Noted: State budget analysis by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Andrew Reschovsky.
Category: UW Experts in the News
Public Union Strife Redefining Wisconsin’s Identity : NPR
In Wisconsin, the partisan fight over public union rights is changing the culture of the state. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks with political science professor Kathy Walsh from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Could Dumb Reality Shows Make Us More Stupid? – Jezebel
According to a new study, the entertainment we consume can influence our emotions and behavior. Joanne Cantor, a psychologist and professor of communication arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison explains that this may be because what we?ve just been thinking about is, “at a higher level in your consciousness, so your brain is kind of predisposed in that direction.”
Biz Beat: Governors have little control over job numbers, says UW econ group
Gov. Scott Walker has vowed that Wisconsin, on his watch, will generate 250,000 new private sector jobs by 2015 — a promise being followed closely by both the governor?s supporters and detractors. But a report released Friday by a liberal UW-Madison think tank says governors actually have little control over job creation in today?s global economy.
Quoted: Joel Rogers, director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategies
Chris Rickert: When did paying for things get to be so complicated?
Quoted: Jerry O?Brien, executive director of The Kohl?s Department Stores Center for Retailing Excellence at UW-Madison.
Ask the Weather Guys: What is the heat index?
Quoted: Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Curiosities: How dangerous are the poisonous snakes of southwest Wisconsin?
Quoted: Scott Craven, a UW-Madison professor of wildlife and forest ecology.
Census data shows more homes led by single dads
Quoted: Katherine Curtis, a demographic specialist and faculty affiliate of the Applied Population Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin.
GAB finalizes list of candidates for GOP recalls
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Campus Connection: Ex-agent says Bush White House asked CIA to spy on prof
Remember the outrage generated earlier this year when the Republican Party of Wisconsin made UW-Madison professor William Cronon a target of an open records request, a move roundly criticized as an attempt to intimidate an academic for offering his perspective on political issues? Apparently, as far as political payback goes, things could have been worse. Much worse.
Madison Muslims continue search for new mosque site, after Sun Prairie flap
Quoted: That such accusations would become central to this issue is no surprise. Robert Howard, the UW-Madison professor of communications and religious studies, sees it as an amalgam of disparate forces, including: Wisconsin?s current political polarization, U.S. foreign policy in the Mideast, and recent discriminatory spats over mosques in other places.
Dads deserve more credit than ever this Father’s Day (WTMJ-TV)
Quoted: “Fathers who live in ?two-earner households? are becoming more involved,” said David Riley, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at UW-Madison. “They are more involved in housework and in helping to rear the children.”
Yellow left-turn signals get their chance to shine
Quoted: “I don?t even think you can quantify how many have been installed in the past six months, because the installations are happening so rapidly,” says David Noyce, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin. “We are approaching where either every state has implemented it or is thinking about it.”
Minorities now officially a majority in Brazil
Quoted: At the time, “there was a lot of anxiety at the elite level about race,” Reid Andrews, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, told CNN.
High-tech inhaler from Madison company would help doctors track asthma attacks
GPS can help a tourist find the way around a strange city, tell trucking companies where their vehicles are, and guide farmers in planting their crops efficiently. Now, a young Madison company is out with a GPS-equipped product to treat asthma. Asthmapolis has developed an inhaler fitted with a GPS device and a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone. David Van Sickle, an asthma epidemiologist and honorary associate fellow at UW-Madison, came up with the idea of tracking when, where and how often asthma patients reach for the medication device.
Chris Rickert: Supreme Court decision raises more questions than it answers
Quoted: Howard Schweber, UW-Madison associate professor of political science and legal studies.
Sowing the seeds: Can Wisconsin uprising grow nationwide movement?
A growing sense of determination to change the balance of power in Wisconsin can be weighed in the profusion of organizations ? many new, some existing ? that lined up to counter the Walker agenda: Wisconsin Wave, We Are Wisconsin, United Wisconsin, Defend Wisconsin, Defending Wisconsin, Recall the Republican 8 and more. They joined labor unions in mounting a sometimes dizzying spin of actions that were noisy, messy and exuberant.
None of the organizations is dominant now, but the absence of tight organizational structure is not necessarily a barrier to success, says Pamela Oliver, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of sociology who researches protest dynamics.
Brad Taylor: Inertia will consume UW without Martin
Losing UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin to Amherst College is a major blow to our special Madison institution.
Deal expected to save broadband money for UW
The state Assembly is expected to undo a part of the state budget proposal that would have forced the University of Wisconsin to turn down about $40 million in federal money to help pay for broadband services. The budget-writing Joint Finance Committee approved forcing the University of Wisconsin System to return the money and no longer support WiscNet, a non-profit cooperative that brings high-speed Internet services to about 75 percent of public schools in Wisconsin and nearly all public libraries.
Improving the Security of Cloud Computing (MIT Technology Review)
Quoted: “This allows you to check on your situation in the cloud,” says Thomas Ristenpart, a computer scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a coauthor of the paper that described the Amazon weakness. “It?s a way of doing detection on when you actually have a physical server to yourself.”
Abigail Adams letter found stashed in desk
Quoted: Nonetheless, it was painful to leave. Abigail Adams came to enjoy European culture and the mansions she lived in, said John P. Kaminski, an Adams scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Tough start for first lady Tonette Walker
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor.
For Calgarian, device delivers sight and hope (Calgary Herald)
Noted: “What was a surprise was when the congenitally blind people were capable, just operating with 400 pressure points on the back, they could recognize human faces. There was big noise about this in the beginning of the ?70s. Hundreds of publications around the globe wrote about Paul Bachy-Rita and his device, about how people can see from skin. That was great proof and great success,” says Yuri Danilov from the University of Wisconsin?s Tactile Communication and Neurorehabilitation Lab.
Scientists probe DNA of E. coli for outbreak clues (AP)
Frederick Blattner of the University of Wisconsin, who has analyzed the new sequence information, said the toxin released by the German E. coli seemed extremely potent.
Footnote: Feingold would rank as freshman upon Senate return
Quoted: David Canon, a UW-Madison political science professor.
Solidarity, meet Tea Party
The aggressive protest tactics and arrests of late remind Charles Franklin, political science professor at UW-Madison, of other recent moments of intense political heat: tea party protests.
Future ownership of Overture Center no longer clear
Quoted: Andrew Taylor, director of UW-Madison?s Bolz Center for Arts Administration.
Ask the Weather Guys: What is a heat burst?
Quoted: Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Curiosities: Which is better for weight loss and heart health: running or cycling?
Quoted: Ronnie Carda, a faculty associate in kinesiology at UW-Madison.
Scientists probe DNA of E. coli for outbreak clues
Quoted: Frederick Blattner of the University of Wisconsin.
State Democrats announce plan to keep recalls on Aug. 9
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Assess the Class, Not the Kid
About the author: Beth Graue, a former kindergarten teacher, is a professor of early childhood education and the associate director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Wisconsin Democrats Say Plan Will Thwart GOP Manipulation (AP)
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said he understood why Democrats would try a placeholder tactic but he didn?t think it would have much effect on the overall elections.
Animal groups ask DA to investigate mice fights at UW
Two animal rights groups are asking Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne to look into whether researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison broke the law in their studies of aggressive behavior.
UW Scientists Work To Create Healthier Potato
What do Americans love more than French fries and potato chips? Not much-but perhaps we love them more than we ought to. Fat and calories aside, both foods contain high levels of a compound called acrylamide, a potential carcinogen.
In battle against ash borer, wasps may be saviors
Quoted: Ken Raffa, a professor of entomology with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison scientists create low-acrylamide potato lines
What do Americans love more than French fries and potato chips? Not much-but perhaps we love them more than we ought to. Fat and calories aside, both foods contain high levels of a compound called acrylamide, a potential carcinogen. University of Wisconsin-Madison plant geneticist Jiming Jiang, a professor of horticulture, has a solution. As described in the current issue of Crop Science, his lab has developed a promising new kind of potato that helps cut acrylamide, an innovation he created with support from USDA-ARS plant physiologist Paul Bethke, an assistant professor of horticulture.
WisBusiness.com: WisBusiness: Expert sees room to improve Wisconsin’s long-term economic prospects
Wisconsin?s economy is faring pretty well in the short term, but the long-term outlook looks shakier. At the Wisconsin Real Estate and Economic Outlook Conference at the Fluno Center in Madison Thursday, University of Wisconsin Foundation president and CEO Michael Knetter said Wisconsin has been swimming too slowly as global tides shift to technology-based economies. ?Our economic growth outlook as a state is not great in terms of the long-term fundamentals,? Knetter, former dean of the Wisconsin School of Business, told WisBusiness.com after his speech. Controversy has raged over the past few months over Walker?s efforts to curb collective bargaining for public employees, give the UW-Madison control over its own spending and policies and cut government services.
Wis. researchers use wasps to fight beetle
Wisconsin researchers have released tiny parasitic wasps as part of an effort to slow the population growth of a destructive beetle species that has destroyed millions of trees. University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologists released 800 stingless Asian wasps from four plastic cups at the Riveredge Nature Center in Newburg Wednesday, so they can feast on the larvae of the emerald ash borer.
Survey: State business leaders optimistic about economy
Quoted: Andrew Reschovsky, UW-Madison economics professor at the La Follette School of Public Affairs, and Ken Mayer, political science professor also with the UW?s La Follette school.
Popularity Offers Challenges for Community Colleges (Education Week)
Quoted: The recent spotlight on community colleges has also drawn attention to their shortcomings, says Sara Goldrick-Rab, an assistant professor of educational policy studies and sociology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. ?These are schools with lots of problems,? she says. ?It makes people wonder why should we support them if they have such low graduation rates.?
Ex-Cheney aide gets into patent fight
Noted: But Wisconsin interests are identified with the opposition?and proponents of the bill said this has been an influence on Sensenbrenner. Just last week, Dr. Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of a University of Wisconsin-related foundation?the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), a major leader in technology transfer?spoke out strongly against the bill.
Scientists try wasps to save ash trees
Quoted: It?s too early to say whether the wasps will work, and determining results could take years, says Ken Raffa, a professor of entomology with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In battle against ash borer, wasps may be the saviors (The Oshkosh Northwestern)
Quoted: None of the wasps sting, or otherwise pester humans, but they feed on emerald ash borer larva and eggs, says Ken Raffa, a professor of entomology with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Coffee prices rise but drinkers keep on sipping
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison economist Kyle Stiegert said the problem comes down to consumers? increasing demand for coffee products worldwide as the available supply fluctuates with weather conditions.
Grain bins: A long-term gain for farmers
Quoted: Randall Fortenbery, the outgoing agribusiness, agricultural and applied economics director at Renk Agribusiness Institute at UW-Madison.
Conservative group files complaint against Sumi
Quoted: University of Wisconsin Law School professor Howard Schweber has said that some of the criticism leveled against Sumi amounts to calling her biased because she filed a brief saying she was not biased.
Climate Change Impact: Underestimated? (Discovery News)
Quoted: “Were underestimating in potentially very significant ways the magnitude of impact,” said Katherine Curtis, a sociologist and demographer at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “Were missing millions of people.”
David J. Mladenoff: No fire sale for North Woods mine
Column by David Mladenoff, a professor of forest biology at UW-Madison.
Caution has become the norm for farmers
Quoted: Bruce Jones, a professor of agriculture and applied economics at UW-Madison
Ask the Weather Guys: What are light beams coming from clouds called?
Quoted: Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Curiosities: How are artificial hip joints tested?
Quoted: Heidi-Lynn Ploeg, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Madison.
Divorce can hurt kids’ math scores, friendships
Young children of divorce are not only more likely to suffer from anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem and sadness, they experience long-lasting setbacks in interpersonal skills and math test scores, new research suggests. Children do not fall behind their peers in these areas during the potentially disruptive period before their parents divorce, the study revealed. Instead, it?s after the split that kids seem to have the most trouble coping. “Somewhat surprisingly, children of divorce do not experience detrimental setbacks in the pre-divorce period,” noted study author Hyun Sik Kim, a doctoral candidate in the department of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Climate Change Impact: Underestimated? (Discovery News)
Quoted: Katherine Curtis, a sociologist and demographer at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
State’s certified capital proposal put on hold
Mentions a 2010 report written by Donald A. Nichols, a retired University of Wisconsin-Madison economics professor.
Loved by Republicans, loathed by Democrats, Scott Walker remains in a political class by himself
Quoted: Polling expert Charles Franklin of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Democrats at convention target Walker, Ryan
Quoted: Political scientist Charles Franklin of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Health Officials: Cell Phones Might Pose Cancer Risk
Quoted: Local researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said that the findings make sense since cell phone radio waves are proven to increase brain activity. But are cell phone users buying it? “It?s radio signals, it?s all radio,” said cell phone user Dave Scalia. “We get radio signals all the time. So there?s actually no proof of (health risks). Until there?s definitive proof, I?m not going to really care about it.”
Realtors Hope Home Prices Have Bottomed Out
Quoted: Morris Davis, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, said the hit on housing prices in the area isn?t as bad as the nation?s average.
Sending racy pics has gone from shameful to standard (am New York)
Quoted: The broadcasting of body parts is also a part of the ?everybody wants to be famous? age, added Joanne Cantor, director of the Center for Communication Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.