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Category: UW Experts in the News

Since taking over the state Legislature, Republicans have moved to restrict local control

Capital Times

But UW-Madison political science professor emeritus Dennis Dresang argued that Republicans prioritizing local control is a fallacy dating back to “day two” of the party ? that is, the iteration following the abolition of slavery. From that point in the party?s history, Dresang said, it has been dominated by moneyed interests as opposed to those espousing small government philosophy.

Sick Again? Why Some Colds Won’t Go Away

Wall Street Journal

Quoted: “At any given moment if we were to swab you?we?d probably come up with five different rhinoviruses sitting in your nose but you?re not sick,” said Ann Palmenberg, a researcher at the Institute of Molecular Virology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Rhinovirus is the most common viral cause of the common cold, accounting for 30% to 50% of adult colds, and there are more than 150 strains of it.

New Wilmington TV station up and running

Wilmington News-Journal

Quoted: There was once a time the FCC?s rule would be interpreted to mean that a station was required to provide a local newscast in the area it served, but the Reagan administration changed that, said Barry Orton, professor of telecommunications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Stations no longer have to create ?programming that isn?t financially viable for them,? he said.

Citizens unite against Citizens United

DeForest Times-Tribune

Noted: The two options for changing the effects of Citizens United are a Constitutional amendment — as Move to Amend is attempting — or a future Supreme Court deciding to reverse the precedent set in the 2010 case, University of Wisconsin – Madison professor Dr. Ken Mayer said in a phone interview.

11 Mobile Apps For Law School Students

Huffington Post

Quoted: ?I?m seeing a print environment developing into an app environment,” says Jenny Zook, reference and instructional services librarian at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “If you look at the top publishers they all offer some kind of app for law students.?

Chris Rickert: Students’ needs a low priority in education bills

Wisconsin State Journal

Carolyn Kelley, a professor of educational leadership and policy analysis at UW-Madison, said she?s not aware of any consensus among researchers on what kind of school calendar best meets children?s educational needs.But she doubted that adding a few minutes to each class period would spur changes in teaching methods enough to cover more content. She also pointed to the well-established finding that ?longer breaks are worse for kids,? especially poor or other ?at-risk? students.

UW-Madison members part of South African dig strike fossil gold

Daily Cardinal

Participating in any archeological expedition requires a lot of skill and expertise in order for it to be successful. However, a dig that recently took place in northeastern South Africa had an especially unique qualification for any potential archeologists or excavators?the ability to squeeze through a tiny space called the International Postbox and repel down into a cavern named The Cradle of Humankind for its remarkable contents approximately 30 meters below.

Does Obama have too much power?

The Columbus Dispatch

Quoted: Many legal analysts believe that Obama is behaving like any other president. Obama?s actions have been ?entirely consistent with past presidents, and the complaints that are coming are almost without exception based on partisanship, which is not to say there are no principled objections you can make on reliance on presidential power,? said Kenneth Mayer, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin.

Butterfly disguise down to single gene

Nature

Quoted: The finding fuels the debate about how mimicry ? which helps to deter would-be predators ? works. ?This is a long-standing mystery in biology,? says Sean Carroll, an evolutionary developmental biologist at the University of Wisconsin?Madison, who was not involved in the study. ?One of the most spectacular phenomena in nature is for two unrelated species to resemble each other.?

3 Dead Simple Ways to Catch a Liar in the Act

TIME.com

Noted: ?We wanted to create a situation where people could choose to lie or not lie, and it would happen naturally,? says the study?s lead author, Lyn M. Van Swol, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Watching how the players interacted, Van Swol and her colleagues at the University of Wisconsin and Harvard concluded that players exhibited three easy ?tells? when they were lying.

Liu Jianfeng Tests New Model for Chinese Journalists

Huffington Post

Noted: Liu?s experiment is an intriguing one, say China watchers. Though citizen journalism is booming in China, and opinions are increasingly easy to find online, Liu is one of the few ?producing serious and factual content,? said Fang Kecheng, a former reporter with the outspoken newspaper Southern Weekly, who is pursuing a PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ?Besides him, there?s barely anyone doing it.?

Chris Rickert: Years needed for casino decision that should be a quick no

Madison.com

Quoted: ?The casino decision has the potential to be controversial,? said UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. ?It is difficult to believe that the governor will have much more information in February than he has today. Moving it back simply avoids contaminating his (November) re-election bid. The casino decision is unlikely to be as consequential in a potential presidential campaign in 2016.?

New Oscar Mayer iPhone alarm lets you wake to sound, smell of sizzling bacon

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “From a marketing standpoint it?s a really interesting way for Oscar Mayer to get themselves to the forefront (of the market) in particular with younger people,” Don Stanley, faculty associate in the college of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also is chief executive and founder of digital marketing firm 3Rhino Media.

On Campus: UW-Madison a partner in Chicago manufacturing lab

Wisconsin State Journal

The newly formed Digital Lab for Manufacturing will develop a variety of digital tools to enhance efficiency and lower the cost of manufactured products. The Defense Department kicked in $70 million to the effort, with companies and research universities throughout the country joining as partners.

Even while adapting, most Wisconsin farmers are climate change skeptics

Capital Times

Most Wisconsin farmers remain skeptical about climate change, although data show they have already begun adapting to shifts in weather patterns. Quoted: Paul Mitchell, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics; and Chris Kucharik, assistant professor of agronomy and Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment