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

giffeyt — Thu, 07 May 2026 15:25:40 +0000

Oshkosh Corporation will host Design Wisconsin, ��Ͽ�’s annual event exploring innovative designgiffeyt May 7, 2026

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

Oshkosh Corporation, a leading innovator of purpose-built vehicles and a Wisconsin-based Fortune 500 company, will host the Fifth Annual Design Wisconsin event May 29-30 at its Global Headquarters in Oshkosh.

Design Wisconsin, presented by ��Ͽ�, is a showcase of the impacts of industrial design and fashion design on Wisconsin’s culture, commerce, community and brand. The event typically draws several hundred design professionals and students annually. Admission is free, but organizers request that attendees register in advance.

In addition to serving as host, Oshkosh Corporation will be among the many Wisconsin and Minnesota companies that will display their designs and products at the event, which is held each spring at a different site. In the past, Design Wisconsin has taken place at Milwaukee Tool in Milwaukee, Trek in Waterloo, DELVE in Madison, and on the ��Ͽ� campus in Menomonie.

“We have an exciting lineup of speakers, workshops and exhibitors the embody this year’s theme, ‘Innovation by Design,’” said Professor Jennifer Astwood, director of the industrial and product design program at ��Ͽ�, who is organizing the event with ��Ͽ�’s Continuing Education & Conferences office.

Headquartered in Oshkosh, Oshkosh Corporation employs more than 18,000 people worldwide. Formerly known as Oshkosh Truck Corporation, the company makes vehicles for defense, fire and emergency, commercial, and other market segments. Its products can be found in more than 150 countries under brands such JLG®, Pierce®, MAXIMETAL, Oshkosh® S-Series™, McNeilus®, IMT®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™ Communications, Oshkosh® Airport Products, Oshkosh AeroTech™, Oshkosh® Defense and Pratt Miller.

��Ͽ� Chancellor Katherine Frank speaks at the 2024 Design Wisconsin event hosted by Milwaukee Tool.

Designers and executives from Oshkosh Corporation will be among the featured speakers sharing frontline expertise that is actively reshaping how the world around us is designed, built and experienced. Design Wisconsin speakers will include:

Austen Angell, founder and CEO of Modern Edge Inc., a design and development firm at the leading edge of health technology and user research, and CEO of Epira.AI, which harnesses artificial intelligence to modernize how governments and citizens interact. Angell served as chair of the Industrial Designers Society of America and was inducted as a Fellow.
Chad Smith, senior director of engineering at Oshkosh Corporation, leads advanced technology development across autonomy, active safety, electrification and innovation by combining deep engineering expertise with emerging technology leadership.
Jason Sadler, a 1994 ��Ͽ� industrial design graduate, is a visual development artist with more than 30 years of experience in the animation industry. His clients include Apple, Netflix, Disney, Blue Sky Studios and Locksmith Animation.
Rob Wurm, senior industrial designer at KI Furniture, has spent the past decade designing commercial contract furniture. Over his career, he has developed products and design strategies for companies such as Michelin, Hershey, Kimberly-Clark, and Kohler, and has designed power yachts for Cruisers Yachts and Palmer Johnson.
Nyko de Peyer is product expert team lead at Vizcom, an AI-powered design platform. A trained car designer, he worked at Local Motors on projects including the Rally Fighter, the world’s first co-created vehicle, and the Strati, the world’s first fully 3D-printed car.
Mark Charniak, director of engineering at Oshkosh Corporation, where he leads efforts that bring early-stage innovation to life through cross-functional collaboration.
Jesse Gander, industrial design tech fellow at Oshkosh Corporation, specializes in user experience across high-performance, mission-driven vehicles.

An exhibitor speaks to attendees at Design Wisconsin in 2024.

In addition to these featured speakers, Design Wisconsin will include product showcases, panel discussions, networking opportunities, student portfolio review sessions and workshops.

While participating organizations are still being confirmed, organizations that have taken part in Design Wisconsin in the past include Ashley Furniture Industries, DSG Outerwear, Emerson, Fiskars, Generac, Gulf Stream, Harley-Davidson, Kohler, Mercury Marine, Milwaukee Tool, Polaris Industries, National Presto Industries, Room & Board, Sherwin-Williams, Spectrum Industries, Trek and more.

Complete information on Design Wisconsin, including registration details, the event schedule, and accommodations, can be found on the Design Wisconsin website.

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Design professionals from around Wisconsin representing some of the state’s biggest and best-known brands gathered May 18 for the third annual Design Wisconsin.

Professionals, students will gather May 29-30 for a showcase of the cultural and commercial impact of design Audience at 2025 Design Wisconsin event at ��Ͽ�

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Design Wisconsin

Showcasing the impacts of industrial and product design on Wisconsin's culture, commerce, community, and brand.

B.F.A. Industrial & Product Design

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

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B.S. Fashion Design & Development

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

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Search Keywords: Design Wisconsinindustrial & product designindustry partnershipsfashion design

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

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Master’s in food science students develop ideas for dietary supplements for GLP-1 users with aid of AI tools

goersab — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:30:00 +0000

Master’s in food science students develop ideas for dietary supplements for GLP-1 users with aid of AI toolsgoersab April 30, 2026

More than 300 students, faculty from more than 30 degree fields to share findings, creative works at Research Day on May 5

Abbey Goers

With the rapid increase in the use of GLP-1 weight management and metabolic health medications, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro, food manufacturing companies are influenced to think about new product development for consumers with reduced appetite, early satiety, gastrointestinal discomfort and other related nutrition challenges.

To understand the growing GLP-1 – glucagon-like peptide-1 – consumer market, M.S. food science and technology students at ��Ͽ� are using AI as a research support tool in the early-stage design of evidence-based functional food concepts for GLP-1 users.

Professor Eun Joo Lee, program director of food science technology, designed the project based on observations she made while attending a professional conference last summer. “In several sessions, I saw how quickly the number of consumers using products such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro was growing, and I also noticed that food companies were beginning to explore this as a new market by developing products intended specifically for these users,” she said.

Professor Eun Joo Lee and master’s students in the Nutraceutical/Functional Food course.

With artificial intelligence incorporated across the curriculum at Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, the consumer trend made Lee think that the AI-assisted design of products for GLP-1 users would be a timely and meaningful topic for her master’s students in the Nutraceutical/Functional Food course.

The seven student groups will present their findings at ��Ͽ�’s annual Research Day on Tuesday, May 5. They will be among more than 300 undergraduate and graduate students and faculty, representing more than 30 degree fields at the event.

Research Day

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

Research Day invites industry professionals and the campus and surrounding communities to engage with students and faculty and discuss their research and creative works through posters, prototypes, exhibits and collaborative faculty-student oral panel presentations.

AI-assisted design of products for GLP-1 users

In their literature-based and concept-design focused project, students used AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to help define possible target consumer groups, identify a specific nutrition-related need-state, analyze the current market to compare product concepts and formats, organize market examples, develop literature search ideas and improve communication strategy.

Mama Bear vegan protein hydrogel research group

They also used AI tools to evaluate ingredients and food chemistry feasibility, review scientific literature, and consider claims, labeling, and ethics. In functional food and nutraceutical product development, health-related claims depend not only on the ingredient but also on the product form, intended use, scientific evidence and regulatory limits. In addition, they used Google Gemini to generate imagery for their research projects.

“At the same time, students were required to verify all scientific and market information using peer-reviewed literature, actual product information and other credible sources. Final scientific judgment and strategy decisions remained the students’ responsibility,” Lee said.

Understanding that GLP-1 users often face issues with constipation and bloating, Navya Sree Bathula’s group wanted to research a product to help make digestion more comfortable. “We studied gut health and weight loss last semester as well, and this project let us go deeper into our research,” she said.

The group’s research, “Gut Balance PHGG Calm Bites: AI-Assisted Design of a Chewable Fiber System for Bloating Reduction in GLP-1 Users,” focused on chewable bites to improve digestion and bowel movements and aid in weight loss, using partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) as the main ingredient. PHGG is a natural, water-soluble prebiotic fiber made from guar beans.

PHGG Calm Bites research group

Their proposed idea of Calm Bites would also include ginger and fennel extracts to reduce nausea and bloating, peppermint oil for gastrointestinal smooth muscle relaxation, and probiotics.

“We found the most valuable part of this project was the teamwork, building time management and communicating to work well together and distribute the work among us. Each member of the group did their best to dive deep into the research project to make it a success,” Bathula said.

Another group researched “AI-Assisted Design of a Leucine-Rich Vegan Potato Protein Hydrogel Functional Food for Muscle and Digestive Support in GLP-1 Users,” with their target market being women, ages 35 to 55.

Their idea for a product called Mama Bear – an apple-flavored hydrogel for pre- and post-menopausal women – is for GLP-1 users seeking weight loss or for those with diabetes. “We found that some studies suggest lean body mass can account for up to about 40% of total weight lost during GLP-1 therapy,” Sakshi Amreliya said. “That helped us focus on a protein-rich product concept that could support muscle maintenance for GLP-1 users, especially women in our target age group.”

AI-generated images of the Calm Bites and Mama Bear dietary supplement ideas

When analyzing the current market, the group noticed a gap in products addressing this issue. They wanted to introduce a high-volume and easy-to-consume protein gel pouch that supports muscle mass, as well as supports a well-balanced fiber diet.

The group also noticed that most of the protein powders and gels on the market are animal-based, which can cause bloating and discomfort. Their research sought to fill the market gap by introducing a potato protein isolate hydrogel, with added konjac glucomannan as a dietary fiber.

They cross-checked the AI-assisted research with the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, leading researchers in GLP-1-related topics; Food Science and Biotechnology for hydrogel information; and Medicine, Science and Sports and Exercise for consumer information.

Because GLP-1 receptor agonist medications are often administered by injection, a third group studied the possibility of an ingested nutrient shot as a more comfortable method. They researched the “Development of a Low-Volume Synbiotic Nutrient Shot for Early-Stage GLP-1 Users: AI-Guided Functional Food Strategy.”

Synbiotic Nutrient Shot research group

A 60ml synbiotic nutrient shot – a mixture of PHGG, pea protein and probiotics to aid in gut health – is a natural product that promotes the production of GLP-1 hormone in the human body. The group’s concept was based on emerging research suggesting that certain prebiotic fibers and beneficial gut microbes, including Akkermansia muciniphila, may support gut health and endogenous GLP-1-related signaling. However, the students treated this as a literature-based functional food strategy, not as a replacement for GLP-1 medications.

“A nutrient shot would help GLP-1 users feel more full during a meal, helping them feel less hungry and therefore aiding in weight loss,” Dathu Ramvath said. “Compared to other products currently on the market, a synbiotic nutrient shot would be more affordable.”

Students found AI tools useful for brainstorming, organizing ideas, generating poster images and identifying possible market gaps, but they also learned that AI outputs needed to be carefully checked against peer-reviewed literature, actual product information and credible sources.

“We used the AI tools more to help organize and refine our jumbled thoughts,” Amreliya said. “The process was interesting, but we don’t rely 100% on it.”

Ramvath agreed, adding, “We used AI to find articles and asked AI to combine that information. It is a way to gather a lot of information quickly. We learned a lot about how to integrate these methods into our research.”

Outstanding researchers recognized at Research Day

The 2026 Outstanding Researchers will be honored at the Awards Ceremony from 5:15 to 6 p.m. on Research Day, closing the event. The Outstanding Researcher honors for leadership and significant contributions to research and scholarly activities are awarded by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, on behalf of the Provost’s Office and the committee. This year’s recipients are:

Charles Matson Lume, Senior Outstanding Researcher
Yuan Xing, Emerging Outstanding Researcher
Erik Evensen, Outstanding Research Mentor.

Outstanding student researcher awardees are:

Desiah Melby, Graduate Studies
Bonnie Allen, Honorable Mention, Graduate Studies
Reese Hufnagel, CSTEMM, undergraduate
Ella Kemp, CAHS, undergraduate
Michael Romero, Honorable Mention, undergraduate.

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Master’s in food science students develop ideas for dietary supplements for GLP-1 users with aid of AI tools

More than 300 students, faculty from more than 30 degree fields to share findings, creative works at Research Day on May 5

Software by ��Ͽ� professor, students helps international museum collections shine – literally – in 3D

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Cross-disciplinary teams present prototypes at Research Day, Engineers Without Borders' design challenge addressed by nearly 90 students

More than 300 students, faculty from more than 30 degree fields to share findings, creative works at Research Day on May 5 MS food science research group

University Marketing

M.S. Food Science & Technology

Our M.S. Food Science & Technology program will prepare you for a future as a food technologists/leaders through education, research, and outreach.

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Eun Lee

Dr. Lee (Ph.D., & CFS) is a Professor of Food Science and Technology (FST) program. She received her Ph.D. degree from Korea University (Seoul, Korea) in 2001 and worked at Iowa State University (Ames, IA) as a post-doctor and research scientist (2001-2011). She joined the ��Ͽ� in 2011 as an Assistant Professor, early promoted to an Associate Professor in 2015, tenured in 2017, and promoted to a full Professor in 2020. Dr. Lee served as Evelyn Van Donk Steenbock Endowed Chair (2015-2017), a Graduate Program Director of M.S. Food and Nutritional Sciences program (Jan. 2016-May 2019), and a Department Chair of Food and Nutrition (May 2018-June 2020).

Teaching Interests: Since Fall 2011, Dr. Lee has taught a variety of courses from introductory to graduate-level courses, online courses, and lecture-laboratory combined courses, including General Education (GE) courses and specialized courses to undergraduate and graduate students in the FST program. She developed four new courses (FN123-Science of Food (GE), FN425/625-Food Chemistry, FN435/635-Food Analysis, and FN725-Flavor Chemistry) related to the Food Chemistry area following IFT guideline and has been teaching mainly them so far.

Research Interests: Focused on the food chemistry area, especially “bioactive peptides produced from the egg protein (phosvitin)” and “mechanisms and prevention studies of quality changes of irradiated meats”. She has published more than 65 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 12 book chapters and received total $ 0.6 M research grants since 2002. Recently, Dr. Lee received the Sabbatical Award, and plans to conduct research for “the production of plant-based meat alternatives using 3D-Food Printing Technology” during the sabbatical year (Sept. 2021-May 2022).

Professional Interests: Dr. Lee has actively involved in the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), working in the Food Chemistry Division Leadership Team (2013-2020). She was honorably elected and served as the Division Chair (2017-2018) for 1,400 division members. IFT is the largest international food science association with 17,000 members and evaluates the accreditation of the food science program, which the ��Ͽ� Food Science program received in 2014. As a result of her dedication, she received the IFT Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2016 and two IFT Outstanding Service Awards in 2015 and 2020.

Full Name: Dr. Eun Joo Lee

Job Title: Professor / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: Kinesiology, Health, Food & Nutritional Sciences Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Dr. Eun Joo Lee CV (412.17 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Food Science and Technology

University: Korea University

Degree: M.S. Food Chemistry

University: Korea University

Degree: B.S. Food and Nutrition

University: Myong Ji University

Degree: Certification of FSPCA training course-"Preventive Controls for Human Food"

University: Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) - August 2016

Degree: Certification of Certified Food Scientist (CFS)

University: Institute of Food Technologist (IFT) - June 2016

Degree: Korean Nutritionist License

University: Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea - April 1992

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Years in the Making: Fashion Without Fabric theme pays tribute to generations of international designers

goersab — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:45:31 +0000

Years in the Making: Fashion Without Fabric theme pays tribute to generations of international designersgoersab April 16, 2026

‘Immerse Your Eyes, Preserve Your Mind’ and ‘A Fragile Wonder’ named winners of sold-out annual event

Abbey Goers

From the fashion houses of Versace, Gucci, and Betsey Johnson to the master artists Michelangelo and da Vinci. From the luxury automobiles of Porsche and Ferrari to game makers Rubik and a battle between the worlds of Sega and Nintendo.

From Dieter Rams’ philosophy of “less, but better” to Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architecture, and the internationally known animations of Hayao Miyazaki’s anime and Chuck Jones’ Loony Tunes, 3D Design students at ��Ͽ� brought their sculptural costumes to life on the runway in front of a sold-out house during Fashion Without Fabric on April 11.

A fan favorite: 'The Spirit of the Kohaku River,' inspired by designer Hayao Miyazaki, by Riley Johnson, Izzy Russell and Ben Mattson.

This year’s theme, “Years in the Making,” reflected the university’s Year of Design and celebrated the “hellish mesh of hot glue and cardboard” transformed into works of wonder, like a caterpillar emerging as the butterfly, said the evening’s emcee Ainsley Violet, a studio art senior and Student Artist-in-Residence.

The Fashion Without Fabric Hoeft Builders Endowed Scholarship winning team was “Immerse Your Eyes, Preserve Your Mind,” inspired by designer Brenda Laurel, by Dani Binzcak, Cole Kothbauer and Zoe Watanabe. Each member will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Out of 79 designs created by more than 250 students, the winners of the runway event were:

First place: “A Fragile Wonder,” inspired by designer Eva Zeisel, by Elliott Clark, Quinlan Hartung and Kyra Oertel
Second place: “Metropolitan Muse,” inspired by designer Massimo Vignelli, by Marilena Grado, Margaret Stephenson and Sadie Peissig
Third place: “The Triadic Ballet,” inspired by designer Oskar Schlemmer, by Luci Janzen, Elise Lenhart and Alani Vue.

Third place: 'The Triadic Ballet,' inspired by designer Oskar Schlemmer, by Luci Janzen, Elise Lenhart and Alani Vue.

View Fashion Without Fabric 2026 on YouTube. The Year of Design features events highlighting the innovation, leadership and impact at the heart of Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.

‘Immerse Your Eyes, Preserve Your Mind’

Technology meets humanity in this scholarship-winning sculptural fashion design. Like a walking phantasmic dream, Kothbauer, the team’s runway model, was nearly encased in a metallic cape resembling a satellite dish, held upright over his head. He wore a high-low, asymmetrical “shirt” of deep red blended into black, topped by a corset composed of a cross-grid of red, blue and white electrical wires. The vertical wires branched upward to a headdress adorned with two-foot-long bedazzled antennae and trailing tassels.

'Immerse Your Eyes, Preserve Your Mind' was inspired by video game and interaction designer Brenda Laurel, popular in the 1990s.

Kothbauer then lowered the cape to create a double-layered skirt that swayed like shifting crystalline pendants as he made his way down the runway. Every angle of the design sheened and reflected light.

“Immerse yourself in reality, immerse yourself in fantasy, immerse yourself in technology,” said Violet, the emcee. “However, in a day when the work of artists and designers is under threat by artificial intelligence, this piece takes us back to when such technology was designed with humanist intentions. The blooming transformation is reminiscent of unveiling the layers of technology to find the hardware behind the screen, the software behind the hardware, and finally the human designer behind the software. This piece articulates what it means when humans blend with technology while keeping humanity at the forefront. For technology can never erase the humanity of the creator, but it is up to man to protect the humanity of the user.”

“Immerse Your Eyes, Preserve Your Mind” was inspired by video game and interaction designer Brenda Laurel. Popular in the 1990s, one of Laurel’s most notable and distinctive innovations was in virtual reality and immersive experiences, which use technology to enhance or simulate real-world concepts in fantastical ways.

Cole Kothbauer, who served as the team's model, Dani Binzcak and Zoe Watanabe accept their scholarship award.

“Her work varied, but amongst all of her designs, she used technology as a tool that benefited society through education and communication, which opposed the growing mindset of technology and virtual media being seen as a distraction or as something redundant to the development of humanity,” said Kothbauer, adding that some of Laurel’s projects also involved space-related themes, such as Purple Moon Media and Colonizing Cyberspace.

Binczak, Kothbauer and Watanabe were inspired by other technology and media sources from the 1990s, particularly vintage technology and space technology. They appreciated the interesting visual appeal and sleek, smooth silver designs of the Sega VR and the International Space Station, which launched in 1998.

And with Fashion Without Fabric being a fashion show, the team also wanted to focus on the experimental designs of modern-day high fashion and studied Thierry Mugler and Selva Huygens and their interpretation of interesting silhouettes and use of rigid materials.

The foundation of their design is built of cardboard to give it a rigid structure and lightweight quality, as seen in the transforming skirt and headpiece. “Underneath the surface though, the skeleton of both pieces was made of manipulated steel broom handles. Aluminum foil, vinyl, and chicken wire were cheap and composed the abundant reflective surface that connected back to the team’s technology theme. We also experimented with the appearance of zip ties on painted foam tubing that reminded us of the vertebrae of a spine or wires,” Kothbauer said.

Second place: 'Metropolitan Muse,' inspired by designer Massimo Vignelli, by Marilena Grado, Margaret Stephenson and Sadie Peissig.

The team thought that reimagining ordinary objects to suit a fashion design and working with abstract forms on a scale large enough to cover the human body was challenging but rewarding. And they enjoyed seeing teams and classmates support each other during the build process and the day of the event.

“This event is a yearly tradition in Menomonie and a staple in Stout’s School of Art & Design. It is easy for artists to be undermined and overlooked today, so being involved in Fashion Without Fabric made us appreciate the chance we get to be in a show that inspires future generations of artists and designers. We want to remind people to continue supporting designers and to listen when an artist is trying to say something,” Kothbauer said.

‘A Fragile Wonder’

A white teapot painted with delicate pink and blue flowers, with a matching cup, gravy boat and spoon emerged as one from behind the curtain and walked down the runway to cheers for its delicate charm. Violet asked the crowd to picture this:

“You walk into the kitchen one morning to find all your ceramics gone, melded into a whimsical little creature which is now parading around without a single care in the world. You hear a faint clinking and clanking as the whimsical wonder wanders about, with a sense of wonder as she experiences the world for the first time. What used to be a teacup is now her head. What once was a gravy boat has become a flower basket, and an assortment of different vases and dishes now form limbs. This little creature entrances you with her odd but charming mannerisms, and her fragile ceramic exterior adorned with an array of painted flowers; you can’t help but be overcome by joy whenever you are around her.”

'A Fragile Wonder' embodies the craftsmanship of Hungarian industrial designer Eva Zeisel.

“A Fragile Wonder” embodies the craftsmanship of Hungarian industrial designer Eva Zeisel, whose 1946 “Museum” dinner service exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York was the MOMA’s first one-woman exhibition.

For their design, Clark, Hartung and Oertel focused on Zeisel’s tableware, emphasizing the natural curves of the human body that Zeisel incorporated in her ceramics. The design’s interior structure is built of cardboard, hot glue and chicken wire. This was covered in layers of printer paper and glossy mod podge to mimic ceramics, painted with blue flowers. The ball on the top of the teacup headpiece is foam, covered in duct tape and painted cobalt blue. The headpiece also features white mesh sheets for visibility.

Kyra Oertel, who served as the team's model, Elliott Clark and Quinlan Hartung accept their first place award.

Oertel, who modeled the sculpture, enjoyed seeing the design finally realized on the day of the event. Hartung enjoyed painting the flower detailing on top of the papier-mâché to contribute to the ceramic finish. Being in the University Theatre’s production of “Something Rotten,” which opened the same weekend, Clark could not attend Fashion Without Fabric with his team. “But when my castmates found out we had won, they surrounded me and celebrated, and it made me feel extremely proud,” Clark said.

Other honorary awards were presented to:

Artistry and Craft: 'The Living Room,' inspired by designer Fritz Haller, by Adrian Nelson, Aaron Tong and Alex Zimmerman.

Innovative Use of Material: 'Tiered Fragments of Wonder,' inspired by Nigel Coates, by Noah Leshok, Carys Gudahl and Kiera Lovett.

Accessories and Design: 'The Orbit Inn Motel,' inspired by Wayne McAllister, by Mia Forrette, Shelby Peterson and Kona Lansing.

Avant Garde Fashion: 'Beloved Buttons and Pleats, Please,' inspired by Issey Miyake, by Loganie Chalte, Treanna Fizer and Aaralyn Gardner

Working the Crowd: 'Dizzy Dolly,' inspired by Chuck Jones, by Jamie Pearson, Julia Robles and Isabel Galloy.

Honorable Mention: 'Court Jester of the Cosmos,' inspired by Keita Takahashi, by Lucy Carlson, Eligh Hermon and Tobi Fisher.

Additional Spring Showcase events

Saturday, May 2, 6 p.m.: Stout 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.: School of Art & Design Senior Show, celebrating more than 120 graduating seniors’ creative works.
Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10: 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 international mural artists.

��Ͽ�’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. ��Ͽ� also has a new program in game and media studies.

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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

‘Immerse Your Eyes, Preserve Your Mind’ and ‘A Fragile Wonder’ named winners of sold-out annual event Fashion Without Fabric 2026, Immerse Your Eyes, Preserve Your Mind

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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.

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Hero Caption: Fashion Without Fabric's scholarship winner “Immerse Your Eyes, Preserve Your Mind,” inspired by designer Brenda Laurel, by Dani Binzcak, Cole Kothbauer and Zoe Watanabe.

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Championing teachers: Community, state support are vital in recruiting, retention of educators

goersab — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Championing teachers: Community, state support are vital in recruiting, retention of educatorsgoersab October 6, 2025

��Ͽ� prepares future teachers through personalized approach; Teach Day event for high schoolers is Oct. 15

Abbey Goers

It is no secret that enrollment in teacher preparation programs all over the country is suffering. The shortages that school districts are feeling in Wisconsin specifically are very real, and districts large and small are being impacted, said ��Ͽ� School of Education Director Shannon Donnelly.

According to a June 2025 analysis by the Learning Policy Institute, more than 410,000 teaching positions nationwide were either unfilled or filled by teachers not fully certified for their assignments, representing about 1 in 8 of all teaching positions.

“This puts a massive strain on school districts when trying to ensure that they are meeting the needs of all students,” Donnelly said. “Often, these types of positions are filled by professionals without teaching credentials or will simply remain unfilled. As you can imagine, this greatly impacts the educational experience for students and significantly strains the system.”

Attracting people to join the education field is admittedly becoming more and more difficult, especially in high-demand areas such as special education, technology education, and family and consumer science, and subject areas such as math and science, Donnelly added.

School districts nationwide are looking for solutions to recruit and retain teachers by implementing innovative, research-backed strategies.

“One of the first things we as current educators can do is to be the biggest champions of the profession,” she said. “If we aren’t shouting from the rooftops all of the amazing and wonderful reasons to teach, who will? We desperately need to reframe the profession of teaching back to its core, which is the gift of impacting students and families.”

Donnelly also thinks that barriers need to be removed for those seeking teaching degrees, through offering online programs and flexible access, of which she said, “Stout is a leader.”

She thinks the most crucial method to attract people to the profession is through vital community and state support. “This comes in the form of strong partnerships and advocacy from communities and a significant financial investment and commitment by the state,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly believes one of the best ways to retain teachers is to create conditions in schools where teachers feel supported, respected and treated as professionals.

“While the improvement of compensation and benefits will be an ongoing topic of discussion, the research shows that those components are not the driving force behind why teachers leave the field. People leave due to feeling overworked, under-supported and under-prepared,” she said.

“We need to ensure teachers are wrapped in a culture where they are viewed as the professional experts of their field because they are,” Donnelly added.

Preparing future teachers

At ��Ͽ�, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, School of Education students are engaged right from day one in their teaching area of interest: art education; early childhood education; family and consumer sciences education; marketing and business education; math education; social studies education; special education; and technology education.

Their progressive development in applied learning moves students through interactive and relevant activities in their labs and courses to teaching experiences on campus and in school districts before graduation.

“I am proud of our ongoing work at Stout to ensure that we are utilizing innovative ways to best prepare our future teachers to excel and succeed in an environment that is ever-changing,” Donnelly said. “We place a high priority on getting students out into K-12 classrooms immediately. This unique, personalized approach allows our students to explore a variety of teaching areas and age levels so they can pursue the education career path most exciting to them.”

Graduates are 100% employed or are continuing their education within six months of graduation and have an average starting salary of $52,000, according to Career Services’ First Destination Report.

“I continue to be so impressed with the passion and pride that our faculty have for our educator preparation pathways at Stout. We have a longstanding reputation for providing high-quality programming and ensuring that our graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to successfully enter the education profession,” Donnelly added.

Teach Day shows students a variety of pathways

The School of Education will host its fifth annual Teach Day on Wednesday, Oct. 15, with hands-on activities for prospective students who are interested in becoming teachers. Students explore any of the eight pathways in ��Ͽ�’s undergraduate teacher preparation programs.

In past years, high school students from Minnesota and Wisconsin have attended Teach Day, with regional students from Menomonie, St. Croix Central, Somerset, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, Elk Mound and more.

“We want Teach Day to be an event where students leave with excitement about the variety of pathways they can pursue to be a teacher while also seeing Stout as a place that they could call home,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly was previously the superintendent of the Somerset School District, whose students often participate in Teach Day. The high school offers multiple exploratory courses for students interested in becoming teachers.

“The Teach Day event was a natural fit,” Donnelly said. “Students and staff came back from Teach Day excited, having learned about the wide variety of educational licensure options Stout offers. They added how impressed they were with Stout as a whole, as for many students, Teach Day is their first interaction with a college campus.”

Donnelly began as the School of Education director in July. She has her bachelor’s in vocational rehabilitation, now known as B.S. in rehabilitation services, and her master’s in education from ��Ͽ�, as well as her educational specialist degree from University of St. Thomas and a Doctorate of Education from Bethel University.

In addition to its undergraduate degrees, the School of Education offers postgraduate degrees in career and technical education, education, school counseling, and school psychology, as well as nine education certificates and certifications.

These programs are among the many workforce-ready programs administered in Heritage Hall. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Sept. 9 to celebrate the start of the three-year, $144.3 million Heritage Hall renovation project that will transform the half-century-old building into a cutting-edge educational hub to help meet Wisconsin’s workforce needs.

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Campus color: Alumni demonstrate industry leadership at Design Wisconsin event at ��Ͽ�

giffeyt — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 17:14:06 +0000

Campus color: Alumni demonstrate industry leadership at Design Wisconsin event at ��Ͽ� giffeyt July 15, 2025

Pros from Sherwin-Williams, Red Wing Shoe among presenters at fourth annual conference

Tom Giffey

More than 200 design professionals – many of them alumni working at prominent firms around the Upper Midwest – came to the University of Wisconsin-Stout campus recently for the fourth annual Design Wisconsin event.

��Ͽ� – which has the only industrial design program in Universities of Wisconsin and is home to one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest – created Design Wisconsin to celebrate the impact of industrial design and fashion design on Wisconsin’s culture, commerce, community and brand.

Even though ��Ͽ� is Design Wisconsin’s founding organization, May 16-18 was the first time the event was brought to campus. Past hosts include Milwaukee Tool in Milwaukee, Trek in Waterloo, and DELVE in Madison. Bringing the event to Menomonie this year provided an opportunity to highlight the ��Ͽ� campus as well as showcase more student work, said Professor Jennifer Astwood, B.F.A. industrial and product design program director.

In addition to keynote presentations by numerous professionals, most of them ��Ͽ� alumni, Design Wisconsin included student portfolio review sessions, product showcases, panel discussions, networking opportunities and workshops.

Design Wisconsin benefits both students and professionals, Astwood said. “To me it was important that people not just hear about the companies, but also about some meaningful topics that speak to the industry at large,” she said. For example, one presentation from Matthew Gueller of Milwaukee Tool and Gregor Mittersinker of Loft Design focused on the use of artificial intelligence in the design process.

Also new this year was a panel discussion featuring talent from several companies – including Trek, Polaris and Ashley Furniture Industries – which focused on navigating the industry.

Next year, Design Wisconsin will once again be held off-campus: It’s slated for Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh.

��Ͽ� alum Kiki Redhead, global CMF and trend manager for Sherwin-Williams, was among the industry leaders at Design Wisconsin.

Exploring Color, Material, Finish

Several Design Wisconsin sessions focused on an area of industrial design known as CMF – color, material and finish – a cross-disciplinary approach that addresses the visual and tactile nature of products.

Among the CMF presenters was 2002 UW-stout alumnus Kiki Redhead, global CMF and trend manager for Sherwin-Williams. She described CMF as crossing boundaries between industrial design, graphic design, interior design, textile design and more. Design Wisconsin allowed ��Ͽ� students to network with professionals who work in the field, she noted.

“The students had an opportunity to find out what it really means to have a job where you actually develop color every day or develop different materials or create new finishes from scratch,” said Redhead, who leads Sherwin-Williams’ DesignHouse, a collaborative space in Minneapolis for the company and its industrial clients.

Before she was a leader in the industry, Redhead was a ��Ͽ� undergraduate who gained invaluable skills as an apprentice interior designer for a commercial construction company. “That really gave me a lot of real-world experience, and it was where I really started to apply color to projects and seeing them come to fruition,” she said.

As a professional, Redhead developed and trademarked her own trend methodology, and for a decade operated her own global trend agency, creating colors for everything from cars to cabinetry to cosmetics packaging to clothing. In 2018, she took her current job with Sherwin-Williams, where she combines qualitative and quantitative data to create eye-popping colors and finishes for customers.

Trek was one of the Wisconsin-based firms that took part in Design Wisconsin at ��Ͽ�.

Developing a ‘manufacturing mindset’

Among Redhead’s DesignHouse colleagues and fellow Design Wisconsin speakers is Brynn Wildenauer, a 2018 B.F.A. industrial design graduate who is now a senior architectural color designer for Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. That division creates coatings used on appliances, metal building materials and other architectural products. In practice, this means that Wildenauer develops colorful coatings for everything from agricultural buildings to skyscrapers to sports stadiums: One of her most notable projects was working on a color-shifting effect pigment that gives a pearlescent sheen to the exterior of the Kai Tak Sports Park, a massive $4 billion complex that opened this year in Hong Kong.

Wildenauer said her ��Ͽ� education, which included an internship at Ashley Furniture Industries where she saw her designs prototyped, prepared her well for her career. “I really liked having that hands-on approach, and that helped me develop a manufacturing mindset,” she said.

In particular, Wildenauer recalls developing a keen interest in CMF after Professor Erik Evensen wrote that her “color sense seemed promising” on a mid-program review. “I really leaned into that, diving down into the materials that are chosen and why,” she said.

“I find that there are so many opportunities to make a statement with color, textures, finishes, etc.,” she continued. “When color is used in an intentional way, it can increase brand recognition by 80%, which demonstrates the impact of color.”

Wildenauer said she enjoyed returning to campus, something she does periodically as a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the industrial design program. “It’s really cool to see how important this event is to all the students and those who have graduated from Stout or are heavily involved in Stout’s programs,” she said.

��Ͽ� alum Noah Anderson, senior footwear designer at Red Wing Shoe Company, took part in a keynote presentation at Design Wisconsin.

Bridging the gap between design fields

Noah Anderson, a 2013 industrial and product design alum and a senior footwear designer at Red Wing Shoe Company, was one of three alumni working at Red Wing who spoke at the conference. The trio, which included product developer Sarah Noll and pattern engineer Gina Thurk, delivered a keynote about the synergy between footwear and apparel at the Minnesota-based company. Designing shoes bridges the gap between industrial design and apparel design, as well as between what retailers term “soft goods” and “hard goods,” Anderson said.

Anderson said he was impressed to see how ��Ͽ�’s design programs are preparing students for such collaborations in the professional world. “I felt encouraged to see specifically how apparel and industrial design were sharing a little bit more of a presentation at Senior Show,” he said. “It was really awesome to interact with students and to see the way that they are interacting with trends in the digital world as well.”

Anderson said he was well-served by his ��Ͽ� education when he began work at Red Wing Shoes in 2014. “I felt very prepared to present ideas, to be in front of the product team and embrace critique,” he said. “Going through the process of design was something I was really familiar with by the time I finished the industrial design program.”

In his career at Red Wing Shoes, Anderson has designed products for several of the historic Minnesota-based company’s brands.

“It’s always a new challenge,” Anderson said. “Every project includes new research, new trends and learning about new materials, which I feel like is really the source of what’s interesting about designing for industry in general.”

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Software by ��Ͽ� professor, students helps international museum collections shine – literally – in 3D

giffeyt — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Software by ��Ͽ� professor, students helps international museum collections shine – literally – in 3Dgiffeyt June 9, 2025

Kintsugi 3D used by Minneapolis Institute of Art, other institutions to capture surface details of heritage objects

Tom Giffey

Software developed at ��Ͽ� is helping museums around the world preserve pieces of cultural heritage for future generations by creating 3D models that accurately capture every detail of the color, texture and brightness of objects.

Kintsugi 3D is the creation of Michael Tetzlaff, an assistant professor of computer science, and numerous ��Ͽ� students. The software has been used by notable institutions worldwide to create models of artifacts in their collections, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam; the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway; the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; and the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia).

“Documenting the art is incredibly important, and we want to get it out in the world however we can,” explained Mia Lead Collections Photographer Charles Walbridge, an avid user of the software. “The Kintsugi project has helped us be able to share more accurate 3D models that we’ve been making in the museum.”

Kintsugi 3D gets its name from the Japanese art of kintsugi, a method of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and precious metals to create unique pieces that celebrate, rather than camouflage, their fractures. Likewise, the software allows photo professionals to capture true-to-life 3D models of sculptures, paintings and other cultural heritage objects.

The Kintsugi 3D Viewer software, a part of the project that students Tyler Betanski, Jacob Buelow, Isabel Smith, Victor Mondragon, Kyle Boatwright and Melissa Kosharek worked on. / Submitted image

While existing photogrammetry software – which combines hundreds of photos from different angles to create a 3D model – can effectively record many aspects of an object’s appearance, it falls short in capturing the essence of materials and textures, Tetzlaff said. In particular, photogrammetry software struggles with specularity – the reflectivity of a surface and how it varies – particularly with objects that are shiny or metallic. Kintsugi 3D solves this problem by creating much more true-to-life renderings, capturing the sparkle of a bit of gold leaf or the depth of a brush stroke in oil paint.

“The big thing that our software does is it allows you to process those photographs and then builds a compact representation of what the material of the object looks like so that we can create new, interactive, dynamic 3D renderings where the user can change the viewpoint, change the lighting,” Tetzlaff explained. The resulting 3D models can be rotated by the user, with virtual light playing off the details of the surfaces, whether they are dull or dazzling, giving a much more realistic representation of the item. This is particularly valuable for accurately portraying older objects, whose surfaces may have been damaged or worn unevenly over time.

These models can be shared widely, helping scholars and the public appreciate cultural heritage objects. And they also serve as a kind of insurance, allowing the objects to live on – virtually, at least – if they are damaged or lost.

Kintsugi 3D was used to create these images of "Man from Sudan in Algerian Dress," a 19th-century sculpture by Charles Cordier. / Minneapolis Institute of Art

Software funded with federal, state grants

Tetzlaff said the software grew out of work he did as a doctoral student, and it received a significant boost in 2023 thanks to a $75,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant received in conjunction with Mia and Cultural Heritage Imaging, a San Francisco-based nonprofit. This and other funding, including from ��Ͽ�’s Office of Research & Sponsored Programs as well as a recent grant from WiSys, has helped pay for students to work to improve the software.

Luke Denney, a computer science major from Byron, Minnesota, who graduated in May, has put hundreds of hours into Kintsugi 3D over the past two years. In fact, he even gave the software its current name, inspired in part by a “Star Wars” character who repaired his helmet kintsugi-style.

Denney has worked on the software’s loading screen, trying to make it more user-friendly, particularly for those who aren’t programmers themselves. “A big part of this project was user experience design,” Tetzlaff explained. “There was basically working software that I had developed, but it wasn’t very usable. A lot of the research was working with user experience experts and stakeholders in cultural heritage to figure out what works for them.”

Denney shared the work he’s done on Kintsugi 3D at ��Ͽ�’s Research Day as well as at two other prestigious venues this spring: the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Pittsburgh and the Universities of Wisconsin’s Research in the Rotunda event in the state Capitol in Madison.

Denney said the project has been invaluable in preparing him for his future career, in part because working on Kintsugi 3D required him to become familiar with a massive codebase. He expects that skill will come in handy when he begins his job later this year at IBM in Rochester, Minnesota.

In addition to navigating thousands of lines of code and gathering user feedback to improve software features, Denney said the project helped him learn to solve problems independently. “Something I focused on more last summer was taking more time before I ask a question,” Denney said. “When I’d run into a roadblock and have the temptation to go ask for help, I thought, ‘Wait, I want to give myself more time to figure this out before asking.’ And most of the time I was successful with that, so that felt really good,” he said.

��Ͽ� Assistant Professor Michael Tetzlaff, left, and students Luke Denney, at podium, and Chloe Ferguson gave a presentation about Kintsugi 3D at Research Day, May 6, 2025

Denney is just one of more than a dozen ��Ͽ� students from a variety of disciplines who have contributed to the software. Among them is Chloe Ferguson, master of fine arts in design, Spring Valley.

Ferguson began working as a user experience designer on the program last fall, gathering data to see what features users wanted from the program. Working on the project has given Ferguson a better understanding of the science behind textures and materials, as well as the rewarding opportunity to work with stakeholders on improving the software, she said.

“User experience is all about considering and analyzing the user, striving to make your content more useful and accessible to them,” Ferguson said, noting the skills she is building now will be directly applicable to her future career.

“I feel proud of my work, especially with how directly this program has benefited cultural heritage groups,” she said. “We regularly meet with our stakeholders at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and Cultural Heritage Imaging, which has allowed me to see the impact of my work on these groups firsthand.”

Other students and recent graduates who have worked – or are still working – on the project include master of fine arts in design candidate D. Magda Hannen; game design and development majors Isabel Smith, Elliot Duffy, Lou Brown and Augusto Freitas; and computer science majors Tyler Betanski, Jacob Buelow, Victor Mondragon, Ian Anderson, Zoe Cuthrell, Blane Suess, Isaac Tesch, Nathaniel Willius, Atlas Collins, Kyle Boatwright, Melissa Kosharek, Chris Medina, and Jacob Sletten.

Kintsugi 3D was used to create this image of a sculpture of dancer Loie Fuller by artist Joseph Kratina, which is in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. / Minneapolis Institute of Art

Software draws focus to ��Ͽ�

Walbridge, of Mia, is one of those who meets frequently with the Kintsugi 3D team to provide feedback. He has been part of Kintsugi 3D and related projects for years, having met Tetzlaff when the latter was a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota working on 3D photography and photogrammetry projects at Mia. “It’s been such a pleasure to continue to work on this with Michael and his team,” said Walbridge, who praised the backing the project has received from ��Ͽ�.

Walbridge has worked to get other professionals involved in Kintsugi 3D as well, making presentations about the software and how to use it, including a training visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in April.

Among the objects from the Mia collection scanned with Kintsugi 3D is a sculpture of 19th-century dancer Loie Fuller by Czech artist Joseph Kratina. In digital photos the bronze sculpture appears to be a yellowish-brown, but it practically comes to life in a three-dimensional scan made with Kintsugi 3D. As a user rotates the image virtually, light plays against the sculpture’s gold patina, and shadows of the dancer’s arms are cast across her voluminous skirt. The software allows users to examine the sculpture in greater detail, giving the impression of walking around it in a well-lit gallery.

Gathering photos that will be used to created 3D models with Kintsugi 3D. / Minneapolis Institute of Art

“None of the current forms of 3D scanning are able to capture this kind of specularity,” Walbridge explained. The high level of realistic detail provided by the software is a boon to scholars studying such objects online, Walbridge said, and making these models available digitally fits with the ethos, shared by institutions such as Mia, of making cultural heritage freely and publicly available.

The software’s use by professionals at the National Gallery of Art has led to a collaboration between that institution and ��Ͽ�’s game design program, Tetzlaff added.

“It’s a nice feedback loop where we’re supporting the museums and their work with the software, but then they’re becoming more aware of Stout, and that’s leading to additional opportunities for Stout students,” he said.

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Kintsugi 3D used by Minneapolis Institute of Art, other institutions to capture surface details of heritage objects A computer screen shows the Kintsugi 3D software.

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Hero Caption: ��Ͽ� Assistant Professor Michael Tetzlaff, at podium, and students Chloe Ferguson and Luke Denney, gave a presentation about Kintsugi 3D at Research Day, May 6, 2025.

Michael Tetzlaff

Michael Tetzlaff is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin–Stout. He received his B.S. from Bethel University in St. Paul, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. His research interests include image-based computer graphics techniques and especially their applications in cultural heritage. He is the lead developer of Kintsugi 3D, an open-source software project for empirically based rendering of 3D cultural heritage artifacts captured using photogrammetry.

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Real-world research: Engineering team designs South African trolley system; science students investigate heavy metals

goersab — Thu, 15 May 2025 12:30:00 +0000

Real-world research: Engineering team designs South African trolley system; science students investigate heavy metalsgoersab May 15, 2025

Cross-disciplinary teams present prototypes at Research Day, Engineers Without Borders' design challenge addressed by nearly 90 students

Abbey Goers

More than 300 undergraduate and graduate students and faculty presented their research across realms during ��Ͽ�’s annual Research Day on May 6, with individuals and cross-disciplinary teams representing more than 30 degree fields.

Research ranged from heavy metals present in everyday products to regional topics, like housing and water quality in the Chippewa Valley, to health and wellbeing interests of the nation’s citizens, to developing global solutions through an Engineers Without Borders’ international design challenge.

Nearly 90 students in 23 teams addressed the EWB challenge. One group focused on engineering a safer, more accessible transportation system in South Africa’s suburbs. Revitalizing Makers Valley: Future-Ready Roads for Safety, Efficiency, and Growth was presented by:

Gabriel Morken, manufacturing engineering, Eau Claire
Ann Moss, computer and electrical engineering, Johnsburg, Illinois
Christian Bretey, mechanical engineering, Eau Claire
Christian Klein, mechanical engineering, St. Paul

Gabriel Morken, Ann Moss, Christian Bretey and Christian Klein at Research Day

Two biochemistry and molecular biology and chemistry students focused on heavy metals. Some products, such as chocolate, have trace amounts occurring in them naturally through the farming process, and some products are manufactured to contain heavy metals. The researchers were:

Natalie Chartrand, of St. Croix Falls: An Analysis of Heavy Metals in Chocolate
Riley Strobush, of St. Paul: Trace Metals in Various Nicotine Salts Brands

Engineering a safer transportation system in South Africa

The Impacts of Engineering course introduces students to the engineering design process from initiation to completion and broadens their awareness of the social, environmental and economic implications of engineering.

Engineers Without Borders’ international Engineering for People Design Challenge brings together more than 12,000 engineering students from more than 40 universities in the U.S., United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa.

This year’s challenge was organized by Engineers Without Borders UK and South Africa, in collaboration with the nonprofit Makers Valley Partnership.

Lecturer Mark Dolan talks with engineering students as they build prototypes for the EWB challenge

Students developed sustainable engineering solutions centered around the needs of the 46,000 residents of Makers Valley, a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. The area experienced urban decay and high unemployment, but in recent years has seen a wave of regeneration driven by social and creative enterprises.

Solutions students addressed included the general built environment, food security, reliable access to energy, waste reduction and recycling, safe drinking water, sanitation and transport infrastructure.

“The design challenge reinforces the goal of Stout’s applied learning concept. Student teams work together, use applied math in their engineering calculations, write a professional-quality paper suitable for the EWB competition and build a functioning prototype of their proposed solution,” said engineering Lecturer Mark Dolan.

Morken, Moss, Bretey and Klein researched the current road conditions of Makers Valley and the city’s most popular modes of transportation.

They found that Makers Valley does not regularly maintain its paved roads, which are pitted with numerous large potholes and litter; and biking and walking are most common, as many people can’t afford cars, Morken said.

“With the rough roads and concerns for the safety of bikers and pedestrians, even with sidewalks, Makers Valley is looking for safe and inexpensive updates to its transportation system,” Bretey said.

Gabriel Morken, Ann Moss, Christian Bretey and Christian Klein's trolley prototype

There is also a lack of trust in public transportation, Klein added. Feuds between taxi companies cause fear through intimidation tactics used on drivers and customers. And while school buses provide transportation for children to and from school, there are fees for the service, Moss explained.

“Many of the taxi drivers jack up their prices so they can afford to live. What shocked me about this was that I never stopped to consider just how many aspects of life poverty can affect,” Morken said. “We tried to figure out a way to get cars off the road, while simultaneously trying to figure out a way to have accessible transportation for anybody. We thought that a trolley system would solve both of those problems.”

The team landed on the idea of engineering a trolley system because it’s a permanent network and can be designed as hybrid, running mainly on electricity. “But since the electrical grid is not always reliable in Makers Valley, the trollies could also run on fuel as a backup,” Bretey said.

“If we used an electric bus, that vehicle would have to stop and take breaks to regain a charge and be out of service during that time,” Moss added. “A trolley receives power through its connection to the track and would only need fuel when the power grid is down. This means that a trolley can be in commission longer than a bus could.”

The initial infrastructure cost of a trolley system is higher than a bussing system because of the need to install tracks, Morken said. “However, we thought that a trolley would be better in the long term because usually they can carry more passengers, have lower operating costs (some don’t need a driver) and they can be powered by electricity,” he added.

The team’s design also incorporated safety features for pedestrians and bikers, with marked and lighted crosswalks and a separate lane for bicycles, with reflective posts between the car and bike lanes, Bretey added.

Moss hopes the team’s research can help ensure the safety of Makers Valley commuters. “Even if only a part of our design were implemented, it could make a positive difference in the city. I believe that our design can work for other places as well that struggle with pedestrian safety and unreliable transportation systems,” she said.

Student projects submitted to the EWB challenge may be picked up by a company, nongovernmental or other organization and become a real solution for people.

The Impact of Engineering course is part of Stout Core, foundational general education classes where students gain global perspective and ethical reasoning to understand social responsibility, so they graduate ready to do more on day one.

Heavy metals in consumer products

Heavy metals can build up in the human body over time and lead to severe health issues.

Lead is known to cause neurological damage and cognitive impairments, particularly in young adults. It can also lead to developmental issues, memory loss, insomnia and muscle weakness.

While iron, manganese, and zinc are essential micronutrients, excessive amounts can cause organ damage and oxidative stress; can affect the nervous system; and can cause nausea, vomiting and weaken the immune system, Strobush explained.

Cadmium and nickel in long-term exposure are known to cause kidney failure and increased risks for cancer, anemia and cardiovascular diseases, added Chartrand, who conducted an analysis of four of her favorite chocolate brands.

Chemistry student Natalie Chartrand tests heavy metals in chocolates

“Heavy metal exposure should be kept to a minimum, especially in foods, which is why the FDA and other health organizations regulate it. While the FDA has strict guidelines on heavy metals, it’s impossible to completely eradicate all heavy metal exposure in our daily lives,” she said.

Chartrand knew chocolate contains heavy metals, usually found in trace amounts in chocolates that are less processed, like dark and semi-sweet chocolates.

“Both lead and cadmium are common environmental pollutants found in modern farming practices; these metals can be absorbed into the cacao beans we use to make chocolate,” she said. “Nickel is used in the manufacturing process of chocolate, though it shouldn’t end up in the product itself.”

Because of this, she wasn’t surprised to find detectable lead levels in three of her chocolate samples.

“Lead is naturally found in cacao beans and is retained through the manufacturing process, at levels so low they’re not considered toxic, but are detectable on our instrument, nonetheless. I found no cadmium in any of my samples, and only very trace amounts of nickel,” she said. “Just because studies have found small amounts in chocolates doesn't mean that the highly processed chocolates we eat regularly will contain the same levels.”

Chemistry Professor Jonathan Frisch, Riley Strobush and Natalie Chartrand

During Strobush’s initial research, she found numerous studies on heavy metals in vape pods and cartridges, but relatively few on nicotine salts. She conducted her research on four brands of nicotine salts.

“Although there are traces of metals in the liquid, the liquid is heated into a vapor through a metal coil, introducing more metals into the aerosol that is consumed by the user when using their e-cigarette,” she said. “Lead was the most frequently detected heavy metal in my samples, contrary to my initial expectation of a more balanced distribution of heavy metal elements.”

She was also intrigued by the marketing of the products. “Each of them has colorful, appealing designs and flavors that you would see on candy or soda. It hides the harsh potential health impacts caused by consuming the liquids,” she said.

Strobush hopes her research raises awareness about the dangers of these products and encourages more rigorous testing, especially in the aerosol form. “This could lead to improved regulations and safer product formulations, ultimately protecting public health,” she said.

Strobush noted that she is not a user of nicotine salts or similar substances. She and Chartrand took the necessary precautions during their studies to ensure their peers’ and their own safety.

Biochemistry and molecular biology student Riley Strobush presents at Research Day

Chemistry and physics Associate Professor Jonathan Frisch served as Strobush’s and Chartrand’s research mentor. In Frisch’s College Chemistry I course, students learn the chemistry and physics behind several types of chemical instrumentation and gain practical experience using those instruments to investigate samples of their choice.

“The students are allowed to ask any questions they want, at which time they design and carry out experiments to answer those questions. Every semester, I am surprised by some of the results. There are contaminants in and on all sorts of things I would have never expected or even thought about analyzing,” he said.

Outstanding researchers recognized at Research Day

After the poster and exhibit session, where Chartrand, Strobush and the engineering students shared their work, an award ceremony recognized outstanding researchers – both faculty and students.

Since 1987, ��Ͽ� has awarded faculty for their outstanding research, nominated by a review committee of their peers.

The Outstanding Researcher honors for leadership and significant contributions to research and scholarly activities are awarded by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, on behalf of the Provost's Office and the committee. This year’s recipients are:

Julie Watts: Senior Outstanding Researcher
Nicole Hayes: Emerging Outstanding Researcher
Pranabendu Mitra: Outstanding Research Mentor.

Outstanding student researcher awardees are:

Valacia Casper: CAHS, undergraduate
Elaina Blazei: CSTEMM, undergraduate
Bex Cermin: CAHS, graduate student
Cortney Dean: CSTEMM, graduate student
Nikolaus Nelson (CAHS) and Theodore Welch (CSTEMM): Honorable Mentions.

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Real-world research: Engineering team designs South African trolley system; science students investigate heavy metals

Cross-disciplinary teams present prototypes at Research Day, Engineers Without Borders' design challenge addressed by nearly 90 students

Cross-disciplinary teams present prototypes at Research Day, Engineers Without Borders' design challenge addressed by nearly 90 students Chemistry Professor Jonathan Frisch, Riley Strobush and Natalie Chartrand

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Hero Caption: Biochemistry and molecular biology student Riley Strobush tests heavy metals in nicotine salts. She presented her findings at Research Day on May 6.

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Fashion and photogrammetry: Communications senior captures couture in 3D

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

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

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

Abbey Goers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

View the WEAR Fashion Show trailer and purchase tickets online.

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

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

Fashion and photogrammetry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Claire Jost, Lucas Moreno-Martinez III and Marilena Grado

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evan Tomczyk, Anna Mathsen and Isaac Tester

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

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

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

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

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

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

A student and community resource

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Student’s apparel collections will premiere at WEAR Fashion Show, May 3 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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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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‘Welcome to Phenomonie!’: Students embody extraordinary ideas in Fashion Without Fabric runway show

giffeyt — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 20:52:19 +0000

‘Welcome to Phenomonie!’: Students embody extraordinary ideas in Fashion Without Fabric runway showgiffeyt April 16, 2025

Sold-out fashion show brings natural and human-made phenomena to life

Tom Giffey

From the depths of outer space to the dimmest part of the ocean, from the realm of the atom to the frontiers of the human psyche, ��Ͽ� had a universe full of imaginative inspirations for the annual Fashion Without Fabric runway show on Saturday, April 12.

The sold-out fashion extravaganza featured wearable, sculptured costumes created by 120 teams composed of 258 students from 3D design classes. They were built with cardboard, foam, plastic, paper, metal and other materials – everything but fabric. In keeping with the show’s theme, “Welcome to Phenomonie!,” each team was randomly assigned a phenomenon – natural or human-made – as a creative launching point.

"Choreography of the Deep," inspired by murmuration and schooling, was created by Loren Grimes and Grace Johnson, who modeled the costume.

To the delight of the crowd packed into the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center, students modeled elaborate costumes that brought to life phenomena ranging from photosynthesis and pollution to black holes and ball lightning. Students spun on the catwalk in the guise of creepy anglerfish, an electron-encircled model of static electricity, a pyramid that opened to reveal constellations, and even a spoon-bending brain that embodied the concept of telekinesis.

Watch Fashion Without Fabric 2025 on YouTube

At the conclusion of the competitive evening, $1,000 scholarships were awarded to Astrid Scharff and Celia Fuhrman for their creation “Nature’s Recourse.” The pair, both of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, were inspired by the Forest of Knives, a region of Madagascar notable for its knife-like limestone spires. They created a helmeted warrior armed with a shield and spiked flail, its back bearing a jagged model of the Forest of Knives’ topography.

Scholarship winners, which were decided by a faculty committee, were named for the tenth time this year. Teams have the option to apply for the scholarship, and they are evaluated from start to finish. They submit a process book that covers their ideas, research, concept statement, ideation drawings, inspirations, building stages and more. After the faculty committee judges the process books, 15 finalists are announced. These teams are then reviewed by the committee the day of the show for craft, concept, innovative use of materials, styling, accessories and finally their presentation and performance, said Professor Robert Atwell of ��Ͽ�’s School of Art and Design, who serves as adviser to the show.

"Striving to Thrive," inspired by phototropism, by Ellie Gold and Megan Witt.

Other winners are chosen by a panel of three judges. Those winners – listed by costume title and theme – included:

1st: “Choreography of the Deep,” murmuration/schooling, by Loren Grimes, graphic design and interactive media, Franklin; and Grace Johnson, fashion design and development, Strum.
2nd: “The Faces of Those You Know,” Fregoli Delusion, by Jude Sell, game design and development, Brule; and Zach Burns, animation and digital media, Anoka, Minnesota.
3rd: “Striving to Thrive,” phototropism, by Ellie Gold, studio art, Ettrick; and Megan Witt, studio art, Port Washington.

"The Great Celestial Pyramid," inspired by the construction of the Great Pyramids in Egypt, by Kelli Dockry and Erin Whitten. The pyramid, above, opened to reveal constellations.

Honorable mentions were:

Artistry and Craft: “The Great Celestial Pyramid,” construction of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, by Kelli Dockry, industrial and product design, Minneapolis; and Erin Whitten, fashion design and development, Hudson.
Innovative Use of Materials: “Sea-ing the Light,” ocean twilight zone, by Kelly Jones, graphic design and interactive media, Iola; and Sierra Lauer, animation and digital media, Sussex.
Accessories and Details: “Le monarque du cuivre,” oxidation, by Aubrey Guttormson, art education, Solon Springs; and Signe Johnson, fashion design and development, Solon Springs.
Avant Garde Fashion: “The Fool,” cognitive dissonance, by Mila Goebel, studio art, Savage, Minnesota; and Avery Hageman, animation and digital media, Chanhassen, Minnesota.

The show was judged by Masako Onodera, a professor of visual and performing arts; Arthur Kneeland, a senior lecturer in biology; and Andrew Bogard, a graphic designer at the Walker Center for the Arts in Minneapolis, who holds a BFA in graphic design and interactive media from ��Ͽ� and is a previous Fashion Without Fabric scholarship winner and coordinator.

Celia Fuhrman stalks down the runway in the "Nature's Recourse" costume.

‘Sentient spirit of earth’

Scharff and Fuhrman, the scholarship winners, put in countless hours over the course of several weeks to create their warrior, which they described as a “sentient spirit of earth itself, sent to protect the land from human settlement.” They built the costume largely out of reused materials, including a thrifted road sign, a found tire, and aluminum cans, as well as cardboard, sticks, moss, and foam.

“We made lots of sketches and took inspiration from the forest itself, as well as worked to craft a narrative that would excite us and the audience,” said Fuhrman, a game design major, who also wore the costume for the runway show. “We both stayed very open-minded and valued experimentation because it is a lot easier to have more ideas to narrow down later than not enough.”

Scharff, left, and Fuhrman shared pieces of the costume as they were announced as scholarship winners.

Once they settled on a design, there was plenty of troubleshooting to be done. For example, the rock-bedecked shoulder piece proved challenging to attach to Fuhrman’s body. The piece, which was molded to the shape of the wearer’s shoulder with packing paper and duct tape, was ultimately held in place by ropes covered with foam which were tied around the waist and through the repurposed tire.

“We replaced ideas often and utilized our school’s resources as much as possible. Our professors and process lab staff were one of our most valuable resources as they helped problem solve and keep us safe whilst using equipment,” said Scharff, an illustration major.

The pair said they were shocked to be chosen as scholarship winners. “Being called for the scholarship was so exhilarating,” Fuhrman said. “I felt just a rush of joy and pride for myself and Astrid. To put so much time and effort into something and for it to have a tangible reward is very cathartic.”

Grace Johnson, left, and Loren Grimes were the creators of the first-place winner, "Choreography of the Deep."

Nothing fishy about it

Grimes and Johnson may have won first prize for their sparkling aquatic creation, “Choreography of the Deep,” but Grimes acknowledges she was first taken aback in early March when they were randomly assigned their topic, “murmuration/schooling.” But a quick online search revealed that the terms refer to the swarming behavior of birds and fish, respectively, and the ideas began to flow.

“I did a lot of research on what schooling is, specifically strength in numbers with predators and studying the ways that bait balls are formed with predators,” Grimes said. A “bait ball” is a tight protective school of fish, and it provided the inspiration for the shape and design of a hoop skirt formed of colorful, sparkling origami fish, which rotated around Johnson’s waist on a flexible shower curtain track. The skirt took a long time to perfect, Grimes said, and an early version made with wire, netting and pool noodles was too flimsy and had to be scrapped.

“We took inspiration from other artists working with kinetic fashion and pulled color and silhouette styles from the shape and colors of bait balls,” Johnson explained. Meanwhile, Johnson’s torso was encircled with a whale shark made of sanded foam held together by cardboard and papier-mâché which she painted to resemble the undersea giant.

"Sea-ing the Light," inspired by the ocean twilight zone, created by Kelly Jones and Sierra Lauer.

“So many hours went into the ideation, planning, construction, and detail of this piece,” Johnson explained. “Many late nights and hours in-between other classes were dedicated to the creation.”

“I would describe it as a wearable sculpture,” Grimes added. “While we have a skirt and top, they aren’t constructed like your everyday clothes. Our goal with the design was to transform the materials and her figure to become a bait ball.”

Grimes credits the positivity of her teammate, a last-minute loan of some Velcro from another team, and the assistance of senior lecturer Joshua Wilichowski for helping them achieve first place. “He was a great supporter throughout the whole process, and it at least helped me embrace FWOF and become even more determined to make something amazing,” Grimes said.

Fashion Without Fabric was held during ��Ͽ�’s Destination Weekend, which served as a launching point for the Spring Showcase, a series of student-centered events in April and May. Fashion Without Fabric isn’t the only large-scale runway show on campus this spring: High fashion will hit the runway at the annual WEAR Fashion Show at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, in the Great Hall of Memorial Student Center. Tickets are available online.

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Sold-out fashion show brings natural and human-made phenomena to life "Choreography of the Deep" was the first-place winner in the Fashion Without Fabric show

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

Hero Caption: "Forest of Knives," created by Astrid Scharff and Celia Fuhrman, and modeled by Fuhrman, won the scholarship prize at the 2025 Fashion Without Fabric show.

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Spring Showcase 2025: Signature events highlight professionalism of polytechnic distinction

goersab — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:30:00 +0000

Spring Showcase 2025: Signature events highlight professionalism of polytechnic distinctiongoersab April 7, 2025

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

Abbey Goers

Spring semester is in full swing, and students at ��Ͽ� are gearing up for a plethora of events, inviting the community to celebrate their creativity, research and innovation.

The Stout Spring Showcase, featuring special events in April and May which highlight what Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University is all about, includes:

“Alice by Heart”: Thursday, April 10, to Saturday, April 12
Communications Skills Showcase: Wednesday, April 16
University Choirs concert: Saturday, April 26
Symphonic Band concert: Sunday, April 27
WEAR Fashion Show, Saturday, May 3
Blue Devil Jazz Orchestra concert: Saturday, May 3
Research Day: Tuesday, May 6
Stout Game Expo: Thursday, May 8
SOAD Senior Show: Friday, May 9
Student Artist-in-Residence exhibition reception: Friday, May 9
Unspooled Film and Animation Festival: Saturday, May 10, to Sunday, May 11
4th Annual Design Wisconsin: Friday, May 16, to Sunday, May 18

Fashion, gaming and design events rival industry exhibitions

Fashion design and development students’ clothing collections will be featured at the WEAR Fashion Show, at 4 p.m. on May 3, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall. Tickets are on sale.

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

Fashion Without Fabric, to be held on April 12, is sold out. Overflow tickets are still available.

Join the fun at Stout Game Expo, western Wisconsin's largest game developers' event from 6 to 9 p.m. on May 8, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall and ballrooms.

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

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

Fine art sales by students will be held throughout the buildings. The Student Artist-in-Residence reception will be held in Furlong Gallery.

Design Wisconsin, May 16-18, celebrates Wisconsin's legacy of industrial design and fashion design innovation and impact on culture, commerce, community and brand. The event includes an open house of major Wisconsin and Minnesota design and manufacturer groups. In the past, these have included TREK, Milwaukee Tool, Kohler, Mercury Marine, Polaris, Fiskars, Oshkosh and more.

Polytechnic research showcase highlights societal impact

Research Day, on May 6, hosts multiple events, including WiSys Quick Pitch Competition from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Quick Pitch is a three-minute, elevator-pitch-style competition open to undergraduate and graduate students in all programs.

The community is invited to meet with ��Ͽ� faculty, staff and students, as well as students from Chippewa Valley Technical College, as they present their research through more than 150 posters, exhibits, art and design displays, and oral and panel presentations.

The day also includes:

1 to 2:45 p.m.: Innovative Insights, a faculty and student showcase of oral presentations
3 to 5 p.m.: Posters and exhibits, with researchers open for discussions
5:15 to 6 p.m.: Outstanding Researcher awards ceremony

Research Day

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

An awards ceremony will recognize outstanding faculty and students across fields of study, nominated by their peers.

Research Day is coordinated by ��Ͽ�’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

��Ͽ� student researchers also showcased their research at Wisconsin’s Capitol Rotunda on April 2, during Research in the Rotunda, and students will present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, April 7-9, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They will join more than 4,000 undergraduates from across the country, representing all disciplines.

Student writers, artists invite community discussions

Join the launch of the 2025 issue of Prometheus for a reception and reading from authors and talk with artists, from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on April 11, in Harvey Hall Café.

The Communication Skills Showcase will begin at 6 p.m. on April 16, in the Memorial Student Center ballrooms. It is a celebration of student work, with presentations from first-year composition and communication courses, philosophy, advanced writing, and digital humanities, as well as an opportunity for audience members to interact with students and discuss their work.

The showcase will also recognize the finalists and the winners of the Andrea Deacon Writing Award, which recognizes excellence in first-year composition courses.

Author Peter Geye will present and read from his new novel, “A Lesser Light,” from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on April 21, at Harvey Hall Theatre. The novel will be released on April 15.

Journey down the rabbit hole in ‘Alice by Heart’

Students will perform “Alice by Heart” at Harvey Hall Theatre. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on April 10*, 11 and 12.

“Alice by Heart” is a musical set during World War II, in the rubble of the London Blitz. Alice Spencer’s teenage life is turned upside down, when she and her friend Alfred are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. When Alfred is quarantined, Alice encourages him to escape with her into their cherished book and journey down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.

* An accessible performance will be held on April 10, with a more informal atmosphere aimed to welcome those with sensory difficulties or autism. The performance will remain the same but with small adjustments. House lights will remain on, loud noises will be softened, and audience members are free to leave and re-enter.

Tickets are available at uwstout.universitytickets.com.

The Symphonic Singers, Chamber Choir and Devil Tones Acappella will perform their concert Life on the World Scale at 7 p.m. on April 26, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 910 E. Ninth St., in Menomonie.

The Symphonic Band will perform Around the World at 2 p.m. on April 27, in the Memorial Student Center Great Hall.

The Blue Devil Jazz Orchestra will perform at 7 p.m. on May 3, at Harvey Hall Theatre.

Tickets are available at uwstout.universitytickets.com.

Unspooled Film & Animation Festival

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

Unspooled welcomes international filmmakers to Menomonie

The Unspooled Film and Animation Festival is an annual juried event, featuring films and animations made by regional and international independent storytellers – professionals and students alike.

Films are screened at ��Ͽ�’s historic Harvey Hall Theatre. The event also offers workshops and guest speakers, and awards in several categories.

Reserve tickets, or submit a film via Film Freeway by April 20.

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Stout Spring Showcase

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

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Nothing fishy about it

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Student writers, artists invite community discussions

Journey down the rabbit hole in ‘Alice by Heart’

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Stout Spring Showcase

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Software by ��Ͽ� professor, students helps international museum collections shine – literally – in 3D

Software draws focus to ��Ͽ�