Category Archives: Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

February 5: Celestial Events in 2025

Posted on February 7, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Larry Larrabee

Jim Lattis, director of the UW Space Place, who manages the UW Washburn Observatory and teaches courses in introductory astronomy, provided a tour de force of what’s occurring in our heavenly skies. Dr. Lattis told us what to expect this year in the way of lunar (2) and solar eclipses (2, but not visible in the US.). He also explained sun spots and their effect on earth. We were informed about T. Coronae Borealis, the Blaze Star, that concludes an 80-yr. cycle with a 3-day burst of brightness. He also invited us to witness space events at the campus observatory two Wednesday evenings each month, weather permitting. Visit https://go.wisc.edu/washobs.

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/NTtVuKhSWxk.

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January 29: Bald Eagles in Wisconsin: Remarkable Recovery Story

Posted on January 31, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Jessika Kasten

Ecologist Jeb Barzen shared the remarkable recovery of bald eagles in Wisconsin. In 1973, there were only 108 nesting birds, but following the elimination of DDT, this number increased to 1,684 by 2019. Research shows that eagles are dynamic birds, moving based on food availability. More ice on rivers results in fewer nesting eagles in that particular area during winter. Considering various needs and perspectives is key to achieving win-win outcomes in ecological issues. To reach solutions, Barzen emphasized the importance of a common vision, iterative collaboration to build trust, and approaching outcomes with an open mind.

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/P17mbtMJ_YI.

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Posted in 2. Meetings, Madison WI, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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January 22: For the Good of Wisconsin

Posted on January 24, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Jessika Kasten

At the January 22 meeting, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman emphasized the need for more public funding for our public universities, noting Wisconsin ranks 43rd in the U.S. for such support. The universities will request $855 million in the next biennial budget, which would avoid tuition hikes and allow them to maintain high-quality, world class education standards. Rothman highlighted that our public universities offer a 23:1 return on investment and urged Rotary members to advocate for this funding to their legislators.

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/5ShbKBC0mOE.

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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January 8: Wisconsin’s 2025 Economic Outlook is “Pretty Good”

Posted on January 10, 2025 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Jessika Kasten

On January 8, John Koskinen from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue spoke on the 2025 Wisconsin economic outlook. John shared that overall, Wisconsin is in a very good (or “pretty good” if you want to be Midwest nice) economic position. Our Real GDP is going up, and our unemployment rate continues to go down (3.4% to 2.9% y/o/y). We continue to have in-migration from other states and our births outpace our deaths. Our cost of living is about 8% less than the U.S. average and poverty rate is 7th lowest in the nation. Overall, the future is bright, much in part due to the strong, hardworking middle class.

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/RMndVJVpWho.

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

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December 4: Superintendent Joe Gothard’s Vision for MMSD

Posted on December 9, 2024 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Kevin Hoffman

Madison original, District alumnus, Rotary Club of Madison member, and now School District Superintendent Joe Gothard gave a wide ranging and comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities facing the district as it seeks to continue and improve upon the history of excellence of education in Madison. People Purpose Pride are the themes he uses to frame his vision for MMSD’s future. Education is a shared and collective effort among many stakeholders to provide opportunities to uplift students and achieve their highest potential. For Joe, being back in Madison and leading the MMSD is deeply personal. He expressed his pride in being from Madison and his goal of making Madison schools an educational destination of choice.

If you missed our meeting last week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/Q1PR8P10Rjk.

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November 13: Wagner on 2024 Election Results

Posted on November 15, 2024 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Michael Shulman

Michael Wagner is a faculty affiliate at the Elections Research Center at UW-Madison and provided a fresh analysis of the election. His data centric presentation emphasized the impact of voters’ low approval ratings of the current administration (41%) and voter indifference to a rebounding economy. Biggest surprises? 65% of people do not want to talk about politics, Harris lost the popular vote due to weak voter turnout in bright blue states and people who consume information from diverse sources split their ticket, re-electing Tammy Baldwin. Wagner’s presentation is easily followed in the video recording on our club’s YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/_sb3EH5ntOg.

Do you want to hear more about the election results? The Elections Research Center at UW-Madison is hosting a 2024 Elections Symposium on Friday, Nov. 22. If you are interested, here is a link for more information and how to sign up: https://elections.wisc.edu/2024symposium/.

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