UW-Platteville's online Master of Science in Project Management program was ranked as a Top 25 Best Value Online Graduate Programs for 2021 by Value Colleges. The ranking is based on the cost of the program and student-to-faculty ratios.

Alison Thompson, an instructional designer for the Office of Professional Program Support, began her career in higher education after starting at a local community college in the Chicago area. Here, Thompson began assisting faculty in course design and quickly found that instructional design allowed her to combine her interests in teaching, design, and technology to help create powerful learning experiences for students.

UW-Platteville has reached credit transfer agreement extensions with the University of California-Los Angeles. The partnership extension ensures UCLA Extension students will continue to have the opportunity to join one of UW-Platteville’s highly-regarded online graduate-level programs.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is hosting a new series titled Fireside Chats with Chancellor Dennis J. Shields where alumni from across the country can connect with the campus community. Throughout the next few months, Zoom events will be taking place in multiple states starting with Florida and Arizona on Friday, Jan. 29.

UW-Platteville and its branch campuses, Baraboo Sauk County and Richland, are now offering full virtual tours featuring interactive video elements, messages from faculty and students, and 360-degree photos of the institutions and their respective communities.

Dr. A.L. Ranen McLanahan, associate professor of mechanical engineering, was one of only 20 faculty across the nation to be selected by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) as a community catalyst.

In collaboration with the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention and the University of Wisconsin System, UW-Platteville is opening an additional COVID-19 testing site on the main campus as well as testing sites on the branch campuses, following a new surge testing initiative announced Wednesday afternoon by the UW System to support communities throughout Wisconsin now facing dramatic increases of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations related to the ongoing outbreak.

UW-Platteville is waiving electronic application fees, effective immediately, following the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents’ recent approval to waive the fees at 10 of its 13 universities for the next two years.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville announces it will now award graduate-level credits for certificates earned through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Taking the stage in a mask and performing in front of a sparse audience was likely not how senior Brittany Lasko pictured her last flute recital at UW-Platteville. However, the music education and music non-teaching major said she is grateful that through dedication and collaboration of faculty and staff, her senior recital still went on amid the pandemic.

Ariana Aranda, a senior elementary education major at UW-Platteville, recently competed in the USA Power Lifting 2020 Collegiate Nationals competition, where she took third place in her weight class and tied a Wisconsin state record.

Dr. Joshua Anderson, assistant professor of English, is bringing his experience in rural classrooms to the School of Education. Anderson joined UW-Platteville in 2016 and made the transition from the Department of Humanities to the School of Education this year.

The Continuing Education Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville is proud to offer additional opportunities for professional growth with their Professional Pathway Certificate programs.

When Nuria Madueno Morales traveled from her hometown of Lima, Peru, to UW-Platteville in January 2019, she expected to be on campus only one semester as part of an international exchange program. Now, nearly two years later, she is preparing to graduate from UW-Platteville with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, after finding opportunities and support on campus that made it feel like home.

As mechanical engineering senior Rkia Talbi prepares for her final days at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, she is being recognized for her academic success and professional experience through two scholarships. Talbi was selected as the “Top Draft Pick” at the manufacturing career fair Internship Draft Day and named one of two recipients of the 2020 Alliant Energy Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Academic Achievement Award.

Dr. Andrey Ivanov, associate professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, recently published “A Spiritual Revolution: The Impact of Reformation and Enlightenment in Orthodox Russia.”

The artwork of Melanie Bisbach, a sophomore cross-disciplinary fine arts major from Dodgeville, Wisconsin, was recently selected to be part of an international online exhibit. Bisbach’s entry was one of just over 80 pieces selected from 797 worldwide entries for the BOUNDLESS exhibit, sponsored by Art Fluent.

The UW-Platteville School of Education is collaborating with Cuba City Elementary School to offer a new internship program that is not only providing four UW-Platteville students with an unmatched teaching experience, but also playing a vital role in helping the school limit the spread of COVID-19 and offer in-person learning.

Samantha (Rogers) Birkicht is currently in her fourth year as head volleyball coach for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

UW-Platteville will host a virtual Senior Design Open House on Wednesday, Dec. 16, offering engineering students the opportunity to showcase their capstone projects to students, faculty, industry representatives and the general public.

Thousands of hours of field work and undergraduate research, conducted by more than 75 UW-Platteville students spanning seven years, has come to fruition. Dr. Chris Underwood, associate professor of geography and department chair, Dr. Evan Larson, professor of geography, and alumna Sara Allen, a 2013 history and geography graduate, co-authored “The Driftless Oaks: A new network of tree-ring chronologies to improve regional perspectives of drought in the Upper Midwest, USA.”

To assist with hybrid and online learning, the Teaching and Technology Center created professional development opportunities to help instructors develop familiarity with tools that facilitate blended learning. More than 90% of UW-Platteville instructors took advantage of these opportunities over the summer, and UW-Platteville students are now crediting their professors with helping them adjust to new learning modes.

The Confucius Institute at UW-Platteville welcomes all to a free virtual Chinese New Year Celebration on Feb. 6, 2021, at 1 p.m.

Alumnus Lavern Nall, a 1972 civil engineering graduate, will present at the final virtual event of the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science Engineering Seminar Series on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Nall, who is the president of Strass Maguire and Associates, will discuss the topic of Protection of Buildings from the Construction of Milwaukee’s “Deep Tunnel.”

This summer, Dr. Asad Azemi joined UW-Platteville as the department chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering. Prior to his move to the Midwest, Azemi was an associate professor of engineering at Penn State. His research interests are in the areas of estimation and signal processing with agriculture and health science applications.

Several faculty members in the UW-Platteville School of Business are capping off the year with recent publications and major conference presentations, demonstrating their breadth of expertise in a variety of areas.

The UW-Platteville chapter of the American Concrete Institute recently participated in the 2020 Concrete Solutions Competition, where students competed against 18 teams representing six countries. Held virtually, the competition tasked teams with conceptualizing and demonstrating a use of concrete that could positively impact the world.

The Goldbergs credit their education at UW-Platteville with giving them the foundation to succeed. To help assist current Pioneers on their collegiate journey, the couple have established the Beth and Gary Goldberg Scholarship.

UW-Platteville has partnered with the Career Leadership Collective, a higher education solutions group, to conduct a national online survey to collect career pathway data from alumni.

Amid a decades-long trend of declining bird populations in North America, setting land aside for preservation has long been a primary approach to protect biodiversity. Dr. Lynnette Dornak, associate professor of geography at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, researched the effectiveness of this method, and her work, “Assessing the Efficacy of Protected and Multiple-Use Lands for Bird Conservation in the U.S.,” was recently published by the scientific journal, PLOS ONE.

Dr. Afzal Upal joined UW-Platteville in July as the chair of the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department. He has more than 20 years of experience in the computing field, with an expertise in artificial intelligence and cognitive science. Upal has held several technical and leadership positions in the computer science and software engineering industry and government, however his love for education brought him back to academia.

Two-time UW-Platteville graduate and Criminal Justice Instructor Chris Polzer was named one of the university’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni. Recipients of the honor, which is presented by the Alumni Association, are chosen for their contributions to and recognition in their professions and communities, and continued engagement with the university.

Wisconsin is known worldwide for its dairy products, and ice cream is an almost universal favorite. Yet what we love about it can often be hard to describe. Now, mechanical engineering professors Dr. Thomas Zolper and Dr. Bidhan Roy are looking at the science behind one of the world’s most popular treats as part of their research for the UW-Platteville Dairy Innovation Hub.

Throughout his career, Ryan Weigel has felt the influence of UW-Platteville. From the time he graduated as an animal science major, to his own role as an educator today, Weigel acknowledges the friends, family and mentors that have helped him along the way.

UW-Platteville is known as the Pioneers, but the moniker is much more than a nickname. The university has been a pioneer and industry leader in distance education since 1978, when it began offering degrees through its print-based program.

Thanks to an internship at UW-Platteville's University Counseling Services, Anna Klimesh had the opportunity to make a potentially big impact on both current and future students at the university. This summer, Klimesh was tasked with creating and publicizing Peers Promoting Mental Health – a student-led support program that aims to increase student engagement in mental health promotion, education and awareness on campus.

The Center for Distance Learning is proud to announce the 2020 winners of the Dawn Drake Excellence in Distance Education Scholarship, Gary Apperson Memorial Scholarship, and Ruth Miller Challenge Scholarship. The scholarships, which are awarded each year to students enrolled in distance education programs, were created to provide additional financial support for UW-Platteville students.

Growing up as the oldest of seven, Angela Yang was the first in her family to earn a college degree. Yang, an alumna of UW-Platteville, now hopes to inspire students throughout their collegiate journey. As a TRIO Student Support Services advisor and SUCCEED coordinator, she works with incoming UW-Platteville students and assists them with accessing campus resources.

The UW-Platteville Mock Trial Team participated in its first invitational tournament of the season and received a top witness award. “Testing the Waters” tournament took place virtually from Oct.16-18 and featured 12 colleges from across the country.

UW-Platteville's Department of Performing and Visual Arts-Theatre and Pioneer Players will kick off their 2020-2021 season with William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

After taking advantage of some of the classes offered through the UW-Platteville Confucius Institute, John Schaeffer recently participated – and placed – in two different international video competitions for Ba Duan Jin, a popular traditional Chinese mind-body exercise.

As the lead admissions specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Center for Distance Learning, Clint Nemitz works with his team to connect prospective students with their desired academic programs.

Kaley Mumma, a senior from Byron, Illinois, was selected to present at the 2020 Red River Women’s Studies Conference, hosted by North Dakota State University last week. The conference’s theme, “Imperfect History,” marked the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment.

The Department of Geography is now offering a new undergraduate degree, environmental science and conservation. The program launched this fall with more than a dozen students declaring the major.

The College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science is hosting its third virtual event in the Engineering Seminar Series on Tuesday, Nov. 10, featuring alumna Lauren Ray, a 2001 civil engineering graduate, and Marc Ruden, both of IIW, P.C.

Since joining UW-Platteville in 2015, Dr. Hynek Boril, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been instrumental in providing students with unique research opportunities on campus, particularly through his creation of the Pioneer Speech Signal Processing Laboratory.

Last week, the Department of Industrial Studies hosted an open house to celebrate the newly-renovated electronics and industrial controls systems laboratory. Located in Russell Hall, the lab is one of two automation labs that underwent a $1.5 million renovation to offer students the opportunity to use world-class technology and give them an edge in the workforce.

A new agreement between UW-Platteville and Carroll University will allow Carroll students to earn Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering without ever leaving southeast Wisconsin. Carroll students will complete UW-Platteville engineering courses in an online format through UW-Platteville Engineering Partnerships.

Dr. Kristina Fields, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was named one of four recipients across the UW System of the 2020 Alliant Energy Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award.

The UW-Platteville Continuing Education Institute is pleased to announce a new partnership that will give students the ability to advance their careers by acquiring the knowledge and requirements needed to sit for the CFP® Certification Exam. Starting in October, Continuing Education Institute will begin offering Dalton Education’s CFP® Certification preparation curriculum.