— UW-Madison researchers have developed a new metal alloy that can withstand higher temperatures, which could be used to improve high-speed aircraft.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation is touting the technology as a “top licensing prospect” in its engineering and computer science portfolio. It was created by Prof. Dan Thoma of the College of Engineering and graduate research assistant Michael Niezgoda.
In remarks provided by WARF, Thoma discussed how the new alloy offers advantages over what’s currently available in the market. Their alloy can offer protection up to 1,600 degrees Celsius, according to a WARF overview. That’s useful in applications like hypersonic jets and turbines, which generate a lot of heat when moving at extremely high speeds.
This level of protection is 200 degrees Celsius higher than existing methods, the overview shows.
“To the best of our knowledge, there’s nothing that exists like it,” Thoma said. “So it’s going to open up a whole new market of material.”
He explained various technologies including fusion energy can operate more efficiently at higher temperatures, using less fuel. But those environments lead to structural degradation, leading to the need for better systems to limit that breakdown.
The new alloy is made up of molybdenum, chromium and aluminum, according to Niezgoda. Its development began with his own interest in hypersonic aircraft and jet propulsion, he said. The testing process involved putting several metal compositions into a high-heat environment to see how they fared.
“One of our compositions just refused to die,” he said. “We got it all the way up to 1,600 (degrees Celsius) and that’s when we really realized we had something special going on.”
Due to this capability, the invention could help reduce maintenance time and costs for aircraft while enabling “higher mission readiness,” WARF says.
See more on the technology: https://www.warf.org/videos/alloy-protects-materials-at-high-temperatures-2023-warf-innovation-award-nominee/
— The state Senate has approved sweeping changes to Wisconsin’s alcohol policies, using the amendment process to bypass a committee holdup that had prevented the package from coming to the floor.
The Senate added a more than 150-page amendment to a second bill that included provisions on tobacco and alcohol under the Department of Revenue’s authority to move the overhaul of the state’s three-tiered system for producing, distributing and selling alcohol. After it cleared the chamber 21-11, the bill was sent to the Assembly, which passed it 88-10. That cleared the way for the bill to head to the guv.
In moving the bill through the Senate, Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, a co-sponsor of the bill, went around one of his committee chairs and used a bipartisan coalition to advance the legislation over the objections of several GOP members.
The bill has been awaiting action in the committee chaired by state Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, since an August public hearing.
Hutton told WisPolitics ahead of the floor vote he had been planning an exec in December after completing work on amendments to clear the way for the bill to hit the floor after the Legislature reconvenes in January.
Hutton said that would’ve allowed a win-win for the alcohol industry and other parties involved, and that he would’ve preferred that route to yesterday’s move by LeMahieu. Hutton said the majority leader didn’t give him any warning ahead of the move, and it wasn’t “preferred, but this caucus is pretty resolute.”
See more at WisPolitics: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/senate-approves-sweeping-changes-to-states-alcohol-policies/
— Outgoing MMAC leader Tim Sheehy says President-elect Dale Kooyenga’s background in public policy will support the group’s vision for Milwaukee’s future.
“What we want to do is ensure that Milwaukee is globally competitive, that we have high-value jobs that support a vibrant quality of life for all,” Sheehy told WisconsinEye in a recent joint interview with Kooyenga.
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce in October announced Kooyenga will be taking over as president on Jan. 2, 2024. The former Republican state senator, certified public accountant and U.S. Army reservist has been the organization’s senior vice president since January of this year, a release shows.
Sheehy has spent 31 years with the group, whose board is made up of executives from some of the largest companies in Wisconsin, including Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Financial Group, Manpower Group and others.
“I’ve had a great run, really enjoy supporting the work for the business community, the community of Milwaukee as a whole … but it’s time to pass the baton, and I’m thrilled to pass it to Dale,” Sheehy said.
He touted Dale’s understanding of the political context surrounding the group’s economic development goals.
“He understands public policy, he understands people, and he understands the politics around what we need to do to make sure that we fulfill that mission,” he said, adding Kooyenga will help bring the region “closer to that vision.”
Kooyenga told WisconsinEye that MMAC will reveal its updated key priorities early next year after he takes over, following the lead of its board. He noted Milwaukee’s working population is projected to grow just 1% between now and 2040.
“That’s just not sustainable for economic growth,” he said. “So we definitely have to look at ways to get more people in, but also how do we get more out of that talent that’s in our community that’s not getting past high school.”
Watch the full interview here: https://wiseye.org/2023/11/13/newsmakers-reflections-on-the-past-and-future-with-mmac-leaders-sheehy-and-kooyenga/
See the MMAC leadership change announcement: https://www.mmac.org/news/mmac-announces-leadership-transition
— The state Senate cobbled together a bipartisan coalition to pass legislation funding maintenance at the Milwaukee Brewers stadium after adding a new amendment to increase a ticket tax on non-baseball events to help drive down the state’s contribution.
AB 438 and AB 439, which include the funding and the policy provisions on the package, yesterday passed on identical 19-14 votes and were sent to the Assembly. That chamber passed the bills 72-26, sending the measures to Gov. Tony Evers’s desk.
Immediately after the Assembly signed off on the revisions, Evers said he would sign the legislation.
“As a lifelong Brewers fan, I always believed that we could work together to find common ground and build bipartisan support to keep this team and critical economic driver right here in Wisconsin, and today, that’s exactly what we did,” the guv said.
See more at WisPolitics: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/senate-passes-brewers-bills-on-bipartisan-vote/
— The state’s registered apprenticeship program has hit a record high for enrollment with 16,384 apprentices, state officials announced.
Gov. Tony Evers and the state Department of Workforce Development yesterday said this total is the highest it’s been for the 112-year history of the apprenticeship program. It includes more than 200 different occupations and is supported by more than 2,600 employers.
The guv last year announced the apprenticeship program had hit a milestone of 15,000 participants.
“Today, apprenticeships are more popular than ever for workers seeking a pathway into high-demand, family-supporting careers and employers seeking highly skilled talent,” Evers said yesterday in a statement.
See the release: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/37ac8ab
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— Wisconsin has been ranked 9th among U.S. states for lung cancer screening rates by the American Lung Association.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
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#TOP STORIES#
# Mount Pleasant deal with Microsoft will include no public financial incentives, under agreement
# Senate approves Brewers ballpark package after late changes to deal
# Johnson Controls reveals new details of ransomware attack, delays financial report
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– WI farmers invited to apply for nitrogen optimization grants
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1001&yr=2023
– Wisconsin farmers harvest corn and soybeans, till fields
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1002&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– Top bidders: The biggest recent winning bids around the state
– Microsoft’s purchase of Foxconn land could mean a decade of construction
# EDUCATION
– Wisconsin pork association internship program
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=999&yr=2023
– Campus diversity programs targeted as legal and political battles escalate
– Wisconsin’s school funding system needs revisiting, report says
– Wisconsin Supreme Court weighs case seeking to end state’s school choice programs
# ENVIRONMENT
– Wisconsin’s goals for managing wolves? DNR wolf specialist breaks down new plan
– Custom-made, luxury stands make deer hunting warm, dry and comfortable
– Tribes do their part to keep air clean, but how can they weigh in on those around them?
# HEALTH CARE
– A new nursing program specific to psychiatric care is coming to Bellin College
# MANAGEMENT
– Frank Krejci to retire as CEO of major area automotive supplier
– Strattec CEO Frank Krejci to retire
# MANUFACTURING
– SC Johnson unveils Scrubbing Bubbles bottles made from recycled plastic Bucks games
# REAL ESTATE
– Madison’s Neighborhood House looks to add 60 affordable apartments
– Closing the Green Bay School District downtown office could cost $26M
# RETAIL
– Here’s why this Appleton neighborhood deli stocks 1,000 turkeys
# SPORTS
– Wisconsin state Senate approves downsized Milwaukee Brewers stadium repair bill
– Proposal to keep Brewers in Wisconsin passes Senate after last-minute changes
# TECHNOLOGY
– One Wisconsin firm makes Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list. It’s not Exact Sciences.
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Marquette University: Alumnus gives $1 million to establish endowed tennis scholarships
