Quoted: Limnologist Jim Kitchell.
Category: UW Experts in the News
Doyle acting as if he may run again
Quoted: Ken Mayer, a political science professor at UW-Madison.
Millions for jobs worth it?
Quoted: Joel Rogers, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who heads the Center on Wisconsin Strategy.
Bumper crop of butterflies silently swarms state â?? but not for long
Quoted: Phillip Pellitteri, extension entomologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Curiosities: Technically, The Sun Has No Surface
Q What is the surface of the sun like?
A “Technically, there is no surface of the sun,” says UW-Madison’s Sanjay Limaye.
First artificial life ‘within months’ (The Telegraph, UK)
Quoted: Microbiologist Fred Blattner of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
S.D. wants public’s input in Hunt case (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin political science professor who monitors polls and campaign finance, said public opinion is relevant to a variety of cases, but he’s not convinced it applies here.
On Polling: Election 2008
Quoted: Charles H. Franklin, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin.
How to Reconstruct the Neandertal Genome
Quoted: John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsinâ??Madison.
UW-Madison to lead federal biofuels consortium
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and its partners have been selected as one of three consortiums nationally that will receive $125 million each in federal funds to find new ways to turn plants into energy.
Planning ahead: UW game teaches kids, mixes virtual, real worlds
A computer game that takes place in the real world as well as the virtual world is helping more than a dozen Madison area middle school students think and act like city planners.
UW to be site of bioenergy center
UW-Madison will be the site of one of three bioenergy research centers designed to find new ways to turn plants into fuel, officials said Monday.
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center on UW-Madison’s campus, along with centers in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and near Berkeley, Calif., were described by the Department of Energy as three startup companies with $125 million each in capital, said two officials with knowledge of the grants, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement had not yet been made. They will involve numerous universities, national laboratories and private companies as partners.
The ‘I’ word (The Boston Globe)
Quoted: Stanley Kutler, a retired professor of law and history at the University of Wisconsin and the author of “The Wars of Watergate.”
Milk needed for state’s growing cheese market (Fond du Lac Reporter)
Quoted:University of Wisconsin dairy economist Robert Cropp, Ph.D.
Video Game Addictions? A Medical Disorder?
Quoted: Kurt Squire, a professor at UW-Madison. He’s studied video games and also is a gamer himself.
City to increase some chlorine levels
Starting next week, the Madison Water Utility will be attempting to maintain a level of 0.3 milligrams per liter of chlorine in all the water leaving all of the city’s 21 active wells.
….Dr. Greg Harrington, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who helped develop the new policy, said the change was being made to provide a margin of safety, to facilitate system operation and to prepare for the requirement of a federal groundwater rule that utilities will have to comply with starting in 2009.
Curiosities: Worms come out to breathe after heavy rains
Q. After rains, why do worms slither out onto the pavement and “commit suicide?”
A. After a strong rain, the corpses of worms strewn across the pavement are a disgusting sight — or a pathetic one, depending on your sympathy for these slithery invertebrates.
But what’s the advantage of suicide? Teri Balser, an associate professor of soil and ecosystem ecology at UW-Madison, says the answer starts with the fact that worms breathe through their skin.
Recognizing Abuse: A 27 News Parenting Project Report
In light of the 27 News investigation which uncovered abuse of an 18-month old baby by a local child care provider, there is concern about how parents can know if there children are being mistreated. Knowing what to look for is key.
Dr. Barbara Knox is the Medical Director for the UW’s Child Protection Program. She’s been the point person for law enforcement investigating a recent, high-profile child abuse cases â?? investigative paperwork released to 27 News states she examined the 11-year-old boy recently found severely abused in a home in Portage.
New Tactic on Stem Cell Studies (Inside Higher Ed)
The Senate Appropriations Committee overwhelmingly approved a 2008 spending bill Thursday that, as expected, would increase funds for the National Institutes of Health by $1 billion but keep most higher education at their 2007 levels. But the committeeâ??s action Thursday may be most noteworthy because of two tactical policy proposals made by committee members.
Beware the wild parsnip; it will burn you (AP)
Quoted:Jed Colquhoun, a horticulture professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said people should be careful and learn to identify the plant so that they don’t put themselves at risk.
Setback for state W-2 plan
Quoted: Thomas Kaplan, a historian and associate director of UW-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty, said the decision could affect many more people.
The Economics of Giving (Success Magazine)
Quoted: University of Wisconsin School of Business dean Michael Knetter.
Sen. Hillary Clinton an artful dodger (AP)
Quoted: Charles Franklin, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Checkups key to success of obesity surgery (Reuters)
Quoted: Dr. Jon C. Gould and colleagues of the University of Wisconsin in Madison in a report to the annual meeting of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.
If You Teach Them, They Will Be Happy (Inside Higher Ed)
Quoted: Ann Althouse, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison.
Supreme Court ruling’s impact on unions unclear (WPR)
Quoted: Frank Emspak of UW-Madison’s School for Workers.
Local scientist calls global warming theory ‘hooey’
Reid Bryson, known as the father of scientific climatology, considers global warming a bunch of hooey.
The UW-Madison professor emeritus, who stands against the scientific consensus on this issue, is referred to as a global warming skeptic. But he is not skeptical that global warming exists, he is just doubtful that humans are the cause of it.
Long Reviled, Merit Pay Gains Among Teachers
Quoted: Allan Odden, a professor at the University of Wisconsin who studies teacher compensation.
Many feel unsafe in city (Elmira, NY Star-Gazette)
Quoted: Dominique Brossard, a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
‘The Most Poisonous Force in Technology’
Quoted: Thomas J. Scott, senior enterprise resource-planning strategist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said Mr. Mossberg was using strong words to describe an age-old issue about how much computing should be centralized.
What happens when young offenders fall into the caldron of adult prison?
Ken Streit, an associate professor at the UW-Madison Law School, said the prison system is full of predators who pick on the most vulnerable of any age — the young, the old, the mentally ill.
Credential Creep
While a Ph.D. takes on average about 12 years to complete from the start of college, the new degrees, sometimes mocked as a “Ph.D. lite,” typically take six or seven years. (The occupational-therapy degree is often completed in five and a half years, though new standards will require six years as of January.) Generally the new degrees do not require a major research project.
“For the last 15 or 20 years,” says John D. Wiley, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, “we’ve been under pressure to take what is basically a master’s degree and call it a doctorate.”
Hainstock trial parallels another teenâ??s murder case (Wisconsin State Journal)
Quoted: Ken Streit, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.
We’re losing birds
Quoted: UW-Madison bird researcher Kevin Ellison.
You can’t put self-esteem on a credit card
Quoted: Cynthia Jasper, professor of consumer science at UW-Madison.
Girlfriend’s testimony emotional (Monroe Times)
Quoted: Dr. Robert Corliss, a forensic pathologist from the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison.
Obesity surgery safer for teens than adults, study finds (Bloomberg News)
Quoted: Jon Gould, an obesity surgeon at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in Madison, in a telephone interview.
Curiosities: Flowers smell to attract pollinators
Q. Why do flowers smell, and why do plants smell, too?
A. The luscious aroma of flowers attracts lovers, and the biological role of that smell is similar: to attract pollinators.
Arrest Uncovers Divide in Hmong-Americans
Quoted: Alfred W. McCoy, a history professor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
APSS: New drugs for insomnia will focus on safety (Psychiatric Times)
Quoted: Ruth Benca, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, noted that, for many people who can’t get to sleep at night, the problem lies with a build-up of negative stressful events.
States divided on flag lowering (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Quoted: John Witte, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor, said there can be political ramifications to ordering flags lowered.
Identifying the niche (The Scientist, UK)
Quoted: E. Camilla Forsberg, an HSC biologist at University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Study Focuses On Early Detection Of Ovarian Cancer – Health News Story – WISC Madison
Quoted: Dr. A.C. Evans in the division of gynecological oncology at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.
Study suggests tanning could be addictive
Quoted: Stephen Snow, a professor of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Milwaukee Airport Cab Limit Struck Down (AP)
University of Wisconsin law professor Peter Carstensen, who represented the cab drivers, said the ruling should prompt the county to stop giving citations to taxi drivers picking up specific passengers. He said the county might also amend the ordinance to give those taxis a specific waiting area.
Evidence Thin on Student Gains From NCLB Tutoring (Education Week)
Quoted: Patricia Burch, an assistant professor of educational policy studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Romney Steps Up Advertising Push
Quoted: Kenneth M. Goldstein, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin who specializes in political advertising.
Experts say slayings fit â??family annihilationâ?? pattern (AP)
Quoted: UW-Madison psychiatry professor Burr Eichelman said.
U.S. voters may face outbreak of “campaign fatigue” (Reuters)
Quoted: Thomas Holbrook, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is No. 1 when it comes to sheep’s milk
The Dairy State has one up on its California competitors.
Though California has stolen the lead in cow milk production from Wisconsin, we outrank California and — apparently — all other states in sheep milk.
Quoted: UW-Madison professor of animal science Dave Thomas
Prof: Control environment to control allergies
….More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and the numbers continue to grow despite advances in antihistamines and other drugs. So why have we failed to reverse this trend?
“It’s time to look at the underlying causes of asthma and hay fever instead of only treating the symptoms,” says Gregg Mitman, a professor of medical history and history of science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Following his own advice, Mitman wrote the book “Breathing Space: How Allergies Shape Our Lives and Landscapes.” In it, he traces the impact allergic disease has had on American life, culture and landscape since the 19th century.
Drug for thyroid cancer shows potential
Quoted: Herbert Chen, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, who also conducts basic science research at UW’s Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Despite all the hunters’ grousing, turkeys don’t have grouse on run (Appleton Post-Crescent)
Quoted: Scott Lutz, a University of Wisconsin wildlife ecologist in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Treating risk factors slows dementia
Quoted: Mark Sager, a professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute.
Texas cable TV prices go up after change
Quoted: Barry Orton, a University of Wisconsin-Madison telecommunications professor working for local governments that have fought the bill.
Loew: Wilson championed women’s athletics
By PATTY LOEW: Last month when Jay Wilson left WKOW TV Channel 27 after 27 years (how appropriate), Wisconsin sports lost, not only one of its finest sportscasters, but also one of the nicest guys in the business.
In an industry that attracts big egos, I’ll remember Wilson as one of the most genuine and humblest TV personalities I’ve encountered. And witty? I always enjoyed his self-effacing banter and admired his ability to keep sports in perspective. But that’s not the only reason I’ll miss him.
Should you use a real estate agent or go it alone?
It sounds like the setup for a dull economist’s joke. Who gets the better deal: the cautious economist who sells his house through a real estate agent, or his risk-taking colleague who finds a buyer on his own?
Two Northwestern University economists used Madison’s real estate market to find the answer.
AT&T boxes big and ugly, mayor warns
More than 300 hulking, refrigerator-size “graffiti magnets” could soon sprout in Madison yards if state lawmakers pass a controversial cable TV deregulation bill, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is warning.
Quoted: UW-Madison telecommunications professor Barry Orton.
Curiosities: Polaris And Crux Help Us Find Our Way
Q Are the North Star and the Southern Cross the same?
A The North Star – real name, Polaris – and the Southern Cross, also known as the constellation Crux, both serve as navigational beacons but in different hemispheres.
Tax bite gets a little smaller
Quoted: Andrew Reschovsky, a professor of public affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies tax issues.