Dr. Danny Xiao, University of Wisconsin-Platteville associate professor of civil engineering, was recently elected as president-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers Wisconsin Section.

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) currently represents more than 150,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. The Wisconsin Section has approximately 2,000 members in its four branches and six technical committees

Xiao will serve a three-year term, starting as president-elect, then president, and completing as past-president.

After being accepted as a member in the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) last summer, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville was recently awarded a $290,000 grant to further its work in the Network and take the next step in advancing entrepreneurial-minded learning for engineers. The grant is being used to initiate a faculty development program to advance the entrepreneurial mindset in curricula over the next two years.

KEEN is a partnership of more than 50 colleges and universities across the United States, committed to instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in 100% of their undergraduate engineering students. The concept encourages engineering students to think more broadly about the impact of their work.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville will celebrate Homecoming week from Oct. 17-23. After celebrating Homecoming virtually last year, in-person celebrations will return this year, with the 2021 theme “Game On.” The university will host several activities throughout the week for students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members.

Two events leading up to the official Homecoming week will kick off the celebration. Oct. 14 marks the sixth annual Pioneers Day of Giving, a day focused on fundraising to support student success in all its forms. Chancellor Dennis J. Shields will host a virtual Homecoming kickoff, featuring updates from the university leadership team, on Oct. 15.

If a professional project is in jeopardy, what can be done to save it? This is the question project management instructor Shawn Belling recently addressed at the PMI© Michigan Chapter’s Professional Development Day. 

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a Master of Science in Project Management degree in 2006, Belling returned in 2008 as an adjunct instructor, and has been with the university ever since. In addition to his work at UW-Platteville, Belling also serves as the chief information officer at Madison College, situated in Madison, Wisconsin. With over 25 years in technology and project leadership experience, and possessing several credentials to his name, it’s easy to see that Belling is a professional in his prime. 

Members of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville community, partners, and local leaders gathered on Oct. 6 to celebrate the construction of the forthcoming Sesquicentennial Hall – UW-Platteville’s newest state-of-the-art engineering building.

The $55 million Sesquicentennial Hall will adjoin Busby Hall of Engineering to create a 200,000-square-foot complex that supports interdisciplinary engineering and computer science. A massive innovation center, an accessible green roof, exposed building infrastructure, and several state-of-the-art teaching laboratories will make the building itself a learning tool and a national exemplar for transforming engineering education. 

“This building project is one of the ways that we can continue to provide our campus, our staff and our students with the best possible environment to achieve their academic and professional goals,” said Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. “We are educating students for the jobs of the future.”

University of Wisconsin-Platteville Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Dr. Patrick Solar recently published the second edition of his book, “Police Community Relations: A Conflict Management Approach” (West Academic Publishing). 

The book explores the complex nature of the police community relationship, delving into topics that include how and why police have developed over time, the nature of community-oriented policing, emotional intelligence, humanistic policing and more. The second edition includes a new chapter on the law regarding police authority.

When the COVID-19 pandemic prevented education students from completing their practicum hours in local elementary schools last fall, Dr. Rea Kirk, a professor of special education at UW-Platteville, suggested students go out into the community to make a difference. Two senior education students, Jeanna Rupnow and Kali Oyen, decided to work together to give back and do something that would make a real impact on the community. They approached Kelly Jo Hadfield, Student Center coordinator and Platteville resident, and asked her what she wished to see in the community. Hadfield, who has two elementary-aged sons on the autism spectrum, gave Rupnow and Oyen the idea of playground communication boards, as her oldest, Jacob, is non-verbal and has limited ways of communicating with his peers.

Live theatre performances return to the Center for the Arts as the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Department of Performing and Visual Arts-Theatre and Pioneer Players open their 2021-2022 season with the classic Sam Shepard play, “A Lie of the Mind.” Performances are Oct. 13 at 11 a.m., Oct. 13-16 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Theatre. The performance on Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. is also the Benefit Wednesday show. All tickets for Benefit Wednesday are $7, and the proceeds go to the Platteville Food Pantry and Family Advocates, an organization that provides prevention and intervention services to victims and survivors of domestic, sexual, child, and elder abuse in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Counties.

Reclamation, environment and conservation (REC) is a growing field continuing to bring professional opportunities to UW-Platteville students. The REC program is led by Dr. Christopher Baxter, Professor of soil and crop science in the School of Agriculture, who said there is great demand for employment. Through the interdisciplinary coursework and combined hands-on experience, Pioneers are finding themselves working in different facets of the industry across the country.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville will host its sixth annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Lecture, “Hocąk: Language is Our Culture,” presented by Andrew W. Thundercloud. The event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 13 from 6-7:30 p.m. in Nohr Gallery, Ullsvik Hall and is open to the public. 

Thundercloud was born and raised in Tomah, Wisconsin. He attended UW-Madison and served in the U.S. Navy, with his last tour of duty in Vietnam as a corpsman with the U.S. Marine Corps. As an elder of the Ho-Chunk Nation, he later became involved with the Ho-Chunk Language Program as a teacher and curriculum developer. 

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, in partnership with the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, will host the grand opening of the new IDEA Hub Accelerator on Monday, Oct. 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The IDEA Hub 3D Launch is open to the public to attend virtually or in person at the Platteville Incubator. 

The grand opening event will feature pitches from 10 promising startups throughout Southwest Wisconsin. These startups recently completed an eight-week accelerator program led by Idea Hub Director Maia Patrick Donohue; Dr. Marcia Harr-Bailey, assistant professor of business; and Platteville Incubator Director Kate Koziol. 

MidWestOne Bank Foundation has pledged $5,000 over two years toward the completion of a hands-on student construction classroom in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Construction Safety Lab.

“MidWestOne is proud to partner with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Construction Management program,” said Roger Dammen, first vice president and regional credit officer/market president of MidWestOne Bank. “As an alumnus of UW-Platteville, I know first hand the quality education offered by the college and how it furthers the careers of graduates. We hope our donation to the construction lab will enhance the hands-on experience of current and future students.”

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the College of Liberal Arts and Education will host “What is Critical Race Theory?” – a panel discussion followed by a Q&A session – on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 6-8 p.m. in Velzy Commons, Ullsvik Hall. The event is free and open to the public. 

The topic of Critical Race Theory has been widely discussed the past year, and anti-CRT legislation has been either proposed or passed in 28 states, including Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan. This event aims to define Critical Race Theory and discuss various perceptions surrounding it. 

Corey Young, advisor in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, is being named a Rising Star by the Dubuque Telegraph Herald. Young is one of 12 recipients from the tri-state area to be recognized in the 2021 class. According to the newspaper, published in Dubuque, Iowa, the selection committee focused on criteria that included nominees being 40 and younger who are active in their careers and community.

“I was quite surprised. It’s very humbling to receive this award,” said Young. “It’s about the work I do at UW-Platteville, but in Dubuque, I’m the founder of the nonprofit called Key City Pride. [The nomination] demonstrated my work at UW-Platteville and in Dubuque.”

Dr. Thomas Zolper, University of Wisconsin-Platteville associate professor of mechanical engineering and sustainability and renewable energy systems has been awarded a faculty research grant from the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership for his project titled, “The Wisconsin Strategy: Independent Infrastructure.”  Zolper is examining how to enhance the resilience of Wisconsin energy and information infrastructure against natural and man-made failures to reduce public emergencies. 

“It’s a great honor,” said Zolper. “The research is going to focus on energy infrastructure. It includes both the fossil fuels and electricity grids – it’s a pretty broad scope. Energy infrastructure generally denotes petroleum pipelines for gas and diesel fuel as well as electricity generators including wind turbines, solar arrays, nuclear, coal, gas and hydroelectric power plants, as well as all their interconnections.”

As the fall semester gets underway, University of Wisconsin-Platteville students are once again filling the hallways of the newly renovated Boebel Hall, but for one student, touring the floors has an extra special meaning. Since May of 2020, UW-Platteville senior Matt Babich, who is double majoring in construction management and construction safety management, has been interning for Miron Construction as a project management intern. Miron Construction is the company responsible for the Boebel Hall remodel and the building of Sesquicentennial Hall – two projects Babich has been heavily involved in.

Already known as a hub for creativity and innovation in the tri-state region, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will soon be offering additional services to budding entrepreneurs throughout the region with the launch of Pioneer Prototyping Services. In March, UW-Platteville was awarded an Entrepreneurship Support Grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation in order to create the infrastructure needed to help rural entrepreneurs turn their product ideas into prototypes.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, in conjunction with UW-Platteville Corporate Relations, is bringing real-world engineering projects to students, faculty and friends of the university, through the fall 2021 EMS Engineering Seminar Series. Free and open to the public, the series will highlight six engineering projects and insight from top experts in the field.

“A total of six seminars will be offered, two more than the traditional four seminars,” said Dr. Danny Xiao, associate professor of civil engineering at UW-Platteville and an organizer of the event. “Topics will include municipal, transportation, environmental, structural, construction and geotechnical. We hope the new hybrid format and increased content can further serve UW-Platteville’s mission: empower each student to become broader in perspective, intellectually more astute and contribute wisely to our community.”

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is furthering its commitment to providing an accessible education, with its recent announcement that it will waive the $100 enrollment deposit fee, effective immediately. This follows last year’s waiving of the electronic application fees.   

“Access is a high priority for us at UW-Platteville,” said Heidi Tuescher-Gille, director of Admission. “We continue to work diligently to identify and remove barriers that may be inhibiting students from applying. We recognize there are often unforeseen financial hardships for students and their families, so I’m happy that we’ve removed the concern of the application fee and enrollment deposits from the process. Students can now move through their application experience more smoothly and find out what outstanding opportunities await them at one of our three UW-Platteville campuses.”

Dr. John Obielodan’s work as a researcher, educator and inventor, as well as helping other inventors develop prototypes, make him a 2021 WiSys Innovation Champion.

The WiSys award recognizes UW System leaders, faculty, staff, students or community partners who have played an integral role in building a culture of innovation at a UW System regional institution.

A Resource for Inventors

In addition to his primary work at UW-Platteville as an associate professor of mechanical engineering, Obielodan stepped up to serve as the manager of the university’s Prototyping Center—a collaborative effort with WiSys—in 2019.

Dr. Mark Levenstein, an active inventor and champion of student research opportunities at UW-Platteville, has been named a 2021 Carl. E Gulbrandsen WiSys Innovator of the Year.

The award is bestowed upon UW System faculty, staff or students who make exemplary contributions as a WiSys innovator. The award is named for the former managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation who supported WiSys throughout his tenure.

Active Researcher and Inventor

Levenstein, who specializes in molecular biology and biotechnology, is an assistant professor of biology and director for the Master of Science in Applied Biotechnology program at UW-Platteville. He has been involved with multiple invention ideas submitted to WiSys and excels at collaborating with colleagues in different fields.

Lakisha Clinton lives by the mottos “knowledge is power” and “pay it forward.” From her time at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, through her successful career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and her recent induction into a selective scholarship award program, she has been driven by her love for public service and being a champion for others — traits that she first started developing at UW-Platteville, as she navigated her way through college with a support network that ranged from peers, to faculty and advisors, all the way up to the chancellor. 

Clinton, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated in 2014 with a degree in political science. She immediately moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked at a political law firm as a compliance specialist executive administrative assistant.

More than one hundred members of the UW-Platteville and greater Platteville communities celebrated the official re-opening of Boebel Hall at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Aug. 27. The university’s science building underwent a $23.7 million state-funded renovation to improve, expand and update instructional laboratories, preparation and support space, undergraduate research space and a general assignment classroom. 

Officials from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and Northeast Iowa Community College met on Friday, Aug. 27, to sign articulation agreements that will streamline transfer opportunities for students.

Graduates of a two-year Associate of Arts business degree or an Associate of Applied Science degree in select industrial technology programs from NICC may seamlessly transfer their credits to UW-Platteville to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration or industrial studies. While articulation agreements between the two institutions have been in place for years, officials say these newly revised agreements will better streamline the transfer process, encouraging more students to pursue their bachelor’s degree. 

University of Wisconsin-Platteville Chancellor Dennis J. Shields delivered the annual faculty and staff convocation on Thursday, where he reflected on the past year while sharing his outlook for the upcoming academic year. 

“Every new school year presents us with the ability to renew our focus, work together and make a positive impact on our campus community,” said Chancellor Shields.

The topics he addressed included the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the community and individual health, and political and social unrest, while also highlighting the resistance movements from across the country.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Master's of Science in Integrated Supply Chain Management program has a reputation of providing students with the skills to succeed in a constantly evolving market. Now, the highly-respected degree program is recognized as one of the most affordable in the nation by GreatBusinessSchools.org.

The ranking is based on several factors, including student satisfaction, job market reputation and affordability. In its ranking, Great Business Schools described UW-Platteville as a top online educator in the nation, adding: "Students can be confident that the Integrated Supply Chain Management master's degree will advance their career without a mountain of debt."

Edgewood College announces a new, enhanced partnership with the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Now, students located anywhere in the state of Wisconsin can earn the UW-Platteville degree through a unique hybrid delivery of face-to-face and online courses, along with hands-on lab experiences.

With the Engineering Dual Degree program, students complete two degrees simultaneously. Students may earn a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Edgewood College, as well as a bachelor’s degree in either electrical or mechanical engineering at UW-Platteville.

“This new enhanced approach leverages technology and modes of delivery that make an already strong partnership even better for our students,” Andrew P. Manion, president of Edgewood College, said. “Our academic programs, delivered in a close-knit community of learners, position our students to achieve their goals, including the outstanding engineering programs at UW-Platteville.”

University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Women in STEM program received the 2021 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. The Inspiring Programs in STEM Award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. UW-Platteville will be featured, along with 78 other recipients, in the September 2021 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. 

Inspiring Programs in STEM Award winners were selected by INSIGHT Into Diversity based on efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research and successful programs and initiatives. 

For the second consecutive year, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Foundation is celebrating record fundraising, thanks to the generous contributions from UW-Platteville alumni, friends and corporate partners. Nearly $4,800,000 was raised during the 2021 fiscal year, providing scholarships, supporting academic programs and capital building projects, and enriching student-life experiences. The fiscal year ended on June 30 with more than 4,600 donors. 

"One of the lessons that I'll take from this past year is that when we work together, we can achieve anything," said Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. "The Foundation, our donors, faculty, staff, and students all play a significant role in our ability to achieve our institutional goals and fundamental mission. The tremendous efforts of our entire campus community ensured that our institution may continue to have agency in determining our future together." 

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Tuition Advantage Program offers a discount on out-of-state tuition for eligible new freshmen and transfer students from Illinois and Iowa, making UW-Platteville tuition comparable to, or lower than, the resident cost of attendance at a public university in those states. 

Formerly known as the Tri-State Initiative, the program began in 2005. Currently, 20% of the UW-Platteville student population hails from Iowa and Illinois.  

With patience, passion and hard work, amazing things can happen. Estela DePaz discovered this fact recently when, against steep competition, her thesis paper won PMI’s ® prestigious Snyder International Student Paper of the Year award—an accolade that rewards excellence in the development of original project management concepts. In a way, the paper not only served as the culmination of DePaz’s time in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Master of Science in Project Management program, but other aspects of her life as well. 

Yet it was not writing an award-winning paper that most excited DePaz. It was the new areas of research the paper highlighted and affirmed.

Three current and former staff members at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville are being honored with the 2021 Excellence in International Advising Award. Tammy Salmon-Stephens, Barbara Kluesner and Lisa Lloyd were selected for the award, which is presented annually to faculty or staff members who demonstrate their passion for and innovation in helping students incorporate an education abroad experience in their degree program or have had a significant positive impact on the international student population at the university.

Salmon-Stephens has worked at UW-Platteville since 1997 and is currently the director of the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science Student Success Programs. She is actively involved in programs to support women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields and student success, and she said the opportunities to work with international students in this role has left a lasting impact. 

Christine Wunderlin is being honored with the 2021 Limited Term Employee Staff Award for Excellence. Wunderlin retired from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in May as the testing center program associate. The award recognizes a staff member who has provided essential services to the university while demonstrating excellence of performance, personal interaction, and initiative and creativity. 

“It was a big surprise. I did not expect it,” said Wunderlin. “[The award] confirmed what I had always thought, which is that I honestly had the best supervisor and colleagues.” 

Wunderlin began her tenure at UW-Platteville in 2013 and held positions in Services for Students with Disabilities and most recently in the Testing Center.

Dr. James Hampton, associate professor and program coordinator in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville School of Agriculture is the recipient of this year’s Innovations in Teaching with Technology Award. The award program provides faculty and teaching academic staff with funds to purchase technology with the potential to improve teaching and learning.

Hampton’s project is titled Incorporating Draw It to Know It into an Anatomy and Physiology Course. The proposal will incorporate a web-based application called Draw it to Know it, to enhance student learning of key concepts by utilizing application modules and developing custom tutorials within the application. 

New inventions poised to make an impact in a variety of fields are getting their start on the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus, being designed, prototyped and tested by a UW-Platteville faculty member and students. Thanks to a partnership between WiSys – the technology transfer arm of the 11 UW System regional comprehensive campuses – and Dr. John Obielodan, associate professor of mechanical engineering, half a dozen inventions have gone from idea to reality over the past two years.

Dr. Andrey Ivanov, associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, was selected for the 2021-22 Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program. Ivanov is one of four UW-Platteville faculty members selected for this UW System program, which offers faculty a unique opportunity to collaborate with other teachers from across the system and complete a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project.

WiSys, the technology transfer arm of the 11 UW System regional comprehensive campuses, was recently awarded a U.S. patent for an invention disclosed by Dr. Fang Yang, University of Wisconsin-Platteville associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Yang, and her co-inventor Zhao Li, of LY Grid Innovation, created a software-based micro-grid energy management system with proactive and comprehensive control.

Mitchell Cotter, a junior political science major at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, is spending his summer gaining firsthand experience working with the Wisconsin State Legislature. Cotter, from Menasha, Wisconsin, is interning with Rep. Jodi Emerson, where he is contributing research related to current and future legislative proposals, attending Assembly committee meetings, responding to constituents and more. 

Jessica Brogley, a senior lecturer in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville School of Education, was selected to receive UW-Platteville’s 2021 Academic Staff Award for Excellence. This award is presented to an instructional or non-instructional academic staff member with a minimum of 12 consecutive months of employment at UW-Platteville who has provided essential services to the university while demonstrating excellence of performance, personal interaction, initiative and creativity.

Patti Mitch has always been one who steps in, steps up, or steps forward when something needs doing – a trait she admits to having her whole life. But she deflects credit, expressing admiration toward others she sees who are  “doing far more than what I do."  Mitch, the IT support specialist for the UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County branch campus, is receiving this year’s UW-Platteville University Staff Award of Excellence, for what her nominators described as her remarkable positive attitude, thorough expertise in her position leading all IT support for the branch campus, and her “taking the hearts” of every student and staff member she helps support. 

This summer, 10 University of Wisconsin-Platteville School of Education students were selected to work for the Pecatonica Area School District. Since June, UW-Platteville students have been receiving hands-on learning experiences at Camp Pec, a summer school program for grades 4K-5th grade. According to Program Coordinator Ashley Bredeson, about 40 elementary-aged students attend the camp daily, giving UW-Platteville students the exposure of teaching students face-to-face.

“Each student is in charge of a week,” said Bredeson. “They prepare their own lesson plans and activities for all the different ages we have, which are between 5 and 11 years old. The students get the feel of writing up a lesson plan, getting the materials and putting it all together.”

Chancellor Dennis J. Shields announced that the University of Wisconsin-Platteville is welcoming students, faculty and staff back in full face-to-face capacities, on all three campuses, for the 2021-22 academic year.

“I am excited for this upcoming academic year and the traditional college experience that our students will be returning to or experiencing for the first time,” said Chancellor Shields. “It is because of the willingness of our students, faculty and staff – on all three campuses – to adapt to changes last year and respect their peers and greater communities that we are now in a position to re-open fully face-to-face.” 

This fall, workers and students will have the opportunity to earn a Customer Service Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Continuing Education Institute. The program was designed to address a growing need in the tourism and hospitality industry and local chambers of commerce.



"Businesses are craving this type of training," said Kerie Wedige, executive director of the UW-Platteville Continuing Education Institute. "We heard expectations are high for businesses in regards to customer service since the return from COVID-19 shutdowns."

Change is always constant. For most people this statement rings true, but it’s a way of life for Jonathan Yancy. While many simply accept and react to change, Yancy is one who optimizes it – channeling change into progress on a daily basis.

Yancy accomplishes this goal as a change consultant at Baker Tilly, an international accounting and consultancy firm. Based at Baker Tilly’s Madison branch in Wisconsin, Yancy oversees the development of change management strategies for the firm’s many clients. Specifically, he helps address each organization’s goals by implementing and managing a variety of activities, including stakeholder analysis, readiness assessments, and specific trainings. 

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers visited the University of Wisconsin-Platteville on Monday, July 19, where he met with university leaders, toured the site of the soon-to-be-completed 2.4 megawatt solar array and the newly renovated Boebel Hall.  

Scheduled to be operational in October, the solar array will be the largest state-owned solar array in Wisconsin and is projected to offset electricity by 17%, saving an annual $217,000 and reducing carbon emissions by 2,300 tons per year. The solar array is located on five acres of south-facing hill in UW-Platteville’s Memorial Park. Plans for the project stemmed from a 2018 petition, signed by more than 300 students, asking the university to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030. The solar array will make UW-Platteville the sixth-highest on-site producer of renewable energy among higher education institutions in the nation.

Live theatre returns to the Center for the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville when the Department of Performing and Visuals Arts and the Platteville Summer Arts Festival presents the musical “Bright Star.” Inspired by the true story of the Iron Mountain Baby, this musical by comedian and actor Steve Martin and musician Edie Brickell features a Tony-nominated blue grass score. The production runs July 30, 31, Aug. 6, and 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 1 and Aug. 8 at 2 p.m. in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall. 

Responding to the increasing demand for computing skills in the workforce — in both technical and non-technical professions alike — the University of Wisconsin-Platteville is rolling out a new Computer Science + X degree program, giving students more flexibility to pursue majors they are passionate about while acquiring in-demand computer skills. The CS+X degree is an interdisciplinary major that combines a core curriculum in computer science with most of the major requirements for another chosen discipline. Available degrees for fall 2021 include a Bachelor of Science in CS + Business and a Bachelor of Science in CS + Supply Chain Management.

Dr. Evan Larson, professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and his collaborators have been paddling the lakes of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for the past 15 years to conduct a sprawling research project. Initially focused on finding old trees to provide perspective on past climate, the work developed into a career-defining project better understanding the relationships between people and historical fire regimes with implications for fire management in the United States, the perception of wilderness and social justice around Indigenous land use practices and traditional practices. After years of building upon their research, Larson; Dr. Kurt F. Kipfmueller, associate professor of geography, environment and society at the University of Minnesota; Lane Johnson, forest research specialist at the Cloquet Forestry Center and Dr.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville recently awarded six faculty research fellowships to help increase dairy-related research capacity through the Dairy Innovation Hub initiative. Known as the Dairy industry – impact and innovation - faculty fellowships or “DI3 faculty fellowships,” selected faculty members will tackle research projects in the Hub’s four priority areas: stewarding land and water resources; enriching human health and nutrition; ensuring animal health and welfare; and growing farm business and communities.

Dr. Lucie Kadjo, assistant professor and coordinator of the Agribusiness Program at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, says that working with students is her passion. 

“I love making a difference in students’ academic lives through my advising role,” said Kadjo. “I want to be that advisor who inspires students to make strategic decisions that will lead them to success, and in turn, is inspired to learn to be a better advisor.”

She is being recognized for this work as the recipient of the 2021 UW-Platteville Outstanding Faculty/Instructional Academic Staff Academic Advisor Award.