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At the Forefront
The flagship publication of Milwaukee School of Engineering. With stories inspired by our mission and vision, Dimensions shines a light on our students, faculty, alumni and campus events, all while highlighting the values that unite us.
Editor
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JoEllen Burdue
Managing Editor
Annette Pirrung
Creative Director
Kristin Dunn
Graphic Designers
Peg Houghton, Chase Patt
Contributing Writers
Diane Bacha, Jillian Kokott, Colin Terrill, Dr. John Walz
Images
Direct Supply, Front Room Photography, Robin Gates, Mark Hines, Komatsu, Bob Lemke, Meg McKenna, Kent Peterson, Gary Porter, Dr. Christopher Raebel, Elise Strobach, Colin Terrill
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
Editor’s Note: Several photos in this magazine were taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
SPRING/SUMMER 2021 Volume 35, No. 2
GROWING COMMUNITY
Diversity Council unifies campus
MSOE’s Diversity Council is working to ensure diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are central in all campus initiatives. These efforts build upon years of work in this space and are paramount to our mission to be an inclusive community of experiential learners driven to solve the complex challenges of today and tomorrow.
The council is committed to helping MSOE fulfill its goals of recruiting, educating and retaining a diverse community of students, faculty and staff while also supporting diversity in the university’s surrounding communities. Its long-term goals include ongoing campus assessments, climate surveys and feedback about campus experiences from MSOE students, faculty and staff.
MSOE’s diversity efforts aren’t limited to faculty and staff, they also expand into the community. Partnerships and K–12 programming through the We Energies STEM Center help to provide experiences to Milwaukee’s youth, especially to high-need students who may not otherwise be exposed to STEM programming. STEM outreach at MSOE creates and supports inclusive, meaningful experiences for all students to explore the possibilities of their future.
The Diversity Council is led by Seandra Mitchell, vice president of student affairs and campus inclusion. Members include Colleen Christiansen, Counseling Services; Jessica Curry, Residence Life; Hanna Eden, Human Resources; Allison Heine De Romero, Multicultural Affairs; Tyra Hildebrand, CREATE Institute; Camille Jenkins, Counseling Services; Kiesha Johnnies, Rader School of Business; Kip Kussman, Dean of Students Office; Kristen Landaal, Campus Life; Candela Marini, Humanities, Social Science and Communication; Leah Newman, Mechanical Engineering; Annette Pirrung, Marketing Communications; Luis A. Rodriguez, Mechanical Engineering; Jimmy Shabangu, Information Technology; Jenelle Simon, Admissions; Jacob Smith, Financial Aid; Katherine Toske, Multicultural Affairs; and Hannah Trees, Athletics.
MSOE comes together
Last spring we asked Dimensions readers and friends of MSOE to come together and help students who were facing incredible challenges presented by the COVID-19 outbreak. The sudden change from in-person to virtual learning, closing of the residence halls and loss of parttime jobs put a tremendous burden on our students.
Our community rose to the occasion and helped us raise $186,000 for the Student Persistence Fund. To this day, donations continue to come in to support the pandemicrelated needs of our students, and we are very appreciative. Thanks to your support, and that of two federal relief acts, we have been able to provide more than $2.3 million in emergency grants to eligible students to help them and their families through those difficult times.
EXTRAORDINARY TOGETHER
COVID-19 protocol becomes part of daily life
For more than a year, COVID-19 has been at the forefront of every aspect of daily life. MSOE’s leadership team, Raider Return Task Force, faculty, staff, students, parents and friends rallied together to face the pandemic head-on and keep the university running and students learning. No one anticipated a hybrid mode of learning would become the norm for the 2020–21 academic year, yet thanks to the dedication and resilience of the CREATE Institute, faculty, academic support staff, Information Technology Department and entire MSOE community, we learned how to make it work and continually make improvements.
Care and education of students was always top of mind. Custodial Services, Facilities and Environmental Health Services kept our buildings safe and clean. The Registrar’s Office lead the charge to figure out how and where we could safely gather on campus for in-person instruction. Public Safety ensured the safety and security of campus and helped transport students to COVID testing locations and appointments.
The COVID Care Team, Health Services, Counseling Services, Office of the Dean of Students, Raider Center for Academic Success, Residence Life, Campus Life, Student Affairs, Library and Wellness Center guided students through the ever-changing circumstances, and provided critical support and resources for their physical, emotional and academic well-being.
The Kern Center and Grohmann Museum are two outlets on campus for students to take a break. As soon as it was deemed safe, the buildings reopened and welcomed students. The Athletics Department hosted team workouts and helped our athletes return to play according to safety guidelines. The Kern Center was put to new uses as well, hosting final exams in a socially distanced manner.
The Admissions Office never let up on their new-student recruitment efforts. We welcomed one of the largest freshman classes in history last fall, and are on track to admit another large class for 2021–22. Financial Aid and University Advancement helped students access financial resources to get them through. The Finance Department developed financial models and forecasting to ensure the financial health of the institution and worked with Human Resources to avoid permanent layoffs. HR and IT also played a critical role in helping employees navigate the new work-from-home landscape.
Graduating students no doubt face a tough job market. The Career Services Department has been by their side every step of the way and continues to hold Career Fairs and other events. Our industry partners were impacted by the pandemic and the Applied Technology Center™ pivoted its operations to support them as well.
The MSOE Bookstore and Mail and Print Services made sure everyone had the supplies and materials necessary to fulfill their role at MSOE. And Marketing Communications worked tirelessly to keep the community informed.
MSOE also was able to keep the community engaged—not only through the Grohmann Museum but also through the STEM Department which offered virtual and then in-person K–12 STEM programming. And WMSE stayed on the air providing an outlet for the community to unwind through music.
MSOE is forever grateful for the way everyone was united by the core values of collaboration, excellence, inclusion, innovation, integrity and stewardship. We look forward to a day when the pandemic is a distant memory—and that day finally seems within reach. Thanks to a partnership with Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin we were able to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to employees; fans are returning to the stands to support the Raiders; and we are able to welcome guests on campus to the Grohmann Museum, STEM Center and for some limitedattendance events, like Commencement.
PRESIDENT JOHN WALZ SHARES HIS REFLECTIONS ON COVID-19 AT MSOE.EDU/DIMENSIONS.
Driving Community Engagement
A Forest Home Avenue School student proudly works at his new desk and computer in his athome learning space.
TThe smell of fresh wood, the screech of a hand saw and the grind of a sander filled MSOE’s Construction Science and Engineering Center this winter as students got to work creating 100 desks for local families in need during the university’s Desk Drive. Over the past year, we were all too familiar with the intricacies of working from home. For many households, parents and children were working and learning together under one roof, battling for bandwidth and quiet workspaces. Desks became luxury real estate in homes and hot ticket items for online purchases, causing a spike in prices. Natalie Villegas ’12, project coordinator in the CREATE Institute, and Anne-Marie Warren, an architectural engineering senior and CREATE Institute student fellow, came up with the idea to host a Desk Drive to help mitigate the economic burden placed on households to purchase desks for school age children.
“Anne-Marie and I were discussing how difficult it was to find desks for ourselves during the pandemic. We started to think if it is hard for us, it must be even more difficult for people that have been hit with economic hardship,” said Villegas..
The Desk Drive was the CREATE Institute’s first studentled interdisciplinary project. More than 50 students came together to apply the skills they learned in class to a hands-on learning experience that gives back to the community, two hallmarks of an MSOE education.
“The Desk Drive is important because not only are we able to help K-12 students in the Milwaukee area, we’re also able to encourage MSOE students to inspire change,” said Warren, student project coordinator. “The Desk Drive perfectly encapsulates what the CREATE Institute aims to do: create well-rounded individuals who, amongst other things, are value creators.”
In today’s virtual world, no desk is complete without a computer. That’s where Digital Bridge comes in. Digital Bridge, a local non-profit that connects vulnerable populations and under-funded organizations with digital resources, donated 100 desktop computers to accompany the desks. The non-profit originated as a student organization at MSOE and Jeff Hanson ’13 expanded it into the independent, non-profit organization it is today, providing technical resources across three continents.
MSOE partnered with Milwaukee Public Schools and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee to help distribute the desks and computers to deserving students like Darnell Bully, 7th grade; Shamyra Jackson, 7th grade; and Rajahnae Marfitt, 4th grade.
“I was really surprised when I got the desk,” said Jackson, beaming with delight. “It was so exciting. It really changed my life! I never had anything that big before!” Jackson especially enjoys being able to see her classmates’ faces on Zoom on the large desktop computer screen.
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As the student project coordinator, Anne-Marie Warren (left) helped guide volunteers like architectural engineering major Morgan Duffus (right) throughout the course of the Desk Drive.
Samuel Wilshire brushes a finishing touch to the desks before they are assembled. Bully and Marfitt echoed Jackson’s excitement. Prior to owning the desk, the students had to get creative with their learning spaces.
“Before I had the desk, I did my work at the kitchen table,” said Bully.
He wasn’t alone with improvised workspaces. For many students, virtual learning turned bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms into classrooms while dressers, kitchen and coffee tables were transformed into makeshift desks.
“I felt happy when I got the desk because I didn’t have to do my homework on the floor anymore,” said Marfitt. “I like the desk because I have a spot to put my books and pencils on and do my homework.”
The desks were designed by industrial engineering students in Dr. Leah Newman’s Ergonomics class. The simple design included four wood pieces that are easy to assemble with two adjustable heights to accommodate students of all sizes. The pieces fit together perfectly to create a stable design that’s easy to deconstruct and transport.
With space limitations, safety restrictions, failing equipment and hundreds of splinters, the Desk Drive had its challenges along the way, but seeing students’ faces when they received the desks made it all worth it.
“I feel very humbled and honored to give back to my community,” said Villegas. “Hearing about how the families
RAJAHNAE MARFITT, 4TH GRADE
were going to utilize the desks and computers and seeing how excited the students were was a priceless experience.”
Knowing the desks would make a positive impact on students across the greater Milwaukee area is what drew in MSOE students like Warren from the start.
“It is such a great feeling to know that all of the work that has been put into this project is going to benefit so many young people,” said Warren. “The Desk Drive felt like a small but mighty way to encourage students in the Milwaukee community to keep pushing through these hard times by providing them a space to continue learning and growing.”
SEE THE STUDENTS IN ACTION BUILDING THE DESKS AT MSOE.EDU/DIMENSIONS.
To ensure the desk pieces fit into one another like puzzle pieces, architectural engineering major Gonzalo Palacios uses a router to meticulously cut out the slots.
