The Innovation Generation

UW’s Innovation Wyrkshop Partners with Division of Vocational Rehabilitation on Statewide Makerspace Project

By Milton Ontiveroz

Tyler Kerr, the University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Applied Science makerspace coordinator, and his team the past year have proven to be among statewide leaders of 3D-produced personal productive equipment for front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, he and UW’s Innovation Wyrkshop team are collaborating with Wyoming’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to become champions of providing valuable training to persons with disabilities.

New Innovation Wyrkshop mini-makerspaces—aimed at high school students and young adults with disabilities—have been established in five Wyoming communities, thanks to $175,000 from Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS) Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) preemployment training funds.

According to a 2018 Cornell University disability status report, the employment rate of working-age people with disabilities in Wyoming was 49.9 percent. In contrast, the employment rate of working-age people without disabilities that same year was 83.4 percent.

“There is absolutely no reason there needs to be such a sharp division,” Kerr says. “Makerspaces can help change that and equip young adults with critical workforce and technology skills.”

The funds will help people with disabilities learn new skills and will help support the Innovation Wyrkshop’s fiveyear growth strategy, making the facilities and curriculum of the “Maker Access Pass” (MAP) training program more accessible. The MAP program has more than 60 individualized courses across seven facilities and more than 2,400 credentials earned to help students develop marketable skills.

“A student can learn how to use equipment in one makerspace and be certified to operate the same type of equipment in all other MAP spaces,” Kerr says. “In effect, the program unlocks access to an entire network of participating MAP makerspaces—all for free.”

Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS) Director Robin Sessions Cooley notes the partnership between UW and DWS will create much-needed opportunities.

Pharmacy student Victoria Evans changes filaments on Ultimaker printers in the Engineering Education Research Building’s Innovation Wyrkshop.

“Since I started at DWS, it has been one of my goals to continue to foster the UW-DWS partnership, and I’m thrilled with this particular effort,” Cooley says. “The university has provided a tremendous resource with these Innovation Wyrkshop mini-makerspaces, and we are excited to take part in such a creative endeavor.”

Nicky Harper, the DVR administrator, said at the time funds were awarded, that the partnership with UW presents an opportunity to provide youth with barriers to employment exciting ways to train for high-paying, in-demand jobs.

“Our goal with these funds—and this partnership with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation—is to show that anyone can be a maker,” Kerr says. “Whether or not someone has a visual or hearing impairment, motor or cognitive impairments—or if someone does not have a disability— should not play a role in their access to these resources.”

The five Innovation Wyrkshop and Division of Vocational Rehabilitation statewide satellite makerspaces project will be in operation later this spring. Locations are: • Casper: “Creation Station: An Innovation Wyrkshop,” located in the Natrona County Library, will be coordinated by Conrrado Saldivar. • Cheyenne: “Golden Eagle Wyrkshop,” located in Laramie County Community College’s Ludden Library, and run by Linda Herget and Morgan Koenig. • Evanston: “Evanston Innovation Wyrkshop,” located in the Evanston BOCES building and coordinated by Jared Lundholm. • Pinedale: “The Pinedale Wyrkshop,” located in the Pinedale BOCES building, and run by Micah Parrish and Richard Ramsey. • Rock Springs: “Western Wyrkshop,” located at Western Wyoming Community College, coordinated by Carlton Dewick and Kasey Damori

Kerr estimates that each of the five mini-makerspaces will serve between 20-30 PreETS (pre-employment transition services) young adults. He hopes that each of the communities’ makerspaces will serve anywhere from 20-100 people per day.

“These are intended to be spaces for everyone to use,” he says. “Anyone, from students, staff, faculty, community members, researchers, entrepreneurs, grandparents, greatgrandparents, can use the makerspace,” Kerr says.

He adds that the staff and makerspace ambassadors will teach participants how to use any piece of equipment of interest.

“The possibilities are endless,” Kerr says. “What you create from there is limited only by your imagination.”

The grade levels for the PreETS—the group of young adults Kerr and his team will work with—are high school age; and range from 14-21 years old. All PreETS students are eligible to apply for work at any of the makerspaces, Kerr says. As many as three PreETS students in each space will be hired to serve as makerspace ambassadors.

These makerspace ambassadors will be tasked with teaching workshops, helping other makers, showing projects they are working on and, ultimately, helping highlight the technology and the ways it can be used. The spaces will provide employment opportunities to learn and sharpen workforce readiness skills, while also forging strong connections with other creative makers in their area, Kerr says.

“Our goals are in line with the Wyoming Employment First Initiative and its inclusive, exploratory, person-first language, which has effectively shifted the approach to employment opportunities for these youth with disabilities in a critical way,” he adds. “We’ve learned from our DVR partners that rather than asking ‘Do you want to work?’ the conversation should really be ‘Where do you want to work?’ Similarly, rather than ask ‘Can you work?’ the young adults should be asked ‘What are you good at? What are you most passionate about?’ and be allowed to explore those passions. At the end of the day, everyone deserves the same opportunities to build, create and innovate freely.”

Tyler Kerr, College of Engineering and Applied Science makerspace coordinator, explains the Maker Access Program (MAP) to UW President Ed Seidel and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon.

UW Construction Management Program Offers Two New Scholarships

The University of Wyoming Construction Management Program is now offering its first two scholarships.

The first is the Joseph and Patricia Grabowski Scholarship in Construction Management, established by Joe, a 1982 UW alumnus, and Patty Grabowski. The second, the Marcy Civil and Architectural Engineering Excellence Fund, was established by Dewey Marcy, a friend of UW and the personal representative for the Samuel J. Marcy Estate.

“These are the first two program scholarships dedicated to the new Construction Management Program at UW,” says Francois Jacobs, a UW associate professor of civil and architectural engineering in the Construction Management Program. “Students in the program will be eligible to receive the scholarships to help support their construction management academic journey at UW.”

The Grabowskis made a total gift commitment of $25,000 to establish a nonendowed scholarship. The purpose of this nonendowed scholarship is to recruit and retain well-rounded individuals who are residents of the United States and who are enrolled in UW’s Construction Management Program.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must demonstrate strong academic achievement, with a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average (GPA), which could include a combination of UW and transfer GPAs. Recipients also must be positive representatives for the Construction Management Program. One or more recipients will be selected annually, with yearly amounts of $2,500 awarded.

“It has been an honor and privilege for Patty and me to support the development of the new Engineering Education and Research Building and, now, to continue that support through establishing a new scholarship program for construction management students,” Joe Grabowski says. “Over 40 years ago, UW placed a bet on a long-haired kid and awarded a full scholarship to get my master’s degree.

“We are forever grateful to UW and the state of Wyoming, and remain humbled for the endless opportunities that provided us throughout our lives and careers,” Grabowski continues. “Patty and I have been truly blessed as a result of UW’s generosity 40 years ago and, now, we are placing our own bet on the next generation of UW students.”

Sam Marcy’s estate made a total gift commitment of $170,000 to establish an endowed excellence fund. Appropriations for expenditure from the fund will be used to foster excellence and provide financial support to the UW Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management. The fund may support student scholarships in areas such as the Construction Management Program.

Because this is an excellence fund that can support both the department and scholarships, there is no set annual scholarship award. Rather, it will be at the discretion of the department to use the funds strategically, says Teddi Freedman, a director of development for the UW Foundation.

“As executor of my brother, Sam Marcy’s estate, I had the opportunity to talk with Sam about possible choices for the charitable donation portion of his estate,” Dewey Marcy explains. “Sam was agreeable to giving a gift to the University of Wyoming Department of Civil Engineering.”

Sam Marcy received a Ph.D. in civil engineering, was a Wyoming resident, and took the time to visit UW’s civil engineering department, Dewey Marcy says.

“Sam was always interested in what the students were doing, and became actively involved by suggesting several possible senior design projects,” Dewey Marcy says. “One suggestion was to synchronize binoculars so that one person could help another to find a point of interest. The University of Wyoming patented this suggestion and received a patent, which has Sam’s name on it as co-inventor.”

How to eliminate piles of tumbleweeds that accumulate against snow fences along the highways was another project suggested by Sam Marcy.

“Our family is pleased to see that the civil engineering department at the University of Wyoming will have this gift from Sam’s estate to help with their continuing work with civil engineering students,” Dewey Marcy says.

To learn more about UW’s Construction Management Program, visit www.uwyo.edu/civil/constructionmanagement.

The Sky’s the Limit

Senior mechanical engineer Alice MacVey (BSAR ’07), U.S. Air Force nominee for the 2020 National Society of Professional Engineers Federal Engineer of the Year Award and a Laramie native, recently shared with us her insights on defying expectations and how she hopes more will “go for it” in chasing their engineering passions.

Q: You studied civil engineering at the University of Wyoming. What piqued your interest in engineering? Can you describe the moment you realized this was a field you’d like to pursue?

My interest in engineering started in high school, where I excelled in math and computer-aided design and hand-drafting courses. I always enjoyed problem solving, like the kind that went into bringing Apollo 13 home after the 1970 NASA mission was aborted due to an oxygen tank rupture, and I marveled at the ingenuity that went into constructing structures. Once I was at the University of Wyoming, my interest was fully piqued in my transport phenomena class. Discovering that heat transfer through different mediums of different shapes made sense to me and made me realize that I’d found my niche. After that, there was no turning back!

Q: Engineering is known as a particularly demanding major. What was the most challenging part of your college experience? Did you ever experience any uncertainty that this was the path for you?

As a student, not all of my class topics came easy to me, and I had to work hard to pass my classes. I definitely struggled to keep my goals in sight and trust that engineering was the major for me. Thankfully, I had wonderful peers (and sorority sisters) who reminded me that one challenging class should not defeat my goals and that if I just kept pushing, I would be better for it.

Q: Tell us about your first job. What did you learn there that you couldn’t have learned in the classroom?

There are always so many things that are hard to learn when transitioning to a new job—especially the first one straight out of college. My biggest learning curve came with how much writing I actually do as an engineer. There is always a proposal due to earn additional work or reports to be written based on findings once a study has been completed. Had I known that I’d spend just as much time writing proposals and reports as I did performing engineering calculations, I would have spent more time on English classes!

Q: Describe your job as an engineer in the 90th Civil Engineer Squadron in the Air Force. What does an Air Force engineer do? What does an average day look like for you?

The best part about my job is the variety. My primary job is project management, as I am responsible for drafting requests for construction work to be completed on base, which can range from replacing a $10,000 HVAC unit up to a $5 million project for new construction. I also act as the “owner’s representative” in large-scale military construction projects and assist the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in ensuring that the final product of these large construction projects meets our intent for the project. Lastly, I get to work with every squadron on base to help them solve problems, whether it’s helping them utilize their space more effectively or providing engineering expertise on renovations, outside grading work, or simply grabbing a few tools and solving the problem hands-on.

Q: Many people imagine engineers sitting at a desk, crunching numbers all day. What are the biggest misconceptions people have about your job?

I’m pretty sure I only spend about 5 percent of my time crunching numbers…otherwise I’m up and about in the field! While engineers’ responsibilities can obviously differ, I spend a lot of time on my project sites working with other civilians and military personnel to collaborate and solve problems. I think the biggest misconception about engineers is that we’re all introverts who work on our own projects, but it’s quite the opposite. There’s a lot of teamwork and collaboration that’s required to keep F.E. Warren Air Force Base running.

Q: What is it like to be a woman in engineering? Do you feel that your gender gives you a different perspective and experience from your male counterparts? Any advantages?

There are times that being a woman in engineering has been challenging. Comments such as “I didn’t expect you to know so much about this project” are discouraging, but fortunately the military and civilians here on base are much more equal.

Q: What advice do you have for women interested in engineering? What kinds of practical experience should they have? What technical skills should they pick up?

My advice: Go for it! No matter what engineering you are interested in, if you’re passionate about it, then it’s worth pursuing. No one should tell you otherwise. Sometimes that means proving them wrong, but isn’t that even more fun? As far as practical experience, I highly recommend making sure you’re comfortable on a construction site, how it is run, the rules and what the expectations are of you when inspecting a site. The last thing any engineer needs is to look uncomfortable and incompetent on a site. Get familiar with power tools, a tape measure, and don’t be afraid to get dirty and a little scuffed up. Most importantly, LISTEN to the contractors. Their hands-on expertise is extremely valuable when you’re first starting out, and that expertise can sometimes bridge the gap between designs on paper and application in the field.

Q: How did you feel when you heard you had been recognized as the Air Force nominee for the 2020 National Society of Professional Engineers Federal Engineer of the Year Award? What are your biggest takeaways from this experience?

I was completely speechless! Having CE Squadron leadership walk in to tell me absolutely blew me away. My boss had been sneaky about nominating me, so I didn’t expect it at all! After seeing my name listed with all of the other nominees, I was simply honored to even be included in that list. So many of the engineers listed have done such amazing things, and I was proud to represent F.E. Warren Air Force Base and the 90th Civil Engineer Squadron as a nominee.

Q: Finally, what do you wake up looking forward to? What’s next for your career?

For my career, I wake up looking forward to all of the development that F.E. Warren Air Force Base is going to see in the next few years. It’s an exciting time to be working here, and it’s been fun to watch the future of missiles start right here in Wyoming. As far as what’s next for me? I’m happy supporting F.E. Warren Air Force Base’s mission and, if the opportunity presents itself, step up into the next level of supervision and engineering management on base.

Alumni in Memoriam

Since our last issue, we regret to announce the passing of the following alumni. Our greatest sympathy is extended to the families of these valued friends.

Leonard Baldwin

Professor Emeritus of CE – Laramie, WY

Richard Henderson AR ’55 – Cody, WY

Phillip Hirst

CE ’38 – Mesa, AZ

Riney Lind

ME ’62 – Rapid City, SD

Albert “Boots” Nelson

CE ’59 – Jackson, WY

Ronald Reed

ME ’61 – Tacoma, WA

Don Smith

Professor Emeritus of ME – Laramie, WY

Gayle Sturdevant EE ’60 – Spring, TX

Barton Varney

ME ’77 – Meza, AZ

Gerald Wegner

EE ’65 – Billings, MT

The Engineering Career Services Team helped me achieve my goal of obtaining my first chemical internship by reviewing my résumé and helping me craft a cover letter to impress my employer. Through preparation and encouragement to be myself, I felt confident and ready when I interviewed for the job.” gRaCE LEAHy CHEMICAL ENGINEERING ’22

Job & Internship Search ▼ Interview Prep ▼ Job Fair Prep

Resume Review ▼ Company Tracking ▼ Employer Relations

To learn more about our services and how we connect students and alumni with employers, contact us at CEASCareerServices@uwyo.edu

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