Newsmakers
(Every week faculty and staff from across campus are featured or cited in newspapers, magazines, broadcasts and other media from around the country. The listings that follow represent a small selection of the many stories that spotlight UW–Madison and its people. More newsmaker listings)
 Jillian Banfield
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Geniuses among us
MacArthur Fellows, including two from the university, received attention from USA Today (Wednesday, June 23) and many other media. Also known as “genius grants,” the fellowships are awarded to people judged to have made creative breakthroughs. Jillian Banfield, professor of geology and geophysics, received $290,000; she has done extensive studies in rock weathering and soil. Biochemist Laura Kiessling received $285,000; her cell biology research provides the groundwork for future development of drugs for cancer and other diseases. The annual fellowships are awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago.
Trace idea advances
The Trace Research and Development Center has gained media attention for developing a mobile phone for people with a range of disabilities. Gregg Vanderheiden, director of the center and a professor of engineering, tells the Los Angeles Times (Thursday, Aug. 12), the center is working with several manufacturers on a “universal design” for a mobile phone that would incorporate such features as volume control, voice activation, TTY compatibility and speaker phone. “We could put all of these features in every phone in a year or two and take up a little corner of a phone’s program space,” he notes. And while the new phones may be pricey the first few years, “within five years, the cost to add access (for people with disabilities) will be less than the cost of the cardboard box the phones are shipped in.”
Cantor: V-chip advocate
Joanne Cantor, professor of communication arts, participated Wednesday, June 16, at a national news conference advocating the V-chip blocking device as a way for parents to control what their children watch on television. The V-chip allows parents to block particular channels or programs. “It can work as a sort of childproof cap for TV,” says Cantor, and author of “Mommy I’m Scared,” published last September (Harvest/Harcourt Brace). Cantor’s research indicates that exposure to media violence can contribute to violent behavior, intense anxieties and recurring nightmares in young people.
Hints for spousal hires
HR On Campus (Thursday, July 29) features the university’s best practices guidelines for dealing with questions about marital/partner status during job interviews to avoid violating affirmative action guidelines. And what should a search committee member not say to a candidate about spousal hire? “We are looking for a candidate who does not have a spousal hire need.”