cardiologist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, is that “people who are very short should be more rigorous about their lifestyle and control of their risk factors.”
When surgeons say ‘we can fix it,’ patients may misunderstand risks
Quoted: “As doctors, we really want to help patients to understand what is wrong with them and how to treat it, and that’s really complicated, so the ‘fix-it’ model can simplify the issues for patients,” senior study author Margaret Schwarze, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, said in an email.
Abrahamson Lawsuit Unlikely To Succeed, Says UW-Madison Professor
A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor says he doubts that the lawsuit filed on Wednesday by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will prevent the court’s conservative majority from voting her off the bench’s top spot.
UW researches health impact of e-cigarettes
The University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention is launching a five-year, $3.7 million study looking into the health effects of electronic cigarettes. “Cigarettes have been studied intensively in the U.S. since the 1950s. E-cigarettes have just come on the market really in less than a decade ago,” said Dr. Doug Jorenby, UW-CTRI Director of Clinical Services.
UPDATE: Supreme Court chief justice sues over new, constitutional amendment
Noted: Howard Schweber, a professor of political science and legal studies at UW-Madison, said the chief justice’s position is much like that of an administrator at a private business. . . . Mike Wagner, UW-Madison professor of law and political science, said the chief justice has influence on the high court’s day to day proceedings and opinions.
Memory may suffer in mothers caring for disabled children
Noted: “Keeping quality friendship, sense of control for life and physically active lifestyle would help to protect these parents from accelerated cognitive aging,” said Jieun Song, a researcher at the Waisman Centre at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who led the study.
Video: The History and Science of Meat
Jeff Sindelar, Associate Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, UW-Madison, carves into the history of meat processing from ancient Roman times to present day, highlighting ways the industry developed in Wisconsin over the past 150 years.
A Promising Leukemia Breakthrough: Phase II trial helping first grader live cancer free
The Phase II Trial has gone so well at American Family Children’s Hospital and 8 other health systems, the F.D.A. is fast-tracking the novel immunotherapy treatment approach. Quoted: Christian Capitini, assistant professor of pediatric hematology/oncology.
One Walker legacy: making the political process more favorable to GOP
Quoted: “One side is fundamentally rewriting the rules,” says political scientist Ken Mayer of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Study: Minn. converted more wetlands than any other state when crop prices spiked
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers published a study Thursday in the journal Environmental Research Letters that found corn and soybean prices went sky high between 2008 and 2012, and so did the number of acres that went under the plow in the U.S., including more wetlands in Minnesota than in any other state.
Procedure helps endometriosis patient suffering severe pain
“A lot of physicians normalize their symptoms and this leads to a pretty big delay in patient presentation and when we actually diagnose the disease,” said UW Health’s Dr. Cara King, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, who specializes in minimally invasive gynecological surgery.
Paul Fanlund: My futile search for an upside to online anonymity
Columnist’s take on Yik Yak. Sources include UW professors Dominique Brossard and Kathleen Culver.