L&S adviser guides students through inauguration experience
A UW–Madison staff member will be among the Washington, D.C., elite next week as part of an inaugural conference of 15,000 students from around the country. Read More
Employee Matters
This column is prepared by staff from the Office of Human Resources. E-mail questions to Payroll and Benefits Services or call 262-5650. For more information, visit Payroll and Benefit Resources. Read More
Q&A: Task force considers new non-state campus funding sources
Michael Knetter, known for his creative fundraising as dean of the School of Business, is stepping into a new role helping the university target new sources of private funding. Read More
Nations that sow food crops for biofuels may reap less than previously thought
Global yields of most biofuels crops, including corn, rapeseed and wheat, have been overestimated by 100 to 150 percent or more, suggesting many countries need to reset their expectations of agricultural biofuels to a more realistic level. Read More
Can you see me now? Flexible photodetectors could help sharpen photos
Distorted cell-phone photos and big, clunky telephoto lenses could be things of the past. Read More
Protein that regulates hormones critical to women’s health found in pituitary
University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have solved the mystery surrounding a "rogue protein" that plays a role in the release of neurotransmitters and hormones in the brain. Read More
All NIH human embryonic stem cell registry lines now deposited at NSCB
The U.S. National Stem Cell Bank (NSCB) has announced that it has received deposits of two human embryonic stem cell lines from Cellartis AB, a biotechnology company based in Sweden. With the addition of the new lines, the National Stem Cell Bank now has received all 21 cell lines from the six providers listed on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) federal registry. Read More
Kemnitz to step down as Primate Center director
Joseph W. Kemnitz, who has led Wisconsin's National Primate Research Center (WNPRC) for more than a decade, announced this week (Jan. 9) that he plans to step down from his position as director of the center and return to the faculty at the end of 2009. Read More
Brainstorming session set on opportunities, challenges in higher education
A fourth campuswide brainstorming session exploring the opportunities and challenges facing the University of Wisconsin–Madison in a recessionary economy will be held on Thursday, Jan. 22. Read More
City declares snow emergency
The city of Madison has declared a snow emergency. That means that alternate side parking restrictions will be in effect throughout the entire city of Madison, including the downtown/isthmus snow emergency zone. Read More
Recent sightings: Air lift
A helicopter airlifts a motor and other elevator equipment from a flatbed truck to awaiting workers on the roof of… Read More
Helicopter to lift new elevator equipment atop Van Vleck Hall today
A helicopter will lift elevator equipment into place atop Van Vleck Hall today (Wednesday, Jan. 7) at about 9 a.m., university officials say. Read More
Deep drilling begins for Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery geothermal system
Deep drilling begins this week to place 75 bore holes approximately 300 feet below the site of the future Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, marking another first for the interdisciplinary research building project. Read More
Study: Can nature’s leading indicators presage environmental disaster?
Economists use leading indicators - the drivers of economic performance - to take the temperature of the economy and predict the future. Now, in a new study, scientists take a page from the social science handbook and use leading indicators of the environment to presage the potential collapse of ecosystems. Read More
Study: Risky behavior prominent on teen MySpace profiles
More than half of adolescent MySpace users mention risky behaviors such as sex, violence or substance use on their personal Web profiles. Read More
Expectant brains help predict anxiety treatment success
A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment. Read More
Madison police seek information about Doty Street burglary
Madison police are seeking information about a residential burglary that took place in the early morning hours today (Dec. 30). Read More
CALS hosts Wisconsin Agricultural Economic Outlook Forum on Jan. 16
Get a first look at the 2009 Status of Wisconsin Agriculture report and learn more about the emerging issues and opportunities of Wisconsin agriculture. Read More
Clinical trial uses bat saliva enzyme for stroke treatment
Vampires aren't usually cast in the role of saviors, but stroke experts are hoping a blood thinner that mimics a chemical in vampire saliva will help save brain cells in stroke patients. The School of Medicine and Public Health is one of several centers worldwide currently enrolling patients in a large new clinical trial of desmoteplase, a drug based on an enzyme in vampire bat saliva. Read More
Scientists isolate genes that made 1918 flu lethal
By mixing and matching a contemporary flu virus with the "Spanish flu" - a virus that killed between 20 and 50 million people 90 years ago in history's most devastating outbreak of infectious disease - researchers have identified a set of three genes that helped underpin the extraordinary virulence of the 1918 virus. Read More