UW In The News

Schneider: Desmond’s ‘Evicted’ is a flawed masterpiece

When University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate Matthew Desmond won a Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction Monday, it came as no surprise to anyone who has read his 2016 book “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.”

Your Most Distant Animal Relative Is Probably This Tiny Jelly

For years, a debate has raged among scientists as to which ancient creature represents the first true animal, sponges or jellies. Using a new genetic technique, a collaborative team of researchers has concluded that ctenophores—also known as comb jellies—were the first animals to appear on Earth. It’s an important step forward in this longstanding debate, but this issue is far from being resolved.

Desmond wins Pulitzer for book based on Milwaukee research

Matthew Desmond, who earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on Monday won the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction for a book based on research conducted in Milwaukee.

UW-Madison launches STEM Diversity Network

UW-Madison has launched the STEM Diversity Network, a website collecting resources on science, technology, engineering and math to boost recruitment, retention and success of people of diverse backgrounds working and studying in those fields.

Artist/scientist Peter Krsko bends nature to his will

Ask Peter Krsko to define the art he creates and he might pull a wasp comb out of his backpack and draw attention to its hexagonal cells.

10 Universities Spending Billions on R&D

The University of Wisconsin-Madison spent nearly $1.1 billion on R&D in 2015.

3 UW students win prestigious Goldwater scholarships

The university said by news release that Cory Cotter, Emily Jewell and Lucas Oxtoby were winners of the scholarship, while Elizabeth Penn was selected as an honorable mention.

Turning Negative Thinkers Into Positive Ones

Noted: Negative feelings activate a region of the brain called the amygdala, which is involved in processing fear and anxiety and other emotions. Dr. Richard J. Davidson, a neuroscientist and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, has shown that people in whom the amygdala recovers slowly from a threat are at greater risk for a variety of health problems than those in whom it recovers quickly.

Carpenter: How to Protect our Disappearing Bumble Bees

On March 21, the rusty-patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis, officially became the first bumble bee listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act. This designation recognizes this important pollinator’s precarious position in the face of multiple threats to its survival. It also provides some of the tools necessary to begin to reverse its decline.

These new lenses give you superhuman sight, let you see colors with greater clarity

Human beings are pretty darn versatile, but we still have plenty of limitations when it comes to the way we sense the world. Case in point are metamers: colors which appear to our eyes to be identical, but which are actually composed of slightly different wavelengths of light. While sensors can spot metamers with ease, our eyeballs just aren’t fine-tuned enough to spot the difference.

Is Kerrygold butter worth leaving America’s Dairyland of Wisconsin?

Noted: “It’s the most difficult (to judge) because the flavor profile is very, very light,” says judge Bob Bradley, a University of Wisconsin food science emeritus professor.

Borrowing from nature: UW-Madison scientists use plants to grow stem cells

To grow clusters of human stem cells that mimic organs in the lab and might be used someday in tissue implants, Bill Murphy, a UW-Madison professor of biomedical engineering, creates tiny scaffolds made of plastic or rubber.

Match day makes its way to UW Madison

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) — As most people were looking for luck on St. Patrick’s Day, the students at the University of Wisconsin Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health found it on Match Day.

Combined sciences paid off on Ecuador trip

MENOMONIE — If Damien Adamski hadn’t come to fully appreciate the “applied” aspect of his applied social science major at UW-Stout, he did by late January when he returned from Ecuador.Heading into his final semester, Adamski, of Eau Claire, and associate professor Tina Lee went on a research trip with a team of engineering students from UW-Madison. The UW-Madison students were finishing installation of a clean water system in the village of Tabuga, on the northwest coast.

Why It Matters That Trump Wants to Kill the NEA and NEH

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NEA and NEH money can also function as a multiplier. Many grant recipients use an agency’s seal of approval as a basis to solicit matching funds from charitable foundations, often at a rate of three private dollars for each federal dollar, according to Lea Jacobs, associate vice chancellor for research for arts and humanities at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

UW faculty honored for distinguished teaching

A dozen UW-Madison faculty members have been honored by the university with the annual Distinguished Teaching Awards, awarded every year since 1953 to honor the best educators at the state’s flagship school.

Physicists Are Building a Dark Matter Experiment in an Abandoned Gold Mine

In an abandoned gold mine one mile beneath the town of Lead, South Dakota, engineers and physicists with the University of Wisconsin—Madison are working to build a chamber that holds 10 tons of liquid xenon. They hope that in the subterranean realms of the mine, where the experiment will be protected from solar particles and cosmic rays, they will be able to detect dark matter for the very first time.

Clyde Stubblefield among 3 getting honorary degrees at UW spring commencement

The late “Funky Drummer” Clyde Stubblefield, along with educator and philanthropist Tashia Morgridge and sociologist Cora Marrett, will be receiving honorary degrees in May from UW-Madison.

Patz: Climate change and chronic disease: twin perils and a golden opportunity to solve both

The global climate crisis presents enormous challenges to our current high-energy consuming lifestyle. Or does it?

UW-Madison scientists seek to improve health, environment with microbiome research

From diabetes, asthma and tooth decay to lake algae, dairy production and panda reproduction, UW-Madison researchers are studying how tiny bugs in our guts, our mouths and a variety of ecosystems help or harm.

Wisconsin researcher studies the cycle of poverty

In her nearly two decades of work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Social Work, Kristen Slack has dedicated her energy to uncovering the roots of poverty and finding solutions for those who need it most, particularly those who are the victims of child neglect.

Explore The Locations Of Every Fossil Ever Found With This Interactive Tool

Whether you’re an educator, or just have an interest in paleobiology as a hobby, this interactive fossil finding tool is incredible. The web tool was developed by engineers from the US Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and it contains all the data found in the Paleobiology Database. You can filter finds by geologic time filters, or zoom into specific areas of the world to narrow down your search.

Epic recruiters come to UW looking for engineers and English majors alike

Annika Collier took more classes about Swedish than she did in computer science while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the seven years she’s worked at Epic Systems, the giant Verona-based company that specializes in complex medical software, that’s never been an issue, she told a small room of UW students at the Union South.

Catching up with little girl who needed a kidney and her teacher who gave the life-saving gift

Video story about living donor donation at UW Health.

Badgers football: Wisconsin reveals plans for ‘Camp Randall 100’ celebration

University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said he peers out his office window “about every day” to reflect on how much Camp Randall Stadium has developed since he took over as the football program’s coach in 1990.

Campus leaders dedicate Black Cultural Center at conclusion of Black History Month

Nearly two years after students demanded greater diversity and inclusion at UW-Madison, the Black Cultural Center was dedicated to “voices from the future,” as Hazel Symonette said, in a ceremony Tuesday.

What happened when UW Hospital cafeteria made eating healthy easier?

It started with the removal of sugar-sweetened drinks and deep-fat fryers back in 2014.Poof! They were gone. But the culinary staff for the University of Wisconsin Hospital system were just getting started. By the time they were done with a major overhaul of their cafeterias’ food offerings, healthy salads, alternative grains, ethnic specialties and local farm-fresh fruits and vegetables would rule the day, and the plate, for the system’s nearly 15,000 employees and other diners.

‘Fake News’ Is Also Plaguing the World of Science

Noted: “The new media environment has allowed this type of information to be disseminated,” Dominique Brossard, PhD, a life sciences communication professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who spoke at the conference, told Healthline.

Amazon Deforestation, Once Tamed, Comes Roaring Back

Quoted: Holly Gibbs, an expert in tropical deforestation and agriculture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, called the 2030 deadline interpretation devastating. “If we were to wait until 2030,” Ms. Gibbs said, “there would be no forest left.”

2 UW scientists win Sloan Fellowships

Two UW-Madison professors have been selected to received Sloan Research Fellowships, one of the more prestigious awards young researchers can get.