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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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‘Sing, Slivered Tongue’: ��Ͽ� professor’s book of poetry is a statement of courage, hope

goersab — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:29:47 +0000

‘Sing, Slivered Tongue’: ��Ͽ� professor’s book of poetry is a statement of courage, hopegoersab August 19, 2025

Basu’s anthology gathers 68 international voices to reflect on trauma, resolution

Abbey Goers

Trauma, particularly that of women, has typically been relegated to silence and oblivion. A new book of poetry, “Sing, Slivered Tongue,” sheds light on the subject of trauma and gathers the voices of 68 women from various South Asian communities.

Co-edited by ��Ͽ� English Professor Lopamudra Basu and Professor Emerita Feroza Jussawalla, University of New Mexico, the anthology explores trauma through a gendered lens.

“‘Sing, Slivered Tongue’ is not just a litany of trauma. It is a statement of courage. It offers hope and is an attempt to find resolution,” Basu said. “Although the poets are from South Asia, their experiences are global experiences, and our intention is to create bridges.”

Trauma is broadly defined, she noted. The poets’ identities and experiences within the anthology, although focusing on gender-based trauma, also cover themes ranging from personal, political, and historical trauma to religious, ethnic and class-based violence.

Basu wanted to create the anthology because she feels there is a dearth of poetry in the contemporary literary world, particularly for women and international poets.

“Narratives, novels and short stories get more attention. Poetry is thought to be more difficult or hard to access and gravitate to,” she said.

She hopes that readers will be able to see the possibilities created through the short, accessible poems – and that small moments, losses, and triumphs can be preserved and call people back to their own experiences.

Basu will present on her book as part of the Chippewa Valley Book Festival at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, at the Riverview Room at L.E. Phillips Library in Eau Claire and virtually. The hybrid event will include several contributing poets joining via Zoom. Books will be available for purchase at local bookstores this fall.

Read four excerpts from “Sing, Slivered Tongue” in the webzine Scroll.in.

“Sing, Slivered Tongue” was published by Yoda Press in May 2025. Basu is the author of “Ayad Akhtar, the American Nation and its Others After 9/11: Homeland Insecurity,” Lexington Books, 2018; and the co-editor of “Passage to Manhattan: Critical Essays on Meena Alexander,” Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009.

‘Sing, Slivered Tongue’

The anthology’s title refers to Khona, a legendary astrologer and poet who composed in the medieval Bengali language between the ninth and 12th centuries AD. Hers is among the earliest literature in Bengali, and her prophecies, which largely focused on agriculture, had a huge following. Khona’s popularity provoked the jealousy of her father-in-law, who cut out her tongue so she could no longer speak her prophecies. Her story has lived on, however, passed down through generations.

As opposed to a golden voice or a silver tongue, a slivered tongue evokes a sense of vulnerability and suggests a voice that might be damaged or broken, yet still capable of expressing itself, often in a powerful or moving way.

Lopamudra Basu, sixth from the left, and poets of 'Sing, Slivered Tongue.' / Lopamudra Basu

Basu has researched the subject of trauma in her writing and understands that the typical response to trauma is to bury it.

“This is what happened after the Partition, when British rule ended in 1947, and there was a forceful political separation of India and Pakistan,” Basu said. “And in the separation of Bangladesh in 1971, and the nearly three-decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka, beginning in the 1980s.

“Anger, physical and sexual violence were played out on the bodies of women and their stories were never told, or only very marginally. The overwhelming response was to censor these women’s stories. And even then, it was the victims who were made to feel ashamed,” she added.

Only after decades have passed have historians begun to collect and recapture South Asian women’s stories before an entire generation is gone. And movements and protests in support of women’s rights are demanding justice and action, Basu said.

Personal trauma can stem from power struggles in relationships, difficulties in marriage or divorce. It can center around grief and the loss of a family member. Basu’s own poem, “White Roses,” speaks of the loss of her father and how COVID impacted her life. During the pandemic, she was here in Wisconsin, while her family was in India.

“The COVID lockdowns in India were draconian. My dad was a very sociable person, but he died alone in the hospital away from us all. We had no closure and no possibility of a ceremonial funeral,” Basu said. “As firstborn, according to Hindu ritual, I should have been allowed to light his funeral pyre. Instead, he was cremated by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, with only my sister being able to witness the cremation from a distance. It was very inhumanely handled. I cared for my mother from a long distance.”

Basu started her career as a scholarly writer, but in her middle age, has become a poet, she said. “I believe that poetry is something that everyone can have in their life. Poetry is fun, and unlike a novel, you can pick and choose to read what you like within a book.

“A poem is like a flower that opens to reveal its meaning to you. Maybe you miss its meaning the first time, but gradually it will become known to you if you have the patience to come back to it,” she said.

Basu participated in in-person book launches in India this summer. At the University of Engineering and Management’s Center for Excellence in Literature, Language and Communication Skills in Kolkata, she took part in a panel discussion on “The Role of Poetry in Bearing Witness to Trauma.” Several eminent Kolkata poets read their poetry at the event. And in Delhi, Yoda Press hosted a poet's reading. Basu and Jussawalla also virtually joined a panel discussion at the Hyderabad Literature Festival on Aug. 8.

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Basu’s anthology gathers 68 international voices to reflect on trauma, resolution Lopamudra Basu, 'Sing, Slivered Tongue'

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Hero Caption: Professor Lopamudra Basu is co-editor of and contributor to “Sing, Slivered Tongue,” a book of poetry which sheds light on the subject of trauma as told through the voices of 68 writers. Cover art by Hafiza Nilofar Khan.

Lopa Basu

Lopamudra (Lopa) Basu is Professor of English at University of Wisconsin-Stout. She earned her BA (Honors English) and MA degrees from the University of Delhi in India and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her doctoral work was on Postcolonial Literatures, particularly the novel in South Asia. Since then, her research interests have focussed on transnational women’s literature, trauma studies, post 9/11 literature, and Postcolonial poetry.

She is the author of Ayad Akhtar, the American Nation and its Others After 9/11: Homeland Insecurity (Lexington Books, December, 2018) and the co-editor of Passage to Manhattan: Critical Essays on Meena Alexander, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK, 2009. Her articles have been published in journals like Humanities, Women’s Studies, Studies in the Novel, South Asian Review, Nebula, Social Text, Journal of Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies, and in various scholarly anthologies.

She teaches courses in Composition, Honors Composition, and Multicultural American Literature. She created the course “After 9/11: American Literature of Public Crisis and Trauma” and has offered it almost every year since 2014. Other courses she has created and offered include “Multicultural Shakespeare” and “Graphic Narratives.”

Lopa served as Director of ��Ͽ�’s Honors College from 2011-2016 before returning to full time teaching. She was elected to the Board of the National Collegiate Honors Council and served from 2013-2016. Lopa was honored with the ��Ͽ� Dahlgren Professorship in 2016-2017. She was awarded the Senior Outstanding Research award in 2019 and the Outstanding Teacher Award in 2020 from the CAHS College.

Since 2016, she has been writing and publishing creative work, particularly poetry in journals like in Postcolonial Text, Barstow and Grand, the Poetry Calendars of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and in anthologies like Modern English Poetry by Younger Indians (Sahitya Akademi) and Best Asian Poetry 2021-2022 (Kitaab). She reviews literary works for World Literature Today, India Currents, Wasafari and Volume One. As chair of the Literature Committee, at ��Ͽ� and the Humanities representative in the Stout Core Committee, she is an ardent advocate for literature in Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.

Lopa’s life outside of the university is spent with her family in Eau Claire, and family in India. She enjoys cooking and volunteers to cook meals at the Community Table. She plays the New York Times Spelling Bee and Connections every day. The newest member of her family is her Shihtzu Bichon dog Mochi.

Full Name: Lopamudra Basu

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Area of Expertise: Postcolonial Literature Transnational Women's Literature 9/11 Literature Trauma Studies Poetry

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: English, Philosophy & Communication Studies Department

Curriculum Vitae: Lopa Basu CV (381.8 KB)

Website: Author Website

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. English

University: City University of New York

Degree: M.A. English

University: University of Delhi

Degree: B.A. English

University: Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi

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��Ͽ� Leadership Awards recognize more than 100 outstanding students

goersab — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:00:00 +0000

��Ͽ� Leadership Awards recognize more than 100 outstanding studentsgoersab June 5, 2025

Wood Medallion recipients Liester, Moore share experiences in service to campus, peers

Abbey Goers

Alongside more than 100 of their peers, 16 ��Ͽ� seniors were awarded the Samuel E. Wood Medallion, the university’s highest nonacademic honor for students, for their outstanding leadership, involvement and service at the annual Leadership Awards.

Two Wood Medallion recipients were also named Outstanding Student Leaders of the Year: Katy Liester, professional and technical communication, of Menomonie; and Sophia Moore, applied social science, of Red Wing, Minnesota.

Sophia Moore and Katy Liester, Wood Medallion and Outstanding Student Leader award recipients

“Katy has been an involved student since the moment she stepped foot on ��Ͽ�’s campus. It seems impossible to find a space on campus that Katy hasn’t been involved in,” Liester’s nominator said, adding that her greatest leadership qualities are her ability to adapt and be flexible. “Katy never fails to make people feel included and comfortable. Katy thrives in any leadership role, but she has the unique skill of knowing when to let go and build others up to lead as well.”

Moore stands out as a leader due to her boldness, kindness, and compassion, which enable her to lead with both confidence and empathy, her nominator said. “As an advocate for student voices, Sophia is deeply committed to ensuring that students are heard and represented in all areas of campus life. She is determined and driven, always pushing forward to create meaningful change and opportunities for others. Through her leadership, Sophia has contributed significantly to the growth and development of others, encouraging them to take action, make informed decisions and become leaders themselves,” they added.

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.

Liester: A leader in events management

Liester’s leadership experiences began with Blue Devil Productions, where she worked in three positions: communications director, homecoming and films director, and executive producer.

She has also served as the social media lead for the Involvement Center, as well as the administrative and programs student lead for a summer co-op experience. She thinks her leadership roles in the Involvement Center were pivotal in her development as a student and a professional.

“Through these opportunities, I accomplished more than what I thought I was capable of doing, from planning a celebrity Q&A for more than 700 attendees to creating a whole new points system to recognize the student leaders of our campus. I learned more about myself and gained a support system of friends and mentors that I will carry with me beyond my graduation,” Leister said.

“My leadership skills and accomplishments are all thanks to those who supported me as a student at Stout. I’m especially grateful for the professional staff, my teammates, and others who have supported me and helped me grow stronger in my leadership with each opportunity and role,” she added.

Liester will graduate in August and plans to find a career in events management. “I hope I can continue to grow and utilize my leadership skills to bring more events to different audiences and support others in their leadership development as a role model and mentor,” she said.

Moore: An advocate for student voices

Moore’s on-campus leadership includes serving as a student senator for the Stout Student Association, later becoming a vice chair, and now, director of Legislative Affairs. She is a civic engagement student lead at the university’s Involvement Center, a student orientation leader for incoming first-year students, and sits on committees, like the Student Retention Committee, all charged with maintaining a student-driven campus.

“Our campus is uniquely full of leadership opportunities, and our faculty and staff are so incredibly helpful in equipping you with the skills needed to become a great leader,” Moore said.

Moore will graduate in winter 2026 and hopes to continue her journey into public service as an intern or staff member for a legislator before applying to law school.

2025 Wood Medallion recipients

Leadership Awards

Leadership award recipients are selected by a committee of faculty, staff and students. Other Wood Medallion recipients were:

Alex Cluphf, computer science, Kenosha
Nathan Hammer, computer networking and information technology, Wisconsin Rapids
Hailey Herzog, animation and digital media, Minneapolis
Bailey Jacque, hotel, restaurant and tourism management; real estate property management, Thorp
Francis Kaunda, business administration, real estate property management, Lilongwe, Malawi
Emma Kronbeck, hotel, restaurant and tourism management, Red Wing, Minnesota
Ella Lamppa, business administration, supply chain management, Eveleth, Minnesota
Taylor Luxem, human development and family studies, Appleton
Kiara Malloy-Salgado, graphic design and interactive media, Middleton
Catherine Miller, graphic design and interactive media, Mayville
Lucas Moreno-Martinez III, fashion design and development, Vesper
Jeremy O’Connor, construction, Preston, Minnesota
Rosey Silvano, business administration, Minneapolis
Abbi Williams, early childhood education, Waupaca

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

Additional awards presented were:

In addition to Liester and Moore, Ava Allroggen was also named Outstanding Student Leader of the Year. Allroggen is a clinical mental health counseling graduate student from Minneapolis.
Student Employee of the Year, three winners: Josilyn Farrier, Forest Lake, Minnesota, University Dining; Kiara Malloy-Salgado, Middleton, MSC design team; and Kenton Newman, Holmen, Math Teaching and Learning Center
Student Staff Team of the Year, three winners: Student Center’s MSC design team; Writing Center’s peer writing consultants; and Student Counseling Center’s Wellness PROs
Student Organization of the Year, two winners: Blue Devil Productions and Service Club
Student Organization Event of the Year, four winners: Club Managers Association of America, Career Conference Hospitality Mixer; People’s Organization of Network Gaming, Classy-LAN; International Club, International Night; and Alpha Phi, Red Dress Gala
Bill Siedlecki Advisor of the Year, two winners: Eric Brey, Club Managers Association of America; and Darrin Witucki, Stout Student Association

The award ceremony was sponsored by the Involvement Center, Stout Student Association and Career Services. Twenty students also received the Outstanding Cooperative Education and Internship Program Student of the Year Award.

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Wood Medallion recipients Liester, Moore share experiences in service to campus, peers Wood Medallion recipients, 2025

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Fashion and photogrammetry: Communications senior captures couture in 3D

goersab — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:29:12 +0000

Fashion and photogrammetry: Communications senior captures couture in 3Dgoersab April 29, 2025

Student’s apparel collections will premiere at WEAR Fashion Show, May 3

Abbey Goers

Before stepping onto the runway at ��Ͽ�’s annual WEAR Fashion Show on Saturday, May 3, two fashion design and development students and their models joined Anna Mathsen, a professional and technical communication senior, for a photoshoot in the university’s PARSEC Lab.

This was no ordinary photoshoot, however. For her digital humanities capstone project, Mathsen is building a digital fashion portfolio of her friends’ apparel collections using the PARSEC Lab’s 3D-modeling photogrammetry software.

The collections, created by Mathsen’s boyfriend, Evan Tomczyk, and roommate, Lucas Moreno-Martinez III, will be premiered at WEAR, along with more than a dozen of their fashion design peers.

Professional communications senior Anna Mathsen, left, is using the PARSEC Lab to capture 3D imagery of fashion design students' collections

Moreno-Martinez’s collection “Vex” features four outfits inspired by Dracula’s brides and represents his different personalities. “The collection is versatile, with silhouettes that are both familiar and impractical, with dreamlike textures,” he said.

Tomczyk enjoys designing jackets. “Pants make an outfit, but jackets make it interesting,” he said. Two of his four jackets designed this semester will be modeled at WEAR.

WEAR will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall. The vivid runway display showcases and celebrates fashion students’ innovative collections and illustrates their journey from hands-on, studio-based learning to wearable, industry-forward couture.

View the WEAR Fashion Show trailer and purchase tickets online.

Isaac Tester, a graphic design and interactive media senior, models a suit designed by Evan Tomczyk

��Ͽ� fashion design graduates work in major design houses and apparel companies, including lululemon, Steve Madden, Ardisam Inc., Nike, Patagonia, and more, and have founded their own design houses, like the international boutique Mara Marie Bridal.

Fashion and photogrammetry

PARSEC – or Photogrammetry and Reflectivity for STEM Research and Education in the Chippewa Valley – is a photogrammetry space within ��Ͽ�’s Fab Lab.

It has 120 DSLR cameras mounted on a frame to capture 120 photos of an object or person simultaneously. The images, taken within milliseconds, are imported into software that stitches the images together into a detailed 3D model.

The technology is used to create assets in video games, architectural models, interactive digital artifacts for museums and more.

Claire Jost, an industrial design student, models a dress designed by fashion design senior Lucas Moreno-Martinez III

Mathsen, of Eden Prairie, had done a manual photogrammetry project in a previous digital humanities class, where she took dozens of photos asynchronously by hand and edited them herself to create a high-resolution scan.

“The PARSEC Lab is much more efficient. I was excited to use the equipment here. I hope more students use this space for their projects,” she said.

For her portfolio, Mathsen wanted to utilize what she’d learned and cater to her friends’ interests. “I admire fashion, and Evan and Lucas have a passion for design. I wanted to spotlight their work, their design process and completed looks,” she said.

Mathsen is using the Shorthand website creator to build the lookbook for the apparel collections. Student models were Marilena Grado, a fashion design student; Claire Jost, an industrial design student; and Isaac Tester, a graphic design and interactive media senior.

Claire Jost, Lucas Moreno-Martinez III and Marilena Grado

Moreno-Martinez, a senior from Vesper, enjoys designing women’s wear and bringing his concepts to life.

“Vex” includes four outfits: one that shows the wearer is ready to go out for the night, one that is childlike, one that is masculine, and one that is wishful – a red bridal dress, reminiscent of “Beetlejuice.” His designs also remind him of his favorite song that his grandpa used to whistle.

“My grandpa got me to where I am today,” said Moreno-Martinez, who will graduate in December.

Tomczyk, a sophomore from Duluth, Minnesota, is inspired by older designers and tailoring styles and often finds styles by looking through his grandma’s catalogs from the 1930s. Modern international designers he admires are Martin Margiela and Junya Watanabe.

Among Tomczyk’s finely tailored suit jackets, he created an afterhood – a sweatshirt with a hood added to the garment after it is sewn – and a pair of cargo pants with patchwork to match the hoodie. Afterhoods were common in the 1930s and 1940s for winter sports.

Tomczyk will intern this summer as a tailor’s apprentice with Martin Patrick 3, in Minneapolis.

Evan Tomczyk, Anna Mathsen and Isaac Tester

Hosted by the WEAR Fashion Association student organization, WEAR is part of ��Ͽ�’s Spring Showcase of student-centered events in April and May. Seniors also create their own design house, complete with brand names, marketing materials and business plans. Their collections will be on display at a trade show-style exhibit after the event in the MSC ballrooms, where attendees can meet the designers and see the garments up close.

Planning for this year’s event started late last summer. Faculty encouraged underclassmen to submit work, a process new to the event, which previously showcased senior capstone collections and select works by juniors. Among the capstone collections, WEAR will feature 10 suits by underclassmen, tied to an assignment directed by Program Director Sarah Eileen Smith.

“WEAR Fashion Show is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their work in a professional setting as they jumpstart their careers. It’s been inspiring to see new and seasoned students step up and take ownership of their creative growth this year,” said WEAR faculty adviser Bex Cermin.

“I’m especially impressed by the students who created complete two- to four-piece collections outside of any class project or assignment, just for this show. That kind of initiative and drive speaks volumes about the impact an upcoming, fashion-forward event can have on young artists and designers,” Cermin said.

Tester, Tomczyk and Mathsen watch as the images are downloaded to the software

Other ��Ͽ� fashion-focused events include Fashion Without Fabric. The sold-out show on April 12 featured 120 sculptured costume designs by 3D Design students, representing natural and man-made phenomena connected by this year’s theme, “Phenomonie!”

A student and community resource

Computer science Professor Seth Berrier built the software and complex camera system and manages the lab.

“We’ve had four student projects in the PARSEC Lab since it opened. Anna’s is the first communications/fashion design collaboration we’ve had,” he said.

Professional communications Professor Mitch Ogden, Mathsen’s capstone mentor, thinks, “Anna’s photogrammetry project is an inspiring example of Stout’s polytechnic model and is a convergence of degree disciplines. Where else do you get to see fashion and apparel design, computer science and technical communication come together? This is the cross-disciplinary magic of the digital humanities.

“Our program is pushing the envelope for what we think of as ‘content’ and how we imagine putting that content into the world. Photogrammetry is a powerful approach. Already, clothing retailers are exploring moves towards 3D modeling of clothes,” Ogden added. “As technologies evolve and our consumer habits with them, there will be continued innovation in this field. Anna’s project prepares her to be ready for those opportunities of the future.”

Berrier's software pieces together the 120 images to create a 3D model in a matter of minutes

Berrier would like to make the lab portable to bring the cameras to clients and to various campus events, such as Fashion Without Fabric. He is also hoping the lab can be a part of the new Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Space in development in the University Library.

The PARSEC Lab opened in 2022 and was made possible through a National Science Foundation grant. Internal and external partners have included the University Library Archives and the Dunn County Historical Society to capture artifacts using 3D imagery.

The Fab Lab is free to use for ��Ͽ� students. Training on laser cutters, 3D printers and leading-edge digital fabrication tools empowers students to design, prototype and build nearly anything they envision. Through memberships, it is available for community members to use after completion of the Introduction to Fab Lab Equipment training.

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

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Student’s apparel collections will premiere at WEAR Fashion Show, May 3

$3.5M gift from alumni to Foundation will provide eight full tuition scholarships per year

Two alumni whose career paths were determined and lives shaped during their college days at ��Ͽ� are supporting future student success.

Outside in: M.F.A. student hits Omaha Fashion Week runway with nature-inspired collection

Cermin, a fashion design instructor, to featured at one of the nation's largest fashion events

Student’s apparel collections will premiere at WEAR Fashion Show, May 3 Parsec Lab, fashion design portfolio

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Hero Caption: Marilena Grado, a fashion design student, models a corset and skirt designed by fashion design senior Lucas Moreno-Martinez.

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Preserving tradition: Professional communication student brings digital display to life for community

goersab — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 16:19:55 +0000

Preserving tradition: Professional communication student brings digital display to life for communitygoersab February 24, 2025

Thao’s exhibit celebrates history, culture behind traditional Hmong clothing

Abbey Goers

A collaboration across academic disciplines and interstate universities helped to bring a ��Ͽ� professional and technical communication student’s project to life.

Pakou Thao, of Eau Claire, created a virtual Hmong clothing exhibit for her Digital Humanities Capstone course last fall, displaying a treasured aspect of her culture in the digital realm.

Thao, a grant specialist with the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, Inc., was later awarded a grant through Wisconsin Humanities to support the Eau Claire Hmong New Year Celebration in October, through which she brought her virtual exhibit to reality.

Pakou Thao's exhibit spoke to the importance of preserving the hand-stitched clothing and informing viewers of its cultural significance / Meghan Dudle, Wisconsin Humanities

She worked closely with ��Ͽ�’s fashion design and development program and Bee Vang-Moua, director of Hmong language instruction in the Asian and Middle Eastern studies department at the University of Minnesota.

“I love my culture, and I’m a big collector of traditional Hmong clothing,” Thao said. “Our clothing matters. It identifies who we are, where our families are from, and our language and dialect.”

She noted that during the pandemic, there was a rise in young Hmong girls buying traditional Hmong clothing, without necessarily understanding the vast history and culture behind the garments.

“I wanted to inspire younger Hmong individuals to know who we are, especially to help them understand that traditional, authentic clothing has a purpose,” she added.

For general viewers, Thao wanted to help them understand the intricacies of the hand-stitched designs and to inspire the preservation of the clothing.

“As we move to modern technology, my hope is that we all appreciate the artistry behind traditional Hmong clothing, to collect it and hold on to it,” she said.

The exhibit included 22 outfits, part of Bee Vang-Moua’s personal collection / Bee Vang-Moua

To create her digital exhibit, Thao met with Lee Pao Xiong, founding director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul, who gave her access to his collection.

“Doing something for school that I enjoy and am passionate about – it made it more fun,” she said.

View Pakou Thao's virtual Hmong clothing exhibit.

The live exhibit, “Discovering Hmong Roots Through Traditional Clothing: Reminiscing the Diaspora from Laos to the United States,” at the New Year’s celebration, was curated by Vang-Moua, a collector of traditional Hmong textiles and clothing. The exhibit consisted of 22 outfits from her collection.

“Bee has an extensive knowledge of traditional Hmong clothing from China to today. To have her serve as curator was such an honor,” Thao said.

Learning about fashion through a different lens

Thao collaborated with ��Ͽ� fashion design Lecturer Sarah Eileen Smith to procure mannequins for the display.

“Fashion can be inspired by anything, but history and culture are two huge points of inspiration for many fashion designers. We emphasize the importance of looking outside of ourselves and our personal experience for inspiration when it comes to building a fashion collection,” Smith said.

The exhibit was on display at the Eau Claire Hmong New Year Celebration in October / Bee Vang-Moua

“Projects like Pakou's exhibition offer everyone the opportunity to engage with beautiful garments that are so important to the Hmong community and learn about fashion through a different lens. We were thrilled to be able to participate by lending out our mannequins to support Pakou's work,” Smith added.

Thao is thankful to Wisconsin Humanities for seeing the importance of preserving arts and culture, to Vang-Moua for sharing her extensive knowledge, and to Smith for her kindness in providing the mannequins, she said.

“This project would not have been successful if it weren’t for my managers, professors, colleagues, the grantor and the humanities expert. Writing the grant, collaborating with partners and seeing the vision I had on display made me truly appreciate all the course materials I learned at ��Ͽ�,” she said.

Thao earned her professional communication degree in December 2024. She has been at ECAHMAA for three years. She has her paralegal associate’s degree from Chippewa Valley Technical College. When looking for a bachelor’s in English degree to improve her writing skills, she was able to transfer all of her credits into ��Ͽ�’s program.

The professional and technical communication degree, formerly called professional communications and emerging media, is offered through the English, philosophy and communication studies department. The department also offers a new bachelor’s in game and media studies for students interested in leadership, research and project management in gaming and media.

��Ͽ� hosts several community-based events throughout the year, including the Citizen Journalism Workshop series, led by PCT Program Director Kate Roberts Edenborg. The final session of the series will be held on Tuesday, March 4. Future sessions will be posted on the Continuing Education page. No experience is needed.

About a dozen participants will connect with local media representatives, including from the Leader-Telegram, Volume One, WEAU, WPR, Menomonie Minute, Menomonie News Net, Eye on Dunn County and the Colfax Messenger.

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

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Basu’s anthology gathers 68 international voices to reflect on trauma, resolution

��Ͽ� Leadership Awards recognize more than 100 outstanding students

Wood Medallion recipients Liester, Moore share experiences in service to campus, peers

Thao’s exhibit celebrates history, culture behind traditional Hmong clothing Pakou Thao's Hmong clothing exhibit. Photo by Meghan Dudle from Wisconsin Humanities.

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Hero Caption: Pakou Thao worked closely with ��Ͽ�’s fashion design and development program and Bee Vang-Moua (pictured), director of Hmong language instruction in the Asian and Middle Eastern studies department at the University of Minnesota.

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Spring Showcase 2024: Experience what the Polytechnic Advantage is all about

goersab — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 16:35:37 +0000

Spring Showcase 2024: Experience what the Polytechnic Advantage is all aboutgoersab April 8, 2024

Multiple research and design events in April, May open to the public

Abbey Goers

Hands-on research is a standard part of ��Ͽ�’s Polytechnic Advantage. From day one, it’s wrapped into students’ applied learning experiences.

For standout student researcher Ethan Kalin, hands-on research opportunities in his undergrad boosted his confidence in his knowledge, skillset and love for science in countless ways, he said.

Kalin, of St. Paul, will be one of nearly 300 undergraduate and graduate students presenting at Research Day, on Monday, April 29, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall and ballrooms.

The community is invited to meet with ��Ͽ� faculty, staff and students, as well as students from Chippewa Valley Technical College, as they present their research through more than 170 posters, exhibits, art and design displays, and oral and panel presentations.

Nearly 300 students will present at Research Day on Monday, April 29.

Research Day, part of the Stout Spring Showcase, special events in April and May, celebrates student research, creativity and innovation.

Spring Showcase events also include:

Human Sciences Day: Tuesday, April 16
University Choirs concert: Saturday, April 20
Symphonic Band concert: Sunday, April 21
Communications Skills Showcase: Wednesday, April 24
WEAR Fashion Show, Saturday, April 27
Blue Devil Jazz Orchestra concert: Saturday, April 27
Stout Game Expo: Thursday, May 2
SOAD Senior Show: Friday, May 3
Student Artist in Residence and Best of Design exhibitions reception and awards ceremony: Friday, May 3
Unspooled Film and Animation Festival: Thursday, May 9, to Saturday, May 11

Stout Spring Showcase

Join us for weeks of events that celebrate ��Ͽ�'s polytechnic research, creativity and innovation.

Polytechnic research showcase

Research Day hosts multiple events, including WiSys Quick Pitch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Quick Pitch is a three-minute, elevator-pitch-style competition open to undergraduate and graduate students in all programs.

The day also includes:

1 to 2:45 p.m.: Oral presentations
3 to 5:30 p.m.: Posters and exhibits
5:45 to 6:30 p.m.: Outstanding Researcher awards ceremony

“The research component allows for a broader educational experience for ��Ͽ� students,” said Anne Hoeltke, director of Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. “Students are able to explore the effects of applying new thought processes and experience the practical application of their project.

“This is one of the core foundations of being a polytechnic institution and is a high impact practice. It is also an opportunity for students to work with our wonderful faculty who can light the fire of curiosity in students and provide a lifetime of learning. Research is a powerful part of the educational experience and one we are proud to share with our students,” she said.

Research Day

��Ͽ� Polytechnic's Research Day is an annual showcase that underscores the applied learning and research of Wisconsin's polytechnic students.

The awards ceremony will recognize the following faculty and students:

Jerry Hui, music: Senior Outstanding Researcher
Dana Linnell, psychology: Emerging Outstanding Researcher
Jennifer Grant, biology: Outstanding Research Mentor
Genevieve Czaplewski, applied social science, Grand Island, Neb.: College of Arts and Human Sciences Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher
Olivier Charest, applied science, La Prairie, Quebec: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher
Brianna Capra, M.F.A. design, Menomonie: Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher

Research Day is coordinated by ��Ͽ�’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. The ��Ͽ� event is a qualifier for the state meet to be held July 24-26, at UW-Superior.

��Ͽ� students and faculty will also present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, April 8-11, in Long Beach, Calif. The 14 students will join more than 4,000 undergraduates from across the country, representing all disciplines with research ranging from urban stream restoration to the influence on first-generation college students to AI, mental health, civic knowledge and more.

Hands-on, cross-disciplinary research

Kalin will present three projects at Research Day, displaying his cross-disciplinary studies in environmental science, psychology and biology:

“Temporal Analysis of Toxin-Producing Cyanobacteria,” with mentor Nicole Hayes. Research focused on the relationship between blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, and the toxins it produces, particularly in lakes Menomin and Tainter in late summer.
“How Concussions Affect Balance,” with mentor Desiree Budd. Kalin analyzed data collected from college student athletes and observed how the contact levels of varying sports interact with the number of concussions experienced.
“Comparing Tissue Processing Methods Using Zebrafish Tissue,” with mentor Tiffany Hoage. Research of different tissue preparation methods allowed for analysis of parts of the fish body using a microscope to observe the creature’s intricate design at the cellular level.

Kalin is an applied science senior with a concentration in biology and a minor in cognitive neuroscience. He presented his temporal analysis at Research in the Rotunda on March 6, at the state Capitol.

Students Natalie Mercill, Ethan Kalin and Sarah Loreth in the Cadaver Lab

“I believe that these projects and the many others I've had the chance to work on throughout my career have bolstered my preparedness for jobs and graduate-level programs,” Kalin said.

Kalin received two grants through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for research exploring the MCA1 gene, with Hayes; and zebrafish tissue processing methods, with Hoage and co-researcher Natalie Mercill, a biology major at UW-Eau Claire. The Stout University Foundation supports many student research and dissemination projects through its internal grant program.

Cadaver Lab offers students unique perspective on inner workings of the human body

Hands-on approach to learning prepares university students for careers in medicine, science and applied research

“As faculty members, the very curiosity and passion that once launched our journey into research often takes a backseat amidst the demands of teaching and administrative responsibilities,” Budd said. “Then, a student like Ethan enters our classroom, full of curiosity and a passion for learning and exploration. In these moments, we are vividly reminded of the joy and wonder that initially propelled us into the realm of research.

“Thus, the involvement of undergraduates in research not only nurtures the development of critical thinking and analytical skills in students but also revitalizes the spirit of inquiry within the academic community.”

Kalin is among eight student volunteers in the university’s Cadaver Lab, helping run tours for visiting high schools. As part of an independent project for his Honors College contract, he completed a dissection and then presentation of the central nervous system with Dr. Alex Hall in the Cadaver Lab, studying the brain from an individual with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Ethan Kalin helps lead a tour for high school students in the Cadaver Lab

“Getting to dissect and study a human brain with such a well-known neurological condition has been a huge steppingstone in my understanding of neural anatomy and further solidified my passion for research in neuroscience,” he said.

Kalin will graduate in May and is applying to graduate schools for a doctorate program in neural molecular biology, neuroscience or other related subjects.

Fashion, gaming and visual arts events

Fashion design and development students’ clothing collections will be featured at the WEAR Fashion Show, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall.

Juniors and seniors will show their design collections, modeled by the designers themselves, friends, family and alumni. Seniors will model their capstone projects – full collections, complete with brand names. The event is hosted by the WEAR Fashion Association student organization. Tickets are required for WEAR and are available to purchase online.

WEAR Fashion Show is on Saturday, April 27.

Join the fun at Stout Game Expo, western Wisconsin's largest game developers' event from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall and ballrooms.

SGX features the works of about 250 first-year to senior students in game design and development-art; and the game design concentration in computer science. They will share their tabletop games, board and card games, conventional video games, virtual reality experiences and rhythm games.

Fifteen game design students attended the Game Developers Conference and Independent Games Festival in San Francisco recently, with professors Andrew Williams and Karl Koehle. They also visited Ubisoft Studio, the Cartoon Art Museum, a vintage arcade at Fisherman's Wharf and attended a concert featuring Nintendo themes played by a string trio.

Stout Game Expo is on Thursday, May 2.

SOAD Senior Show features capstone projects by nearly 120 graduating School of Art and Design seniors, 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 3. Meet with students and talk about their creative works in exhibits throughout Applied Arts and Micheels Hall:

Ceramics and enameling: AA room 101
Painting and sculpture: AA room 121
Printmaking: AA rooms 202 and 203
Photography: AA room 205
Studio Art: AA Gallery 209
Video production and animation: AA room 210
Industrial and product design: AA room 216
“Illuminate”: AA room 217
Interior design: AA rooms 219 and 220
Graphic design and interactive media: AA room 221E
Furniture design: AA room 226 
Comics: AA room 234  
Game design: Micheels room 184
Animation production: Micheels room 290

Fine art sales by students will be held throughout the buildings, and cow sculptures will be on display in the Furlong atrium.

SOAD Senior Show is on Friday, May 3.

��Ͽ�’s Furlong Gallery will host the Student Artist in Residence Exhibition and the Best of Design Juried Exhibition, Monday, April 29, to Saturday, Sept. 7. A reception and awards ceremony will be from 5 to 9 p.m. during SOAD Senior Show.

Human Sciences Day

Human Sciences Day, on Tuesday, April 16, is a professional development opportunity for students in the College of Arts and Human Sciences to explore career opportunities in nonprofit, government, public and private companies.

Students can meet with more than 25 employers, both local and out-of-state, for one-on-one interviews from 2 to 4 p.m., and attend the three employer panels.

Employers interested in participating may reach out to Abby Tengwall, with Career Services.

Concert performances

The Symphonic Singers, Chamber Choir and Devil Tones Acappella will present their concert Green Grass and Blue Water at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 910 E. 9th St., in Menomonie.

The Symphonic Band will present Stars and Sky at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 21, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall.

The Blue Devil Jazz Orchestra will present Jazz from Harvey at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at the historic Harvey Hall Theatre.

Concert tickets are available online at uwstout.universitytickets.com and the door.

Performing Arts

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Spoken and written word presentations

The Communications Skills Showcase celebrates students’ work in first-year writing and public speaking classes. The showcase will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24, in the Memorial Student Center ballrooms A and B. It is free and open to the public.

Awards will be given to the top three speakers, as chosen by a panel of judges. In its first year, the Andrea Deacon Writing Award will honor students for their essays. The award is named for Professor Andrea Deacon, who passed away from cancer in 2021. Deacon was the driving force behind the first-year writing program at ��Ͽ�.

Unspooled Film and Animation Festival

The Unspooled Film and Animation Festival will be held Thursday, May 9, to Saturday, May 11. The annual juried event features films and animations made by regional and international independent storytellers – professionals and students, alike. Films are screened at ��Ͽ�’s historic Harvey Hall Theatre. The event also offers workshops and guest speakers.

May 9, 4 to 9 p.m.: Student films and awards, Harvey Hall Theatre
May 10, 4 to 9 p.m.: Independent films and awards, Harvey Hall Theatre and Brewery Nønic
May 11, 1 to 9 p.m.: Animation films and awards, Harvey Hall Theatre and Zymurgy Brewing

Unspooled Film & Animation Festival

A ��Ͽ� supported community event showcasing innovative works of film and animation by students and independent producers.

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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

Multiple research and design events in April, May open to the public Research Day

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��Ͽ�’s Fostering Success Program, leaders recognized by Gov. Evers

goersab — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 17:23:35 +0000

��Ͽ�’s Fostering Success Program, leaders recognized by Gov. Eversgoersab October 30, 2023

First-of-its-kind program, Provost Rodríguez, Professor Lukowski recognized Oct. 27 at state Diversity Awards

Abbey Goers

A unique program and two outstanding individuals at ��Ͽ� were recognized by the Wisconsin State Council on Affirmative Action and the Division of Personnel Management for their commitment to faculty, staff and student success through diverse educational services and efforts in the workforce.

At the council’s Diversity Awards ceremony on Oct. 27, ��Ͽ�’s Fostering Success Program, the first-of-its-kind program on Universities on Wisconsin campuses, received the Ann Lydecker Educational Diversity Award.

Diversity Awards recipients Alison Lukowski, Glendali Rodriguez and Angie Ruppe with Gov. Tony Evers and ��Ͽ� Multicultural Student Services Director Mai Khou Xiong / Mai Khou Xiong

��Ͽ� Provost Glendalí Rodríguez, vice chancellor of Academic Affairs, received the Lifetime of Service Diversity Award for her profound impact on efforts across the institution for the last two decades.

And Associate Professor Alison Lukowski received an Outstanding Leadership Diversity Award for her leadership as director of the university’s First-Year Composition program, promoting a respectful and inclusive campus environment.

“��Ͽ� is appreciative of this recognition of the outstanding work of our faculty and staff in support of student success and institutional excellence,” said Chancellor Katherine Frank. “We value our people at ��Ͽ�. It is because of their tireless efforts on behalf of our institution and our students that we are able to meet our mission as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University and support the workforce needs of our state.”

��Ͽ� has received the Ann Lydecker Educational Diversity Award two years in a row; Stoutward Bound, an early-start bridge program for incoming first-year underrepresented students, including first-generation or low-income students, was recognized in 2022. Fostering Success received the Regents' Diversity Award from the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents in 2020.

View the awards ceremony recording on YouTube.

Stoutward Bound honored with state Educational Diversity Award

A highly successful program that supports students each year from historically underrepresented and underserved backgrounds has received a state award.

Fostering Success through unequaled support

��Ͽ�’s Fostering Success supports college students who were former foster youth, students who have experienced out-of-home care, are orphaned or wards or the court, or those experiencing housing insecurity, a population that is often underserved and faces additional barriers to college education.

The program provides guidance, resources, leadership and involvement opportunities on and off campus so students can make the most of their college experience.

Fostering Success has a strong enrollment and retention rate, with 30 returning students in the program this year and 46 new eligible students identified. Students in the program have an average cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and are retained at an average rate of 73%.

Nationally, although 80% of foster youth hope to attend college, only 13% enroll and less than 4% graduate from a four-year institution.

The program also coordinates overnight experiences and campus tours for youth ages 13 to 17 to learn about higher education, grants and scholarships, courses and resources. It provides information to other campuses interested in developing a similar program.

Angie Ruppe, director of Fostering Success and TRIO Student Support Services, is proud and honored that the program was recognized.

“Fostering Success has been a labor of love and a collective effort by our university community, and its impact on the lives of our students is truly remarkable,” she said. “It's heartwarming to know that our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is being acknowledged. This award serves as a validation of the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the program."

Fostering Success wins Regents' Diversity Award

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will honor the recipients of the 12th annual Regents’ Diversity Awards on February 7 in Madison at the next

In its letter of recognition, the DOA congratulated Fostering Success, as its initiative “embodies your institution’s commitment to equity and inclusion. The program also showcases your dedication to offering a multicultural, multiethnic experience for students at all levels of academic pursuit. Programs such as this make a difference in student success and make possible options that might not otherwise be attainable.”

Fostering Success works in collaboration with the TRIO Student Support Services grant, which supports students from first-generation and limited-income backgrounds as well as students with a disability.

A career of profound impact

In her 18 years at ��Ͽ�, Rodríguez has been an active leader at the university, in the community and in academia, affecting positive change with a collaborative approach through her expertise, actions and lived experience as a woman of color.

She joined ��Ͽ�’s construction program in 2005 as its only female faculty member and has had a demonstrable impact on the university through progressive roles as department chair, associate provost and provost. Rodriguez continues to play a central leadership role on the university’s Baldrige committee, which identifies people as a key driver of organizational success.

Actively involved with students beyond the classroom, Rodriguez was also an early advocate of planned improvements to ��Ͽ�’s Student Counseling Center. She has served as a faculty adviser to ��Ͽ�’s Latinos Unidos chapter, one of the university’s largest student organizations, and as director of the university’s former STEPS program, inspiring young women in engineering, technology and science fields.

Under her leadership, ��Ͽ� was awarded the U.S. State Department, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs' IDEAS grant to support a series of heritage-based, faculty-led study abroad programs and led the first Latinx program to Costa Rica in January 2023.

Ten students immersed in Costa Rican culture via international business study abroad course

Hands-on, polytechnic experiences bring group closer to heritage of Latin America

To aid faculty, Rodríguez worked to create support networks for diverse employees across campus through the Minority Faculty and Staff Network, now known as the Underrepresented Faculty and Staff Alliance.

As a licensed architect with expertise in building information modeling and design, she has advised nonprofit organizations on aspects of universal design, and her work with students integrated service learning as a high impact practice.

She is a recipient of the UW System Pathways Initiative grant and was selected to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' Student Success Institute, a leadership development program for campus leaders to help implement transformational change necessary to meet the evolving needs of diverse students. She was the recipient of the Fellow’s Choice award in the program.

Diversifying student experiences through education

Lukowski is in her sixth year at ��Ͽ�. As director of First-Year Composition, nearly every incoming first-year student passes through her program. “We work really hard to make these courses support student success,” she said.

Lukowski also teaches women and gender studies in the English, philosophy and communication studies department, serves as a faculty fellow for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office, is a core team member of the Higher Learning Commission’s Student Success Academy and has presented research and published articles on supporting diverse student needs.

“Equity, diversity and inclusion have always been central to my career,” she said. “Some of my motivation for this work is tied to my experience as a Pell grant recipient and first-generation college student. I took the position at Stout because I saw an opportunity to support students like me.”

2023 Diversity and Virginia Hart award recipients at the Capitol’s Assembly Chambers in Madison / Department of Administration

Now in their 24th year, the Diversity Awards were presented at the Diversity and Virginia Hart Special Recognition Awards event, at the Capitol’s Assembly Chambers in Madison. The ceremony was open to the public, with remarks by Gov. Tony Evers, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, SCAA Chair Angela Nash and special guest Maysee Herr, CEO of the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce.

The SCAA established the Diversity Awards program in 2000 to recognize outstanding Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action practices among state agencies, UW campuses and Wisconsin technical colleges for their strong commitment to recruiting, retaining and promoting a diverse classified workforce.

“These awards recognize some of the most dedicated public servants in our midst,” said state Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld, “and we are proud to be able to celebrate not only the impact of these outstanding individuals, but to also inspire future leaders to serve and build a state government that is equitable and inclusive.”

��Ͽ�’s FOCUS2030 strategic plan includes initiatives for inclusive excellence, student retention and employee success.

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Welcome to Stout!: Stoutward Bound scholars build community, arrive early to campus

Early-start bridge program helps students transition to college life

��Ͽ� arts and humanities events scheduled for spring 2025

Community programs include exhibits, ‘Alice by Heart’ musical, concerts, film screenings; coincide with Destination Weekend, Spring Showcase

Faculty, staff awarded for creating opportunities for students in packaging; helping to discover new identities

DeGruson, Brown recognized by Universities of Wisconsin at annual ceremony

First-of-its-kind program, Provost Rodríguez, Professor Lukowski recognized Oct. 27 at capitol ��Ͽ� Diversity Award recipients with Gov. Evers

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Fostering Success provides guidance and resources for youth who have experienced out of home care and have interest in pursuing higher education.

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Novelist Ganeshananthan to present ‘Brotherless Night’ at Chippewa Valley Book Festival event co-hosted by ��Ͽ�

goersab — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 13:46:33 +0000

Novelist Ganeshananthan to present ‘Brotherless Night’ at Chippewa Valley Book Festival event co-hosted by ��Ͽ�goersab October 3, 2023

Historical fiction talk on Oct. 16 will address war, feminism, ethnicity

Abbey Goers

The earliest years of Sri Lanka’s three-decade-long civil war are the earliest years of American fiction writer V.V. Ganeshananthan's life. Stories of the war are imprinted on her memory. They are the stories she grew up hearing and reading about.

Ganeshananthan shares one such story in her historical novel “Brotherless Night,” a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Set in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, during the 1980s, it is the story of Sashi, a 16-year-old girl who wants to become a doctor, as well as her brothers and their friend K, who are swept up in the violence of war.

Novelist V.V. Ganeshananthan, author of 'Brotherless Night' / Portrait by Sophia Mayrhofer

Sashi works as a medic at a field hospital for the militant Tamil Tigers, who, following years of state discrimination and violence, are fighting for a separate homeland for Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority. But events lead Sashi to question where she stands, and when she’s invited to join a secret project documenting human rights violations, she embarks on a dangerous path that will change her forever.

“Brotherless Night” is part of this year’s Chippewa Valley Book Festival readings. Ganeshananthan will present “Brotherless Night: Political Fiction of the Recent Past” from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16, in ��Ͽ�’s Harvey Hall Theatre. It will also be live-streamed.

The event is free and open to the public; no registration is needed. It is co-hosted by the festival and ��Ͽ�’s Literature Committee.

Ganeshananthan will discuss how she researched 1980s Sri Lanka to create a historically accurate setting for her novel. She'll also delve into themes and style, emphasizing their places in the larger tradition of literature addressing war, feminism and ethnicity.

“I hope my audience and readers can hear me tell the beginning of a good story, particularly a story that looks to restore to common knowledge of an erased narrative,” Ganeshananthan said. “‘Brotherless Night’ is a book that approaches several marginalized vantage points of the civil war – women and minorities – and places them at the center.”

Ganeshananthan’s work has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, “Best American Nonrequired Reading” and other publications. She is a former vice president of the South Asian Journalists Association, has served on the board of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and is a member of the boards of the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies and the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.

She teaches in the MFA program at the University of Minnesota and co-hosts the podcast Fiction/Non/Fiction on Literary Hub, which is about the intersection of literature and the news.

“Brotherless Night” will be available for sale by Dragon Tale Books at the event for $28, plus tax. Ganeshananthan will autograph books. It is also from the University Library in electronic book and audiobook formats.

‘The role of literature in remembering’

��Ͽ� professors Lopa Basu, Literature Committee co-chair, and Kevin Drzakowski are members of the festival’s Authors and Events Committee, which chooses the authors each year.

'Brotherless Night' is a New York Times Editors’ Choice / V.V. Ganeshananthan

“I recommended ‘Brotherless Night’ because it is a really important document of the Sri Lankan civil war. I wanted V.V. Ganeshananthan to come to campus to share her perspective with our community and students to increase their global awareness of terrorism, conflict and the role of literature in remembering,” said Basu, who is looking forward to learning how to write about and teach complex and painful histories.

Literature can play a role in teaching us about our histories, Ganeshananthan thinks. “We live in a world where official storytellers, whether they are governments and non-state actors like the Tamil Tigers, are insistent on telling their versions. And a lot of stories are left out,” she said.

“Fiction uniquely fills that imaginative space of covering history at its margins or where stories are flat-out missing.”

A lot of Ganeshananthan’s favorite writers work to fill those gaps. For example, Edward P. Jones, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, and Shyam Selvadurai, author of “Funny Boy,” a queer coming-of-age novel set right before Sri Lanka’s civil war.

“Some think these sorts of narratives are too complicated for most people to comprehend in fiction writing. I don’t believe this,” she added. “It’s important to write about things that other people try to intentionally erase. And as a reader, to find stories that exist outside of the official bounds. These are unknown narratives, but unknown to who?”

“Brotherless Night” and other historical fiction ask, “What does the reader assume?,” and can show the reader they might be wrong in their assumptions, she said.

Ganeshananthan will also visit with Basu’s Honors Composition students, who will be reading “Brotherless Night” and will have an informal Q&A with the author.

The students will write about the novel or use it as a source for a research paper on conflict and resolution. Basu would like her students to learn about how othering (the act of treating someone as though they are not part of a group or are different in some way) by race and ethnicity can create unbelievable tragedies and violence, she said.

Ganeshananthan will talk with them about how she became a writer, what it’s like to write a book and the difficulties of approaching historical material in writing. She has the same discussions with her own creative writing classes.

Inclusive excellence is a part of ��Ͽ�’s FOCUS2030 goals. It aims to invest in and ensure access to equitable, diverse and inclusive learning, student living and work environments that reflect regional and global connections.

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Historical fiction talk on Oct. 16 will address war, feminism, ethnicity Brotherless Night novel

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About the Literature Committee

Reading and discussing literature are vital activities that expand our ideas and provide insights into a dynamic and diverse world.

Our Mission

The Literature Committee serves as a source of information on current literary pedagogies, practices, and theories and to actively promote, on campus and throughout the community, the value of creative writing, literature, literary studies, and literary culture via course offerings, outreach programs, involvement in curriculum and assessment, and the English minor.

Our Vision

The Literature Committee supports an appreciation of reading, engaged discussion, reflective considerations of literature, and creative writing as activities that have valuable effects for society. Reading and the many forms of literacy—information, literary, textual, and visual—are applications of active learning and critical thinking skills and have transformative potential in their demonstrated ability to improve communication, rhetorical acumen, and intercultural understanding in a complex, diverse, and ever-changing society.

Statement of Purpose

The Literature Committee, functioning under the aegis of the Department of English & Philosophy, seeks to actively promote the value of literature, literary studies, and literary culture across campus and throughout the community.

We recognize the importance of the literary arts—creativity, film, language, literature, publishing, and reading—within the broad spectrum of the humanities and liberal education. We believe that in order to cultivate a more engaged and informed society we need to recognize and encourage a commitment to reading and literacy as fundamental modes of active reflection and cultural transformation.

We view reading and the knowledge of various forms of literacy—information, literary, textual, and visual—as primary applications of active learning and critical thinking. Literacy transforms individuals by preparing them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change.

Moreover, as fundamental to the humanities and the liberal arts, literature and literacy supports analysis, synthesis, and problem-solving skill development. Reading has a demonstrated and positive effect on an increased ability to apply knowledge and skills in new real-world settings. Reading promotes effective communication, rhetorical skill, and the understanding of intercultural dialogue.

Literature Committee Programming

As part of its vision, the Literature Committee hosts two important campus programs that demonstrate the importance of literature and literary culture across the campus community.

The Reading Series

Each semester the Literature Committee invites recognized writers, poets, and literary specialists to lecture, discuss literary issues, and read from their works. We strive to collaborate with campus and community organizations such as the Robert S. Swanson Library & Learning Center, the Honors College, Multicultural Student Services, and the Menomonie Public Library.

Reading Across Campus

Each year the Literature Committee promotes a campus-wide reading program featuring a significant book reflecting cultural ideas relevant to all students and faculty, and an associated film that encapsulates the grounds the reading event. We present the film with a reception featuring a campus leader, and tap into faculty expertise in three related lecture events.

Function of the Literature Committee

The Literature Committee encourages engaged discussion and reflective consideration of literature and creative writing course offerings in the Department of English and Philosophy. As such we act as a source of information on current literary pedagogies, practices, and theories. Moreover, we are concerned with literary opportunities for students in classes, programs, the English minor, and curriculum and assessment. The Literature Committee guides the university in continuing improvement of literary activities, literature and creative writing courses, and literary outreach programs.

We believe that reading and discussing literature are vital activities that expand our ideas and provide insights into a dynamic and diverse world. Each year, the Literature Committee—part of the Department of English & Philosophy—promotes the value of literary studies through events that emphasize literary culture across the campus community.

The Literature Committee is charged by the Department of English and Philosophy (CAHSS) accordingly:

The Committee on Literature, which has three fundamental purposes:

to develop strategies for increasing enrollment in literature and creative writing courses;
to inform ��Ͽ� administrators, faculty, and students of the values of literary studies;
to establish guidelines for revising, expanding and improving literature and creative writing courses and the literature program in general.

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PODCAST: Being Human UT features Stout faculty for 2023 Polytechnic Summit recap

hugginsm — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 15:28:51 +0000

PODCAST: Being Human UT features Stout faculty for 2023 Polytechnic Summit recaphugginsm June 20, 2023

Ogden, Astwood, and researcher DeCosta discuss how polytechnics can embrace humanities fabrication and other "SHTEAM" topics.

In a recent conversation with Utah Tech professors Randy Jasmine and Jim Haendiges for the "Being Human UT" podcast, Professor Mitch Ogden, Professor Jennifer Astwood and undergraduate researcher Olivia DeCosta dove deeper into opportunities they presented at the 2023 Polytechnic Summit for polytechnic universities to embrace humanities through fabrication and other hands-on teaching methods.

By expanding traditionally polytechnic STEM academics, and the acronym, to reflect not only art (the "a" in STEAM) but humanities—Ogden calls it "SHTEAM"—polytechnic universities can contextualize the traditional bedrock of liberal arts institutions in a way befitting of the applied learning model.

FabLabs, with their 3D printers and other technologies, continue to gain popularity, but the concept of "humanities fabrication" remains more obscure. The Stout trio, and others involved in the project, are pushing to change that through a build-based education experience that teaches students about cultural innovation.

To make sure the learning sticks, the project deliverable is embracing the absurd with inspiration from Russell E. Oakes (aka "Professor I.M. Nuts").

Sara Brewer ('17), a graduate of the professional communication and emerging media program, discovered the 19th-century-born ad man from Waukesha, whose overactive innovation led to a legacy of odd inventions and theatrics. Among more than 50 creations, Oakes's Spaghetti Aid was part hand beater, part fork and 100% absurd. It also made for a perfect oddity to help younger students explore iterative design, Wisconsin history and cultural evolution through the maker lens.

Since Brewer's initial research, Stout students have played a important hands-on role in the project's development—doing research, creating content, designing and redesigning Oakes's prototype, testing and developing the process, and working with elementary students. DeCosta, an industrial and product design major from St. Paul, finished version 2.0 of the initial redesign in Spring 2023.

Listen in at 1:14:00 when Ogden, Astwood and DeCosta discuss the inspiration and development of their project.

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Mitchell Ogden

Teaching Interests: Digital Humanities Hmong Studies Diaspora and Transnational Studies Film Studies American Literature Writing Pedagogy and Writing Across the Curriculum New Literacy Studies Asian American Studies Writing Center Pedagogy and Administration Service Learning/Community Engaged Pedagogy

Full Name: Mitchell Ogden

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College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

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University: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

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Jennifer Astwood

Teaching Interests: DES 331 – ID3: Product Interface Design (2 sections) DES 231 – ID2: Ergonomics DES 205 – Design Drawing and Concept Visualization ART 256 – Slip-Casting for Designers and Artists DES 231 – ID1: Product Form and Visualization DES 333 – Professional Practice DES 405 – Advanced Presentation Techniques DES 431 – System, Environment, and Context DES 432 – Theory, Society, and Application DES 712 – Sustainable Design Practice SUST 432/632 – Global Sustainability Experience in Design & Manufacturing

Professional Interests: Skills: Creative Problem-Solving Freehand Sketching/Rendering Sketch Model Making Project Management Sewing

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Area of Expertise: Industrial Design Product Design

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Degree: M.F.A. Art & Design

University: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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Degree: B.F.A. Industrial Design

University: University of Illinois Chicago

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American humorists bring levity to ��Ͽ�'s Reading Across Campus events

goersab — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 14:08:33 +0000

American humorists bring levity to ��Ͽ�'s Reading Across Campus eventsgoersab February 24, 2023

Public invited for readings by Professor Julie Schumacher on March 1, area author Elise Gregory on April 5

Abbey Goers

This year, ��Ͽ�’s annual Reading Across Campus is not centered around one book but rather on a theme – humor – with selections featuring a variety of authors and readings.

“Coming out of the pandemic, we felt we needed something to make us laugh and regain our joy of reading,” said Literature Committee co-chair Professor Lopa Basu.

Thurber Prize recipient Julie Schumacher / Julie Schumacher

As part of the event, the committee will welcome award-winning author Julie Schumacher, the first woman to receive the Thurber Prize for American Humor, to present “How to Enjoy the Writing Process Even If You're on a Deadline and Your Dog Needs to Go to the Vet.”

Her presentation is free and open to the public and will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, in the University Library’s Educational Materials Center, second floor. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the event.

“I hope people will think about ways to infuse joy into the writing process and to see it as a terrific experiment,” said Schumacher, a Regents professor of creative writing and English at the University of Minnesota.

Schumacher’s first novel, “The Body Is Water,” was an ALA Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. She is the author of national best seller “Dear Committee Members;” as well as “The Shakespeare Requirement;” “Doodling for Academics,” a satirical coloring book; and five novels for younger readers.

Ellsworth-based author Elise Gregory will be reading from her debut novel “The Clayfields” from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5, in the library’s EMC. Her reading is also open to the public. “The Clayfields,” set locally, is the story of three modern women who must decide whether or not to leave their farming community behind. Gregory will also be visiting a creative writing class on campus.

Elise Gregory will read from her novel “The Clayfields” from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29. / Elise Gregory

Reading Across Campus encourages instructors to incorporate readings in their courses or as extra credit opportunities. Humor-themed readings this year include:

“Furiously Happy” by Jenny Lawson
“A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian” by Marina Lewycka
“Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah
“The Innocents Abroad” by Mark Twain

There will also be a faculty and staff reading from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, at Dragon Tale Books, Menomonie's new downtown bookstore. This reading will continue the annual tradition of featuring instructors and staff members from units across campus. In keeping with the Reading Across Campus theme, readers will be encouraged to share pieces with a touch of humor.

Humor is crucial to our daily lives

Schumacher believes humor is “crucial, crucial, crucial” to our daily lives. She thinks of humor as a lens through which she looks at the world and her experiences.

Julie Schumacher will present from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1. / Julie Schumacher

“There are things that we don't – and will never – laugh about, but these things are few and far between,” she said. “In 97% of life, there is something to be found that can make us laugh. Laughter is a release; it allows us to breathe and go on with our lives.

“Things that, to me, might seem embarrassing or strange or infuriating when they occur, often start to seem funny in retrospect. That's the way my mind works. I like to look back on things and see the wacky appeal in them.”

Schumacher has always written, and writing is something she feels she needs to do. “Some people need to play the piano or cook or play basketball. I need to put words onto the page. That's the way I process my thoughts. As the saying goes, ‘How do I know what I think until I see what I say?’” she said.

Some of her favorite humorous reads are Jane Austen, although she said most people wouldn't think of Austen as a humorist. “But I find her dialogue to be hilarious. On the other side of the spectrum, I'm a devoted reader of the comics in the daily paper. I don't start my day without first reading ‘Dilbert’ and ‘Pearls Before Swine.’”

Reading Across Campus is a collaboration between the English and philosophy department, the University Library and the Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation. It is made possible by a grant from the Provost’s Office.

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Year of Design celebration central to ��Ͽ�'s spring 2026 event schedule

Community invited to exhibitions, civic and literary conversations, film screenings and performances

Design focus anchors ��Ͽ�'s fall 2025 event schedule

Community invited to exhibitions, lectures and discussions, readings and performances

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Basu’s anthology gathers 68 international voices to reflect on trauma, resolution

Public invited for readings by Professor Julie Schumacher on March 1, area author Elise Gregory on April 5 Julie Schumacher's publications

University Marketing

About the Literature Committee

Reading and discussing literature are vital activities that expand our ideas and provide insights into a dynamic and diverse world.

Our Mission

Our Vision

Statement of Purpose

Literature Committee Programming

As part of its vision, the Literature Committee hosts two important campus programs that demonstrate the importance of literature and literary culture across the campus community.

The Reading Series

Reading Across Campus

Function of the Literature Committee

The Literature Committee is charged by the Department of English and Philosophy (CAHSS) accordingly:

The Committee on Literature, which has three fundamental purposes:

to develop strategies for increasing enrollment in literature and creative writing courses;
to inform ��Ͽ� administrators, faculty, and students of the values of literary studies;
to establish guidelines for revising, expanding and improving literature and creative writing courses and the literature program in general.

CACHSS

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

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Novelist Ganeshananthan to present ‘Brotherless Night’ at Chippewa Valley Book Festival event co-hosted by ���Ͽ�

‘The role of literature in remembering’

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Literature Committee Programming

The Reading Series

Reading Across Campus

Function of the Literature Committee

PODCAST: Being Human UT features Stout faculty for 2023 Polytechnic Summit recap

Polytechnic Summit

American humorists bring levity to ���Ͽ�'s Reading Across Campus events

Humor is crucial to our daily lives

Our Mission

Our Vision

Statement of Purpose

Literature Committee Programming

The Reading Series

Reading Across Campus

Function of the Literature Committee

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

Artificial Intelligence at ��Ͽ� Polytechnic

‘Sing, Slivered Tongue’: ��Ͽ� professor’s book of poetry is a statement of courage, hope

��Ͽ� Leadership Awards recognize more than 100 outstanding students

��Ͽ�’s Fostering Success Program, leaders recognized by Gov. Evers

Novelist Ganeshananthan to present ‘Brotherless Night’ at Chippewa Valley Book Festival event co-hosted by ��Ͽ�

American humorists bring levity to ��Ͽ�'s Reading Across Campus events