Quoted: Deborah Mitchell is with the Center for Brand and Product Management at the Wisconsin School of Business, at the UW-Madison. She says the gas card promotion works because it tackles travelers’ fears over high gas prices head on.
MADISON, Wis. — As hundreds gear up to support breast cancer research at this weekend?s Race for the Cure, thousands of breast cancer survivors in Wisconsin are paying their success forward through a unique research project on the University of Wisconsin campus.
Researchers are looking at when a woman may be most vulnerable to environmental hazards during her life, specifically the stages of childhood, adolescence and menopause. It?s what researchers call “windows of susceptibility.”
“Many studies have been done on environmental exposures, but studies have focused on recent exposures and how they relate to breast cancer risks,” said Dr. Amy Trentham-Dietz, a cancer epidemiologist at UW.
As I watch many valued colleagues leave the University of Wisconsin-Madison for other institutions, I react with dismay. Not at them, but at the lack of any substantive educational vision that now seems to pervade the governor?s officer and the Legislature.
We do a disservice to any serious understanding of the importance of education if we simply see it as a vocational path to more money and jobs. When the governor said that he didn?t need to finish college because he already had a job, he demonstrated how limited was his view of education as a self-making process.
Jeff Kirsch knows what it?s like to stand on stage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and for the last few years he has helped teens from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado make it there. This year, Kirsch, director of the Spanish and Portuguese Independent Learning program in the UW-Madison division of continuing studies, is coaching two students and is spending this week in Washington, D.C., cheering them on. In addition to coaching Waunakee?s Parker Dietry this spring, Kirsch has spent about six months tutoring David Phan, a third-time contestant in the national bee from Boulder, Colo.
Quoted: A UW-Madison electrical engineering professor pointed out that wireless Bluetooth devices emit similar frequencies as cell phones, but with less power. Nader Behdad says people who are concerned should use wired headsets.
Quoted: “It?s hard for me to believe there won?t be a handful of travelers who ate contaminated food in a restaurant,” said Dr. Dennis Maki, an infectious disease expert and professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine. “I?ll be surprised if we don?t have a few cases.”
Noted: The episode was a reminder of the stakes involved in data security?and an indicator that many organizations are not protecting themselves well enough. “When it comes to all of these security problems, companies aren?t spending up front but have to spend a lot of money on the back end to fix things,” says Thomas Ristenpart, a computer security researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Quoted: “It shows historically that the military and civilian society are trying to bridge the gap,” said Donald Downs, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and coauthor of a new book about the ROTC.
Quoted: The shortage ?is concerning,? said Dr. Herbert Chen, leader of the endocrine cancer disease group at the University of Wisconsin, who estimates he prescribes the drug to 75 percent of his patients before treatment. ?We want to be able to offer the best therapies to our patients, and Thyrogen is part of that algorithm.?
Quoted: UW-Madison economist Andrew Reschovsky, an expert on school finance.
Quoted: Andrew Taylor, director of UW-Madison?s Bolz Center for Arts Administration.
Quoted: James Smith, who conducts the University Symphony Orchestra at UW-Madison.
Quoted: Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Quoted: Hussain Bahia, a paving expert and professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW-Madison.
Quoted: John Hall, UW-Madison?s military historian.
What?s love got to do with it, this coupling of plant and passion? You can blame, or credit, the other Darwin, said Theresa Kelley, a UW-Madison English professor, expert on plants in romanticism and author of the forthcoming book, “Clandestine Marriage: Botany and Romantic Culture.”
Noted: A 2009 study by the UW-Madison Program on Agricultural Technology Studies that says immigrants account for 40 percent of the state?s dairy labor force, up from 5 percent 10 years earlier.
Parker Dietry didn?t know what he was in for when he walked away as the state?s champion speller in March.In the past two months, the 14-year-old Waunakee eighth-grader has exchanged video games for word lists and gets to shoot hoops only if he?s simultaneously spelling words such as ?feijoada? and ?ferrochromium.? But he?s optimistic the time he?s devoted to studying and spelling ? about 25 to 30 hours a week ? will pay off this week as he heads to Washington, D.C., for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. His efforts have meant working with Jeff Kirsch, director of the Spanish and Portuguese Independent Learning program in the UW-Madison division of continuing studies.
Quoted: That?s in line with other polls, said Charles Franklin, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-founder of the polling site Pollster.com.
Quoted: “Detecting antibodies to the virus is important because that will tell us much more about the infectivity of the virus and also tell us if the fish has been exposed to VHS in the past or just recently,” said Anna Wilson, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a researcher in the VHS project.
Quoted: Andrew Reschovsky, an economics professor at UW-Madison?s La Follette School of Public Affairs, understands why people get confused about Wisconsin?s budget deficit. “The concepts are complicated, and the terms get defined differently by different people.”
Quoted: UW-Madison meteorology professor Gregory Tripoli says the jet stream is being further energized by temperature contrasts on the other side of the globe, in Asia.
Metro Transit?s embrace of green technology keeps rolling as riders can now plan their trips using Google Maps and use GPS data to track bus locations and arrival times on smartphones and PCs. Metro is also promoting applications created by third parties. Aleksandr Dobkin, a UW-Madison graduate, developed a Bus Radar application for Android, while Jignesh Patel, also a UW-Madison graduate, developed an app called Locomatix for iPhone and Blackberry.
Quoted: UW-Madison School of Business professor Ramon Aldag.
MADISON (WKOW) — Experts say this is probably the most violent year of storms in half a century. That is not necessarily because there have been more storms but because those storms are hitting more populated areas. Greg Tripoli, UW-Madison Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences Professor, says there is a “perfect storm” of factors that explain what is happening.
Jignesh Patel is a professor of computer science at UW-Madison. He says after 9-11 the FCC enacted the E911 mandate, requiring wireless carriers to provide emergency personnel with more precise location services.
Quoted: In effect, a Democratic senate takeover would “put the brakes on what otherwise would be a runaway train,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison political expert Charles Franklin, referring to a Republican-dominated redistricting process.
Quoted: “We need to plan for this proportion of children needing services,” Maureen Durkin, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Reuters Health.
Quoted: Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Quoted: Tony Goldberg, an expert on emerging diseases and a professor of pathobiological sciences in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
Experts says the study results do not necessarily warrant any reversal in thinking among those opposed to the procedure. “What this doesn?t tell us is anything regarding the relative risk of having a partner who?s circumcised vs. uncircumcised,” said Dr. Jonathan L. Temte, professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a voting member on the CDC?s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. “I don?t think this changes the argument very much regarding pros vs. cons on circumcision.”
Quoted: Andrew Reschovsky of the LaFollette School of Public Affairs.
Jeremi Suri has fielded outside job offers before. But in the past, the history professor always turned down more lucrative overtures to remain at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. That changed this week when the highly regarded expert of international history and American foreign policy decided to take his talents to the University of Texas at Austin.
….”Quite frankly, I feel guilty about leaving,” says Suri. “I’ve been treated very well here. But I also think this shows the need for granting (UW-Madison) more flexibilities. And if our institution isn’t given the resources or allowed more flexibility from state oversight, we’re going to be stuck in place. I’m very worried about future retention here and having the resources to do the kinds of innovative work that’s necessary to remain a great university.”
The lichen ? hardy, humble and ubiquitous ? was spotlighted this week as an addition to the very limited potential arsenal available for war against chronic wasting disease in wildlife. In Wisconsin, the fatal disease has led to massive culling of the whitetail deer herd and perennial political wrangling about how to control it. The science, however, has been fairly clear: The prions that cause it are almost impossible to exterminate.It turns out that types of lichen degrade prions, the infectious brain-perforating proteins responsible for CWD. The laboratory research results were made public this week by scientists with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, in Madison, and the UW-Madison.
Noted: At The Neural Interface Technology Research and Optimization (NITRO) Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, brain-machine interfaces have been used in conjunction with social media. Through the noninvasive EEG devices, researchers were able to send tweets via thought.
A Saturday morning session, ?Morning with the Experts: Healthy Minds and Education,? will include speaker UW-Madison neuroscientist Richard Davidson and a panel discussion with teachers who have participated in research at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. The panel is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon.
At the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, a research hub founded in 2008 within the Waisman Center at UW-Madison, researchers probe positive attributes such as compassion and contentment. A Waisman preschool study is attempting to determine whether children can be taught, in a statistically significant way, to be kinder. It is among the main research projects under way at the center, and it has hit a nerve with parents. “They?re wildly enthusiastic,” said UW-Madison neuroscientist Richard Davidson, center founder. “I get barraged by requests on a weekly basis from parents wanting to know if they can enroll their children in this program or if we can come to their school.”
Noted: UW-Madison?s Prof. David Canon, an expert on election law, says those opposing the voter identification bill may have “a credible, strong case.”
An old gun may be replacing the rising star among a growing field of candidates in the race to replace outgoing Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison professor of political science
The medical director of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene says women will likely die of cervical cancer if Gov. Scott Walker?s budget proposal eliminating $266,400 for cervical cancer screening prevails.
“I see at least 1 – 2 high-grade lesions every day during cytologic evaluations,” Dr. Daniel Kurtycz says in prepared remarks to be given Wednesday to the Joint Finance Committee, which will consider Walker?s budget request.
Quoted: “What this doesn?t tell us is anything regarding the relative risk of having a partner who?s circumcised vs. uncircumcised,” said Dr. Jonathan L. Temte, professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a voting member on the CDC?s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. “I don?t think this changes the argument very much regarding pros vs. cons on circumcision.”
Quoted: Rising export demand for dairy products including dry-milk powder and butter from buyers in Asia and Mexico also is fueling the jumps in prices and production, said Bob Cropp, an economist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison who has been studying the industry since 1966.
Quoted: ?There is a non-trivial percentage of the state that has never voted for Thompson,? said Charles Franklin, a political expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, referring to young voters. ?The party has shifted to some extent in its policies.?
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the race could be an interesting look at the dynamics of the state Republican Party.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison Political Science Professor, said, “The trouble is having come so close and backed out at each previous time.. it?s very hard to know whether this time.. he?s finally serious… if he is serious, he?s a formidable candidate.”
Quoted: Barry Gerhart, a professor of management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This story appeared first in the Sunday edition of the Wisconsin State Journal newspaper.
Fitchburg city officials say a 383-acre expanse now open for development could change the way people think of Dane County?s business hubs. They are ready to move forward with Nine Springs of Fitchburg ? a plan for a technology campus with housing, stores, restaurants and hotels that could be an express bus ride from Downtown and UW-Madison, built under terms of Fitchburg?s new SmartCode regulations.
Quoted: UW-Madison School of Business associate professor Morris Davis
At least two of our major health care systems are doing their part to champion bare-knuckles competition: UW Health is planning a Far East Side hospital to compete with Meriter?s hospital, and Meriter is opening clinics to compete with UW?s clinics while increasing the size of its doctors group in part with doctor?s poached from UW.
Also quoted: Donna Friedsam, a health care policy researcher at the UW-Madison Population Health Institute.
Quoted: Tim Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Quoted: Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Noted: Research by three UW-Madison professors on election fraud in Wisconsin
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a founder of pollster.com and a University of Wisconsin political science professor.
Quoted: That uncertainty and disbelief is likely to continue until most Republican leaders and candidates publicly affirm that they believe the issue has been settled, says Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin: “Partisans are rarely convinced by partisans on the opposite side.”
Quoted: “We?ve seen the state tilt both directions rather sharply in just a two-year period,” said Charles Franklin, a founder of pollster.com and a University of Wisconsin political science professor. “This is the tie breaker, the chance for the state to decide whether it wants to reconsider in either direction.”
Quoted: “It?s the perfect storm,” said Michael Jacob, project coordinator at Covering Kids and Families, a grant-funded project through the University of Wisconsin-Madison that works to reduce health disparities.
Quoted: But this legacy has some scholars wondering whether the connection between airwaves and mass graves has been overstated. Scott Straus, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin, has raised doubts about the potential culpability of the media in large-scale violence. In a 2007 paper drawing on the content of RTLM programming, interviews with perpetrators, and an analysis of RTLM?s broadcast range compared to where violence occurred, Straus concluded that the station had, at worst, a “second-order impact” on the genocide that could not be equated with the influence of other factors, among them face-to-face mobilization by local leaders.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, agreed. He said Kohl?s retirement “had been rumored for some time.”
Quoted: ?Some of the committee?s proposed changes will take the Managed Forest Law program in new directions,? says committee member Mark Rickenbach, a University of Wisconsin-Extension forest policy and management specialist and associate professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. ?The question we asked ourselves was ?How can we make this program good for the next 25 years???
Noted: The new, much lower, estimate is based on a report (PDF) prepared by Charles Quagliana, a historic preservation architect who works for the UW-Madison. Quagliana conducted an “initial walk-through” of the building on March 10, just after the last of the major protests, and subsequently returned to verify his findings.
It?s easy to claim some Norwegian pride this weekend when up to 30,000 people flood Stoughton streets to sample lutefisk and admire rosemaling during the annual Syttende Mai celebration. But maintaining that heritage the other 51 weeks of the year has been difficult as fewer people in this city south of Madison identify with Norwegian ancestry and local Norwegian groups face declining and aging membership.
….Part of the challenge could be that young people with European ancestry are less likely than their parents or grandparents to immediately associate with their ethnicity – a trend Jim Leary, who teaches folklore and Scandinavian studies at UW-Madison, has noticed in his classroom over the last decade.
