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��Ͽ� welcomes more than 1,100 community members, area children for summer activities

goersab — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:30:00 +0000

��Ͽ� welcomes more than 1,100 community members, area children for summer activitiesgoersab June 1, 2026

Polytechnic experiences offered at hands-on STEAM camps, professional development workshops, Murals in Menomonie festival

Abbey Goers

The academic year may have ended, but the summer is just heating up at ��Ͽ� with community classes, youth camps and a mural festival, featuring some of the world’s best mural artists.

As part of ��Ͽ�’s year-round campus activities, more than 1,100 community members and area children will join in hands-on, applied learning in campus labs and studios.

Registration for many opportunities is still open:

The Middle School STEAM Experience and the High School STEAM Experience introduce young students to exciting career paths in science, technology, engineering, and art and design, while nurturing creativity and critical thinking skills. STEAM camp scholarships are available for Wisconsin students.
Adult learners are invited to personal and professional enrichment courses and workshops designed to help advance careers or build connections through a new hobby, offered through Continuing Education and Conferences.
Young athletes can improve their skills at sports camps and Stout Adventures’ Youth Climbing League, led by university coaches and staff.

And for four days, international artists will descend upon the city during Murals in Menomonie, featuring the Walldogs. From Wednesday, June 24, to Sunday, June 28, artists, residents, and visitors will come together to celebrate creativity, wellness and community pride in this one-of-a-kind event. The mural created for the ��Ͽ� campus will be painted on the eastern side of the Administration Building, facing the Clock Tower Plaza.

STEAM Experiences for young campers

Each STEAM camp is designed to engage and provide hands-on learning experiences and is led by ��Ͽ� faculty and university students. Unique tracks within the disciplines of STEAM include:

Science & Health: Freshwater science, fish conservation, anatomy, molecular ecology, psychology and gardening
Technology: 3D-printing, robotics and virtual reality
Engineering: Construction, 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.

Continuing Education classes for community members

Continuing Education & Conferences is collaborating with faculty and staff to develop in-person courses. Explore details and register to join on campus:

June 11: The popular Discovering Japan series offers a workshop on Creating with Brush and Ink: A Japanese Calligraphy Experience.
June 25: Protein Done Right invites participants into a ��Ͽ� kitchen classroom to bust diet myths and cook a meal together.
June 30-Aug. 11: The six-day course on Citizen Journalism builds skills to write compelling stories that reflect the people, events and issues shaping the community.
July 8-Aug. 5: In five two-hour sessions, learn how to turn Memories to Memoir: Crafting Your Story by reading and analyzing memoirs and through structured writing time.
July 13-17: Build analytical and synthetic thinking skills by practicing established creative problem-solving methods in a one-credit Creative Problem-Solving course.
July 15: The Discovering Japan series continues with Steeping in Tradition: A Japanese Tea Ceremony Experience, an introduction to the history, hospitality, mindfulness and artistry of tea ceremonies.
Aug. 1-2: Metal Art Workshop: Ring-making will introduce learners to basic metalsmithing techniques, materials and tools as they make rings in the Metals Lab.
Aug. 25: The third Discover Japan workshop, The Art of Giving in Japan: A Furoshiki Experience, focuses on the traditional Japanese art of cloth wrapping.
Open Enrollment: A new series on Eldercare launches with its first course, focused on Death and Bereavement.

Continuing Education & Conferences is also conducting a survey for community members to understand public interest in personal enrichment classes and usage of university labs, studios and other spaces.

Discovering Japan: Culture and Community Workshop Series

Experience Japanese traditions—past and present—through engaging community-based workshops that bring culture to life

Sports and activities

Athletics offers multiple summer sports camps led by university coaches, staff and student athletes. Camps include baseball, softball, basketball, football, flag football, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, track, volleyball and dance.

Youth Climbing League offers introductory activities, designed to empower kids ages 6 to 12. Experienced instructors lead activities for all skill levels. Two sessions will be held from Tuesday, June 9, to Wednesday, July 15; and Tuesday, July 21, to Wednesday, Aug. 26.

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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

High school students complete university-level project to create spaces that inspire

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

Construction camp introduces young students to careers, degree paths

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

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High School STEAM Summer Camps

Inspiring and engaging STEAM camps for students entering grades 9-12

Middle School STEAM Summer Camps

Inspiring and engaging STEAM camps for students entering grades 6-8

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Conferences, courses, and camps to excite your curiosity and inspire lifelong learning.

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Building with air – how nature’s hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

hugginsm — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:29:24 +0000

Building with air – how nature’s hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturinghugginsm February 5, 2026

Professor Anne Schmitz examines the influence of the natural world on engineering and additive manufacturing.

Anne Schmitz

This article appeared in TechXplore and others, and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

If you break open a chicken bone, you won’t find a solid mass of white material inside. Instead, you will see a complex, spongelike network of tiny struts and pillars, and a lot of empty space.

It looks fragile, yet that internal structure allows a bird’s wing to withstand high winds while remaining light enough for flight. Nature rarely builds with solid blocks. Instead, it builds with clever, porous patterns to maximize strength while minimizing weight.

Cross-section of the bone of a bird’s skull: Holes keep the material light enough that the bird can fly, but it’s still sturdy. Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Human engineers have always envied this efficiency. You can see it in the hexagonal perfection of a honeycomb, which uses the least amount of wax to store the most honey, and in the internal spiraling architecture of seashells that resist crushing pressures.

For centuries, however, manufacturing limitations meant engineers couldn’t easily copy these natural designs. Traditional manufacturing has usually been subtractive, meaning it starts with a heavy block of metal that is carved down, or formative, which entails pouring liquid plastic into a mold. Neither method can easily create complex, spongelike interiors hidden inside a solid shell.

Bird bones, seashells and honeycombs use clever, porous designs to stay strong without the extra weight. Now, 3D printing is letting engineers copy those natural blueprints.

The sustainable future

Beyond performance, mimicking nature’s less-is-more approach is a significant win for sustainability. By “printing air” into the internal structure of a product, manufacturers can use significantly less raw material while maintaining the necessary strength.

As industrial 3D printing becomes faster and cheaper, manufacturing will move further away from the solid-block era and closer to the elegant efficiency of the biological world. Nature has spent millions of years perfecting these blueprints through evolution – and engineers are finally learning how to read them.

The invisible architecture

That paradigm changed with the maturation of additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, when it evolved from a niche prototyping tool into a robust industrial force. While the technology was first patented in the 1980s, it truly took off over the past decade as it became capable of producing end-use parts for high-stakes industries like aerospace and health care.

3D printing makes it far easier to manufacture lightweight, hole-filled materials. kynny/iStock via Getty Images

Instead of cutting away material, printers build objects layer by layer, depositing plastic or metal powder only exactly where it’s needed based on a digital file. This technology unlocked a new frontier in materials science focused on mesostructures.

A mesostructure represents the in-between scale. It is not the microscopic atomic makeup of the material, nor is it the macroscopic overall shape of the object, like a whole shoe. It is the internal architecture, including the engineered pattern of air and material hidden inside.

It’s the difference between a solid brick and the intricate iron latticework of the Eiffel Tower. Both are strong, but one uses vastly less material to achieve that strength because of how the empty space is arranged.

If engineers wanted to make a part stronger, they generally had to make it thicker and heavier. This approach is often inefficient, wastes material and results in heavier products that require more energy to transport.

I am a mechanical engineer and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where I research the intersection of advanced manufacturing and biology. For several years, my work has focused on using additive manufacturing to create materials that, like a bird’s wing, are both incredibly light and capable of handling intense physical stress. While these “holey” designs have existed in nature for millions of years, it is only recently that 3D printing has made it possible for us to replicate them in the lab.

From the lab to your closet

While the concept of using additive manufacturing to create parts that take advantage of mesostructures started in research labs around the year 2000, consumers are now seeing these bio-inspired designs in everyday products.

The footwear industry is a prime example. If you look closely at the soles of certain high-end running shoes, you won’t see a solid block of foam. Instead, you will see a complex, weblike lattice structure that looks suspiciously like the inside of a bird bone. This printed design mimics the springiness and weight distribution found in natural porous structures, offering tuned performance that solid foam cannot match.

Engineers use the same principle to improve safety gear. Modern bike helmets and football helmet liners are beginning to replace traditional foam padding with 3D-printed lattices. These tiny, repeating jungle gym structures are designed to crumple and rebound to absorb the energy more efficiently than solid materials, much like how the porous bone inside your own skull protects your brain.

Testing the limits

In my research, I look for the rules nature uses to build strong objects.

For example, seashells are tough because they are built like a brick wall, with hard mineral blocks held together by a thin layer of stretchy glue. This pattern allows the hard bricks to slide past each other instead of snapping when put under pressure. The shell absorbs energy and stops cracks from spreading, which makes the final structure much tougher than a solid piece of the same material.

I use advanced computer models to crush thousands of virtual designs to see exactly when and how they fail. I have even used neural networks, a type of artificial intelligence, to find the best patterns for absorbing energy.

My studies have shown that a wavy design can be very effective, especially when we fine-tune the thickness of the lines and the number of turns in the pattern. By finding these perfect combinations, we can design products that fail gradually and safely – much like the crumple zone on the front of a car.

By understanding the mechanics of these structures, engineers can tailor them for specific jobs, making one area of a product stiff and another area flexible within a single continuous printed part.

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Building with air – how nature’s hole-filled blueprints shape manufacturing

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering.

Professor Anne Schmitz investigates how nature provides a blueprint for better engineering. bee-honeycomb.jpg

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Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering

The Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering focuses on enhancing the learning experience for students in ��Ͽ� Polytechnic's engineering programs.

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Hero Caption: Engineers use structures found in nature – like the honeycomb – to create lightweight, sturdy materials.

Anne Schmitz

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B.S. Mechanical Engineering

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Degree: Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Degree: M.S. Biomedical Engineering

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Degree: B.S. Mechanical Engineering

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��Ͽ� faculty integrate A.I. research in machine learning, business technology, composition courses

goersab — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

��Ͽ� faculty integrate A.I. research in machine learning, business technology, composition coursesgoersab October 29, 2025

University’s 360-degree approach to artificial intelligence aims to ‘equip students with hands-on experience and an applied understanding’

Abbey Goers

As ��Ͽ� continues to strengthen its 360-degree approach to artificial intelligence, embedding skills across all programs, faculty experts across degree fields build on their growing knowledge with research spanning generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), machine learning, AI deep research methods and more.

Three professors – Augustine Twumasi, Cami Banger and Justin Nicholes – representing ��Ͽ�’s mathematics, statistics and computer science; hospitality and technology innovation; and English, philosophy and communication studies departments – demonstrate the wide range of research topics and challenges they’re tackling through AI to impact their fields and improve their students’ polytechnic experience.

The university’s AI Fellows and AI Innovation Committee, led by faculty and staff, ensures AI is embedded into learning, operations and innovation, while directing AI integration, governance, ethics and literacy. The interdisciplinary AI Fellows is supported by 2023-25 Workforce Development funding.

Machine learning in engineering and manufacturing

Artificial intelligence and machine learning Assistant Professor Augustine Twumasi’s research broadly focuses on developing intelligent systems that integrate machine learning, optimization, and physics-based modeling to solve complex engineering and scientific challenges.

Machine learning is a subfield of AI. It is a way for computers to think, learn and act just like humans. As the term “artificial” suggests, this form of intelligence is created by humans. “Machine learning is a way we make computers intelligent and capable of performing such tasks without explicitly teaching them how to do so. It does this by identifying patterns in data,” he said.

“One aspect of my work involves robot path planning in Robotic Compact Storage and Retrieval Systems (RCSRS), where I use reinforcement learning and advanced optimization algorithms to improve retrieval efficiency and scheduling, helping robotic systems make faster and more adaptive decisions in dynamic environments,” Twumasi said.

Another major focus of his research is laser scan path design in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing. “In this research, I apply deep reinforcement learning and physics-guided machine learning to design toolpaths that control microstructure evolution, to enhance the mechanical performance of printed parts,” he said.

RCSRS are widely used in the logistics, e-commerce, manufacturing, and warehousing industries, particularly in automated fulfillment centers, pharmaceutical inventory systems, grocery distribution and retail supply chains. The systems help optimize storage density, retrieval speed and operational efficiency.

L-PBF technology is central to aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and defense industries, where it is used to produce lightweight, high-strength metal components with complex geometries. It’s also increasingly applied in energy, tooling and custom medical implants because of its precision ability.

Twumasi’s current and upcoming projects also explore scientific machine learning, uncertainty quantification, and AI-driven modeling for smart manufacturing and logistics optimization. He hopes to soon recruit student researchers.

GenAI and business technology

Assistant Professor Cami Banger, program director of business information technology and digital marketing technology, is leading a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) study titled “Reimagining Assignment Design: An Exploratory Study of AI-Assisted TILT Implementation.”

“The project explores how instructors can use generative AI to redesign assignments using the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework, which focuses on clarity, grading efficiency and student learning outcomes,” she said.

Banger’s AI research and teaching intersect around GenAI and its practical implementation in higher education and business technology. She has developed and is currently teaching a professional development course, AI Implementation Strategy, where students design organizational AI strategies aligned to NIST, IBM, and McKinsey frameworks. The course integrates real-world AI tools and showcases how polytechnic learning can connect strategy, ethics and technology practice.

She is incorporating AI across the business information technology and digital marketing technology programs and highlights her research in her article “Generative AI is coming to the workplace, so I designed a business technology class with AI baked in,” published in The Conversation.

“From piloting CoPilot for Business in our capstone course and doing CRM case simulations using Salesforce with GenAI support to reflective assignments on ethical AI use in business, these projects collectively aim to equip students with hands-on experience and an applied understanding of AI in business and technology contexts, which aligns closely with Stout’s polytechnic mission,” Banger said.

Human vs. GenAI poetry

Associate Professor Justin Nicholes, director of First-Year Composition, explored “Ownership, Accuracy, and Aesthetic Merit” in human and AI-generated poetry.

His research, published earlier this year in “Written Communication,” asked the questions, Would college students judge their poems differently from those written by GenAI? Would they feel a stronger sense of ownership of their writing versus AI-generated poetry?

“With each passing semester and academic year, students’ attitudes and experiences with generative AI change,” Nicholes said. “One surprising result from my research into asking students to write with and without AI through poetry, and about autobiographical moments, is that students increasingly see GenAI as a tool that enhances their personal meaning-making. It is not enough to simply dismiss GenAI writing as a form of cheating. While some will refuse GenAI, especially for personal and creative expression, there is a role, and we need to keep trying to understand how students see GenAI tools and the writing they produce with and without it.”

For his research, Nicholes recruited 88 first-year students, who composed brief poems about meaningful or challenging life experiences, such as loss, pain, anger, disappointment or defeat. They then prompted a GenAI program, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, to compose a poem about that same event.

The students wrote poems that were more narrative, authentic, unguarded and emotionally negative in tone than the GenAI poems.

Following their writing, the students completed surveys to record their perceptions of their own poems and GenAI poems, based on ownership, accuracy and aesthetic merit. Ownership referred to whether the writing reflected an important part of the writers’ selves. Accuracy referred to whether the poem reflected their thoughts and feelings. Aesthetic merit referred to the quality of the writing, with features such as vivid imagery, a feeling of completeness, rhyme, meter, structure and form.

Finally, the students were asked which poem they preferred and why.

Nicholes’ findings showed that the students fairly evenly preferred their poems to the GenAI poems: 42% preferred their poems because of the personal connections to the events; 50% preferred the GenAI poems, mainly for their textual features; and 8% preferred both.

Students felt significantly greater ownership of and accuracy in their human-written poems. And while students rated aesthetic merit higher for GenAI poems, which portrayed greater imagery, language, and form, they felt the GenAI poems lacked originality.

“In terms of implications for teaching writing, meaningful literacy remains a valuable college-writing experience whereby college writers in various writing contexts have chances to create work they view as important parts of themselves, work they see as importantly conveying their life experiences and voices, and work that they see as unique contributions,” Nicholes said. “While GenAI may be used as a tool to assist in autobiographical, meaningful writing, and although it has the potential for assisting writers in ways similar to peer review processes, human creativity is a unique territory worth protecting.”

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��Ͽ� completes $7.4M lab renovation, improving space for cutting-edge equipment and learning

giffeyt — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 14:00:00 +0000

��Ͽ� completes $7.4M lab renovation, improving space for cutting-edge equipment and learninggiffeyt October 14, 2025

Changes to Jarvis Tech labs boost engineering, construction programs

Tom Giffey

The final phase of a $7.4 million renovation project has brought crucial upgrades to two of ��Ͽ�’s biggest and busiest labs.

The revamp of the Construction Lab, the Woods Lab and adjacent portions of Jarvis Hall Technology Wing was completed over the summer, with the labs fully upgraded by the beginning of the fall semester.

Among the most visible changes are the addition of new windows and large overhead doors that open onto the well-traveled hallway between the labs, a frequent route for students and visitors alike passing through the connected Jarvis Science, Jarvis Tech, Micheels and the Applied Arts buildings.

“The Jarvis Tech renovations will significantly improve the functioning of some of the largest labs on the campus through upgrades in the HVAC system, increased visibility and access to the labs through the addition of roll-up doors and more efficient use of valuable space through reconfiguring lab layouts,” said Daniel Freedman, dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management.

Windows to education: $7.4M labs renovation project sheds light on mechanical, plastics engineering

Two large engineering labs and one of the busiest building corridors at ��Ͽ� have fresh, new looks this fall with students back on camp

Phase 1 of the project was completed during the summer of 2024, and encompassed about 17,000 square feet of Jarvis Tech, including the Plastics Engineering Lab and the Engineering Technology Research and Development Lab. The recently completed Phase 2 included nearly 25,000 square feet. The two-phase project was funded as part of the 2021-23 state capital budget.

As Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, ��Ͽ� emphasizes applied learning and provides three times more labs than classrooms. In many cases, as with the newly renovated labs, classroom and lab space are next to each other so that lectures and hands-on applications are seamlessly intertwined.

Chad Schlough, project manager for Facilities Management, said one of the major components of the latest renovation was replacing two air handling units, creating more efficiency and adding greater control. A new dust-collection system and three new exhaust fans in the Construction Lab, which is used extensively by students in the B.S. construction management program, also will improve air quality and environmental safety.

Both labs also received new paint, while in the Woods Lab worn-out parquet flooring made way for polished concrete. Other nearby rooms — including the Construction Conference Room — received upgrades such as new flooring, ceilings and paint.

Students collaborate in the newly renovated Woods Lab.

Other elements of the project included:

The completion of a sprinkler system that now encompasses the entire first floor of Jarvis Tech.

Upgrades to the fire alarm notification system.

Renovations to existing restrooms and the addition of a single-occupant restroom.

The addition of a secure store area for surveying equipment used in site engineering classes.

“This renovation is another step forward for ��Ͽ�’s applied learning environment,” said Senior Facilities Officer Justin Utpadel. “The upgrades not only enhance safety and functionality but also increase the visibility and adaptability of our instructional spaces.”

New hallway windows, like these at the Plastics Engineering Lab, have been added to multiple labs in Jarvis Hall Technology Wing in the past two years.

The renovations also created space for two new pieces of state-of-the-art machinery purchased through other funding sources. A newly renovated room will house a $1 million Amatrol Smart Factory Enterprise system donated by the Ronald and Joyce Wanek Foundation. This fully integrated automated manufacturing system includes a manufacturing line composed of processes such as inventory control, inspection, sorting, assembly, testing, CNC machining and storage, all linked by ethernet or wireless communications. The system is designed to showcase how all these technologies are integrated in a modern production system and to educate students in how to build and maintain such systems.

Ronald & Joyce Wanek Foundation donation transforms labs with advanced manufacturing equipment

Machinery for automated manufacturing, 3D printing and more will impact thousands of students’ polytechnic experiences

This equipment, which will be installed in a room adjacent to the Woods Lab, was made possible by a $3.1 million donation from the Ronald and Joyce Wanek Foundation, which was announced in August. The Foundation was established by Ronald Wanek, founder and chairman of Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC, and his wife, Joyce. Their son, Todd Wanek, is a 1988 ��Ͽ� alum and president and CEO of the company.  

Similarly, the renovation made space in the Construction Lab for a 3D concrete printer that will be installed later this academic year. That device was purchased through a $647,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. announced last spring for ��Ͽ�’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence (CAM-AI).

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Changes to Jarvis Tech labs boost engineering, construction programs Two students in Wood Lab

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Hero Caption: Students work in the Woods Lab inside Jarvis Hall Technology Wing, one of two recently remodeled labs in the building.

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How 3D printing is personalizing healthcare

hugginsm — Tue, 20 May 2025 12:48:59 +0000

How 3D printing is personalizing healthcarehugginsm May 20, 2025

Professor Anne Schmitz and Dean Daniel Freedman discuss how 3D printing has improved prosthetics, surgical outcomes, pharmaceuticals, and more.

Anne Schmitz

This article appeared in Ars Technica, Newsify, Medical Xpress, and others and originated from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Three-dimensional printing is transforming medical care, letting the health care field shift from mass-produced solutions to customized treatments tailored to each patient’s needs. For instance, researchers are developing 3D-printed prosthetic hands specifically designed for children, made with lightweight materials and adaptable control systems.

These continuing advancements in 3D-printed prosthetics demonstrate their increasing affordability and accessibility. Success stories like this one in personalized prosthetics highlight the benefits of 3D printing, in which a model of an object produced with computer-aided design software is transferred to a 3D printer and constructed layer by layer.

We are a biomedical engineer and chemist who work with 3D printing. We study how this rapidly evolving technology provides new options not just for prosthetics but for implants, surgical planning, drug manufacturing and other health care needs. The ability of 3D printing to make precisely shaped objects in a wide range of materials has led to, for example, custom replacement joints and custom-dosage, multidrug pills.

Better body parts

Three-dimensional printing in health care started in the 1980s with scientists using technologies such as stereolithography to create prototypes layer by layer. Stereolithography uses a computer-controlled laser beam to solidify a liquid material into specific 3D shapes. The medical field quickly saw the potential of this technology to create implants and prosthetics designed specifically for each patient.

One of the first applications was creating tissue scaffolds, which are structures that support cell growth. Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital combined these scaffolds with patients’ own cells to build replacement bladders. The patients remained healthy for years after receiving their implants, demonstrating that 3D-printed structures could become durable body parts.

As technology progressed, the focus shifted to bioprinting, which uses living cells to create working anatomical structures. In 2013, Organovo created the world’s first 3D-bioprinted liver tissue, opening up exciting possibilities for creating organs and tissues for transplantation. But while significant advances have been made in bioprinting, creating full, functional organs such as livers for transplantation remains experimental. Current research focuses on developing smaller, simpler tissues and refining bioprinting techniques to improve cell viability and functionality. These efforts aim to bridge the gap between laboratory success and clinical application, with the ultimate goal of providing viable organ replacements for patients in need.

Three-dimensional printing already has revolutionized the creation of prosthetics. It allows prosthetics makers to produce affordable custom-made devices that fit the patient perfectly. They can tailor prosthetic hands and limbs to each individual and easily replace them as a child grows.

Three-dimensionally printed implants, such as hip replacements and spine implants, offer a more precise fit, which can improve how well they integrate with the body. Traditional implants often come only in standard shapes and sizes.

Surgeons are able to use 3D printing to make medical implants to fit individual patients. / CBS Philadelphia

Surgeons are able to use 3D printing to make medical implants to fit individual patients.

Some patients have received custom titanium facial implants after accidents. Others had portions of their skulls replaced with 3D-printed implants.

Additionally, 3D printing is making significant strides in dentistry. Companies such as Invisalign use 3D printing to create custom-fit aligners for teeth straightening, demonstrating the ability to personalize dental care.

Scientists are also exploring new materials for 3D printing, such as self-healing bioglass that might replace damaged cartilage. Moreover, researchers are developing 4D printing, which creates objects that can change shape over time, potentially leading to medical devices that can adapt to the body’s needs.

For example, researchers are working on 3D-printed stents that can respond to changes in blood flow. These stents are designed to expand or contract as needed, reducing the risk of blockage and improving long-term patient outcomes.

Simulating surgeries

Three-dimensionally printed anatomical models often help surgeons understand complex cases and improve surgical outcomes. These models, created from medical images such as X-rays and CT scans, allow surgeons to practice procedures before operating.

For instance, a 3D-printed model of a child’s heart enables surgeons to simulate complex surgeries. This approach can lead to shorter operating times, fewer complications and lower costs.

Personalized pharmaceuticals

In the pharmaceutical industry, drugmakers can three-dimensionally print personalized drug dosages and delivery systems. The ability to precisely layer each component of a drug means that they can make medicines with the exact dose needed for each patient. The 3D-printed anti-epileptic drug Spritam was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015 to deliver very high dosages of its active ingredient.

Drug production systems that use 3D printing are finding homes outside pharmaceutical factories. The drugs potentially can be made and delivered by community pharmacies. Hospitals are starting to use 3D printing to make medicine on-site, allowing for personalized treatment plans based on factors such as the patient’s age and health.

Three-dimensionally printed pharmaceuticals make it possible to customize the types, doses and release times of drugs. / Al Jazeera English

Three-dimensionally printed pharmaceuticals make it possible to customize the types, doses and release times of drugs.

However, it’s important to note that regulations for 3D-printed drugs are still being developed. One concern is that postprinting processing may affect the stability of drug ingredients. It’s also important to establish clear guidelines and decide where 3D printing should take place – whether in pharmacies, hospitals or even at home. Additionally, pharmacists will need rigorous training in these new systems.

Printing for the future

Despite the extraordinarily rapid progress overall in 3D printing for health care, major challenges and opportunities remain. Among them is the need to develop better ways to ensure the quality and safety of 3D-printed medical products. Affordability and accessibility also remain significant concerns. Long-term safety concerns regarding implant materials, such as potential biocompatibility issues and the release of nanoparticles, require rigorous testing and validation.

While 3D printing has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs, the initial investment in equipment and materials can be a barrier for many health care providers and patients, especially in underserved communities. Furthermore, the lack of standardized workflows and trained personnel can limit the widespread adoption of 3D printing in clinical settings, hindering access for those who could benefit most.

On the bright side, artificial intelligence techniques that can effectively leverage vast amounts of highly detailed medical data are likely to prove critical in developing improved 3D-printed medical products. Specifically, AI algorithms can analyze patient-specific data to optimize the design and fabrication of 3D-printed implants and prosthetics. For instance, implant makers can use AI-driven image analysis to create highly accurate 3D models from CT scans and MRIs that they can use to design customized implants.

Furthermore, machine learning algorithms can predict the long-term performance and potential failure points of 3D-printed prosthetics, allowing prosthetics designers to optimize for improved durability and patient safety.

Three-dimensional printing continues to break boundaries, including the boundary of the body itself. Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have developed a technique that uses ultrasound to turn a liquid injected into the body into a gel in 3D shapes. The method could be used one day for delivering drugs or replacing tissue.

Overall, the field is moving quickly toward personalized treatment plans that are closely adapted to each patient’s unique needs and preferences, made possible by the precision and flexibility of 3D printing.

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Advancing AI: $647,000 Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. grant will boost ��Ͽ� CAM-AI effort

giffeyt — Mon, 19 May 2025 14:50:24 +0000

Advancing AI: $647,000 Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. grant will boost ��Ͽ� CAM-AI effortgiffeyt May 19, 2025

University’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence to provide support for small, medium manufacturers

Tom Giffey

A $647,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will allow University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence – CAM-AI – to provide advanced manufacturing and AI support to small- and medium-sized manufacturers.

The newly announced grant is the result of ongoing conversations and the preexisting relationship between the WEDC, the State of Wisconsin’s lead economic development agency, and ��Ͽ�, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.

“The WEDC financial commitment will allow ��Ͽ� to fully build out the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and AI,” ��Ͽ� Chancellor Katherine Frank said. “This investment will enable ��Ͽ� to expand its delivery of cutting-edge, industry-focused support and services to small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the state.”

��Ͽ�'s Industrial Robotics & Machine Vision Lab, part of the Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering, is one of the campus labs that will benefit from the WEDC investment.

“Wisconsin has long been a manufacturing powerhouse, especially in the field of precision manufacturing,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC. “For our state’s small- and medium-sized manufacturers to remain competitive in the global marketplace, it’s absolutely critical for them to be able to harness the power of AI in their daily operations. CAM-AI is in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea – helping businesses and residents access the knowledge and resources of the Universities of Wisconsin to keep our state moving forward.”

Seth Hudson, ��Ͽ�’s executive director for Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement, said the funding will allow the university to invest in state-of-the-art equipment to expand and enhance the services of CAM-AI. “This investment will allow us to further contribute to the growth of our industry partners through advanced manufacturing techniques and AI-driven solutions,” he said.

Next gen manufacturing: New CAM-AI will leverage resources to support industry in Wisconsin

Small and midsize manufacturers in Wisconsin and Minnesota have a new resource — and ally — in their quest for growth and success.

David Ding, director of the Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering and an associate dean in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management, said the grant will allow ��Ͽ� to fully build out an Automated Demonstration line, enabling the university to showcase to its industry partners the applications of automation, robotics, vision inspection and AI-aided manufacturing. “The demonstration system will showcase the new technologies that CAM-AI can help manufacturers implement in their own processes,” Ding said.

CAM-AI was created in 2024 to leverage the broad array of university expertise for solving technical issues and conducting research to support private industry. The center works in partnership with the ��Ͽ� Manufacturing Outreach Center, one of two centers in Wisconsin affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology/Manufacturing Extension Partnership national network. The Manufacturing Outreach Center, which also receives support from the WEDC, delivers comprehensive, proven solutions through consulting, training and workforce development.

Once fully operational, the WEDC investment will allow CAM-AI to serve approximately 20 companies and 100-plus students each year.

A ��Ͽ� manufacturing engineering student works on a program to control a machine in the university's robotics lab.

The goals of ��Ͽ�’s CAM-AI include:

Partnering with the Manufacturing Outreach Center to provide timely academic applied research expertise.
Providing direct assistance in solving time-sensitive industry focused problems.
Providing services, such as additive manufacturing and testing.
Engaging with regional and statewide initiatives that support advanced manufacturing and AI.

“By leveraging the expertise of our faculty, students and advanced technologies as the state’s polytechnic university, we are able deliver timely and impactful solutions to meet the evolving needs of industry partners,” Hudson said.

Manufacturing is one of the largest components of Wisconsin’s economy: With more than 9,000 manufacturing companies employing 480,000 workers statewide, the sector is responsible for $66 billion in economic activity annually, according to the most recent annual report from the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing & Productivity.

University’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence to provide support for small, medium manufacturers An engineering student looks at a computer screen.

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Seth Hudson was announced as the new leader on Thursday, July 28, by Chancellor Katherine Frank. He will direct ��Ͽ�’s Discovery Center, including the Manufacturing Outreach Center, Stout Technology and Business Park, and a comprehensive range of industry, applied research, technical assistance and technology transfer efforts of the university.

Hudson has bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics from the University of Southern Maine.

"I am looking forward to growing ��Ͽ�’s existing partnerships in order to expand the relationships between students, faculty, staff and Wisconsin’s business community,” he said.

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RECOVER: Alum’s expertise in 3D printing, adaptive technology helps give veterans hope

polingj — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000

RECOVER: Alum’s expertise in 3D printing, adaptive technology helps give veterans hopepolingj November 11, 2024

Davis, an engineering technology graduate, supports efforts to improve lives at Minneapolis VA Medical Center

On the fourth floor of the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center, with a panoramic view of the Mississippi River valley, an office countertop holds a seemingly macabre collection of plastic models: A foot, hand and forearm, a heart, part of a spine, a lower jaw and other small, novel devices.

To the visitor, they’re just that. To their creator, Drew Davis, a 2007 ��Ͽ� engineering technology graduate, they are so much more. The 3D-printed models are re-creations of actual body parts of veterans, based on their MRIs and CT scans, that support their treatment and potentially improve their lives.

Davis and the VA’s RECOVER team — Rehabilitation and Engineering Center for Optimizing Veteran Engagement and Reintegration — give hope to veterans.

Drew Davis, a 2007 ��Ͽ� alum, is an adaptive technology specialist whose work helps disabled and sick veterans at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. / ��Ͽ�

The collection in the high-tech, 3D print lab includes, for example: one veteran’s aorta 3D-printed in exact detail that a doctor used to explain what had to be fixed; a half-scale head with a face that can be peeled away to reveal the extent of damaged bone. Davis uses software that takes CT and MRI data, captured by a radiologist, and generates 3D printable files of patient anatomy. He then optimizes the 3D printer settings to print bone and tissue structures.

The foot on the counter is part of an ankle-foot system designed for veterans with a prosthesis. The system is attached to the wearer at the end of the prosthetic socket. It slips into a 3D printed foot that is designed for a specific heel height.

An innovative foot and ankle system for veterans with a prosthesis allows them to wear shoes with different heel heights. / ��Ͽ�

The veteran can bring in a pair of shoes and walk away with a prosthetic foot for that shoe, which slips onto the ankle unit. Imagine a veteran walking into their home, taking off their outside shoes — foot included — and putting on their inside shoes, foot and all.

At RECOVER, veterans are included in the design process, whether it’s a novel design or adaptive technology. “We take their input and make it real. Helping the veterans makes the job worth it,” Davis said.

Davis prints 3D models, in exacting detail, of veterans’ body parts based on CT scans and MRIs to help their doctors with diagnosis and treatment. / ��Ͽ�

Davis also has designed a system to test the strength and wear of a prosthetic socket, creating a pneumatic testing frame and using custom software to control the tests. “The goal is to come up with a test that can confirm the structural integrity of a traditionally fabricated socket. We can then apply those same tests to start to optimize materials and design of the sockets,” he said.

A wheelchair that makes veterans more mobile

On another floor at the VA hospital, Davis enters a windowless room with an assortment of wheelchairs. One of them is special: A prototype of a manual, mobile, standing wheelchair. Davis sits down, presses a button at the end of an arm with his thumb and the chair slowly rises to a standing position.

Then, he rolls forward like he wants to get something from a high shelf. Think of the many more things people in wheelchairs could do if they could move and stand. “It would help empower veterans,” he said.

The VA Center’s RECOVER projects include a new type of wheelchair moves up and down and would allow disabled veterans to stand up. / ��Ͽ�

Davis, who has worked at the VA for more than two years, helped design and oversees the manufacture of the wheelchair. The project goes back 10 years, but with his work it has advanced to user testing in Minneapolis and Palo Alto, Calif.

“That’s the major reason I’m here. I saw that technology and wanted to be part of it,” said Davis, who previously worked as a project engineer with Stratasys, which makes 3D printers. The standing wheelchair includes 3D-printed parts. If successful, it too could be licensed for commercial production.

Along with the 3D lab, Davis works in the machine shop. “We’re more of a hacker space. It’s a really cool job, the culmination of my career experience,” he said.

He also supports the design engineers with TTAP — the VA Technology Transfer Program.

“TTAP is for ideas, devices and therapies that come from anyone in the VA network who wants to develop them. We will apply our experience and skills to help get the idea through industrial design, functional design and design for manufacturing,” he said.

Davis’ engineering technology degree included an emphasis in plastics. Seventeen years ago, 3D printing was fairly new technology, but he saw its potential. Once, he was two hours late for a date with his future wife, Jillian McDowell Davis, a 2005 alum, when he lost track of time while 3D-printing in a lab.

For his senior capstone, he was the only person who 3D-printed his project — a crank arm for a bicycle pedal. His career in engineering and 3D printing has been cycling forward ever since.

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Next gen manufacturing: New CAM-AI will leverage resources to support industry in Wisconsin

polingj — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 18:14:39 +0000

Next gen manufacturing: New CAM-AI will leverage resources to support industry in Wisconsinpolingj October 25, 2024

Center for Advanced Manufacturing-AI aims to draw on university expertise to solve problems, collaborate on opportunities

Small and midsize manufacturers in Wisconsin and Minnesota have a new resource — and ally — in their quest for growth and success.

The Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence — CAM-AI — has been created at ��Ͽ� to leverage the broad array of university expertise for solving technical issues and conducting research to support private industry.

CAM-AI will partner with the ��Ͽ� Manufacturing Outreach Center, one of two centers in Wisconsin affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology/Manufacturing Extension Partnership — NIST/ MEP — national network. The centers deliver comprehensive, proven solutions through consulting, training and workforce development.

The new Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence at ��Ͽ� will engage engineering faculty and graduate engineering students on industry projects. / ��Ͽ�

“CAM-AI will support Wisconsin’s manufacturers through access to expertise and equipment that are generally not available to small- and medium-size business. Our goal is to collaborate with our industry partners in order to help them be even more competitive in a market that is undergoing constant technological change,” said Chancellor Katherine Frank.

The center will provide the bridge between the MOC and academic departments to bring applied research; modern technical methods; and laboratory, fabrication and testing services directly to private industry.

The goals of CAM-AI include:

Partnering with the MOC to provide timely academic applied research expertise
Providing direct assistance in solving time-sensitive industry focused problems
Providing services, such as additive manufacturing and testing
Engaging with regional and statewide initiatives that support advanced manufacturing and AI.

Manufacturing is one of Wisconsin’s leading workforce sectors, with more than 8,900 companies that employ more than 490,000 workers.

The Robotics Lab at ��Ͽ� is one of the university resources supporting CAM-AI. / ��Ͽ�

More than a dozen ��Ͽ� labs, including robotics, plastics, packaging, cybersecurity and Fabrication Lab — Fab Lab — could be accessed to address manufacturers’ challenges.

��Ͽ� faculty have expertise in automation, AI/machine learning, robotics, additive manufacturing, plastics engineering, packaging, industrial design, fabrication and material properties and testing. In 2023, ��Ͽ� added a first-of-its-kind bachelor’s program, automation leadership.

“Modern manufacturing requires not only all fields of engineering but expertise from computer science, cybersecurity, math and the basic sciences,” said David Ding, director of the School of Engineering and an associate dean in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management.

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Ding will be the center’s director. He also serves on Gov. Tony Evers’ Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence.

��Ͽ� is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, business and industry collaboration, and career outcomes.

“��Ͽ�'s ability to supply expertise across these fields to address practical problems is what distinguishes us as a polytechnic university, and CAM-AI will be the entity through which this expertise can be made available to industry,” said Seth Hudson, executive director of the ��Ͽ� Office of Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement.

The center plans to leverage the talent in ��Ͽ�’s Master of Science in manufacturing engineering program, with students working on CAM-AI projects under faculty supervision.

Key elements in CAM-AI success will be rapid response, coordination between ��Ͽ� entities that engage directly with industry and an industry-focused approach that no job is too small, Hudson said. He noted that CAM-AI will not compete with private industry but allow industry partners a place to refer work that isn’t suited for the private sector space.

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Small and midsize manufacturers in Wisconsin and Minnesota have a new resource — and ally — in their quest for growth and success. Manufacturing engineering

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Crop Per Drop: ��Ͽ� students provide soil and water R&D for Chippewa Valley Bean

polingj — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 14:38:04 +0000

Crop Per Drop: ��Ͽ� students provide soil and water R&D for Chippewa Valley Beanpolingj October 24, 2024

Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin funds industry research project led by professors

Story by Heidi Jeter
Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin

How much water does it take to grow 100 pounds of kidney beans? Most people wouldn’t think to ask such as question — but if you are a family business competing on a global scale, the answer matters.

“This information will allow kidney bean growers in Wisconsin to better target their irrigation practices to reduce strain on the state’s freshwater resources as well as boost yields and prices for Wisconsin farmers,” says Charles Wachsmuth, vice president of Chippewa Valley Bean.

Wisconsin-based Chippewa Valley Bean is the largest processor and exporter of kidney beans in the world. The company prides itself on innovation, and it has created a unique partnership with faculty at ��Ͽ� to gain cutting-edge research and development.

��Ͽ� student Lindsey Redepenning works in a Chippewa Valley Bean field on a weather station that was developed as part of the Crop Per Drop project. / Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin

“I recently went to a global conference in Italy, and nobody is doing the research we are doing around crops and water and packaging sustainability,” Wachsmuth says.

That innovative research directly involves undergraduate students, thanks to funding from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. Through the Crop Per Drop project, students trained by Professor Keith Wojciechowski, are developing and testing mathematical models to help kidney bean farmers use water more efficiently.

The project exemplifies how companies can partner with university faculty and students to create a win-win situation. Students get hands-on experience, and the company gets staffing resources and innovative research.

Lindsey Redepenning helps set up one of the weather stations. / Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin

The first round of Freshwater Collaborative funding, in 2022, allowed Wojciechowski to hire three students to work on mathematical models that help farmers optimize water use for growing kidney beans.

With the most recent round of funding, the collaborative team installed five weather stations in farm fields. The stations collected real-time data that measured sunlight, soil moisture, wind speed and direction, and rain.

Wojciechowski says the project gives students majoring in computer science or applied math skills beyond using and developing software.

��Ͽ� professors Saleh Alnaeli, foreground, and Keith Wojciechowski help set up one of the Crop Per Drop weather stations at Chippewa Valley Bean. / Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin

“There’s huge benefit to seeing how software you build will be used in the field,” he says. “They get to see all the ways the software needs to be stable and viable — and how software works differently in an office than in real time out in the field.”

Lindsey Redepenning, of Elk River, Minn., an applied mathematics and computer science major, helped install the weather stations last summer and now she’s analyzing the data that was collected. The goal is to enhance the mathematical models to allow farmers to see how various scenarios will affect yield. This will help them adjust their agricultural practices in response to real situations.

Redepenning says she gained a wide range of skills that will help her in her future career. One of the most important was learning how to communicate mathematical concepts to people without a math background. She also learned hands-on skills like how to rewire a circuit board, modify a weather station, restart a wi-fi hotspot and recharge batteries.

“Some days were spent out in a field setting up weather stations and others were spent behind a computer screen writing code,” she says. “No two days were alike, and this kept the work interesting and exciting.”

The weather stations and models could be expanded in the future for use with other crops or to look at other factors that affect crops, such as disease and weeds.

The Crops Per Drop project has also opened the door to other industry-academic partnerships. Chippewa Valley Bean has connected Wojciechowski to other companies who may have similar R&D needs. When Chippewa Valley Bean wanted to use more sustainable bags to hold its beans, Wojciechowski introduced them to ��Ͽ� faculty who could work on packaging ideas.

“We are greatly appreciative of the strong university system in Wisconsin and the access it gives us to new and cutting-edge research that we wouldn’t be able to self-fund,” Wachsmuth says. “If we want to keep agribusiness in Wisconsin strong, we must show continued support for our specialty crop growers and processors.”

###

How much water does it take to grow 100 pounds of kidney beans? Most people wouldn’t think to ask such as question — but if you are a family business competing Crop per drop 1

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High aspirations: Recent grads leverage Prehealth courses to pursue medical careers

polingj — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:34:10 +0000

High aspirations: Recent grads leverage Prehealth courses to pursue medical careerspolingj October 15, 2024

Brooks, Charest begin medical school, following in footsteps of recent alum who benefited from focused lab, research experiences

In 2010 when the $43 million, gleaming Jarvis Hall Science Wing addition was dedicated at ��Ͽ�, Gov. Jim Doyle and others called it the finest science facility in the state.

By at least one measure, the building with state-of-the-art lab equipment and classrooms is living up to its lofty billing: It has turned out dozens of graduates with a focus in Prehealth Sciences who have gone on to successful careers in professional health fields, including as doctors, pharmacists, dentists, chiropractors and more in Wisconsin and beyond.

Two recent graduates are beginning medical school this fall, Anna Brooks at the UW-Madison and Olivier Charest at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. “I am extremely grateful for all the doors that Stout has opened for me,” Brooks said. “It’s an amazing place to go to college.”

Anna Brooks, a 2023 ��Ͽ� applied science graduate with a focus on Prehealth Sciences, celebrated her white coat ceremony after beginning medical school this fall at UW-Madison. / Contributed photo

Prehealth Sciences is a focus area that offers targeted preparation for admission to professional schools. It can be added to ��Ͽ�’s preparatory bachelor’s programs, including biology, chemistry, physics, applied science, biochemistry and molecular biology, and health, wellness and fitness. The programs provide students with lab-based classroom and research experiences, part of the polytechnic advantage.

Brooks and Charest were aiming for medical school all along, knowing Prehealth Sciences would put them on the right track. They appreciated the mentorship of professors like Jim Burritt, Jen Grant and Dr. Alex Hall. Focused and inspired, they conducted research projects, mentored other students and were involved on campus and in the community, earning scholarships and awards and graduating with honors.

“The strength of UW Stout for Prehealth students is that not only do we have a lot of hands-on opportunities, but class sizes are small. Students really get to know their professors, who also really get to know them,” Hall said. “This allows for a lot of collaboration, research opportunities and mentorship.”

Anna Brooks works on a research project in a ��Ͽ� lab. / ��Ͽ�

‘This is exactly what I want to do’

Brooks recalled one class where students worked on removing a gene from a strain of yeast and another in which they led their own project studying the impact of various medications on cancer cells that had been created in the lab by the professor.

“I’ve heard from other students at big institutions who didn’t have the hands-on research opportunities I had at Stout, like the Cadaver Lab,” said Brooks, who loved the small class sizes and ability to work closely with her professors.

Brooks, who was born in Ukraine, graduated in May 2023 from ��Ͽ� in applied science then was chosen for a 10-week internship at UW Medical School Urology Lab. In 2022, she interned at the University of Washington Medical School.

Anna Brooks accepts her diploma in applied science from ��Ͽ�. / ��Ͽ�

While applying to medical schools in 2023, she worked as a phlebotomist at Mayo Clinic Red Cedar in Menomonie. “I witnessed the whole synergy of the team and what a physician does. It was a pleasure to see that kind of collaboration,” she said. “It reassured me that this is exactly what I want to do.”

She remembers the day in January when she received a call from a dean at UW-Madison telling her she’d been accepted into the medical school, something she first considered as a 10-year-old while coming across a medical publication. She celebrated with her Mayo Red Cedar co-workers, exclaiming, “I’m going to be a doctor!”

Olivier Charest, a 2024 graduate, began medial school this fall at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. / Contributed photo

‘The support is there and the equipment top notch’

Charest, who graduated in applied science this past May, also was a Blue Devil athlete. He played hockey but saw his career derailed in his second season by a knee injury. He had other knee injuries going back to his high school days; one subsequent interaction with a physician who helped him avoid surgery with a knee strengthening program sparked an interest in medicine as a career.

“If I could have the same impact that doctor had on me, the empathy she had toward my situation, if I could add this to any patient I see on a daily basis that’s what I’m really looking forward to as a doctor. Most patients come in in a vulnerable position. I was able to be in the shoes of my future patients,” he said.

Charest had a competitive internship in summer 2023, one of 18 chosen from 300 applicants, at the University of Rochester Medical School in Rochester, N.Y., focusing on pediatrics. “I saw the research side and the clinical side. Being able to see what I’ll do in the field was great,” he said.

Olivier Charest, left, with Professor Jen Grant and student Ava Cinealis, accepts a ��Ͽ� research award. / ��Ͽ�

While at ��Ͽ�, Charest became a certified nursing assistant and volunteered as a CNA in palliative care at Dove West Healthcare in Eau Claire and in the emergency department at Red Cedar Mayo. “Many people believed in me and paved the way for me to succeed, so being able to have these opportunities meant the world to me,” he said.

His education at ��Ͽ� gave him the independence to explore opportunities in the labs and through research. “The program teaches you a lot of qualities you need in the field and helps you grow a little faster. The support is there, and the equipment is top notch.”

Kym Ludwig Klimek, a 2013 graduate, earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UW-Madison and is a pharmacist in Green Bay. / Contributed photo

From Prehealth Sciences to professionals

Charest and Brooks are excited to take the next step in their careers this fall. They will have four years of medical school, followed by a three- to seven-year residency, depending on the field of medicine they choose.

The University of Sherbrooke, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, is about an hour’s drive from the Montreal suburbs where Charest grew up. Brooks has moved to Madison with her husband, also a ��Ͽ� graduate.

Another spring 2024 graduate, Chaeyun Jung, began pharmacy school this fall at the University of Minnesota.

December 2023 graduate Henry Scheit is attending St. Catherine University in St. Paul for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Trever Koester, a 2018 graduate, finished Harvard Medical School and is a surgical resident doctor at the University of Michigan Medical. / Contributed photo

They add to an already long list of graduates in the past 15-plus years choosing a variety of health and medical fields. They include:

Kym Ludwig Klimek, 2013 graduate, finished pharmacy school at UW-Madison and is a pharmacist in Green Bay.
Nolan Green, 2015 graduate, is a doctor of osteopathy with Mayo Clinic. He graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dylan Meyer, 2015 graduate, did post-doctorate research at Harvard Medical School and is a research scientist at Vertex Pharma in Boston.
Matt Flesher, 2017 graduate, graduated from the St. Scholastica physical therapy program and works at Tamarack Health in Hayward.
Trever Koester, 2018 graduate, finished Harvard Medical School and is a surgical resident at University of Michigan Medicine.
Neal Wrobel, 2019 graduate, earned a Ph.D. in biomedical science at Rush University in Chicago and is a biomedical research scientist at Rush University Medical Center.
Issabella Stueck, 2020 graduate, attended Palmer College of Chiropractic and is a chiropractor in Appleton.

Other recent alum are working as dentists, physician assistants, nurses, surgical first assistants, athletic trainers, clinical lab technicians and clinical trial coordinators.

###

In 2010 when the $43 million, gleaming Jarvis Hall Science Wing addition was dedicated, Gov. Jim Doyle and others called it the finest in the state. Anna Brooks white coat

University Marketing

Capitol project: Science student’s research on prion disease highlighted in Madison

Ava Cinealis was interested in science when she graduated from Sheboygan North High School, but she wanted to do more in college than learn it from a book: She

Alexandra Hall

Dr. Hall trained and worked as a family physician for over two decades and now works full-time for the Biology department. She has been teaching since 2013 and loves sharing her knowledge of and enthusiasm for the marvels of the human body with her students. As the Pre-Health Advisor, she also supports Stout students pursuing future careers in the health professions.

Full Name: Alexandra Hall, M.D.

Job Title: Senior Lecturer & Pre-Health Advisor

Include in Directory: Yes

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

Department: Biology Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Biology

Curriculum Vitae: Alexandra Hall CV (169.92 KB)

Education:

Degree: Chief Resident Family Practice

University: University of Vermont

Degree: Residency in Family Practice

University: University of Vermont

Degree: M.D.

University: Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Degree: B.S. Science Education

University: New York University

Degree: American Board of Family Medicine

Degree: Licensed Physician, State of Wisconsin

CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

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