TUE AM News: $25M research effort to yield ‘unprecedented capabilities’ for advanced materials; Line 5 opponents praise Michigan permit being overturned

August 4, 2026

— The leader of a UW-Madison research project getting $25 million in federal funding says the effort will offer scientists “unprecedented capabilities” to design and test advanced materials.

The National Science Foundation yesterday released details for two new Materials Innovation Platforms, splitting $50 million in total funding over a six-year period. In addition to the Wisconsin project, a robotics-focused effort at Texas A&M University is getting funded through the federal program, which seeks to establish facilities with specialized equipment and technologies.

Prof. Izabela Szlufarska, an engineer and materials scientist at UW-Madison, is the principal investigator for the MATRIX-MIP project in Wisconsin and will lead the new center. The acronym stands for Materials AI and Transformation through Research Infrastructure for eXtreme environments.

Szlufarska says engineering new materials can involve understanding complexities at various scales, from the atomic level to large structures.

“The challenge is understanding how to tailor these complexities to move beyond the current limits of materials performance,” she said in a project overview from the university. “This facility will give researchers unprecedented capabilities to design, create and evaluate those materials.”

Researchers at the center will explore how various material factors influence how they function under extreme conditions, including radiation, mechanical stress, corrosive environments and high temperatures. The team will use AI to “rapidly predict” the properties of new materials before creating samples and testing their physical performance.

Along with “AI-enabled knowledge tools,” workforce development, data sharing and open user access, the project aims to boost national capacity for advanced materials development and converting scientific advances into societal benefits. The facility plans to open in early 2028 and become fully operational by 2030.

Meanwhile, the UW-Madison College of Engineering plans to launch the new Hard Materials Lab as part of the effort.

The project is slated to begin Sept. 1 and estimated to run through August of 2032, with a total intended award amount of $24.9 million. To date, $4 million in funding has been provided for MATRIX-MIP, the NSF project page shows.

See the NSF release.

— Tribal leaders and environmental groups are praising a Michigan State Supreme Court decision overturning a permit for part of Enbridge’s embattled Line 5 oil pipeline project, which has also faced legal challenges in Wisconsin.

Earthjustice Senior Attorney Adam Ratchenski says the court’s decision “corrects an injustice” by overturning the permit the Canadian energy company needs to build a 4-mile tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac for part of the pipeline project.

The move sends the permit back to the Michigan Public Service Commission, according to details from Earthjustice, which says the agency violated state law in approving the tunnel in 2023.

“This misguided project would subject tribal nations and Michiganders to 99 more years of risk and pollution,” Ratchenski said yesterday during an online press conference. “The tunnel is a 4-mile BandAid on a 640-some-mile problem. The commission twisted itself into logical knots when it approved this project.”

In addition to its work in Michigan, Earthjustice has represented the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in legal challenges to a 41-mile reroute of part of the pipeline running through Wisconsin.

Also on yesterday’s call with reporters, Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle touted the court’s “landmark decision” and accused Enbridge of seeking to “narrow the conversation” around the project.

“The Great Lakes are the source of our food, our ceremonies, our economies, our identity and our treaty rights,” she said. “Our ancestors made decisions with these waters in mind seven generations before us, and today we are continued to be called upon to do the same.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Enbridge said the company is “disappointed at the additional delay” to the project that’s already been under review for close to a decade. The spokesperson pointed to the MPSC’s “rigorous, fact-based process” for approving the tunnel segment, arguing this approach was meant to be more environmentally friendly while preserving energy reliability.

“We disagree with the Court’s decision … Enbridge is reviewing the opinion and assessing our legal options,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

Friday’s decision follows Iron County Circuit Court Judge John Anderson ruling in May that Enbridge had to stop work at four waterway crossings for the Line 5 reroute project in Wisconsin. Earthjustice applauded the partial stay, calling it a victory for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa amid the tribe’s efforts to challenge the project.

In a statement at the time, Earthjustice Senior Associate Attorney John Petoskey argued Wisconsin’s “unlawful” permitting decisions for the reroute “deserve serious legal scrutiny.”

Construction at those four waterway crossings remain halted as of yesterday, according to an Earthjustice spokesperson, who confirmed Enbridge has requested Anderson remove the stay on construction. The Bad River Band issued their opposing response Friday, ahead of a planned Aug. 13 hearing on the company’s latest motion.

See the Earthjustice release.

— Wisconsin will start issuing Advanced Practice Registered Nurse credentials next month, replacing an existing nursing category.

The state Department of Safety and Professional Services recently announced Wisconsin is finalizing its work on the new APRN license, which was supported by a number of advocates such as the Wisconsin Nurses Association and the Wisconsin Center for Nursing. Applications for the new license opened yesterday.

The change, which Gov. Tony Evers signed into law last year, includes a framework with four recognized roles: nurse practitioner; certified nurse midwife; clinical nurse specialist; and certified registered nurse anesthetist.

Under the new law, APRNs are authorized to issue prescription orders and delegate some tasks to other health professionals, among other changes.

Advocates say allowing APRNs to practice independently will help expand access to healthcare services, particularly in rural areas where shortages are most severe.

DSPS Secretary Dan Hereth says the department’s goal is to “modernize” the state’s nursing laws to bring them in line with national standards.

Starting Sept. 1, existing APNP licenses will also be converted into APRN licenses, according to an overview from DSPS. But the agency warns current license holders will need to take steps to ensure their role is correctly displayed on the new license.

See more on the new licensure framework in a memo from Wisconsin Legislative Council.

See the release.

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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— Crop progress in the final week of July proceeded roughly in-line with the average pace, according to the latest USDA update.

The agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service yesterday issued a report showing Wisconsin corn “silking” was 72% complete as of Sunday. This indicator of crop growth is even with the five-year average.

Meanwhile, 86% of soybeans were in the blooming stage, ahead of the average of 81%. And oats in the state were 93% coloring, just ahead of the average of 90%.

Plus, this season’s third cutting of alfalfa hay was 50% complete, compared to the average of 47%.

While dry conditions persisted in northwestern Wisconsin, the state’s southern and eastern portions received “much needed” rainfall, the agency reports.

See the report.

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