MSOE
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MSOE Mindset pg. 8 Thinking Outside the Box pg. 14 Demand for STEM pg. 20 FALL/WINTER 2018–2019
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Dear Alumni and Friends, This fall we celebrated a number of milestones. Just a couple weeks ago, the final piece of steel was lifted into place for Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall. It has been fun to watch the transformation of Diercks Hall from blueprints to construction—a tangible representation of the progress we’re making in artificial intelligence education, next-generation technologies and digital innovation. I’m happy to report that the project is running on schedule and on budget, with classes slated to meet in the building in September 2019. In other areas, we are reaching milestones with our strategic plan. I cannot overstate the importance of this plan and the work we are doing as a community to be extraordinary together. A few highlights include the development of a new position that will serve as the single point-of-contact for educational, corporate and community organizations that wish to engage with MSOE; a master facilities plan and management committee; a brand strategy that will be rolled out in early 2019; and the MSOE Mindset and CREATE Institute (both of which you can read about on pages 8–9). The strategic plan is now available at msoe.edu/strategicplan and I encourage you all to go online for additional details. You’ll also find key performance indicators, our commitments, and regular updates as we make progress on a variety of strategic initiatives. Finally, in October we welcomed five new members to our Board of Regents: Tom Glaister (Charter Manufacturing), Karl Gouverneur (Northwestern Mutual), Jim Griffin ’88 (The Angelus Corp.), Don Schlidt (Dedicated Computing) and Kevin Zaba (Rexnord). I would like to personally thank them and our new Corporation members for their willingness to serve our university, lend their expertise and support our mission. Happy New Year!
John Y. Walz, Ph.D. President
On the cover:
rtant Post-it Notes are an impo brina Sa design-thinking tool for igan and Stangler, Nicholas Henn iversity Un ’s OE Tara Rahmani, MS Innovation Fellows.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
Members of MSOE’s Student Union Board led new students on a walking tour of downtown Milwaukee during Welcome Week—complete with a frozen treat at Purple Door Ice Cream.
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IN THIS ISSUE
14–16
Thinking Outside the Box
MSOE’s first cohort of University Innovation Fellows are encouraging a design thinking approach to problem solving throughout campus and beyond. See story (and find out what’s up with the Post-it Notes) on page 14.
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Spotlight on Leadership: Dr. Mark Train
Upcoming Events
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Highlights
8–9
‘Mindset’ Highlights the MSOE Difference
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Faculty Feature: Dr. Nadya Shalamova
January 11 Junior Visit Day 25 Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Career Night
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At the Grohmann
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University Scholars Make Strides
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Diercks Hall Stands Tall
17 Carter Academy Continues to Make Engineering Programs Accessible 18–19
Raiders’ Wrap-up
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Filling the STEM Pipeline
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Riding High with the Unicycle Club
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Alumni on the Move
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Motion Control Laboratory Gets Upgrade
February 22 Junior Visit Day 23 Commencement March 8 10
Junior Visit Day 17th Annual WMSE Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser
April 5 27
WMSE Art and Music Open House
For more information and events visit: msoe.edu/campus-life/calendar Athletic events: go-raiders.com Fluid Power Professional Education Seminars: msoe.edu/seminars Professional Education courses: msoe.edu/professional-education
Dimensions
Milwaukee School of Engineering Magazine Editor: JoEllen Burdue
Contributing Writers: Kevin Conway, Loreen Pace, Dr. John Y. Walz
Managing Editor: Kristen Kubisiak
Contributing Photography: Troy Freund, Lucas Grohmann, Mark Hines, Dr. Patrick Jung, Kristen Kubisiak, Dr. Jeff LaMack ’97, Kent Peterson ’99, Gary Porter, Erol Reyal, Nick Seidler
Creative Director: Kristin Dunn Graphic Designers: Peg Houghton, Chase Patt
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Use, reproduction or storage of the name, address or other information about any individual identified within this magazine is strictly prohibited and constitutes misappropriation of corporate property. Address correspondence to Dimensions Magazine, 1025 N. Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202; marketing@msoe.edu; or (414) 277-7117.
Fall/Winter 2018–2019 Volume 33, No. 1
SPOTLIGHT ON LEADERSHIP Dr. Mark Train For Dr. Mark Train, it’s as much about the journey as it is the destination. An East Coast transplant, Train’s entrepreneurial spirit led him from a career as an accountant to heading a $500 million company of 3,000 employees in Milwaukee when he and one of his colleagues, Vince Martin, co-founded Jason Inc. in 1985. “You will never know for sure if you’re going to be successful so if you have an opportunity, jump in and do it,” said Train, who is an MSOE Regent and received an Honorary Doctor of Business Economics degree from MSOE in November. Train, a New York native and CPA, holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree Motorcycling is a family affair. Train’s wife of 52 years, Anne, and daughters Amy and from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New Susie often ride with him. Mark and Anne York. His career began at what is now Ernst are very involved in the Muscular Dystrophy & Young. There he was exposed to different Association. They served as the honorary road companies and industries and found himself captains for the MDA Black-n-Blue Ball, and more interested in his clients’ issues than the in 2017 Train received the MDA Personal Freedom Award. This fall, he and Susie business of an accounting firm, so he joined (pictured at right) led the Harley-Davidson one of them, AMCA International. A decade 115th Anniversary Parade with a group of later, Train became senior vice president riders and families that made up the MDA of finance at AMCA and oversaw divesting Heroes for the parade. some of its companies. This is when he and Martin made the decision to " Employers love MSOE grads. purchase the companies that They have the technical skills and would become practical skills to solve problems." Jason Inc. Train retired after 20 years with the company, most Boston Marathons) and 50-60 triathlons. He recently as president and CEO. Today, Jason continues to cycle today—but the rumble Inc. remains a globally diversified company of the road is equally appealing and he’s comprised of four distinct manufacturing just as likely to be riding one of his five businesses committed to delivering best-inmotorcycles, logging upwards of 20,000 class products that serve the finishing, seating, miles per year while crisscrossing components and acoustics markets. Several the country. MSOE graduates are employed at Jason Train is also a member of the MSOE companies as designers and engineers, and Executive Motorcycle Group, which rides a current students participate in an internship few times each summer to tour and network program. with companies. “Employers love MSOE You’ll often find Train on two wheels but grads. They have the technical skills and exactly which two is subject to change. For practical skills to solve problems,” he said. two decades, he was an endurance athlete “I repeatedly hear how MSOE graduates and completed 10 marathons (including five are ready to hit the ground running.”
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HIGHLIGHTS New MSOE Regents represent innovation and technology Tom Glaister, Karl Gouverneur, Jim Griffin ’88, Don Schlidt and Kevin Zaba were elected to the MSOE Board of Regents. In electing these Regents, the university is further demonstrating its commitment to being a national leader in computational science and artificial intelligence education. Since it was founded in 1903, MSOE has benefitted from the advice and support of volunteer leaders. Meaningful involvement is the most accurate way to describe the manner in which MSOE’s Board of Regents and Corporation members assume their responsibilities. Comprised
of representatives of business, industry, government and education, the Board of Regents governs the operations and the future planning of the university. The new Regents’ experience and expertise in digital innovation will be invaluable as MSOE continues to develop its offerings in the computational science field.
Tom Glaister Karl Gouverneur Retired President and COO Vice President—Digital Charter Manufacturing Workplace and Corporate Solutions Northwestern Mutual
MSOE students shine in construction competition Four student teams from MSOE’s Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department competed at the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 3 Conference and Student Competitions in October. MSOE took second place in the nation for the project solutions competition. MSOE teams also took first place in the regional design-build competition and in their debut appearance in the regional heavy civil competition. Congratulations to all of the teams and their advisors, Drs. Blake Wentz and Jeong Woo.
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James P. Griffin ’88 CEO and Owner The Angelus Corp.
MSOE also welcomed new Corporation members: • Scott Allan, president, The Angelus Corp. • Matt Bertsch ’97, vice president of engineering, cordless power tools, Milwaukee Tool • Tim Chambers, president of business solutions, Snap-on Inc. • Ron Hahn ’91, president, Scot Forge • Seth Patin ’05, owner, Accelogix • Larry Rocole, vice president, Milwaukee division, JP Cullen • Tim Schneider ’04, vice president, J.F. Ahern
Don Schlidt President and CEO Dedicated Computing LLC
Kevin Zaba Group Executive and President, PMC Platform Rexnord
Left to right: Roscoe Raider; Dr. Robert Kobylski, Nicolet superintendent; Brian Miller, MSOE athletics director; Dr. John Walz, MSOE president; Dr. Kathleen Ruehlow ’72, MSOE Regent; Bryan Kennedy, mayor of Glendale; John Kneer, president of Rettler Corporation; and the Nicolet Knight break ground for MSOE Raiders Stadium.
Raiders get ready to play ball A ceremonial groundbreaking was held at Maslowski Park in Glendale, Wisconsin, for MSOE Raiders Stadium, the new home to MSOE’s baseball team and the Nicolet High School baseball team. The facility will feature a synthetic turf baseball field, dugouts, lights, a press box and wraparound seating from first to third base for more than 300 spectators. The project is slated to be complete in Spring 2019. Rettler
Corp. is serving as project manager and architect. The university recently finalized an agreement with the Nicolet High School District and city of Glendale to construct the $2.5 million MSOE Raiders Stadium, which is about 8 miles north of MSOE. In addition, the partnership allows MSOE students access to other athletic facilities at Nicolet High School, such as the swimming pool and tennis courts.
“Thank you to Kathleen Ruehlow, Alan Ruud and Catalyst Construction for their help in making MSOE Raiders Stadium become a reality. I believe it is important that we continue to offer our students access to activities and opportunities that provide a well-rounded college experience,” said Dr. John Walz, MSOE president.
MSOE Innovation Fellows are agents of change Junior Noe Gonzalez and sophomores Nicole Lange and Jack Turicek have been named University Innovation Fellows (UIF). They are the second group of MSOE students to participate in this prestigious international program, which is run by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) (see pages 14–16). UIF empowers student leaders to increase campus engagement with innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity and design thinking. “We want to be at the forefront of working with administration to tackle the problems that students are currently facing,” said Gonzalez. The trio was among 358 students from 96 universities in 16 countries chosen to participate in the UIF program. The Kern Family Foundation is sponsoring MSOE’s Fellows, who have identified several strategies for expanding innovation and entrepreneurship on campus and in the community.
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HIGHLIGHTS Graduate students present research in Germany When Joe Fassbender, Kimya Green and Amey Sanap set out to write a paper in Dr. Jeong Woo’s Construction Data and Information Management course, they had no idea it would end up leading to an international presentation. “We did preliminary research on the cost and productivity benefits of using drones for surveying in the construction industry in lieu of traditional surveying methods like total stations, builders levels or GPS technology,” said Fassbender, who, like Sanap, is pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering. Green is working toward an MBA with a specialization in construction management. They submitted their work to the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (ISARC) Conference and it was selected for publication and presentation at the 35th annual conference in Berlin, Germany. eft to right: Logan Capizzi, Ploypairin Chongvatanabandit, L Dr. Jeff LaMack, Amanda Ksioszk and William Haeuser
Future biomedical engineers are design scholars
Left to right: Joe Fassbender, Dr. Jeong Woo, Amey Sanap
Biomedical engineering seniors Logan Capizzi, Ploypairin Chongvatanabandit, William Haeuser and Amanda Ksioszk are now Coulter College Design Scholars. They were one of 12 teams selected for the exclusive Biomedical Engineering Society Coulter College training program. They aimed to improve treatment plan follow-through for patients who are limited by education or transportation. After completing webinars and pre-program assignments, the team traveled to the Medtronic campus in Minnesota to work with experts in the field to develop their PT Pro device, which is an at-home physical therapy treatment belt operated through a smart phone. PT Pro provides heat and cold therapy, guided physical therapy sessions, and a back-massage reward for completing physical therapy sessions. Dr. Jeff LaMack ’97, was their faculty advisor.
Students receive Department of Defense scholarships College tuition paid in full and guaranteed employment upon graduation is a deal that might sound too good to be true, but that’s exactly what the future has in store for three MSOE students. Senior Michael Dougherty, junior Ben Jacobs and sophomore Michael Gorges have been awarded the U.S. Department of Defense’s Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) scholarships. SMART scholarships aim to increase civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD facilities and support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing technical degrees in STEM disciplines. SMART scholars receive full-tuition, health insurance allowance, and a stipend, in exchange for mentoring, a summer research internship and the willingness to accept employment placement in a DoD facility upon graduation.
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Making headlines • Dr. Cory Prust ’01, associate professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, received MSOE’s Karl O. Werwath Engineering Research Award. • Dr. Todd Davis, P.E., assistant professor in the Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department, received MSOE’s Rexnord Educator of the Year Award. • Mark Krueger ’90, adjunct assistant professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, received the Johnson Controls Award, presented to outstanding part-time faculty. • JoEllen Burdue, director of communications and media relations in the Marketing Communications Department, was named to TEMPO Milwaukee’s Emerging Women Leaders initiative.
• Emily Vogel, assistant to the chair, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, received the 2018 International Achievement Award from the International Association of Administrative Professionals. • MSOE was recognized by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage Left to right: Dr. Todd Davis, Dr. Cory Prust and Mark Krueger District as a Green Luminary for its efforts to sustainably manage storm water with the •M SOE was named to Wisconsin Inno’s 50 Grohmann Museum’s green roof and on Fire List, which recognizes 50 people the underground cistern and irrigation and companies heating up Wisconsin tech. system being installed as part of the Diercks Hall construction.
Students win region, take second nationally After winning the Central Northeast Region in the 2018 Design-Build Student Competition, a team of MSOE students was one of three regional teams selected to compete at the national level. In November the students traveled to New Orleans to present to a live jury and audience at the
Design-Build Conference and Expo. They fielded questions from a panel of industry interviewers about their design and construction plans for a two- to three-floor student residence hall on an American college campus. They took second place in the competition, which was sponsored
by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). Congratulations to Habiba Aly, Matt Blain, Megan Hanelt, Mike Osep, Alex Olson, Cassidy Jackson and Megan Weidner. Dr. Jeong Woo, professor and construction management program director, is the team’s advisor.
From Quidditch World Cup to MSOE MSOE moguls had a quidditch champion in their midst when “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” actor Stanislav Yanevcki aka Viktor Krum (back row, black T-shirt) stopped by campus over the summer. He was in Milwaukee checking out the sights before the ExpectoCon sci-fi convention in Madison,Wisconsin. He met MSOE Coordinator of Student Life Nick Seidler, who was volunteering with MSOE alumni at the convention. After hearing about MSOE’s Formula Hybrid championship team and high-ranking Mechanical Engineering Department, Yanevcki had to stop by. The actor took photos with MSOE Carter Academy students and teleconferenced with the Student Union Board. DIMENSIONS x FALL/WINTER 2018–2019
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‘Mindset’ Highlights the MSOE Difference MSOE graduates are leaders of character— responsible professionals who never stop learning and strive to create value in the communities where they work and live. These characteristics are the sum of the MSOE Mindset—an approach to learning that weaves together MSOE’s mission, vision and values, with a servant-leader philosophy and the entrepreneurial mindset that is the hallmark of an MSOE education. Fostering this mindset is the recently formed CREATE Institute (Community-focused Realworld Engagement in Academics Through Experiential-learning). “It’s important to live the MSOE Mindset to really understand that we’re more than what we do. It’s how we behave and what our character is,” said DeAnna Leitzke ’98, P.E., CREATE Institute director. To support the developmental work toward the CREATE Institute’s success, MSOE has received a $2 million, multi-year grant from The Kern Family Foundation and will also leverage funds from current MSOE endowment funds. The CREATE Institute will ensure MSOE students receive well-rounded, highimpact educational experiences that will enhance the relevancy of their learning and serve as a campus resource for faculty, staff and students. Many faculty—like Dr. Leah Newman, associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department—have already taken steps to implement this type of learning in their classrooms. Newman’s industrial engineering class partnered with Careers Industries Inc., a Racine-based company that provides vocational opportunities and employment for adults with developmental disabilities, to improve the ergonomic conditions of its switch assembly and cord wrapping processes. Student groups toured the facility, spoke with employees, and conducted evaluations. They wrote a paper detailing their observations and recommendations to improve the processes, then presented the report to the class.
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Junior Kate Wallschlaeger took a classroom assignment to the next level when she built a fixture to improve a switch assembly process at Careers Industries Inc.
“ It’s important to live the MSOE Mindset to really understand that we’re more than what we do. It’s how we behave and what our character is.” —DeAnna Leitzke ’98, P.E.
“Students asked if they could create prototypes,” Newman said. “And I said, ‘of course.’” Junior Kate Wallschlaeger took the project much further, working with MSOE Lab Technician Roger Hajny to build the fixture that would improve the switch assembly process. She and Hajny spent 60 hours outside of class working on the project. The ability to make an impact in real-time is what motivated Wallschlaeger. “This was not a theoretical project but one in which our success could directly improve the everyday lives of people just trying to do their job,” she said. “I wanted to make sure Careers Industries had at least one working fixture, the training and instructions on how to use it, and all of the engineering drawings necessary to make another.” The relationship between MSOE and Careers Industries Inc. is mutually beneficial, said Joe Greene, executive director. “First, it exposes our participants to people from other backgrounds and our participants are very proud to show people what they
do. Secondly, coming in to Careers exposes the MSOE students to people from other backgrounds and abilities. “It takes the skills being learned by the students and puts a personal touch to it as they can see directly how they can make a difference in people’s lives.” The MSOE Mindset has been implemented in places as far away as Honduras too, through students’ participation in Global Brigades. Global Brigades is an international nongovernmental organization that empowers under-resourced communities to meet their health and economic goals aided by university volunteers and local teams. A dozen students in MSOE’s Business Brigade met with the governing board of a savings-and-loan cooperative in the rural community of El Ocote to develop ways to increase financial literacy in the community. One of them, an electrical engineering student named Michael Warder, developed an innovative and simple system for teaching financial literacy that employed colored slips of paper representing money, crops, loans and debt. The governing board was so impressed that its members asked Warder for the slips of paper, so they
could teach others in El Ocote about the importance of responsibly saving money and managing loans. Warder took it a step further. He determined this method of teaching financial literacy would be more effective if it could be turned into a computer application that would allow anyone to teach financial literacy to others in a more robust and engaging manner. Warder began a collaboration with another MSOE student studying software engineering, Tyler Gottlieb, and together they set out to create an easy-to-use app that teaches the lessons of financial literacy. In addition to the MSOE Business Brigade, which will use the application during subsequent visits to Honduras, Global Brigades has agreed to field test it. “If all goes according to plan, Global Brigades will make this computer application available to all of its Business Brigades that work throughout Central America,” said Dr. Patrick Jung, professor and Global Brigades faculty advisor. The CREATE Institute will not only provide resources and support to student initiatives like these, a team of CREATE Faculty Fellows will help
Tyler Gottlieb (left) and Michael Warder are developing a computer application to teach financial literacy in Honduras.
generate more opportunities for real-world experiential learning. “The students who leave MSOE have the potential to have a huge impact on the world around them,” Leitzke said. “Making sure we give them the tools they need to do that responsibly is very important to me.
ead more about the MSOE R Mindset and CREATE Institute at msoe.edu/mindset.
Michael Warder worked with leaders of the savingsand-loan cooperative in Honduras.
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FACULTY FEATURE Dr. Nadya Shalamova A champion for MSOE’s University Innovation Fellows and self-described “user experience” evangelist—Dr. Nadya Shalamova began cultivating a fascination with technology, design and science early in life. “I was always interested in why something exists, or works a certain way,” she said. Shalamova was born in a small Siberian village where her great-grandparents had been exiled in the late 1920s during the Stalinist regime. When she was 7, her family moved to Tomsk, an educational, cultural and scientific center in Russia. “My mother was an accomplished physics teacher,” Shalamova said. “I learned from her the importance of explaining complex information in an accessible and entertaining way.” Shalamova earned a graduate degree in linguistics and worked for several years in the Laboratory of Siberian Indigenous Language at Tomsk Polytechnic University where she conducted linguistic and anthropological research on one of the endangered (now extinct) native Siberian dialects. At the same time, she taught linguistics and ESL to engineering students. In 2001, she received a Carnegie Fellowship that brought her to the United States. That’s when she first learned about technical communication. She decided to pursue her Ph.D. from New Mexico State University where she was heavily involved in the Freshman Integrated Learning Community Project at the College of Engineering. “I taught a professional communication course designed for engineering students and served as their academic advisor,” she said. In 2008 Shalamova came to MSOE. She is currently the director of the User Experience and Communication Design program and an associate professor in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Communication Department. “User experience (UX) is the field of designing user-friendly digital products,
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" I’ve become a UX evangelist because good UX makes technology not only enjoyable, but also accessible to everyone—regardless of age, ability or identity.” services and systems,” she said. “The way a digital project looks and feels, the way it works, and how it fits into the environment in which it is used are all the result of UX design. I’ve become a UX evangelist because good UX makes technology not only enjoyable, but also accessible to everyone— regardless of age, ability or identity.” During the last year, Shalamova also became an advisor to MSOE’s University Innovation Fellows (read more about them on pages 14-16). She lists the Fellows among those who most inspire her. “Every time I work with the UIFs I learn something new,” she said. “I am impressed and fascinated by their ideas. Their desire to make MSOE (and the world) a better place, their energy, self-
determination and sense of humor are contagious. They are true agents of change at MSOE. I hope they never lose their sense of wonder.” “I think it takes a special person to be a student at MSOE. One needs to be not only smart, but also goal-oriented, driven and hard-working,” Shalamova said. “I’ve been privileged to work with a lot of students who display these qualities.” When she is not working, Shalamova enjoys biking and hockey games, watching British TV and catching up on her reading by listening to Audible. “I also follow Dr. Lee Berger’s team research of Homo naledi, a new human species discovered in 2013 in a South African cave.”
AT THE GROHMANN Growing Place: A Visual Study of Urban Farming Jan. 18–April 28, 2019 Gallery Night Friday, Jan. 18, 5–9 p.m. Cities across the world are turning to urban farming as a means to feed their inhabitants, reshape their built environments, and address the complicated legacies of capital mobility, disinvestment and abandonment. The city of Milwaukee has emerged as a global leader in this urban farming movement as pioneers such as Will Allen, founder of the Growing Power urban farm, have highlighted how overlooked resources such as vacant lots and buildings can be transformed into sites of agricultural production. Such spatial transformations have profound implications for the redevelopment of not only Milwaukee, but of cities around the world. Using Milwaukee as its anchor study, Growing Place: A Visual Study of Urban Farming seeks to shed new light on the past, present and future of growing food in cities. Here, the legacy of Growing Power looms large: for over 25 years the non-profit organization influenced the efforts of urban farmers in such disparate cities as Detroit, New Orleans and even Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Yet the farm’s 2017 closing has created the space for new actors to emerge and push urban farming in new and innovative directions. Curated by MSOE Associate Professor Michael Carriere, Ph.D., Growing Place: A Visual Study of Urban Farming, visually documents this process of evolution as it simultaneously takes stock of the history that makes such developments possible.
David Schalliol, Community Garden from Above, 2018
Urban Agriculture/ Future Farming A LEGO/K’nex Building Workshop Saturday, March 23, 12–4 p.m. A fun event for all ages! The seventh annual LEGO/K’nex Building Workshop, led by John and Sylvia Peine, offers the opportunity to imagine and construct the cities and farms of tomorrow. Add your creation to a miniature city built on-site at the Grohmann Museum.
grohmannmuseum.org
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Aquaponics group receives grant
University Scholars Jack Turicek and Eirene Kowal helped design and build the solar food dehydrator.
University Scholars Make Strides
Students in MSOE’s University Scholars Honors Program divided into two groups last year to tackle community projects: a solar dehydrator and related educational materials, and an aquaponics system. Originally a freshman-only offering, the University Scholars program has expanded to two years, enabling students to continue working on these projects as sophomores. Here is an update on the progress they have made since the Spring 2018 edition of Dimensions.
Solar food dehydrator comes online One group of honors students designed and installed a solar dehydrator at Milwaukee’s Browning Elementary School. SHARP Literacy led the effort, which was a collaboration between Johnson Controls, Milwaukee Public Schools, Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Silver Spring Neighborhood and MSOE ServantLeadership. The solar dehydrator is part of a greenhouse revitalization project at the school, which will eventually include an aquaponics system. The dehydrator is being used to enhance the literacy program at the school through science and healthy eating curricula. “Our goal was to make the solar dehydrator as education- and studentfriendly as possible,” said Eirene Kowal, mechanical engineering major.
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Honors students served as project managers and developed the design for the solar dehydrator under the mentorship of Associate Professor DeAnna Leitzke, P.E. “I worked on modeling the components like the dehydrator chamber and tunnel,” said Jack Turicek, mechanical engineering major. Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department students constructed the dehydrator under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Douglas Nelson, P.E. and Jeff MacDonald, lab technician. Alumnus Matthew Peterson ’14, who works for Excel Engineering, served as industry mentor on the project. MSOE Servant-Leadership coordinated efforts between the various stakeholders within MSOE and partially funded the program through a Brady Foundation grant.
The aquaponics group received a $5,000 grant from The Water Council and Aveda Corporation for their work at the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary—a five-story warehouse that is being restored into a multi-resource center. The Future Water Leader’s Fund provides assistance for water technology, conservation and innovation projects, and academic programs in water. The proposed design features stacked grow beds and filtration units to maintain optimal waterflow and aeration while conserving floor space. It has the capacity to raise 900 fish and 500 heads of lettuce over a 4-month growing period. “We have a completed 3D model of the aquaponics setup and the building around it,” said Nick Brnot, project lead and electrical engineering major. “The big goal for this year is getting engineering approval for the designs.” Brnot and other members of the aquaponics team continue to work on the project as part of a sophomore-level honors course taught by Dr. Michael Carriere, director of the University Scholar Honors Program and associate professor in the Humanities, Social Science and Communication Department.
Honors students created a 3D model of a proposed aquaponics setup for the homeless sanctuary.
Diercks Hall Stands Tall In this photo taken Nov. 30, 2018, the steel structure for Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall is nearly complete. The project is running on schedule and on budget. View the project webcam and watch the construction progress in real-time at msoe.edu/diercks-hall.
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Fellows believe all peers across campus should engage in innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking and creativity as a means to make a difference in the world and enhance every individual’s potential leadership abilities—a sentiment captured in the manifesto on the back of their shirts.
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THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Post-it Note pads in hues of green, blue, pink and orange paired with confident and bold Sharpie markers: these are the tools of the trade for design thinking—an innovative approach to problem-solving being taught across campus this year by MSOE’s University Innovation Fellows. Leading the effort are Nicholas Hennigan, Tara Rahmani and Sabrina Stangler who count themselves among the first UIF cohort at MSOE. The UIF program, which is run by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d. school) aims to empower students to become agents of change at their university. UIF candidates are nominated by MSOE faculty and selected through an application process. The Kern Family Foundation sponsors the MSOE fellows.
Hennigan, Rahmani and Stangler participated in six weeks of intensive training, then spent a week at Stanford University where they were immersed in design thinking workshops. The UIF Silicon Valley meetup they attended included a trip to Google and meetings with Fellows from around the world, Stanford mentors, and leaders in academia and industry. “We learned a lot about how to encourage and inspire students, how to improve the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship on MSOE’s campus, how to build a stronger community on campus by uniting different disciplines, and we grew as individuals,” said Rahmani, a senior in industrial engineering. Hennigan and Stangler are juniors in mechanical and software engineering, respectively. The Fellows identified several strategies to expand innovation and entrepreneurship on campus and in the community. As a first step, they set out to change the way students, faculty and staff approach problem-solving through workshops and activities around design thinking. “As a community of mostly engineers, it’s common that we approach situations with very linear thinking,” said Dr. Nadya Shalamova, UIF faculty champion and user experience and communication design program director. “The Fellows are working to break the linear thinking model and encourage their classmates not to be afraid of open-ended problems.” University Innovation Fellows hosted seven design thinking workshops of various sizes throughout campus. “Not only have these workshops helped me to grow as a person, they have given other students and entrepreneurs the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and discover ideas they didn’t know they could have,” said Stangler.
Fellows facilitated Welcome Week ice-breakers for freshmen called “Stokes.” Pictured are Nicholas Hennigan and Sabrina Stangler.
Most recently, the Fellows put on their first large-scale public workshop, “The Innovator’s Toolkit: Design Thinking,” as part of Startup Milwaukee Week. The purpose of Startup Milwaukee Week is to connect, educate and celebrate entrepreneurship in Southeast Wisconsin with programming that showcases the community’s emerging companies while highlighting the resources available to foster support for entrepreneurs on their journey. The “Innovator’s Toolkit Workshop” was sponsored by Northwestern Mutual and The Hive, an organization that offers shared coworking office space for Milwaukee startups.
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“ Sharing and building off of others is where most of the innovation comes from in the brainstorming process.”
—Nicholas Hennigan, UIF
About 45 people attended the workshop, during which they were challenged to think of a problem, find an opportunity in that problem, brainstorm possible solutions, and eventually test them. Along the way, Fellows offered examples of constructive approaches to brainstorming and other tips to think outside of the box. “Everyone needs to have an equal voice in brainstorming,” Hennigan said. “That’s why everyone gets Post-it Notes and a Sharpie—by giving each group member an equal opportunity to contribute, it reduces the effect of one group member controlling all the ideas.”
University Innovation Fellows, from left: Sabrina Stangler, Nicholas Hennigan, Tara Rahmani
Collaboration is key to successful brainstorming and design thinking. “Sharing and building off others is where most of the innovation comes from in the brainstorming process,” Hennigan said. “Using sticky notes allows for group members to easily add on to a pre-existing idea.
“I am not sure we can directly tie it to the UIF exercise, but it sure seemed like it helped get the freshmen engaged more quickly than in years past, and that had to have had a positive impact in my mind,” said Dr. Blake Wentz. “We definitely plan on doing it again next year as part of our Welcome Week activities.”
Beyond design thinking, the Fellows set out to improve communication between faculty, staff and students. Faculty shared their hobbies with students during a “CommUNITY Fair” organized by the Fellows. They also facilitated Welcome Week ice-breaker activities for freshmen called “Stokes,” to get students excited for the upcoming academic year and encourage interaction.
The UIF program is ongoing—and three new members were selected this fall. (Read about them on page 5.) The two cohorts will work in concert to achieve complementary objectives.
Freshmen in the Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department participated in Stokes as part of their Welcome Week activities and it seemed to have had an impact. Dr. Blake Wentz, CAECM Department chair, noted that grades and retention rate for the freshman seminar class were improved over last year.
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“UIF has the big Silicon Valley meetup in the spring and then schools can host a regional meetup,” Rahmani said. “Our plan is to host a regional meetup in the spring for fellows and nonfellows. For more information on upcoming UIF events and campus initiatives, follow the Fellows on Facebook at @msoeuif.
2018–19 Carter Academy students
Carter Academy Continues to Make Engineering Programs Accessible Katie Snyder always loved math, science and building things—so much so that her father nick-named her “project girl.” As a student at Wautoma High School, located in rural central Wisconsin, she was eager to take whatever classes were available to prepare her for the rigors of an engineering program at MSOE—unfortunately that wasn’t much. “My high school was very small and quite poor,” said Synder, now a sophomore biomedical engineering major. “We had a few AP classes, but not as many as other high schools, and our classes were limited. My junior year I signed up for Linear Algebra, for example, but I couldn’t take the class because I was the only one who signed up.” She knew she wanted to attend MSOE, but she also knew she wasn’t as prepared as many of her peers. “Other students had prior experience in engineering and were surprised that I had no experience with circuit boards, coding or any other engineering practices.” MSOE’s Carter Academy helped ease her transition from high school to MSOE.
“The Carter Academy introduces students to concepts and ideas that for whatever reason they may not have been exposed to as high school students or younger,” said Dr. Michael Carriere, a Carter Academy Fellow and director of the University Scholars Honors Program at MSOE. “If you introduce students to these ideas, not only do they get it, they are excited about getting it.” Founded in 2013 by Dr. Gene ’60 and Mrs. Patricia Carter, the Carter Academy consists of three main components: • a six-week online math program (students complete at home) • a four-week residential program (students complete on campus) • continuing academics and support during freshman and sophomore years “We look for students who are highly motivated and driven, and really want to be engineers,” said Angela Moreau, assistant director of Support Services and coordinator of Student Accessibility Services. “Students
who really have a passion about the field of engineering are willing to do whatever it takes to earn that degree.” For the 2018–19 academic year, 47 students were accepted into the Carter Academy, with enrollment capped at 48. “Most students expect to get online math support, and an on-campus experience taking faculty-led courses that will prepare them for the academics of MSOE,” said Director of Student Services Dan Meiser, who oversees the Carter Academy. “What they do not realize is the Carter Academy is much more than that.” Students have regular access to faculty and staff and find a network of support among their peers. “There’s a sense of community,” said Snyder. “I met a lot of people who faced similar challenges as me. I love being involved with the Carter Academy because I am really grateful for the opportunities that I have had.”
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RAIDERS' WRAP-UP
Rade Novakovich
Men’s soccer ends championship season in NACC title match
Kendall Marks
Women’s triathlon takes second at national championships Freshman Kendall Marks took sixth and junior Rachel Ruona was seventh to lead the triathlon team to Division III national runners-up at the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships at Arizona State University. The Raiders finished with 22 team points behind North Central with six. Marks completed the course in 1:14:06.3, just over nine seconds ahead of Ruona. Marks was the third athlete out of the water with a time of 10:47.8. Meanwhile, Ruona made up significant ground in the bike portion, posting the second-fastest Division III time of 35:20.2 before running the fastest 5400m time of 21:34.0. Marks had the second-best run time of 22:36.1.
Women’s tennis gets unprecedented third-straight tourney bid The women’s tennis team clinched a school-record third-straight bid into the NACC Tournament with a pair of 9-0 shutouts over Dominican and Concordia Chicago on the final day of the fall season. The Raiders earned the No. 5 seed in the tournament with a 6-4 league mark. Junior Sammy Soeder and freshman Hannah Marron earned all-league honors. Soeder picked up the award for her singles play in the No. 1 position and, for the second-straight season, was selected for doubles. She teamed with Marron in the top spot. Soeder was 6-7 at No. 1 singles in the fall portion of the season, posting a 6-4 league mark. Meanwhile, in doubles, the pairing of Soeder and Marron won nine times against seven losses, exclusively in the No. 1 position. They combined on a 6-4 record in NACC play.
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The Raiders won the NACC regular season crown at 10-1 and went 15-4 overall, posting the second-most wins in program history. They also posted a school-record 12-game winning streak during the season, which ended during the team’s fourth NACC Championship match in the last five seasons. The team was led by seven all-league honorees and head coach Jimmy Banks was the NACC Coach of the Year. Freshman Rade Novakovich was named the NACC Offensive Player of the Year and was joined on the first team by freshman Joey Schauer. The duo led the league in scoring with Novakovich’s 17 goals and 11 assists for 45 points. Schauer matched his leagueleading goal total with 17 of his own and finished at 41 points for second. Freshman keeper Ron Marchionna joined the duo on the league’s first team while Drew Baumann, Lucas D’Amato and Alexander Vujovic were named to the second team for their roles in the defensive efforts. Midfielder Konrad Knap rounded out the honorees on the second team.
Women’s cross country takes fifth at NACC Championships Women’s cross country took fifth at the NACC Championship behind a pair of strong performances from senior Patty Bray and freshman Kendall Marks. Bray finished in eighth place with a time of 23:52 and was named to the All-NACC team. Meanwhile, Marks was just one place out of all-league honors in 17th place with a time of 24:3—the program’s fifth-fastest for a 6000m race. The Raiders’ 128 team points was its best since taking third in 2007 with 94. Patty Bray Jessica Jefferson
Two freshmen named All-NACC First Team for women’s soccer
Record runs send men’s cross country to NACC Runner-Up Three runners posted sub-26:00 times to earn All-NACC honors and lead the men’s cross country team to a runner-up finish at the NACC Championships. Freshmen Nolan Kozinski and Jesse Lambrecht and junior Blake Bostwick finished in sixth, seventh and eighth places in a historic race for the Raiders. Kozinski led the way with a time of 25:49.7, just ahead of Lambrecht (25:54.0) and Bostwick (25:56.7). Prior to the race, there had been just six runners to crack the 26-minute mark for an 8000m race. MSOE finished with 72 points, just seven off Benedictine’s championship pace. First-year head coach Bill Massoels was named the NACC Coach of the Year. Nolan Kozinski
Freshmen Jill Ruark and Jessica Jefferson were named to the All-NACC First Team, highlighting five members of the MSOE women’s soccer team earning all-league honors. Senior Shelby Namen, junior Jeray Riffel and sophomore Gracie Horton were each chosen for the AllNACC Second Team. Ruark is the team’s leading scorer with 30 points on 14 goals and two assists. She started all 22 games this season, scoring on 10 different occasions with seven game-winning goals. Jefferson and Namen formed a strong central defense pairing from day one, starting all 22 games side-by-side. Behind their efforts, the Raiders posted a 0.72 goals against average in league play with six shutouts. Overall, the Red & White posted nine shutouts on the season in which they won 10-plus matches for the 11th-straight campaign.
Pekarek earns fourth career league award in women’s volleyball Senior Hannah Pekarek capped her career with the women’s volleyball team by earning All-NACC honors for the fourth time. She has been named All-NACC Honorable Mention in each of her final three seasons after picking up a NACC All-Freshman Team award in 2015. Pekarek led the team with 2.70 kills per set, a .214 hitting percentage, and 335 digs. She capped a strong career with 972 career kills and 1,147 digs as just one of five players with 900 kills and 1,000 digs in a career. She played 101 matches and posted career averages of 2.74 kills and 3.23 digs per set. DIMENSIONS x FALL/WINTER 2018–2019
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Filling the STEM Pipeline Despite a national targeted focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and education over the past decade, two out of five Americans believe the STEM worker shortage is at crisis levels, according to results from the fourth annual STEM survey by Emerson, a global technology and engineering company, published in August 2018. The U.S. Department of Education is also taking notice. In November 2018 it announced $279 million in STEM discretionary grant funds in fiscal year 2018, helping to ensure K–12 students are exposed to STEM educational opportunities. While the Emerson survey found students today are twice as likely to study STEM fields compared to their parents, the number of roles requiring STEM expertise is growing at a rate that exceeds current workforce capacity. Despite ongoing efforts to boost interest in STEM among students, the research also showed that respondents do not think there are enough opportunities for students in the U.S. to gain STEM skills. Only about 30 percent of those surveyed said teachers have the resources necessary for providing STEM education to students. MSOE is working to change that. Young students have several options to gain STEM skills and discover opportunities in STEM careers at MSOE. The university also trains an average of 500 K–12 teachers each summer in Project Lead The Way’s STEM curriculum. “We are building and sustaining a K–12 pipeline, where students of every age and walk of life can have the opportunity to explore STEM and feel confident and inspired for their future in STEM fields,” said Liz McLean, MSOE’s associate director
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Arham Sattar, electrical engineering junior, networked with recruiters at the annual MSOE Career Fair in September. More than 280 employers attended the fair, setting a new record.
of STEM, “By adding school-year based elementary programs we’re impacting more students and increasing the awareness of STEM opportunities city wide. In the past school year, we reached over 4,000 students across 27 programs.” Those efforts, along with the PLTW curriculum being taught in K–12 schools nationwide and a general increased awareness of the rewarding careers available for STEM professionals, are paying off. High school students are applying to MSOE at a record pace. As of November, the university had received nearly 3,000
applications for next year’s freshman class— over 400 more than the same time period one year ago. This is one reason why companies such as Emerson are flocking to MSOE to recruit students. More than 280 employers attended the university’s annual Career Fair in September, setting a new record. “Recruiters from across the country are anxious to hire our students and alumni,” said Dr. Mary Spencer, director of career services. “They recognize that MSOE is the place to be to recruit some of the nation’s top talent.”
Riding High
Lucas Kennedy ’17 SE was a member of the MSOE Unicycle Club as a student and he continues to join the group when it assembles during warmer months on Tuesdays at Red Arrow Park. See more photos of the Unicycle Club at msoe.edu/dimensions.
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ALUMNI ON THE MOVE
MSOE Alumni East Chapter members showed their MSOE pride when the Brewers took on the Nationals in Washington D.C. on Sept. 1. Back, from left: Jason Walton ’98, Sami Wallace ’15, Josh Ruehlow ’14, Tyler Klarkowski ’13. Front, from left: Joe Sacco ’71, East Chapter Director Mike Leigh ’89, Sean MacAvaney ’16
New Assignments
1980s Brian Casey ’88 EE, vice-president/general manager—industrial and smart energy, Celestica Inc., Toronto
2000s
1990s
Timothy Schneider ’04 AE/MSEV, executive vice president—Milwaukee, J.F. Ahern Co., Appleton, Wis.
John Toth ’90 CS&E, senior system test engineer, Princeton Identity, Hamilton, N.J. Marc Kellom ’91 EE, vice president— acoustics and electronics, Harman International, Richardson, Texas
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Michael Guth ’93 AE, project manager— power and energy/mechanical engineering, Clark Dietz, Milwaukee
Erich Klemm ’07 AE/CM, project manager, Burns & McDonnell, Chicago Emily (Smith) Koussa ’07 AE, mechanical designer III, SmithGroup, Chicago Amanda Wilson ’08 ME, project manager, IKI Manufacturing Company Inc., Edgerton, Wis.
MSOE alumni toured the PATH control center of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, organized by Erin Youngerberg ’01. Left to right: Ben Bajaj ’97, Eran Moses ’10, Cory Schug ’00, Craig Curtin ’83, Youngerberg, Ben Kroger ’06, Cathy Varebrook, Namratha Reddy Monteiro ’93, Marge Sheahan, Terry Sheahan
2010s Adam Roder ’10 AE, structural engineer, MSI General Corp., Nashotah, Wis.
Nicholas Kohn ’16 ME, sales application engineer, Tri-Phase Automation, Pewaukee
Zachary Grant ’18 AE, engineer, POWER Engineers Inc., Middleton, Wis.
Brandon Jackson ’12 ME, research engineer, Phoenix LLC, Monona, Wis.
Essa Asieda ’17 ME, operations engineer, Welspun Middle East Pipe Coating LLC, Damman, Saudia Arabia
James Harrold ’18 CE, software engineer, DISTek Integration, Brookfield, Wis.
Angela (Ahlbrecht) Johnson ’12 AE/CM, project manager, Kraus-Anderson Construction, Minneapolis Aaron Becker ’13 IE, quality assurance leader, GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wis. Jordan Borst ’15 AE/MSST, structural engineer, CORE4engineering, Mequon, Wis. Spencer Brown ’15 IE, private equity associate, Madison Dearborn Partners, Chicago Jonathan Buettner ’15 IB, market manager, Deville Technologies Inc., Kenosha, Wis. Daniel Pappas ’15 BM, enterprise recruiting team lead, Manpower Group, Milwaukee Nasif Rogers ’15 MBAEL, associate principal and AVID director, GlendaleRiver Hills School District, Glendale, Wis.
Ashley Casper ’17 NU, registered nurse – labor and delivery department, St. Francis Hospital, Milwaukee Maria Bintz ’18 NU, registered nurse, Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee Andrew Chandler ’18 AS, actuarial intern, Legal & General America, Frederick, Md. Riya Chaudhari ’18 BE, patent engineer, Quarles and Brady LLP, Milwaukee Tyler Dehn ’18 ME, patent engineer, Foley & Lardner LLP, Milwaukee Jacob Ertel ’18 EE, electrical engineer, Konecranes, Milwaukee Austin Fite ’18 EE, junior field programmable gate array engineer, Motorola Solutions, Schaumburg, Ill. Brian Gliszinski ’18 EE, electronics calibration technician, Fox Valley Metrology, Oshkosh, Wis.
Sarabeth Haworth ’18 AE/MSAE, preconstruction engineer, U.S. Engineering Co., Westminster, Colo. Joshua Hummel ’18 ME, product engineer, Phoenix Products Inc., Milwaukee Cody Johnson ’18 ME, HVAC design engineer, Southport Heating, Plumbing & Geothermal, Caledonia, Wis. Erika Kubowitsch ’18 SE, software engineer, Google Inc., Mountain View, Calif. Alex Kuhls ’18 EE, electrical engineer, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp., Brookfield, Wis. LeAnne Likins ’18 NU, registered nurse, Aurora St. Luke’s Hospital, Milwaukee Michael Matheson ’18 ME, forming engineer, WT Group, Hoffman Estates, Ill. DIMENSIONS x FALL/WINTER 2018–2019
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ALUMNI ON THE MOVE 2
Regents’ Golf Outing The 29th annual Regents’ Golf Outing in August raised $131,371 for MSOE student scholarships. Harry F. Sydney III, former NFL football player, coach, three-time Super Bowl Champion and founder of My Brother’s Keeper was the special guest speaker during dinner. 1. D r. Kathy Ruehlow ’72, MSOE Regent (left) and Donna Ireland 2. C lockwise, from top left, Terri McKitrick, Kim Theodorakis, Greg Theodorakis, Bret McKitrick 3. F rom left, Oura Masa, Shimizu Kaz, Dr. Robert Spitzer, MSOE President Emeritus; Dr. Kendall Breunig ’79, MSOE Regent 4. G olfers lined up for a shotgun start to the tournament.
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Abby Meinen ’18 IE, product engineer specialist, Grainger, Lake Forest, Ill. Hamzah Mirza ’18 MIS, associate development operations engineer, Northwestern Mutual, Milwaukee Constantine Moshi ’18 CVE/MSCVE, project engineer, Yates Construction Co., Nashville Brian Mueller ’18 CM, project engineer, McCarthy Building Co., Omaha, Neb. Cole Northwick ’18 AS, financial specialist, Walser Automotive Group, Edina, Minn. Hannah Pacey ’18 NU, registered nurse, Aurora St. Luke’s Hospital, Milwaukee Sarah Pellico ’18 NU, registered nurse, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee Bradley Phoenix ’18 ME, mechanical engineer, FETCO – Food Equipment Technologies Company, Lake Zurich, Ill. Matthew Pike ’18 CE, software development engineer, Visteon, Van Buren Township, Mich. Brian Prestley ’18 EE, electrical engineer, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp., Brookfield, Wis. Scott Rudey ’18 EE, engineering technician, Rockwell Automation, Mequon, Wis. Nicholas Russart ’18 ME, tooling engineer, Perlick Corp., Milwaukee Eric Schaefer ’18 ME, technical supervisor, Rexnord Industries LLC, Milwaukee Matthew Schladweiler ’18 SE, software developer, Centare, Brookfield, Wis. Adam Schleis ’18 IE, process engineer, Maine Health, Portland, Maine Katelyn Schuttenhelm ’18 BIOE, biomedical engineer, Merz North America, Racine, Wis. Brian Silovich ’18 MSEM, senior regulatory compliance analyst, HarleyDavidson Motor Co., Milwaukee
Breanna Simmons ’18 NU, registered nurse, Aurora St. Luke’s Hospital, Milwaukee Aman Singh ’18 EE, quality engineer, Milwaukee Electrical Tool Corp., Brookfield, Wis. Davidson Smith ’18 BIOE, validation associate I, Exact Sciences, Madison, Wis. Mitchell Snyder ’18 AE, structural engineer I, Excel Engineering Inc., Fond du Lac, Wis. Gowtham Sundar ’18 ME, technical sales/mechanical engineer, Ampco Pumps, Glendale, Wis. Ryan Vanderloop ’18 NU, registered nurse, Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee Nicholas Walloch ’18 ME, inside sales engineer, Xylem Inc., Pewaukee, Wis. Jonathon Wenzel ’18 CE, implementation engineer, Accelogix, Brookfield, Wis.
Heather Turner Loth ’01 AE/CM, project development, client executive at EUA-Eppstein Uhen Architects, has been named a Young Professional Power Broker by the Milwaukee Business Journal. Thomas Puestow ’08 ME, received a Master of Science in Engineering from MSOE, May 2018. Jonathan Neujahr ’10 ME, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Michael Halverson ’11 EE, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Renee Mihopulos ’11 NU, ’16 MSN, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. She is the first to complete both the MSN and MBA at MSOE. Joshua Hoverman ’13 ME, received a Master of Science in Engineering Management from MSOE, May 2018. Isaac Schwab ’13 ME, received a Master of Science in Engineering from MSOE, May 2018. Brody Haslup ’14 ME, received a Master of Science in Engineering from MSOE, May 2018.
Sabrina White ’18 BE, lab service engineer, Exact Sciences, Madison, Wis.
Renato Geromel Jr. ’15 AE, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018.
Rachel Whitehead ’18 BE, clinical engineer, Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee
Joshua Szmergalski ’15 AE/MSST, has been elected to the ASCE Architectural Engineering Institute Young Professional Council and will serve as its chair.
Births To Julia and Adam Friedman ’08 AE, ’09 MSST, a son, Landon Nicholas, born Sept. 4, 2018. (image to right) To Alexandra and John Varebrook ’09 BUS, a daughter, Tess Josephine, born Nov. 4, 2018.
Achievements Dr. Jackie Herd-Barber ’84 EE, MSOE Corporation member, has been named a Power Broker by the Milwaukee Business Journal.
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ALUMNI ON THE MOVE Rachael Griffin ’17 BE, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Sarah Kahl ’17 BIOE, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Karly Kasten ’17 ME, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Becca Keller ’17 IE, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Ryan Koniecko ’17 ME, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Pawan Panwar ’17 ME, received a Master of Science in Engineering from MSOE, May 2018. Rebecca Schroeder ’17 BIOE, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Maria Schumacher ’17 BE, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Sydney Stephens ’17 BIOE, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Brandon Unser ’17 BM, received an MBA from MSOE, May 2018. Gregory Lisowski ’18 AE/CM, has been elected to the ASCE Architectural Engineering Institute Young Professional Council.
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In Memory Alan Spencer ’47 RHACS George Sperl ’47 RHAC, ’50 EE, ’71 MSEM Robert DiGiacomo ’51 RHACT Donald Wick ’51 ACT George Schlageter ’53 EEE Ralph Wilkowski ’55 RTS Thomas Burdick ’57 RTT Charles Peske ’57 RTT Richard Moriarty ’60 EEC Edward Cavolaski ’62 EEP Kenneth Landreth ’62 EEC Thomas Marlega ’62 EEC James Dissinger ’63 CET James Becker ’74 EE, ’98 MSEM Daniel Christopherson ’80 BIM John Berg ’86 CS&E David Niesen Sr. ’89 MET Martin Walczak ’93 CS&E
Stan Guberud, former professor and chair of the Mathematics Department, passed away Nov. 5, 2018. Guberud was part of the MSOE faculty for 40 years and was very involved in the Opportunity Conferences, among other projects. He received the Oscar Werwath Distinguished Teacher Award in 1989. Karlene (Werwath) Kaufmann passed away Nov. 19, 2018. Kaufmann was the granddaughter of Oscar Werwath, founder and first president of MSOE, and daughter of Karl O. Werwath, second president of MSOE. Dr. Nathaniel “Nate” Zelazo, MSOE Regent Emeritus, passed away Nov. 22, 2018 at the age of 100. Zelazo co-founded Astronautics Corporation of America in a one-room storefront in 1959, and it has grown to become one of the largest engineering and manufacturing companies in Wisconsin, with subsidiaries in New Jersey and Israel. Astronautics is one of the largest employers of MSOE alumni. Zelazo served on leadership boards at MSOE for 43 years and received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from MSOE in 1983.
MAY 13–15 | KERN CENTER
Leading By Example
Left: Michael Cordes ’18 ME proposed to Hallie Flanders ’18 BBA on April 21 with a message on Viets Field. Congratulations on your engagement! Right: Sami Wallace ’15 arranged for an MSOE alumni tour of the Eisenhower Memorial construction site in Washington, D.C. Left to right: Dick ’66 and Christine Schneider, Wallace, Josh Ruehlow ’14, Joe Sacco ’71, Ryan Ponstein ’13, Cathy Varebrook
If you ask Tanzania Sewell ’12, she is sitting in between the best of two worlds. The biomedical engineering alumna is enjoying a fulfilling career at GE Healthcare, where she is lead electrical engineer, and sharing her industry experience with future engineers in the classroom as an adjunct assistant professor at MSOE in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Sewell wanted to work in the health care space and make a big impact, so she decided to study biomedical engineering. “I had the realization that as a physician you are often limited by the tools at your disposal. Engineers can develop that new technology.” While she was in the process of completing her bachelor’s degree, Sewell secured a full-time role in GE Healthcare’s Edison Engineering Development Program, an intense 2-year technical and leadership training regimen. “Edisons” are on rotational assignments, completing engineering projects driven by real business priorities. In addition, Sewell was able to earn credit toward an M.S. degree in electrical engineering, which she completed at Marquette University in 2016. “The fact that I am back on the other side of things—teaching at MSOE—is a testament to how great an experience I had as an undergrad.” A challenge that still faces the university, and engineering professions in general, is increasing diversity. “As a student it’s hard to visualize yourself being in a specific career if you haven’t been exposed to someone who looks like you or speaks like you,” Sewell said. “But there is also the preparation side of things. A high school student interested in engineering needs to know not just what it takes to get into college, but what sort of high school classes they need to take to prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead and scholarships that will enable them to dedicate more time to studying.” Sewell reaches students who might not otherwise be exposed to engineering and STEM concepts through her role as programs chair in the National Society of Black Engineers Milwaukee Area Professionals Chapter. “Growing up in Milwaukee and still being here as a professional has been tremendous in empowering me to be a part of the change I’d like to see realized,” Sewell said. “I’m driven to continue to grow both as a professor and as an engineer. I can be a role model to the generations that come after me. It’s humbling to see the amount of passion and potential in our younger generations.” DIMENSIONS x FALL/WINTER 2018–2019
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ALUMNI ON THE MOVE
Alumni Wall of Distinction Congratulations to Richard Galling ’75, Dr. Edgar Hotchkin ’51, Barbara Ripley ’80 and Scott Ripley ’80. These four alumni were inducted to the MSOE Alumni Wall of Distinction on Nov. 9, 2018 in recognition of their professional contributions and dedicated service to their profession. In addition, their distinguished careers have contributed to, or reflect credit on, the various academic programs in the university. They were joined by family, friends, faculty, staff and fellow members of the Alumni Wall of Distinction.
.msoe Visit msoe.edu/dimensions for more photos.
Several MSOE Alumni Wall of Distinction members attended the induction ceremony. Left to right: Dr. Bob Wagner ’64, Dr. Dwight Diercks ’90, Dr. Jackie Herd-Barber ’84, Dr. Michael Barber ’82, Barbara Ripley ’80, Fred Bartkowski ’62, Dr. Matt Fuchs ’63, Ed Raether ’68, Randy Freeman ’74, Scott Ripley ’80, Richard Galling ’75, Dr. Ed Hotchkin ’51
MORE EDUCATION
2019
For high school students interested in
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SOCCER | Co-ed camps ages 7–18 HOCKEY | Mite, Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam VOLLEYBALL | Boys and Girls grades 6–12 LACROSSE | Boys BASKETBALL | Boys and Girls
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Modernizing Motion Control The Motion Control Laboratory underwent a complete system upgrade and facility renovation over the summer. The lab houses a variety of industrial-level hydraulic pumps, valves and sensors, as well as linear and rotational hydraulic equipment. Learn more about it online at msoe.edu/dimensions. BEFORE
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DIMENSIONS | FALL/WINTER 2018–2019
Milwaukee School of Engineering 1025 N. Broadway Milwaukee, WI 53202-3109 Change Service Requested
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Nationally Recognized
U.S. News & World Report (2019) 9th Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs overall in the U.S. 4th Best Computer Engineering Program in the U.S. 5th Best Electrical Engineering Program in the U.S. 7th Best Mechanical Engineering Program in the U.S. 8th Best Civil Engineering Program in the U.S. 8th Best College in the Midwest for Veterans 9th Best Value School in the Midwest 10th Best University in the Midwest Forbes America’s Top Colleges (every year since 2008) Money Magazine Best Colleges in America (2018—19)
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings (2019) Washington Monthly Best Bang for the Buck Midwest College (2018) Princeton Review Best in the Midwest (every year since 2003)
PayScale Inc. Highest average early and mid-career salaries of any college or university in Wisconsin (2018–19) Highest return on investment (ROI) of any college or university in Wisconsin (2018)