Just a few months ago, Emma Dums, a junior psychology major, was doing homework, studying for tests, conducting research and participating in hands-on courses face to face. She never dreamed that, within a short period of time, her life would change dramatically due to the global pandemic COVID-19. However, Dums expresses gratitude for her professors, who have designed new ways of delivering their courses, and provided additional support to ensure that she and her classmates continue to receive an outstanding education.

As Michelle Gould entered her final semester as an elementary education student this spring, she was presented with a new challenge when schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was forced to cut short her time teaching second grade, instead assisting with some of their video-conferencing sessions. While not what she expected, Gould and other educators have worked hard to learn from the situation.

Julie Durst, a lecturer in UW-Platteville's Department of Industrial Studies, is playing a significant role in Grant County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Called on for her expertise and nearly two decades of experience in the area of safety and risk management, Durst is serving as public information officer for the Southwest Wisconsin county during this crisis.

The Women’s Rugby Club at UW-Platteville was coming off a terrific fall season. Ranked eighth in the country, they were looking forward to the spring season, but everything changed once COVID-19 hit. Instead of feeling defeated with their season being cancelled, Mackenzie Darkow, president of the rugby team, and her teammates decided to spread virtual messages of hope.

Dr. Melissa Gormley, who began teaching at UW-Platteville in 2008, has served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Education since July 2016.

During the COVID-19 crisis, University of Wisconsin-Platteville alumni who provide critical services and resources to those in need have risen to the challenge by adapting and innovating new ways of staying connected with their clients in ways that meet safer-at-home guidelines. To do so, they often draw upon their education and experiences at UW-Platteville.

Adaptability is perhaps one of the most important skills an engineer must have, and students in the Senior Design Program at UW-Platteville this spring have had a chance to put this skill to the test. The Senior Design Program pairs student groups with an industry partner to solve real problems or create new products. When the COVID-19 pandemic required students to transition to remote learning, they had to make some quick adjustments. On May 20, students will virtually present their final projects to the public during the Senior Design Open House.

As organizations large and small struggle to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects on UW-Platteville and its surrounding communities are far-reaching. Yet, even as their own lives are disrupted, university students and staff have contributed to the greater good by sharing their skills and resources whenever possible and new opportunities for research and community-building have started to arise.

When you ask Bill Huff what motivated him to give back to UW-Platteville, he likes to answer the question with a story. “As a veteran discharged in 1955, I was aware that education was a license for a better life,” Huff said. Founded in 2003, the Foundation allows Huff to give back in profound ways to a wide range of projects and causes.

A group of UW-Platteville students and one alumnus have found a creative way to team up, while staying at home, to contribute to the fight against COVID-19. They formed a UW-Platteville team to contribute to the Folding@home project – a distributed computing project that relies on people around the world to volunteer their personal computer resources to run simulations of protein dynamics to help scientists find cures for diseases.

Craig Beytien is the Corporate Relations Executive Director at UW-Platteville. He develops and advances collaborations between industry and the university. Prior to joining UW-Platteville last fall he spent more than 20 years in higher education publishing, content development and educational technology.

According to two recently released rankings, UW-Platteville is being recognized as one of the best values in higher education, both in Wisconsin and across the nation.

The public is receiving a first-hand virtual look at how UW-Platteville students are taking care of the different animals living in the Biology Department’s Animal House – from a Brazilian short-tailed opossum, to a Caribbean hermit crab. The educational videos and materials are being posted to the Animal House Facebook page in hopes of providing outreach to the public and teaching them more about the animals and why they are important.

During the COVID-19 crisis, UW-Platteville faculty and staff have risen to the challenge by adapting and designing novel ways of realigning course delivery to ensure students continue to receive an outstanding, rigorous education, including hands-on learning experiences. This includes Dan Román, lecturer of forensic investigation, who modified his spring Crime Scene Diagramming course.

After hearing about the growing shortage of personal protective equipment for health care workers, UW-Platteville senior Sam Smith decided he needed to help those battling the COVID-19 crisis. Smith, a computer science major from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, started producing ear guards with his 3D printer. He can create five guards every two hours.

Over a decade ago, Jesse Ruegsegger found himself at the lowest point of his life, but a journey of recovery ended with him receiving not only the strength to forgive himself, but also academia’s highest honor.

Thanks to partnerships forged between industry and UW-Platteville's Construction Management and Construction Safety Management programs, custodial staff at UW-Platteville have been able to use advanced equipment to ensure their safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Industry partner Miron Construction Co. Inc., in Neenah, Wisconsin, recently provided the university with a Powered Air Purifying Respirator, or PAPR.

Joshua Boots joined UW-Platteville as the assistant vice chancellor for Development and Alumni Engagement last November. He works with alumni and friends of UW-Platteville to connect them with the university and find ways they can make a difference.

In light of the COVID-19 crisis and Wisconsin’s current safer-at-home order, Dr. Jeffrey Cowley, assistant professor of health and human performance at UW-Platteville, stressed the critical importance of making physical activity a priority.

In early March, UW-Plattteville soil and crop science major Adam Mairs had been looking forward to spring break and working as the farm manager at Kennay Farms in Rochelle, Illinois. But when the COVID-19 pandemic forced students off campus and into alternative learning methods, Mairs had to shift his plans, fast. His employer opened a distillery about eight months ago, and seeing a need in their community, the staff converted the distillery to producing hand sanitizer.

To better serve its student population, UW-Platteville has set a $100,000 donation goal to support Pioneers Helping Pioneers, an emergency funding program through the UW-Platteville Foundation. The emergency grants assist students in basic needs such as food, rent, medicine, technology, childcare and other unexpected problems.

With the recent UW System Board of Regents approval of a Bachelor of Science in construction management at UW-Platteville, more students will have the opportunity to experience the university’s one-of-a-kind construction labs, including the newly launched Road and Infrastructure Construction Lab.

During the COVID-19 crisis, UW-Platteville faculty, staff and students continue to look for ways to show their appreciation and support for local businesses, organizations and community members. On Wednesday, April 22, UW-Platteville’s Department of Health and Human Performance will show its support by hosting the “Corona Cruise” event in Platteville from 5-7 p.m. The goal of the event, which is free and open to all, is to give back to the businesses and community of Platteville and positively impact the community’s social and emotional health.

Dr. Alyssa Holan, assistant professor of Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, has taught Spanish language courses and Peninsular literature and culture courses at the university since fall 2018.

Dr. James Hamilton, professor of chemistry at UW-Platteville, is working with the state of Wisconsin to produce tens of thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer to help protect communities from COVID-19.

Lauren Kita, a senior at UW-Platteville, found a way to help her hometown community, while incorporating her industrial engineering coursework, when she helped create and oversee a volunteer shopping service to assist the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Scott Ringgenberg, coordinator of the Department of Health and Human Performance at UW-Platteville, offers 10 tips on how to stay active and improve overall health during this unprecedented and uncertain time.

Jessica Brogley, teacher of educational technology in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, was recently elected to the Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association board of directors as the director of higher education.

As Wisconsinites attempt to flatten the curve under Gov. Evers’ Safer at Home order, many may be wondering what to make for breakfast, lunch and dinner. University of Wisconsin-Platteville Dining Services Registered Dietitian Stephanie Young shares some advice as she encourages students, faculty, staff and community members to use this time to become creative in the kitchen.

Admission advisors at UW-Platteville are the face of the university to prospective students and their families – sometimes hundreds in a week. So, when on-campus visits were suspended less than a month ago, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, admission advisors were tasked to quickly find a way to share the UW-Platteville experience, virtually. Rising to the challenge, the recruitment team worked together to overhaul the campus visit in less than three weeks and conducted their first virtual visits last week.

The UW-Platteville facilities staff is undergoing extensive training to proactively prepare for any possible COVID-19 infections. Mark Miner, an assistant professor in Industrial Studies who is the program coordinator for two university safety programs, is lending his assistance to about 50 staff members.

“We are all sacrificing much for the COVID-19 crisis. I didn't want my students to sacrifice anything more than they had to,” said Dr. A. L. Ranen McLanahan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Platteville. To help transition his thermal systems lab courses into a new alternative delivery, he created four interactive lab-simulating applications for his students to download, calling the series, “Little Dude in Consulting World.” The apps allow students to control a 2D avatar who explores a 2D lab world from inside the classroom.

Teresa Miller, assistant director of University Counseling Services, offers some advice to the UW-Platteville community as they cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

As dean of UW-Platteville’s College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture, Dr. Wayne Weber presides over a wide range of academic programs, all of which seem to be introducing new, imaginative initiatives at the same time.

When University of Wisconsin-Platteville alumnus Brett Timmerman first arrived at the university in August 2001, he was excited about beginning his college career. Despite his excitement, however, he also had some apprehension, but he proceeded into uncertainty, never imagining that someday, he would become a successful realtor and political fundraiser.

Dr. Mehdi Roopaei is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and joined UW-Platteville in 2018. He has several research interests, including machine learning and artificial intelligence.

For as long as she can remember, Blair Schuler, a senior theatre major at UW-Platteville, has loved performing. When she graduates from UW-Platteville this May, she hopes to pursue a career in theatre performance and/or costume design.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many UW-Platteville students are finding themselves facing mounting financial challenges. But in a show of Pioneer spirit, many alumni, friends, faculty and staff have already stepped in to help. Created in 2019, the Pioneers Helping Pioneers fund provides emergency financial support to students with unexpected expenses, outside of tuition. When a call for assistance went out to alumni, friends, faculty and staff last week, more than $5,500 was raised for the fund in only a few days, with donations continuing to come in.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is partnering with a local hospital to help protect health care workers on the front lines of COVID-19. The College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science shop supervisors are using 3D printers to create face shields for medical professionals at Southwest Health.

Kayla Golden, a senior electrical engineering student at UW-Platteville, created the Platteville-area Mutual Aid and Collective Care Network – a support network for Platteville-area residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville Chancellor Dennis J. Shields announced that Dr. Tammy Evetovich has been appointed provost and vice chancellor of Academic Affairs at UW-Platteville.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is pleased to announce Dr. Kristina Navarro as the new director of athletics and assistant chancellor for sports administration.

“The older you get the more you appreciate the opportunities you had at the university because you begin to see how fortunate you are to have attended UW-Platteville,” said Robert Bates ’70. Bates credits his educational experience at Wisconsin State University-Platteville in helping him create his civil engineering firm, Bates Engineering Inc., located in Denver, Colorado. Now, he’s making a long-term commitment to his alma mater through the endowed Bates Engineering Inc. scholarship.

Four UW-Platteville health and human performance students recently planned and led the second annual “Health and Human Performance Pre-Professional Conference” for more than 140 students in the university’s Williams Fieldhouse.

Ever since she arrived at UW-Platteville in September 2016, Sydney McDonald, a senior psychology major with a criminal justice minor, has pursued as many hands-on learning opportunities the university offered as she could. She knew that these experiences would enable her to gain the knowledge, skills and experience she needed to excel in her chosen field, social work.

UPDATE: Due to safety and health concerns around COVID-19, this event has been cancelled as a precautionary measure. The UW-Platteville Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering is partnering with OpenPOWER to present the Big Data and AI Workshop on Tuesday, April 7. Attendees will learn about the latest research and development on big data, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.

Ongoing work, involving students, in analyzing, cataloging, and sharing the DNA profiles of native grasses and other plant life in preserves and open spaces around Sauk County will aid prairie restoration efforts in communities across Wisconsin and in other regions as well. That’s according to research currently performed by University of Wisconsin-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County students Emily Forbush and Brooke Martin, who together are working to understand what grasses and plants make up a thriving prairie in the rocky and all-season conditions found near the campus.

Students and faculty at UW-Platteville are researching an animal that some Platteville residents might be surprised to learn they have in their own backyard – the southern flying squirrel.