News

Video production program work highlights viability of Wisconsin as film hub

goersab — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:25 +0000

Video production program work highlights viability of Wisconsin as film hubgoersab June 24, 2026

Students, alums assist in Deming’s unique medical drama ‘Winter Hymns,’ filmed in Menomonie

Los Angeles-based Wisconsin filmmaker Nathan Deming believes that there is an immense, untapped wealth of authentic storytelling in his Midwestern home state, and his goal is to continue highlighting regional characters and communities that audiences instantly recognize.

With his latest film, “Winter Hymns,” Deming also highlighted regional filmmaking talent. His professional crew worked alongside ��Ͽ� Polytechnic video production students and recent graduates: Doran Acero, Braden Borgerding, Parker Cmeyla, Bennett Johnson, Ethan Kulinski, Connor Nelson, Ryan Rumary and Caleb Sander.

“Making movies in the Midwest allows us to capture a genuine, grounded human element that also hasn’t been seen that many times authentically on film before,” said Deming, originally from Tomah.

Bennett Johnson (center left) and Parker Cmeyla (right) on the set of 'Winter Hymns.' / Parker Cmeyla

“Having ��Ͽ� Polytechnic students work alongside a more experienced crew was an incredibly rewarding aspect of this production. The creative energy on set was fantastic because the students brought an immense eagerness to learn, and the professionals involved were incredibly generous with their mentorship,” he said.

“Winter Hymns” was featured at ��Ͽ� Polytechnic’s 4th annual Unspooled Film & Animation Festival, May 9-10. This year’s festival placed a strong spotlight on regional talent and locally produced cinema.

Bringing filmmaking to the Midwest

With his creative roots firmly planted in the Midwest, Deming was at the forefront of the movement for Wisconsin’s new film office, Film Wisconsin. Operated by the Department of Tourism, Film Wisconsin promotes and supports the film and television industry in the state.

The office’s film tax credit makes $5 million available annually to assist the production of feature and short films, scripted and unscripted television shows, documentaries, broadcast advertisements, and production infrastructure in Wisconsin. The tax credit helps drive economic development, builds long-term investment in Wisconsin’s creative community, boosts domestic and global reputation and inspires movie tourism in Wisconsin.

Colleen Madden (left) in a scene from 'Winter Hymns.' / Peggy Trojan

Video production Lecturer Co O’Neill believes filmmaking is on the rise in Wisconsin, as productions decentralize from the coasts. “The passing of the film tax credit was a big deal for Wisconsin. Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan already had state film offices. The opportunity upped the profile of people already making movies here. More people now have a platform and are building a state network of resources for local folks,” he said.

Gabe Roeske, a department assistant in the School of Art & Design and 2019 alum, thinks that with the new tax credit being passed, more potential crew coming out of the university’s video production program, and more independent productions, like “Winter Hymns,” coming to the area, things are starting to move in a positive direction.

“There are already a lot of very passionate and incredibly talented video production people living in Wisconsin,” Roeske said. “They’re people who want to make films just as much as anyone else in the country, and they have the skills to pull it off. Unfortunately, with previous tax laws, lack of film incentives, and just a general lack of productions going on, a lot of people end up moving away in search of video production work.

“Hopefully projects like these, and the work of the video production professors and students, keep the momentum rolling and we can see Wisconsin filmmaking really flourish for the first time,” he said.

Doran Acero assists with sound on the set of 'Winter Hymns.' / Ericka Kreutz

Acero’s “You Must Destroy,” also featured at Unspooled, was filmed in his hometown of Grand Marais, Minnesota. Having graduated in May, he plans to remain in the region, knowing the rich storytelling culture and wanting to represent on film the places he feels most connected to.

“I am so happy to have been a part of the making of ‘Winter Hymns,’ and I want more films like it to be made here in the Midwest. I love the craft of filming and ideally, I can continue to pursue that here; in a place I love with people I love,” he said.

Bringing filmmaking to Wisconsin is something Johnson believes is “incredibly important, especially given the current state of the film industry. As independent filmmaking continues to grow and with the launch of the film tax credit, many young filmmakers in Wisconsin want our voices to be heard and our work to be seen around the world.

“Our goal is to help attract more film and television productions to Wisconsin and establish the state as a viable production hub,” he said. “Beyond the economic benefits, I think it’s an opportunity to showcase what Wisconsin truly has to offer. We are more than our accents or the Green Bay Packers – we’re a state with stunning landscapes, unique locations, and diverse, creative people whose stories deserve to be told.”

‘Winter Hymns’ – A golden opportunity

“Winter Hymns,” which was featured on Wisconsin Public Radio, was inspired by Deming’s father, a family physician who practiced palliative care late in his career. The unique drama, set over the course of a single day in a Midwest hospital, follows a dedicated palliative care doctor, played by Colleen Madden, who meets with a series of dying patients and their families.

Ethan Kulinski and Parker Cmeyla on the set of 'Winter Hymns.' / Parker Cmeyla

Working on a small budget, Deming reached out to O’Neill to see if video production students were available to help. O’Neill’s small-town connections also served well in helping Deming secure the lease of an affordable office building near the hospital in Menomonie for filming.

“Nathan learned about Stout’s program and the quality of our students,” said O’Neill, who’s taught video production for more than 20 years. “They’re composed, professional and excited to be on set. Working on the production of ‘Winter Hymns’ helped the university’s and the program’s profile, while giving the students professional experience. It was a symbiotic experience.”

Acero and Johnson joined Deming’s production team to help with lighting the week before principal photography. As second assistant camera, Johnson was responsible for changing lenses, helping build and prep the camera each day alongside Cmeyla, first assistant camera, and assisting with the on-set camera workflow. Acero served as production assistant, assisted the gaffer, operated the c-camera and ran sound.

Parker Cmeyla (right) on the set of 'Winter Hymns.' / Parker Cmeyla

The students also worked with sound recordist Roeske, who handed the main audio dialogue to a professional post-production sound mixer at Warner Bros.

“As the whole film takes place in a single room, we had to figure out how to make the doctor’s office visually appealing and squeeze a lot of visual variety out of this one location,” Acero said. “This short stint on an independent production was golden. I picked up so much new terminology, got to use tools that were a step above what I previously had, and I made professional connections that have already benefited me greatly.”

O’Neill added that watching professionals work, like cameraman Leo Purman, was life-changing for the students. “Watching his methods was an immersive experience for them that they wouldn’t have had in the classroom. In these guided experiences, they build soft skills while gaining knowledge of equipment and processes. They understand more and come back to the classroom changed in ways of professionalism,” he said.

Nathan Deming (right) and cinematographer Leo Purman on the set of 'Winter Hymns.' / Nathan Ouellette

2026 Unspooled Film & Animation Festival

The Unspooled Festival recognized outstanding achievements across multiple categories:

Best Documentary: “Making It” by Benjamin Mohr (M.F.A. design student).
Best of the Midwest: “A Date with Your Family” by Joel Sacramento (Madison)
Best Short Film: “Stay” by Aden Gonzalez (Racine)
Best Student Animation: “Badge of the Dead” directed by Hannah Brown (B.F.A. animation student)
Polytechnic Pioneers: “Delivery Life” directed by El Ovall (B.F.A. animation student)
Best High School: “Everything I Am, Everything I’m Not” by 17-year-old Xavier Alexander (Texas)
Best Student Short: “Seeing Diabetes” by Ryan Rumary (B.S. video production graduate)

The festival hosted animation premieres, including “Closet Combat 3” by alum Augustus Hinton, with support from a Minnesota Arts Grant; and “Glow” produced by Professor Jesse Woodward alongside several ��Ͽ� students.

Beyond screenings, the festival offered educational programming and workshops that provided hands-on industry experience to Wisconsin students, including ��Ͽ� Polytechnic students and secondary students from Eau Claire, Mauston and Milwaukee.

Guest speakers included Deming, who discussed the art of cinema and regional production, drawing on his decade-long “The Year Project” and his upcoming, untitled Wisconsin thriller. Jeff Kennel, an immersive documentary and editorial filmmaker who has documented conflict, post-disaster recovery, and poverty across 11 countries for NGOs like Americares, alongside commercial work for Trek Bikes and NMDP.

Eau Claire-based filmmaker Tim Schwagel joined the festival to share his invaluable expertise on the art of the short film. Guest speaker Hinton offered audiences an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at his creative process. Bowling Green State University animation instructor Rachel Immel, Sacramento, and alum Reed Theship-Rosales led hands-on mentorship sessions for students.

The 2026 Unspooled Film and Animation Festival was supported by a $10,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation and the Modern Language Association.

��Ͽ� Polytechnic’s School of Art & Design 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; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design.

Video Production

All Video Production News

Video production program work highlights viability of Wisconsin as film hub

Students, alums assist in Deming’s unique medical drama ‘Winter Hymns,’ filmed in Menomonie

Creating music video for underground Japanese rapper is culmination of degree experience for ��Ͽ� graduate

Language barrier, jet lag can’t undermine video production student’s creative ambition

Inspiring Graduate: Ryan Rumary, B.S. Video Production

Hired before graduation as video content media manager for Pest Badger

Students, alums assist in Deming’s unique medical drama ‘Winter Hymns,’ filmed in Menomonie Video production, Winter Hymns, directed by Nathan Deming

University Marketing

B.S. Video Production

You can have the advanced technical knowledge and skills to create and edit your video and media products. Our team environment will teach you how.

Learn More

Search Keywords: video production degreeWinter HymnsNathan DemingUnspooled Film and Animation Festival

Hero Caption: Nathan Deming (center left) directs Colleen Madden (center right) in a scene from 'Winter Hymns.' Photo by Nathan Ouellette.

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Canon selects ��Ͽ� for exclusive Explorers of Light program with award-winning cinematographer

giffeyt — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Canon selects ��Ͽ� for exclusive Explorers of Light program with award-winning cinematographergiffeyt April 23, 2026

Shana Hagan, ASC, has worked on everything from Oscar-winning documentaries to hit sitcoms

Tom Giffey

Shana Hagan, right, is shown filming actress Amy Poehler for an episode of "Parks and Recreation." / Photo courtesy Shana Hagan

Cinematographer Shana Hagan, ASC, whose work ranges from Academy Award-winning documentaries to hit TV sitcoms, brought professional advice and hands-on inspiration to ��Ͽ� recently as part of Canon’s Explorers of Light program.

The Canon program, which recruits world-class cinematographers and photographers as brand ambassadors, only visits about 10 campuses annually. Hagan came to ��Ͽ� April 13-15, speaking to video production students about her career, holding a screening of her work, working with video and photo classes on topics such as editing and production, and reviewing student portfolios.

Hagan was among the first six cinematographers added to the Explorers of Light program in 2024. Her 30-year resume as a cinematographer and director of photography includes work on TV series like NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and HBO’s Peabody and Emmy-winning “Somebody Somewhere”; documentaries such as “Queen of Versailles,” “Taylor Swift: Miss Americana” and the Oscar-winning “Breathing Lessons.” Hagan won an Emmy for her work on the documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” and was nominated for an Emmy for the hit reality series “Survivor.”

“My week at ��Ͽ� has proven to me that the future is bright,” Hagan said. “I was absolutely blown away with the quality of work from the students. I admire their passion for filmmaking and their thirst for knowledge.”

��Ͽ� Lecturer Co O'Neill, left, and cinematographer Shana Hagan watch video monitors during a student-led video production exercise.

Cinematographer shares professional skills

Hagan offered lectures and hands-on workshops during her visit, focusing on topics such as camera coverage, lensing choices, lighting techniques and set etiquette. During a workshop with B.S. video production seniors on April 14, Hagan covered all these subjects and more while helping students record a short mockumentary-style video.

As Hagan offered suggestions, about 20 students adjusted lighting, prepared cameras and monitors, hoisted boom mics, and performed in the brief sketch, which will be used to introduce students’ films during the upcoming School of Art & Design Senior Show on Friday, May 8. During a break in the action, Assistant Professor Keif Oss explained that the workshop allowed Hagan to demonstrate her mockumentary-making skills. Among her many Hollywood credits are mockumentary-style series such as “Parks and Recreation,” “Arrested Development” and “Welcome to Flatch.”

“Embrace the imperfections,” Hagan told the students before they began multiple takes of the sketch. “Sometimes the imperfect makes it feel more real.”

Cinematographer Shana Hagan, right, consults a script with ��Ͽ� video production students Luka Sunjic, center, and Sam Cheney, left.

Early in the process, Hagan advised the camera operators to stand in the space and watch a take of the scene unfold with only their eyes, not through a monitor or camera eyepiece. “The No. 1 rule on set is to pay attention,” she explained.

The director of the classroom project, senior Luka Sunjic of New Berlin, said it was a privilege to work with someone who had such extensive industry experience.

“Shana was so knowledgeable and down-to-earth, and she really cares about the medium,” Sunjic said. “I learned a lot about her style. I think what I appreciate most about Shana and her work is how she is able to use cinematography to convey emotion in the frame.”

Sunjic, who will graduate in May, said he attended nearly every event Hagan held on campus. “Shana offered a unique perspective into the industry and offered a lot of helpful advice that I will take with me after graduation,” he said.

Cinematographer Shana Hagan, left, and Assistant Professor Keif Oss, consult before Hagan shares some of her film work with students.

Canon builds strong relationship with ��Ͽ�

Oss, who is program director for the video production program, said ��Ͽ� has built a strong relationship with Canon over the past six years, hosting annual fall visits that include hands-on production workshops using the latest cameras and lenses.

“Canon tends to choose schools where students demonstrate strong engagement and enthusiasm for the craft, which our students have continually shown during these interactions,” Oss said. “I frequently hear the engagement level by ��Ͽ� video production students stands out in a national crowd.”

Taking part in intensive workshops with an award-winning professional of Hagan’s caliber is a clear demonstration of ��Ͽ�’s polytechnic identity, Oss added.

“Bringing consistent, outside industry expertise into the classroom strengthens the connection between theory and practice, ensuring students gain immediately relevant, career-ready skills,” he said. “This kind of engagement adds meaningful value across every aspect of what defines a polytechnic education.”

Hagan said she advises students to get as much experience as possible in school and to work on as many projects as they can, taking each as an opportunity to make a new connection, hone a new skill or use a new piece of equipment.

“I love that this next generation of filmmakers has so many opportunities for work,” she said. “Studios and networks along with streamers and other online platforms provide so many different avenues for an incredibly diverse variety of content.”

��Ͽ�’s School of Art & Design is one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest. It 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; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design. ��Ͽ� also has a new program in game and media studies.

Video Production

All Video Production News

Video production program work highlights viability of Wisconsin as film hub

Students, alums assist in Deming’s unique medical drama ‘Winter Hymns,’ filmed in Menomonie

Creating music video for underground Japanese rapper is culmination of degree experience for ��Ͽ� graduate

Language barrier, jet lag can’t undermine video production student’s creative ambition

Inspiring Graduate: Ryan Rumary, B.S. Video Production

Hired before graduation as video content media manager for Pest Badger

Shana Hagan, ASC, has worked on everything from Oscar-winning documentaries to hit sitcoms Cinematographer Shana Hagan and ��Ͽ� video student

University Marketing

B.S. Video Production

You can have the advanced technical knowledge and skills to create and edit your video and media products. Our team environment will teach you how.

Learn More

Search Keywords: video productionindustry partnershipsCanon Explorers of Light

Hero Caption: Cinematographer Shana Hagan, right, works with video production major Sam Cheney during a recent visit to ��Ͽ�.

Keif Oss

Keif has an M.S. in Career and Technical Education and an MFA in Digital Filmmaking. He is an Assistant Professor of video production and serving as Program Director for the B.S. Video Production degree. Keif teaches a variety of courses in video production and photography with both narrative and commercial aspects.

Keif has worked on a range of professional and commercial video projects as a senior video producer and owner/independent contractor of A Creative Advocate, LLC. His work includes television/web advertising, documentary, motion graphics and a variety of marketing-oriented materials. Keif’s expertise and creative contributions include work for 100+ clients including Mayo Clinic, Seventh Generation, State Farm Insurance, Royal Credit Union and others.

Keif has also worked on short and feature film projects in various capacities including writing, producing, directing, camera operation and post-production/VFX.

Full Name: Keif T. Oss

Job Title: Assistant Professor / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Video Production Cinema Production Photography Graphic Communications Cross-Media Graphics Technologies

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Design Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Video Production

Curriculum Vitae: Keif T. Oss CV (408.56 KB)

Education:

Degree: M.F.A. Digital Filmmaking

University: Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Filmmaking

Degree: M.S. Career & Technical Education

University: University of Wisconsin-Stout

Degree: B.S. Graphic Communications Management

University: University of Wisconsin-Stout

CSTEMM SOAD

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

John Deere will benefit from sustainable plastic research conducted by ��Ͽ� students, faculty

giffeyt — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000

John Deere will benefit from sustainable plastic research conducted by ��Ͽ� students, facultygiffeyt April 9, 2026

Two-year project seeks to identify recycled polymers that can be used in manufacturing process

Tom Giffey

John Deere machinery has been recognizable for its distinctive green color for more than a century. Student and faculty researchers at ��Ͽ� are working to ensure that John Deere is also known for a different kind of green: sustainability.

Led by Professor Wei Zheng, student research assistants in the B.S. plastics engineering program have been working over the past two academic years to study how John Deere might be able to use recycled plastic polymers to manufacture vehicles.

Zheng is an active member of the Society of Plastics Engineers, and it was through that organization that she formed connections with engineers from John Deere, which is based in Moline, Illinois. The relationship led to a research contract between the Fortune 500 company and ��Ͽ�, which was facilitated by the university’s Office of Corporate Relations & Economic Engagement.

Beginning in August 2024, students and faculty have tested and molded batches of different types of recycled plastic to see if they meet the manufacturer’s needs.

“John Deere is asking two key questions,” Zheng said. “Can recycled polymers be used to manufacture these parts? And can those parts meet performance requirements?”

The research is part of the company’s commitment to incorporating more recyclable and renewable materials into its products so it can be ahead of the curve in its industry, she said.

Student research assistant Ryan Xu measures plastic samples.

Students create, test samples

This semester, two student research assistants have worked on the project. One of them, junior Stephanie Kuhn, explained that the process begins with pellets of different types of recycled plastic polymer that are fed into a massive injection molding machine in the Plastics Engineering Lab inside Jarvis Hall Technology Wing.

Heat and friction melt the pellets, which are forced into a mold where they take the desired shape. Once completed, these pieces are cut precisely into various testing specimens by Instrument Shop Supervisor John Buss, who also assists with machine-related issues.

Next, students subject the specimens to a range of tests, including evaluating their short- and long-term mechanical behavior under stress, as well as their thermal and physical properties to assess overall performance.

Kuhn, who is pursuing a double major in B.S. plastics engineering and B.S. mechanical engineering, said having an opportunity to do this kind of work as an undergraduate is what attracted her to ��Ͽ�.

“I just love being able to use all the machines hands-on. It helps being able to see and use the equipment,” Kuhn said. While already familiar with the injection units and testing equipment from her coursework, taking part in the research helped Kuhn better understand how the equipment operates, reinforcing what she learned.

Likewise, the importance of the research has been highlighted by Kuhn’s classwork, which has emphasized the need for increasing the use of recyclable plastics. “It has definitely opened my eyes that we need to learn to be more sustainable,” she said. “If John Deere begins to use this, hopefully other manufacturers will, too.”

Sabbatical recap: Wei Zheng, Plastics Engineering, 2024-25

Building biodegradable, sustainable plastics

This semester’s other research assistant, Ryan Xu, a Menomonie High School senior who is already taking classes at ��Ͽ�, said he appreciates the applied nature of the project, including being able to use advanced equipment and analyze data.

Professor Adam Kramschuster has also helped with the John Deere research project by setting up, optimizing and troubleshooting the injection molding process for manufacturing the samples. This work has involved training the student research assistants and helping with the machine during the molding trials.

“I love working with students. It’s why I am here, and I enjoy it when they learn and take responsibility as their knowledge base grows,” Kramschuster said.

“Our labs are exceptional,” he continued, “and the opportunity to use them for industry projects is ideal in that the students get even more real-world training during their undergraduate experience.”

Student research assistants Ryan Xu, left, and Stephanie Kuhn work with an injection molding machine in ��Ͽ�'s Plastics Engineering Lab.

Sustainability key to professor’s research

The kind of research happening in the Plastics Engineering Lab isn’t uncommon at ��Ͽ�. In fact, applied learning and research are among the pillars of the university’s polytechnic identity, which also include business and industry collaboration and career-focused experience – all three of which are part of the John Deere project.

Zheng noted that two of her prior research assistants leveraged their experience on the project to find jobs in the plastics industry at EVCO and Phillips Medisize. “This project helped them to solidify their injection molding and material testing skills, giving them a clear advantage in the job market,” she said.

The research, she added, will continue through at least this August. “John Deere is quite pleased with the results we have generated so far,” she said. “John Deere has been very supportive throughout the process, including providing Stout the plaque mold and materials, as well as sharing their technical expertise. They even connected us with material suppliers and molders.”

Zheng’s work on behalf of John Deere complements her ongoing research focus on sustainability. During the 2024-25 academic year, Zheng conducted sabbatical research in advancing sustainability in the field of plastics, focusing on the biodegradation of plastic materials and the recycling of thermosetting materials. Typically, thermoset plastics have undergone a curing process that prevents them from being remelted or reshaped, posing a challenge in the recycling process. However, plastics engineers and chemists researching the reverse crosslinking process are developing ways to break the chemical bonds, allowing thermosetting plastics to be recycled. Part of Zheng’s research focused on finding ways to reverse the process, increasing the recyclability of this kind of plastic.

Plastics Engineering

All Plastics Engineering News

Inspiring Graduate: Cassie Santelman, B.S. Plastics Engineering

Hired before graduation as a process engineer at Nolato

Co-op Q&A: Noah Klenner, Nicolet Plastics and Harley-Davidson

‘My internships built on the strong foundation Stout has given me by showing me how concepts are used in actual production environments.’

John Deere will benefit from sustainable plastic research conducted by ��Ͽ� students, faculty

Two-year project seeks to identify recycled polymers that can be used in manufacturing process

Two-year project seeks to identify recycled polymers that can be used in manufacturing process Plastics Lab Injection Molding Machine

University Marketing

B.S. Plastics Engineering

Our B.S. Plastics Engineering program will prepare you for a career leading innovation in medical, automotive, and other industries.

Learn More

Corporate Relations & Economic Engagement

��Ͽ�'s Office of Corporate Relations & Economic Engagement is your go-to organization for connecting business and community with our extensive resources.

Search Keywords: plastics engineeringindustry partnershipsJohn Deere

Hero Caption: Student research assistants Stephanie Kuhn, left, and Ryan Xu hold samples in front of an injection molding machine in ��Ͽ�'s Plastics Engineering Lab.

Wei Zheng

Dr. Zheng is an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Plastics Engineering Program at University of Wisconsin-Stout. Prior to joining ��Ͽ�, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 2008. She is the recipient of several state-funded grants including the WiSys Applied Research Grant and the G. A. Taft Professorship of ��Ͽ�.

Her current research focuses on the bio- and/or biodegradable polymers including rheology of polymer melts and glasses, physics of crystallization and glass transition, curing kinetics of reversible thermosets, and structure-property-processing relationship. She has published 32 refereed articles with more than 700 citations. Dr. Zheng has also been active in the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) including serving as the Councilor of the Applied Rheology Division of SPE and the President of Chinese American Society of Plastics Engineers.

Full Name: Wei Zheng

Job Title: Professor

Include in Directory: Yes

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

Department: Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering Engineering & Technology Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Curriculum Vitae (134.14 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Chemical Engineering

University: Texas Tech University

Degree: B.S. Chemical Engineering

University: East China University of Science and Technology

CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Equine therapy gives clinical mental health students skills to support clients’ growth

goersab — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 14:24:52 +0000

Equine therapy gives clinical mental health students skills to support clients’ growthgoersab April 3, 2026

Vance Creek Experiential Therapy internships add to clinical training for master’s students

Abbey Goers

There is something therapeutic to a slow, rhythmic trail ride on horseback. You begin to feel grounded in the quiet nature of the woods and in the calming company of horses. The calm can lead to new thoughts or the banishment of worries or a “letting go” of control.

This form of experiential learning can help clients build self-awareness, improve emotional regulation, and strengthen communication and trust. Vance Creek Experiential Therapy (VCET), an equine therapy ranch in Clayton owned by Christine Mattila, provides clients with a safe environment to practice coping skills, gain confidence and transfer those skills into everyday life.

It also builds career-ready skills for ��Ͽ� M.S. clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) students as they intern at the ranch and use activity-based learning to observe behavior, support growth and guide clients through real-time learning experiences.

Counselors at Vance Creek help clients feel safe and validated through equine therapy and experiential learning. / Christine Mattila

Ava Allroggen, a fall 2025 clinical mental health counseling graduate, had the opportunity to intern with VCET last summer.

“At the end of each week, it was cool to swap out my business casual for faded jeans and muddy boots,” she said. “I learned so much from my site supervisors and coworkers, but the people who taught me the most were the clients. The site rocked my understanding of therapy for the better, and I’m a better counselor as a result.”

Mattila thinks the biggest transfer of skills from an internship at Vance Creek is the ability for students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in a real working environment. “That kind of experiential learning builds practical skills like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability, all of which are just as important as technical knowledge once students enter the workforce,” she said.

It also helps students understand professional expectations, build confidence and learn how to contribute from day one. In this way, the internship experience prepares them not just for their first jobs but also for long-term success in their careers, Mattila added.

With the emphasis being on the relationship counselors develop with their clients, “Our goal is often to help clients feel safe and validated while also recognizing their engagements with themselves and the world around them,” said CMHC Associate Professor Andy Felton, who serves as Mattila’s clinical supervisor. “The art of our work comes from the experiences we create with clients that offer new forms of engagement and interactions to help them create inter- and intra-personal shifts, becoming empowered to not just survive but thrive.”

Vance Creek internships add to clinical training

Felton and Mattila met about eight years ago when Mattila was looking to develop her clinical practice and expertise. “Then, as I developed the Expressive Arts in Counseling course, Christine was kind enough to allow students to do a field trip to learn more about equine therapy and experience some of what it may be like as a client,” Felton said.

Once Mattila became fully licensed and was in a position to take interns beginning in spring 2023, VCET and the CMHC program began a partnership for students wanting to add to their clinical training, moving beyond talk therapy.

Allroggen was one of three ��Ͽ� interns at VCET. Their role was to be the primary clinician in the room or on the trail with the client. “As a counseling intern, my responsibility was to facilitate the therapeutic part of the experience. I initiated check-ins, helped develop session plans and helped clients apply their experiences to their therapeutic goals,” she said.

CMHC graduate student Ava Allroggen with therapy horses at VCET. / Ava Allroggen

She was supported by Mattila and staff members, who served as the equine specialists (ES). They ensure the safety of both the client and the horse during sessions. “The ES provides direction for proper horse care and safe riding skills. While working with Christine, we often helped each other in our roles. I would help clients manage their horse, while Christine would give therapeutic direction,” Allroggen said.

“The healing process in equine therapy is usually very gradual and relationship-based. It starts with building trust and creating a sense of safety, because many clients need to feel calm and supported before they can begin deeper emotional work,” Mattila said. “From there, the horse often helps mirror emotions and behaviors, providing clients with real-time feedback and helping them become more aware of what they are feeling. Over time, that process can help clients regulate emotions, build confidence and carry those skills into their everyday lives.”

Much of equine work is viewed as the horse being the primary counselor. The horse can be used as the resource the client needs to better understand themselves, their experiences and to take steps towards eliciting change. So much of the therapeutic work comes from the relationship the client develops with the horse, Felton said.

“As clients interact with the horse, they can become empowered to face challenges, realize their potential and move toward becoming the person they want to be,” he said. “For example, as a client becomes more confident in their abilities to interact with the horse, this can translate to the confidence a person feels about themselves and the obstacles in their life.”

Inspiring Graduate: Ava Allroggen, M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Establishing roots in the community as a prelicensed counselor

The CMHC program is regularly looking for new partnerships in the community to help students apply their learning. Student placements are based on interests and opportunity for practice. Specific sites have included Menomonie School District, Bloomer School District, Cedar Hill Therapy, Chippewa Valley Free Clinic, Dunn County Human Services, Fernbrook Family Center, Kinnic Falls Inc., Lutheran Social Services, Park Avenue Center, Tomah VA Medical Center and various college counseling centers.

Those interested in pursuing partnerships with CMHC internships may contact Felton at feltonan@uwstout.edu.

��Ͽ�’s counseling, rehabilitation and human services department offers five master’s programs, including marriage and family therapy, clinical mental health counseling, rehabilitation counseling, school counseling and school psychology, as well as three undergraduate programs, minors and certificates.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

All Clinical Mental Health Counseling News

Equine therapy gives clinical mental health students skills to support clients’ growth

Vance Creek Experiential Therapy internships add to clinical training for master’s students

Inspiring Graduate: Ava Allroggen, M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Establishing roots in the community as a prelicensed counselor

Alumni recognize communication, connections, genuineness as necessary to be trusted leaders

‘Be a difference maker’: 510 graduates at Dec. 14 commencement ceremony look to impact the future

Vance Creek Experiential Therapy internships add to clinical training for master’s students Vance Creek Experiential Therapy

University Marketing

M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Our M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling program will prepare you to provide competent and ethical services as a mental health counselor.

Learn More

Hero Caption: M.S. clinical mental health counseling student interns use activity-based learning at Vance Creek Experiential Therapy. Photo submitted by Christine Mattila.

Andy Felton

Andy, a Wisconsin native out of Madison, WI, joined ��Ͽ� in 2016. Prior to returning to Wisconsin, Andy lived in Laramie, WY where he obtained his PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. While obtaining his degree he was in private practice offering play therapy to children as well as counseling to individuals, couples, and families. Andy also helped facilitate intensive outpatient groups for individuals struggling with substance use. Andy also worked part time working at the university counseling center offering process groups and individual counseling. Before pursuing his PhD, Andy lived in Harrisonburg, VA where he obtained his master's and Ed.S. degrees in Community Counseling and then offered intensive in-home services for individuals and families. Andy continues to provide clinical supervision and clinical services to the community to further help inform his teaching. Though Andy loves teaching, he also has interests that revolve around his family, traveling, photography, and playing board games.

Teaching Interests: Children & Adolescents, Counseling Theory, Play Therapy, Creativity in Counseling, Group Counseling

Research Interests: Creative and expressive methods, Clinical Supervision, Teaching pedagogy

Full Name: Andy Felton

Job Title: Associate Professor / Department Chair / Certificate Advisor

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Play Therapy Filial Therapy Interpersonal Process

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: Counseling, Rehabilitation & Human Services Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Andy Felton CV (50.24 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Counselor Education and Supervision

University: University of Wyoming

Degree: Ed.S. Community Counseling

University: James Madison University

Degree: B.A. Psychology

University: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Degree: Licensed Professional Counselor

University: State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services

Degree: Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor

Degree: Acudetox Specialist

Web Production

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Internships with Yankees, PGA Tour, Vikings, Brewers and beyond give ��Ͽ� students big-league skills

giffeyt — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Internships with Yankees, PGA Tour, Vikings, Brewers and beyond give ��Ͽ� students big-league skillsgiffeyt March 25, 2026

Students get professional experience working with sports professionals

Tom Giffey

��Ͽ� senior Carson Leuzinger may be paying a little more attention than usual this year to Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, when the New York Yankees face the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, March 25.

That’s because Leuzinger, a dietetics major from Monroe, had two internships with the Yankees last summer at their development and rehabilitation center in Tampa, Florida. There he helped All-Stars and new draft picks alike get healthy – and stay healthy – by making the right nutritional choices.

��Ͽ� student Carson Leuzinger poses in front of a mural celebrating the Yankees' many World Series victories. / Submitted photo

The Yankees aren’t the only professional sports franchise where ��Ͽ� students have interned in the past few years. Blue Devils have worked with VIPs as black jacket interns for the Minnesota Vikings. They have served as coaching fellows with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and made sure PGA Tour events were up to par. And they’ve worked behind the scenes for the home-state Milwaukee Brewers to ensure services for fans and clients were home runs.

All the while, Blue Devils like Leuzinger were finding ways to apply their ��Ͽ� education.

“Some things I learned at Stout that helped me down there were having a basic understanding of the macronutrients and micronutrients, what’s high in protein, what’s high in fat,” Leuzinger said. “I remember one time I was in the cafeteria and a player came up to me and said, ‘I want to eat a lot of protein. Should I eat shrimp or pork today?’ Just knowing that was a good background.”

Whether for major league sports franchises, Fortune 500 firms, or Main Street businesses, career-focused experiences like Leuzinger’s are key to ��Ͽ�’s polytechnic identity. ��Ͽ� students enroll in roughly 1,000 internship and co-op experiences annually, giving them career-ready skills before they receive diplomas. In fact, 35% of ��Ͽ� students accept positions with their co-op or internship employer.

The Yankees' facility in Tampa, Florida, includes exercise areas (left), George Steinbrenner Field (center), and dining facilities (right), where Carson Leuzinger kept players fed. / Submitted photos

Helping the Yankees at the plate

Leuzinger, a guard on the Blue Devils men’s basketball team, came to ��Ͽ� with the goal of pursuing a career in some aspect of sports, whether it was nutrition, strength training, physical therapy or chiropractic. Ultimately, encouraged by what faculty members described as an increasing demand for dieticians, he joined the B.S. dietetics program.

Leuzinger first took part in an unpaid internship for the Yankees last June, then was asked to return in August for a paid internship. He worked at the team’s facility in Tampa across the street from George Steinbrenner Field, which serves the Yankees during spring training as well as the regular season home of one of their minor league affiliates, the Tampa Tarpons.

Starting his days at 7 a.m., Leuzinger would work to keep players — notably those who had just been drafted as well as major leaguers who were undergoing rehab — fed and hydrated. His tasks included making meal plans for players, creating charts about the nutritional value of meals at restaurants near the facility and stocking fuel stations with protein shakes, granola bars and vitamins.

Skol: May hospitality graduate works for Minnesota Vikings planning special events

University of Wisconsin-Stout alum Samantha Ziwicki is living her dream working for her favorite NFL team as a special events associate.

“One thing that shocked me was just how approachable everyone at the facility was — players and staff,” Leuzinger said. “They’re all just the nicest people ever. It can be intimidating coming to an internship with the Yankees, being a college student. They all took me in like I was just another part of the organization.”

He particularly enjoyed working and chatting with the likes of right fielder Aaron Judge, last season’s American League MVP, as well as pitchers Carlos Rodón and Cam Schlittler. “Once you meet them and get to know them, you become more of a fan,” he said. “You kind of realize they’re just regular dudes at the end of the day. They’re just guys who play baseball who are really good at it.”

Leuzinger said his internship impacted what has been on his own training table as a student athlete: He returned from Tampa with a few new ideas, including electrolyte grapes (grapes mixed with electrolyte drink powder and frozen), protein balls and smoothie recipes.

Even more importantly, Leuzinger had opportunities for professional networking. The facility’s head dietician, for example, had previously worked for the NCAA Division I programs at the University of North Carolina and the University of Florida. “It’s important to build those connections because you never know who they know,” he said.

Garret Sigl during his internship at the Ryder Cup golf tournament in Farmingdale, New York. / Submitted photo

Behind-the-scenes experience

��Ͽ�’s B.S. golf enterprise management program has also provided a pathway to internships with affiliates of the PGA Tour, giving undergraduates behind-the-scenes experience at some of the golf world’s most notable venues and events.

Senior Garret Sigl, a golf enterprise management major from Seymour, got an inside look at what it takes to make major competitions like the PGA Championship succeed during an internship last summer with Patina Group, a restaurant, hospitality and catering company owned by Delaware North.

Sigl split his logistics and operations specialist internship between working at a Patina warehouse near Green Bay — which housed countless items needed for large-scale catering jobs — and helping with three major PGA events.

“All the behind-the-scenes things that you wouldn’t think of, I got to help organize, work on and clean up,” Sigl explained. “Then whenever a tournament would come up, I’d fly out to the event, work there and come back to the warehouse.”

He spent nearly two weeks working at last May’s PGA Championship, which was held at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The following month brought him to the Women’s PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East in Frisco, Texas. Then, even after the fall semester began, he spent late September working at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black Course at Farmingdale, New York. Sigl gained experience in the back-of-house operations for these prestigious tournaments, which drew hundreds of competitors and hundreds of thousands of spectators.

For example, at the Women’s PGA Tournament he oversaw the building that served food for caddies and players. “I like to say my position was kind of like an air traffic controller,” Sigl explained. “There are constantly problems that come up, and you don’t have much time to solve them, so you have to find a way to reprioritize what’s going on, how important it is, and work your way through. It was quite interesting just to see how much organized chaos goes on and how well you’re able to overcome some challenges that can step in your way.”

At the Ryder Cup, which pits teams of American and European golfers against each other, Sigl’s tasks ranged from ensuring supplies were property accounted for to managing liquor inventory to making sure 2,000 doughnuts were delivered each morning.

“I think the biggest thing I learned is how important teamwork and being positive helps with the workplace environment,” said Sigl, who is also a member of the ��Ͽ� men’s golf team. “I’ve worked at many different companies and a couple of different industries, but I’ve never worked in a place that has as much positivity and shows as much teamwork as the Patina Group and Delaware North.”

#StoutProud: Mike Bond ('15, '17)

Mike Bond shares about his time at ��Ͽ�, leadership influences and how he is giving back to student athletes.

Making connections through ��Ͽ�

Junior Henry Lavin, also a golf enterprise management major, spent the past two summers interning at the Tournament Players Club (TPC) Twin Cities, first as a golf shop intern and then as golf shop coordinator. The PGA Tour-owned course in Blaine, Minnesota, which hosts the 3M Open, has given Lavin plenty of opportunities to apply the skills he’s learned at ��Ͽ�.

“Everything I have been taught I have used during my internships,” Lavin said. “Every lesson that we have had a purpose. I’ve really noticed that, and it’s allowed me to really truly like school.”

��Ͽ� student Henry Lavin, right, at TPC Twin Cities his internship. Next to him is ��Ͽ� alum Ben Plant, an assistant golf pro at the course. / Submitted photo

Lavin formed a connection with ��Ͽ� even as a high school student in Richfield, Minnesota, when he reached out to Professor Emeritus Chris Schoonover, then the director of the golf enterprise management program, for a career research paper. Schoonover referred him to 2009 ��Ͽ� alum Adam Chandler, then head golf pro at TPC Twin Cities. This connection led to both internships.

During the summer after his freshman year at ��Ͽ�, Lavin helped run TPC Twin Cities’ junior golf programs, helped with youth lessons and assisted with tournaments. “My first-year internship was probably the best summer of my life,” Lavin said. “It really made me fall in love with the golf industry. It really opened my eyes to all the possibilities that could be.”

The following summer he gained responsibilities, especially during the 3M Open, when Lavin helped build and operate the fan shop that catered to tournament spectators. In between his retail duties, Lavin got to mingle with top players in the clubhouse. And on the Monday before the main tournament started, Lavin was even called in to caddy for an up-and-coming pro during a one-day pro-am competition.

In addition to rubbing shoulders with pro golfers, Lavin enjoyed being able to meet some of the top merchandisers with the PGA Tour, giving him insight into the retail portion of the golf industry.

And while Lavin won’t graduate for more than a year, ��Ͽ� connections have already contributed to a career path in the sport he loves. ��Ͽ� alum Chandler, his former boss at TPC Twin Cities, is now head pro at Edina Country Club, and he has offered Lavin an internship at the course this year and the opportunity to become an assistant pro the following year.

“So I have a job lined up once I graduate, which is pretty exciting and at a very good facility with a boss that I absolutely love,” Lavin said. “And I can confidently say that was mostly due to Stout’s networking.”

Applied Learning

All Applied Learning News

Video production program work highlights viability of Wisconsin as film hub

Students, alums assist in Deming’s unique medical drama ‘Winter Hymns,’ filmed in Menomonie

Canon selects ��Ͽ� for exclusive Explorers of Light program with award-winning cinematographer

Shana Hagan, ASC, has worked on everything from Oscar-winning documentaries to hit sitcoms

John Deere will benefit from sustainable plastic research conducted by ��Ͽ� students, faculty

Two-year project seeks to identify recycled polymers that can be used in manufacturing process

Students get professional experience working with sports professionals Carson Leuzinger in front of Yankees sign

University Marketing

Cooperative Education & Internship Program

Embark on 40+ years of unmatched experiential learning with leading employers.

Search Keywords: athleticsinternshipsGolf Enterprise Managementdietetics

Hero Caption: The New York Yankees play the Tamp Bay Rays at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. / Submitted photo

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Room & Board furniture design competition carries ��Ͽ� students’ work from classroom to catalog

giffeyt — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Room & Board furniture design competition carries ��Ͽ� students’ work from classroom to cataloggiffeyt March 17, 2026

Decade-long partnership with Minneapolis furniture retailer creates real-world production possibilities for industrial & product design seniors

Tom Giffey

A decade-long partnership with Room & Board, a national furniture designer and retailer, has helped ��Ͽ� industrial and product design majors refine their skills under professional mentorship. Now, for the first time, a piece of furniture designed as part of the annual competition is available from Room & Board, creating a possible path for more Blue Devil creations to reach the retailer’s catalog.

The competition is the brainchild of 2010 ��Ͽ� graduate Brian Linehan, a Room & Board merchandise and design manager. “The design competition started as an experimental exploration and turned into a pathway for future interns, full-time design hires, and a great way to stay connected to the community,” Linehan explained.

Originally envisioned as a group project, the program evolved into an individual competition that tapped into students’ growing awareness of – and passion for – the Room & Board brand. Winning designs have continued to improve as the competition has focused on specific product categories, ranging from lighting and storage to organization, media and bedroom furniture.

Micah Loder / Submitted photo

“These days it seems like all the students know exactly who they are designing for,” Linehan said. “Students come to the project kick-off with concepts already in their heads and questions they’re eager to get answers for. It’s really been an amazing transformation.”

This year’s competition was particularly special because it came as Room & Board was adding a coffee table designed by 2024 industrial and product design alum Micah Loder to its catalog.

Loder, now a research and development engineer at Dura Supreme Cabinetry in Howard Lake, Minnesota, said it was “incredibly surreal and rewarding” to see his class project, which he called Carver, become a real piece of furniture.

“I was really just overjoyed Room & Board saw the same vision I did when they saw the table next to their line of products,” Loder said. “Knowing any customer could walk through a Room & Board showroom and think the same thing I did when I first mocked it up: ‘This would look sweet as an accent in my living room.’”

��Ͽ� alum Brian Linehan of Room & Board, left, discusses furniture designs with student Porter Christenson, right, as classmate Loyal Prach look on.

Competition bookends winning student’s experience

The competition is part of the capstone course for soon-to-graduate industrial and product design majors. In keeping with ��Ͽ�’s polytechnic approach — which encompasses applied learning, industry collaboration and career-focused experiences — the competition poses the real-world challenge of designing a piece of furniture that not only looks good but could potentially be manufactured and sold.

“Most capstone projects are geared towards inventing a new idea, creating something that changes the world, or embraces an exciting new manufacturing process,” Linehan said. “This project is really about form development, rather than re-invention. It definitely requires students to flex a less familiar muscle and stay within a tighter set of parameters.”

Industrial and product design senior Porter Christenson of Minneapolis said figuring out which conceptual risks to take with his design was the biggest challenge of the project.

“I spent a lot of time studying furniture trends and trying to understand how those trends could fit within Room & Board’s visual brand language,” he said. “Large companies usually have a very established design language that they stick to pretty strictly, so there’s always a balance between respecting that identity and pushing it forward.”

So, Christenson did his homework, interviewing Room & Board salespeople as well as staff from other furniture showrooms. “One of the decisions I ultimately made was to introduce rounded corners into the design,” he said of his dresser, which he named Bellevue. “That was a bit of a risk, because Room & Board is well known for their more defined, sharp-cornered forms.”

��Ͽ� Lecturer Andy Janetski, right, and Professor Jennifer Astwood, center, look at student Jace Johnson's designs during a visit to Room & Board headquarters in Minneapolis.

The risk paid off: Earlier this semester, the Room & Board team chose Christenson’s design as the winner. He received a $2,000 cash prize in exchange for Room & Board reserving the right to manufacture his design. Two other students were also honored: senior Loyal Prach of Milwaukee received $1,200 for his design, Edmond, while senior Aaron Hoyt of Menomonie got $700 for his design, Alberg.

“I was most excited about the possibility of the furniture actually being produced,” Christenson said. “One of the first things I wanted to do was tell my mom, because she loves Room & Board furniture. Being able to share that moment with her made it even more meaningful.”

In fact, Room & Board has bookended Christenson’s ��Ͽ� experience. As a high school student touring ��Ͽ� with his mother, he was introduced to industrial and product design seniors working on the Room & Board project. He also learned about the university’s partnerships with firms such as Milwaukee Tool. As someone with a childhood desire to be an inventor, the possibility of designing tools strongly appealed to him.

“Four years later, things came full circle,” he said. “I completed two internships at Milwaukee Tool, accepted a job offer at my dream job designing outdoor power equipment there a year before graduation and won first place in the Room & Board project. There’s even a possibility that the piece could make it into their catalog, which is incredibly exciting.”

��Ͽ� alum Reid Guse, right, a designer at Room & Board, gives feedback to a student in a ��Ͽ� classroom.

Professional mentors give in-classroom critique

This year, the project kicked off with a class visit from Linehan and fellow ��Ͽ� alum Reid Guse, a designer at Room & Board. A couple of weeks later, in mid-February, the pair returned to the ��Ͽ� classroom for a critique of the students’ in-progress designs. With them this time was another Room & Board designer, ��Ͽ� alum Andrea Meisner.

Founded in 1980, Room & Board is 100% employee owned and has 1,100 employees at its Minneapolis headquarters and at stores and delivery locations nationwide. The company focuses on timeless design and sustainable production, and more than 90% of its furniture and décor are created by American manufacturers.

During the on-campus critique, the three professionals offered feedback on the full-scale cardboard prototypes and digital renderings the students had created. The critiques focused not only on aesthetics but on practicality and cost: Simplifying a construction process or swapping metal elements for lighter-weight wood, for example, may make the difference between a design being feasible or not.

“As a team, we intentionally split up, to ensure we are giving a range of feedback. Design is subjective, and there are no right answers,” Linehan explained later. “We don’t hold back in the critique and make sure we don’t sugar-coat our feedback.”

The process helps reinforce a critical skill in the young designers, Linehan said: Learning to believe in your own decisions and stand by them.

Christenson mixed his own instincts with feedback from the professionals. At the mid-project critique, he recalls, Meisner asked him to try standing like his dresser, which at the time had relatively stocky legs. He found himself with his feet wide and planted, like he was braced for an incoming tackle. It was a funny moment, he said, but it made him recognize that the mid-century modern aesthetic called for a design that was less heavy and defensive.

“After that realization, I pulled the legs inward, made them slimmer, and refined the proportions so the dresser felt lighter and more consistent with the aesthetic I was aiming for,” Christenson said.

��Ͽ� students and faculty members examine a coffee table designed by 2024 graduate Micah Loder, which is now being produced by Room & Board.

Prach, whose media cabinet design won second place, also found himself making significant design changes throughout the project. Room & Board’s design language, he said, was more minimalist than his own approach. The process taught Prach to be adaptable and pushed him outside his comfort zone.

“Early on, I had to consciously step back from over-designed concepts and refine the piece down to one or two intentional focal features,” Prach said. “Instead of relying on surface complexity, I explored proportion, material breaks and subtle detailing to create visual interest. That shift pushed me to grow as a designer and better understand how restraint can strengthen a product.”

The mid-project review helped Hoyt refine the details of his modular shelving system, which took third place. “(The designers) encouraged me to explore different configurations of the base design,” he said. “This led to me coming up with a tall shelf, media shelf and coffee table trio.”

Lecturer Andy Janetski, who teaches the capstone course, said hearing directly from professional designers is valuable for students. “There’s a massive amount of creative energy thrown at it,” Janetski explained. In return, he said, the students receive “feedback that’s not academic in nature.”

For the Room & Board designers, the competition provides an enduring connection to their alma mater, where their design passions were first fueled. In fact, Guse, a 2018 alum, said taking part in the Room & Board competition as a student helped pave his own professional path.

“My interest in furniture design really solidified in the last two years of undergrad, which ended with the Room & Board competition and an internship at Room & Board the following summer,” Guse said.

��Ͽ� students enter the Room & Board headquarters in Minneapolis, where they presented their furniture designs.

Competition culminates in site visit

Just a week after the mid-February critique session, the 17 students’ designs were transformed based on feedback and sometimes feverish work. On Feb. 19, a busload of ��Ͽ� seniors carried posterboard displays and one-eighth scale 3D-printed models of their designs into the Room & Board headquarters in Minneapolis. There they presented their designs to a cross-section of the company’s staff, including their three ��Ͽ� alumni mentors.

The Carver coffee table, designed by 2024 alum Micah Loder. / Photo courtesy of Room & Board

Once their presentations were concluded, the design students received a behind-the-scenes tour of the headquarters, where among the products displayed was the coffee table designed by Loder. Seeing a fellow Blue Devil’s design brought to life provided inspiration to the soon-to-be graduates.

“Winning this competition reminded me that I truly love what I do. It reaffirmed that the craft itself is what I enjoy most: the thinking, making and the constant refinement of ideas,” said Christenson. “In design, craftsmanship is really about the care and attention you bring to solving problems and shaping details.”

Such details are evident in the Carver coffee table, made in New Hampshire from sustainably sourced wood. The table is available on the Room & Board website.

The fact Room & Board is producing one of the ��Ͽ� competition’s designs is encouraging for the future of the partnership, Linehan said.

“We are excited about the opportunity to present Micah’s 2024 project as part of our assortment this year, and I am optimistic we can find another path forward with future designs,” Linehan said.

Industrial & Product Design

All Industrial & Product Design News

Inspiring Graduate: Porter Christenson, B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

Hired before graduation as an associate industrial designer at Milwaukee Tool

Oshkosh Corporation will host Design Wisconsin, ��Ͽ�’s annual event exploring innovative design

Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design

Industrial design seniors create cutting-edge models for music creation, home furnishings

SOAD Senior Show on May 8, part of Stout’s Spring Showcase, celebrates nearly 120 graduating seniors’ creative works

Decade-long partnership with Minneapolis furniture retailer creates real-world production possibilities for industrial & product design seniors Winning table design at Room & Board

University Marketing

B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

Combine your passion for design and function by creating products to improve the lives of consumers.

Learn More

Year of Design

A year of events highlighting the innovation, leadership, and impact at the heart of everything we do as Wisconsin's Polytechnic University.

Search Keywords: industrial and product designRoom & Boardindustry partnerships

Hero Caption: A student in ��Ͽ�'s industrial and product design capstone class hangs furniture designs before a classroom critique session.

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

Full Name: Jennifer Astwood

Job Title: Associate Dean / Professor / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Industrial Design Product Design

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Design Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Jennifer Astwood CV (146.85 KB)

Education:

Degree: M.F.A. Art & Design

University: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University: Art Center at Night

Degree: B.F.A. Industrial Design

University: University of Illinois Chicago

CACHSS Web Production

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Supporting entrepreneurs: Edgewood Bakeshop benefits from business students’ cost accounting project

goersab — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:50:00 +0000

Supporting entrepreneurs: Edgewood Bakeshop benefits from business students’ cost accounting project goersab February 20, 2026

Successful small business collaborates with class to improve operations, sales

Abbey Goers

Nothing draws a hungry crowd quite like the aroma of freshly baked bread, the flaky deliciousness of croissants, the mouthwatering perfection of pastries. At Edgewood Bakeshop, owner Bekah Stamps welcomes daily crowds, as patrons form a line out the door of her popular artisanal bakeshop in downtown Chetek.

But how does an already successful business improve its operations and increase sales? For Stamps, the answer came in a collaboration with ��Ͽ� business administration students.

Recently, students in Lecturer Kayla Stajkovic’s Cost Accounting course used Edgewood Bakeshop’s real cost, sales and operations data to analyze break-even points, product decisions and seasonal sales patterns. At the end of the project, they presented their recommendations to Stamps.

As lines form out the door, Edgewood Bakeshop's products consistently sell out. / Bekah Stamps

“I was impressed with the level of professionalism I witnessed from the students in this class,” Stamps said. “There were multiple moments where I felt that I was sitting with an accounting firm I’d hired to deep dive into my business. These students have a bright future, and I’m honored to have been able to collaborate with them in this way.”

Stajkovic thinks small businesses are uniquely powerful learning partners because their challenges are visible, immediate and consequential. “When students work with small businesses, they see firsthand how interconnected decisions are. Small businesses — especially newer ones — are often operating with limited resources while the owner wears every hat: operations, marketing, finance, HR,” she said.

Using cost accounting as a strategic decision tool

At the start of the project, Stamps visited the class, shared her background, her vision for Edgewood Bakeshop and her belief that bread was her primary profit driver.

Bekah Stamps opened Edgewood Bakeshop's Chetek storefront in 2024, after operating as a travelling and pop-up bakery for two years. / Bekah Stamps

However, the students’ analysis proved that what looks most profitable on a simple revenue-minus-cost basis isn’t always the most profitable when constraints are considered. When they calculated contribution margin per oven minute and per labor hour, instead of just per unit, they discovered that croissants could outperform bread depending on which resource was the true bottleneck.

“That shift from ‘Which product makes more money?’ to ‘Which product makes the best use of our limited resource?’ was transformational for the students. It moved cost accounting from a formula-based approach to a strategic decision-making tool. Several students commented that this was the moment when accounting stopped feeling procedural and started feeling managerial,” Stajkovic said.

This was also a standout moment for Stamps, who had done a brief analysis of unit cost and profit margin on a couple of her products when she began. “My assumption about the bread was actually incorrect, and it caused me to think about ways to drive more sales with certain products that I wasn’t previously considering,” she said.

Tips for Young Entrepreneurs

8 bits of advice from business professionals

‘Exactly what experiential learning is meant to do’

The Office of Corporate Relations & Economic Engagement serves to connect organizations and entrepreneurs with ��Ͽ�’s talent, tools and technology. Those seeking consultation and collaboration may reach out to OCREE with questions.

These collaborations distinguish ��Ͽ� students’ applied, experiential learning from a traditional education, as they give back to the community and fuel their careers with real-world experience before graduation.

Cost accounting students presented their findings at the end of their project. / Kayla Stajkovic

One of the most meaningful parts of this project for Stajkovic was watching students gain confidence. “Many began the semester unsure about cost accounting. By the end, they were defending recommendations to a real business owner using data they had analyzed themselves. That growth — from uncertainty to ownership — is exactly what experiential learning is meant to do,” she said.

Business administration senior Emanuel Sanchez, of St. Paul, was surprised by the confidence he gained. “This project changed how I approach business problems by shifting my focus away from finding a single ‘correct’ answer to making informed decisions with incomplete information. I strengthened my analytical skills, particularly in applying accounting tools to real-world situations and clearly explaining financial results,” he said.

Business administration junior Allison Lindner, of Stratford, thinks the project reinforced the idea that business decisions and analysis are not all about correct calculations and costs, but rather communication, informed judgment and thinking beyond the box.

“Overall, it has furthered my collaborative skills, ability to ask open-ended questions and assumptions, and understanding of the numbers in real operational challenges,” she said.

Cost accounting students enjoy treats from Edgewood Bakeshop. / Kayla Stajkovic

The students saw how messy real data can be, which is something no textbook can fully teach. “The experience changes how the students view their education. They began to understand that the numbers they learned in class can directly impact someone’s livelihood,” Stajkovic said. “For the business, even one useful insight can be meaningful. Those partnerships may be smaller in scale, but they are incredibly high in impact — for both sides.”

For Stamps, it was a fun, informative and mutually beneficial project. “It would be interesting to revisit some of these calculations in two or three years when Edgewood Bakeshop is further established to see what’s shifted and how the business has grown,” she said, adding that giving students interested in becoming business owners a “day in the life” might also be insightful for future business classes.

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

Business Administration

All Business Administration News

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

Hired before graduation at Redpath and Company as a tax associate

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

Bender, Lueck also receive Wood Medallion, highest nonacademic honor

Co-op Q&A: Scott Stewart, NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes in Beloit

‘Supply chains connect everything – materials, information and people all work together.’

Successful small business collaborates with class to improve operations, sales Edgewood Bakeshop

University Marketing

B.S. Business Administration

Our B.S. Business Administration program leverages business and industry partnerships to offer you real-world enterprise experiences.

Learn More

Search Keywords: entrepreneurshipbusiness degreemanagement degreeEdgewood Bakeshop

Hero Caption: Edgewood Bakeshop, a popular artisanal bakeshop in downtown Chetek. Photo contributed by owner, Bekah Stamps.

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

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

goersab — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:20:00 +0000

Year of Design celebration central to ��Ͽ�'s spring 2026 event schedulegoersab February 11, 2026

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

Abbey Goers

As ��Ͽ� steps into spring semester and continues its Year of Design, community members are invited to myriad civic talks, film screenings and literary conversations, art and design exhibitions, and performing arts events for everyone on campus and throughout the community. Events are open to the public; some events require tickets.

��Ͽ�’s Year of Design celebrates the innovation, leadership and impact central to Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University. Upcoming signature events include:

Saturday, April 11, 7 p.m.: Fashion Without Fabric, the Midwest’s premier unconventional fashion runway shows.
Saturday, May 2, 4 p.m.: WEAR Fashion Show, showcasing innovative capstone collections from fashion design and development seniors.
Tuesday, May 5: Research Day, celebrating the research and creative work of students, faculty, and staff from all fields.
Thursday, May 7, 6 p.m.: Stout Game Expo (SGX), western Wisconsin’s largest game developer exhibition.
Friday, May 8, 6 p.m.: SOAD Senior Show, graduating seniors take over Micheels Hall and the Applied Arts building.
Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10: 4th Annual Unspooled Film & Animation Festival, dedicated to showcasing the very best in independent filmmaking.
Wednesday, June 24, to Sunday, June 28: Murals in Menomonie, featuring the Walldogs, is a collaborative group of community organizations bringing in some of the world’s best mural artists.

Fashion Without Fabric

��Ͽ� Polytechnic and the School of Art & Design invite you one of the Midwest's premier unconventional fashion runway shows, Fashion Without Fabric.

Art & Design Exhibitions

Furlong Gallery opens its spring 2026 schedule with the School of Art and Design Faculty Exhibit, on view through Saturday, March 6. This exhibit brings together a wide range of interdisciplinary work by more than 25 SOAD faculty artists and designers.

'Vini Van Go' by Eli Koltanowski, and 'A pregnant pause followed by an audible sigh' by Matthew Wilichowski

Friday, March 13, to Thursday, April 23

North Gallery: "Support Structures," a group show by the Studio Art Program Advisory Committee.
South Gallery: "Simon Ungless: A Life in Print in the South Gallery." Ungless is the founder and designer of When Simon met Ralph, and former textile designer at Alexander McQueen

A reception will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10, during Destination Weekend. A Meet the Artist event for Ungless will be on Monday, April 13.

Monday, May 4, through September

North Gallery: End of the Year Juried Exhibition
South Gallery: Bud and Betty Student Artist in Residence Exhibition, featuring SAIR recipients Ainsely Violet and Eli Koltanowski

Gallery 209 rotates exhibits on a weekly basis. Located in the Applied Arts building on the second floor, exhibits are reserved for Senior Thesis Exhibitions, as well as master’s in design students, design and fine art classes and student organizations. An Advanced Printmaking exhibition will be held in Gallery 209, April 10-12, Destination Weekend.

The Library Art Lab, on the first floor of the Robert S. Swanson Library & Learning Center, showcases student artists, faculty and campus collaborations. Exhibitions include applied research, capstones, clubs and classwork. There are two exhibitions each semester.

Student Artist-in-Residence recipients Ainsley Violet and Eli Koltanowski

Civic dialogue

��Ͽ�’s Center for Applied Ethics will host guest speaker J.P. Messina, professor of philosophy at Purdue University. Messina will present on “Workplace Censorship” from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, in the Memorial Student Center Ballroom A. He will discuss the legal environment that protects employers’ rights to fire employees, even while exercising freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment. And if employer censorship becomes widespread, how discourse can suffer as people withhold their views from the public sphere.

Center for Applied Ethics

Our mission is to increase and enhance ethical conversations across the campus community.

The center also hosts Philosophers’ Cafés, informal, friendly conversations on contemporary issues. Meetings are open to all and are led by ��Ͽ� and UW-Eau Claire faculty. Upcoming conversations will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, at Brewery Nønic in Menomonie:

Feb. 11: What Responsibility Does Society Have Toward Children?
March 11: Perceptions of Law and Its Discontents
April 8: Can Wartime Dehumanization Be Avoided?

The Center for Applied Ethics, Office of Student Opportunity & Excellence, and the Freedom of Expression Committee are hosting a series of events, “Enhancing Campus Culture: Free Expression and Civil Discourse,” funded by the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue and the Menard Center.

Forty to 60 students will participate in four discussion dinners over the course of the year. Each dinner will center around a controversial moral or political issue, with tables facilitated by faculty.

The non-partisan, non-ideological Menard Center is dedicated to the study and discussion of civil liberties and related institutions and innovations through scholarly inquiry, educational activities and community outreach.

Film screening and literary discussions

Continuing with Reading Across Campus’ focus on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” the Literature Committee will host a film screening and discussion from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in Harvey Hall Theatre. A short discussion led by professors Joan Navarre and Kristin Risley will follow the film.

Featured author Dasha Kelly, a former Wisconsin Poet Laureate, will present on her most recent anthology, “A Line Meant: A Collaborative Poetry Collection,” from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 20, in Harvey Hall Theatre. Hamilton has worked with incarcerated populations, helping groups write and publish poetry. Her talk is co-sponsored by the College of Arts & Human Sciences and will connect to the theme of “Helping Humanity Flourish.”

University Theatre

University Theatre will present “Something Rotten,” directed by Audric Buhr, at Harvey Hall Theatre. Set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theater involves singing, dancing, and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self, and all that jazz.

Performance dates and times are:

Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 11, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 12, 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 16, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 17, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 18, 7:30 p.m.

“Something Rotten” has received several Best Musical nominations and was hailed by Time Out New York as “the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years.”

Tickets will be available at uwstout.universitytickets.com.

Musical performances

Stout Choirs, directed by Jean Enyeart and Jonathan Campbell, while Jerry Hui is on sabbatical: Saturday, April 25, 7 p.m., at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 910 9th Street E., Menomonie. The spring choral program, “Questions,” will be a musical exploration of “why?” As graduates move on to build a better world, they will be faced with many uncertainties. Questions come in many forms: rhetorical, spiritual and intellectual. Fear, awe and wonder lead to different kinds of questions.
The Symphonic Band, directed by Erika Svanoe: Sunday, April 26, 2 p.m., in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall. “Echoes of Eco” will feature music about our national parks, the wilderness and the great outdoors, including “Diamond Tide” by Viet Cuong, “Wilderness” by Cait Nishimura, and a music and video presentation of “National Park Suite” by Ryan Fraley. The concert will also feature a new piece by Svanoe titled “Winds Across the Water.”
Blue Devil Jazz Orchestra, directed by James Anderson: Saturday, May 2, 7 p.m., at Harvey Hall Theatre. Come hear, groove and tap your toes to jazz classics, such as Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing!,” Charles Mingus’ “Fables of Faubus,” Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade,” as well as some new favorites, too.

Tickets will be available at uwstout.universitytickets.com.

Community

All Community News

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

Community invited to exhibitions, civic and literary conversations, film screenings and performances Artwork by Eli Koltanowski and Matthew Wilichowski

University Marketing

Year of Design

A year of events highlighting the innovation, leadership, and impact at the heart of everything we do as Wisconsin's Polytechnic University.

Hero Caption: "Choreography of the Deep" was the first-place winner in the 2025 Fashion Without Fabric show.

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

AI reshaping industry: Advanced Machine Learning students develop impactful, competitive models

goersab — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:48:14 +0000

AI reshaping industry: Advanced Machine Learning students develop impactful, competitive modelsgoersab January 22, 2026

Projects result in innovative way to search course bulletin, play digital Othello board game

Abbey Goers

��Ͽ�’s 360-degree AI education approach prepares graduates to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving workforce by embedding artificial intelligence training in all of its degree programs. For two groups of applied mathematics and computer science students in an Advanced Machine Learning course, their final projects resulted in a model that could actively impact their institution and another that created a highly competitive AI opponent for a classic board game.

One group built a RAG model – or Retrieval Augmented Generation – to allow students to search the ��Ͽ� course bulletin in a much more engaging way. Another created a digital version of the board game Othello, using a Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) and a database of top international players to train the model.

Matthew Peplinski presents on the group Stout Bulletin RAG project.

“The motivation of the class is for students to pick up a cutting-edge paper, read it, understand it and implement it. Five years from now, when they are in their careers, they’ll know how to read a tech-heavy math paper and translate it into code,” said AMCS Program Director, Professor Seth Dutter. “These are the types of top-tier projects I look to give my students. The experience sets them apart. That’s polytechnic and gets to the point of ��Ͽ�.”

The Stout Bulletin RAG

In developing their group project, Tyler Smith, of Rochester; Matthew Peplinski, of Milwaukee; Aaron King, of Rhinelander; and Kyler Nikolai, of Rochester, wanted to create an easy way to gather information about ��Ͽ�’s courses, degree programs, minors and certifications without having to read through the entire course bulletin.

“We created the Stout Bulletin RAG, which can take any question someone has about Stout’s courses and programs and give them accurate information back within a couple of seconds,” Smith said. “A new student could use the program when applying to Stout to find out what classes and programs are offered, or a current student could use it when scheduling their classes for the next semester. The program actively uses ChatGPT to curate a response that provides the necessary information in a nice way. It also gives ChatGPT more specific information because the data is directly from the current Stout bulletin, so there will be no mistakes in finding old or irrelevant information.”

The group demonstrates the Stout Bulletin RAG in a final project presentation.

A RAG model allows the user to describe what they are looking for in sentence form, rather than just by using a single word search. The model consists of three parts, Smith explained: the prompt, the retrieval of data and the response from a LLM, or large language model. The prompt is what the user, like a student, asks the model. The model then searches through the stored data and finds what sentences, paragraphs or documents of text are most similar to the question asked.

“This is determined by an embedding model, which, in short, is a specific model trained to find similarities between text using a vector space,” he said. “The RAG then retrieves the top results of the most similar text and throws it into a new prompt. This prompt has all the details of the question asked, the information retrieved, and any rules in place, so when the model gets an LLM, like ChatGPT, to summarize the information, the LLM will not make up information it does not have.”

Peplinski added that the point of the RAG is to leverage existing LLM models’ reasoning capabilities, utilizing information that it was not trained on. “We used two different AI models in the process, one for the text embedding and one for the summarization,” he said. “The embedding model was used to determine how similar a user’s question is to the information available in our data set. We then pulled the top five most similar bits of information and sent that to the LLM, or ChatGPT, in our case. The LLM was used only to give the summary of the information that we provided it and given strict instruction to not make up false information.”

An example of a response generated by the Stout Bulletin RAG. / Tyler Smith

Peplinski and Smith thought the best part of the project was seeing how thorough their RAG model was during the final class presentation, as it nearly flawlessly answered prompts and challenges given by attendees.

The most challenging part was gathering all of ��Ͽ�’s program information and automating the data collection process so they would not have to write it out manually.

Smith will graduate this spring and will begin work at Federated Insurance this summer. He feels the project helped prepare him for industry, as many companies already use internal chatbots to search documents. “They are very likely using similar RAG model structures to what we created. So, going into industry with that knowledge is helpful,” he said.

Dutter agreed, adding, “Companies would benefit from employees who know how to code a RAG. It’s a useful skill to help a company that wants to be able to search for information within its sometimes decades worth of documents.”

Othello AI project

In four days, Nathan LaCrosse, of Portage; Noah Stitgen, of Lodi; Jake Swanson, of Eden Prairie, Minnesota; and Lindsey Redepenning, of Elk River, Minnesota, programmed their digital Othello version from scratch, creating an interface and teaching the AI model parameters of play, how to capture an opponent’s piece, and conditions to win the game. Over the next two weeks of the project, they optimized the game to make the most challenging, hyper-aggressive AI opponent they could.

Download their game at GitHub.

Nathan LaCrosse presents on the group Othello AI project.

LaCrosse originally wanted to select chess for the group’s project, but they decided on Othello, as it’s a simpler board game that’s easy to watch and play. Also, unlike checkers, Othello cannot end in a draw.

The group used an MCTS, a lightning-fast algorithm used in AI for decision-making processes, particularly in games, to develop their model. It simulated 3,500 Othello games per second. “When the MCTS evaluates a board position, it plays out a bunch of random games and picks the move that statistically leads to a win,” LaCrosse said.

They were challenged by the tree search to make sure it worked properly. “We actually discovered that we had programmed the game incorrectly because the algorithm was finding glitched moves that gave it an unfair advantage,” LaCrosse said.

An example of opponents' positions in the AI board game of Othello. / Nathan LaCrosse

They later added a neural network to the tree search that studied a database of top French Othello players. They used the database to train the network.

The group enjoyed playing against all the variations of gameplay the model allowed. In the published version, they selected the tree search that had the most unique playstyle, LaCrosse said.

“This project prepared us for industry because it familiarized us with the process of creating a full application, where we had everyone working on different elements of the program and combined it all together in the end,” said LaCrosse, who plans to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science.

Artificial Intelligence

All Artificial Intelligence News

��Ͽ� gets $19 million federal grant to manage statewide manufacturing program

MOC gets federal designation as Wisconsin’s statewide leader in supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers

��Ͽ� AI experts give AARP readers tips on navigating a chatbot-powered world

��Ͽ� AI technologist, STEMM professor recommend thinking critically, protecting personal data

Wisconsin manufacturing leaders unite to accelerate AI adoption across the state

MKE Tech Hub, WMEP and ��Ͽ� form strategic partnership to support mid-market manufacturers

Projects result in innovative way to search course bulletin, play digital Othello board game Advanced Machine Learning, Othello student project

University Marketing

B.S. Applied Mathematics & Computer Science

Our B.S. Applied Mathematics & Computer Science program will help you develop the analytical and technical skills to solve real-world problems.

Learn More

B.S. Computer Science

Our B.S. Computer Science program offers project-based experiences and opportunities—from paid internships to hands-on Agile software development.

Learn More

Seth Dutter

Teaching Interests: My teaching interests include all areas of undergraduate mathematics.

Research Interests: Algebraic Geometry, Algebraic Number Theory, Diophantine Geometry

Full Name: Seth C. Dutter, PhD

Job Title: Professor / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

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

Department: Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Applied Mathematics & Computer Science

Curriculum Vitae: Professor Seth C. Dutter CV (294.39 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Mathematics

University: University of California at Berkeley

Degree: B.S. Mathematics

University: University of California at Davis

CSTEMM

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

Breaking ground for polytechnic partnerships: ��Ͽ� top story highlights of 2025

giffeyt — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Breaking ground for polytechnic partnerships: ��Ͽ� top story highlights of 2025 giffeyt January 21, 2026

Heritage Hall renovation, AI innovations, industry-sponsored focus among year’s notable headlines

It was a year of big things at ��Ͽ�, from breaking ground for the biggest construction project in university history to posting some of the most notable enrollment growth in the Universities of Wisconsin to being chosen as the area’s Large Business of the Year.

In 2025, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University also earned big accolades, such as being named one of America’s Best Colleges by Money Magazine for the second year in a row and made big waves by continuing to break down barriers and redefine higher education for the 21st century.

These milestones are just some of the university’s Stout Story highlights as it looks back at 2025.

Reinvigorating renovations

The university began its fall 2025 semester with a groundbreaking for the long-awaited $144.3 million Heritage Hall renovation project, which will transform the half-century-old building into a cutting-edge educational hub to help meet Wisconsin’s workforce needs. The project, which is expected to be finished in 2028, will be paid for with funding from the state as well as $13.5 million donated by university supporters, industry partners and alumni.

‘Power of Partnership’: ��Ͽ� celebrates groundbreaking for $144M Heritage Hall renovation

Chancellor, lawmakers, community and campus leaders join to highlight project that will boost Wisconsin workforce

“The renovation of Heritage Hall is a direct reflection of our mission as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University: to provide career-focused, applied learning and research, and industry collaboration that meets the evolving needs of the state’s workforce and communities,” Chancellor Katherine Frank said.

The campus also looked forward to another major project, a $31.7 million revitalization of the Recreation Complex. Funded through the 2025-27 state budget as well as a record-setting $5 million gift, the renovations are expected to begin this year. And in October, ��Ͽ� celebrated the opening of a $1 million Esports Arena, a new high-tech home for the championship-caliber esports team.

Advances in AI

Artificial intelligence isn’t a stand-alone subject at ��Ͽ� — it’s been integrated across all programs, a 360-degree approach to create tomorrow’s AI-ready workforce.

“Equipping students from every major with AI skills is not only important but necessary,” said engineering and technology Assistant Professor Yuan Xing, who is working with applied social science Professor Tina Lee on a cross-disciplinary program focused on an AI-enhanced farming robot.

AI, fully integrated: ��Ͽ�’s 360-degree approach to artificial intelligence embeds skills across all programs

‘Equipping students from every major with AI skills is not only important but necessary.’

The university’s AI Fellows and AI Innovation Committee, led by faculty and staff, ensure AI is embedded into learning, operations and innovation, while directing AI integration, governance, ethics and literacy. Among the many examples of faculty engagement with AI include employing machine learning in engineering and manufacturing processes as well as comparing human and AI-generated written communication.

Assistant Professor Cami Banger, program director of business information technology and digital marketing technology, created a business technology class with AI “baked in,” while Professor Betsy Pudliner used AI-driven prompts to transform hospitality industry experiences into interactive online course content.

Meanwhile, a $647,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will allow ��Ͽ�’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence – CAM-AI – to provide advanced manufacturing and AI support to small- and medium-sized manufacturers.

Upgrading STEMM spaces

The completion of a two-year, $7.4 million renovation project ensured that labs in the Jarvis Hall Technology Wing provide the technology, accessibility and visibility necessary for students to succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management.

Some of the new equipment in labs in both Jarvis and Fryklund halls — including production-level 3D printers, a fully-integrated automated manufacturing system and more — was funded through a $3.1 million donation from the Ronald and Joyce Wanek Foundation. The gift was the result of an ongoing partnership between ��Ͽ� and the Wanek family and their business, Ashley Furniture Industries, based in Arcadia.

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

Such campus labs create space for innovation, such as work by Associate Professor Kevin MacDonald, director of the B.S. construction management program, and his students to create innovative low-carbon concrete using blast-furnace slag, which was tested in April in a campus project.

Labs also provide workspaces for students like mechanical engineering senior Heidi Benningfield, who received more than tuition and an internship through the U.S. military’s SMART Scholarship program. After graduation, she’s guaranteed a job with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville, Alabama.

Other students brought research on optimizing plant growth through the use of robotics to the national stage, while a faculty-student collaboration created software for making better 3D models of priceless objects in museums from Minneapolis to Amsterdam.

Degree and university programs honored

��Ͽ� and its programs continued to rake in top rankings in 2025. Princeton Review listed ��Ͽ�’s undergraduate game design programs, which include the B.F.A. game design and development and B.S. computer science – game design concentration, No. 5 in the Midwest and No. 24 worldwide.

��Ͽ�’s game design programs ranked among international best by Princeton Review

Side gigs at Roblox, Respawn strengthen students’ skills; Stout Game Expo on May 8

��Ͽ�’s Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity was named a Top 25 Best Value Cybersecurity Degree Bachelor’s Program in the U.S. by Programs.com, the only Wisconsin program on the list. And U.S. News and World Report said ��Ͽ� had some of the Best Online Programs in the nation, including the M.S. manufacturing engineering online (Top 20 in the Midwest), the M.S. education online (Top 45 in the Midwest), and the B.S. management and leadership online (Top 15 in the Midwest).

University programs also garnered state and national honors, with the Grow, Persist, Succeed on-campus job program earning an Academic Staff Excellence Award from the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents and the Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute receiving the annual W.F. Faulkes Award from the National Rehabilitation Association for its nearly 60 years of helping tens of thousands of Americans with disabilities.

High-ranking services for veterans

For veterans and active military students, ��Ͽ� was named to the 2025 Best for Vets Colleges list by Military Times for its commitment to serving veterans and their families, ranking first in Wisconsin among traditional and online universities.

Serving those who served: ��Ͽ� among top 25 in Midwest on annual Best for Vets list

University lauded by Military Times for services to veterans, their families

The university was also honored as a Military Friendly® School. Its silver designation marked the 16th consecutive year the university was named a Military Friendly® School for its efforts to offer service and support to meet the needs of military students. It was also named a 2025-26 Military Spouse Friendly School.

Army ROTC Northwoods Battalion students learn leadership theory, time management skills, basic soldier skills, map reading and other skills from experienced Army leaders. ��Ͽ� has a long-standing agreement with the Air Force ROTC program at University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul – a unique agreement among Wisconsin universities – that allows students to enroll in Air Force ROTC classes while completing their degrees.

Top design awards

While ��Ͽ�'s School of Art & Design celebrated its 60th anniversary, students from across degree programs celebrated top wins in state, national and international competitions.

Interior design senior Khendra Thompson rose to the challenge at the 12th Annual Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition and won with her design of a 16,000-square-foot workplace spread across two floors in a Chicago office building, beating four other finalists from a field that began with 1,600 students from across the continent.

Interior design student tops international field to win Steelcase competition

Interior design majors who entered the 12th Annual Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition faced a lofty challenge.

To address the concern of microplastics in food and water, Master of Fine Arts in design student Ashley Jandro created a social awareness campaign called “MicroWhat?,” for which she received a Student – Integrated Consumer Campaign Silver Pin at the Minnesota AdFed awards, sponsored by the Advertising Federation of Minnesota.

A team of four packaging students won first place among university teams from around the globe in the 2025 International Molded Fiber Association Student Competition. They created a sustainable packaging solution for a waffle iron, previously packaged in polystyrene, and replaced the components with molded fiber.

The claustrophobic, cooperative game Dread Not, in which players try to survive a sinking submarine, won the award for Best Student Entry at M+DEV, the largest game industry conference in the Midwest. Dread Not was developed by a team of 15 game design students.

With a design inspired by her adventures with her black lab, Max, studio art major Jaelyn Logterman won the 2026 Wisconsin State Park and Forest vehicle admission pass design contest, announced by the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

Students lending a Helping Hand

Two interior design students are working to ensure their peers have a more efficient, comfortable and warm experience at Helping Hand Food+ Pantry, the university’s student pantry. Emma Walstra and Klaire Johnson, project co-leads, reimagined the pantry space to create an “atmosphere that reflects the care ��Ͽ� places in serving its students.”

Interior design program partners with Helping Hand pantry to highlight ‘essential campus resource’

Student design team reimagines pantry space to ensure peers have comfortable, warm experience

In a cross-disciplinary collaboration, four groups of students in a Light Construction Methods class built two raised garden beds, one raised tool bench and one raised tool holder for The Neighbors of Dunn County, a senior living home. The project was part of a service-learning activity and was launched last summer during a new STEAM camp for high school students.

A team of animation and digital media students collaborated with Dunn County Humane Society to develop a public service announcement as part of the Animation Production junior capstone class. Their 72-second 2D animated film, “Stray,” was created to help advocate for pet adoption. The informative short features Bow, a stray orange tabby cat rescued during Wisconsin’s bitter winter.

Industry-sponsored projects are standard practice

Arcadia-based Ashley Furniture sponsored multiple engineering student projects in 2025. A team of students, including Inspiring Graduates Luke Mertens and Zachary Morgan, designed an innovative nonstandard pallet stacker. Ashley Manufacturing Engineer Erik Kramer, the team’s project manager, said, “The ��Ͽ� team built a better system, a better product for us. Now, with the team’s documentation, our automation team can replicate their functional design to build six more stackers for our facilities.”

All stacked up: Ashley Furniture-sponsored project results in ‘better product’ developed by engineering seniors

Student team builds functional nonstandard pallet stacker to be implemented, replicated in company’s facilities

Students also developed toolless bed connections for Ashley and worked in eight cross-disciplinary groups to research market trends, ideate preliminary designs, test materials and build professional prototypes. The class traveled to Ashley for a tour of the facility and to present their prototypes to the R&D team.

Packaging faculty and student research is poised to help Madison-based Tricky Foods deliver its tasty but temperature-sensitive charcuterie boards coast to coast. Associate Professor Kate Liu of ��Ͽ�’s packaging program worked with Tricky Foods to test the insulating abilities of two eco-friendly packaging options – one made of cornstarch, the other of recycled paper.

Three industrial and product design students were awarded a cash prize by Room & Board in exchange for the rights to produce their designs if they choose. The senior’ project focused on storage solutions for media, dining, living, entry, bathroom and kitchen systems.

Blue Devil athletes excelling

The ��Ͽ� Blue Devil women’s basketball team’s Cinderella run to the Final Four last March marked the team’s best-ever performance in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. They completed their historic season with a 23-8 record, going 10-4 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Conference. Senior Raegen Sorensen became ��Ͽ�'s all-time leading scorer with 1,754 career points.

Blue Devil women’s basketball makes history in Cinderella run to the Final Four

Records set in tenacious battle against undefeated, defending champions NYU

Gymnast Jamie Beatty delivered a historic performance at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association National Championships, capturing national titles in both the all-around and the uneven bars and being named WIAC Newcomer of the Year.

The inaugural women’s flag football team hoisted the Midwest College Women’s Flag Football League Championship trophy at the Minnesota Vikings’ TCO Performance Center in April. ��Ͽ� was a founding member of the collegiate league, which was kickstarted with support from the Vikings.

Women’s golf took the WIAC conference championship, where they triumphed by a near-record margin. Sophomore Julia Imai and junior Brin Neumann placed first and second individually.

Blue Devils football made history at Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium, earning the program’s first-ever postseason victory with a 31-23 win over Washington University in the Culver's Isthmus Bowl. ��Ͽ� finishes the season 6-5 for their second straight winning season.

Officer Harvey: University Police therapy-dog-in-training is already warming hearts

The newest police officer at the University of Wisconsin-Stout is also the department’s furriest.

BONUS: Introducing Officer Harvey

Officer Harvey, a therapy dog in training, joined ��Ͽ�'s University Police as its newest member in March. Once Harvey is fully trained, he will serve University Police by assisting people experiencing mental health crises as well as victims of crime and will help the department bridge the gap with members of the community, said University Police Chief Gregory Kalosis.

Applied Learning

All Applied Learning News

Video production program work highlights viability of Wisconsin as film hub

Students, alums assist in Deming’s unique medical drama ‘Winter Hymns,’ filmed in Menomonie

Canon selects ��Ͽ� for exclusive Explorers of Light program with award-winning cinematographer

Shana Hagan, ASC, has worked on everything from Oscar-winning documentaries to hit sitcoms

John Deere will benefit from sustainable plastic research conducted by ��Ͽ� students, faculty

Two-year project seeks to identify recycled polymers that can be used in manufacturing process

Heritage Hall renovation, AI innovations, industry-sponsored focus among year’s notable headlines Dignitaries with shovels at Heritage Hall groundbreaking

University Marketing

Our Polytechnic Advantage

Incredible employment rates. Guaranteed practical experience. Industry-aligned facilities. Tuition discount for South Dakota residents.

Inspiring Graduates Share Their ��Ͽ� Polytechnic Experiences

Celebrate our graduates as they cross the commencement stage and reflect on the journey that brought them here

Hero Caption: Representatives from the campus, community and state took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking.

Include in Directory: Off

Exclude from Internal Site Search: No

News

Video production program work highlights viability of Wisconsin as film hub

Bringing filmmaking to the Midwest

‘Winter Hymns’ – A golden opportunity

2026 Unspooled Film & Animation Festival

B.S. Video Production

Canon selects ���Ͽ� for exclusive Explorers of Light program with award-winning cinematographer

Cinematographer shares professional skills

Canon builds strong relationship with ���Ͽ�

B.S. Video Production

John Deere will benefit from sustainable plastic research conducted by ���Ͽ� students, faculty

Students create, test samples

Sabbatical recap: Wei Zheng, Plastics Engineering, 2024-25

Sustainability key to professor’s research

B.S. Plastics Engineering

Corporate Relations & Economic Engagement

Equine therapy gives clinical mental health students skills to support clients’ growth

Vance Creek internships add to clinical training

Inspiring Graduate: Ava Allroggen, M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling

M.S. Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Internships with Yankees, PGA Tour, Vikings, Brewers and beyond give ���Ͽ� students big-league skills

Helping the Yankees at the plate

Skol: May hospitality graduate works for Minnesota Vikings planning special events

Behind-the-scenes experience

#StoutProud: Mike Bond ('15, '17)

Making connections through ���Ͽ�

Cooperative Education & Internship Program

Room & Board furniture design competition carries ���Ͽ� students’ work from classroom to catalog

Competition bookends winning student’s experience

Professional mentors give in-classroom critique

Competition culminates in site visit

B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

Year of Design

Supporting entrepreneurs: Edgewood Bakeshop benefits from business students’ cost accounting project

Using cost accounting as a strategic decision tool

Tips for Young Entrepreneurs

‘Exactly what experiential learning is meant to do’

B.S. Business Administration

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

Fashion Without Fabric

Art & Design Exhibitions

Civic dialogue

Center for Applied Ethics

Film screening and literary discussions

University Theatre

Musical performances

Year of Design

AI reshaping industry: Advanced Machine Learning students develop impactful, competitive models

The Stout Bulletin RAG

Othello AI project

B.S. Applied Mathematics & Computer Science

B.S. Computer Science

Breaking ground for polytechnic partnerships: ���Ͽ� top story highlights of 2025

Reinvigorating renovations

‘Power of Partnership’: ���Ͽ� celebrates groundbreaking for $144M Heritage Hall renovation

Advances in AI

AI, fully integrated: ���Ͽ�’s 360-degree approach to artificial intelligence embeds skills across all programs

Upgrading STEMM spaces

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

Degree and university programs honored

���Ͽ�’s game design programs ranked among international best by Princeton Review

High-ranking services for veterans

Serving those who served: ���Ͽ� among top 25 in Midwest on annual Best for Vets list

Top design awards

Interior design student tops international field to win Steelcase competition

Students lending a Helping Hand

Interior design program partners with Helping Hand pantry to highlight ‘essential campus resource’

Industry-sponsored projects are standard practice

All stacked up: Ashley Furniture-sponsored project results in ‘better product’ developed by engineering seniors

Blue Devil athletes excelling

Blue Devil women’s basketball makes history in Cinderella run to the Final Four

Officer Harvey: University Police therapy-dog-in-training is already warming hearts

BONUS: Introducing Officer Harvey

Our Polytechnic Advantage

Inspiring Graduates Share Their ���Ͽ� Polytechnic Experiences

Canon selects ��Ͽ� for exclusive Explorers of Light program with award-winning cinematographer

Canon builds strong relationship with ��Ͽ�

John Deere will benefit from sustainable plastic research conducted by ��Ͽ� students, faculty

Internships with Yankees, PGA Tour, Vikings, Brewers and beyond give ��Ͽ� students big-league skills

Making connections through ��Ͽ�

Room & Board furniture design competition carries ��Ͽ� students’ work from classroom to catalog

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

Breaking ground for polytechnic partnerships: ��Ͽ� top story highlights of 2025

‘Power of Partnership’: ��Ͽ� celebrates groundbreaking for $144M Heritage Hall renovation

AI, fully integrated: ��Ͽ�’s 360-degree approach to artificial intelligence embeds skills across all programs

��Ͽ�’s game design programs ranked among international best by Princeton Review

Serving those who served: ��Ͽ� among top 25 in Midwest on annual Best for Vets list

Inspiring Graduates Share Their ��Ͽ� Polytechnic Experiences