Pearlman is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Men’s Health Program Director of Urology at the University of Iowa. Levine is a Professor of Urology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Le is an Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Wisconsin. Levin then announced, “men who have had Covid are six times more likely to develop erectile dysfunction.”
Category: UW Experts in the News
Charleston Saver Coupon Book Spread Conspiracies and Sparked Furious Backlash
But Anuj Desai, an expert on the intersection of free-speech law and the usage of the U.S. postal system at the University of Wisconsin Law School, explains that the mail is considered a conduit for the free flow of ideas. In other words, the First Amendment protects people’s ability to mail out even baseless conspiracies and falsehoods freely.
Sure Signs You May Already Have Dementia
“These are often the ones that are distressing both to persons with dementia and especially with their family members,” said Dr. Art Walaszek, Geriatric Psychiatrist, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, on the University of Madison-Wisconsin’s podcast from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial in Kenosha begins this week
The case “represents that clash of our polarized politics,” said Keith A. Findley, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Kyle Rittenhouse: Teen’s homicide trial for Kenosha shootings opens with jury selection
“It’s a pretty substantial burden for the prosecution to do that and I think that’s going to be where the real challenge for them lies,” said John Gross, a clinical associate professor and the director of the Public Defender Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.
Those chosen to sit on the jury will be tasked with assessing the reasonableness of Rittenhouse’s actions that night.”We want the jury to be a check on the power of the state and to enforce community norms,” said Cecelia Klingele, an associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “So when the law requires that force is used reasonably, we want our community to decide what is or isn’t reasonable.”
Waiting until Black Friday to start holiday shopping could mean missing out
“Get in early or potentially miss out. I don’t think there’s gonna be a lot of companies with the ability to do a big blow out sale at the end of November …inventory won’t allow that,” said Prof. Cliff Robb, UW-Madison consumer science.
COVID Booster Shots: Experts Share Advice They Give Friends and Family
David O’Connor, a pathology professor at the University of Wisconsin, said there’s little downside to adults of all ages getting a booster.
‘As dumb as a bag of hammers’: Kevin Nicholson goes after fellow Republican Rebecca Kleefisch on ‘ballot harvesting’ strategy
Quoted: Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said while Trump and other Republicans complained about the practice there isn’t a single definition of what “ballot harvesting” refers to.
“To most observers, harvesting is done by a private, partisan group or individual when they gather ballots from individuals and then deliver them to an election office,” Burden said in an email. “Kleefisch claims that Democrats do this sort of thing ‘non-stop,’ but I am not aware of widespread ballot collection by Democratic volunteers or operatives in Wisconsin.”
Kyle Rittenhouse Shooting Trial to Focus on Reasonableness, Self-Defense
Ultimately, the case will be decided by the jury based on their assessment of the reasonableness of Mr. Rittenhouse’s actions, said Cecelia Klingele, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.
Rittenhouse judge in spotlight after disallowing word ‘victims’ in courtroom
Keith Findley, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin and a former public defender, said that while the order is more of a “defense-friendly position,” it’s not entirely unjustified, because it would “allow the prosecution to continually use language that suggests a conclusion as if it’s a given fact to jurors.”
Why people shot by Kyle Rittenhouse can be called “rioters” and “looters” but not “victims” at trial
Findley explained the judge is differentiating the facts of the case from the questions the jury must answer. Since Rittenhouse is claiming he acted in self-defense, the question is not who shot three people, killing two of them, but rather if Rittenhouse was justified in defending himself out of fear of bodily harm. If his lawyers can show he had reason to believe the men were each engaged in activities such as looting, rioting and arson at the time, that could sway the jury to accept Rittenhouse’s defense.
A senior administrator describes the role of his dogs in his career (opinion)
Kevin P. Reilly describes how, over his career, his three different dogs have each had the appropriate personality to help him get through that specific phase of his life.
What kind of costs can unvaccinated workers ring up for a business?
“You know, there are a lot of downstream decisions that need to be made,” said Margie Rosenberg, professor of risk and insurance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She said this is where calculating costs starts to involve some prediction, planning and math.
What’s up with the supply chain shortage?
Interview with Peter Lukszys, senior lecturer with the Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management.
The Effects of Social Media on Kids
Interview with Heather Kirkorian, a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at UW-Madison.
Deactivated voters then vs. now: Why 205,000 voters were removed from the roles without any fanfare
Quoted: “When the list was first brought up in 2019 going into the 2020 election, there was a lot of concern,” Barry Burden, Director of Elections Research at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, said. “You heard outcry and eventually lawsuits to try to move things along. But that’s completely different from the regular list maintenance that the state has done for a number of years.”
Influencers aren’t going anywhere. So what does that mean for today’s teens?
“Media influence on young people is something that’s been known for years,” Ellen Selkie, an adolescent medicine specialist and researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Mashable. “But I think the thing with influencers that is additional is that there is a development of a para-social relationship with the influencer.”
Payments Company Stripe Is Kick Starting Market for Carbon Removal
Gregory Nemet, an expert on technological change at the University of Wisconsin—Madison who is working on a U.N. (excerpt, behind WSJ Pro paywall.)
‘Food is the connector’: UW-Madison chef aims to reinvigorate traditional African meals
On a warm Friday night in October, jazz music mingles in the air with the smell of collard greens at Cafe Coda, a Black-owned music venue in Dane County.
Cancel culture: What it is and where it’s headed
Interview with Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law Franciska Coleman.
Should young children be made to wear face masks?
But other experts are skeptical of how much of an impediment masks really are. “Faces aren’t necessarily the only or the most important cue to someone else’s emotions,” says Ashley Ruba, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Child Emotion Lab. There are other vital signals too, she says, “things like tone of voice, body posture, and overall social situation”.
We Need to Ground Truth Assumptions about Gene Therapy
Emily Howell, a science communication expert at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, says that the trust part happens when researchers meet people where they are by asking about their concerns, their hopes and their fears. Howell, who studies how to communicate controversial topics such as fracking and gene editing, says starting with emotions and values rather than with facts and figures can help to foster trust. People tend to trust someone when that person not only is competent but also seems to care about the same things as they do, Howell says.
Ancient-DNA Researchers Set Ethics Guidelines for Their Work
“I will say that it’s encouraging to see a group of scientists like this say we have talked about this standard of behavior and we’re willing to agree to it,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved with the paper. “It’s a step forward for them to say at least we’re going to follow the law.
Researchers of ancient DNA set ethics guidelines for their work
“I will say that it’s encouraging to see a group of scientists like this say we have talked about this standard of behavior and we’re willing to agree to it,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was not involved with the paper. “It’s a step forward for them to say at least we’re going to follow the law.”
Yes, There Has Been Progress on Climate. No, It’s Not Nearly Enough.
“We know there are these big tipping points in the climate system, and once we get past them, it’s too late to go back,” said Andrea Dutton, a climate scientist at University of Wisconsin-Madison who co-authored a study finding that a 3 degree trajectory could lead to an abrupt jump in the rate of Antarctic melt as early as 2060.
Flu vs. COVID-19: How the 2 Illnesses Compare, According to Experts
Though COVID-19 and the flu can cause many of the same symptoms, and both can lead to cases of pneumonia, respiratory failure, and even acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), COVID-19 can affect the body’s other organ systems more than the flu, James H. Conway, MD, FAAP, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and associate director for health sciences at the Global Health Institute of UW-Madison, tells Health.
UW Health gives safety tips for trick-or-treaters this year
“Kids are more than twice as likely to get hit by a car and killed on Halloween night,” UW Health Kids’ Rishelle Eithun said. “We need to be more mindful.”
Halloween spending expected to hit record high this year
UW Madison Consumer Science Professor Cliff Robb says it’s likely more people are planning to host or attend events this year. Another reason for the increase he says is more adults without children are celebrating Halloween.
Wisconsin’s Place in Supply Chain Delays
Jake Dean, director of the Grangier Center for Supply Chain Management at UW-Madison, discusses why the flow of consumer products has slowed across the nation and how it is affecting Wisconsin.
‘Sisterhood of traveling scarves:’ Breast cancer survivor shares her special pay-it-forward effort
A breast cancer survivor found a special way to help other women cope with the debilitating illness through a special scarf sharing project.
UW Madison professor Emerita Gloria Ladson-Billings said she discovered scarves after chemotherapy left her with hair loss.
“And in some ways, I didn’t think anything about it, except I’m going to do for me; I’m going to wear a scarf,” Ladson-Billings said.
The Amish in Wisconsin
Noted: Shereen Siewert welcomes University of Wisconsin Professor Mark Louden, director of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies. Louden is an interpreter and cultural mediator for Amish and Old Order Mennonite groups in the legal and health care systems. They discuss the history and cultural heritage of Amish Country in Wisconsin, debunk common myths and learn about the Amish community.
How dry was the 2021 growing season?
Noted: Joe Lauer is an agronomy professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Madison Agronomy and UWEX state corn specialist
Yes, There Has Been Progress on Climate. No, It’s Not Nearly Enough.
Quoted: “We know there are these big tipping points in the climate system, and once we get past them, it’s too late to go back,” said Andrea Dutton, a climate scientist at University of Wisconsin-Madison who co-authored a study finding that a 3 degree trajectory could lead to an abrupt jump in the rate of Antarctic melt as early as 2060.
Wisconsin apple orchards seeing a shortfall this year
Quoted: For many growers and researchers, this points to one thing.
“That is definitely the expression of climate change,” said Professor Amaya Atucha, a fruit crop specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She said increasingly extreme variability in temperature and precipitation is making it difficult for fruit trees to thrive.
Check runoff risk before spreading manure
Quoted: “About 31% of preventable transportation-related manure spills are due to operator error,” said Kevin Erb, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension conservation professional training program director. “An accidental spill is not illegal, but failing to properly report and clean it up is.”
5 Things to Do This Weekend
Noted: The program, which costs $15 for adults and $10 for ages 2 to 12 (museum admission is included), will also offer a scavenger hunt through the exhibition “Jennifer Angus: Magicicada.” Angus, an artist (and design professor in the School of Human Ecology), has devised decorative scenes and Victorian-like dioramas involving hundreds of preserved insects. Enhanced by historical taxidermy specimens, the show promises some haunting pleasure.
Monthly job growth flat in September, but well ahead of a year ago
Quoted: “There isn’t a lot of evidence in the data that people are staying home,” said Laura Dresser, an economist and associate director of COWS, a University of Wisconsin-Madison policy research center, noting the state’s continued above-average labor force participation.
Other factors, such as the continued difficulty in finding child care, are likely keeping people from working who would otherwise want to do so, she said. One reason for Wisconsin’s higher labor force participation rate is that more women are in the state’s workforce, and are likely to be disproportionately affected by the disruption in child care.
Dissatisfaction over pay and frustration with customers who angrily object to masking have given restaurant and hospitality workers reason to pursue other jobs instead, said Steven Deller, of the UW Extension’s agricultural and applied economics department. “There’s lots of little things going on here,” Deller said. “I think a lot of folks are simply saying, ‘No — do I really want to do that any more?’”
Wisconsin parents suing school boards over lack of COVID-19 protocols face an ‘uphill battle.’ Here’s why.
Noted: Julie Underwood, a retired faculty member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and Law School, said the argument in the lawsuits are based on a claim of negligence: The school districts have a responsibility to provide reasonable care of the child, and failed to do so.
If it’s determined that immunity doesn’t apply here, the next question would be whether it was reasonable for the school boards not to require masks, Underwood said.
Wisconsin is second in nation for school board recall attempts, driven by disputes over masking, teaching race
Quoted: Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it’s not uncommon for political party leaders to change their views on recall elections.
“For conservatives in Wisconsin, (they) made two keys argument against the 2012 recalls. First was that Governor Walker had only been in office for a year and deserved to have more time to prove himself before facing another election. Second was that the motivation for the recalls was merely a policy debate about labor unions and not over malfeasance in office, which is what recalls should be used for,” Burden said.
Here’s how Milwaukee bakers prepare their favorite lebkuchen — a classic German gingerbread with many varieties
Noted: Sugar does reduce water activity, and water is what lets microorganisms do their thing, said Barbara Ingham, professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a food safety specialist for UW’s Division of Extension. (“Just don’t eat raw dough,” she noted, since flour can be the subject of recalls for E. coli.)
Study: Most US Catholic bishops kept silent on Francis’ climate change push
The U.S. Catholic Church has unprecedented capacity to help avoid climate catastrophe. It also has a responsibility to address the climate emergency as an essential part of its mission. To realize this potential and fidelity, however, individual U.S. bishops must fulfill their duty to teach the fullness of faith that includes church teaching on climate change.
(Daniel R. DiLeo is an associate professor and director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at Creighton University. Sabrina Danielsen is assistant professor of sociology at Creighton. Emily E. Burke is a doctoral student in the joint Sociology and Community & Environmental Sociology Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This essay is adapted from their article published in Environmental Research Letters with support from Creighton and the Louisville Institute. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)
UW-Madison launches Center for DREAMers to support state’s undocumented young adults
A flurry of questions ran through Erika Rosales’ head during the college application process: Which schools might accept me? How can I afford it? Am I eligible for any scholarships? How should I answer the question of citizenship status?
UW Prof. Jordan Ellenberg, “Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else”
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, time for the Wisconsin Book Festival, 28 events this week alone, both in-person and online, and Stu Levitan welcomes one of the featured presenters, and one of the brightest stars in the firmament that is the University of Wisconsin faculty, Professor Jordan Ellenberg, to discuss his NYTimes best-seller, Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else.
A World Without Soil
For today’s show, Monday host Patty Peltekos speaks with Jo Handelsman about her new book, A World Without Soil: The Past, Present, and Precarious Future of the Earth Beneath Our Feet.
The Wisconsin Book Festival and the Wisconsin Science Festival are co-presenting a book event with Jo Handelsman this Thursday, October 21 at 6 p.m. in the Discovery Building at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. More information available at the Wisconsin Book Festival website.
Jo Handelsman is the director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Vilas Research Professor, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor. She previously served as a science advisor to President Barack Obama as the Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) from 2014 to 2017. She is the author of A World Without Soil: The Past, Present, and Precarious Future of the Earth Beneath Our Feet (Yale University Press, 2021).
Bice: Rebecca Kleefisch was a critic of recall elections when she was the target. Now she champions the Mequon school board recall
Quoted: Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it’s not uncommon for political party leaders to change their views on recall elections.
In 2012, Burden said, conservatives in Wisconsin fought the recall drive by arguing that Walker and Kleefisch had not been in office long enough to be removed and that recall elections were “merely a policy debate about labor unions and not over malfeasance in office.”
Now, he said, conservatives and Republicans can claim they are being consistent by arguing that school board members are violating state law with their public health mandates, such as masks, vaccines and online learning.
“So it is about wrongdoing in office and not just a dispute about local education policy,” Burden said.
Local theater artist Erica Halverson has ideas for how to save the arts in education
Performer, educator and author Erica Halverson has a lot to say about how the arts can be used in schools to transform education in a meaningful way in her book “How The Arts Can Save Education.” Halverson, who also is a professor of curriculum and instruction at UW-Madison, will discuss her book during an in-person event at the Wisconsin Book Festival later this month.
Ask the Weather Guys: How is the Artic Sea ice situation?
Noted: Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on WHA radio (970 AM) at 11:45 a.m. the last Monday of each month.
‘Now we’re waiting’: Evacuees at Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy face health care issues, confusion over restarting their lives
Quoted: Erin Barbato, the director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, said that the immigration status of evacuees isn’t tied to remaining at the base, but once they leave, a clock starts on their resettlement benefits, which are only available for eight months after leaving the base.
“Many people are confusing the resettlement process with the immigration process. So, when people are applying for humanitarian parole or for their Special Immigrant Visa or even for asylum, that does not need to be completed on the base,” she said. “The issue is people have now been waiting for a long time at these bases and they don’t want to remain there any longer, but many of them need a resettlement plan in order to get their life started in the United States.”
Fall armyworm population wreaking havoc on Wisconsin crops
Noted: This year in Wisconsin, a fall armyworm population is present unlike anything most entomologists have ever seen. The pests are doing damage to alfalfa, winter wheat and other cover crops around the state. Bryan Jensen, UW-Extension Pest Management Specialist, shares that this warmer fall weather has helped to create a perfect storm for fall armyworms to thrive. Fall armyworms are different from the normal armyworms seen during late spring. The good news, according to Jensen, is they will most definitely not over-winter here in Wisconsin: they are a warm weather species, and will not survive the winter
Why the head of Wisconsin’s sham audit is facing resignation calls
“I do think it’s harmful,” Barry C. Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said of the review. “It’s obviously amateurish and uncoordinated and irresponsible and open-ended and partisan. The people who are leading the effort have already decided they think the election was fraudulent, or they’re distrustful of the outcome. It’s a violation of all the standards you’d use in a usual election audit or review the state might do.”
VendRx sounds convenient. But it could pervert physician incentives.
In the years that followed, some patients continued to buy certain drugs from their doctors, and some pharmacists continued to compound medications. But, as regulation increased, the diverse pharmaceutical market began to consolidate. With that transition, said Lucas Richert, a historian of pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pharmacists began “moving away from this role of compounders, and moving into a role where they are offering pharmaceutical services in their own shops.”
Wisconsin Assembly proposal to criminalize living on public property draws ire from lawmakers, homelessness support groups
Quoted: Kurt Paulsen, a professor of housing, land use and municipal finance with University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the bill’s provisions contrast with research indicating the expansion of permanent supportive housing is a solution to homelessness.
“Creating a criminal trespass for unsheltered homeless persons is moving in a different direction than expanding availability of permanently supportive housing,” said Paulsen.
Recalibrating COVID Risk Mid-Pandemic
Now nineteen months into pandemic life, many Americans are struggling to recalibrate their COVID risk. How do we balance needed COVID precautions with considerations of mental health and meaningful social interactions? What will it take to reach the “new normal”—and will we even know when we get there?
To help us break this down, Dominique Brossard, professor of life sciences communication, and population health scientist Ajay Sethi join us for a discussion of risk assessment in the post-vaccination stage, how to negotiate a wide range of feelings about the pandemic, and why it’s still okay to not feel okay.
Dominique Brossard is professor and chair in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where her teaching and research focus on science and risk communication.
Ajay Sethi is an epidemiologist and associate professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he specializes in the study of infectious diseases.
‘Lurching Between Crisis and Complacency’: Was This Our Last Covid Surge?
“We’re in a shoulder season, where it’s cooler in the South than it is in the middle of the summer and it’s warmer in the North than it is in the middle of the winter,” said David O’Connor, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Student health centers report high demand for services
Jake Baggott, associate vice chancellor and executive director of University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said there is at least a 20 percent increase in mental health visits this fall compared to last year, building on what was already a 6 percent increase in demand for mental health services from academic year 2019-20 to 2020-21.
HHMI devotes $2 billion to boost diversity in biomedical sciences
“It is a disservice to fund individuals to come into environments that continue to drive them away,” said Angela Byars-Winston, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health who led a 2019 National Academy of Science study on effective mentoring in STEM fields. “We know there are things institutions can do to change the environment instead of focusing on students who are not broken.”
Wisconsin GOP review of 2020 election beset by blunders from former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman
“I do think it’s harmful,” Barry C. Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said of the review. “It’s obviously amateurish and uncoordinated and irresponsible and open-ended and partisan. The people who are leading the effort have already decided they think the election was fraudulent, or they’re distrustful of the outcome. It’s a violation of all the standards you’d use in a usual election audit or review the state might do.”
Wisconsin farmers deal with fungal disease ‘tar spot’ during harvest time
Damon Smith, a UW-Madison Plant Pathologist, has been closely studying the fungus in Wisconsin for the last five years. “Based on some of our work in 2018, we’re anticipating 30–50-bushel losses in corn this year,” Smith said.
Social Security benefits to increase for thousands of Wisconsinites next year
“It’s an indicator of how prices have increased,” said Karen Holden, Professor emerita for consumer science and public affairs at UW-Madison’s School of Human Ecology.
Why Wisconsin’s Covid Breakthrough Numbers Show the Power of Vaccination
Quoted: Adjusting disease rates for age is a common practice in epidemiology. The practice is crucial for understanding the impacts that a disease like COVID-19 has on a large and varied population.
“We adjust for factors like age because we identify factors like age as being confounders,” said Ajay Sethi, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.