Quoted: “The data breach is an easy thing to point out, but even before the breach they weren?t doing so well. People weren?t shopping there with the type of frequency they had in the past,” said Tom Bakas, who is pursuing an MBA in finance and is participating in the Applied Security Analysis Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Category: UW Experts in the News
Federal judge halts John Doe probe into Walker recall
Quoted: Donald Downs, a professor of political science and law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said he would need to read the ruling before giving full comments. But the news of the ruling stunned him.
Bacon Fest organizers announce new stop on tour
Noted: Brooks Reynolds, co-founder of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival said, “We?re delighted to break bacon with the great people of Wisconsin.” And because Reynolds is nothing if not serious about bacon, he?s already enlisted the advice of Dr. Jeff Sindelar of University of Wisconsin?s Meat Science & Muscle Biology Laboratory to recruit the state?s best bacons for the event.
State finance analysts: Target CEO Steinhafel’s ousting was more than data breach
Quoted: Tom Bakas of the UW-Madison Applied Security Analysis Program said Steinhafel failed in his leadership role, and fewer people were shopping at Target even before last December?s hacking incident.
Court forces out Thai leader, but crisis continues
Quoted: “The credibility of the justice system has vaporized,” said Thongchai Winichakul, a professor of Southeast Asian history at the University of Wisconsin. “The royalist conservatives may celebrate this judicial coup. But the world will mourn over the death of another democracy.”
Deadly Virus Sending More Pigs Straight From County Fairs to Slaughterhouse
Noted: Effective or not, the new recommendations are being taken seriously. In Wisconsin, most fairs are heeding McGraw?s advice and holding terminal shows, says Bernie O?Rourke, an extension youth livestock specialist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Instead of spring weigh-ins at which animals may mingle, some fairs are using DNA testing to verify animals? identities, O?Rourke says.
Stem cells allow new way to create muscle cells
Stem cells were first discovered at the University of Toronto in the 1960s and have since become one of the most promising fields in biological research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the ability to differentiate into a variety of specialized cells under the right conditions.
UW professor considers implications of resurrecting extinct species
The topic of de-extinction is growing and the thought of extinct animals coming back to life is a controversy that has seized the opinions of scientists in today?s age.
Jobs recovery expected to continue, slowly
Quoted: ?I think it?s a reflection of how close we came to the financial markets really melting down and going into another depression,? said Steve Deller, professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Virus Kills Millions of American Pigs, Pushing Up Pork Prices
Quoted: Christopher Olsen, a professor of public health at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and Juergen Richt, a distinguished professor of veterinary medicine at Kansas State University in Lawrence, say PEDv is part of a family of coronaviruses that includes the SARS respiratory virus and others that have jumped from an animal host to humans.
GOP Operative Pulls Election “Shenanigans” In New York House Race
Quoted: “It would not surprise me if this [was] an effort to fracture the progressive vote,” says Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who specializes in electoral politics. “It is a competitive district, so drawing even a small number of votes away from Robertson could [have] help[ed] ensure Reed?s reelection.”
Flies could hold the key to understanding brain injuries in humans, UW researchers find
David Wassarman, professor of cell and regenerative biology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, described flies as ?humans with wings? at the McArdle Seminar in Cancer Biology Wednesday.
UW collaborators point out disparity in sphere of digital learning
At a time when many resources and homework assignments are increasingly only available online, families and students without access to computers or Internet face a large disadvantage.
Dorms scarce in housing boom
Noted: Housing staff at the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin said student housing is exploding near their campuses.
As cable customers get traded, no high marks for service
Quoted: If the deal goes through, some hassles are likely for current Time Warner Cable subscribers. For example, Barry Orton, a University of Wisconsin-Madison telecommunications professor, said it is likely that those who use “rr.com” email addresses provided by Time Warner eventually would have to switch to “@charter.net” addresses.
Students look to continue UW’s role in stem cell research
Since being the site of the first place to isolate stem cells in non-human primates, the University of Wisconsin has continued to pave the way for scientific research in the field.
Beach closures highlight algae, bacteria threats in Wisconsin
Quoted: ?They are flatlining,? said Steve Carpenter, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who has studied the Yahara lakes since the 1970s. ?There are no trends in the lakes. The lake water quality is not getting better. It?s not getting notably worse. It?s as if the interventions we?re doing are just holding the line, running in place like the red queen in Alice in Wonderland.?
Comcast to sell Milwaukee-area Time Warner Cable system to Charter
Quoted: One thing likely to change is the number of cable jobs in the state, said Barry Orton, a University of Wisconsin-Madison telecommunications professor. Job reductions probably will occur, he said.
Comcast-Charter deal is just latest serving of TVs consolidation recipe
Quoted: Such actions are “interrelated only in that they are part of the bigger pattern of media consolidation and competition for the subscriber attention and dollar,” said Barry Orton, professor of telecommunications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW researchers discover how neurons communicate
As people begin reading this sentence, vesicles, or packages within cells transporting cargo-like neurotransmitters, are being released instantly and rapidly over a chain of nerves connecting their eyes to their brain, helping them view and process the words on the page.
Prompting of NE Portland students during standardized testing was at odds with Oregon guidelines
Quoted: James Wollack, the director of testing and evaluation services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the kind of help described in the report is troubling.
You Ask, We Answer: Can more than one cable company serve the Sheboygan market?
Quoted: ?Rates have kept going up just like they?ve always gone up,? said Barry Orton, a telecommunications professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ?One iron law of economics is that cable rates never go down.?
Unrest surfaces in Republican ranks
Quoted: Both Republican and Democratic conventions typically feature a tension between mainstream and more radical elements of the party, but that has become a more difficult balancing act for Republicans since the rise of the tea party in 2010, said Barry Burden, a UW-Madison political science professor and expert on state politics.
Michigan mom ‘at wit’s end’ charged with trying to kill teen with autism
Noted: Such hopelessness is common among mothers of children with autistm, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A 2009 study by the college found the women, who handle most of the child-rearing duties, have stress levels comparable to combat soldiers. They also suffer from chronic fatigue.?This is the physiological residue of daily stress,? said Marsha Mailick, director of the school?s Waisman Center.
Family: U. of Utah?s sperm swap probe was ?biased … incomplete?
Noted: University of Wisconsin law professor and medical ethicist R. Alta Charo was asked by the U. to provide an outside perspective on the committee?s process for generating the report and to review a draft of the report. After reading the final report Thursday, Charo told The Tribune via email that the committee?s ethical reasoning is sound (see box).
Neanderthals Likely Lived in Small, Isolated Groups, Scientists Say
Noted: A subsequent study, however, asserted that Neanderthals and modern humans rarely mated with each other, if ever, and that their similar genomes were simply the result of having a common ancestor. ?We don?t know where, and we don?t know when, and we don?t know how often,? John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said in reference to interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans. Some scientists want to believe it was essentially an unrepeated ?one-night stand,? he added, while others want to believe that ?every time they met they couldn?t keep their hands off each other.?
Harsh winter brings late but intense allergy season
Noted: Dr. Mark Moss is an allergy specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and he said once there are warm and windy days things will be pretty intense.
HBO’s John Oliver begins his weekly comedy series ‘Last Week Tonight’ on Sunday
Quoted: “John Oliver does bring something kind of different,” said Jonathan Gray, a media and cultural studies professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. “The ?Daily Show? is primarily about American politics and so much about John Oliver?s shtick reminds you that he?s not an American. It?s not the insider humor of Stewart. It?s more of an outsider?s observations. Sometimes they may look similar, but I think it can allow for a different kind of comic sensibility.”
Beach bummer: Closures highlight algae, bacteria threats in Madison-area lakes
Includes quotes from UW prof Steve Carpenter.
Teachers are losing their jobs, but Teach for America?s expanding. What?s wrong with that?
?I?m really troubled by public dollars going to TFA at the same moment teachers are being let go,? says Gloria Ladson-Billings, a professor of education and race theory at the University of Wisconsin.
What Happens When Kraft Recalls 96,000 Pounds Of Hot Dogs?
Kraft Foods is recalling 96,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer Classic Wieners because the packages may instead contain Classic Cheese Dogs, which are made with milk – a known allergen. Adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Meat and Muscle Biology Lab and former fellow at the Oscar Mayer Division of Kraft Foods describes how this happens and how a company like Kraft recalls tons of hot dogs.
Back Story: How We Found the Income Data
Noted: Timothy Smeeding, the founder of the Luxembourg group, who now teaches at the University of Wisconsin, has done academic work that comes the closest to the kind of analysis we wanted.
Neanderthals Lived in Small, Isolated Populations, Gene Analysis Shows
Quoted: “The paper describes some very interesting evolutionary dynamics,” said paleoanthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Academic Probation Recovery Program resembles other Big Ten schools
Quoted: Susan Beth Koenig, assistant dean of Letters and Science Student Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said each school or college works differently.
Could the Game of Thrones poisoning happen in real life?
Quoted: Both Marsha Ford, director of the Carolinas Poison Center, and Deborah Blum, a professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin and author of The Poisoner?s Handbook, think that cyanide is the closest match.
How Rwanda’s Paul Kagame Exploits U.S. Guilt
Quoted: “There has to be an uncompromising position on opening up political space in the country and ending the destabilization of the Congo,” said Scott Straus, a University of Wisconsin political scientist. “I don?t think it will be easy, but more of the same isn?t going to work.”
Herb Kohl had great return on Bucks investment – but could have done better
Quoted: David Brown, professor of finance.
NSF Pulls Support for Quake Observatory
Quoted: ?Given all the money and time invested, in my opinion it would be wise to finish the job,? says seismologist Cliff Thurber of the University of Wisconsin?Madison, who organized a 31 March letter of support for the project signed by 36 scientists. Mark Zoback, a geophysicist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., who was one of SAFOD?s original principal investigators, calls the NSF?s decision short-sighted.
UW researchers collect insects and marine wildlife in hopes of c
Many medical experts believe the world is facing a global public health crisis. Every year the Center for Disease Control says more than two million patients in hospitals get infections that are resistant to antibiotics.
The impact of ultrasounds on fathers
When you think of a pregnancy ultrasound you probably think about the mother. But, what is it like to be the other half?
Baby gorilla dies less than month after birth at Milwaukee County Zoo
A complete necropsy will be performed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. In a paper published this year, a team of researchers led by Tony Goldberg of the SVM concluded that the previous death of an orangutan at the zoo raised concerns about the health of captive apes in similar settings.
Thomas Piketty Speech: The Economics Sensation Visits New York
Noted: At the outset to his presentation, the University of Wisconsin?s Steven Durlauf pledged to play ?spoilsport? and bring a ?nerdy perspective.? He did not disappoint.
Waisman Center helps adolescents with autism transition into adulthood
One in 68 children in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder, and the University of Wisconsin?s Waisman Center is researching what happens to these individuals as they reach adulthood and adolescence.
Increased green space helps conquer the blues
According to a new study by state researchers, the color green should no longer be associated with envy, but with happiness.
Digital humanities and the future of technology in higher ed.
Noted: And, finally, some digital humanists also study the relationship between culture and technology as a primary source. Jesse Stommel, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin?Madison and director of Hybrid Pedagogy, calls it ?using humanities tools to investigate? technological issues.
UW-Madison researchers develop new technology to diagnose asthma
Students and researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed an easier, cheaper and more efficient way to diagnose asthma, according to university news release.
More People Pick Elimination Diets to Discover Food Sensitivities
Noted: Once there, the proteins come into contact with large numbers of immune cells that live just below the intestinal wall, says Dave Rakel, director of the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program at the School of Medicine and Public Health.
Copy and Paste: Public radio station hit with plagiarism allegations
Quoted: University of Wisconsin professor Robert Drechsel, who directs the school?s Center for Journalism Ethics, says that the initial mentioning of The Hill news story in Martinez? reporting isn?t sufficient enough attribution for her to use what comes later.
UW Professor Says Make First Two Years Of College Free
Students should be allowed to go to a public university for two years…for free. That?s according to an education policy professor, who says the proposal would make college more affordable and accessible.
The inventor of everything
Noted: I later run his comments by three experts, including professors in quantum chemistry and zeolite catalysts. They tell me Cheiky?s got his science a bit mixed up and is making exaggerated claims. But it?s not until I call the University of Wisconsin that I really find the smoking gun. I reach William Banholzer, PhD, a chemical engineer who previously spent eight years as the chief technology officer at Dow Chemical. “I actually use Cool Planet as a teaching example of outrageous claims that defy common sense,” Banholzer says.
Videographer who captured Wisconsin senator talking about super PACs vows more oversight
Quoted: Michael Wagner is an assistant professor of journalism and mass communications at the University of Wisconsin who researches media and democracy. He said the impact of such videos might be fewer people willing to run for public office, more guarded speech by politicians or more partisan politics.
Are Touchscreens Melting Your Kid?s Brain?
Quoted: An app that teaches your kid his ABCs isn?t the same as a television cartoon, but the AAP is probably right to be conservative with its advice. ?Researchers know almost nothing about the impact of touchscreen technology on young children,? says Heather Kirkorian, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who is trying to find some answers. ?Our society is running a large-scale experiment with real children in the real world, and we won?t know the impact, if any, for many years to come.?
Q and A: UW doctor says it’s too soon to say if soccer headers can lead to brain trauma
So I turned to the UW-Madison?s experts database to see who might know something more about this research as it relates to soccer, and I found Dr. David Bernhardt.
You Feel Closer to Your Destination Even When You’re Not
Noted: Sam Maglio and Evan Polman, of the University of Toronto and University of Wisconsin-Madison, respectively, recently hit the streets of Toronto and Vancouver and interviewed pedestrians at strategically chosen subway stops, crosswalks, and a mall. Their questions gauged people?s feelings of proximity to things based on the direction they were headed. Over five studies, which tested both physical and emotional senses of closeness, they arrived at some surprising results:
How positive thinking can trip into costly delusion
Quoted: It?s generally a good idea to stay away from any situation that you know you could not sustain long-term, says Justin Sydnor, a behavior economist at the University of Wisconsin.
Yale to Student: Gain weight or leave school
Quoted: Danielle Oakley, director of mental health services at University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, agrees that treating students with eating disorders can be difficult, but is essential.
UW professor produces PBS series to air Wednesday night
Sean Carroll, a University of Wisconsin professor turned TV producer, wants more people to identify with their inner fish.
Chris Rickert: Another converter box? Maybe I’ll wait for the eyeglasses
The latest switchover isn?t about forcing stations to broadcast digitally ? all of them already are ? but about how cable companies ?deliver programming to subscribers? TV sets,? according to UW-Madison telecommunications professor Barry Orton.
UW Study finds cause of canine tremors
A team of researchers led by Ian Duncan, professor of neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, reported last November in the journal glia that they have found the genetic basis for canine tremor disorder. Their findings hold implications for dog owners, dog breeders, and families of individuals with certain disorders.
Schreiber Foods adds distribution facility in Richland Center
Noted: The Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison says 83% of households in the U.S. are buying yogurt and three-quarters of them are repeat customers.