xecutive director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Category: UW Experts in the News
Deadly domestic abuse cases show why gun violence is a top concern in Wisconsin
Written by Mariel Barnes, an assistant professor with the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Her research examines everyday forms of violence against women, gender, and the politics of the welfare state.
You can try beer, and a dessert, made with cicadas at Lake Geneva’s ‘Cicadapalooza’
Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Insect Diagnostics Lab PJ Liesch received the first reports of Brood XIII cicadas in Wisconsin this year out of the Lake Geneva area just over a week ago. With some of the best-documented historical cicada activity in the state, Lake Geneva could very well be Wisconsin’s “bug central” this summer. Residents have already shared photos of cicadas covering tree trunks, sidewalks and other surfaces.
UW survey finds inflation, gun violence and health care top issues for Wisconsin residents
The Main Street Agenda is a project designed to focus on the issues Wisconsinites rank as most important heading into the 2024 election. The topics come from a survey of nearly 4,000 residents conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Survey Center in partnership with the La Follette School of Public Affairs.
White evangelical Christians are some of Israel’s biggest supporters. Why?
Podcast includes segment with Daniel Hummel, a fellow in the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Periodical cicadas won’t be coming to Madison — here’s why
Still, this is a unique phenomenon that people in the Badger State won’t experience again until 2041. Known on social media as the “Wisconsin Bug Guy” P.J. Liesch is particularly excited about the swarms of cicadas that have already started to pop up and make noise here.
“I turn 40 years old next year, and I have not seen these yet with my own eyes,” said Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab.
Wave Watch buoys aim to improve safety for boaters in the Apostle Islands
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are partnering with the Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and the National Park Service to launch the buoys. It’s a relaunch of a program that was discontinued last year because of a lack of funding.
See photos of the hordes of 17-year cicadas currently emerging throughout Wisconsin
Over the past few weeks, Brood XIII 17-year cicadas have emerged in parts of Wisconsin for the first time since 2007.
Washington Post said it had the Alito flag story 3 years ago and chose not to publish
Kathleen Culver, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin, said it was a bad call. And, she added, if she were at the Post she would have argued for the paper to be more forthcoming. While Martha-Ann Alito has the right to her own opinions, a flag like that shouldn’t be on display outside the home of a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Culver said. “It’s a flag that flies in the face of the neutrality that the Supreme Court is supposed to be observing,” she said.
Opinion: I’m a millennial mom. Why are you looking at me to fix the birth-rate problem?
“In order to make childbearing seem like an easy option, having more kids an easy option, you’d have to go even further than many of the states that have strong social-safety-net systems,” said Jessica Calarco, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin and the author of the forthcoming “Holding it Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.”
DACA immigrants in the Madison area live with fear and uncertainty
Dreamers live under a microscope; any mistake could jeopardize their status, said Erin Barbato, director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
“Someone who has DACA is already incredibly accomplished and has had no errors in their ways for their entire life because they basically have been forced to have a perfect life — in academics and employment and with their character — in order to qualify for DACA,” Barbato said.
Act 10 is back in court. Here are the stakes for Wisconsin unions
“I think you can show what has happened to real wages for teachers in Wisconsin when they’re not allowed to bargain over wages,” said Michael Childers, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who researches organized labor issues. “And what does that do to every other aspect in terms of teacher turnover and the ability to recruit and retain people to come to the profession. We’re 10 years in, there’s enough data.”
UW-Madison researchers look to take 3D printing out of this world, making computer components in zero gravity
Researchers with the University of Wisconsin-Madison are looking to take 3D printing out of this world, successfully manufacturing computer components in zero gravity.
What to know from the latest inspection of Wisconsin’s only ICE detention center
Gita Connolly, who works with people detained at Dodge through the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Immigrant Justice Clinic, said these documents are extremely important for people to proceed with their immigration cases. Even those who have chosen to leave the U.S. voluntarily cannot leave without their identity documents.
Abortion a risky campaign topic for GOP candidates, experts say
These are the voters whom Republican candidates risk losing if they take a strong stance on abortion bans, according to Mariel Barnes, a political scientist at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“This presents a problem for the Republican Party and Republican candidates,” Barnes told the Cap Times. “Because they’re trying to satisfy this more extreme wing in the party that wants to restrict abortion under almost all circumstances, when it is actually very unpopular with the center of the party, and you need the center of the party to get elected.”
Quotation of the Day: Study Bolsters Evidence Raw Milk May Be a Risk for Bird Flu in Humans
“Don’t drink raw milk — that’s the message.”Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who led a study that added to existing evidence that unpasteurized milk may bring a risk for bird flu in mammals, including humans.
Bird flu, raw milk debate converge
“These claims — I’m a chemist by trade — just make no sense whatsoever on any kind of science or chemistry basis,” University of Wisconsin–Madison food science professor John Lucey told The Hill. “I’ve been doing research on dairy products and milk for 20-plus years,” Lucey added. “In my field, nobody gives credence to these fantastic claims.”
Can Dogs Really Get Seasonal Allergies? These Bizarre Behaviors Could Be A Sign
Like humans, dogs can be allergic to pollens, dust mites, and mold spores, which typically shouldn’t pose a threat to the body. “You can think of allergy as an overactive immune system,” says Douglas DeBoer, a veterinarian and professor of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. “Your immune system normally is supposed to be protecting you from foreign things like bacteria and viruses. In some cases, your immune system becomes overactive and it starts responding to things in the environment that it shouldn’t be responding to.” He adds that allergies often develop in a dog’s first three years of life.
Website offers free, practical advice for caregivers of dementia patients
“It’s a really pragmatic approach that’s put together in a very thoughtful fashion,” said Art Walaszek, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health who has been involved in that effort.
Christians support Israel in wartime through visits, donations and volunteering
Christian support for Israel emerged in earnest during the ’60s and ’70s, Daniel Hummel, a research fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and expert on U.S.-Israel relations and American evangelicalism, says. He is also the director for The Lumen Center, in Madison, Wis., which focuses on the study of Christianity and culture.
Is Underwear Actually Bad? Shockingly, Yes (Sometimes)
The story is a little different for vulvas. The vulva is “a perfectly created system as it is,” says Laura Jacques, an OB-GYN at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Health and an associate professor of OB-GYN at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
The Problem With Nudging People to Make a Better Choice
In the end, though, the main takeaway from our research is that nudges may be a great first step. But that’s all they are: a first step. Much of the hard work is what comes next.
-Evan Polman is an associate professor of marketing and Kuechenmeister-Bascom professor in business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sam J. Maglio is a professor of marketing at the University of Toronto.
How China Pulled So Far Ahead on Industrial Policy
“There’s enormous economies of scale by going big as China did,” Gregory Nemet, a professor of public policy at the University of Wisconsin who has studied the global solar industry. When the investments resulted in overcapacity, suppressing the profitability of China’s companies, Beijing was willing to ride out the losses.
Damages From PFAS Lawsuits Could Surpass Asbestos, Industry Lawyers Warn
One challenge facing medical research lies in the sheer number of different PFAS chemicals that have now entered the environment, each of which can have slightly different health effects, said Steph Tai, associate dean at the University of Wisconsin’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and an expert in the use of science in environmental protection and litigation.
One of a kind meat training program brings people from across the country to Madison
UW–Madison is home to a two-year training program, known as the Master Meat Crafter Program, that offers members of the meat industry new skills and knowledge to take their careers to the next level. Created in 2010 by Jeff Sindelar, Ph.D., a professor and extension meat specialist in Animal & Dairy Sciences, it is a one-of-a-kind program that brings people from across the country and abroad to Madison to earn the “Master Meat Crafter” distinction upon graduation.
Why Race Matters — discussing COVID-19
UW–Madison’s Kevin Lawrence Henry Jr., an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, has been working to improve educational outcomes for underserved students and shares his experiences and recommendations.
“Studies have shown that students who were engaged in longer periods of distance learning or virtual learning fared far worse than some of their counterparts,” he explains. “And that particularly hurt Black and brown students in the state of Wisconsin.”
Milwaukee County won’t see swarms of cicadas this summer. Here’s why
Brood XIII cicadas haven’t been documented in Milwaukee County for “several decades” and aren’t expected to emerge there this summer, said PJ Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Insect Diagnostics Lab.
Wisconsin is in the minority of states shielding police data. We’re suing to change that.
Access to police employment data could also help groups like the Wisconsin Innocence Project, said Christopher Lau, a co-director of the project and law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Being able to use data to get background on officers in support of the cases of their clients, which often involve allegations of police misconduct, “would make our litigation much stronger,” he said.
Move over, cicadas, Wisconsinites have other bugs to dodge. What about mayflies, or lake flies?
“These insects spend over 99% of their life cycle in the water as juveniles, feeding and growing and developing. When they emerge as adults, they are really short-lived,” said PJ Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Insect Diagnostic Lab
Milk Containing Bird-Flu Virus Can Sicken Mice, Study Finds
“Don’t drink raw milk — that’s the message,” said Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who led the study.
Avian flu fears collide with raw milk enthusiasm
University of Wisconsin–Madison food science professor John Lucey told The Hill that the avian flu outbreak among cattle is a “serious concern” for public health because of the raw milk risk.
Rocket Lab to launch satellite to monitor Earth’s polar regions
The mission, called PREFIRE, short for Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment, includes two shoebox-sized satellites or ‘cubesats’ to find out how much heat Earth’s polar regions radiate out to space and how that influences our climate. University of Wisconsin professor, and principal investigator for the mission, Tristan L’Ecuyer spoke to Corin Dann.
Financial aid for college, History of divestment protests, Country music by Black artists
Ticks, cicadas and mosquitoes — what to expect this summer in Wisconsin
The typical season for tick emergence is from May to September, said Susan Paskewitz, UW-Madison professor of entomology. But last year, she and her team found tick nymphs, or young ticks, as early as April 13, a record. This year, her team found ticks again in April.
Can Medicare money protect doctors from abortion crimes? It worked before, desegregating hospitals
As Medicare prepared to begin paying for the care of elderly patients in July 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson used the offer of massive federal spending as a tool to finally end the most glaring racial discrimination in hospitals nationwide. It remains “one the most prominent and powerful cases of linking federal funding to other policy goals,” said University of Wisconsin professor Tom Oliver, an expert on health care policy changes.
The 2050 Population Data That Could Ruin China’s Century
“Beijing’s political ambitions are based on exaggerated economic forecasts, which are based on exaggerated demographic figures. The dire demographic outlook makes both China’s economic and military goals impossible to achieve,” University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Fuxian Yi told Newsweek.
Column: How ‘Sesame Street’ can prepare kids for climate disasters
Marie-Louise Mares, a professor of communication arts at University of Wisconsin-Madison, feels similarly.
Spotted: Periodical cicadas in southern Wisconsin
PJ Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Insect Diagnostic Lab, said it could take cicadas up to a week after emerging to begin making their distinctive, ear-piercing call to attract mates.
“So we’re still that calm before the storm, and (it) hasn’t gotten noisy yet,” Liesch said.
Sumudu Atapattu on climate change impacts and human rights
University of Wisconsin Law School professor Sumudu Atapattu discusses how the idea of environmental justice applies to people and communities whose basic needs are affected by the changing climate.
Moving the needle: Wisconsin students calling for divestment from Israel echo past protests
A few weeks ago, on a University of Wisconsin-Madison campus sidewalk, a message in chalk read “DIVEST from Militarism.” It was final exams week, students and older adults alike lounged, studied and conversed alongside tents pitched illegally in protest, while a dainty melody on solo clarinet could be heard playing.
Cicadas have re-emerged in Wisconsin for the first time in 17 years. Why that isn’t all bad news.
Once every 17 years, the species emerges as adults to breed. However, the species’ adult life only lasts about four to six weeks. This means their stint as an annoyance to humans and ample food source for wildlife will be over by the beginning of July, said PJ Liesch, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Insect Diagnostics Lab.
“When folks look at the cicadas and wonder, ‘Are they good or bad?,’ in my mind, the good far outweighs any bad because these insects are really going to serve as a huge benefit for our local wildlife population,” he said.
In some states that say they elect judges, governors choose them instead
Column by taff attorneys with the State Democracy Research Initiative, University of Wisconsin Law School.
Why Gen Z College Students Are Seeking Tech and Finance Jobs
Sara Lazenby, an institutional policy analyst for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that might be why students and their parents were much more focused on professional outcomes than they used to be. “In the past few years,” she said, “I’ve seen a higher level of interest in this first-destination data” — stats on what jobs graduates are getting out of college.
Opinion | The Gender Pay Gap Is a Culture Problem
In an email, Jessica Calarco, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the author of “Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net,” said: I asked 2,000 parents from across the U.S., “Do you think children are better off if their mother is home and doesn’t hold a job, or are children just as well off if their mother works for pay?” Fifty-two percent of dads and 47 percent of moms said it’s better for kids if their moms aren’t working for pay.
Tiffany partially correct on the claim that gray wolves have recovered
Sources include email conversation with Timothy Van Deelen, a professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and chair of the Environmental Conservation profession Masters Degree, May 10, 2024
Some immigrants can’t get Wisconsin driver’s licenses, but some want that to change
Erin Barbato, who directs the Immigrant Justice Law Center at the University of Wisconsin Law School, says it takes time for asylum seekers to get a work permit needed for a driver’s license. After entering the country, asylum seekers generally have one year to fill out an application proving they should be granted asylum status to remain in the U.S. because they fear persecution in their home countries.
“Even if someone comes here and is seeking asylum, they won’t be eligible for a work permit for about six months,” she said. “And in order to get that work permit, it’s going to take six months to a year.”
17-year cicadas are emerging now in Wisconsin. Here’s where you can find them
On Friday, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Insect Diagnostics Lab PJ Liesch said he received the summer’s first reports of Brood XIII 17-year cicadas emerging in Wisconsin.
‘Focus on personal protection’: Ticks came out early this year, keep yourself safe this summer
“With the mild El Niño winter we had this last year we started seeing some activity back in months like February,” UW Extension Entomologist PJ Liesch said. “I always like to remind folks that technically, you could bump into ticks in Wisconsin any month of the year as long as it’s warm enough. It generally has to be free of snow on the ground and about 40 degrees and above.”
UW Madison expert weighs in on Target’s grocery items price drop
UW Applied Economics Assistant Professor Andrew Stevens said it’s more than just an attempt to help people dealing with high grocery costs caused by inflation.
Biden campaign ad highlights Obamacare in appeal to independent voters
Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said focusing on health care plays to Biden’s strengths.
With RFK Jr. seeking spot on debate stage, a look at the last independent candidate to make it
Perot was “well received” in the 1992 debates, Tamas told ABC News. But he may have turned off a portion of the electorate who saw him as “not highly scripted or well prepared” on key issues, according to Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin.
H5N1 virus can be tracked in retail milk, scientists say
“Whenever you have a regulation, someone will find a way around it,” said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and a professor of large animal internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
No credit check loans guide
“These loans can be appealing to those with poor or limited credit histories, yet they carry inherent risks,” says Anita Mukherjee, a professor at the Wisconsin School of Business. “Specifically, they often come with significantly higher interest rates and fees due to the increased risk lenders assume by not checking credit. The allure of accessibility should be carefully weighed against these loans’ short repayment terms, which can make monthly payments more challenging.”
Why is Madison considered a climate haven going forward?
“A climate haven is the idea of a place that’s a refuge or a safe spot from the impacts of climate change,” said Steve Vavrus, the state climatologist and co-director of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts.
‘Climate Trackers: Superpowered by Ecometeorology’ shows the power of combinations and collaborations
University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences professor Ankur Desai and his lab conduct ecometeorological research, a cross-pollination of meteorology and ecology. At Seven Seeds Farm, they investigate how cattle farming on silvopastures impacts climate.
‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Brian Schimming, Jay Heck, Ian Robertson
Ian Robertson, the outgoing dean of the UW-Madison School of Engineering, offered his thoughts on the future of the program with its new building on track after political wrangling over DEI programs at the university.
Workers discover cannabis plants amid the tulips outside the state Capitol
Shelby Ellison, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences at UW-Madison, said the plants looked purposefully planted in the flower beds that contained mostly tulips but that it was unclear whether the plants could be used as marijuana without further testing.
“It is impossible to determine if they were hemp or marijuana without testing for THC content. I do think they were likely intentionally planted just because there were so many of them,” she said.
Kendi, a Milwaukee County Zoo giraffe, required surgery for a unique breeding injury
Ultimately, a team of specialists came together to help Kendi, from the zoo’s animal care staff to veterinary professionals from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, the Kettle Moraine Equine Hospital and Regional Equine Dental Center and the Henry Vilas Zoo. Also, the zoo’s grounds, forestry and maintenance departments modified the giraffe barn with extra padding to set it up for the procedure.
We know Trump will be the RNC nominee, but here’s why conventions are still important
Conventions as we know them today — major events held in large cities attended by party insiders — began in the early- to mid-1800s. State parties needed to coordinate their activities and nominate someone who would appear on the ballot across the country, explained University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden.
“All that changed 50 years ago, when the parties changed their nomination systems to emphasize primaries and caucuses as the ways that delegates would be selected,” Burden said.
Workers remove dozens of apparent marijuana plants from Wisconsin Capitol tulip garden
UW-Madison botanist Shelby Ellison, who examined the plants for WMTV before they were removed, told the station that they were cannabis plants. But she told The Associated Press on Friday that she couldn’t say for certain whether they were marijuana or hemp.