The top two jobs in the University of Wisconsin System are turning over within months of each other next year, a major leadership shake-up that comes on the heels of new chancellors installed during the pandemic at nearly half of the regional campuses and amid a variety of other challenges.
October 18, 2021
Top Stories
Research
Ask the Weather Guys: How is the Artic Sea ice situation?
Noted: Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on WHA radio (970 AM) at 11:45 a.m. the last Monday of each month.
Will eliminating quantitative popularity on Instagram actually make it safe for kids?
Megan Moreno, a principal investigator of the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Mashable that there’s space to try out what we can to make social media safer. While she thinks the idea of fully eliminating quantitative popularity is “an interesting idea,” she is “not hugely optimistic that it will make a gigantic difference.” That’s because the idea of likes is so engrained in our society already, that the concept will be there if it’s turned off or not. And, she adds, popularity isn’t completely numerical.
7 Perennials You Should Divide in the Fall — And 5 To Leave for Spring
According to the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension, self-seeded plants take several years to bloom, so propagation by division is a popular option. Collins recommends dividing in fall.
Higher Education/System
Local theater artist Erica Halverson has ideas for how to save the arts in education
Performer, educator and author Erica Halverson has a lot to say about how the arts can be used in schools to transform education in a meaningful way in her book “How The Arts Can Save Education.” Halverson, who also is a professor of curriculum and instruction at UW-Madison, will discuss her book during an in-person event at the Wisconsin Book Festival later this month.
Fitchburg-based Spanish Learning Center wants students to love language
Noted: Currently, De Pierola splits her time between her own business, a part-time job as a Spanish teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and her own studies. Trained as a lawyer in Peru, she’ll graduate with a masters degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in December and then take the bar exam — the necessary steps if she wants to practice law in Wisconsin. Simultaneously, she’s earning a teaching credential through online courses from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
These are the best college towns in the US
29. Madison, WisconsinColleges: Edgewood College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Herzing University-Madison
Campus life
Staffing issue causes longer lines at Wisconsin Badgers’ football entry gates
Fans had to wait a little longer than normal Saturday as they attempted to enter Camp Randall Stadium for the University of Wisconsin’s football game against Army.
UW’s athletic department tweeted two hours before the game that “unforeseen circumstances specific to this game” created a situation in which not all the entry gates were fully staffed and fans were asked to arrive early.
We’re far more optimistic’: Despite delta surge, UW Athletics is in better place this year
For the first time in history, the Wisconsin Badgers faced the Army Black Knights in football this weekend. After a rocky start to the year, the Badgers won, 20-14. And six games into this season, they seem to be turning the tide.
Dr. Russell Jeung, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, will talk about building an anti-racist movement as UW Diversity Forum keynote speaker
Dr. Jeung co-founded the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center after reading news stories about attacks against Asian American elders and seeing an alarming escalation in xenophobia, bigotry and violence in the United States resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeung will be the day-one keynote speaker at the University of Wisconsin-Madison 2021 Diversity Forum Nov. 2-3.
Cheers for the Levys, the United Way and Bill Lueders
Let’s hand out some kudos today as the fall colors reach their peak.
First, a big cheer for Madison’s Levy brothers, Marv and Jeff, who last week announced a $20 million contribution to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, their alma mater, to build a much-needed new home for the College of Letters & Science.
State news
‘Now we’re waiting’: Evacuees at Wisconsin’s Fort McCoy face health care issues, confusion over restarting their lives
Quoted: Erin Barbato, the director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, said that the immigration status of evacuees isn’t tied to remaining at the base, but once they leave, a clock starts on their resettlement benefits, which are only available for eight months after leaving the base.
“Many people are confusing the resettlement process with the immigration process. So, when people are applying for humanitarian parole or for their Special Immigrant Visa or even for asylum, that does not need to be completed on the base,” she said. “The issue is people have now been waiting for a long time at these bases and they don’t want to remain there any longer, but many of them need a resettlement plan in order to get their life started in the United States.”
Fall armyworm population wreaking havoc on Wisconsin crops
Noted: This year in Wisconsin, a fall armyworm population is present unlike anything most entomologists have ever seen. The pests are doing damage to alfalfa, winter wheat and other cover crops around the state. Bryan Jensen, UW-Extension Pest Management Specialist, shares that this warmer fall weather has helped to create a perfect storm for fall armyworms to thrive. Fall armyworms are different from the normal armyworms seen during late spring. The good news, according to Jensen, is they will most definitely not over-winter here in Wisconsin: they are a warm weather species, and will not survive the winter
Health
Fact check: COVID-19 PCR test created to detect infection, not vaccinate
Cows also are tested for disease through nasal swabs, however, according to the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. So it’s not clear which action is shown in the picture in the post. USA TODAY didn’t find where the image being shared on social media originated.
UW Experts in the News
Why the head of Wisconsin’s sham audit is facing resignation calls
“I do think it’s harmful,” Barry C. Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, said of the review. “It’s obviously amateurish and uncoordinated and irresponsible and open-ended and partisan. The people who are leading the effort have already decided they think the election was fraudulent, or they’re distrustful of the outcome. It’s a violation of all the standards you’d use in a usual election audit or review the state might do.”
UW-Madison Related
Madison’s Immuto Scientific snaps up $2.3M investment round
Noted: An example of a protein is an antibody — you have to make sure that antibody is attacking the right disease or cancerous human cell, explained Choudhury, who is originally from Bangladesh, and received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from UW-Madison in 2017.