Research by Allison Daminger, an assistant professor of sociology at the UW-Madison, has found through extensive interviews with couples that men and women tend to share responsibility for research and decision-making, while women do more noticing (this will need doing soon) and monitoring (is anyone actually doing this?). And women tend to have more household responsibilities overall. As a result, women do more cognitive labor.
Category: UW Experts in the News
Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds Marsy’s law constitutional amendment for crime victims
Quoted: “As long as (the ballot language) doesn’t say the opposite of what the amendment accomplishes, then it’s sufficient under this standard,” said Dustin Brown, an attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “This decision gives the Legislature very broad authority to present constitutional amendments to the people, and it very much limits the degree of oversight that courts can exercise over that process.”
Understanding immigration after Title 42
Following the end of the pandemic-era Title 42 border policy, the number of migrants trying to enter the United States illegally have dropped by roughly half. We examine the new immigration policies and enforcement in Mexico and the United States and how that is affecting migration patterns. Interview with Erin Barbato, director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Survey: Value of Wisconsin farmland continues to climb in 2023
A report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension found the average price of agricultural land sold in the state last year was $5,551 per acre. That’s 11 percent higher than in 2021 and nearly 24 percent higher than in 2020.
Heather Schlesser, the Extension agriculture educator who prepared the report, said the sustained increases trace back to the cash farmers received from federal COVID-19 assistance programs. She said at the same time, many farmers decided it was the right time to sell land.
“It’s all about give and take, supply and demand,” she said. “There’s not a lot of ag land out there. So if there’s more money out there and there’s less land, the farmers that are selling are going to want more for it. So I think that started driving it.”
Insect update: Return of the spongy moth and No Mow May
Spongy moths are returning in full force this year. An entomologist tells us why. Plus, we learn how much No Mow May is actually helping our pollinators. Interview with Patrick (PJ) Liesch, manager of the UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab.
Activities to Help Fight Depression and Improve Your Mood
“The idea is that just like physical exercise builds muscle, we can build our mental muscles to become more aware and calm in the faces of challenges and stress,” explains Richard Davidson, a professor of psychology and psychiatry and founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In Search of an Antidote for Poisonous Mushrooms
“It’s a spectacularly cool paper,” said Anne Pringle, a mycologist and geneticist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who has studied death caps for 20 years. “They do this amazing amount of work and end with this hypothesis that they’ve found an antidote.”
Madison ranks 5th lowest in women’s business ownership, study finds
The new findings come as no surprise to Tessa Conroy, an assistant professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who studies economic development and has written about this gender gap.
“Wisconsin tends to rank relatively low on several measures of business ownership and entrepreneurship,” including overall business ownership and business ownership among people of color, Conroy said in an email.
Why Madison rents are rising so fast and won’t slow down
The resulting rent increases are economics 101, said Kurt Paulsen, a professor of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When demand exceeds supply, prices go up.
“It’s a story of too many people chasing too few units,” he said. “And like any region, we face a real choice: Either we build lots of housing where people want to live, or we don’t build a lot of housing.”
Cityscapes Create Cloud Cover, Satellite Images Reveal
The detailed nighttime cloud trends are significant and striking, said Aaron Alexander, a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison studying water resource engineering in urban landscapes who was not involved in the research. Measurements of turbulence are difficult to collect at night, when the winds are calm and temperatures are cool, using physical monitoring devices, Alexander said.
Does Therapy Really Work? Let’s Unpack That.
“I think the evidence is fairly clear that psychotherapy is remarkably effective,” says Bruce Wampold, a prominent researcher in the field who is an emeritus professor of counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
NASA Image Shows Powerful Cyclone That Injured 700 People
“The science on how hurricanes will change in the future is fairly complex and not entirely settled, but a few things are generally accepted: 1) there might not be more hurricanes overall, but those that do form will tend to be more intense both in terms of the strength of their winds and the amount of rainfall that they produce; 2) because of this intensification and also due to some potential changes in the directions that storms tend to move, it is probable that there will be more Category 4 and 5 storms hitting the U.S.,” Daniel B. Wright, a civil and environmental engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Hydroclimate Extremes Research Group, told Newsweek in November.
Is AI the Answer to Moms’ Mental Overload?
Research by Allison Daminger, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has found through extensive interviews with couples that men and women tend to share responsibility for research and decision-making, while women do more noticing (this will need doing soon) and monitoring (is anyone actually doing this?). And women tend to have more household responsibilities overall. As a result, women do more cognitive labor.
Madison preparing for big leap in air quality monitoring
“This would make Madison the most monitored community in Wisconsin with regard to particulate matter,” said Tim Bertram, a professor of chemistry at UW-Madison and a member of the project’s leadership team.
Opposition wins big in Thailand election after years of military rule
Tyrell Haberkorn, a University of Wisconsin Thai studies scholar, said there is a chance street protests could be trigged again if Move Forward meets the same fate as its predecessor.
Covid Public Health Emergency ends: What is free and what will you pay for now
“During the pandemic almost everything Covid related, whether it was vaccines or testing or treatment was all covered by the government. Basically, it was all subsidized that starts to go away. Now, what’s covered depends on who your insurer is, or if you have insurance,” said Dr. Jeff Pothof, chief quality officer at UW Health.
‘You’ll always be a mother’: Navigating Mother’s Day after loss
UW Health psychologist Dr. Shilagh Mirgain said Mother’s Day can be an emotional trigger for many.
“Almost in anyone’s life, there are going to be years where Mother’s Day is really challenging,” Mirgain said.
UW Health expert gives advice on how to cope with a challenging Mother’s Day
Shilagh Mirgain, a health psychologist for UW Health, says reframing how you view the day may help you still enjoy it and work through those hard feelings.
“Reframing the focus of this holiday can be an effective way to celebrate all the positive attributes of motherhood you may not have experienced yourself as a child or missed out on as an adult,” she said.
Understanding the Writers Guild of America strike and its impact
We talk with Michael Childers, a professor in the UW-Madison School for Workers and Department of Labor Education, and an entertainment reporter about the latest in the second week of a massive Hollywood writers strike.
Over 30 million birds will land in Wisconsin beginning Friday; here’s what to know
Bird expert and University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Stanley Temple said most of the birds that will make Wisconsin home on Friday were in Missouri or Arkansas on Thursday afternoon.
“There are so many factors that go into predicting where they will land, like wind and route, but it’s very likely they will be in Wisconsin by Friday morning,” Temple said.
Buildings continue to rise in Milwaukee while its finances dry up. What explains a tale of 2 cities?
The potential Milwaukee and Milwaukee County sales taxes that could be implemented under the Assembly bill would not be without consequences, said Andrew Reschovsky, professor emeritus of public affairs and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“You don’t pay attention if you have plenty of money,” he said of the increased prices that come with a sales tax. “But if you’re having trouble getting through the month, those extra pennies can make a big difference.”
Money available for nonprofits to address maternal and infant health disparities
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health has money to give away. Now it needs applicants.
The school is inviting nonprofit health organizations to apply for grants “to provide better care and address root causes of maternal and infant health disparities.” Awards will be made for a maximum of $1.15 million for up to two years. Applicants must propose working with community partners.
Teens should be trained before entering the world of social media, APA says
“So many of the issues that are happening right now, this generation of teens really thinks about how it’s going to impact them,” said Dr. Megan Moreno, a pediatrician at UW Health, and the co-director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence for Social Media and Mental Health.
A better whey? Researcher wants to convert cheese byproduct into eco-friendly plastic
John Lucey, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research, wants to turn whey into the chemicals used to make plastics, adhesives and other consumer products that are currently being derived from petroleum. Just like our reliance on oil and gas, Lucey said the chemical building blocks made in oil refineries are holding us back from a greener future.
“We’ve got to replace those too unless we want to keep using fossil fuels,” he said. “These basic chemistry kinds of things, the stuff you would have learned in organic chemistry like butanol — we want to make those kinds of compounds because they can feed into the existing industry.”
Four things to know about some of the most overlooked educators in Wisconsin: child care workers
Family child care providers make an average of $7.46 an hour, while center-based teachers make an average of $12.99. Both make less than the average Wisconsinite with a high school diploma, according to research by Alejandra Ros Pilarz, an assistant professor at the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She found poor wages and lack of career advancement opportunities are top reasons why 18% of family child care providers and 28% of ECE teachers plan to leave the field within a few years.
As COVID-19 emergency ends, changes will be far-reaching — and nearly invisible
“Certainly fewer people are dying than were dying in the beginning of the pandemic, but we’re still losing over 200 Americans a day,” says Prof. Tiffany Green, a health economist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“I hope the average person in Wisconsin doesn’t see the ending of the emergency declaration as the ending of the pandemic,” says Prof. Ajay Sethi, a UW-Madison epidemiologist.
The spring allergy season is upon us. What steps can you take?
Dr. Mark Moss, an allergist at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine is the station master of the university’s pollen counting site, which is part of a nationwide network of such stations. He’s been the station master for 13 years, and the university has pollen counts going back into the 1990s.
“Over the past two decades, there has been two clear changes: the beginning of the season in the spring starts earlier and the end of the season in the fall goes later,” Moss said.
Political rifts end friendships, spark safety fears in Wisconsin, but civics can be healed
Guest column authored by Nathan Kalmoe, executive cirector of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, Michael W. Wagner, professor of Journalism and Mass Communication and faculty director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, and Dhavan Shah, Maier-Bascom professor and research director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, all of UW-Madison.
How Putin’s Victory Parade Speech Changed Drastically From Last Year
Mikhail Troitskiy, professor of practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Newsweek that Putin’s Victory Day speech last year “did not meet the expectations” of pro-Ukraine War supporters who desired an immediate escalation, mobilization of civilians, and a rhetorical shift to an all-out “war” from a “special military operation.”
Emergence: What is it and how could it help solve consciousness?
“Ultimately, we want to explain under which circumstances we will see novel properties,” says Larissa Albantakis, a computational neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
As Covid Emergency Ends, Surveillance Shifts to the Sewers
“Wastewater has to get better,” said David O’Connor, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And we have to get a bit more savvy about interpreting what the wastewater data is telling us
COVID emergency not over for travelers with disabilities. Here’s why.
“This puts a lot of lower-income people at a greater disadvantage,” said Amy Gaeta, a disability rights activist and postdoctorate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies disability and technology and has nerve damage in one leg as well as invisible disabilities. “This is especially concerning given that so many disabled people are low-income, especially if they’re on disability welfare benefits.”
State lawmakers proposed solutions to the state’s housing crisis. Here’s what to know
These changes would cut back on delays and roadblocks that drive up prices, said Kurt Paulsen, professor of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Housing dies a death of a thousand cuts because every change, every delay, just adds costs,” Paulsen said.
UW-Madison can’t punish student for racist video, expert says
While students of color say the video has made them feel unsafe, campus administrators have repeatedly said the law binds them in disciplining or punishing the student. That’s true, said political science Professor Howard Schweber, an expert in constitutional law.
“The mere fact that expression is hateful, or deeply offensive, or deeply disturbing does not make it unprotected by the First Amendment,” he said. “I think the university got this one right.”
Garden Talk: Caring for native gardens in the spring
The time between spring and summer weather seems to be lessening. We talk with Susan Carpenter, a native garden specialist from the UW Arboretum, about how climate change is affecting native gardens.
UW-Madison student racist rant video goes viral, expert weighs in on what makes hate speech protected or punishable
Howard Schweber, political professor at the university, said legally, there’s not much action the school can take.
“This is not a matter of the university choosing not to take disciplinary action – they simply cannot, without running afoul with the First Amendment,” said Schweber.
Miriam Seifter on a lawsuit over Wisconsin’s abortion ban
University of Wisconsin Law School Professor Miriam Seifter explains legal arguments over the state’s 1849 law and later statutes related to abortion as hearings begin in a high-profile court case.
Wisconsin has seen several hospital mergers in the last year. How could they affect patients?
Ashley Swanson, associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said hospital mergers — on average — increase prices, while having a negligible effect on patient care.
“It seems like they primarily increase prices when the merging hospitals are located close to one another,” she said. “But there is some relatively new evidence suggesting that cross-market mergers can sometimes increase prices as well.”
UW Health allergist gives recommendations on alleviating seasonal allergies
Allergies can make it hard to enjoy the nice weather, so Dr. Mark Moss, an allergist with UW Health, is spreading the word about easy ways to alleviate symptoms.
Wisconsin ‘prime working age’ labor force participation among best in the nation
The rate at which Wisconsin’s “prime working age” adults are either working or looking for work is among the best in the country, according to a recent report from the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
“It speaks a lot to our work ethic,” said Matt Kures, the report’s author and a community economic development specialist for UW-Extension. “Traditionally, we have had high participation rates and I think that’s just kind of ingrained in us.”
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average cost of infant care in Wisconsin is $12,567 annually, or $1,047 per month. Laura Dresser, associate director of the COWS economic think tank at UW-Madison, said women in the workforce feel the effects of that most.
“Moms tend to carry the burden of care disproportionately in families,” she said. “The years before the kid goes to school … are really expensive years to work.“
This Green Bay business wants to help commercialize an innovative way to recycle plastic
Noted: Green Bay is poised to become the home of the first commercial STRAP plant, which would take these kinds of plastics and make them into materials that can be used again.
This is done through a process called STRAP — which stands for solvent-targeted recovery and precipitation — developed from early work done by undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Now, George Huber, a professor in chemical and biological engineering at UW-Madison, is leading a team at the Center for Chemical Upcycling of Waste Plastics, or CUWP, working to take STRAP from the lab to a commercial setting.
The center is funded by a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and is made up of people from UW-Madison and five other universities, a national laboratory and more than 20 industrial partners.
Voting has gotten harder in Wisconsin. Organizers have found ways to help
Barriers to voting disproportionately affect certain racial groups, according to research from UW-Madison journalism and mass communications professor Michael Wagner.
Productivity fell while output increased in Q1. Why?
Meanwhile, output that’s the amount of stuff we’re making is not keeping up, said Menzie Chinn, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin. “Production had jumped in the wake of the pandemic. And so what you have is the growth rate of production, which is largely determined by demand, is slowing a lot,” he said.
The Most Important Sci-Fi Movie of the Century Gets One Thing Right About Nuclear Fusion
“I don’t think we will see people with arc reactor-powered suits,” Stephanie Diem tells Inverse. “However, I see fusion in our future.” Diem is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who researches experimental plasma physics for fusion energy development.
Hormone therapy after breast cancer can be safely paused for pregnancy
“I think this data will have an immediate impact,” said Heather Neuman, a breast surgical oncologist and health services researcher at the University of Wisconsin. She was not involved in the study. “This is an extremely important question for young cancer survivors, as family planning is a critical life event.”
Why black bears love dumpster diving
Certain places like Mr Marsh’s home state of West Virginia, as well as New Jersey and Tennessee, may be more ripe for bear encounters as they have growing populations of the mammals, said David Drake, a professor and extension wildlife specialist at the University of Wisconsin.
WATCH: How will writers’ strike affect your favorite shows?
Michael Childers from the Department of Labor Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison joins Live at Four to discuss the writers’ strike that could impact your favorite shows.
Wildlife Wednesday: An update from the Appalachian Trail, croaking spring frogs and winter mortality of Western big game
Interview with Adam D’Angelo, a Ph.D student at UW-Madison, and Scott Craven, emeritus UW-Extension Wildlife Ecologist.
How to build more trust and engagement between journalists and audiences
Technological changes and attacks on media have eroded public trust in journalism and the news media. Sue Robinson, a UW-Madison journalism professor, joins us to share her new book on how journalists can better engage their communities and build trust with their audiences.
What to make of the latest bank failure
We talk about why First Republic Bank was seized by regulators, whether we’re in the middle of a larger banking crisis, and what individuals should know going forward. Interview with J. Michael Collins, associate professor of public affairs and consumer science at UW-Madison, where he directs the Center for Financial Security.
Another source of toxic PFAS in Wisconsin: Toilet paper?
Quoted: “I feel like we hear about new places that have PFAS every day,” said Christy Remucal, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor of engineering who studies the chemicals and did not participate in the study.
Common-sense legal reforms could put more people to work by clearing certain convictions
Written by Allie Boldt, Legal Research Director for the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
What a meta study shows about risks versus benefits of drinking alcohol
Interview with Dr. Patrick Remington, a professor emeritus in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, about the results of a new review of 107 other studies, and its conclusions about whether low-level alcohol drinking extended people’s lives.
Program steering Black women to resources aims to improve birth outcomes
“The pandemic has and likely will continue to disproportionately impact Black birthing people and their families,” said Dr. Tiffany Green, co-chair of the Black Maternal and Child Health Alliance of Dane County and an associate professor at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
What Disney’s lawsuit against Ron DeSantis means for corporate free speech
The Walt Disney Company is suing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, accusing his administration of government retaliation for their criticism of his policies. Howard Schweber, a professor of political science and legal studies at UW-Madison, joins us to break down the case and explore what’s at stake.
How to spring clean alongside inflation
Christine Whelan, a consumer science professor at UW-Madison, helps us with suggestions for how we can de-clutter and off-load belongings, while inflation may be looming over any thoughts of restocking or replacing items.
McCarthy Shuts Down Russian Reporter On Ukraine Aid
Mikhail Troitskiy, professor of practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Newsweek via email that the position of the GOP leadership has “evolved” over the last several months.
First Republic Bank seized, sold to JPMorgan Chase
Michael Collins, Faculty director, Center for Financial Security quoted in embedded video.
Zoonomia Project: Genetic research reveals insights into what we share with animals
David O’Connor, who studies primate genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the studies tackle deep questions.
“It’s just the wonder of biology, how we are so similar and dissimilar to all the things around us,” said O’Connor, who wasn’t involved in the research. “It’s the sort of thing that reminds me why it’s cool to be a biologist.”
How Construction Tax Subsidies For Amazon Increase Employment (Hint, Not Much)
That is the background. Researchers Ike Brannon at the Jack Kemp Foundation and Russell Kashian and Matthew Winden, both professors of economics at the University of Wisconsin, said that ultimately subsidies didn’t seem to deliver what they promised.