LLHS Alum in STEM fields

STEM and LLHS

STEM Academy begins

The 2018-19 school year saw the inaugural cohort for the LLHS STEM Academy. Entrance in the Academy requires a separate enrollment application and uses nationally-accredited, activity-, project-, and problem-based Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum. Our STEM Academy is meant to challenge those with interest in science, technology, engineering and math fields and who are highly motivated to learn. PLTW requires LLHS to partner with local industries and work to find mentors who can help answer questions about future courses of study, college programs, internships, or challenges in the classroom. The first class offered was Introduction to Engineering Design, and Principles of Engineering will be offered fall semester 2019.

Alumni in STEM

Before the formal STEM curriculum, Lakeside certainly has had a vibrant history of science, math and tech ed courses that thousands of grads—alumni and alumnae—have put to work. Likewise, though this past year was our first year of a formal Society of Women Engineers (more info on p. 2), many of our alumnae are in STEMrelated fields—and they are grateful for the many ways Lakeside prepared them for their careers. Thanks to these alum 15 years out from graduation who responded to some questions about STEM and LLHS:

Natasha (Fabian) Steenbergen (LL ‘04) Senior Sales Operations Planning Analyst Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Milwaukee

“I manage global inventory levels for Softail and Electric motorcycle families, and request production that supports our inventory strategy having the right bikes in the right places at the right times.”

How did Lakeside prepare you for further education? I was the Editor-In- Chief of the Warrior Times Weekly and co-Editor of KEMO [yearbook], so I gained valuable experience in seeing ideas through to fruition, and continuously improving my products. Mrs. Schommer went the extra mile to make sure I was ready when it was time to leave the nest and graduate.

The coursework across various classes gave me a foundation in research and development, data validation, and conducting myself in an ethical manner. I attended public colleges and never wavered in knowing the Christ-centered way to conduct my activities.

What do you find rewarding about working in the STEM field? I love how fast manufacturing changes. There are so many revelations when you’re customer-led that require new ways of doing business to respond faster and stay profitable. The textbook principles still hold, but we try new things far more than I ever expected to. I have only been in my career 10 years and the education, experience, and skills required to succeed have all changed. The job I’ll hold 3-5 years from now probably doesn’t even exist yet.

Encouragement for someone considering your field? “How” you do your work is at least as important as your actual results. Having a firm foundation in your faith, ethics, and how you conduct yourself will set you up well to learn any hard skills that you’re interested in.

Libby (Gernetzke) Stahl (LL ‘05) Microbiologist Summit Brewing Company, Saint Paul, Minn.

“I test beer throughout the fermentation process for microbes, test equipment for sanitation efficacy, and am in charge of propagating yeast strains for all the beers.”

What do you find rewarding about working in the STEM field? I love science; being able to go to an awesome job every day using the education I pursued is a huge feeling of accomplishment. There are so many opportunities God presents in our lifetime. It’s special that we can choose a career field and work towards that goal. STEM is personally rewarding for me, as I know the quality control work I’m doing is important to the company and to consumers.

Did a teacher stand out? I enjoyed Mr. Tracy’s classes, as he always had a passion for the subjects, and a fantastic sense of humor that I now understand.

Encouragement for someone considering your field? If there is something you want to do, do it. Don’t be intimidated. All the working adults in the world were in your shoes at one time, not so long ago. Don’t be afraid to utilize tech schools, not just because of the huge cost savings and transferable credits. They have fantastic programs, and a lot of STEM areas have great opportunities for associate degrees. You can seamlessly continue your education to a bachelor’s degree in most cases if you desire. Lastly, following a science career as a Christian is not easy. So much of what is taught goes against the Bible, and you need to have a conscious focus on your faith—it will be tested.

Bobbi Bishofberger (LL ‘)05 Chair of the Welding Program Blackhawk Technical College (BTC), Janesville, Wis.

“I oversee every aspect of the program, teach, and develop new classes and programs in the areas of Welding, Robotics, and Fabrication. I also work with area schools and BTC to promote manufacturing and the trades to future generations. This includes STEM events, especially for women.”

How did you get interested in your current field? I grew up building race cars with my family. It was amazing to see what we could build in our little garage. Welding was one of the areas where my family unit was lacking knowledge and skill, so I decided to learn more about it. I loved it and decided to pursue it after graduation from LLHS.

What did you do after LL? I attended BTC and earned a certificate in Welding, then an Associate’s in Applied Science in Welding Technology from MATC. I still wanted to learn more and went to Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., for a B.S. in Welding Engineering Technology. I worked in the automotive industry, programming robotic welding equipment on assembly lines, traveling to plants to troubleshoot and fix problems with robots. I was also involved with planning new assembly lines and robotic welding cells. After I was done traveling for a living, I started teaching evening welding courses at BTC.

How did LL prepare you for further education? Lakeside taught me how to learn and gave me an excellent foundation in math skills. When I started at BTC, it didn’t take long to realize I was better prepared than most of my classmates, including in reading comprehension and study skills.

Did any teacher stand out or motivate you? Mr. Westphal, of course! He never made me feel like I did not belong in the shop classes. He held me to a higher level because he saw something in me. He was low-key and patient. Now that I teach, I know that teaching others is not as easy as it looks.

Mitchell Springer, PhD (LL ‘03) Product Development Specialist Versiti Wisconsin (formerly BloodCenter of Wisconsin)

“Our department specializes in the development of new clinical tests that will be used to test for various hematological disorders (thrombocytopenia, hemophilia, etc).”

How did you get interested in your current field? In grade school, I had a great science teacher that really loved chemistry and that rubbed off on me. Then at LLHS, when I heard about the human genome project, I knew that’s what I wanted to work on. Of course, the project finished in April 2003, a month before I graduated, but by that time, I had already decided I wanted to pursue the molecular biology field.

Exactly what is it that you do? One project I helped develop was a Next-Generation Sequencing test that simultaneously sequences 117 different genes related to blood and bleeding disorders, looking for genetic variants that could help to explain the patient’s disorder. I was also involved in the reporting aspect, which required validation of a reporting software to track and maintain the variants from each case but also generate reports based on the test ordered and variants identified. Since the test launch in summer 2017, we’ve sequenced over 1,300 patients.

Did any teacher motivate you? Mr. Hackbarth stood out to me. I knew I wanted to get through Calculus by my senior year, so sophomore year, I took two math courses to be able to take Calculus. Mr. Hackbarth made me love math. I had a great time with him, the course, my classmates, and the math team.

What do you find rewarding about working in the STEM field? When I decided I wanted to do a PhD, one of the big reasons was that I loved doing research and I liked knowing that what I was doing may make a difference in people’s lives. When I did my post-doc at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, I did pre-clinical drug trials to treat Neurofibromatosis Type 1. My work helping people became even more apparent when I saw pre-clinical trials I worked on get turned into clinical trials to help people with the disease.

At Versiti, I know the tests I’ve helped develop help physicians and patients every day. I constantly get to learn new things and use new technology but at the same time, I’m able to take that and develop tests and assays that are going to help people with bleeding disorders.

May God continue to bless our alum in all fields of work!

Lakeside Lutheran Link | 2019 Issue 1 | llhs.org | page 5