These experts from the UW-Madison faculty and staff have agreed to comment on breaking news, ongoing developments and trends in their areas of expertise. If you need help arranging interviews, email University Communications.
Experts on today’s news…
-
Linda Greene on: The legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Linda Greene, a law professor and expert on constitutional law, is available for interviews on the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Greene says,"As a lawyer, she was a pathbreaking figure who changed the role of women in society. As a pop culture figure, improbably, both legal elites and ordinary people knew and loved the Notorious RBG. She became a pop culture icon for elite septuagenarians as well young people who were not even born when she joined the Supreme Court.
What will be her legacy on as a Supreme Court justice? Like Justice Thurgood Marshall, she wrote many opinions on a wide range of topics; many will note those contributions. But her singular legacy, like Marshall’s, will be her resolute and enduring commitment to equal justice under law for both women and African Americans."
-
Ryan Owens on: Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ryan Owens, an expert on the Supreme Court, can comment on death of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87.
Owens says, "Justice Ginsburg’s passing will be mourned by many but will shortly give way to partisan discussions over nominations. We must keep an eye on Senator McConnell’s actions for signs on how this will move forward."
-
James Conway on: Importance of flu shots
Get your flu shot, especially this year. That's the message health care professionals are helping spread. Dr. James Conway, an expert on infectious diseases, and Dr. Jonathan Temte, an expert on influenza prevention and control, can comment on the importance and the role it plays in fighting COVID-19.
-
Sanjay Limaye on: Scientists find hints of life in the atmosphere of Venus
Sanjay Limaye, a senior scientist at UW-Madison's Space Science and Engineering Center and an expert in the atmospheres of planets, is available for interviews about new research findings that describe the discovery of a chemical in the atmosphere of Venus that suggests the presence of life.
Limaye says, "If confirmed, the reported discovery of phosphine suggetss that there is phosphorous, an essential ingredient for life, is present in the Venus clouds. Whether or not the reported phosphine is created naturally or through biology can be confirmed by direct measurements in the clouds. We proposed in a paper published in Astrobiolgy (2018) that microorganisms may contribute to absorption of sunlight on Venus, a century old mystery, so the report is exciting."
-
Richard Keller on: Western wildfires
Huge swaths of the American West are burning, with smokes and fires stretching from Californai to Washington. Richard Keller, a professor of medical history and bioethics, is an expert on climate change and its health consequences. He's available for interviews on the Western wildfires.
Keller says, “The staggering wildfires that have engulfed California, Oregon, and Washington reveal the dangerous synergies of a changing climate, as unprecedented heat waves drive the destructive force of these fires to new levels.”
-
Anuj Desai on: History of the United States Postal Service
Anuj Desai, an expert on free speech/freedom of speech and communications/information technology, can speak about the history of the United States Postal Service, including how it's been subsidized by the government. His article "The Transformation of Statutes into Constitutional Law: How Early Post Office Policy Shaped Modern First Amendment Doctrine," takes a look at the early Post Office and how statutory protection of letters influenced constitutional law.
"The Founders of the country knew how vital it was for a republic to have a government agency promoting long-distance communications to every corner of what even then was a geographically spread out country," Desai says.
