Wisconsin tech & science: A UW-Madison program selected seven Indian-origin students for 2026-27 Sophomore Research Fellowships, backing undergraduate projects across computer sciences, biology, data science, and more. Public health: Michigan officials cleared lettuce back on shelves after a cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico, but shoppers’ anxiety is still denting produce sales. Privacy & policing tech: Milwaukee-area incidents tied to Flock license plate reader alerts are reigniting concerns about misuse and data-entry mistakes, with Brookfield and Milwaukee police trading blame after a wrong-vehicle stop on I-94. Energy storage: Peak Energy picked Sacramento for the first U.S. grid-scale sodium-ion battery manufacturing plant, a sign the Wisconsin-relevant battery supply chain is moving from lab to production. Fusion research: A new stellarator coil-design method reportedly generates better designs than prior benchmarks in about 40 minutes on a laptop. Local STEM & environment: UW-Superior researchers are studying how muskrats interact with wild rice on the St. Louis River using camera monitoring.