UW In The News

Argentina Battles Major Outbreak of Dengue as Mosquito Population Swells

Quoted: “I think the conditions are there for Zika outbreaks,” said Jorge Osorio, a professor of pathobiological science at the University of Wisconsin who arrived this week in Misiones to advise the provincial government and investigate dengue prevention methods. “We have a mosquito population and we have people traveling from Argentina to Brazil.” Misiones is in northeast Argentina, bordering three Brazilian states and Paraguay.

The Ultimate Guide To Saying No To Things You Don’t Want To Do

Noted: Another way to decline your boss’s request is to say no to right now and suggest a different timeframe, says David A. Ward, communications lecturer at the Wisconsin School of Business. “For example, ‘There’s no give in my schedule for the rest of this month, but things ease up for me in March, and I’d be glad to get involved then if you still need some help on this.’”

UW student inspires thousands with raw vegan blog

She’s a college student, member of a sorority, and social media superstar.

Online she’s known as “Raw in College,” but in real life her name is Ashley Hampton. The sophomore at UW-Madison originally aimed to educated college students on being a raw vegan, but now her message has reached a much larger audience.

Q&A: Karla Foster leads UW campus community in celebration of Black History Month

Q&A with Karla Foster, the Pathways African-American Campus and Community liaison, who created the Black History Month student planning committee in 2014, a student-led committee that plans events and programs for Black History Month. Since its implementation, black students on campus have had the opportunity to celebrate themselves, discuss issues surrounding their lives and college experience and make memorable friendships in the process. This year’s theme is called “In Living Color: An Exploration of Blackness and Intersectionality.”

UW-Madison grad Anna Day among American journalists detained in Bahrain

Independent journalist Anna Therese Day, who graduated from UW-Madison in 2010, was arrested on Sunday along with three members of her camera crew, a statement from the Frontline Freelance Register said.

Understanding Health Care System Remains A Major Challenge For Many Americans

Noted: Dr. Paul Smith has been working toward improving health literacy in Wisconsin for years. He’s a physician and professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and the medical advisor for Wisconsin Health Literacy, a division of Wisconsin Literacy, Inc.

Technology May Be Changing Way People Meet But Courtship Remains Same

Noted: Dating expert Catalina Toma studies online dating at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Initially, when online dating came to the scene it was regarded a crutch for the desperate,” said Toma. “It was really stigmatized initially. But the tool has proven to be quite useful for people looking to find partners in a more low-pressure environment.”

Historic research found at UW Madison

UW Madison professor and researcher Kenneth Cameron made a monumental discovery this week.

Fungi samples found by George Washington Carver, the famous African American scientist, were discovered after sitting untouched for over fifty years.

Leonard Pitts Jr.: Sitcoms help ease bigotry, UW study suggests

Column cites research of Sohad Murrar, a doctoral candidate in social psychology at UW-Madison, who used the Canadian TV show “Little Mosque on the Prairie” to test whether entertainment media can reduce prejudice.

#womenalsoknowstuff is a handy list of experts, including several from Wisconsin

Academics from across the country are listed,they include UW-Madison’s Eleanor Neff Powell on campaign finance, Aili Mari Tripp on gender politics and Kathy Cramer on public opinion.

A smaller piano for bigger artistry

When pianist and UW-Madison professor Jessica Johnson sat down for the first time at a 7/8th-size keyboard, the experience was bittersweet.

Badgers women’s hockey: Honored seniors celebrate WCHA title

The No. 2 Badgers defeated Minnesota State-Mankato 8-1 to clinch the program’s fifth Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season title, their first since 2011-12, in front of 2,273 at LaBahn Arena.

UW-Madison’s Black Greek Letter Organizations focus on change

The historically Black Greek Letter Organizations at UW-Madison seek to initiate change on campus through activism and volunteering efforts.

Q&A: What’s so punk rock about operations research? Plenty, says UW’s Laura Albert McLay

Q&A with Associate Professor of Engineering Laura Albert McLay about operations research, in which mathematical models are used to aid decision-making, offers much more benefit to the world than trying to win the lottery.

UW-Madison touts an all-of-the-above strategy on sexual assault

Like other colleges and universities across the country, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is attempting to prevent sexual assaults by stepping up educational programs and awareness campaigns.

Famous scientist’s century-old fungi accidentally found at UW

UW-Madison has one of the world’s largest and oldest collections of fungus, but it wasn’t until a week ago that fungi collected by one of America’s most famous scientists was accidentally rediscovered in decades-old cabinets on campus. George Washington Carver, an African-American scientist and educator best known for his research on peanuts, also studied and collected microfungi, a type of fungus that does not form a mushroom.

Black fraternities, sororities at UW-Madison are small but ‘robust’

Black Greek Letter Organizations are a small but powerful presence on the UW-Madison campus, according to a feature spotlight by UW News.

Supreme Court Blocks Obama’s Clean Power Plan

For more on why the high court issued this precedent setting stay, Dylan Brogan spoke with UW-Madison Political Science Professor Ryan Owens.

Scientists World-Wide Are Celebrating The Discovery Of Gravitational Waves

Researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory–or, LIGO–announced today that it has the first official detection of gravitational waves.  This discovery helps solidify Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Interviewed: Sebastian Heinz, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

UW-Madison picked as the site for first-ever organic research endowment

A unique organic agricultural research opportunity in the form of a $2 million endowment has been created for UW-Madison with help from two organic food companies.

UW-Madison researchers to study Zika virus in monkeys

UW-Madison researchers plan next week to start monkey studies of Zika virus, which has caused an outbreak apparently linked to birth defects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Zika is just one more way climate change is worse for women

Noted: According to Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, last year was one of the hottest, driest years in Brazil’s history. The country saw 500,000 cases of dengue; presumably, it was suffering from the silent outbreak of Zika at the same time, the effects of which are only being reckoned with now.

Grammy nod for the polka prof

When folklorist Jim Leary was growing up in Rice Lake, Wis., in the 1950s and ’60s, old-time ethnic music was everywhere. You could dial up the local radio station, WJMC, and hear live broadcasts of Scandinavian music by the Eric Berg Band. The nearby ski lodge was a venue for Slovenian accordion music. Polka star Whoopee John was a frequent visitor from his home base a few hours away in New Ulm, Minn.

UW-Madison Introduces First Organic Agricultural Researcher

University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Bill Tracy has become the school’s first organic agriculture researcher, inaugurating an endowed professorship that could lead to new advances in a field that might not otherwise see university research.

UW-Madison picked as the site for first-ever organic research endowment

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the recipient of the nation’s first endowed chair focused on plant breeding for organic crops, representatives of Organic Valley and Clif Bar & Company said today at a ceremony at the State Capitol. The endowment will be funded in perpetuity with a $1 million gift from the companies and matched by a $1 million gift from UW graduates John and Tashia Morgridge.

Breakup Science Says You Should Never, Ever, Ever Get Back Together

Noted: In the Journal of Adolescent Research, researchers from the University of Wisconsin and Bowling Green State University describe relationships as “intimate unions” that are “best conceived of as dynamic trajectories involving a heterogeneous and multi-directional array of transitions.” That’s academic for: you don’t really have a clue what’s going to happen. In a study of 792 young adults who were dating, about half of the respondents had tried to rekindle an old relationship; a few more, 57 percent, had at least had sex with an ex.

U.S. Supreme Court puts Obama’s climate plan on hold

Quoted: Addressing the decision during a climate change forum in Madison on Tuesday night, Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at UW-Madison, emphasized the health benefits of tackling climate change, such as preventing 6,600 asthma deaths. “It’s not just energy policy and dollars. We’re talking about lives. We’re talking about people dying,” Patz said.

UW task force advances ideas to fight campus sexual violence

UW-Madison University Health Services will spend an extra $400,000 next academic year for additional staffing and new or expanded programs aimed at reducing student-reported rates of campus sexual violence.

Michael Lehman named interim finance vice chancellor at UW

A UW-Madison alumnus and current board member of the UW Foundation has been selected to serve as interim vice chancellor for finance and administration. Michael Lehman, a 1974 graduate of the School of Business, will start work on March 7, the university said on Tuesday.

UW-Madison alumna and women’s equality advocate dies

Lorna Jorgenson Wendt, a UW-Madison alumna, who was a champion for women’s equality before, during and after marriage, died at the age of 72 on Thursday.