GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Green Bay bus route seven will stop at the Kress Center on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s campus. According to the City of Green Bay, effective immediately this route will service the Kress Center on-request.
“Our role as a public regional university is to make our community a stronger and better place,” said UWGB Chancellor Michael Alexander. Prevea Health recently opened a vaccination clinic at UWGB that, when operating at full capacity, can administer over 10,000 doses a week.
“After seeing so much pain and suffering these past 10 months, our dedication has never been more galvanized,” said Prevea Health President and CEO Dr. Ashok Rai.
Lauren Geistkemper, UW-Extension Dietetic Intern and UW-Green Bay students covered the food pantries need during the pandemic for the Door County Daily News. “Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 20% more people in Door and Kewaunee County have become eligible for FoodShare. At the same time, many food pantries are experiencing a decrease in donations from grocery stores and manufacturers that have helped them in the past.”
Campus learned of the passing of Jason Blohm, a towering figure with a gigantic personality to match. Blohm ’01 (Geography, Urban and Regional Analysis) became a campus celebrity during his time as the student mascot Phlash the Phoenix from 1997 to 2001, not just because of his stature as the tallest (6-7) Phlash in the history of the program, but because he embraced what it meant to represent the University. In back-to-back years he was voted “best mascot” at national camps and competitions by his cheer team peers from across the country.
Blohm is also credited with naming the mascot “Phlash” — which was simply known in previous years as “The Bird.” In a UW-Green Bay 50th anniversary special edition of Inside Magazine, Blohm said, “I absolutely cherished my time as Phlash… becoming friends with the student-athletes, traveling to NCAA tournament games and really feeling like I was a part of UWGB.”
Blohm also worked as a career counselor in UW-Green Bay’s Career Services office from 2002-2003 before a long career in student services and most recently in private business.
He passed away on Friday, January 29, 2021 at the Nebraska Medical Center.
Jason Blohm
According to his obituary, “Jason was larger than life itself, a self-proclaimed ‘life enthusiast,’ he brought joy everywhere he went. Jason will be remembered by many for his devotion to his faith, unconditional love of his family and friends, his years of mascot fame as Phlash the Phoenix of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Woody the Woodchuck of the Wisconsin Woodchucks. Anyone who has met Jason will forever recall his big heart and remember a gentleman who was generous with compliments.”
Mass of Christian Burial rites will be held Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 at 1 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Elkhorn. Family and friends are invited for visitation Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, with a vigil service beginning at 7 p.m. Prayer Service and Burial will take place at St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery in Necedah, Wisconsin at a future date.
Psych and Stuff is celebrating its 100th episode! This episode will feature some of the most frequent Psych and Stuff guests, Psych and Stuff “All-Stars,” who will answer the question, “What is the one psych-related fact you want the world to know?” Join them Feb. 8 at 9:30 a.m. Ask questions of the All-Stars, and learn more about the upcoming Psych and Stuff season! It’s free and open to the public.
Faculty and staff can take advantage of $5 Fridays at the Cloud Commons, Green Bay Campus. It’s an all-you-can-eat (in-person, no takeouts) option. COVID-19 dining rules apply.
Bummed that the Packers won’t be playing in the “Big Game” this weekend? The Admissions staff is trying to sweeten the deal. Munch on some of these great snacks provided by members of the Admissions team while you root (for, or) against Tom Brady!
UW-Green Bay Prof. Cristina Ortiz (Humanities, Global Studies and Spanish) has been appointed as a member of the Equal Rights Commission of the city of Green Bay. The Commission task is to monitor efforts to eliminate discrimination within city government and the Green Bay community. Ortiz’s appointment will expire on Feb. 1, 2023.
This Friday, Feb. 5, 2021, at 3 p.m., Scott Potter (Ph. D, PE), chief hydrologist at Arcadis corporation will review the investigation of PFAS contamination in the Marinette, Wis. area through Fall 2020, presenting the groundwater, surface water, and soil chemistry. He will then discuss the proposed remediation activities, pending DNR approval, for groundwater and soil. The virtual talk will be shared via Collaborate Ultra.
This video series features UW-Green Bay’s Immunologist Brian Merkel on COVID-19 and Why it Matters. This series empowers viewers with knowledge to help them navigate through the pandemic. Merkel has a Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology from the Medical College of Virginia. He is an associate professor in UW-Green Bay’s Human Biology & Biology programs and has an appointment at the Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He will be responding to a number of questions related to COVID-19 and try to get behind the “why” it’s important to be educated in your decision-making as we navigate the pandemic together.
Video Transcript – COVID-19 Why it Matters: Part 17, Vaccine myths vs reality
Hello, I am Brian Merkel, Microbiology and Immunology at UW-Green Bay and we’re here to talk about why COVID-19 matters to you.
The vaccines that are currently available the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine certain myths that are around in terms of this vaccine. There’s no evidence that this vaccine is going to alter your DNA, in that when you get immunized, you’re not being exposed to the virus itself, you get exposed to the RNA. The RNA gets inside your body. It allows our bodies ultimately to develop a response just to the one part of the virus that we need to make a response to. And it’s a very safe vaccine.
One of the things that you can expect, however, is that you may have a fever, you may not feel “right” because our immune systems are normally at rest. So, when we get immunized to things safely, we’re ramping up the immune system by design. All vaccines are different in terms of how efficacious that they are, but 95 percent is very good. As great as 95 percent sounds, which it is, one out of 20, even after immunization, if they get exposed, they certainly can become infected.
The more of us that become vaccinated, the better off we’re going to be. What this is going to do is to decrease the burden of this virus in the environment, in the population and once we get down below a certain threshold then we can begin to think about removing our masks and going back to the life that we used to know. So, when my opportunity comes around, I am really looking forward to getting immunized myself.
Senior Research Specialist Erin Giese recently published a Landbird Habitat Conservation Strategy, along with many co-authors from around the United States. Giese is a Howe Team Coordinator for Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring, President of the Northeastern Wisconsin Audobon Society, and Advisor of the Green Bay Audobon Student Conservation Chapter. She is a member of the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity.
Read the document to learn more about conservation in the revised 2020 plan.