Quoted: Dr. Tony D’Alessandro, executive director of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinic Organ Procurement Organization.
Category: UW Experts in the News
General’s neighbors taken by surprise (Orange County Register)
Quoted: Alfred W. McCoy, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who authored a book on CIA cooperation with Asian warlords, including Pao, called the idea of a successful coup “an absurdity,” but dangerous nonetheless.
Cicadas are mostly harmless; dogs find them delicious (The Janesville Gazette)
Quoted: Dr. Timothy Yoshino, a parasitologist at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
UW prof: I tried to warn School Board
As the Madison School Board was meeting Monday night to confirm its decision to name a new elementary school for Gen. Vang Pao, reports were coming in that the Hmong general had been indicted and arrested by federal authorities as the alleged mastermind of a plot to violently overthrow the government of Laos.
The irony was not lost on Alfred McCoy, the J.R.W. Smail Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. McCoy had been fiercely criticized by supporters of the school-naming proposal, including members of the School Board, for loudly challenging the notion that Vang Pao should be honored.
When should a kid start kindergarten
Quoted: Elizabeth Graue, a former kindergarten teacher who now studies school-readiness and academic redshirting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Vang charges reignite school name debate
UW-Madison history professor Alfred McCoy and others have long alleged that Vang Pao presided over drug running and summary executions while working with the CIA on the so-called secret war against communists in Laos during the Vietnam War. Many Hmong and other researchers deny the allegations.
Obama is tied with Clinton in new Gallup Poll (USA Today)
Quoted: Political scientist Charles Franklin of the University of Wisconsin.
Reject plan to gouge Big Oil
Quoted: Rodney E. Stevenson, UW-Madison business professor.
Child-care deal becomes budget issue
UW-Madison provides small grants to low-income staff to help pay for child care, said Lynn Edlefson, campus child-care coordinator. Those grants, typically $500 each to four employees each year, are paid for with private money, she said.
A tangled question (Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine)
Quoted: Dr. Susan Knight, a project partner and aquatic plant specialist with the DNR and the University of Wisconsin.
Are Plants Really Villains in Climate Change? (Scientific American)
Quoted: Botanist Thomas Sharkey of the University of Wisconsinâ??Madison found that carbon 13 plants he grew in his lab “behave exactly the same” as normal plants.
The incredible shrinking antiwar movement (Chicago Tribune)
Quoted: Jeremi Suri, a history professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and author of the book “Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Detente.”
Flu-Fighting Fetuses (ScienceNOW)
Qupted: Aimen Shaaban, an immunologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Babies respond to mum’s flu jab (Nature)
Quoted: Immunologist William Burlingham of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Appleton bids fond farewell to Scullen (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Quoted: Prof. James Shaw of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Education Leadership and Policy Analysis, attended the funeral with colleague Prof. Carolyn Kelley.
Autism, brain injuries new uses for oxygen therapy (Rockford Register Star)
Quoted: Dr. Tina Iyama, an autism expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote in an e-mail.
Black and white: Panel promises ‘careful review’ of justice system, race (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Quoted: Commissioner Pamela Oliver, a University of Wisconsin-Madison sociologist, said the commission should identify a number of areas where the state could chip away at the problem.
Part Of The Finger’s Power Lies In The Fingernail
Q. Why do we have fingernails?
Matthew Burns
Grade 7 Sennett Middle School
A Fingernails are essentially flattened versions of claws, and they evolved in all primates – including humans – to support broad fingertips, says UW-Madison anthropology professor John Hawks.
Monsanto, D&PL deal gets nod from Justice (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Quoted: Peter Carstensen, professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School, who studies antitrust issues.
Train store moving to Moosic (Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Citizens Voice)
Quoted: William Ryan, a specialist in downtown commercial development at the University of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin speller finishes 3rd
Mentions that Madison’s leading speller was tutored by Jeff Kirsch, a professor of Portuguese and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who has been working with Isabel Jacobson weekly since last February, for no fee. The story also quotes Kirsch.
Wood Co. considers search policy (Marshfield News-Herald)
Quoted: Carin Clauss, Nathan P. Feinsinger chairwoman in labor law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Sinus sufferers applaud nasal washing
Cited:Diane G. Heatley, associate professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
The AAUP at 92: Amid Declining Membership, a Venerable Organization Faces Battles on Many Fronts
Quoted: Donald Downs, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, started his own Committee for Academic Freedom and Rights 10 years ago, bypassing the AAUP.
Bug art beautiful, musical, delightful
These beautiful behemoths are, happily, not your ordinary bugs, the kind that will soon swarm and sting during Wisconsin summer.
But their grotesque size, along with their exotic shapes, beautiful colors and hypnotically repetitive geometric patterns, make them undeniably fascinating.
Dangerous beauty: Don’t invite dame’s rocket into your garden
I first read about dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis) in Katherine Whiteside’s charming 1988 book, “Antique Flowers.” The flowers, reminiscent of phlox, are fragrant — but only at night.
Curiosities: Snakes grow, but skins do not, so off they go
Q. Why do snakes shed their skin?
Joey Feuling
Grade 7
Sennett Middle School
A: Like a growing child outgrows clothes, a growing snake outgrows its skin.
Is Spectrum Brands next buyout target?
Quoted: Jim Seward, director of the UW’s Nicholas Center for Applied Corporate Finance.
The Claim: C.L.A. Supplements Can Help You Lose Weight – New York Times
Quoted: Researchers, at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, concluded that the supplement â??produces a modest loss in body fat in humans.â?
Will Warming Lead to a Rise in Hurricanes?
Quoted: James Kossin, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin, recalibrated recent and early satellite data on hurricanes using information from the National Climatic Data Center, a NOAA archive in Asheville, N.C.
Executives tight-lipped on Morrell plant’s future (Sioux Falls, S.D. Argus Leader)
Quoted: Peter Carstensen, a University of Wisconsin law professor who has followed the Smithfield-Premium Standard merger.
Creationist and professor doesn’t believe his own work (The Virginian-Pilot)
Quoted: Ronald Numbers, a professor of the history of science and medicine at the University of Wisconsin, said Ross is the latest in a growing list of creationists who have tried over the last 40 years to get a foot hold in science.
Lyme Disease ticks more common (River Falls Journal)
The ticks that cause Lyme Disease appear to be getting more common throughout Wisconsin. Phil Pellitterri, University of Wisconsin-Madison bug expert, says higher deer populations are a factor and thatâ??s true in cities as well as the country.
The waiting game (Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly)
Quoted: Dr. Maryl Johnson, professor of medicine and medical director of heart failure-heart transplantation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Cicadas: Big noise downstate, but not so loud here
Quoted: Phil Pellitteri of the insect diagnostic lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Goobye grammar (The Times of London, UK)
Quoted: John Witte, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Cicadas Are Coming…Just Not to Madison
Quoted: UW entomologist Dr. Phil Pelitteri.
Big Oil pays little state income tax
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison economist Andrew Reschovsky.
Shining a light on impulse to seek sun (Baltimore Sun)
Quoted: Dr. Perry Pickhardt, the lead author of the Cancer study and a radiologist at the University of Wisconsin.
Hmong attend Vang Pao Elementary groundbreaking
Reynolds has helped gather 500 signatures asking the Madison School Board to reopen the naming of the school because Pao has been accused by UW-Madison professor Alfred McCoy and others of running drugs and permitting summary executions during the Vietnam War. Other researchers and Hmong dispute the allegations against Pao.
Oil tax seen as raising gas 7 cents
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison business professor Rodney E. Stevenson.
State keeps eye on bee disorder
UW-Madison entomologist Phil Pellitteri said the term “disorder” is often applied to poorly understood illnesses.
Cook: A critical juncture for Giuliani (National Journal)
University of Wisconsin political scientist Charles Franklin has his own Web site on polling, Political Arithmetik, and partners on a second site, pollster.com.
These are two must-visit sites for those fascinated with political polling. On both sites, Franklin regularly publishes updated graphs of his “trend estimator,” something more sophisticated than, but similar to, a moving average showing the relative strengths of each presidential candidate in recent national polls.
Opponents of oil tax say consumers will pay more (AP)
Quoted: UW Madison business professor Rodney Stevenson.
Genghis Khan: The daddy of all lovers (The Daily Mail, UK)
Quoted: David Morgan, a historian of Mongol history at the University of Wisconsin, says Genghis’s eldest son, Tushi, had 40 sons.
US states open poll primaries hostilities (AFP)
Quoted: Charles Jones of the University of Wisconsin.
IT Funding, Student Safety Top Concerns for CIOs (Campus Technology)
Quoted: Ken Frazier, interim CIO at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that while funding and computer security are significant issues, student safety is a high priority given the exposure students have on new social media services, such as FaceBook.
Kelo’s Legacy: A Win For Property Rights Movement (Hartford Courant)
Quoted: University of Wisconsin professor Harvey M. Jacobs, an authority on the movement.
Hagel won’t rule out the independent option but history isn’t kind (Omaha World-Herald)
Quoted: Barry C. Burden, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Clean water is group effort (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Quoted: Michael Lizotte, director of the University of Wisconsin Aquatic Research Laboratory.
Who Created Heaven and Earth – and When? (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Quoted: Ronald L. Numbers, a professor of the history of science and medicine at the University of Wisconsin, says the museum likely will resonate with people dismayed by the secularization of socie
Should state change date for primary?
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a UW-Madison political science professor.
Do rules hamper remedies for pain? (Seattle Times)
Quoted: Aaron Gilson, an associate director with the Pain & Policy Studies Group at the University of Wisconsin.
Suspects, but not all perps (Los Angeles Times)
Quoted: Breast cancer researcher Michael Gould of the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
Rock County Schools To Implement Single-Sex Classes
Quoted: Janet Hyde, a psychology and gender studies professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Hottest Frozen Treats (Forbes.com)
Quoted: Bill Klein, dairy plant manager for the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant, a research and teaching facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Toxic chemicals found in car seats (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Quoted: Tim Osswald, a polymer engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, lead is used in the manufacture of some PVC products.
An opus on Booyah and Bubblers
The job was launched at UW-Madison in 1963. And it’s still not finished. Heck, even Rome was built quicker.
Initially projected to be completed by 1976, the editors of the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) are in their 44th year of continuous work.
Curiosities: Addiction to drugs, alcohol takes time
Q: Why do some people become addicted to drugs and/or alcohol?
A: Addiction is basically a learning process, which takes repetition and time, says John Curtin, director of the UW-Madison addiction research lab.
UW to open stem-cell center
UW-Madison may be known worldwide for stem-cell research, but the campus has lacked an organized way to get its stem-cell scientists to share lab equipment, train new researchers, educate the public and garner federal grants, campus authorities say.