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Fashion and photogrammetry: Communications senior captures couture in 3D

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View the WEAR Fashion Show trailer and purchase tickets online.

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

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

Fashion and photogrammetry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Claire Jost, Lucas Moreno-Martinez III and Marilena Grado

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evan Tomczyk, Anna Mathsen and Isaac Tester

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

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

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

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

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

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

A student and community resource

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fashion Design & Development

All Fashion Design & Development News

Fashion and photogrammetry: Communications senior captures couture in 3D

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Our B.S. Fashion Design & Development emphasizes current industry practices, internship opportunities, and career placement.

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B.S. Professional & Technical Communication

Our B.S. Professional & Technical Communication program offers you a variety of career paths in professional content creation.

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Stout Fashion Show

Join us for the annual Stout Fashion Show, ��Ͽ�'s premier runway showcase of student fashion collections.

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

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��Ͽ�’s Fab Lab hosts regional high school teams in Make48 engineering, innovation competition

goersab — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 14:49:38 +0000

��Ͽ�’s Fab Lab hosts regional high school teams in Make48 engineering, innovation competitiongoersab November 16, 2023

Event fosters hands-on connection between students and industry; Chippewa Falls team takes top prize

Abbey Goers

Two days, six regional high school teams, one problem to solve.

To celebrate the maker mindset, ��Ͽ� hosted Make48, a long-running 48-hour competition, in which students invent physical prototypes to solve real-world problems.

Teams from Altoona, Chippewa Falls and Menomonie, as well as Amery, Neillsville and St. Croix Central, converged on ��Ͽ� from Oct. 27-29, to compete for a cash prize and scholarships to ��Ͽ�. The challenge sponsor was 3M Menomonie, which tasked the teams with addressing rainwater conservation.

First-place team Boards 'n Bots members Megan Schutte, Elleana Kenney and Brett Schaeffer and coach Everett Sarauer (front row) with Make48 competitors / Make48

Working side by side with their coaches – regional engineers and mentoring teachers – the teams raced to make a supply run to Ace Hardware in Menomonie, vet their inventions with intellectual property attorneys and produce a working prototype in ��Ͽ�'s Fab Lab maker space. Expert tool technicians and ��Ͽ� students offered additional support in the lab.

The Fab Lab, one of nearly 300 labs and studios on ��Ͽ�’s campus, offers innovators, creatives and makers access to 3D printers, laser cutters and leading-edge digital fabrication tools. It is open to students and community and industry partners to design, prototype and build almost anything they can imagine.

Along with their finished prototypes, teams produced sell sheets and one-minute marketing videos to pitch their big ideas to a panel of judges.

Chippewa Falls High School Boards 'n Bots team member Elleana Kenney describes the team’s prototype design. / ��Ͽ�

In addition to winning $2,000 for their first-place design, Elleana Kenney, Brett Schaeffer and Megan Schutte of Chippewa Falls High School’s Boards 'n Bots were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship to ��Ͽ�. The team was coached by Everett Sarauer, a process engineer with TTM Technologies in Chippewa Falls, which sponsored Boards n’ Bots.

“They were excellent, and I really didn’t have to do much coaching at all,” Sarauer said. “I had to keep reminding myself that they were high school students, as they were so professional. The biggest roadblock was just coming up with an idea, as we all are overthinkers. Once we had an idea, we dove right in.”

Other competing teams and their sponsors were:

Altoona Makers, from Altoona High School: Aaron Nujtxeeg Xiong, Kaylee Belisle and Logan Kelley, coached by Jeff Ballentine, a technology education teacher. Sponsored by Presto.
Menomonie Mustangs, from Menomonie High School: Kajsiab Xiong, Enzo Parent, Jack Andresen and Pajci Xiong. Sponsored by Andersen Windows.
Jeff Smart, from Amery High School: Brodrick Malon, Carter Kurtzhals and Alex Kegley, coached by Mike Rose, a business teacher. Sponsored by Fastenal.
Weekend Warriors, from Neillsville High School: Armin De La Cruz, Cameron Waters and Zachary Magnus, coached by Mark Brommer, a science teacher. Sponsored by OEM Fabrication.
Wenzel's Workers, from St. Croix Central High School in Hammond: Tyce Todd, Gavin Hawkins, Toby Lindstrom and Brady Jackman. Sponsored by Derrick Builders.

Each student on the five other teams received a $350 scholarship to ��Ͽ� for competing.

St. Croix Central team members plan their prototype design / ��Ͽ�

In addition to 3M as the challenge sponsor, regional corporate sponsors were Xcel, Momentum West and Ace Hardware in Menomonie.

“3M is committed to supporting young people and fostering their interest in STEM. Make48 lines up well with this,” said 3M Menomonie Plant Manager Janice Neitzel. “We want to have a positive impact on the community where we live and work. We partner with many organizations in the area to do this, and this was another way to engage with ��Ͽ�.”

Neitzel met with the teams before Make48 kicked off and served as a panel judge.

“The Fab Lab was a perfect location for this event, providing the teams with many options to leverage as they worked through the competition,” she said. “I was amazed with how creative the inventions were for only having 48 hours to take their idea and build a prototype. The presentations were extremely well done and made judging a very difficult job.”

Connecting students with industry professionals

��Ͽ� students and instructors played big roles as Fab Lab tool technicians and CAD-focused assistants, helping the teams bring their ideas to life.

Mike Cropp is a management engineer at ��Ͽ� and Fab Lab specialist. “The Fab Lab is focused on training students how to use digital fabrication tools to build a solution to their problem. Using technology allows them to create a higher quality output in a shorter amount of time or to test the viability of a design quickly,” he said.

“Connecting industry with students allows the students to see the processes used within industry and allows industry professionals to share their career experiences with the next generation of workers,” he added.

Amery High School team members and coach Mike Rose / ��Ͽ�

Sarauer enjoyed working in the Fab Lab with the tool technicians as they were willing and optimistic to help. “It was a great place to make prototypes on the fly. I’d love to do it again someday. I’m looking forward to seeing my team get into real industry. They will do great at whatever they choose to do,” he said.

Madi Klaja, a second-year packaging major from Atlanta, Ga., is a Fab Lab tool technician and helped teams operate any equipment necessary to create their prototypes. Matthew Miller, an industrial and product design junior from Cameron, assisted teams with 3D rendering and SolidWorks computer-aided design and engineering software.

They believe that helping the Make48 teams and collaborating with industry professionals will help them in their future internships or careers.

“The competition gave me an opportunity to talk about my technical skills and demonstrate my networking capabilities as well,” Klaja said.

“I was able to utilize skills I learned in class, network and apply it to helping high school students make their products,” Miller added.

The ��Ͽ� competition was Make48’s first Career Pathways Event. ��Ͽ�’s involvement was a “testament to the university’s dedication to fostering innovation, applied ‘hands-on learning’ and collaboration to address real-world problems” said Seth Hudson, executive director of ��Ͽ� Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement.

��Ͽ�, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, supports career-focused applied learning and research through real-world experiences and offers engagement opportunities with its business and industry partners. Graduates have a 99.4% employment rate within six months of graduation.

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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

Event fosters hands-on connection between students and industry; Chippewa Falls team takes top prize Make48, Chippewa Falls team members Brett Schaeffer and Megan Schutte

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Hero Caption: Chippewa Falls High School Boards 'n Bots team members Brett Schaeffer and Megan Schutte work on their Make48 prototype.

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Fab Lab’s campus, statewide impacts continue to grow

polingj — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 15:43:19 +0000

Fab Lab’s campus, statewide impacts continue to growpolingj July 18, 2022

In 10th year, facility provides high-tech innovation space, expertise for campus community, state school districts, entrepreneurs

For nearly a decade, the Discovery Center Fab Lab at ��Ͽ� has been a cutting-edge center to help bring innovative ideas to life.

Now in its 10th year of operations, the Fab Lab — a design and digital fabrication laboratory — still is the only such facility available to all students at a Wisconsin university. And, adhering to the Wisconsin Idea, it has grown to help meet the needs of residents across the state.

Since 2016 the Fab Lab has hosted WiFab, a workshop for teachers in Wisconsin school districts. WiFab West was held June 14-16 on campus, with 15 teachers from nine school districts, from Drummond to Milwaukee, from Bowler to Elmwood.

Teachers track the progress of their projects during a recent WiFab workshop at ��Ͽ�. The workshops have been held since 2016. / ��Ͽ�

WiFab East, hosted by ��Ͽ�, will be held Tuesday to Thursday, July 19-21, at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton.

The workshops help train teachers who are new to fab lab technology, including many whose schools received fab lab funding from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Teachers take the lessons learned at WiFab, such as how to use a laser engraver or 3D printer, back to their colleagues and to their district’s students.

Fab Lab instructor Laurence Charlier works with a teacher from Clayton during the 2021 WiFab West workshop. / ��Ͽ�

Mike Cropp, ��Ͽ� Fab Lab manager, teaches the retreats with Steve Meyer, manager of STEM education and development at Fox Valley Technical College; and Laurence Charlier, fab lab director at Northwestern High School in Maple, a technology and engineering teacher and a ��Ͽ� alum.

WEDC has awarded 100 fab lab grants to school districts since 2016.

“If we can have an impact on individuals to think creatively and make things that are meaningful to them at an early age, it really empowers education and is meaningful to their lives,” said Randy Hulke, Discovery Center director who recently retired.

For the school districts that received WEDC fab lab grants, ��Ͽ� also provides a WEDC-funded WiFab Cooperative to support lab layout, equipment selection, curriculum development and more, Hulke said.

School district outreach is one of three areas ��Ͽ�’s Fab Lab provides for engagement. Also:

The Discovery Center Fab Lab was founded in 2013 with the assistance of a UW System grant. / ��Ͽ�

The lab, in the Vocational Rehabilitation Building, is open to the public for entrepreneurs and others hoping to develop an idea or product. Users can apply online to use the lab.
The lab is open to ��Ͽ� students from every major at no cost. Up to 1,000 students a year from every major have used it, Hulke said.

Since it opened in 2013, the lab has added a second laser engraver, a second minimill and increased its 3D printers from three to six, as well as adding a plasma cutter for metal. Students, faculty and staff reserve time to use the equipment.

Students use the equipment in the Discovery Center Fab Lab. / ��Ͽ�

“These equipment enhancements help accommodate the number of users and the type of material they want to work with,” Hulke said.

The Fab Lab, like its mission, is hoping to innovate how its technology can be used. An initiative being developed is working with clients of the Discovery Center’s Manufacturing Outreach Center.

“How can we use these tools to help automate a job in some way or make a tool to make it easier?” Cropp said. “It’s simple automation. We can help solve simple problems using technology as the starting point.”

��Ͽ�’s Fab Lab was founded with the assistance of a multiyear $520,000 Growth Agenda award from the UW System. It features digital fabrication machines that are programmed through computer software.

The Fab Lab provides access to a variety of tools, including computer-aided design and desktop manufacturing technologies, to help bring ideas to life. The open Fab Lab environment removes barriers, such as access to equipment and technology, while serving as an incubator for applied research, innovation, job creation and economic development.

The WiFab workshops are coordinated by ��Ͽ�’s Professional Education Programs and Services.

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For nearly a decade, the Discovery Center Fab Lab at ��Ͽ� has been a cutting-edge center to help bring innovative ideas to life. Fab Lab engraved

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Hero Caption: Wisconsin teachers attend the WiFab West workshop in 2021 at ��Ͽ�’s Discovery Center Fab Lab. / ��Ͽ�

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Collaboration, continuous improvement, innovation part of WiFab Retreat West

powersp — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 18:23:52 +0000

Collaboration, continuous improvement, innovation part of WiFab Retreat Westpowersp July 12, 2021

Teachers network, learn to develop next generation of problem-solvers

Teachers turned students recently in the University of Wisconsin-Stout Fab Lab as part of the WiFab Retreat West, a three-day immersion in design and digital fabrication.

Participants, while at the university’s Fab Lab June 28-30, went through many experiences to learn the difference between completing a “project” and going through an engineering design process

They also were introduced to basic electrical components and completed labs to experience what electrical components do in a circuit. Using this information, they determined the correct components needed to make a light-up dog tag. They also built upon this knowledge and programmed a microcontroller to automate a circuit when making a cardboard advertisement, cut with a Fab Lab laser.

Dane Helnore, a 2020 technology education graduate who teaches at Chippewa Falls High School, attended the retreat to get student project ideas and network with other teachers.

“It’s scaffolding in learning,” Helnore said. “There is an end goal in sight. It’s about process learning, hands-on learning and reflection on the process.”

Mike Cropp / ��Ͽ� photo

WiFab Retreat West last year went all virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 17 middle and high school educators from across the state attended WiFab Retreat West this year. Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton will host WiFab Retreat East Tuesday, July 13, through Thursday, July 15.

Mike Cropp, ��Ͽ� Fab Lab manager, teaches the retreats with Steve Meyer, manager of STEM education and development at Fox Valley Technical College, and Laurence Charlier, fab lab director at Northwestern High School in Maple and a technology and engineering teacher.

“It was great to be back in person again,” Cropp said. “Everyone can sit in the Fab Lab, work on a project and talk about it together. It’s a great networking opportunity and to learn from one another. We want them to be creative in the solutions while they are thinking and problem-solving.”

Meyer said those teachers then take that knowledge back to classrooms to help create the next generation of problem-solvers. “Techniques are changing so quickly it’s hard to know what the technology will be,” Meyer said. “We do know every kid in the future needs to think. We want kids to do continuous improvement and learn how to make things better all the time. This is about collaboration and making sure students go on to be more innovative in the future.”

Charles Nolt, a WiFab Retreat West participant, begins his teaching career in the technology department at Northwestern High School this fall. Nolt has been a mechanical engineer for the past seven years working at Boston Scientific and at a custom lighting company in Utah in research and development.

Nolt was looking for a change and wanted to start a career that would have an impact on and make a difference for future generations.

“The biggest takeaway for me has not been the technical but an introduction to the educators,” he said. “These people are involved. They have passion and compassion. It’s inspiring to me. They are the people I want to become.”

Laurence Charlier, at right, explains the process to create a lighted miniature billboard to one of the WiFab Retreat West participants. / ��Ͽ� photo

Elk Mound High School technology education teacher Lucas Audorff attended the retreat as part of a $25,000 Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. grant the high school received to update the school’s fab lab. The updated fab lab site is expected to be ready for the 2022-23 school year.

“Instead of just doing a project, it’s more of what is the process, ” said Audorff, a ��Ͽ� 1998 technology education alumnus. “It’s using the technology they already know for a purpose. We are cutting the cardboard, to support a sign, that we will use to showcase a project.”

Helnore said he enjoyed returning to ��Ͽ� and making connections with others in the technology education field. He praised the university’s career focus. “The professors here have real-life experience. That’s extremely valuable.”

Fab Lab founded in 2013

��Ͽ�’s Discovery Center Fab Lab was founded in 2013 with the assistance of a multiyear $520,000 Growth Agenda award from the UW System. It features digital fabrication machines that are programmed through computer software. The Fab Lab provides open access to students from all ��Ͽ� programs, further bolstering the Discovery Center's facilitation of collaborative, multidisciplinary efforts.

WEDC has developed a Fab Labs resource page for its website that provides districts with information and a video on how to set up, equip and implement best practices. Content was provided by ��Ͽ� and Gateway Technical College.

In addition, ��Ͽ�, with funding from WEDC, has developed a web portal that allows fab lab schools to communicate with one another on issues such as curriculum development and implementation, equipment usage and training. Districts also may request technical assistance.

��Ͽ� offers a technology education degree program on campus and online.

Teachers turned students recently in the University of Wisconsin-Stout Fab Lab as part of the WiFab Retreat West, a three-day immersion in design and digital fa 20210631_wifabeducators_9642_hero1.jpg

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Hero Caption: Teachers turned students recently in the ��Ͽ� Fab Lab as part of the WiFab Retreat West, a three-day immersion in design and digital fabrication. / ��Ͽ� photo by Chris Cooper

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

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WiFAB Summer Training Series for Fab Lab Teachers

Design engaging, hands-on STEAM learning experiences while optimizing your Fab Lab and its impact on students

Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) empower students with hands-on STEAM skills for today’s global economy while supporting local innovation through community access. Although the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) grant program that supported Fab Lab equipment purchases has ended, many schools across the state have Fab Labs in place. This two-course training series helps educators maximize these spaces with strategies for instruction, operations, and real-world connections:

Learn how to utilize a Fab Lab to foster multi-disciplinary learning and engage students with hands-on STEAM education.
Discover how to use simple problems to teach age-appropriate concepts while optimizing your Fab Lab’s setup, training, and operations.
Gain strategies to guide students through problem identification, solution design, prototyping, and testing.
Explore ways to connect your Fab Lab with industry and community partners for real-world impact.

Learn more about what you will gain from each course below, and register for one or both courses no later than July 5!

training series At A Glance

July 13 – 16, 2026

9 AM – 4:30 PM

In-Person

On-Campus

Cost

Varies - See below for details & discounts!

Registration is closed.

What will you gain?

Introduction to Fab Lab Equipment

Mon., July 13, 2026, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
$199 Discounted Rate | $249 Regular -
See details below

Never been in a Fab Lab, or have limited experience? This 1-day course will introduce you to the equipment and walk you through several projects, from start to finish! All materials provided. Limited to 20 participants. Upon completion, participants will:

Be introduced to a Fab Lab environment.
Understand the operation of each piece of equipment.
Complete an initial project on each process commonly found in a Fab Lab.
Take away a product you have assembled using each process.

Teaching in a Fab Lab

Tues.-Thurs, July 14-16, 2026, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
$599 Discounted Rate | $749 Regular - Details below

This 3-day course focuses on applied learning within a Fab Lab. Some prior experience within a Fab Lab environment is helpful but not a requirement. Participants are asked to bring a personal laptop but all other materials provided. Limited to 20 participants. Upon completion, participants will:

Examine applied learning within a FabLab.
Learn and experience successful methods of teaching in a Fab Lab.
Complete several projects you can utilize in a classroom.
Connect the learning process to learning outcomes with fun activities.

Who should enroll?

This series is designed for K-12 educators and administrators. There are no prerequisites to participate in Introduction to Fab Lab Equipment. For Teaching in a Fab Lab, some prior experience within a Fab Lab environment is helpful but not required.

What will it cost?

Introduction to Fab Lab Equipment:

Early Bird Discount (register by June 29, 2026): $199
Stout Proud Discount (��Ͽ� Faculty, Staff, Student, and Alumni): $199
Regular Registration: $249

Teaching in a Fab Lab:

Early Bird Discount (register by June 29, 2026): $599
Stout Proud Discount (��Ͽ� Faculty, Staff, Student, and Alumni): $599
Regular Registration: $749

Important Notes:

REGISTRATION CLOSES JULY 5, 2026.
Faculty/Staff/Students: Use your ��Ͽ� email when registering to receive discount.
Alumni: Reach out to gieskingj@uwstout.edu to receive a discount code BEFORE completing the registration form.
Waiting List: Each course is limited to 20 participants, so we encourage you register as soon as possible. We will have a waiting list for each course and will notify you if a space opens up, in order of completed registration.
FAQs: For information on Payment and Cancellation Policy, Disability Accommodations, and other issues, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Wisconsin Teachers at the ��Ͽ� Fab Lab / ��Ͽ�

"I knew very little about Fab Lab equipment or how to build a curriculum around it. But after this week‑long workshop, really diving in and thinking through everything, I feel much more prepared as an educator. It’s something I can bring back to my school and share with everyone there."

- Mackenzie Bennin, Granton Area School District

"Digital fabrication is wonderful for students to experience at any age. The idea that you can take your abstract thoughts and ideas and make a physical object out of them is very empowering.”

- Chris Wiemer, Stoughton High School

Who are your instructors?

Mike Cropp

Mike Cropp is the Manager of the Fab Lab. He has a degree in Engineering Technology-Mechanical Design from ��Ͽ�. He has held a variety of positions in his career, from an Applications Engineer at Stratasys, Ltd. to project manager for the Center for Innovation and Development to Lecturer for the Operations and Management Department at ��Ͽ�. His current role is working with digital fabrication technologies in the Fab Lab to push their boundaries, finding new ways to solve challenges or create fun products. He has over 20 years of experience designing new products, training digital fabrication processes, and building machines. 

Laurence Charlier

A ��Ͽ� graduate, Laurence Charlier has been involved with the ��Ͽ� FAB lab since its inception. He has taken advantage of opportunities to visit several fab labs throughout the state performing assessments for ��Ͽ� and WEDC while networking to discern what makes a quality FAB lab and how the unique capabilities inherent to a FAB Lab can be harnessed for teaching and learning. He has taught WiFAB Retreat courses since 2016. In his current position,as a Technology and Engineering teacher in Maple, WI, he is developing a digital design based STEM curriculum for K-12 teachers, students and the wider community.

Basic Philosophy: Quality curriculum is interdisciplinary in nature, employing mathematics, reading, communication, science, technology, and engineering in real-world context. It offers opportunities to exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills to develop solutions using tools such as the design process and experimentation while promoting creativity, collaboration, and communication.

Location & Parking

Courses will be held in the ��Ͽ� Fab Lab, Vocational Rehabilitation (building #7 in the Campus map below), room 120.

VIEW THE CAMPUS MAP

Lot 14, by the south side of Sorenson Hall, is the closest lot to park to this location.
There is also street parking next to the Vocational Rehabilitation building.

Professional Education and Program Services

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Fab lab training programs for state teachers scheduled in June, July

polingj — Thu, 06 May 2021 14:41:46 +0000

Fab lab training programs for state teachers scheduled in June, Julypolingj May 6, 2021

Registration open for WiFab Training Series, to be held virtually; school districts receive grants

Where do the manufacturing jobs of the future begin?

One of the places is at University of Wisconsin-Stout, which will coordinate two WiFab Training Series events this summer for teachers from across the state.

Registration is open for both virtual events:

WiFab West, Monday through Wednesday, June 28-30, hosted by ��Ͽ�
WiFab East, Tuesday through Thursday, July 13-15, hosted by Fox Valley Technical College.

The training series supports teachers whose schools are developing a digital fabrication space — fab lab — or makerspace.

The WiFab Training Series through ��Ͽ� helps teachers with their fab lab skills. / ��Ͽ�

On May 5, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation announced its 2021 fab lab grants, totaling $635,090 for 28 school districts. Schools are able to use the funds to purchase fab lab equipment.

Districts in west-central Wisconsin that received grants included Alma Center-Humbird Merrillan, Cornell, Elk Mound, Prescott and River Falls.

The three-day workshop is designed to help train teachers to:

Develop a fab lab curriculum
Understand how a fab lab is used to foster multidisciplinary learning
Learn how to use simple problems to teach age-appropriate STEAM concepts
Consider fab lab setup, training and operation
Learn how to challenge students to identify the problem, imagine solutions, weigh ideas, prototype and test
Learn how the fab lab can engage with industry and community members.

A WiFab participant works on a project at a past training event on campus. This year’s events will be virtual. / ��Ͽ�

The WiFab Training Series through ��Ͽ� is coordinated by the university’s Professional Education Programs and Services, part of the Discovery Center. Mike Cropp, ��Ͽ� Fab Lab specialist, will help coordinate WiFab West and WiFab East.

��Ͽ� has offered the training programs since 2016. They also were virtual in 2020. More than 100 teachers from Wisconsin have participated.

WiFab Cooperative is also an online resource, created in partnership with ��Ͽ�, to help PK-12 school districts collaborate and share information. The resource helps disseminate relevant curricula, champion best practices, address common challenges and facilitate inter-lab communications.

School districts can request technical assistance on the web portal through ��Ͽ� to build and grow their fab labs.

��Ͽ�’s Fab Lab is in the Vocational Rehabilitation Building, 221 10th Ave. E.

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Fab Lab’s campus, statewide impacts continue to grow

For nearly a decade, the Discovery Center Fab Lab at ��Ͽ� has been a cutting-edge center to help bring innovative ideas to life.

Where do the manufacturing jobs of the future begin? One of the places is ��Ͽ� and the WiFab Training Series. WiFab 1

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For Our Students. For Our Future

Michael Cropp

Full Name: Michael Cropp

Job Title: Management Engineer/Fab Lab Specialist

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Founder of fab lab Moscow to speak March 4 on material reuse

powersp — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 15:14:32 +0000

Founder of fab lab Moscow to speak March 4 on material reusepowersp February 27, 2020

Two Russian scholars to discuss research

Single-use plastic bottles can gain new life as plastics material used in artistic designs through fab labs.

Vladimir Kuznetsov, founder of the fab lab Moscow, will speak at University of Wisconsin-Stout from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, in room 321 of Applied Arts. Kuznetsov, who directs the first laboratory for personal digital fabrication in Russia, will be joined by Artem Korotkov, a doctoral student and researcher from the National University of Science and Technology MISIS in Moscow. Korotkov started the precious plastics project at the fab lab in Moscow.

They will speak on Precious Plastics: Fab Labs and Exploring Material Reuse. They will discuss their research into garage-based trash recycling. The event is free and open to everyone.

Kuznetsov is a specialist in the field of metallic materials processing, processes simulations and optimization. In 2012 he founded the fab lab Moscow located at NUST MISIS. Since 2015 he has directed the Technologies and Materials for Digital Fabrication master’s program. His current interests are in developing affordable and effective means of digital fabrication and in conversion from rapid prototyping to desktop manufacturing. Kuznetsov is a well-recognized ambassador of the makers movement, and for the last three years he acted as the lead producer of Maker Faire Moscow.

He also presented virtually via video-conferencing at the Polytechnic Summit held at ��Ͽ� in June. The summit hosted more than 100 academic and business leaders. The summit was founded in 2009 by the late Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen, two years after ��Ͽ� was designated as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.

��Ͽ�’s Discovery Center Fab Lab is located in room 120 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Building. It is a workspace for creative, high-tech innovators and people with a need to design prototype and build things.

Partially funded through a UW System Growth Agenda award, the Discovery Center Fab Lab provides open access to students from all ��Ͽ� programs, further bolstering the Discovery Center's facilitation of collaborative, multi-disciplinary efforts.

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

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Photos

Vladimir Kuznetsov

At the fab lab in Moscow single-use plastic bottles are reused creating new designs.

Single-use plastic bottles can gain new life as plastics material used in artistic designs through fab labs. plasticitemshero.jpg

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Hero Caption: At the fab lab in Moscow single-use plastic bottles gain new life as art objects.

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Discovery Center Fab Lab open house planned Sept. 24

powersp — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 19:03:15 +0000

Discovery Center Fab Lab open house planned Sept. 24powersp September 19, 2019

Space for innovation, creativity now more centrally located on campus

Senior Spencer Davidsz loves seeing his accessory ideas for an animation conference costume come to life in the Discovery Center Fab Lab at University of Wisconsin-Stout.

The Fab Lab has moved from Applied Arts to room 120 in the Vocational Rehabilitation Building on campus, 221 10th Ave. E.

An open house for the lab and the ��Ͽ� Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, next door, is planned from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24. The office and lab will have self-guided tours.

Davidsz, a senior majoring in engineering technology from Oak Creek, believes the more central location makes it more accessible to the entire campus.

“The Fab Lab is a great place,” Davidsz said. “You can come in and work on a project. It’s open to all students. It really does show the polytechnic aspect of the university and the hands-on approach ��Ͽ� has.”

Davidsz used a 3D printer to print different shapes he needed for the accessories, creating detail he couldn’t have accomplished with craft foam. The 3D printer allows for rapid prototyping and manufacturing using resins that are layered on top of each other to create an item. Other equipment in the lab includes:

A minimill that can machine solid materials such as wood, plaster and resin
A vinyl cutter that can create professional-grade graphics and signs
A laser engraver that can cut and engrave on wood, acrylic, glass, plastic, stone, fabric, etc.
A router to cut wood or plastic
Computer-controlled plasma tool for cutting metals.

The digital fabrication lab opened in 2013 with the assistance of a multiyear $520,000 Growth Agenda award from UW System. Fab labs were introduced nearly two decades ago by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Bits and Atoms The open fab lab environment removes barriers, such as access to equipment and technology, while serving as an incubator for applied research, innovation, job creation and economic development.

Randy Hulke, executive director of the Discovery Center, ��Ͽ�’s umbrella organization for applied research and technology transfer, said another advantage to the new location is shared space with Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute, which provides assistive technology solutions to positively impact the future of persons with disabilities through services, training and research.

“It’s a nice opportunity for us to work with them and collaborate on technologies,” Hulke said.

On average the lab gets about 800 visits from students a semester, racking up 1,500 to 2,000 machine hours, said Mike Cropp, Fab Lab manager. “There are a lot of entrepreneurial endeavors by students and personal projects,” he noted.

The space is set up to better to allow for doors to be closed to minimize noise or light from the plasma tool, Cropp said.

The lab is also valuable for businesses and industries that want to collaborate on product prototype design and development. “We work a lot with entrepreneurs and small businesses, he noted.

The Discovery Center uses the lab to execute part of its Economic Development Administration – University Center grant that aims to advance economic development through innovation. “We can vet a technology relatively quickly,” Hulke said, noting equipment can be used for prototyping and new product development.

The lab also offers WiFAB West Retreats during the summer that teaches educators about fab labs and how to incorporate digital fabrication tools into curriculum that advances science, technology, engineering and mathematics education beginning with prekindergarten.

Students need equipment training before they can start using the lab. “The Fab Lab is a space to be innovative, creative and solve local challenges,” Cropp said.

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Photos

Davidsz has created accessories for an animation conference costume using a 3D printer

Randy Hulke

Senior Spencer Davidsz loves seeing his accessory ideas for an animation conference costume come to life in the Discovery Center Fab Lab at ��Ͽ� fablabhero.jpg

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Hero Caption: ��Ͽ� student Spencer Davidsz works in the Discovery Center Fab Lab on campus. The Fab Lab has moved from Applied Arts to room 120 in the Vocational Rehabilitation Building. / ��Ͽ� photo by Pam Powers

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News

Fashion and photogrammetry: Communications senior captures couture in 3D

Fashion and photogrammetry

A student and community resource

B.S. Fashion Design & Development

B.S. Professional & Technical Communication

Stout Fashion Show

���Ͽ�’s Fab Lab hosts regional high school teams in Make48 engineering, innovation competition

Connecting students with industry professionals

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Fab Lab’s campus, statewide impacts continue to grow

WiFAB

Collaboration, continuous improvement, innovation part of WiFab Retreat West

Where Partnerships Begin

Explore our Centers

External Partner Projects

Manufacturing Outreach Center (WisMOC)

Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Artificial Intelligence

Center for Innovation & Development

Center for Limnological Research & Rehabilitation (CLRR)

Center for Sustainable Communities (CSC)

Fab Lab

training series At A Glance

What will you gain?

Introduction to Fab Lab Equipment

Teaching in a Fab Lab

Who should enroll?

What will it cost?

Introduction to Fab Lab Equipment:

Teaching in a Fab Lab:

Important Notes:

Mike Cropp

Laurence Charlier

Fab lab training programs for state teachers scheduled in June, July

WiFAB

Founder of fab lab Moscow to speak March 4 on material reuse

Discovery Center Fab Lab open house planned Sept. 24

Where Partnerships Begin

Explore our Centers

External Partner Projects

Manufacturing Outreach Center (WisMOC)

Center for Advanced Manufacturing & Artificial Intelligence

Center for Innovation & Development

Center for Limnological Research & Rehabilitation (CLRR)

Center for Sustainable Communities (CSC)

Fab Lab

��Ͽ�’s Fab Lab hosts regional high school teams in Make48 engineering, innovation competition