Hemant Shah, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies portrayals of race and ethnicity in film and media, said that if white children consumed content with racist portrayals that went unchecked, it could “normalize the stereotype” for them and make it “normal for them not to call out stereotypes or racist behaviors they see in their lives.”
Category: UW Experts in the News
Comedian Shane Mauss gets seriously funny at Wisconsin Science Festival
Mauss’ guests will include Heather Kirkorian, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cognitive Development and Media Lab, UW-Madison professor of communication science Catalina Toma, and comedian Ken Reid, host of the “TV Guidance Counselor” podcast. The session will be held via Crowdcast, where audience members can comment and ask questions throughout the event.
Why New Dads Struggle With Depression – Male Postpartum Depression
There have been some appeals by experts over the years to take paternal PPD seriously, but those calls have been largely ignored. In January, three leading researchers, Tova Walsh, Ph.D., Neal Davis, M.D., and Craig Garfield, M.D., published a piece in Pediatrics—the influential journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics—urging pediatricians to screen for paternal PPD, just as they do for maternal postpartum depression. “It is now critical to recognize paternal depression as a community of pediatric providers and ensure consistent screening, referral, and follow-up,” they wrote.
Wisconsin Unemployment Rate Declines To 5.4 Percent In September
“We’re still going (in) the right direction. Jobs are increasing,” said Laura Dresser, who researches the state’s labor force as the associate director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy.
Covid-19 Cases Are Rising in More Than 40 States
“This just makes me feel that the winter will be more ominous. I don’t think it’s going to go down. It could, we have the time for it to go down,” said Ajay Sethi, an associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “But you really need to have a sudden and complete change in behavior across the state, and it’s hard to believe it will occur.”
Wisconsin Judge Temporarily Blocks State Order on Taverns as New Covid-19 Cases Hit Record
Howard Schweber, a political-science professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, said the conflicts in all three states reflect the intense partisan divide, with Democratic governors and one or both houses of the legislative branch controlled by Republicans.
“What we have is just a sort of state-level version of what is sometimes called constitutional hardball,” he said. “Parties pushing the rules of the game and their interests to the extreme that the system will allow, which would be unfortunate if we were talking about, say, fiscal policy, but in the case of a genuine public-health crisis, is truly disastrous.”
Voter turnout: Will sports stadiums as voting sites boost the vote?
“I think it’s a combination of widespread national interest in racial justice and the pandemic happening simultaneously [driving engagement]—and the fact that these arenas aren’t actually being used for sports [that] makes them available,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and founding director of its Elections Research Center. “So it’s sort of a perfect storm of all these things coming together that’s made it sort of a natural extension for teams to make.”
Trump and Biden in competing town halls with president facing uphill battle
David Canon, chair of the political science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, agreed.But he said Trump may have committed a “tactical error” by backing out of a virtual debate with Biden.“He needed the debates more than Biden did,” Canon said. “He’s the one that needs to change the momentum in the election.”
Disney’s reorganization puts the spotlight on streaming
Once upon a time, movies were movies, and TV was TV. But the line between them is starting to blur, said Derek Johnson, a professor of media studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How coronavirus’s genetic code can help control outbreaks
“It’s still kind of like a volunteer fire department,” said Tom Friedrich, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the consortium. “Labs that already have the interest and capacity are sequencing, but that leaves other places lacking in coverage.”
Some of the biggest gaps are in places where outbreaks are most out of control, noted Friedrich’s University of Wisconsin colleague Dave O’Connor. “It is sort of like a street only being illuminated where there happen to be streetlights,” he said. “You can’t know anything about the areas that are dark.”
Wisconsin Could Be 2020 Election ‘Tipping Point’
The president’s path to victory in Wisconsin begins with trying to replicate that feat this November.”I think that’s probably (Trump’s) biggest challenge,” said political scientist Katherine Cramer, who wrote an influential book about the shifting rural vote in Wisconsin called “The Politics of Resentment.”
How To Trick-Or-Treat Safely During A Pandemic, According To An Epidemiologist
But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Halloween safely this year. University of Wisconsin-Madison Epidemiologist Malia Jones answers your questions — and offers some creative alternatives to enjoying the spooky season.
Local historian explains controversy behind Christopher Columbus
Quoted: Charles Cohen, a historian from University of Wisconsin- Madison, said Christopher Columbus represents more than landing in the Americas in 1492.
‘It was an embarassment:’ First presidential debate leaves impression on experts
Quoted: Social scientist and professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin Dietram Scheufele said the first 2020 presidential debate differed from past debates.
Wisconsin groups introduce new campaign to help stop COVID-19 spread
Quoted: UW professor of chemistry Timothy Bertram said in an email to The Badger Herald there is a clear approach to help mitigate risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19.
Enrollment drops worry public schools as pandemic persists
More affluent families may have chosen private schools or homeschooling because they did not like the pre-packaged curricula that many public school systems are using for online learning, and they are unlikely to return to public schools any time soon, University of Wisconsin education professor Michael Apple said.
10,000 mink are dead in COVID-19 outbreaks at U.S. fur farms after virus believed spread by humans
Thousands of mink have died at fur farms in Utah and Wisconsin after a series of coronavirus outbreaks.
Keith Poulson, Veterinary Diagnostic Lab featured.
‘This election is everything’: College students push schools to cancel classes on Election Day
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an influx of students signed up to be poll workers with the Madison City Clerk offices and with Dane County, where Madison is located. The City Clerk’s Office said it has twice as many workers as in the past three presidential elections and are unable to accept additional applications.
Wisconsin is battling America’s worst coronavirus outbreak, and the state’s broken politics is partially to blame – AOL News
As Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told NBC News earlier this week, “Wisconsin has become the poster child for how things can go wrong.”
‘Erasure Of 40 Years Of Progress’: How The Pandemic Is Affecting Working Women In Wisconsin
Tessa Conroy, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, worries this imbalance may lead to women leaving the workforce altogether.
Trump and Biden need to win Wisconsin. The swing state could be 2020 election ‘tipping point’
“I think that’s probably (Trump’s) biggest challenge,” said political scientist Katherine Cramer, who wrote an influential book about the shifting rural vote in Wisconsin called “The Politics of Resentment.” “Hillary Clinton was so unpopular with these voters … They just could not stand her,” said Cramer, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “(Joe) Biden is not as unpopular.”
Is It Possible to Party Safely at Dance Events During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
According to Dr. Ajay K. Sethi, associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin, the testing protocol at In My Elements was solid, though not entirely fail-safe. “Multiple rounds are better than a one-time test at the time of admission,” Sethi says. “The PCR test result indicates that virus was not detected on the day that testing was performed. If someone was exposed and infected the day before PCR testing, then the test may miss detection of the virus.”
This State Has Become the “Poster Child” for How Not to Handle COVID
“Wisconsin has become the poster child for how things can go wrong,” Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told NBC News on Oct. 7.
Rejected mail in ballots projected to be major factor in 2020 election
“I think any rejected ballot is a travesty. We don’t want any legitimate voter to have their ballot go uncounted because of an administrative mishap, a missing signature, a slow mail delivery,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who analyzed Wisconsin absentee data.
Wisconsin GOP: We ‘Don’t Care’ Guv Is Trying to Save Lives
“We’re in dire straits,” Ajay K. Sethi, an associate professor in population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin, said earlier this week. “As far as number of cases per capita, we’re among the highest in the country right now, along with other areas of the Midwest including North Dakota and South Dakota.”
Cap Times Idea Fest: Experts caution against expectations of a return to normal with vaccine
James Conway was joined by UW-Madison epidemiologist Malia Jones and Nasia Safdar, medical director for infection control at UW Hospital and Clinics to discuss what happens after the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine. Cap Times reporter Abigail Becker moderated the discussion.
Biden outspent President Trump 10 to 1 on Madison TV ads the last week of September
Quoted: Professor David Canon, a political science expert from UW Madison, said it is possible President Trump is focusing on other states he needs to win in order to get to 270 electoral votes.
Finding the right fit for Madison’s next police chief
Meeting expectations for a new chief is a “tough ask,” said Keith Findley, a UW-Madison law professor who co-chaired a resident-led ad hoc committee that studied the MPD. The panel was formed after an officer shot and killed Black teenager Tony Robinson in 2015.
Stepped-Up Recruitment of Poll Watchers Adds to Election Tensions
Noted: Some election scholars, however, cite the charged atmosphere. “We’ve got a perfect storm of open challenges from the president to the integrity of the election process, and the termination of the consent decree,” said Kenneth Mayer, an election law expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s not too hard to envision circumstances in which this really gets out of hand.”
What It’s Like to Be a Teacher in 2020 America
Noted: “Our public education system is a massive hidden child care subsidy,” said Jon Shelton, a historian of the teaching work force at the University of Wisconsin.
What All That Touch Deprivation Is Doing to Us
Noted: Jo Carter, 50, a project manager at the University of Wisconsin in Madison who lives alone, said that, pre-pandemic, she would regularly get massages and pedicures to have consistent touch.
Some medical experts question Trump’s exit from Walter Reed hospital
Dr. William Hartman, who is leading several Covid-19 clinical trials at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, said it is unusual for patients to go home before they have finished their IV medications. But “the White House is a different situation, obviously,” Hartman said. “He can get that type of care there.”
Trump Walter Reed visit raises questions about White House spin
But the stroke was not made public while Wilson remained in office. Neither was a urinary infection that “nearly killed him,” according to John Milton Cooper, professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who wrote “Woodrow Wilson: A Biography.
GOP lawmakers stand still as virus rages in Wisconsin
“I think, unfortunately, more people are going to have to die before our policymakers accept we need laws and policies that improve the health and safety of our state” — when lawmakers are personally tied to a person who has died or has been hospitalized, said Patrick Remington, former epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s preventive medicine residency program.
COVID-19 hospitalizations at record levels in Wisconsin, Dane County
“It is vital at this point to preserve the capacity of the health care systems and, equally importantly, to protect the health care workforce,” said Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at UW Health.
‘Frustrated and heartbroken’: Health care workers say Wisconsin’s COVID-19 spike is the result of people ignoring preventive steps
Ajay Sethi, an associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, said that colleagues who went to cottages during the summer began reporting that they’d seen towns where no one appeared to be wearing a mask.
With COVID-19 hospitalizations up in Dane County, officials urge masks, staying home
“We are perilously close” to the county’s peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations in April, said Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at UW Health. “It is vital at this point to preserve the capacity of the health care systems and, equally importantly, to protect the health care workforce.”
Wisconsin Struggles to Explain Sudden Covid-19 Spike
“When it’s not enforced, you’re seeing very low mask-wearing rates,” said Jeff Pothof, chief quality officer with UW Health, a health system that serves more than 600,000 patients each year. “When we do contact tracing, it’s not the people who have been wearing their mask and doing social distancing that we’re talking to.”
Cap Times Idea Fest: Scientists always on the lookout for the next pandemic
“It’s hard to know what’s going to be the next pandemic,” said Kristen Bernard, a UW virologist who studies animal-borne viruses, like the one that turned the world on its head this year. Bernard spoke with Kelly Tyrrell, an award-winning science writer and director of UW-Madison’s research communications, in a one-on-one session for the Cap Times Ideafest on preparing for the next pandemic.
What happens now that Trump has COVID-19?
Quoted: David Cannon, department chair of the UW-Madison political science department, explains.
UW professors react to first presidential debate, believe undecided voters remain unswayed
Quoted: UW political science professor Donald Downs said he believed the various interruptions from Trump and the refusal to answer key questions from former Vice President Biden were key takeaways from the debate.
The Highs And Lows Of Parenting In A Pandemic
Margaret Kerr, Assistant Professor, Human Development & Family Studies, talks about mental health for parents right now, how to relish moments of positivity and how to make the most of a challenging time.
The State Of Race: Education — COVID In The Classroom
In this segment of “The State of Race: Education” presented by WGBH and The Boston Globe, host Dan Lothian talks to Founder & Director, The NET Mentoring Group, Jamal Grant; Professor of Urban Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gloria Ladson-Billings and Boston Globe Education Reporter Bianca Vázquez Toness about how COVID has widened the opportunity gap in the classroom.
Why Some People Are Still Getting Sick–but Not with COVID – Scientific American
Noted: “You might be immune to the flu, but you are not going to be immune to all those rhinoviruses,” says James Gern, a rhinovirus researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “That’s one unique feature of rhinoviruses—you are always going to be susceptible to some.”
At-Home Learning, When Home Is in Ashes
Noted: Schools can step in and provide support when parents themselves are traumatized. Familiar adults at school can also provide a buffering effect against trauma, said Travis Wright, an associate professor of counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rapid Coronavirus Spit Tests Aren’t Coming Soon
Noted: Another saliva LAMP test is being tested by David O’Connor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their technique bears many similarities to the Columbia test, including a color-based readout, but takes slightly longer and involves a couple of extra steps. Early trials of the test on volunteers in Wisconsin have gone well, Dr. O’Connor said, and one school district in Illinois is using the test to screen about 1,400 students and teachers on a weekly basis.
Deaths, hospitalizations and infections are surging, but some GOP lawmakers tell constituents not to worry about COVID-19
“If these legislators were practicing medicine, they would be sued for malpractice,” Patrick Remington, a former Centers for Disease Control epidemiologist and director of the Preventive Medicine Residency Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said after reviewing the lawmakers’ statements.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Has Evidence for Life on Venus Been in Our Grasp for 40 Years?
Other archived data could prove useful, too. Sousa-Silva is currently looking through old infrared telescope observations of Venus, hunting for additional overlooked evidence of phosphine. And Sanjay Limaye of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who is a co-author of Mogul’s preprint paper, says old data from the Soviet Venera probes—while unlikely to have been sensitive enough to detect phosphine—may contain evidence for atomic phosphorus, which could hint at the presence of molecular phosphine, too. He notes, however, that the whereabouts of much of those data is unknown. Still, Limaye says, “somebody probably has some records.”
Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is ‘Very Likely to Work,’ Studies Suggest
“Reading these papers gives me the sense that they’re going to have the controlled thermonuclear fusion plasma that we all dream about,” said Cary Forest, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin who is not involved in the project. “But if I were to estimate where they’re going to be, I’d give them a factor of two that I give to all my grad students when they say how long something is going to take.”
Infected by a Virus, a Killer Fungus Turns Into a Friend
“There have been some reports about how viruses are able to manipulate hosts, but this one is so unique,” said Aurelie Rakotondrafara, a plant pathologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who was not involved in the study. “You can’t help but ask: How is this possible?
IRS Estimates More Than 111K Wisconsinites Might Have Not Claimed Coronavirus Stimulus Checks
Tim Smeeding, a professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty, said trying to reach the remaining people by mail might be a challenge because those with low incomes tend to move more often and might not have current addresses on file with the IRS.
How scientists can attribute parts of 2020’s hurricanes and wildfires to climate change
Climate change is also tipping the scales toward larger fires. Monica Turner, a fire researcher and a professor of integrative biology at the University of Wisconsin Madison, said in an email that climate is a big driver of megafires, those burning through an area larger than 100,000 acres.
At-Home Learning, When Home Is in Ashes
Schools can step in and provide support when parents themselves are traumatized. Familiar adults at school can also provide a buffering effect against trauma, said Travis Wright, an associate professor of counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
WATCH: UW-Madison political expert breaks down first presidential debate
Mike Wagner, a journalism and mass communications professor at UW-Madison, joined the Wake Up Wisconsin team Wednesday morning to take a closer look at some of the night’s biggest moments.
NBC15 Investigates: Chaos in Kenosha, the questions that remain
Quoted: “When you’re being unlawfully interfered with by another person, you have a right under the law to defend yourself against that unlawful interference,” says Cecelia Klingele, associate professor of law at University of Wisconsin Law School. “But we also require that when you do so, you’re using force reasonably. So you’re making a reasonable judgement about whether or not you’re in danger, how much danger you’re in, and how much force you need to use in order to protect yourself.”
Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is ‘Very Likely to Work,’ Studies Suggest
“Reading these papers gives me the sense that they’re going to have the controlled thermonuclear fusion plasma that we all dream about,” said Cary Forest, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin who is not involved in the project. “But if I were to estimate where they’re going to be, I’d give them a factor of two that I give to all my grad students when they say how long something is going to take.”
Wisconsin’s September COVID-19 Spike ‘Couldn’t Have Come At A Worse Time’
“It’s bad,” said Ajay Sethi, a public health professor with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and it’s likely to get worse.
UW professor explains what to watch for during the first presidential debate
Interviewed: Joining us to talk about what we can learn from debates from years past is UW professor Mike Wagner.
Chadwick Boseman’s death reinvigorates focus on lessening racial disparities in colorectal cancer
Quoted: “We think that the racial disparities we see are something that we can really start chipping away at,” Dr. John Eason, an associate professor of sociology at UW-Madison, tells Madison365.
UW-Madison faculty member addresses Kenosha shooting, broader racism in Wisconsin
Interviewed: Jackson is a Vilas Distinguished Professor and Chair of the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.