Category: UW Experts in the News

Quoted: “You don?t measure the greatness of a military by the end number of pieces of hardware you possess. You judge it by the capability it possesses,” said John W. Hall, an assistant professor of U.S. military history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Noted: That said, it could have simply been Mr. Romney trying to show a friendly persona, said Dietram Scheufele, a communications professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The last debate between President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney may not have provided a clear winner but provided insight into both contenders? views on foreign policy.

Quoted: Early voting isn?t new, but it?s caught on quickly, said Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Quoted: ?We can talk to infants, but at least initially they aren?t going to understand what the words mean,? said Dr Paula Niedenthal, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin who led the study.

Quoted: Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin political scientist who studied early voting in his state, early voting is just “a convenience for people who likely would have voted anyway.”

Quoted: “For all we know, it could be the obesity that makes (the children) have higher BPA levels,” says Ellen Connor, an associate professor of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Quoted: “These kinds of food systems can generate jobs,” as well as help small farms, noted Sharon Lezberg, associate scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “There?s a whole host of benefits.”

Noted: Thompson?s electability was once assured based on his name recognition and vast likability in the state as a moderate conservative dating back to his years as governor. That shifted during the Republican primary, when he took hard right positions that many perceived as catering to national trends in his party, says Dennis Dresang, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Those positions helped Baldwin portray him early in the race as unreliable and dogmatic.

Noted: Joseph Peterson, a professor in the University of Wisconsin geology department, and his colleagues took CT scans of the skulls and compared the distribution of lesions to those on the skulls of birds, crocodilians, and mammals – particularly mammals with horns.

Noted: University of Wisconsin?Madison ecologist Stephen Carpenter has for years studied how critical transitions can be used to keep invasive species from overtaking healthy habitats. Using the food chain at Peter Lake on the Wisconsin?Michigan border as a test bed, Carpenter and his colleagues over several years introduced dozens of largemouth bass into the algae-infested water.

A new Marquette Law School Poll finds the presidential race tied in Wisconsin, with President Barack Obama at 49 percent and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 48 percent among likely voters. The race for U.S. Senate is also a dead heat, with former Governor Tommy Thompson at 46 percent and Rep. Tammy Baldwin at 45 percent. Two weeks ago, before the first presidential debate, Obama held an 11-point lead and Baldwin was narrowly ahead by four percentage points. The new poll was conducted October 11-14, before the second presidential debate.

A professor at UW-Madison weighs in on Tuesday nights presidential debate and looks ahead to Mondays final show-down between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

Quoted: “Their economic future isn?t very bright,” says Timothy Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin?Madison. “Wages and income are flat. Transportation, childcare costs, and healthcare costs are going up, and your income isn?t.”

Noted: The debate is important because ?the archaeological record is very stingy,? says the study?s lead author, paleoanthropologist Travis Pickering of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. So evidence on how humans got their food ?is one of the few things we can ? extrapolate from to talk about cognition and sophistication and social organization.?

Noted: One thing?s for sure, tonight?s town-hall style format between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney will look much different than their first meeting. Also, University of Wisconsin-Madison Political Scientist Barry Burden says the first debate changed the dynamic of the campaign, with Romney coming out ahead.

Quoted: ?In recent years, as prices fell in many markets… many were faced with the prospect of selling for less than they paid,? says Justin Sydnor, assistant professor in the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Noted: Sauteed in butter on a skillet, hen of the woods tastes like . . . well . . . chicken. Packed with vitamins and minerals, the mushroom can also be crumbled and eaten raw in salads. Dried, it?s added to soups or steeped for tea, which is described by Tom Volk, a University of Wisconsin mycologist, as “quasi-delicious.”

Quoted: Joanne Cantor, a professor emerita in communication science at the University of Wisconsin, called the study ?really interesting,? in part because the researchers used an objective measure ? cortisol ? to compare gender-based reactions to bad news.

Quoted: ?Overall, there?s an important effect and important contribution of the Hispanic population,? says Katherine Curtis, assistant professor of community and environmental sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Quoted: Steven Deller, an economist, and Charles Franklin, a political scientist, both of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Quoted: Stephen Ward, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.