UW In The News

Madison’s “little” museums offer big ideas

Gone are the days when museums were dusty archives of half-forgotten lore. Wisconsin is full of bright, interactive learning environments that stress teaching important lessons over merely archiving historical minutiae, and some of the most interesting and unique examples are tightly condensed into downtown Madison.

5 finalists in running for Anthony Shadid Award in Journalism Ethics

Three reporting teams, a Milwaukee reporter and a joint effort of two non-profit news organizations are contenders for the 2016 Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics.

A Real-Time Window Into Zika Research On A Pregnant Monkey

Anyone can follow the pregnancy of a monkey infected with Zika virus in real time, thanks to a University of Wisconsin–Madison experiment in data sharing that’s unusual for biology.

New plan to save rare bees

Noted: The Rusty Batch Bumble Bee was first discovered at the Arboretum a few years ago and researchers said it works harder than any other bee species. They said its an important part of our State’s agriculture.

“They are crucial,” said Susan Carpenter, ranger unit coordinator at the U-W Madison Arboretum. “They are important for our food system.”

UW students help kids whose parents have cancer

(Video) Camp Kesem is a college student run camp at UW Madison for kids whose parents have cancer. Camp counselor Joey Seliski visited News 3 This Morning to talk about it.

Immunotherapy gives hope to cancer patients

Quoted: “These immunotherapy treatments are unquestionably game changers,” said Dr. Mark Albertini, an oncologist with the Carbone Cancer Center at UW Health.

Albertini said the courage patients like Daly showed in participating in the early trials of immunotherapy played a key role in the success now being seen.

“Those patients were both incredible and those patients were vital in getting where we are today,” Albertini said.

Wisconsin hires Greg Gard, gives him five-year contract

When Greg Gard leads Wisconsin into the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament later this week he will do so as the Badgers’ full-time head coach.

UW-Madison spends nearly $9 million to retain faculty stars

The University of Wisconsin-Madison last semester doled out $726,436 in raises and $8 million in research support to retain 40 faculty members who brought outside job offers to the central administration, according to information obtained by the Journal Sentinel through an open records request.

On Campus: Tommy Thompson among recipients of honorary UW-Madison degrees

Praised by UW-Madison officials as a “dedicated promoter of the Wisconsin Idea,” former Gov. Tommy Thompson will be one of three recipients of honorary degrees from the campus this spring.Photojournalist Lynsey Addario and biochemist William J. Rutter will also receive honorary degrees during a commencement ceremony at the Kohl Center in May, officials announced last week.

‘Here And Now’: Matthew Desmond Explores Milwaukee’s Eviction Epidemic

Evictions not only put poor families out on the streets, but simultaneously set off a cascade of consequences for both the people and neighborhoods affected. In his new book, “Evicted: Poverty And Profit In The American City,” University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate and Harvard University sociology professor Matthew Desmond examines how this process plays out for families and landlords in Milwaukee’s lowest-income neighborhoods.

How To Keep Money From Messing Up Your Marriage

Noted: “We know that these discussions or conflicts concerning money are difficult for couples to handle,” says Lauren Papp, a psychologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.Papp conducted a study of 100 married couples who kept diary entries about their arguments. During the 15-day period of the study, the spouses reported squabbling more often about issues other than money — for example, the kids or household chores.

Nine common shopping myths, busted

Noted: Let’s get philosophical for a minute: Is the best price always the best deal? A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business suggests that shoppers consider a retailer’s reputation as well as its prices. Savvy shoppers will think twice before buying from a less reputable merchant.

One paycheck away from poverty

Noted: Author Michael Collins is a professor of Public Affairs and faculty director of the Center for Financial Security, University of Wisconsin—Madison and editor of the book A Fragile Balance: Emergency Savings and Liquid Resources for Low-Income Consumers, Palgrave Macmillan.

Badgers women’s hockey: Ann-Renee Desbiens named WCHA Player of the Year; Mark Johnson wins Coach of Year

University of Wisconsin junior goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Player of the Year while Badgers coach Mark Johnson earned the league’s Coach of the Year award, the conference announced on Thursday.

Madison Reads Leopold at UW Arboretum

“There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot.” With those words from conservationist and author Aldo Leopold, the start of the Foreword to “A Sand County Almanac,” naturalist Kathy Miner will kick off the annual Madison Reads Leopold event Saturday at the UW-Madison Arboretum.

Mild winter brings early allergy season

Doctors say a mild winter mixed with an early thaw means mold allergies are back earlier this season.

“When the snow starts to melt once the ground shows up that’s when we have outdoor mold,” Adult Allergist at UW Health, Dr. Tom Puchner, says. (Puchner is clinical assistant professor of allergy and immunology.)

Even though there is snow on the ground and below freezing temperatures, Dr. Puchner says current conditions can still affect those who suffer from mold allergies.

President Obama visiting Milwaukee Thursday

Noted: One of the president’s guests will be Donna Friedsam of the UW Population Health Institute.

She believes Milwaukee’s victory among 20 cities to increase health enrollment will have significant future benefits.

“It saves our employers money. It saves our communities money and it improves our quality of life overall. So, it is very important that we have people get enrolled in the coverage, so they they can get the care they need.”

Friedsam adds Milwaukee’s health coverage victory is a result of a coordinated effort throughout the city by a wide range of organizations.

New Laws Protect Consumers or Ease Restrictions on Creditors

Quoted: James M. Johannes, a professor of banking at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business in Madison, Wis., told Bloomberg BNA that consumer debts were not bought and sold when the WCA was enacted more than 40 years ago.

Field stations in a box

Never mind Punxsutawney Phil. The thirteen-lined ground squirrels that hibernate in plastic drawers in the UW-Madison Biotron take their cues from Hannah Carey.

Washburn Observatory reopens following repairs

After being closed for nearly two years, UW-Madison’s iconic observatory will reopen tonight.

Unexpected repairs are to blame for the closure, but now everything is back up and working better than ever.

Deep-rooted alumnus named UW head of university relations

Charles Hoslet, interim vice chancellor for university relations since August, is now the permanent vice chancellor, Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced Tuesday.

UW-Madison joins Common Application for 2017 freshman class

Next fall’s class of high school seniors will have a new way to apply to UW-Madison, now that the campus has joined more than 600 other colleges and universities on the nationwide Common Application. Students will still be able to apply to UW-Madison through the University of Wisconsin System’s application process, as they have in years past, said Steve Hahn, vice provost for the Division of Enrollment Management.

Women’s products cost more. Here’s how to avoid the “pink tax.”

Quoted: “I think that if the consumer is willing to pay more for a certain color, then it’s in manufacturers’ and marketers’ best interest to charge more,” said Christine Whelan, a professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin Madison and director of the university’s MORE (Money, Relationships, and Equality) program. “But I do mind that people don’t know about this.”

Wisconsin’s Seasonal Weather Might Look Different In Next 5, 10 Years, Experts Say

Typical Wisconsin seasons might not be so typical in the coming years, particularly the Badger State’s notoriously cold winters, according to two University of Wisconsin-Madison professors. “We’ll still have winters,” said Steve Ackerman, director of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at UW-Madison and a professor of atmospheric sciences. “But they will be shorter and warmer.”

The Oakhill Prison Humanities Project

Central Time talks about the Oakhill Prison Humanities Project, teaching poetry and literature to people in prison and its upcoming art exhibitition, Artists in Absentia.

Meet UW-Madison’s Distinguished Teaching Award recipients

They teach English and chemistry, genetics and computer sciences, sociology, geography and math.

But the dozen UW-Madison instructors selected for the 2016 Distinguished Teaching Awards all possess outstanding dedication to their scholarship and students.

Talk to yourself out loud? Here’s how it benefits you

Quoted: Even better, our soliloquies prove useful. For example. when it comes to looking for something, saying the word out loud makes the thing easier to find, says Gary Lupyan, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Q&A: Malia Jones digs into data to find a counterintuitive trend on poverty

An analysis of Census data by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Applied Population Laboratory showed some troubling trends on poverty in the state.

Much higher success rate this year for the flu vaccine

Quoted: “70 to 80% of the time we get this correct, and every now and then there’s a miscalculation,” Dr. Jonathon Temte, UW Health, says

That’s because he says they are making the predictions 9 months before the flu season.

“Last year was one of those situations where the virus that emerged or started circulating was different than what was in the vaccine,” Dr. Temte says.

Laughter may not be medicine, but it sure does help

Noted: Research “is accelerating right now,” said Dorothy Farrar-Edwards, chair of the department of kinesiology at University of Wisconson-Madison and core leader of outreach, recruitment and education at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, referencing recently passed legislation that will give $300 million to the National Institute of Health specifically for Alzheimer’s research in 2016.

Also quoted: Barbara Bowers, professor and associate dean for research in the school of nursing at UW, said “decades of research” have shown that “social engagement is actually one of the most important things you can do for quality of life and longevity.”