UW In The News

Dalai Lama visiting Madison on March 9 for live-streamed panel on global well-being

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will visit Madison next month for a panel event on global-well being.

The event, titled “The World We Make,” is hosted by the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and will take place on Wednesday, March 9th, at 1:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater at the Overture Center for the Arts.

Leon Varjian honored in Madison

The Madison city council honored a man Tuesday whose humor was so remarkable that a 1992 book on college pranks dedicated an entire chapter to him.
Members passed a resolution declaring February 23 Leon Varjian Day.

The Wisconsin Idea: Alive, but how well?

Noted: Kathy Cramer, director of the UW–Madison’s Morgridge Center for Public Service, says the university’s historic role helping policy makers solve state problems has shrunk due to suspicion on both ends of State Street. However, she says, some initiatives continue, including student internships and leadership programs, and embedding graduate students from the Wisconsin Center for Education Research in state legislators’ offices.

Zika researchers release real-time data on viral infection study in monkeys

Researchers in the United States who have infected monkeys with Zika virus made their first data public last week. But instead of publishing them in a journal, they have released them online for anyone to view — and are updating their results day by day. The team is posting raw data on the amount of virus detected in the blood, saliva and urine of three Indian rhesus macaques, which they injected with Zika on 15 February. “This is the first time that our group has made data available in real time,” says David O’Connor, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a leader of the project, whose scientists have dubbed themselves ZEST (the Zika experimental-science team). He hopes that releasing the data will help to speed up research into the nature of the virus that has spread across the Americas.

Eye Floaters Often From Age-Related Causes, Physician Says

For the most part, eye floaters — spots in the eye that can look like specks, strings or cobwebs — are annoying, but for the most part, the viewer doesn’t have to do anything about them.Most eye floaters are caused by age-related changes, according to the Mayo Clinic. Here’s how they can happen, according to Dr. David Gamm, who is the director of the McPherson Institute of Eye Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As people age, the jelly substance in the middle of the eye, vitreous, loses its firmness and becomes more liquid. As that happens, the proteins and molecules that make up that substance band together and form strings or balls. They then float around in that core liquefied area in the center of the eye.

What’s happened to progressivism?

Quoted: Mike Wagner, associate professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who is studying post-Act 10 politics in Wisconsin, says passage of the law and Walker’s recall win not only demoralized progressives, it also severely curtailed the political capital and political power of Democrats’ biggest allies—public sector labor unions. In 2015, Walker signed a right-to-work law that weakened Wisconsin’s private sector unions as well.

Four coyotes tagged in Tosa; public encouraged to help monitor them

Quoted: “What we want folks to know is if they see a coyote, it’s not necessarily a bad thing,” said Marcus Mueller, a graduate student at UW-Madison working on the project, during a Feb. 22 public information meeting on coexisting with the animals.

UW scientist Dave Pagliarini wins presidential award

UW-Madison scientist Dave Pagliarini has been selected by Pres. Barack Obama as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

UW-Madison again ranks high in Peace Corps participation

UW-Madison sent more of its students to the Peace Corps this year than all but one other university, again putting the campus near the top for participation in the international program.

Wildlife expert: Killing coyotes only temporary solution

Quoted: During a public Monday night meeting, University of Wisconsin-Madison wildlife expert Dr. David Drake said that killing rather than trapping would open the door for other packs to move in.

Specimens in State Herbarium linked back to George Washington Carver

They were just tiny black dots on sesame stalks, unnoticed except to the trained eye.

Wisconsin hires Leonard to coach defensive backs

The University of Wisconsin officially announced the hiring of new defensive backs coach Jim Leonard over the weekend.

Rising star

Faisal Abdu’Allah has not shied away from controversial topics since joining the UW-Madison faculty.

Mapping brains of people with epilepsy

An ambitious project to map the human brain by the National Institutes of Health has funded a four-year, $5 million statewide study to image the brains of people with epilepsy. Researchers at UW-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin have joined the NIH Human Connectome Project, a national library of medical imaging data being used to create maps of human brain connectivity.

UW-Madison professor supports journalist Anna Day after her arrest

Noted: Lindsay Palmer, a journalism professor at UW-Madison, said she realizes the challenges an independent journalist faces when covering conflict in foreign countries.

Making music in times of stress can ease suffering

Column by Teri Dobbs, associate professor of music, on how making music during times of incredible oppression and stress provides individuals — especially children — a place of normalcy, safety and community, if only for a short time.

UW scientists team up with Big Oil to develop renewable jet fuel

Low oil prices are restraining the ability of renewable energy technologies to compete, but work forges ahead on alternatives to petroleum-based fuels.

The Pink Tax: Why Women’s Products Often Cost More

Quoted: “Yes, sometimes women do need smaller versions of things, and for jeans and other clothing, we want different cuts and different fashions,” says Christine Whelan, director of MORE: Money, Relationships and Equality at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “But the idea that that equates to somewhere between a 30 to 50 percent price hike is simply playing on the socialized culture that says women need to look a certain way.”

UW alumna wins prestigious Gates scholarship to Cambridge

A 2014 graduate of UW-Madison has been selected as one of 35 Americans to win a prestigious scholarship to the University of Cambridge in England, only the second UW-Madison graduate to do so.

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.