MON AM News: UW-Madison aims to expand sustainability research through new hub; MMAC report shows ‘slow start’ for 2024

— UW-Madison has launched a new hub to coordinate sustainability efforts, aimed at driving a “significant expansion” in related research. 

The university on Friday announced the launch of the Sustainability Research Hub, one element of its environmental sustainability initiative outlined in Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s Board of Regents address last month. 

Involving both the university’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and Office of Sustainability, the new effort will target large federal research grants with research teams spanning multiple departments. It will offer support for researchers seeking these grants such as grant writing and proposal development, project coordination, graphic design, proofreading, budget preparation and more. 

Paul Robbins, dean of the Nelson Institute, notes sustainability research can involve engineering, chemistry, geosciences, history and other disciplines. 

“But the challenges of coordinating all this talent, the effort required to produce the synergies needed to be competitive, and the expertise to turn all that talent into major, highly competitive, multi-million-dollar grants: those are things that the Hub can address,” Robbins said in a statement.

The number of UW-Madison researchers working on sustainability research jumped from 153 to 336 between 2018 and 2021, and has stayed above 300 since then, according to university figures

The university says it had about 1,200 grants supporting $130 million in sustainability research and development expenditures in fiscal year 2022. 

“By investing in administrative human talent–grant writers, matchmakers, project and award coordinators, we are empowering scholarly talent and leveraging it to do something far bigger than we are achieving today,” Robbins said. “This is about making a big leap.”

See more.

— Less than half of the economic measures tracked by the MMAC showed improvement in January, according to the group’s latest report. 

The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce reports 10 of its 22 local economic indicators had a positive change for the month, showing a “slow start” for 2024. It’s a slight improvement from the nine positive indicators in December, but continues a six-month trend of more negative measures than positive. 

Seven of the region’s 10 major industry sectors had year-over-year job declines over the year, the report shows. Information jobs fell 6.7% and professional and business services declined 3.8%, but construction, mining and natural resources had a 4.8% increase over the same period. 

Meanwhile, manufacturing employment fell 1.2% over the year, while earnings and hours for production workers showed a negative trend. 

MMAC Vice President of Economic Research Bret Mayborne notes regional economic growth was stronger last year than earlier reported due to revised state figures. 

“These revisions show stronger gains in 2023’s first half, averaging  1.3% year-over-year, but fell off in the second half with average growth of 0.3%,” he said. “Job levels fell in December (down  0.1%), the first year-over-year decline registered since March 2021. This weakness in the job  trend continues into 2024.”  

See the report.

— The Senate’s recent abrupt adjournment means 105 bills that cleared the Assembly aren’t going anywhere, including one related to medical professional licensure that made the final calendar but didn’t get a vote.

The state Senate was still working through the calendar last week when Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, moved to adjourn the floor period and Senate President Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, gaveled out the chamber. That cut off the opportunity, for example, for Dems to propose pulling motions in an attempt to force floor votes.

It also ended up blocking final passage of two Assembly bills that had been on the calendar.

One would have blocked local governments from adopting stricter animal welfare standards for facilities in areas that are zoned for agricultural use. The Senate moved the bill to the foot of the calendar, putting off a vote as it worked through other legislation, but didn’t bring it up again before adjourning.

AB 957, which cleared the Assembly by voice vote, would also block local governments from regulating the species of animals allowed to be raised on agricultural zones and for what use. 

It was the same fate that befell AB 954, which would have allowed the Medical Examining Board to offer provisional licenses to physicians and physician assistants trained outside the country to practice in Wisconsin. 

Under the bill, the Department of Professional Services’ Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board would determine which countries are considered to have provided qualified training to medical professionals. The Senate also scheduled the bill but took no action.

More than 100 other bills that cleared the Assembly weren’t taken up by the Senate. They likely will have to be reintroduced once a new Legislature is convened in early 2024.

See more in the WisPolitics Friday Report

Top stories from the Health Care Report… 

— COVID-19 activity in Wisconsin has been falling since the start of the year following a brief spike at the end of 2023, according to wastewater monitoring data. 

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, is calling on the Biden administration to investigate Chinese shipbuilding, raising concerns about national security and unfair trade practices that undermine American industry.

Baldwin and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., joined labor leaders in a press conference last week in support of the petition United Steelworkers filed this week asking United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai to investigate Chinese commercial shipbuilding. 

Baldwin said China has used anticompetitive tactics to become the world leader in commercial shipbuilding and dominate the global transportation supply chain. She argued the problem isn’t just an economic one, but a serious national security concern as well. 

“If we cannot reliably produce ships that move products, then we will not have the industrial base to make and maintain the Navy ships that we need to keep our country safe,” Baldwin said. 

USW International President David McCall argued China is using commercial shipbuilding to “dominate the full spectrum of global trade, choking out competitors.” 

“If we do not act, we will soon be dependent on China not only for the products their vessels bring into our ports but also for the ships themselves,” McCall said. 

See Baldwin’s release with her and Pennsylvania Dem Sen. Bob Casey’s letter to Tai.

See more in the WisPolitics DC Wrap

TOP STORIES
‘I’m essentially breaking even every month’: Wisconsin renters struggle with rising prices 

Brady Corp. to acquire French company in $133 million deal

West Madison plan sparks outrage over city’s answers to big question

TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS 

– Buzzing business – Wisconsin thriving honey industry 

ECONOMY 

– UW’s Rural Partnerships Institute announces new projects focused on rural Wisconsin 

– Despite flat Q4, metro Milwaukee exports up nearly 7% in 2023 

EDUCATION 

– UW-Madison plans marketing push to counter ‘elitist’ perception 

ENTERTAINMENT & THE ARTS

– WWE’s ‘Monday Night RAW’ coming to Resch Center in July

FOOD & BEVERAGE

– At Thai Noodles in Fitchburg, chili garlic sauce is king 

HEALTH CARE 

– Whistleblower files lawsuit against Advocate Aurora for allegedly defrauding government programs 

LABOR 

– Wisconsin truck driver with Keurig Dr Pepper explains vote to decertify Teamsters union 

LEGAL 

– Tribe and lakes association claim cranberry operation is violating the Clean Water Act 

REAL ESTATE 

– Milwaukee Plan Commission will review 32-story mass timber project 

– Nearly 100 homes planned in new Waukesha County subdivision 

– One of the Milwaukee area’s busiest homebuilders makes leadership changes, eyes growth 

– How much does child care in Wisconsin cost? How do I find a daycare? Your common care questions answered 

RETAIL 

– Cudahy-based Angelic Bakehouse shuts down 

UTILITIES 

– Madison schools’ green energy goal called ‘almost impossible’ 

COLUMNS 

– Opinion: I-794 removal chance to reshape downtown Milwaukee 

PRESS RELEASES

See these and other press releases 

MMAC: January Economic Trends report for metro Milwaukee

Edgewood College: Mourns the loss of President Emerita Mary Ellen Gevelinger, O.P.

UW–Madison: Sustainability Research Hub