UW-Madison in the Media

A selection of media coverage about the university and its people.

• Challenges have only begun for Iraqi kids who've escaped war to live in Utah Salt Lake Tribune, The Jan. 2, 2009 Quoted: Lewis Leavitt, a University of Wisconsin pediatrics professor and an expert on the effects of war on children. "There are some children who can manage well and actually succeed, but as with any heavy burden, some people can't handle it."
• Scientists recreate nerve disease to study it Reuters Dec. 26, 2008 U.S. scientists have created the first human model for studying a devastating nerve disease, which allows them to watch how the disease develops and could help researchers find a way to treat it. Using skin cells from a child with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord, researchers grew batches of nerve cells with the same genetic defects. The finding allowed scientists to watch the nerve cells die off.
• Shirtless Barack Obama photos heat up the Internet Dec. 26, 2008 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-obama-shirtless-24-dec24,0,3288592.story If you were one of the many people who checked out President-elect Barack Obama's topless Hawaiian beach photos this week on the Internet, don't worry, you're not a presidential pervert. "Everybody's gonna talk about it," says Charles Franklin, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, who admits that he, too, visited paparazzi blog bauergriffinonline.com late Monday night to see our soon-to-be commander in chief in swim trunks, looking sun-kissed and svelte.
• Visionaries Work to Get Rooftop and Vertical Farming Off the Ground New York Times Dec. 15, 2008 Keith Agoada, 22, became interested in the idea of rooftop farming after winning the top prize — $10,000 — for his Sky Vegetables concept in the University of Wisconsin School of Business 2008 G. Steven Burrill business plan competition. He says that turning a profit is key. “We want the farm to have a financial feasibility,” he said. “The idea is to minimize the carbon footprint while maximizing the profit. Without economic viability, it’s hard to have adaptors.”
• End times and antichrist Wisconsin Radio Network Dec. 9, 2008 The internet is a perfect breeding ground for certain dialogue including interpreting prophecies about the end of the world, according to Robert Glenn Howard, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at UW-Madison.
• Policing the intersection of nanotechnology and culture Ars Technica Dec. 9, 2008 Religious beliefs are important to public support of nanotechnology, as well. Dietram Scheufele from the University of Wisconsin-Madison led a research team that found a correlation between the strength of religious beliefs and the acceptance of nanotechnology across Western nations.
• Migrants' English use rebutted Dec. 9, 2008
• U. of Wisconsin Dean's Perspective on the Economy Seeking Alpha Nov. 21, 2008 Courtesy of the Wilson Law Group, an excellent estate-planning firm here in Madison, one of your correspondents attended a fascinating talk last night. The speaker was the Dean of the University of Wisconsin School of Business, Michael M. Knetter (yes, the "k" gets a little enunciation). Knetter spoke for nearly an hour on a broad range of topics, from international trade to the credit bubble to tax policy. Here are a few highlights, in no particular order, from last night's event:
• Jewish Republican Eric Cantor elected party whip Jerusalem Post Nov. 20, 2008 Quoted: Political scientist Kenneth Goldstein of the University of Wisconsin-Madison said the deep unpopularity of the current Republican president and the spiraling economic crisis caused the "extraordinary" GOP reversals.
• Sleep Makes Room For Memories Science News Nov. 19, 2008 WASHINGTON — Sleep not only refreshes the body, it may also push the reset button on the brain, helping the brain stay flexible and ready to learn, new research shows. Whether it is slow-wave sleep or rapid eye movement (REM), sleep changes the biochemistry of the brain, and the change is necessary to continue learning new things, suggests research presented November 18 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Hundreds of genes behave differently when an animal is asleep rather than awake, says Chiara Cirelli of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Cirelli and her colleagues are trying to settle a long-standing debate about why sleep is necessary. One theory is that sleep helps solidify memories by replaying information learned during the day. Another idea holds that sleep is for energy restoration.
• New honeycomb tire is 'bulletproof' CNET.com Nov. 18, 2008 The University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Wausau, Wis., company have come up with a 37-inch, bullet and bomb-proof Humvee tire based on a polymeric web so cool looking there's no need for hub caps. Resilient Technologies and Wisconsin-Madison's Polymer Engineering Center are creating a "non-pneumatic tire" (no air required) that will support the weight of add-on armor, survive an IED attack, and still make a 50 mph getaway. It's basically a round honeycomb wrapped with a thick, black tread.
• Arming vets in fight against smoking Boston Globe Nov. 18, 2008 Noted: Dr. Michael Fiore has heard them. He runs the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin. Cigarettes distributed during World War II, he said, spawned a generation of smokers, with six of every 10 US men identified as tobacco users in the 1950s.
• Research park a grand success Wisconsin State Journal Nov. 18, 2008 The birth of University Research Park on Madison's West Side 25 years ago was a historic breakthrough in the area's economic development. In the story of the park's beginning and its growth are two lessons:
• Some LI schools' 'rainy day' funds better than others Newsday Nov. 17, 2008 Quoted: Some, such as the University of Wisconsin's Allan Odden, think even this won't be enough in the current crunch. "What we're facing is going to require more than a 5 percent reserve," said Odden, a former financial consultant to New York State who is now a co-director of a center that recruits and trains teachers and principals. "This is huge."
• A School Chief Takes On Tenure, Stirring a Fight New York Times Nov. 13, 2008 Quoted: Allan R. Odden, a professor at the University of Wisconsin who studies teacher compensation, “it would raise eyebrows everywhere, because that would be a gargantuan change.”
• Study finds new link between childhood obesity and heart disease Guardian (UK) Nov. 13, 2008 Quoted: "These findings confirm some of our big picture concerns about childhood obesity," said Aaron Carrel, an associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Wisconsin school of medicine and public health. "It is a very direct link with disease."
• Crestor would save lives at $500,000 each USA Today Nov. 11, 2008 Quoted: James Stein of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
• Barriers to Good Asthma Care Detailed Washington Post Nov. 11, 2008 Quoted: "Half the time, patients and physicians disagree on what the problem is, and two-thirds of the time, patients and physicians disagree on what the goals of treatment are," Dr. Alan T. Luskin, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, said in the news release.
• Obama Is Expected to Put Education Overhaul on Back Burner Wall Street Journal Nov. 11, 2008 Quoted: "School boards around the country are going to be in real trouble over the next year or two," said Andrew Reschovsky, a University of Wisconsin economist, who added that some states may be forced to seek additional federal funds to help their school districts maintain programs.
• Raise a glass: University of Wisconsin offers a class on that strange brew—beer Chicago Tribune Nov. 10, 2008 Jon Roll, an instructor at the University of Wisconsin, wants to make one thing clear about a new course creating buzz on the Madison campus. "This is not a course to help kids go out and slam beers on Friday night," he said.
• Democratic wave breaches GOP's stronghold in Fox Valley Appleton Post-Crescent Nov. 6, 2008 Quoted: "Some of this is shorter term and some of this may be longer term," said Charles Franklin, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin.
• 'Go East': China Inc. recruiting in gloomy London, New York AFP Nov. 6, 2008 Quoted: "Financial experts are unlikely to want to come to work in a state-owned enterprise unless that enterprise has a tremendous amount of autonomy. I'm not sure CIC for instance has that autonomy," said Menzie Chinn, an economist at University of Wisconsin.
• The White House's working mom Chicago Tribune Nov. 6, 2008 Quoted: "The traditional role of wives in the White House is to play hostess. They are gracious and keep the home fires burning while the president is out doing business. Barbara Bush fit into that role wonderfully," said Barry Burden, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin.
• HEC and Wisconsin join hands over property Financial Times Nov. 5, 2008 HEC in Paris is increasing its links with US business schools through a partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop and teach a real estate programme at HEC. Wisconsin School of Business is one of the leaders in the US in teaching real estate programmes.
• Battlegrounds attract political heat Minnesota Public Radio Nov. 5, 2008 Journalists from Indiana, North Carolina and Colorado talk about early voting, turnout and all the attention from candidates. Guests include Charles Franklin, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-developer of Pollster.com. (Audio.)
• Market was McCain's Waterloo National Post (Canada) Nov. 5, 2008 Quoted: "Different people are influenced by different issues, but certainly the condition of the economy is the central issue now for most voters," said John Coleman, head of the political science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Democrats make gains in House, Senate Globe and Mail (Canada) Nov. 5, 2008 Quoted: "To have the kinds of changes we're talking about, especially after 2006, those are bigger shifts than anything we've seen in a long time," said David Canon, an expert on Congress from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Young voters help put Obama over the top Associated Press Nov. 5, 2008 CHICAGO (AP) — Rafi Zelikowsky skipped class on Tuesday to camp out in downtown Chicago and wait for Barack Obama, the man who captured the hearts of so many young voters. "We're feeding off the energy," said Zelikowsky, a 19-year-old Northwestern University student from Los Angeles who arrived at 7:30 a.m. EST to stand in a long line outside the park where supporters awaited Obama's victory address more than 15 hours later. Zelikowsky, who voted for Obama by absentee ballot in California, also spent her previous weekend canvassing for the Illinois senator in rural Iowa.
• Watkins: 25 Years Later: The AIDS Vaccine Search Goes On Scientific American Nov. 4, 2008 Not long after the virus that causes AIDS was identified, Margaret Heckler, then the U.S. secretary of health and human services, told a group of reporters that the discovery would enable scientists to develop a vaccine to prevent AIDS. “We hope to have such a vaccine ready for testing in approximately two years,” she declared proudly. It was 1984. The author is a UW-Madison faculty member.
• 'English or bust' is new reality for immigrants Toronto Star Nov. 3, 2008 Joseph Salmons is struck by people, many of them descendants of immigrants, who complain newcomers are not trying hard enough to speak English and assimilate. The University of Wisconsin linguist decided to find out if immigrants in the past faced the same "English or bust" pressures many newcomers now feel.