UW In The News

The Hyperloop Industry Could Make Boring Old Trains and Planes Faster and Comfier

Just look at the work done by Badgerloop, a student-run hyperloop team out of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The group’s maglev design uses Halbach arrays in a novel fashion, says technical director Justin Williams, allowing for passive movement, as opposed to superconducting magnets that require a flow of electricity to work. It could significantly reduce the amount of energy required to propel a levitating train. The team won an innovation award at Elon Musk’s hyperloop competition in January.

Packing picnics for Mars: UW astrobotanist launches seed experiment in space

If humans eventually travel to Mars and beyond, scientists must figure out how to feed them.

UW-Madison Scientists Help Confirm Oldest Fossils

University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have helped confirm that tiny fossils detected in an Australian rock are the oldest fossils ever found.

Scientists Debate If It’s OK To Make Viruses More Dangerous In The Lab

Virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, whose lab did one of the flu experiments that caused such controversy, said his work convinced government agencies that they needed to spend the money to replenish the emergency vaccines that have been stockpiled for this particular bird flu virus, because it does indeed seem capable of mutating in ways that could start a pandemic. “This information is important for policymakers,” he said, adding that such experiments allow scientists “to obtain information that we could not obtain by other methods unless it actually occurred in nature.”

Stunning Fossil Discovery Proves Life on Earth Began At Least 3.5 Billion Years Ago

“People are really interested in when life on Earth first emerged,” John W. Valley, a professor of geoscience at University of Wisconsin-Madison and author on the study told said in a statement. “This study was 10 times more time-consuming and more difficult than I first imagined, but it came to fruition because of many dedicated people who have been excited about this since day one … I think a lot more microfossil analyses will be made on samples of Earth and possibly from other planetary bodies.”

Donors pledge up to $20 million for faculty support, student scholarships at UW-Madison

UW-Madison could receive another $20 million for student scholarships and faculty support thanks to mega-donors John and Tashia Morgridge.

Can the International Criminal Court Be Saved From Itself?

Last month, the International Criminal Court opened two investigations, including a sensitive one in Afghanistan, and a call has been made to allow it to intervene in Myanmar. But such a flurry of announcements mainly testifies to the impasse at which the court finds itself.

–Thierry Cruvellier is the author of “Court of Remorse: Inside the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda” and “Master of Confessions: The Making of a Khmer Rouge Torturer,” and a visiting professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

Review: A New Astronomy Through ‘The Telescope in the Ice’

To the PI, failure is the albatross that hangs around one’s professional neck. The PI in this case is Francis Halzen, of the University of Wisconsin, an “oracular” presence, Mr. Bowen tells us, whose formidable intellect gushes forth in scientific forums: “Ideas splashed across his mind so fast that his mouth couldn’t keep up.”

Secret Link Uncovered Between Pure Math and Physics

“There are not many techniques, even though we’ve been working on this for 3,000 years. So whenever anyone comes up with an authentically new way to do things it’s a big deal, and Minhyong did that,” said Jordan Ellenberg, a mathematician at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Madison bike-sharing program grows as industry changes

The industry’s economic side is “where all the questions are these days,” said Hart Posen, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor of business who tracks sharing economies. It’s still too early to know whether bike-sharing businesses can be profitable, Posen said.

77-year-old UW-Madison graduate participates in commencement ceremony 50 years later

More than 1,100 UW-Madison students walked across the stage to pick up their diplomas at Sunday’s commencement ceremony. But for one student, that moment was 50 years in the making.

The hunt for a future killer

One morning seven years ago, Tony Goldberg was working in the tropical forests of Uganda’s Kibale National Park, when a colleague arrived at his research station with two students in tow. They were searching for bats. Goldberg, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of epidemiology, had been visiting the station for several years, long enough to have noticed the jet-black figures that fluttered away from the kitchen building whenever he disturbed their daytime sleep.

Reading a Story With Unnamed Sources

But two journalism experts we interviewed said if unnamed sources are used too frequently or unnecessarily, journalists risk losing the trust of audiences. Kathleen Culver, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told us stories targeting President Donald Trump’s inner circle that deal in “palace intrigue” and utilize unnamed sources to tell lurid tales of strife within the White House may be wearing on readers’ credulity for such stories.

For the Love of Black Boys: Derrick Barnes and His Ode to the Fresh Cut

Derrick Barnes: The Cooperative Children’s Book Center School of Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, puts out a staggering report on the dearth of characters of color in children’s books every year. There has been a gradual increase in books written by and about black people. I love that. But there needs to be diversity on all levels of publishing.

Cichy: A Badger for Life

The most incredible and uplifting and inspiring football season of my life began in a way that I would’ve never expected. It started with a scream.

UW graduate returns for commencement – 50 years later

After earning his doctorate in agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Luciano Barraza could not stick around for graduation ceremonies.

Doctor launches podcast in father’s honor, a new resource for Alzheimer’s disease

Dr. Chin is a University of Wisconsin Health Geriatrician who works with the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center on the new podcast “Dementia Matters.”It’s a podcast that offers basic information about Alzheimer’s disease.

UW-Madison Grad Celebrates Degree 50 Years Later

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is recognizing one graduate 50 years after he received his degree.

Badger alum created first working transistor 70 years ago

If you’re reading this story on a cell phone, tablet or laptop, the technology in your hand is thanks to the University of Wisconsin alum’s startling invention 70 years ago Saturday.

Turning Piglets Into Personalized Avatars for Sick Kids

When Charles Konsitzke and Dhanu Shanmuganayagam first met, they were both just trying to get some peace and quiet. It was early 2014, and they were representing the University of Wisconsin-Madison at a fancy event to promote the university’s research to local politicians. After hours of talking to senators, Shanmuganayagam was fried, and went for a walk to clear his head. That’s when he bumped into Konsitzke, an administrator at the University of Wisconsin’s Biotechnology Center. They introduced themselves, and discussed their work. Shanmuganayagam said that he ran a facility that rears miniature pigs, which are genetically engineered to carry mutations found in human genetic disorders. Scientists can study the mini-pigs to better understand those diseases.

If we shrink national monuments, science will suffer

Allison Stegner, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studies packrat middens in the Bear’s Ears national monument. That might sound cute, but the research involves anything but fuzzy rodent gloves. These small mammals collect carnivore bones, coyote poop, and the regurgitations of raptors and owls. “It’s really charming,” says Stegner.

Stegner says that oil and gas mining pose a threat to the rare fossil beds in Bear’s Ears, which shed light on how different species once interacted. “I have no problem with multi-use land in any way, but I do have a problem with giving over this incredible place, that is so important culturally and scientifically, to [serve] the interests of a few people,” she says.

How big oil is tightening its grip on Donald Trump’s White House

Since April 2014, 35 of OIRA’s 712 meetings on proposed EPA regulations have been with API representatives – including a 2015 conference call with the institute’s president, Gerard, over ozone. The institute, along with the American Chemistry Council and ExxonMobil, ranked among the top 10 groups that met with OIRA from 2001 to 2011. Such encounters wield influence: a 2015 study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers found the agency was more likely to edit rules when lobbied by industry than by public interest groups. Rao’s office did not respond to requests for comment, but on its website OIRA notes it will meet with “any party interested in discussing issues on a rule under review”.

Eating Yogurt May Help Reduce Chronic Inflammation in Women, New Clinical Trial Reveals

Eating yogurt on a regular basis may help reduce measures of chronic inflammation in women and support a healthy digestive system, researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (UW-Madison) report in the British Journal of Nutrition.A new clinical study conducted independently by UW-Madison and funded by National Dairy Council (NDC) showed that eating 12 ounces of low-fat yogurt a day reduced several biomarkers of inflammation in both normal-weight and obese premenopausal women.

UW, VA study looks at fish oil to prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Now, a study at UW Health and the Madison’s Veterans Hospital is seeing if veterans with a parental history of Alzheimer’s might be helped by a high-dose, prescription variety of a common supplement: fish oil.

Stressed Out Kids Are More Likely to Become Bad Decision Makers

Around 15 years ago, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychologist Seth Pollak recruited a couple hundred children to study the relationship between childhood stress and certain immune system markers. “We had a whole range [of participants], from kids with really boring, stable, average lives all the way up to kids with severe child abuse, and neglect, and poverty, and really extreme childhood stressors,” Pollak says. He published his research in the esteemed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Making Fuel out of Thick Air

In a commentary in Nature, based on the study, Ive Hermans, chemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, noted that the research “links homogeneous organometallic chemistry … with solid-phase (heterogeneous) catalysis, and illustrates the importance of understanding catalysts at the atomic scale.”In the study, the research team suggested that further research and testing will illuminate the mechanism and reaction pathways that will guide new methane conversion catalyst design.

Facebook Messenger Kids probably won’t ruin your children

“Giving parents control is likely to create contention,” says Heather Kirkorian, an associate professor of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “But, parental oversight is an important part of a healthy introduction to this kind of communication. Prohibiting social media can sometimes motivate kids to find unregulated channels which open them up to more risk. ”For many kids who have already usurped the COPPA restrictions and signed up for unrestricted apps, Facebook Messenger Kids will likely feel restrictive. But, as a first experience, the scaled down nature can be a boon. Kirkorian likened it to social media training wheels.

Video games improve cognitive health

A recent study led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that youngsters with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experienced improved balance after playing a specially designed video game.

Pushing Out Of Migrant Laborers Sparks Controversy In China

It’s unclear how many migrants will be evicted. Beijing has about 8 million of them. Yi Fuxian is a population expert at University of Wisconsin-Madison. He argues that the mass evictions aren’t really necessary because the Beijing migrant population has already peaked.

Look At These Guys, You Can Be Bigger Than Your Job Title

J.J. Watt has built himself into one of the NFL’s best players – already a three-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner – and one of its most marketable stars. He’s the gridiron version of Captain America with an underdog backstory as a non-scholarship walk-on player at the University of Wisconsin. But as  Editor-in-Chief of MMQB Peter King wrote: “Nothing J.J. Watt has achieved in his career, or might still achieve, will measure up to what he did for Houston.”