UW In The News

For discussion of women’s soccer equality, let’s talk about concussion

Assistant Professor Traci Snedden from the School of Nursing: As we watch the Women’s World Cup and the sheer athleticism of these elite female players, what we don’t see is the lagging research on concussion injury in girl’s and women’s soccer. The rate of concussion among female soccer players has been called an unpublicized epidemic.

Voting Rights Were Already a Big 2020 Issue. Then Came the Gerrymandering Ruling.

Quoted: “All of the Democrats, I think, will feel obligated to be on board with some kind of redistricting reform,” said Barry C. Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I think it guarantees that it’s going to be a prominent issue throughout this next election cycle.”

Workers, seniors face health risks amid extreme heat wave in Europe

Quoted: That heat wave fell in the month of August, when many in France take vacations and leave critical services understaffed and ill prepared to deal with the emergency, said Richard Keller, professor of medical history and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who wrote a book on the 2003 event.

Europe has had five 500-year summers in 15 years—and now this

Quoted: Europe has learned from the 2003 heat wav, which killed more than 70,000 across the continent, said Richard Keller, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of medical history. The death toll should be more limited this year, said Keller, the author of Fatal Isolation, a book on the Paris heat wave of 2003 that killed thousands. “France is much better prepared, emergency services are in place, and awareness of the dangers is much higher,” Keller said.

Reality check: Is there truly a retirement ‘crisis’?

Needless to say, however, not all researchers come to the same conclusion. Take a study conducted a decade ago entitled “Are All Americans Saving ‘Optimally’ for Retirement?” Its authors were two economics professors at the University of Wisconsin—Madison: John Karl Scholz and Ananth Seshadri.

Speaking out: Veronica Rueckert helps women trust and love their voices

This is the story of a book deal, a substantial advance and the kismet of a cultural moment. It’s about a first-time author finding her subject and following her dream. And it begins with women talking to each other — about their voices.

Editorial: Recognizing our roots

This week, UW-Madison took some small steps to change that narrative with the dedication of a new heritage marker on Bascom Hill that recognizes the historical significance of the campus as the Ho-Chunk’s ancestral home.

Why Chicken Producers Are Under Investigation for Price Fixing

Quoted: The filing itself does not guarantee that the government is going to bring charges, but it does suggest that the government is strongly considering them, said Peter C. Carstensen, an antitrust expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Law School.

Could Hemp Be a Cash Cow for Dairy Farmers?

Liz Binversie, an agriculture educator with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Brown County Extension, urges cautious optimism for dairy farmers considering diversifying with hemp.

Report: Poverty Stagnant In Wisconsin, Despite Low Unemployment

Poverty in Wisconsin has remained mostly stagnant over the past decade, despite historically low unemployment in recent years, according to a new report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Monarch Butterflies Born In Captivity Have Trouble Migrating South, Study Says

Quoted: Karen Oberhauser, a monarch butterfly researcher and director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum not affiliated with the study, has major concerns around releasing nonnative butterflies.

‘From ignorance to awareness’: UW-Madison sign recognizes land as Ho-Chunk’s ancestral home

Chancellor Rebecca Blank, surrounded by about three dozen members of the Ho-Chunk Nation, dedicated a new heritage marker on Bascom Hill last week that recognizes the campus as the ancestral home of the Ho-Chunk tribe.

CRISPR babies: when will the world be ready?

Quoted: Would any degree of mosaicism be tolerable? It might depend on the condition being treated, says Krishanu Saha, a bioengineer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “If we have 30% of the liver edited and we’re trying to treat, let’s say, a retinal disease, is that ok?” he says. “In some cases it could be.”

Fighting with your partner about money? Blame your parents.

“There’s a lot of internal feelings related to money because money can also reflect the power and the balance of the relationship,” says Lauren Papp, the director of the Couples Lab at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and author of several studies on marital conflict. “Money is something that we bring with us from our childhood. So, what does money mean to a person? If someone buys something, is that an act of love, is that an apology, is that just what you expect?”

Cuttlefish Arms Are Not So Different From Yours

Noted: In the 1990s, researchers found that flies use these genes to build their limbs. In an influential paper, Neil Shubin of the University of Chicago, Sean Carroll of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Cliff Tabin of Harvard University speculated that flies and vertebrates — and other animals with appendages — inherited this network of genes from a common ancestor.

Big dairy wants you to know vegan ‘butter’ isn’t actual butter

Quoted: Bob Bradley, a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, Madison Department of Food Science and author of two books on the topic of butter, said in an interview that such products are mislabeled. “It is not butter,” he said flatly.

With New Senior Center, Wausau YMCA Seeks to Expand Definition of Health

Noted: Dr. Amy Kind is a physician and Ph.D.-trained researcher in geriatrics with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She studies the way people’s environment affects their well-being. That can mean the ways housing or income-levels in a neighborhood can affect population health. She said another big factor in her aging patients’ health is their ability to maintain social connections.

Setback in Wisconsin Forces Democrats to Study Next Move

Quoted: Similar moves haven’t yet been seen in Democratic-controlled legislatures with incoming Republican governors, said Howard Schweber, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Now that it’s an established strategy, I’m sure we’ll see it again,” he said.

12th man on moon says it’s time to go back

Quoted: Schmitt, 83, one of just four moonwalkers still alive, remains active in the scientific community. He’s currently an associate fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the user advisory group for the National Space Council, revived by President Donald Trump in 2017 for the first time since it was dissolved in 1993.

Russian Biologist Plans More CRISPR-Edited Babies

Quoted: Alta Charo, a researcher in bioethics and law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison says Rebrikov’s plans are not an ethical use of the technology. “It is irresponsible to proceed with this protocol at this time,” adds Charo, who sits on a World Health Organization committee that is formulating ethical governance policies for human genome editing.

Telecoms Providers Are Bracing for the Impact of Climate Change

Meanwhile, a 2018 study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that more than 4,000 fiber optic cabling will be submerged underwater.

Russian biologist plans more CRISPR-edited babies

Quoted: Alta Charo, a researcher in bioethics and law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison says Rebrikov’s plans are not an ethical use of the technology. “It is irresponsible to proceed with this protocol at this time,” adds Charo, who sits on a World Health Organization committee that is formulating ethical governance policies for human genome editing.

The Elderly Are Getting Complex Surgeries. Often It Doesn’t End Well.

Without clear understandings, things can go very wrong in the hospital. Consider this account from Dr. Gretchen Schwarze, a vascular surgeon and ethicist at the University of Wisconsin.

Scientists Feel Chill of Crackdown on Fetal Tissue Research

Quoted: “I predict over time we will see a slow and steady elimination of federal funding for research that uses fetal tissue, regardless of how necessary it is,” said University of Wisconsin law professor Alta Charo, a nationally recognized bioethics expert.

1984 Barneveld tornado: Deadly Wisconsin storm killed 9, injured 200

Barneveld became part of a landmark study of tornado debris by University of Wisconsin-Madison meteorology professor Charles Anderson. In the days following Barneveld’s tornado, Anderson and his students placed ads in newspapers, conducted a ground survey and a mail and phone campaign seeking information on the fallout of debris.

The Reason Why So Many American Families Are in Debt

In their paper published in the journal Pediatrics in 2016, they wrote that high mortgage and student loan debt didn’t have the same negative impact on parents’ and kids’ well-being as credit card or medical bill debt, says lead author Lawrence M. Berger, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty and professor and doctoral program chair in the School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

‘Reaching end game’: New paper on climate change raises alarm

Quoted: Jonathan Patz, director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told USA Today the technology for a carbon-free economic system is already in place.

Growing number of Latinos broaden labor’s mission, political power

Quoted: Armando Ibarra, chair of the Chicano and Latino Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of The Latino Question: Politics, Laboring Classes and the Next Left, says union power extends beyond the workplace.

Opinion | Save Our Food. Free the Seed.

Noted: Bill Tracy leads the sweet corn program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His work is intended to help the state’s corn farmers.

Carrots have just one land-grant breeder: Irwin Goldman at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Beto O’Rourke Wants To Increase Voter Registration. But Can It Work?

Quoted: If all 50 states did participate, O’Rourke’s goal of 50 million new registered voters seems plausible, according to Barry Burden, professor of political science and director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It would require 21% of eligible voters to register.