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Students, staff turn community into a canvas during Murals in Menomonie

giffeyt — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:30:00 +0000

Students, staff turn community into a canvas during Murals in Menomoniegiffeyt June 30, 2026

Muralists from around the U.S. and world join university artists and volunteers for public art event

From an artistic portrayal of the journey of Hmong refugees from Laos to Menomonie to an eye-catching image that captures the past, present and future of Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, students and staff members from ��Ͽ� Polytechnic had key roles in a just-completed effort to create 15 pieces of public art in and around Menomonie.

Murals in Menomonie drew hundreds of artists from across the United States and beyond for a five-day mural-making festival. Since 1993, members of The Walldogs – an international collective of muralists, artists and designers – have gathered annually in a new city to demonstrate their talents. From June 24-28, Walldogs from 30 states and four countries worked alongside local artists to create enduring images honoring the history and culture of the community as curious bystanders watched the process.

Among the murals was a vibrant image created in Wilson Park and designed by two ��Ͽ� Polytechnic students, graphic design and interactive media major Angelina Yang of Plover and interior design major Gao (Pretti) Zhong Thao of St. Paul.

Fifteen murals were painted during Murals in Menomonie, including this one devoted to the city's history.

The 8-foot-by-12-foot mural takes the form of a Hmong story cloth – a traditional style of embroidery that tells a story through images of everyday life, historic events and the natural world. Against a vivid blue background bordered by a triangular motif, the artwork details the journey of Hmong refugees from war-torn Laos across the Mekong River and ultimately to western Wisconsin, represented by a red barn, rolling fields, a farmers’ market and the familiar Bowman Hall Clock Tower.

Yang and Thao learned about Murals in Menomonie from Wade Lambrigtsen, a ��Ͽ� Polytechnic alumnus and lecturer who also owns Vintage Sign Shop in Menomonie. Lambrigtsen, who served as mural coordinator for Murals in Menomonie, reached out to the Hmong Stout Student Association last spring to see if any members were interested in submitting a design for the project. A mural honoring Hmong heritage had been one of the most popular options voted on by members of the public during the planning stages of Murals in Menomonie.

Volunteers paint a mural resembling a traditional Hmong story cloth.

Student gains experience in art, life

Though neither had experience making murals, Thao said she and Yang were eager to take part in the project. “This opportunity doesn’t come very often,” Thao said while taking a break from painting alongside a half dozen volunteers. “It was very exciting, and we wanted to do something to represent the community.”

Thao and Yang brainstormed the elements of the mural – which range from the mountains of Laos to the bandshell in Wilson Park – and then Yang created a digital image using Adobe Illustrator. Next, working with Lambrigtsen in his shop, they made a full-sized printout of the design, whose contours were then carefully transferred to a sheet metal surface with an electric pen.

For three days, muralists worked diligently to bring the artwork to life. While traditional story clothes are meticulous works of embroidery, this one was created with painstaking dabs of paint to create tiny figures and scenes.

Yang and Thao were joined by more than 20 volunteers in downtown Menomonie’s Wilson Park, where the mural took shape. The completed mural is expected to find a home – at least temporarily – at the Dunn County Historical Society’s Rassbach Museum.

��Ͽ� Polytechnic Student Pretti Thao, left, co-designer of the Hmong story cloth mural, poses with Chancellor Katherine Frank.

“I feel ecstatic. I feel great having the whole community here,” Thao said. “I hope this inspires other people to take part in learning our history.”

In addition to the artistic skills she’s developed, the project required Thao to communicate a great deal with other artists, something she expects will help her in professional life as an interior designer.

“I feel like it’s more than an experience on my resume,” she concluded. “It’s a life lesson.”

Camilla Estes, a veteran Walldog who operates a mural business in Paducah, Kentucky, said she was privileged to help the ��Ͽ� Polytechnic students with their mural.

“The best thing about Walldogs is that so many strangers can come together and create so much love and beauty,” Estes said.

Among the ��Ͽ� Polytechnic students and staff members who helped with the story cloth mural were Evangeline Thao, a graphic design and interactive media major from Hudson; Maiyer Xiong, a graphic communication major from Eau Claire; Ghiatight Xiong, an information and communication technology major from Eau Claire; Addison Vang, an applied math and computer science major from Rosemount, Minnesota; and university employees Michael Moua, TRIO Student Support Services, and Heidi Smith, Office of Research & Sponsored Programs. Chancellor Katherine Frank even grabbed a paintbrush to help while visiting the mural sites spread throughout downtown Menomonie.

Chancellor Katherine Frank joins other volunteers to paint a mural portraying ��Ͽ� Polytechnic's past, present and future.

Campus mural embodies polytechnic tenets

Murals in Menomonie involved the creation of 15 murals, 13 in Menomonie and one each for the nearby communities of Boyceville and Ridgeland. Many immortalized historic individuals, events or institutions, including Swiss Miss hot cocoa (invented by Charles Sanna of Menomonie), the Menomonie Blue Caps Base Ball Club, and the Knapp, Stout & Co. lumber business, co-owned by the father of university founder James Huff Stout.

Stout’s most enduring legacy – the educational institution he founded – is now depicted in a mural on the east side of the Administration Building, facing Clock Tower Plaza. Painted just weeks after the word “Polytechnic” was officially added to the university’s name, the mural encompasses elements from the institution’s 135-year history: bold block letters reading “STOUT,” the logos of both the Stout Institute (1908-55) and Stout State University (1955-64), the contemporary triple-banded “S” logo and the official designation as “Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University,” and pillars bearing the institution’s enduring values – Honor, Industry, Learning and Skill. Painted archways bearing the phrases “Forward from our founding” and “Forever to our future” frame a panoramic depiction of campus landmarks.

The artwork was designed by muralist Tom Seibert of California, who has taken part in about a dozen Walldogs events over the years. Seibert’s business, Murals for Schools, specializes in institutional murals like this one. Seibert said the mural was created in trompe l’oeil style (French for “deceive the eye”) and will likely become a popular selfie spot.

��Ͽ� Polytechnic alum Billie Walleen prepares to add her handprint to a mural dedicated to her family's longtime Menomonie business, Bolo Country Inn.

Frank lent a hand to the campus mural as well, praising Seibert’s design. “When we saw Tom’s expertise at creating pride through his murals, we knew we didn’t have to speak to a single point in ��Ͽ� Polytechnic’s 135-year history,” Frank said. “Tom has given us a mural that celebrates the legacy of our graduates and employees in a campus location that deeply resonates with our alumni and many others, while also inspiring future innovation in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and beyond through Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.”

Lambrigtsen said three years of planning went into bringing the Walldogs to Menomonie. Numerous community sponsors, including ��Ͽ� Polytechnic, supported the Murals in Menomonie effort, as did hundreds of volunteers. Among them were at least 10 former ��Ͽ� Polytechnic students and dozens of others connected to the university.

“I think the best part was seeing the community come together, seeing how people stepped up to help,” said Lambrigtsen, who added that the newly created artwork will attract admirers for years to come.

An art auction held June 27 at the Memorial Student Center to celebrate the conclusion of Murals in Menomonie raised nearly $34,000, one of the highest fundraising figures in Walldogs history. The funds will be held in an endowment to support mural upkeep.

The new mural on Clock Tower Plaza joins several others painted by students on campus in recent years. Students in the Graffiti and Street Art summer class have designed and created four large-scale murals on the east side of the Applied Arts Building, including one painted in early June under the leadership of Assistant Professor Mary Climes.

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Students, staff turn community into a canvas during Murals in Menomonie

Muralists from around the U.S. and world join university artists and volunteers for public art event

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Interior design camp, industry-standard software introduces campers to career paths in residential, commercial design

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Tour led by Boldt Company in Chippewa Falls gives campers a behind-the-scenes look at construction site

Muralists from around the U.S. and world join university artists and volunteers for public art event Hmong story cloth mural part of Murals in Menomonie

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��Ͽ� Polytechnic alumni and students are using public art to celebrate local stories, strengthen community connections and inspire future generations.

First student-designed mural is ‘part of the legacy, history of art at the university’

Project unveiled June 2 praised by chancellor, mayor and appreciated by painters in new Graffiti and Street Art course

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Hero Caption: Volunteers paint a mural on the exterior of the Administration Building on the ��Ͽ� Polytechnic Campus during the Murals in Menomonie event.

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Construction camp introduces young students to careers, degree paths

goersab — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Construction camp introduces young students to careers, degree paths goersab June 16, 2026

Tour led by Boldt Company in Chippewa Falls gives campers a behind-the-scenes look at construction site

Abbey Goers

On a cloudy Tuesday morning, eight middle school Construction Pathways campers with ��Ͽ� Polytechnic’s summer STEAM experience watched a crane lift an air conditioning unit onto the new Aspirus Clinic that is being built in Chippewa Falls.

The site tour, led by the Boldt Company, introduced the campers to different career opportunities in the construction industry, including project management, skilled trades, labor, engineering, safety, and more, as well as what being a construction management student at ��Ͽ� Polytechnic might be like.

STEAM Construction campers and instructors with their final projects

“Students gained a better understanding of how a construction site operates with a behind-the-scenes look at how projects are planned, built and managed from the ground up. They discovered career paths in construction, woodworking and other skilled trades they may be interested in pursuing in the future,” said technology education senior Annika Schlueter, who taught the camp.

The construction campers are just some of the more than 500 children from around the region and country who are traveling to ��Ͽ� Polytechnic to join the Middle School STEAM and High School STEAM week-long experiences this summer.

STEAM Construction campers received a site tour by the Boldt Company / Annika Schlueter

Introducing young campers to career paths in science, technology, engineering, and art and design fits hand-in-hand with ��Ͽ� Polytechnic’s mission of preparing its students for the workforce, as 99% of recent graduates were employed or furthering their education within six months of graduation.

New experiences in the Woods Lab

In the Jarvis Hall Wood Prototyping Lab, the campers created their own wooden cutting boards, crafted from black walnut, ash, cherry, and maple, and personalized them with laser engraving technology.

Instructor Annika Schlueter helps a camper cut pieces for cutting board. / Annika Schlueter

Through the hands-on project, they learned foundational skills in woodworking, like tool safety and how projects are designed, managed and completed from start to finish. They used a full range of the lab’s machine, including table saws, routers, an overhead sander, a CNC (computer numerical control) machine and a laser engraver.

“Along with these hard skills, they developed important life skills like teamwork, communication, problem-solving, responsibility and time management,” Schlueter said. “Students gained skills they can use both in their future careers and in their everyday lives. By completing projects and working through challenges, they built confidence and gained valuable skills that will benefit them long after the class is over.”

Teaching Assistant Marrissa Haglund helps a camper with the CNC machine.

Most of the campers had done small woodworking projects before, but using the CNC machine was an all new experience. Levi Ryan, who traveled from Texas to attend the camp, didn’t even know the machine existed. “Seeing what all of the different machines can do was the best part,” he said.

Caleb Larson, of Baldwin, joined the camp to be able to work with his hands. He enjoyed “seeing all of the work come together, especially at the construction site visit.”

Campers and Schlueter prepare to use the laser engraver on a cutting board

While waiting for glue to dry or for the CNC machine or laser engraver to be available or for classmates to complete the sanding process on their cutting boards, there was time for extra projects.

“Keeping the kids busy was the hardest part,” Schlueter said. “We did a lot of additional projects on the fly, like resin-pour coasters and keychains, and other laser-engraved wood designs as gifts.”

Prepared to lead in the classroom

Originally, the STEAM construction camp was going to be taught by engineering technology Assistant Professor Kevin Dietsche, but his schedule did not line up, so he offered the camp to Schlueter. Schlueter, who serves as a lab assistant in the Woods Lab, has completed her pre-student teaching and will begin student teaching next spring. The construction camp was her first experience leading a classroom.

Campers sand their cutting boards in preparation for sealing them.

Marrissa Haglund, who also serves as a lab assistant, was asked to be a teaching assistant for the camp. Haglund fell in love with the Woods Lab after taking a couple of engineering technology courses. She graduated in May with a B.S. in business administration.

“This opportunity has given me confidence, experience, and application in my field, and I think it is a great program for the students,” Schlueter said. “This camp not only offered me technical experience but also a lot of soft skills with coordination, communication and organization. I did a lot of budgeting and planning to get ready for the camp, so it could be as time-effective as possible. I’m very thankful that I was given the opportunity to be the instructor.”

Campers, Schlueter and Haglund seal their cutting boards.

Additional STEAM camps this summer include experiences in:

Science & Health: Freshwater science, fish conservation, anatomy, molecular ecology, psychology and gardening

Technology: 3D-printing, robotics and virtual reality

Engineering: Packaging and plastics engineering

Art & Design: Claymation, comics, game design, fashion, cinema production, interior design and drawing.

The STEAM programs are sponsored by the Menomonie, Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire school districts, the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, the National Science Foundation, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Xcel Energy and the ��Ͽ� Foundation & Alumni Association, in partnership with Continuing Education & Conferences.

Haglund helps campers mix coloring to add to their resin-pour keychains. / Annika Schlueter

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Tour led by Boldt Company in Chippewa Falls gives campers a behind-the-scenes look at construction site STEAM Construction Camp

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Ashley, Cadrex, Apogee among companies benefiting from engineering students’ prototypes

giffeyt — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:45:05 +0000

Ashley, Cadrex, Apogee among companies benefiting from engineering students’ prototypesgiffeyt June 15, 2026

Capstone projects demonstrate mechanical, manufacturing know-how, leadership skills

Tom Giffey

��Ͽ� Polytechnic mechanical engineering student Dominick Marco faced several challenges when he became team leader for the second semester of a capstone project on behalf of Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions.

In addition to designing and building a prototype that would automatically assemble a plastic latch and a steel bracket into a completed part, Marco had to ensure that his six-member team stayed on track as the project deadline – and graduation – approached.

Marco wasn’t just learning engineering; he was learning leadership.

“I worked on delegating by asking questions rather than directing, and through this and similar techniques, I was able to stay up to date on my team’s progress while helping direct team members to work on important tasks without overstepping or feeling like I was micromanaging,” explained Marco, of Eleva.

“Working on a project like this with a team is a very valuable experience,” Marco continued. “Learning alongside other up-and-coming engineers has been an incredible two semesters.”

Students, faculty and industry representatives examine the prototype for Cadrex after the demonstration.

Such applied learning, which is key to the polytechnic mission that distinguishes ��Ͽ� Polytechnic, was on display in mid-May as mechanical engineering and manufacturing engineering seniors presented their capstone projects to industry leaders, faculty members and peers. These two-semester projects aren’t theoretical exercises. They lead to real, working prototypes designed to solve problems for industrial sponsors. In addition to Cadrex, one of the nation’s largest metal fabricating firms, corporate sponsors included Ashley Furniture, Tomahawk Manufacturing, Apogee Enterprises, Genesis Industries, Frost Inc. and Industrial Heat Transfer.

“This course sequence truly is a capstone on a student’s academic career at ��Ͽ� Polytechnic,” said Assistant Professor Nathan Spike, part of the capstone teaching team. “Over the two semesters, a student completes the transition from engineering student to a full-fledged, career-ready manufacturing or mechanical engineer – or, in some cases, both for students pursuing a dual major. Students can put what they have learned in these courses directly into practice as they transition into their engineering career.”

According to the university’s most recent First Destination Report, 100% of 2024-25 graduates from the manufacturing engineering program reported they were either employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation, with an average starting salary was $76,000. During the same period, mechanical engineering graduates had a 99% employment rate within six months and an average starting salary of $66,000.

A ��Ͽ� Polytechnic student adjusts piston positions in the prototype. / Submitted photo

Process teaches communication skills

At the culmination of the capstone process, second-semester teams offer presentations of their mechanical and manufacturing solutions, then demonstrate them. During their presentation, Marco and his team – fellow seniors Aiden Koepsel, Ben Swift, Will Schlafke, Darren Byle and Josiah Castleberg – described their project scope and how they reached their final design. Originally, they considered a conveyor belt to carry the two parts. However, this was ultimately replaced with static, angled ramps that bring the two pieces together to become the completed part, which ultimately will be used in a battery holder in a data rack enclosure.

Later, the Cadrex group and other capstone teams moved into a nearby lab in Fryklund Hall to demonstrate their projects. The Cadrex prototype, a single workstation on casters, came to life, smoothly combining the pieces into completed latches, which flowed into a plastic bin.

The prototype that students developed for Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions combined these two pieces into one component.

After the demonstration, team members chatted about the prototype with Wayne Greensky, an automation engineer at Cadrex’s Osceola plant, who provided technical input during the project. While the students had solid technical understanding when they began the project, what really grew over the course of two semesters was their communication skills, Greensky said.

“Communication with project stakeholders helps students shake off communication anxiety and prepares them for proper meeting etiquette, structure, and progress update communications, while also dealing with customer dictated deliverables,” Greensky said.

The ��Ͽ� Polytechnic students handled challenges – including bill of materials ordering and issues with electrical schematics – promptly and professionally, he added.

“This type of project is useful for getting engineering students comfortable with solving an unsolved problem,” Greensky explained. “Undergraduate degree curriculums typically do not prepare the students with coursework that does not have a ‘correct’ answer or solution method. This senior design experience fills that gap nicely.”

Students discuss a pallet destacker they designed on behalf of Ashley Furniture.

Efforts aimed at automation

During the spring semester, the Cadrex capstone group was just one of 13 teams composed of 83 students from ��Ͽ� Polytechnic’s Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering who worked on projects in Fryklund Hall labs.

Senior Sawyer Boigenzahn, a manufacturing engineering major from Mondovi, was the first-semester team lead for a project to create an automated system to wash and dry extruded aluminum window frames for Apogee Enterprises, owner of the Wausau Windows and Walls brand.

The frames, Boigenzahn explained, are processed in a CNC machine and emerge covered in chips, coolant and cutting fluid. Currently, the parts must be washed by hand, which leads to inconsistent cycle times. Automation would improve the quality and consistency of the process, ultimately saving Apogee time and money.

The five-member team – which also included Boigenzahn, Logan Boettcher, Brody Bongaarts, Brooks Brewer, and Joseph Gardner – conceived of a device that operated something like a car wash, but they pondered whether the sprayer or the aluminum part itself should be what moves. Ultimately, Boigenzahn explained, they decided it was easier to move the part through the sprayers than vice versa.

Based on feedback from their end-of-semester presentation, the team will return to build a prototype of their design in the fall semester. “We are at the start of that process, because this is a very difficult process to automate,” he said.

Boigenzahn, who previously worked as a welder, said the capstone project is a reminder that engineering isn’t about a single input inevitably leading to a single output: It’s a practical discipline that involves hands-on craft.

“For us, it’s an experiment in terms of our ability to understand the mechanical and engineering principles that we’ve been taught and actually apply them in the real world,” Boigenzahn said. “And more importantly, when you encounter real world problems – including teamwork issues, design problems, people giving you conflicting advice – how do you try to solve them? The thing about design is that you can’t just plug it into a computer and it spits out the right answer. That is just not the way this works.”

Despite the challenging work involved in the capstone process, Boigenzahn said it’s ultimately a valuable part of the ��Ͽ� Polytechnic experience. “I don’t think Stout would stand out as much if we did not do these things,” he said.

Capstone students cut holes in an electrical box while building their prototype for Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions. / Submitted image

Teamwork connects students, faculty, industry partners

The capstone process is a team effort, and not just among the students: In addition to Spike, instructors include Senior Lecturer Glenn Bushedorf, Lecturer Anwr Albaghdadi, Lecturer Brandon Dick and Lecturer Niloofar Moradian, with technical support from Paul Craig, program director for manufacturing engineering.

And it’s an effort that leads to results for industry sponsors, Spike explained. “The prototypes students develop often serve as a starting point or otherwise inform the direction a company will go with their process or product,” he said.

In addition, two semesters of intensive, iterative capstone work provide invaluable experience for emerging engineers as they enter the job market.

“Getting the chance to be a part of a project like this and create such a cool prototype machine for Cadrex has honestly been one of the best experiences to date,” Marco said. “This is the largest, most expensive project I have ever been a part of, and it makes me emotional seeing it come to a close. I am sad knowing that I will most likely never see it after it ships away, but I am so very happy to have gotten to design, develop and assemble the prototype.”

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Graphic design, graphic communications students win international TAGA Student Choice Award

goersab — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:35:00 +0000

Graphic design, graphic communications students win international TAGA Student Choice Awardgoersab June 11, 2026

Interdisciplinary team of graphic communications, graphic media, print management students’ ‘Mail Across Minneapolis’ celebrates print media

Abbey Goers

In an international competition designed to celebrate the way print media brings people together across the globe, a team of ��Ͽ� Polytechnic students won the coveted TAGA Student Choice Award at the 2026 Technical Association of the Graphic Arts, Helmut Kipphan Student Chapter Competition. The award was announced in April during a watch party hosted by Konica Minolta, in Chicago.

The winning team is made up of students in the B.S. graphic communications and B.F.A. graphic design and interactive media programs and the graphic media and print management minor. Their design, “Mail Across Minneapolis,” inspired by postcards, is a folding carton mailbox made of paperboard. Their submission included the final deliverable, a journal publication, and detailed production notes, which reinforced their skills in design, technical execution, project management and collaboration.

Sam Mireles-Melgarejo, Theodore Cerny, Becky Gaspord, Red Moser, Mallory Jakubiak, advisor Bethany Wheeler and Ariel Kissel, pose in front of the Konica Minolta building with the T / Becky Gaspord and Ariel Kissel

“Students are pushing new ideas, and industry folks are genuinely interested. It feels collaborative, not just competitive,” said TAGA President Birgit Plautz, adding that TAGA helps “connect new ideas with what’s actually happening in the industry,” creating opportunities for student work to influence real-world practices.

TAGA Student Choice Award team members were:

Mallory Jakubiak, of Shakopee, Minnesota
Red Moser, of Manitowoc
Trevor Anderson, of Menomonie
Ariel Kissel, of Neenah
Theo Cerny, of Maple Grove, Minnesota
Brynn Hessel, of South Range

“Competitions like these are so beneficial for students to participate in because their open-ended structure leaves a lot of room for the students to decide what direction to take the projects. This allows them the flexibility to make something they are really passionate about and something they can be really proud of,” said graphic communications Program Director Bethany Wheeler.

Other participating student chapters were from Ball State University, California Polytechnic State University, Clemson University, Ferris State University, Illinois State University, Rochester Institute of Technology and Toronto Metropolitan University.

TAGA’s Vice President of Education Celeste Calkins noted, “These students are the future of this industry,” highlighting the importance of providing opportunities for them to grow, connect and exchange ideas.

‘Mail Across Minneapolis’ winning design

During the ideation phase, the team chose to focus on mail in general, noting different types of mail through the iconography in their journal publication, including letters, bills, postcards, newspapers, packages and more.

Becky Gaspord, Ariel Kissel, Mallory Jakubiak, Theodore Cerny, Sam Mireles-Melgarejo and Red Moser at Mittera / Ariel Kissel

“We wanted our journal publication to look like a letter arriving in the mail. We cut a sleeve that looked like an envelope to hold the journal and added small details such as a cut-out window to see the address and recipient on the back, like you would an actual letter,” said Kissel, who will serve as ��Ͽ� Polytechnic TAGA chapter president in 2027-28 during her senior year.

Working in various labs across campus, the team used Adobe Illustrator and InDesign in the GCOM computer labs. They designed and cut out stamps according to official U.S. stamp regulations and requirements and made an ink stamp for the envelope, like the United States Postal Service would place on mail and packages. They used the 3D Printing Lab to make wax seals, as well as the Packaging Lab to cut out the mailboxes and assemble them using an industrial glue gun.

“We decided our overall package design would be a mailbox. We made more stickers to place on the outside to decorate, as someone might actually do to customize their own mailbox, and added a small detail of the address. We wrote ‘2026’ as though it were the house number and made the street name ‘��Ͽ� Street,’” Kissel said.

TAGA student tour Mittera / Ariel Kissel

Kissel thinks working in a cross-disciplinary team was really helpful. “We were able to bounce ideas off of each other and build on them as we worked. When we ran into issues, which we did quite often through the process, we found our best method was to adjust what we were doing and try again,” she said.

A big issue the team faced was the splitting of the spines of the journal. They initially planned on printing two journals on one block, binding them, and then splitting them in half when trimming the blocks. “Every time we split the block in half, the pressure being applied by the blade would cause the spine to split,” Kissel explained. “As a team, we bounced off ideas of possible solutions, and when we had something we thought might work, we gave it a try. We repeated the process until we found a solution.”

��Ͽ� Polytechnic’s TAGA chapter toured multiple facilities while in Chicago for the award watch party, including Mittera, Specialty Print Communications and Konica Minolta.

TAGA student tour Mittera / Ariel Kissel

This was the chapter’s first time in a decade entering the TAGA competition. “It’s been an extremely rewarding experience to assemble a team of students so passionate about showing off their skills and abilities by competing in this competition. The pieces they produced were incredible, and I couldn’t be prouder of the projects they were able to complete,” Wheeler said. “I’m thrilled to guide this team through a successful competition after many years without a TAGA chapter. I know our projects and team will continue to grow and dazzle the TAGA judges as we recruit more students and strive to showcase the very best of what we do at Stout.”

Kissel was extremely proud to be able to show the team’s work to the other competing chapters. “I was even more proud to be a part of the team to bring home an award after a 10-year hiatus! It was an honor to work with such talented designers,” she said.

Kissel has a summer internship at OEC Graphics, in Oshkosh, helping with quality checks on label and carton designs for BP Lubricants products.

“The biggest lesson I’ve been able to apply so far is to work with my team. I’m only one person, and I can really only do so much,” she said. “The same goes for the rest of my peers on the team. We each are given our positions to ensure things run smoothly and efficiently. By working all together, we really are a well-oiled machine (pun intended).”

TAGA student chapters play an important role in shaping how students understand the graphic communications industry and their place within it. Participation in the competition exposes students to current trends, emerging technologies, and evolving industry needs. The experience also underscores the role of research in driving innovation, encouraging students to think beyond individual projects and consider broader industry applications.

��Ͽ� Polytechnic’s graphic communications program blends design, technology and business strategy to prepare students for careers in printing, packaging, publishing, and related industries, emphasizing the university’s applied learning and industry collaboration.

With an average starting salary of $50,000, 100% of recent graphic communications graduates are employed or furthering their education within six months of graduation, according to Career Services’ annual First Destination Report.

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Graphic design, graphic communications students win international TAGA Student Choice Award

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Interdisciplinary team of graphic communications, graphic media, print management students’ ‘Mail Across Minneapolis’ celebrates print media GCOM, TAGA Student Choice Award team

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Construction students among finalists in national ABC Competition

goersab — Wed, 20 May 2026 13:07:53 +0000

Construction students among finalists in national ABC Competitiongoersab May 20, 2026

Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City project gives glimpse into real world construction management

Abbey Goers

��Ͽ� construction management students competed against the nation’s top students during Associated Builders and Contractors’ hallmark annual event, the Construction Management Competition, held this spring in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The ABC competition gives students a glimpse into the real world of construction, testing their project management, estimating, safety, quality control and presentation skills. This year’s project was the Salt Lake City Convention Center’s Hyatt Regency Hotel – a nearly 700,000-square-foot venue located in the heart of downtown.

Senior Lecturer Jim Bunkelman, Riley Hibner, Megan Schatz, Ian Farrell, Anna Odisho, Rep. Clint Moses and Sen. Jesse James in ��Ͽ�’s Construction Lab.

“The construction industry needs to bring in 349,000 new workers this year just to meet demand, and that includes experienced young construction management professionals like these because they can solve real-world problems so contractors can build quality infrastructure,” said ABC National Board of Directors Chair Thomas “Murph” Murphy.

Of the 31 national teams, ��Ͽ� was among the final nine invited to present in the third phase of the competition, which included a presentation and Q&A with a panel of 40 industry experts.

��Ͽ�’s ABC team members were:

Evan Ambourn, of Eau Claire
Rorie Boettcher, of Eau Claire
Ian Farrell, of Waukesha
Riley Hibner, of Portage
Kameron Konsela, of Minneapolis
Sarah Meyers, of Plover
Anna Odisho, of Roselle, Illinois
Megan Schatz, of Brookfield

“Acting like our own contracting company, the ABC competition gave us a real-life project, where we could work as a group to build a proposal that a true industry company would create – from breaking ground to completion,” said Schatz, the team lead.

“This team demonstrated exceptional dedication and skills from day one. They took a complex project and vision, executing it with precision and professionalism. I have no doubt that the skills they’ve honed during this project will serve them incredibly well in their upcoming professional careers,” said Senior Lecturer James Bunkelman.

Sarah Meyers, Rorie Boettcher, Kameron Konsela, Megan Schatz, Ian Farrell and Evan Ambourn at the ABC Student Competition / Megan Schatz

Recently, the team was presented with a proclamation on behalf of the Wisconsin State Legislature by Sen. Jesse James and Rep. Clint Moses, a ��Ͽ� psychology alum. They were joined by John Schulze, ABC Wisconsin Director of Legal and Government Affairs, and Bunkelman.

“We appreciate ��Ͽ� students’ engagement and their achievements. They were up against some very big schools, and they held their own,” Schulze said. Competing universities included Clemson, Purdue and Michigan State. Louisiana State University won first place.

A project to reimagine a city skyline

The Hyatt Regency Salt Lake is a 25-story hotel, with 517 guestrooms, more than 60,000 square feet of meeting space, a lobby and reception area, a fitness center, multiple restaurants, a market, an outdoor pool, an event terrace and underground parking. The glass façade helps shape the city’s skyline.

The ABC student teams were provided access to the project by ABC member contractor Hensel Phelps, which has already completed the project.

��Ͽ� "Stout Builders" ABC Competition Top Performers title slide / Megan Schatz

The first phase of the competition was to research and prepare a proposal. The process took two-and-a-half months, and ��Ͽ�’s final proposal was 120 pages long. Logistics was the biggest challenge, with Odisho handling much of the research.

“Since our project was in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, there was not a lot of room for a project trailer, let alone a laydown of space for all the materials. The convention center also needed to be fully operational during the duration of the construction. So, safety was a large factor, as we’d be hoisting large pieces of steel and other material. It is also on the corner of two busy roads, so we had to time deliveries and plan what lanes of traffic we could change during construction,” said Schatz, who serves as vice president of the Student Construction Association, as well as director of public relations for Sigma Lambda Chi, the construction honors society.

For the project’s second phase, the 31 teams convened at Salt Lake City Convention Center for a six-hour-long day, where they were given five addenda and changes they needed to incorporate into their proposals. The addenda reflected both fictional and actual events that happened during the construction of the hotel.

“Some of the addenda we were given were: a build-out of the restaurant on the sixth floor, the final build-out of the top five floors for the NBA All-Star Game, adding balancing water valves that were missed originally, and an earthquake that hit Salt Lake City,” Schatz said.

Ian Farrell, Evan Ambourn, Megan Schatz and Sarah Meyers present during phase three of the ABC Student Competition / Megan Schatz

Phase three was the final presentation, in which the ��Ͽ� ABC Team was one of nine finalists. “Presenting in front of the judges and audience was such an accomplishment. I’m incredibly grateful to have been able to complete this project with such a dedicated and committed team. We learned not only more about the industry but also grew as a team and had a fun time doing it,” Schatz said.

Graduates from ��Ͽ�’s B.S. construction management program reported a 100% employment rate within six months of graduation and an average starting salary of $70,000, according to the latest university First Destination Report.

��Ͽ�’s School of Management offers 20 undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates that build students' leadership skills in operations and management, business, hospitality and technology innovation, and military science fields.

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Construction students among finalists in national ABC Competition

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Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City project gives glimpse into real world construction management ABC Construction competition team, 2026

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Hero Caption: This year’s ABC Competition project was the Salt Lake City Convention Center’s Hyatt Regency Hotel – a nearly 700,000-square-foot venue located in the heart of downtown.

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Outstanding Student Leaders empower others, bring people together, build relationships

goersab — Mon, 18 May 2026 16:43:39 +0000

Outstanding Student Leaders empower others, bring people together, build relationshipsgoersab May 18, 2026

Bender, Lueck also receive Wood Medallion, highest nonacademic honor

Abbey Goers

Alongside more than 100 of their peers, three ��Ͽ� students were honored as Outstanding Student Leaders of the Year at the annual Leadership Awards on May 6, for their commitment, involvement and service around campus and the Menomonie community:

Brett Bender, a computer networking and information technology major from Rio
Melody Lueck, a graphic design and interactive media major from Fort Atkinson
Gabe Cauwels, a business administration major from St. Paul.

Each outstanding student feels that their ��Ͽ� experiences and opportunities have prepared them to make an impact after graduation.

“��Ͽ� has given me a starting point for how I can continue making an impact wherever I go,” Bender said. “The hands-on opportunities and empowerment I’ve been given to make change have allowed me the ability to start the long process of honing my leadership skills – something that will never be finished.”

2026 Outstanding Student Leaders of the Year recipients Brett Bender, Melody Lueck and Gabe Cauwels

Seniors Bender and Lueck, who will graduate this fall, also received the Samuel E. Wood Medallion, the university’s highest nonacademic honor for students. Fourteen seniors were honored with the medallion this year.

“To be recognized among so many talented peers is humbling, but to me, these awards mean much more than an individual achievement. They are a testament to the growth I’ve experienced here at ��Ͽ� and the incredible community I’ve been surrounded by,” Bender said.

Lueck agreed, adding, “These recognitions reflect the impact I have been able to make within the ��Ͽ� campus and community throughout my four years here. As I begin my final semester this fall, I hope to continue making a meaningful difference and leave the same positive impact that has shaped my experience so far.”

Leadership is about opening doors for others

Bender is a student supervisor with the Event Technology Crew in the Student Centers and a resident advisor within HKMC Hall. When Bender came to ��Ͽ�, he knew he wanted to make an impact, but he wasn’t sure how.

“Through the support of my peers and the opportunities I’ve received, ��Ͽ� started to feel like home,” Bender said. “The opportunities I’ve been given are invaluable and irreplaceable. They’ve allowed me to grow not only as a leader in professional settings, but as an individual. Without the opportunities that I’ve been able to take advantage of, I do not believe that I would be as successful of a student as I am today. I will always hold the experiences I’ve had near and dear to my heart.”

Bender believes that “Leadership is about opening doors for others and creating a space where everyone feels empowered to contribute. For me, student leadership means a lot of things. It ranges from feeling empowered and enabled, to conflict resolution and compromise. Following graduation, I hope that wherever I go, I will be able to make those around me feel empowered, and that no matter how small the voice, everyone has a voice.”

Bringing people together in meaningful ways

Lueck is an executive producer with Blue Devil Productions, serves as president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts student organization, is the designer and secondary event coordinator of People’s Organization of Network Gaming (PONG), a First-Year Orientation assistant and a Week One Orientation leader.

“I truly enjoy creating events and experiences that positively impact the ��Ͽ� community and bring people together in meaningful ways,” Lueck said. “These opportunities have meant so much to me throughout my time here. Without them, I may never have discovered this passion.”

Student leadership is extremely important to Lueck. “Making a positive impact, whether that be with my colleagues or the campus community as a whole, has given me the drive to succeed in college. I hope to continue having this passion, positively impacting others as I continue into my career,” she said.

Building relationships across all majors

Cauwels serves as the Service Club at Stout president and the vice president of finance for the American Marketing Association student chapter. He works as an involvement specialist in the Involvement Center.

“These opportunities on campus have helped me build relationships with people not just in my major but across all majors, as well as allow me to make a positive impact on the local and distant communities and develop my professional skills,” Cauwels said.

“Student leadership has truly made me more sure of myself and helped me balance responsibilities in a variety of settings. I plan on taking the problem-solving skills I have gained from these experiences and applying them to whatever I do outside of school,” he added.

Samuel E. Wood Medallion and Leadership Award recipients

Less than 1% of full-time students receive the Wood Medallion. It is presented to seniors who have contributed to student activities and have demonstrated leadership and scholastic ability. Winners are selected by a committee of faculty, staff and students.

2026 Wood Medallion recipients

Other Wood Medallion recipients were:

Emily Avila, interior design, Hudson
Alexis Bellotti, animation and digital media, Kaukauna
Sumnima Devkota, psychology, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bergen Haag, industrial and product design, St. Paul
Cara Jenquin, individualized studies, Menomonie
Madelyn King, hotel, restaurant and tourism management, real estate property management, Brownville
Madi Klaja, packaging, Hudson
Melissa Kosharek, computer science, Dickeyville
Kloie Potts, family and consumer sciences education, Elkhorn
Noah Rosenberger, hotel, restaurant and tourism management, Sauk Rapids
Kayne Whitney, cybersecurity, Waunakee
Maria Winkelman, professional communication and emerging media, St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Samuel E. Wood was a longtime assistant chancellor for Student Services/Dean of Students Office. He retired in 1991 and died in February 2013.

Additional awards presented were:

Student Employee of the Year, three winners: Drew Albert, Event Technology Crew; Maria Winkelman, Involvement Center; and Nolan Zachgo, Math Teaching and Learning Center.
Student Staff Team of the Year, three winners: Student Center’s Event Technology Crew; Writing Center’s peer writing consultants; and Math Teaching and Learning Center’s teaching assistants.
Student Organization of the Year, three winners: Barbecue Eaters and Enthusiasts Federation, DND Club and Service Club at Stout.
Student Organization Event of the Year, three winners: Philosophy Club’s “Does God Exist? A Student Debate”; Craft Club’s “Make Your Own Keychains”; Service Club at Stout’s “Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat.”
Bill Siedlecki Advisor of the Year, two winners: Danielle Clarizio, International Club; and Fred Prassas, Institute of Real Estate Management.
Twenty-four students received the Outstanding Cooperative Education and Internship Program Student of the Year.

The Leadership Awards ceremony is sponsored by the Involvement Center, Stout Student Association and Career Services.

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Ashley, Cadrex, Apogee among companies benefiting from engineering students’ prototypes

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Bender, Lueck also receive Wood Medallion, highest nonacademic honor 2026 Samuel E. Wood Medallion recipients

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Distinguished alum, educator Albrecht credits ��Ͽ� for preparing graduates who ‘step forward’

goersab — Mon, 18 May 2026 15:09:58 +0000

Distinguished alum, educator Albrecht credits ��Ͽ� for preparing graduates who ‘step forward’goersab May 18, 2026

Student speakers at May 16 ceremonies encourage peers to act with compassion, courage, and to continue learning

Abbey Goers

Outstanding and retired educator Bryan Albrecht, a three-time alum at ��Ͽ�, crossed the commencement stage once again on May 16 – not to receive an additional diploma, but as a guest speaker to address Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University’s Class of 2026.

During three commencement ceremonies, celebrating 1,067 graduates in Johnson Fieldhouse, Albrecht encouraged students to keep moving forward with courage and compassion, even when their lives’ scripts don’t go as planned.

Albrecht is a recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Wisconsin Association for Career and Technical Education, as well as ��Ͽ�’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

The three student speakers joined him in sharing messages of the importance of lifting each other up, having the courage to follow your own path, and to always continue to learn:

Noah Rosenberger, of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, B.S. hotel, restaurant and tourism management, College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management speaker.
Sumnima Devkota, of Kathmandu, Nepal, B.S. psychology, College of Arts and Human Sciences speaker.
Cory Bloomer, of Stevens Point, M.S. risk control and safety management, Graduate Studies speaker.

On May 6, at ��Ͽ�’s annual Leadership Awards, Rosenberger and Devkota were awarded the Samuel E. Wood Medallion, alongside 12 of their peers. The Wood Medallion is the university’s highest nonacademic honor for students, for their outstanding leadership, involvement and service.

Of this year’s graduates, 77.4% were hired prior to graduation, while 99% of recent graduates were employed or furthering their education within six months of graduation.

The courage to keep moving forward

When Albrecht graduated with his bachelor’s in industrial education in 1984, he believed his life had a clear script. “I planned to become a teacher and a coach. Over time, that path expanded into roles as an educator, a state administrator, and eventually a college president. It was a career filled with purpose, growth, and opportunities to serve others — and ��Ͽ� was the foundation that made it possible,” he said.

Career educator Albrecht honored with Distinguished Alumni Award

Bryan Albrecht has received ��Ͽ�’s highest award bestowed on a former graduate.

For many years, Albrecht’s life followed a script that felt predictable and steady. A Fond du Lac native, he began his professional life as a career and technical education teacher in the Cornell and Kewaunee school districts. In 1987, he joined the state Department of Public Instruction in technology education and earned his master’s in technology education in 1988. He went on to earn his Education Specialist degree in 2008.

Albrecht was named president of Gateway Technical College in Racine in 2006. Then, shortly after he retired in 2022, everything changed when his wife, Lisa, passed away in a tragic accident.

“In an instant, the script I thought I was following disappeared. The future I imagined suddenly looked very different,” Albrecht said. “Many people in this room will face moments like that in life. Moments when the path forward is unclear. Moments when life does not unfold the way you expected.

“But here is something I learned during that difficult time: Even when life goes off script, it can still be filled with meaning, purpose and hope. The world you are entering needs people who are resilient. People who are compassionate. People who are willing to step forward when life goes off script. And that is exactly the kind of graduates ��Ͽ� prepares,” he added.

Albrecht reminded the Class of 2026 that ��Ͽ� has given them more than a degree. “It has given you the ability to solve problems, to think creatively, to collaborate with others, and to turn ideas into real solutions that improve the world. The skills you carry with you today are powerful. But even more powerful are the values you developed here – curiosity, persistence, integrity, and the courage to keep moving forward. The future will be shaped by people exactly like you. Go forward ready to change the world in ways both big and small.”

‘To lift up the people coming after us.’

Rosenberger knew he wanted a four-year degree in hospitality, and with the help of his high school culinary instructor, he connected with industry professionals to find “the right fit.” That fit for Rosenberger was ��Ͽ�.

“Little did I know then how much the people here would change the trajectory of my life. The ‘Stout community’ transformed from a phrase in a brochure into a lived reality,” he said. “This is a place that pushes us, reinforces us and ultimately defines us. There is a unique magic in our shared identity.”

But this community doesn’t end at graduation, added Rosenberger, the Stout Student Association president. “That’s what StoutProud means to me: being part of a community that genuinely cares and carrying that forward into my career and back to this place.

“We all have a responsibility to lift up the people coming after us. Impact comes from showing up and believing we all belong. My message to you is straightforward: stay StoutProud, and when you’re in a position to help, do it for the next class – the way those who have crossed this same stage before have helped us. We have a world to change, and I know we are the ones who can do it,” he said.

‘We are far more capable than we believe.’

After graduating high school in Kathmandu, Devkota took a gap year to figure out what she wanted to do in life. She moved to the land of dreams – the USA – and enrolled at ��Ͽ� as a computer networking major.

“A path that wasn’t for me,” she said. “It didn’t feel right, but I stayed. I convinced myself that it was too late to change my mind. I told myself to keep on going and to push through. And I did … until I couldn’t anymore.”

So, in the second semester of her junior year, at a time when it felt like everyone else had their lives figured out, Devkota changed her major to psychology. “There was a huge lingering feeling of uncertainty. What if this isn’t for me either? What if I fail here, too? I am already behind everyone else.

“But what I didn’t realize then is something I understand now. I was never behind. I just started from a different place,” she said. “As a first-generation college student, navigating a new country, a new culture, and a new version of myself, I wasn’t running the same race. My starting line was different. Once I understood that, everything began to shift.”

Each of these experiences at ��Ͽ� has shaped Devkota into who she is today, challenged her to become a better version of herself, and connected her to something bigger than herself, she said.

“I stand here as someone who came across the world uncertain, questioning and still searching,” Devkota said. “And if there is one thing I have learned, it’s this: If I can take those risks, face that uncertainty, and still find my way forward, then so can you. Not because it’s easy, but because we are far more capable than we believe.

“So, as we step into what comes next, don’t wait until you feel ready. Don’t wait until everything makes sense. Don’t wait until you are certain. Because certainty is rare. But courage? Courage is a choice.”

‘Our learning does not conclude today.’

Bloomer’s early life felt quite hopeless, he said. Growing up in fear of an abusive father, he later spent two years as a ward of the state in protective services. His hopelessness festered into anger and resentment.

“I dropped out of high school at 17, and I was not a contributing member of society as a young man. I spent time in a 6x9 cell for petty crimes, and I hit bottom after a reckless endangering safety felony conviction,” he said, noting the irony that he later pursued a risk control and safety management degree.

Bloomer became a father at age 24 and was awarded full-time custody of his son when he was 33. “This was a spark that forever changed me,” he said.

He earned his GED and was inspired to keep learning. At Blackhawk Technical College, he studied process engineering and management and was voted Phi Theta Kappa chapter president. He earned cum laude designation at UW-Green Bay, where he studied leadership.

Bloomer went on to achieve credentials in project management, Lean Six Sigma, engineering sustainability and completed the fire academy to become a volunteer firefighter.

“At 48 years old, I stand in front of you with a promise. Our learning does not conclude today,” Bloomer said. “We are forever students in this life. The path that brought you here today may have been a different path than mine; at least I certainly hope it was. Today, we share this space together, and I’m hopeful that our paths will cross again. Until then, go forward, engage, be kind and always continue to learn.”

Graduates recognized at Stanley Correctional Institution

In addition to those who graduated in Johnson Fieldhouse, a smaller cohort of students celebrated commencement in a different setting: inside Stanley Correctional Institution. Six students received B.S. management and leadership degrees May 20 as part of a recently launched program inside the institution.

"��Ͽ�'s polytechnic identity – applied, industry-informed, career-focused – pertains to our students wherever they learn,” said ��Ͽ� Provost Glendalí Rodríguez. “Our first cohort at of six B.S. management and leadership graduates from Stanley Correctional Institution has demonstrated this at every stage: crafting realistic business plans with professional feedback in Business Finance, conducting original qualitative research on their own experience in the Prison Education Initiative, and facilitating a three-hour re-entry simulation to help community members understand the challenges people face upon re-entering society. These aren’t approximations of a polytechnic education – they’re the real thing. We congratulate the Class of 2026 on earning a University of Wisconsin-Stout polytechnic degree.”

The program is part of the University of Wisconsin Coalition for Higher Education in Prison (UW CHEP), a collaborative delivering in-person college courses, certificates and degree pathways to students in seven correctional institutions across Wisconsin.

The UW CHEP collaborative is coordinated by UW-Madison through its Prison Education Initiative (PEI), in partnership with ��Ͽ�, UW-Green Bay, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. This spring’s graduates were the first incarcerated students to receive degrees from Universities of Wisconsin schools in more than 50 years.

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Inspiring Graduate: Rosella Wille, B.S. Business Administration

Hired before graduation at Redpath and Company as a tax associate

Inspiring Graduate: Thomas Shamla, B.S. Mechanical Engineering

Hired before graduation at Absolut Manufacturing

Student speakers at May 16 ceremonies encourage peers to act with compassion, courage, and to continue learning Spring Commencement 2026

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Game design programs named among best in Midwest, nation in new Animation Career Review rankings

giffeyt — Thu, 14 May 2026 14:13:23 +0000

Game design programs named among best in Midwest, nation in new Animation Career Review rankingsgiffeyt May 14, 2026

Parallel B.F.A., B.S. programs produce career-ready grads who create award-winning games

Tom Giffey

��Ͽ�’s game design programs continue to climb in the rankings among their peers around the nation, rising to No. 6 in the Midwest and No. 17 among all public universities in the United States, according to the latest figures published by Animation Career Review.

��Ͽ� held steady on another Animation Career Review leaderboard, but that’s only because it couldn’t climb any higher: The game design programs were ranked No. 1 in Wisconsin for the eighth consecutive year. ��Ͽ� also placed No. 11 nationwide among universities offering game design-related B.F.A. degrees.

"Our program has matured beyond its ‘startup’ phase and is consistently producing industry-standard work, as evidenced by how many of our senior capstone games go on to be published on the Steam and Epic Games platforms,” said Associate Professor Kim Loken, program director for B.F.A. game design and development - art.

Loken said ��Ͽ�’s multiple game-design related degree programs – which also include a B.S. computer science with a game design and development concentration and a B.S. game and media studies – set Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University apart from its peers.

“Because we offer game dev-focused B.F.A. and B.S. degrees in parallel, our students achieve depth in their roles to maximize effective collaborations in the five semesters in which they take courses in which they make games together in ever-larger team structures,” Loken said.

Stout Game Expo attendees play Gator Hucker, one of the student-designed games.

Students build award-winning games

Game design courses culminate in the senior capstone, which simulates an industry environment as students create games in teams. These games are on display each semester at the Stout Game Expo (SGX), western Wisconsin’s largest game developer exhibition, which was held May 7.

Among the award-winning games at SGX was Gator Hucker, in which players brawl as alien alligators with wacky abilities. The game, which won the Audience Award, grew out of a running joke in class about a game in which gorillas threw alligators in space, explained senior Space Goettl. A game design and development - art major with a computer science minor, Goettl wore many hats during the game’s development, including leading the character art team, serving as a technical animator and heading marketing efforts.

“One really important thing the program does is that all of the interdisciplinary game design classes put you on a team where you basically function as your own indie studio, so by the time you graduate you’ve already independently published three video games,” Goettl said. “Because you’re always doing group work (and group work with people outside your individual areas of expertise, no less), you develop really important soft skills through the process that can apply to any job, not just the games industry.”

Esquelito was one of the award-winning games on display at the Stout Game Expo on May 7.

The award for Best Production at SGX went to Esquelito, a colorful, musical game set in the Mexican underworld. Players become Esquelito, a little skeleton who spreads joy through music, moving through levels while staying on beat.

The game was inspired in part by Mexican Day of the Dead traditions as well as the Disney film “Coco,” said senior Alex Colmenares, a B.F.A. game design and development - art major who served as game designer, VFX artist and illustrator for Esquelito.

“A big challenge that the team faced was ensuring that the game was not disrespectful in the way it represented Mexican culture,” said Colmenares, whose own heritage includes Mexican roots. “Another challenge was proper game balance. We wanted to market our game to children, so to that end we wanted to design a game that would be easier for kids. But sometimes things would come out to be way too difficult or way too easy! It was a lot of work to properly tune the game’s difficulty.”

Another big hit at SGX was Aeromancy, a virtual reality game in which players take the role of wizards who must land airplanes on the correct runway using magic gauntlets. At SGX, Aeromancy won the Audience Award for games created in the junior-level Exploratory Game Design course.

“The use of virtual reality enhances the chaotic, frantic nature of the game and allows the player to access that child-like headspace of playing with toy airplanes,” said Assistant Professor Michael Tetzlaff. Aeromancy is the third VR game exhibited at ��Ͽ� in recent years, and the first developed entirely by junior-level undergraduates.

One of the games at SGX, Driven to Madness, featured a game controller designed to look like an engine.

Junior-level students in the Exploratory Game Design course also showcased a two-player racing game called Driven to Madness, which featured a monstrous motorcycle engine as one of the game controllers. Professor Andrew Williams explained that one player drives a motorcycle on a racetrack while calling out to the other player, a mechanic, who must make adjustments to the engine to avoid obstacles.

“The game focuses on communication as each player has access to different types of information and needs to share it to play. This was an ambitious, high-risk project because it has very complex problems to solve and the team needed to learn a lot of skills independently,” said Williams, who added that the game won the Most Innovative Gameplay award at SGX.

A scene from the student-designed virtual reality game, Aeromancy.

Game design programs among top in nation

Overall, ��Ͽ� had a banner year in the Animation Career Review rankings, placing at No. 36 among all public and private universities in the United States. The rankings are driven by academic peer assessments, graduate employment outcomes, and metrics of program scale and institutional performance, including faculty size, retention rates, and graduation rates.

Games created by ��Ͽ� students have made an impression far beyond campus. Last November, a student-built submarine game called Dread Not was honored as best student entry at M+DEV, the largest game industry conference in the Midwest, which drew 1,500 attendees to Madison.

And the graduates who created these games are finding careers in their chosen field: According to ��Ͽ�’s most recent survey, 97% of game design and development - art graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduating. Recent game design alumni have landed jobs with the likes of Activision, Raven Software, Fantasy Flight Games, Pixel Farm and Trek Bikes.

The game design and development - art program is part of the School of Art and Design, one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest. The School of Art and Design also offers bachelor’s degrees in animation and digital media; game and media studies; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design.

Game Design & Development

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Parallel B.F.A., B.S. programs produce career-ready grads who create award-winning games Two players at ��Ͽ� SGX spring 2026

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B.F.A. Game Design & Development - Art

Our collaborative program will teach you to develop 2D and 3D videogame and tabletop game assets using industry-standard software and hardware.

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B.S. Computer Science (Game Design & Development Concentration)

Do you love video games?

B.S. Game & Media Studies

Our B.S. Game & Media Studies offers students interested in media and gaming an avenue to leadership through research and project management.

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Search Keywords: game designStout Game ExpoSGX

Hero Caption: Audience members test student-designed games at the Stout Game Expo (SGX) on May 7, 2026.

Kim Loken

Kim Loken's industry experience spans civic, commercial, and residential projects. Her approach to each is further informed by a storytelling mindset cultivated in work for film and theater. In her prior architecture practice, she helmed a variety of adaptive reuse, historic preservation and new construction projects. More recent work focuses on the use of games as systems for analyzing complex problems, particularly those related to environmental issues. Teaching invigorates her practice and provides the opportunity to mentor young designers in a variety of disciplines.

Teaching Interests: Design thinking, interdisciplinary design, large-scale collaborative projects

Research Interests: Phenomenology, narrative-driven design

Professional Interests: Place-making, critical regionalism, cultural history and adaptive re-use

Full Name: Kim Loken

Job Title: Associate Professor / Program Director / Minor Advisor

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Architecture Systems Design

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Design Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Kimberly Loken CV (97.64 KB)

Education:

Degree: M.Arch.

University: University of Texas at Austin

Degree: Licensed Architect

Degree: LEED-Accredited Professional

University: U.S. Green Building Council

CACHSS

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Seth Berrier

Seth earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2012 where he worked with Professor Meyer in the disciplines of computer graphics and visualization. He also holds a B.A. in Music from the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University in Indianapolis. He is a classically trained tenor and an active participant in community theater in and around the Chippewa Valley.

Teaching Interests: Introductory programming courses, data structures and algorithms, software engineering, and computer graphics.

Research Interests: Seth is interested in using the visual power of graphics and visualization to bridge the pure technical disciplines of math and computer science with design and the arts. He has interests in design disciplines ranging from architecture to fashion and game design and seeks to develop new tools that enable the creative processes in these fields. He is also interested in advancing the primitive world of music visualization through the disciplines of formal music theory and form and analysis. In computer science, he is most interested in image based rendering and light field acquisition, photogrammetry and light fields for digital heritage, real-time photo-realistic rendering with graphics hardware and high-level shading languages.

Full Name: Dr. Seth F. Berrier

Job Title: Professor / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Computer Graphics Real-Time 3D Rendering Game Design Design Process Photogrammetry Light-Field Rendering Web Programming Software Engineering

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Computer Science

Curriculum Vitae: Dr. Seth F. Berrier CV (259.43 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Computer Science

University: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Degree: M.S. Computer Science

University: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Degree: B.A. Music

University: Butler University

CSTEMM

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Include in Directory: Off

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Xcel Energy Cedar Falls Hydro project supports construction students’ industry experiences

goersab — Tue, 12 May 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Xcel Energy Cedar Falls Hydro project supports construction students’ industry experiencesgoersab May 12, 2026

Collaboration encourages students to consider impacts of infrastructure on greater community

Abbey Goers

Donning hard hats and safety vests, construction management and risk control students from ��Ͽ� recently stood at the base of the Cedar Falls Hydroelectric plant and peered up at the 60-foot-tall dam that creates the 1,800-acre Tainter Lake, north of Menomonie.

Cedar Falls Hydro is one of 19 hydroelectric facilities in Wisconsin operated by Xcel Energy, with a total generating capacity of about 272 megawatts of renewable and carbon-free electricity.

Xcel Energy is in the midst of a multi-year, $50 million+ project designed to improve the safety and increase spillway capacity of the Cedar Falls Hydro Dam. The phased upgrade first involves upgrades to the spillway, including tie-back anchors and mass concrete infill work. Future phases involve installing upstream cofferdams to install new spillway gates and constructing a downstream stilling basin to help reduce erosion of the riverbed at the dam.

Students in the Heavy Construction Methods & Equipment class, led by Assistant Professor Janelle Skoyen Hestekin and Lecturer John Beckfield, visited the site to see Xcel Energy’s project in operation and witness real-world applications surrounding the major community asset and capital project.

“Xcel Energy supports investment in educating the next generation of construction professionals by providing exposure to real-world construction projects and practical work experiences with ��Ͽ� students interested in the field of engineering, design and construction,” said Xcel Energy Project Manager Anthony Witkowski.

Prior to their visit, students worked together as a mock construction company to develop a broad-based construction plan for a mass concrete infill project, inspired by the Cedar Falls Hydro project. They presented their plan, which included materials, equipment, scheduling, staffing, permits, environmental quality, safety and job hazard analysis, and cost estimates to Witkowski and other Xcel Energy staff at the Cedar Falls site.

“It is clear the students put a significant amount of thought and preparation into their presentations in the areas of construction planning, construction safety, project scheduling and project cost estimating. I appreciated the clear written and verbal communication presented by the students,” Witkowski said.

Xcel Energy is an active member of ��Ͽ�’s Construction Industry Advisory Committee, from which the collaboration and learning opportunity arose. Hestekin adapted her course structure to incorporate the project and guided students throughout the process.

The class project kicked off with a visit from Witkowski and Dean Steines, chief dam safety engineer – hydro operations, who introduced the project background and design goals to the students from the owner’s perspective. They also met with Shane McFadden, CEO of Engineering & Construction Innovations, Inc. (ECI), the project's prime contractor, and ECI project staff to compare their planned approach to how ECI is actively completing the work.

“The project exposed students to the heavy civil sector of construction work, where new talent is needed to grow the workforce. A sincere thank you to Xcel Energy for offering this opportunity to the students,” said Hestekin, who is looking forward to additional opportunities for students to collaborate at the Cedar Falls site and other nearby facilities.

Students from Associate Professors Calvin Chen’s Building Electrical and Control Systems class and Assistant Professor Ashely Der’s Construction Safety / Risk Control class also visited the site to see the operations of the power distribution network to the nearby cities, and safety management procedures, such as hot work – welding, cutting, soldering, and other tasks that produce heat, sparks or flame – and Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), a safety procedure used to protect workers by preventing the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment.

Presenting a complete construction plan

The Cedar Falls dam, constructed in 1910, is one of a few remaining Ambursen dams – hollow dams with open sections between the buttresses on the downstream side of the dam. It is the hollow sections that will be filled with mass concrete, which was the focus of the students’ presentation.

Their broad-based construction plan and estimate for a mass concrete infill project, presented to Xcel Energy as the owner, included staff wages, material and machinery costs, transportation of material, equipment and personnel, and overhead costs.

The students’ simulated work would consist of four separate concrete pours in each of the dam’s 18 bays, with work beginning on Aug. 10 and completion on Nov. 12, taking into account rainfall, river flow and potential temperature-related concrete issues.

Their safety plan listed OSHA safety training requirements; the inspection of equipment, causeway, the local road and dam; and more.

Allie Hubbard, of Forest Lake, Minnesota, Ben Larson, of West Salem, and Blake Bargender, of Abbotsford, think the project was the most beneficial experience in the course, allowing them to visualize their classroom learning in a real-world setting.

“What stood out most was experiencing the project as if we were part of an actual company. I gained a better understanding of how important communication is across all team roles. I also learned the importance of maintaining strong relationships with subcontractors, since the construction industry is highly interconnected,” said Hubbard, who is also majoring in interior design.

Being able to visit the site and talk to the people actually working on the project gave Larson a new perspective and helped him see what the student group did well on their project and what they could have done better, Larson said.

Bargender plans to one day serve as a project manager for a commercial construction company. “This research project, presentation, and site visit significantly helped me prepare for my future career because it simulated a very realistic situation of estimating and planning in the role of a project manager,” he said.

Students contributing to the greater community

Xcel Energy’s long-standing partnership with ��Ͽ� continues to grow in meaningful ways, said Community Relations Manager Tim Bartels. “We are pleased to connect students directly with real-world infrastructure and community assets. We’re especially proud that these collaborations support broader commitment to sustainability, giving students the opportunity to engage with projects that advance clean energy and the communities we serve,” he said.

Hubbard thinks that with industry partners and collaborators, like Xcel, that encourage hands-on learning, “Stout students can continue to make lasting impacts on community and environmental projects by applying what we learn in class to real-world situations. Projects like the hydro facility show how we can contribute to the greater community. I am most interested in the opportunity to contribute to how our world is built in the future and to make a lasting impact on the places people use every day,” she said.

Larson and Bargender agreed and added that students can also make an impact on community or environmental projects by getting involved with student organizations, like the Student Construction Association, Women in Construction, and Sigma Lambda Chi, and by volunteering or joining a construction competition team to gain real experience.

“The more you put in, the more you get out of it,” Larson said. “What I like most about my construction management major is how many opportunities it opens up. In our program, we are exposed to a little bit of everything. So, when we graduate, there are so many directions within the industry. I like that flexibility and the fact that the possibilities are pretty much endless.”

As a construction management and interior design double major, Hubbard enjoys being a part of the entire process “from the very beginning, meeting with clients, understanding their needs and wants, and then bringing their vision to life. It’s especially rewarding to guide clients through the process and ultimately hand over the keys to a finished structure they can be excited about,” she said.

Xcel Energy provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Its spillway modernization project was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in 2021, with the multi-year project beginning in 2022. The project is part of Xcel Energy’s investment in a cleaner electric system, as it drives toward 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.

Construction Management

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Xcel Energy Cedar Falls Hydro project supports construction students’ industry experiences

Collaboration encourages students to consider impacts of infrastructure on greater community

Collaboration encourages students to consider impacts of infrastructure on greater community Construction management students at Xcel Energy's Cedar Halls Hydro Dam

University Marketing

B.S. Construction Management

Our B.S. Construction Management will help you develop expertise in technical construction and engineering processes, business management, and marketing.

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Janelle Skoyen Hestekin

Courses I've taught in the Construction Management program include AEC131 - Architectural Graphics, AEC273 - Concrete and Masonry Technology and AEC357 - Site Engineering.

Full Name: Janelle Skoyen Hestekin

Job Title: Assistant Professor

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: Operations & Management Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Construction Management

Education:

Degree: M.S. Civil Engineering

University: Villanova University

Degree: B.S. Civil Engineering

University: University of Wisconsin-Platteville

CSTEMM

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Spring 2026 commencement scheduled May 16 for more than 1,000 graduates

goersab — Mon, 04 May 2026 14:25:05 +0000

Spring 2026 commencement scheduled May 16 for more than 1,000 graduatesgoersab May 4, 2026

Chancellor, Distinguished Alum, students to speak in three ceremonies at Johnson Fieldhouse

Abbey Goers

Spring commencement will be held for 1,067 graduates on Saturday, May 16, at ��Ͽ�. A total of 849 undergraduate and 218 graduate students will receive degrees during three ceremonies at Johnson Fieldhouse:

9:30 a.m.: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management
1:30 p.m.: College of Arts & Human Sciences
5 p.m.: Graduate Studies

The ceremonies can also be seen via livestream on the ��Ͽ� commencement website and at the Memorial Student Center.

Provost Glendalí Rodríguez will host the ceremonies. Chancellor Katherine Frank will provide remarks to the graduates and confer degrees.

Outstanding and retired educator Bryan Albrecht, a three-time ��Ͽ� alum, will serve as guest alum speaker at each ceremony. Albrecht is a recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Wisconsin Association for Career and Technical Education, as well as ��Ͽ�’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Three graduating students will also address the Class of 2026:

Noah Rosenberger, of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, B.S. hotel, restaurant and tourism management, CSTEMM speaker.
Sumnima Devkota, of Kathmandu, Nepal, B.S. psychology, CAHS speaker.
Cory Bloomer, of Stevens Point, M.S. risk control and safety management, Graduate Studies speaker.

The ceremonies will include music by an octet of ��Ͽ� choir members directed by Jean Enyeart.

More information

Students and members of the ��Ͽ� community can share comments and photos on ��Ͽ� social media platforms using the hashtag #StoutGrad2026. Diplomas will be mailed to students four to six weeks after final grades are issued.

For more information, contact Commencement Coordinator Bethany Risler, 715-232-1279, or email commencement@uwstout.edu.

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Information about ��Ͽ� commencement ceremonies.

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Leadership is about opening doors for others

Bringing people together in meaningful ways

Building relationships across all majors

Samuel E. Wood Medallion and Leadership Award recipients

Distinguished alum, educator Albrecht credits ���Ͽ� for preparing graduates who ‘step forward’

The courage to keep moving forward

Career educator Albrecht honored with Distinguished Alumni Award

‘To lift up the people coming after us.’

‘We are far more capable than we believe.’

‘Our learning does not conclude today.’

Graduates recognized at Stanley Correctional Institution

Commencement

Game design programs named among best in Midwest, nation in new Animation Career Review rankings

Students build award-winning games

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B.F.A. Game Design & Development - Art

B.S. Computer Science (Game Design & Development Concentration)

B.S. Game & Media Studies

Xcel Energy Cedar Falls Hydro project supports construction students’ industry experiences

Presenting a complete construction plan

Students contributing to the greater community

B.S. Construction Management

Spring 2026 commencement scheduled May 16 for more than 1,000 graduates

More information

Commencement

Distinguished alum, educator Albrecht credits ��Ͽ� for preparing graduates who ‘step forward’