UW-Madison’s biggest educational experiment begins Monday.
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UW researchers study COVID-19 coronavirus to try to develop treatments, vaccines
In his UW-Madison lab, Adel Talaat developed an experimental vaccine to protect chickens from coronavirus. When the pandemic of a different strain arose in people late last year, Talaat used his technique to create a vaccine candidate for humans.
The Urgent Battle To Flatten Wisconsin’s COVID-19 Curve
Quoted: “It is a fundamental principle of outbreak control to slow transmission,” said Dr. Patrick Remington, an epidemiologist and professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.
How to Triage Patients Who Need Intensive Care
“A lot of times, medical professionals are really focused on making this one decision for the patient who is right in front of them,” says Laura Albert, a systems engineer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who was not involved in the study.
How to Build an Emergency Fund in the Middle of an Emergency
Quoted: Loans aren’t taxable but must be repaid, and they can be risky because if you leave your employer you generally have to repay the loan quickly, said J. Michael Collins, director of the Center for Financial Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Can Pets Contract Or Transmit COVID-19? A Virologist Answers Your Household Pet Questions
WHYsconsin has received numerous questions from audience members about COVID-19 and we are working to answer them. Here are the answers to some of those questions you have submitted. WPR’s Mary Kate McCoy spoke with Kristen Bernard, a virology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to answer some of your questions.
Coronavirus pandemic: 8 ways to stop spread of COVID-19 misinformation
Quoted: “This is a moment where misinformation can have real consequences, beyond what we have seen in elections,” says Dhavan Shah, the Louis A. & Mary E. Maier-Bascom professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, director of the university’s Mass Communication Research Center and scientific director of the Center for Health Enhancement System Studies. “This is a moment where misinformation can have life-and-death consequences.”
Of course the rich are getting tested first. The wealthy always do better during a pandemic.
Quoted: “The wealthy have often done better than the poor when faced with epidemics and pandemics because they tend to be resilient as a function of having greater resources,” says Richard Keller, a professor of medical history and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How to talk to kids about the coronavirus pandemic
Coronavirus is something kids are likely to be asking about a lot. When it comes up, Travis Wright, an associate professor of counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said he recommends allowing the kids’ questions and concerns to guide the conversation. That way, you won’t inadvertently introduce fears that they didn’t already have.
Also quoted: “They can take over-the-counter medications and they will do just fine,” said Dr. Jeff Pothof, chief quality officer for UW Health. “I know people are worried about our kids. If we’ve got anything going for us, it doesn’t appear that COVID makes children too sick.”
What Does the Covid-19 Economy Look Like? Chicken Prices Might Hold a Clue.
The outbreak could cut the country’s annual gross-domestic-product growth by half, said Ian Coxhead, an economist who studies Asian economies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But he cautioned that making such projections is difficult.
Wisconsin Bans Crowds Of 10 Or Larger; Order Bars And Restaurants Closed
Quoted: Dr. Patrick Remington, the director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Preventive Medicine Residency Program, said many people who work in the service industry are now “basically unemployed.”
Diabetes And The Coronavirus: An Endocrinologist Answers Your Questions
Quoted: Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Watch compiled your questions and sought answers from Dr. Dawn Davis. She is director of the Comprehensive Diabetes Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and section chief for Endocrinology at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison.
Growing old with autism
Quoted: “Looking at health in older adults with autism can tell us something about the result of a lifetime of the lived experience of being autistic, of the discrimination that comes with being autistic,” says Lauren Bishop, assistant professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
‘It feels so final’: UW extends online coursework through spring, announces leave policy
As University of Wisconsin-Madison students left town for spring break last week, they expected to be gone for a bit longer than usual to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. But on Tuesday, they were forced to quickly come to terms with a new announcement: there will be no more in-person instruction this spring.
How to use Airbnb, Uber and other apps during coronavirus
Quoted: “We’re saying that social distancing is the only thing that we know of that has the potential to blunt the curve of this pandemic,” says Nasia Safdar, the medical director of infection control at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.
These Lab Animals Will Help Fight Coronavirus
Dave O’Connor, a pathologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is working with colleagues to test the usefulness of monkeys in the study of coronavirus treatments. He said that a Chinese group had already published some data on rhesus macaques and he had heard that more results from other labs around the world would be coming soon.
How Saunas Could Boost Your Mental Health
In 2016, Charles Raison, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, published an intriguing study of 30 patients with clinical depression. Half of them rested on a bed while an infrared heat-lamp array raised their body temperature to 101.3 degrees.
US reaches moment of truth on coronavirus
Quoted: “We’re currently in a worrisome situation because this is a disease for which people do not have natural immunity from past exposure, and there’s currently no vaccine and no treatment,” said Vicki Bier, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in risk analysis for homeland security.
Facebook takedowns reveal sophistication of Russian trolls
Quoted: That report, from University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Young Mie Kim, found that Russia-linked social media accounts are posting about the same divisive issues — race relations, gun laws and immigration — as they did in 2016, when the Kremlin polluted American voters’ feeds with messages about the presidential election. Facebook has since removed those accounts as well.
These Six States Could Determine the 2020 Presidential Election
Quoted: “The Electoral College creates these strange incentives for campaigns to ignore most of the country and pour their attention into a small number of places,” Barry Burden, a professor of political science and director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Newsweek.
Ideal Glass Would Explain Why Glass Exists at All
The hidden long-range order of this putative state could rival the more obvious orderliness of a crystal. “That observation right there was at the heart of why people thought there should be an ideal glass,” said Mark Ediger, a chemical physicist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
UW-Madison moving to online instruction amid COVID-19 coronavirus uncertainty
UW-Madison will suspend in-person classes for at least three weeks, an unprecedented action by Wisconsin’s largest university taken to slow the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Russia Trying to Stoke U.S. Racial Tensions Before Election, Officials Say
Independent researchers continue to identify social media accounts with Russian links. Race was among the top issues that such accounts tried to foster division over, said Young Mie Kim, a University of Wisconsin professor who studies political communication online. Others included nationalism, immigration, gun control and gay rights.
What Are The Telltale Signs Of A Department Layoff?
If you want to know if your job is in jeopardy, consider whether management has laid people off recently, said Charlie Trevor, a professor of management and human resources at the University of Wisconsin–Madison school of business.
In Human Nature, Crispr’s Origin Story Comes to Life
Noted: There’s no doubt Human Nature will contribute to improving the public’s literacy about Crispr, including the differences between editing cells that can pass down those changes to future generations (germline cells, like sperm, ova, and embryos) and ones that can’t (somatic cells, or those from other body tissues). That’s critical for the future of the technology, says Alta Charo, a bioethicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who appears in the film for her work on the National Academy of Sciences’ reports on the ethics of gene editing.
Review: Waiting for wounds to heal and ‘Real Life’ to begin
Wallace is a graduate student at an unnamed large Midwestern university (Taylor holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison).
UW-Madison health researcher gives advice on fighting coronavirus
I’m not an expert on the COVID-19 virus by any stretch, but I study epidemics and have general knowledge and training that is applicable. Here are my thoughts on what’s happening and what we should do.
With Childhood Diabetes, Close Family Ties Lead to Flourishing Adults
Carol Ryff, director of the Institute on Aging at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, who developed the scales of wellbeing used to assess flourishing, called the study a “model of innovative health science for the future” and a “breath of fresh air.”
Report: Russian Social Accounts Sow Election Discord-Again
The report from University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Young Mie Kim found that Russia-linked social media accounts are posting about the same divisive issues — race relations, gun laws and immigration — as they did in 2016, when the Kremlin polluted American voters’ feeds with messages about the presidential election.
The Rise of Location Trackers for Kids as Young as 3
Quoted: This is not to say that smartwatches for kids don’t have any benefits. As Heather Kirkorian, associate professor of| human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that, for example, their texting and phone call functionality can be useful in a world where pay phones aren’t available the way they used to be.
2020 Democratic Primary Turnout Is a Problem
Quoted: Barry Burden, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin who studies voter turnout, says Trump’s huge levels of support defy historical trends about sitting presidents who run for reelection. “A sitting incumbent running for reelection — that shouldn’t stimulate much interest,” Burden says. “It all runs a little contrary to what I think we would’ve expected.”
Newell Brands Is Investigated by SEC
Quoted: “The goodwill impairment test is one of the most second guessed of the accounting tests that exist,” said Thomas Linsmeier, professor of accounting and law, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Why are so many more children nearsighted?
The question should be, “How does the technology work for the kids?” said adolescent physician Megan Moreno, a professor of pediatrics at University of Wisconsin, Madison. “Why aren’t the kids getting outside? What is the reason? Is it the screen’s fault or part and parcel of our society? Taking away screens isn’t part of the solution.”
Democratic primary voters care about more than electability
To explore this possibility, my colleagues at the University of Wisconsin at Madison’s Elections Research Center and I presented Democratic primary voters with a longer menu of reasons for their choice of candidates. In statewide surveys of 3,600 adults across the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, we asked respondents whether they planned to vote in their states’ primaries.
Airplanes and Coronavirus: How to Disinfect Your Space
Quoted: “Wiping down surfaces on a plane won’t hurt, as long as it doesn’t give you a false sense of security,” Andrew Mehle, associate professor of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Wisconsin Madison, said, stressing that sanitizing your space on a plane should be done in conjunction with washing hands and following other best practices.
Poet Amaud Jamaul Johnson’s ‘Imperial Liquor’ Draws On Themes Of Protectiveness, Racism, Empathy | Wisconsin Public Radio
A new book from University of Wisconsin-Madison poet Amaud Jamaul Johnson — “Imperial Liquor” — taps into themes of paternal protectiveness, the pervasiveness of racism and the possibility of empathy.
Super Tuesday: Democrats are looking to consolidate a broad coalition
Quoted: “Whatever the magic was in 2008, it’s not been re-created this year in terms of bringing out voters,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Who will win the California primary? Counting mail-in votes can take days or weeks.
Quoted: Barry Burden, who is the director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin Madison, says that mail-in ballots also take longer to count in some cases: Checking that ballot signatures match, problems with mail-in envelopes, and myriad other issues can all slow things down.
Will US troops leave Afghanistan?
One possibility is that Trump will end up asking the Taliban for deeper concessions to reassure voters. But the big question is whether Trump’s hawkish reputation is enough to offset public skepticism about a peace deal with the Taliban.
Jessica L.P. Weeks is associate professor of political science and Trice faculty scholar at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
How daily life will change as coronavirus outbreak enters new phase
Quoted: “An outbreak is not going to happen simultaneously, everywhere,” said Dr. Jonathan Temte, who studies vaccinations and immunization policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Super Tuesday is upon us: Very soon, Democrats must unite or surrender to authoritarianism
Quoted: Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “What benefit you see is probably because once you are on the rolls you are visible to canvassers and campaigns, making it possible for them to reach out to you,” he says. “Registering people to vote is not a silver bullet.”
As Wisconsin Lakes Warm, Walleye Are Feeling The Heat
When it comes to climate change there’s a lot of talk of species moving north as temperatures change — but don’t expect a lockstep northward march of species, said Jack Williams, a University of Wisconsin-Madison expert on ecological responses to climate change.
Cranberries, Wisconsin’s Most Profitable Fruit, Face An Uncertain Future
“When you change the conditions and those winters become more extreme, the plant is disoriented,” said Amaya Atucha, fruit crop specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Potato Farmers Grapple With Climate Change’s Impact On Nitrogen Management
Nitrogen management is a huge struggle for potato farmers, said Chris Kucharik, chair of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Agronomy Department.
The Feeling You Get After Surviving Layoffs Has A Name
After a layoff, “employees see less of an obligation to be loyal to the company, resulting in more of a free agent mentality,” said Charlie Trevor, a professor of management and human resources in the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “With this mentality comes the freedom to actively seek another job where, hopefully, one’s future will be less tenuous.”
The Daily 202: Bernie Sanders built a diverse coalition to win Nevada. South Carolina offers a tougher test.
The University of Wisconsin at Madison-YouGov surveys of likely Democratic primary voters showed Sanders garnering 25 percent in Michigan, which holds its primary on March 10.
The Daily 202: Bernie Sanders built a diverse coalition to win Nevada. South Carolina offers a tougher test.
New surveys show Sanders leading in three key Midwestern states that vote after Super Tuesday. The University of Wisconsin at Madison-YouGov surveys of likely Democratic primary voters showed Sanders garnering 25 percent in Michigan, which holds its primary on March 10.
Hmong Leaders Rally Against Trump Administration’s Deportation Push
Quoted: Yang Sao Xiong, a professor of Asian-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says Hmong history as war allies of the U.S. military has long shaped the way the community sees itself. But the story of broader Hmong acceptance in the U.S. has never been simple.
Wisconsin Experts Disagree On Dairy Industry Impact Of Dean Foods Sale
Quoted: But Peter Carstensen, professor emeritus from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, said the deal could end up hurting dairy farmers by giving DFA too much power over the market.
Bernie Sanders leads Pa. primary in poll, with close race against Trump
“All three states are up for grabs in 2020,” said Barry Burden, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Elections Research Center, which conducted the poll. “Trump is in a more difficult position in Michigan than the other two states, but each of the Midwest battlegrounds could be won by either party, almost regardless of who becomes the Democratic nominee.”
Bernie Sanders leading Democratic field in Michigan new poll says
“Sanders is well-positioned to pick up the lion’s share of delegates in these states unless another Democrat breaks away from the pack to challenge him,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin and and director of the Elections Research Center.
Bloomberg News Wrestles With Coverage of Candidate Bloomberg
Quoted: Kathleen Culver, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin, said she fears less that reporters are being held back internally than externally, where some readers feel the name of their organization speaks more about their independence than the work they do.
Is Psychedelic Therapy The Medicine Of The Future?
Quoted: “Depression is arguably the major health problem in the world,” said Charles Raison, a psychiatrist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Usona Institute, a medical research group in Madison studying psychedelic therapies.
This new device seems to pull electricity out of thin air
“I think it is very interesting work,” says Xudong Wang, a University of Wisconsin Madison engineer who works with other kinds of non-organic nanowires to harvest energy. “It is always exciting to see new materials and new concepts emerge to provide renewable energy solutions.”
‘Miracle On Ice’ Turns 40: Wisconsin Coach Who Scored 2 Goals Will Attend Team Reunion
Mark Johnson has led the University of Wisconsin-Madison to five national championships as head coach of its women’s hockey team. As a player, he holds the record for career goals by a Badger. Though he went on to play 11 seasons in the NHL, Johnson’s most famous achievement came as an amateur in Lake Placid, New York.
Author Brandon Taylor On His Coming-Of-Age Novel ‘Real Life’
CORNISH: What in your scientific training did you bring to how you approached and wrote the book? I mean, as we talked about, you were a student at the University of Wisconsin. You have this science background. What of that did you end up bringing it – to trying to put together a novel?
An Old and Contested Solution to Boost Reading Scores: Phonics
Quoted: The evidence “is about as close to conclusive as research on complex human behavior can get,” writes Mark Seidenberg, a cognitive neuroscientist and reading expert at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Pier 1 Imports, the Struggling Home Goods Retailer, Files for Bankruptcy
“Twenty years ago, you could look at a product and you would really know that it came from Pier 1,” said Hart Posen, a professor of management at the University of Wisconsin School of Business who studies corporate decision-making during technological change. “They were really the only big national firm with that kind of unique identity.”
Varsity Blues scandal triggers talk of changing college admissions — don’t hold your breath
While elite college admissions grab headlines, speakers also acknowledged that only a small proportion of Americans actually attend such schools. Some 40 percent of undergraduate students attend public two-year or for-profit institutions; only 55 colleges in the country admit fewer than 20 percent of their applicants, noted Nick Hillman, an associate professor in the education school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How the coronavirus ‘jumped’ to humans is a story as old as evolution
Quoted: “This has been happening for a long time,” said Tony L. Goldberg, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.