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July 5, 2022

Research

Plastic has made farming easier, but what happens to the material after it’s used?

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Melissa Kono is a community development educator in Clark and Trempealeau counties for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension.

She said farmers use plastic sheeting to protect hay and silage from the elements in order to feed their livestock all winter. Some forms of these plastics include top covers for silage bunkers — think white tarp covering mounds of silage with tires holding the tarp down — long bags that hold long, skinny rows of silage and wrap for individual hay bales.

“Their other option for silage would be a silo and those are very costly to construct,” Kono said. “Having a silage pile makes it easier to access, especially if farmers don’t have a lot of space, or makes it more accessible to feeding animals, which helps cut down on time and cost. I just think because farmers are stretched so very thin these days, having plastics to use has probably made it more economical.”

Wisconsin’s largest utilities make carbon reduction gains, but most will fall short of 2030 goals

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Noted: On average, Wisconsin customers pay nearly 6 percent of their income on electricity and gas. Using federal data, a University of Wisconsin-Madison analysis found 18 neighborhoods across the state have energy burdens of 8 percent or more, including nearly a dozen Black and Hispanic communities in Milwaukee County. In rural areas, Menominee, Marinette, Clark, Burnett and Adams counties also paid a greater proportion of their income on energy costs.

UW-Madison research shows plants could produce more materials for medicine, biofuel

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Plants already pull significant weight in removing carbon dioxide from the air, but a new study out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows there’s potential for plants to capture more.

The study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, also shows the potential to increase the amount of aromatic compounds — or the building blocks for certain biofuels and medicines — produced by plants.

It’s been 25 years since the landing of the Mars Pathfinder. Planetary exploration has never been the same.

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: To Sanjay Limaye, a senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the landing itself was “astounding.”

With a newly-minted astronomy doctorate at the time, Creighton recalled a general feeling of relief. “We’re going to be able to move forward; the road has been set,” she said.

Doing This When You Talk Could Be an Early Alzheimer’s Sign, Study Warns

Posted on
Best Life

Two verbal changes in particular are linked with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, as explained in a 2018 study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. “What we’ve discovered here is there are aspects of language that are affected earlier than we thought,” said Sterling Johnson, PhD, one of the study’s authors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Campus life

State news

What do you want to hear from Wisconsin candidates ahead of the midterm election?

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Noted: Over the next four months, our “Wisconsin Main Street Agenda” project will report on what we’re learning from residents and explain what we know about the mood of the electorate based on that massive survey of Wisconsin residents by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center.

The project is a partnership of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Ideas Lab, the LaFollette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Crime and safety

Athletics

‘Wasn’t anything to celebrate’: How Wisconsin ended 12 years of Title IX noncompliance in 2001

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

For all the sunny days that the University of Wisconsin athletic department experienced in the 1990s — and there were many — it all happened with a dark cloud hovering overhead.

The U.S. Office of Civil Rights, following up on a complaint filed in 1989, had determined that UW was in violation of the Title IX law that requires students of both genders be provided nondiscriminatory participation opportunities, including in intercollegiate athletics.

Opinion

UW isn’t as free after court ruling

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Letter to the editor: UW gave women in my family an education before they could vote, and each daughter has benefited from more freedoms and opportunities. A post-Roe Wisconsin might end that UW legacy. All I can say is shame on the legislators and voters of Wisconsin. It’s a sad day.

UW Experts in the News

On Conservative Radio, Misleading Message Is Clear: ‘Democrats Cheat’

Posted on
The New York Times

“Liberals or even most moderates never listen to it, they don’t pay attention to it, they don’t see it, they don’t hear it,” said Lewis A. Friedland, a professor who studies radio at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “So you don’t know it exists, you don’t know how widespread and how powerful it really is.” In Wisconsin, he said, local radio stations play “extreme right-wing propaganda” five or six hours a day.

This Common Spice Will Prevent Your Plants from Dying

Posted on
BestLife

While plants can die at any stage of life, they’re most vulnerable as seedlings (about two to three weeks after germination). At that stage, one of the most common killers is damping-off disease. According to the University of Wisconsin Madison Department of Horticulture, damping-off is caused by several soil-borne fungi that are moved around in the soil and on soil-contaminated items like garden tools and plant pots. The infection can cause root rot and is fatal. If your seedlings are infected, they’ll emerge from the soil looking healthy, but soon collapse and die.

Obituaries

Thomas P. Culviner

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Tom was hired by UW-Extension as an editor for their correspondence courses, which soon evolved to online. He edited courses and related materials for 21 years for Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning, and a range of other names. He also represented the division on Academic Staff Council. He retired in 2016.

Margaret S. Andreasen

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

In 1980 she accepted an appointment at the University of Wisconsin Madison as an Assistant Professor of journalism. As a result of her research and writings, she became a tenured professor and later Chair of the Family and Consumer Communications Department.

Sylvester Wayne Strong

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

His most recent role at UW-Madison’s Center for Law, Society & Justice was a culmination of both his passion for career development and mentorship as well as his deep knowledge of criminal justice and educational issues. His eyes would light up when he talked about the students he helped obtain internships or when he recounted his presentations on the practical applications of law enforcement and criminal justice.

Paul Anthony Hamilton Beckett

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

In 1978, Paul accepted a position as Assistant Chair of the African Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He remained at the university until his retirement in 1999.

UW-Madison Related