UW In The News

How MacArthur ‘genius’ Lynda Barry is exploring brain creativity with true artists: Preschoolers

As an associate professor of interdisciplinary creativity at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Barry is pushing the envelope on understanding how the brain creates and responds to words and pictures — a scholarly envelope that, in her mind, should be positively covered with illuminating doodles.

Kamala Harris’ claim about typical dad paying higher taxes than 400 richest families is Mostly False

Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison economist Andrew Reschovsky praised the study, but called Harris’ claim misleading.

Revealed: Bayer AG discussed plans to give not-for-profit funding for influence

Quoted: Kathleen Bartzen Culver, who leads the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said any arrangement in which a funder is given influence into and journalistic endeavors, education and awards is improper.

What happens when college students discuss lab work in Spanish, philosophy in Chinese or opera in Italian? – The Washington Post

Quoted: “I don’t understand the conceptual model for global competence that leaves language out,” said Dianna L. Murphy, director of the Language Institute at the University of Wisconsin.

American Trust in Scientists Remains Stable—Despite “Demonstrated Growth” in Conspiracy Theories

“Over and over again, scientists are at the top of trustworthy professions,” said Dominque Brossard, a professor of life sciences communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and senior author of the report, in a statement.

Report: Milwaukee, Racine Rank As Worst Cities For African Americans To Live

Quoted: Pamela Oliver, a sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said she has studied incarceration rates across the state.

New research finds the American public’s trust in the scientific community remains strong

In a US-based study spanning over decades, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that the public’s trust in scientists still remains strong. The findings appeared in the journal Public Opinion Quarterly.

Why are weather apps still so unreliable?

Quoted: As such, professional meteorologists are not monitoring and updating it,” Jordan Gerth, honorary fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells Mic.

As Utilities Cut Carbon Emissions, Some Transitioning Faster To Renewables

Quoted: However, Greg Nemet, public affairs professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and affiliate with the Wisconsin Energy Institute, said the cost of batteries now looks like solar around a decade ago.

The Census Is Going Digital, Bringing The Threat Of Disinformation Campaigns

Quoted: The polarized rhetoric surrounding the failed push for a citizenship question has turned the census into a hot button trolls can push, according to Young Mie Kim, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has studied Facebook ads.

Street science: Mural project seeks to engage the public

Gliding thick brushes covered in browns, pinks, blues and silver across white walls, Melanie Stimmell Van Latum gives off a Bob Ross-like aura as she tackles her newest mural project. It’s study time at the Discovery Building, and all is quiet, except for the sounds of dripping man-made waterfalls and the splashing of the artist cleaning her acrylic-caked brushes.

Coffee coalition: New UW-Madison group working to build community among women veterans

There are some not so obvious things that separate civilian from military life. Take chewing gum and talking outside on a cell phone.

“We all would get in trouble for doing that and no civilian gets why that’s weird to us,” says Carla Winsor, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who is pursuing her doctorate in mechanical engineering at UW-Madison.

Dean Foods, No. 1 Milk Company, Declares Bankruptcy Amid Drop In Demand

Quoted: “We’re eating our dairy, not drinking it,” said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

America’s Largest Milk Company Just Filed for Bankruptcy

Quoted: While there might be shake-ups in the back-end of getting cow’s milk to the average American’s fridge, Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told VICE that it’s unlikely to have a huge impact on the broader industry or on consumers.

As Politics Evolved, Wisconsin’s Train Was Along For The Ride

Weyrich’s death happened around the same time as the rise of the Tea Party, when conservatives were growing increasingly angry with government. And this anger was reshaping the GOP all across the country.University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Kathy Cramer saw firsthand how it was influencing politics in Wisconsin.

How to Fight Back Against Injustice in Your School Cafeteria

We need to organize a youth-led movement for school food justice. Universal free, healthy, tasty, eco-friendly, culturally appropriate school lunches could be a reality in the United States, but only if students, cafeteria workers (over 90% of whom are women), and communities join together in solidarity to fight for real food and real jobs in K-12 schools.

Brenda Gonzalez acts as a bilingual bridge by removing barriers, helping underserved populations

When Brenda Gonzalez joined the board of directors of Access Community Health Centers in 2017, she wasn’t looking to shake things up.

CRISPR: the movie

Quoted: Alta Charo, a bioethicist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, also dismisses certain fears, pointing out, for example, that characteristics such as intelligence are controlled by multiple genes and by the environment. But she concedes that there is a risk to editing, and therefore it shouldn’t be used frivolously.

Aide To US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Americans Avoiding Medications Due To Cost

“Between 2008 and 2015, the prices for the most commonly used drugs increased 164 percent,” he said during a talk Friday at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty. “I think this leads to unsustainable spending.”

Did apes first walk upright on two legs in Europe, not Africa?

Quoted: Others are more positive. “This is really cool,” says John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He notes that D. guggenmosi’s shin bone looks a lot like that of a hominin. But he is unconvinced that bipedality, or hominins, began in Europe. He says that, around 11 million years ago, apes were expanding and diversifying, so finding a fossil in one place isn’t proof that it originated there.

Another Round Of Snow Blankets Wisconsin

Quoted: Jordan Gerth, a meteorologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said some parts of the state have already seen 20 percent of their normal annual snowfall, which is unusual when compared to a normal November.

Wait a Minute. How Can They Afford That When I Can’t?

Quoted: And theoretically, there’s a correlation between getting more because you work harder, said Evan Polman, a professor of marketing at the University of Wisconsin at Madison School of Business. “Inheritance is a violation of that correlation.”

With so much emphasis on the cost of higher education, UW students are graduating faster than ever

New data from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows students at the state’s flagship campus are getting out faster than ever, in light of mounting national concerns and conversations about the rising cost of college.

Lynda Barry’s “Making Comics” is one of the best, most practical books ever written about creativity

For many years, Barry has served as an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison art department and at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, using her method to teach both adults and children to get in touch with a creative impulse that is simultaneously deep, mysterious and irrational and trainable, biddable and reliable (with practice).

Fact-checking Pete Buttigieg on the success of Democratic presidential nominees in last 50 years

Quoted: “Setting aside instances where an incumbent president is running for re-election, Democrats in the modern era have fared better when nominating new faces rather than Washington insiders,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor and director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Giving your time to help others, rather than your money, may help you live longer

They followed members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a periodic survey of a sample of the state’s high school graduates that began in 1957. From 2004, the survey included data on whether participants had given money to charity or others, volunteered, cared for someone other than a spouse or given substantial time and energy in support of family or friends.

‘Who built this beautiful place?’ Despite Trump’s visits to his properties, some of his businesses show new signs of financial decline.

Quoted: “A night or two? Not so much,” said Mark Eppli, a University of Wisconsin business professor who reviewed financial data on Trump’s hotel in Chicago at the request of The Post. “It’s one night out of 365.”

Study: Despite Reductions In Mercury Emissions, Concentrations In Lake Trout Persist

Newly published data from University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers show that despite reductions in mercury emissions in the United States, levels of the toxin found in Great Lakes trout have not declined at the same rate.

A Brutal Murder, a Wearable Witness, and an Unlikely Suspect

Quoted: “Nobody has come out and said these are extremely accurate,” says Lisa Cadmus-Bertram, one of the researchers on the heart rate study. Still, such variations from real measurements don’t matter much for its typical use.

Fake News? No Jobs? Prospective Journalists Soldier On

Quoted: “When I look at local news and see what’s happening, I’m pessimistic,” said Kathleen Culver, journalism professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. “When I look at 18- and 20-year-olds and see what they want to do, I’m optimistic.”