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AI reshaping industry: �� professor develops unique approach to chatbot use in pharmacology, human biology

goersab — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:45:00 +0000

AI reshaping industry: �� professor develops unique approach to chatbot use in pharmacology, human biologygoersab January 14, 2026

Grant develops student-driven projects; finds high accuracy in AI-dispensed information

Abbey Goers

Professor Jennifer Grant, with �� . biology department, has been curious about how well everyday chatbots dispense health information, including pharmacology advice and influences on human health.

“You sometimes hear that these tools can give distorted or misleading answers, and that ��. what first caught my attention,” she said.

To quell her curiosity, Grant began several lines of AI research and developed projects for her introductory pharmacology and 100-level human biology students. For the results of the first study, Grant published a peer-reviewed manuscript, with reviews that noted that she is developing a unique angle on chatbot use in health care.

“Looking ahead, I plan to develop curricula that teach both students and, eventually, patients how to critically evaluate the quality of chatbot responses. Those skills will be of paramount importance in a world overflowing with digital advice,” Grant said.

When everyday chatbots dispense advice

A plot graph comparing ChatGPT and Copilot / Jennifer Grant

Grant asked her pharmacology students to put three chatbots to the test: ChatGPT, Copilot and Gemini. Their task was simple: ask the chatbots about the safety profiles of specific medications and look for errors. They looked at correctness and rated how thorough and helpful the generated answers were.

“To my surprise, and theirs, students found that the chatbot responses were highly accurate,” she said. “And yes, the chatbots differed. Each had their own style, and students preferred when chatbots organized information in a helpful way.”

Grant recently published an article on her findings in the open-access journal Discover Artificial Intelligence, titled “Undergraduates perceive differences in helpfulness and thoroughness of responses of ChatGPT 3.0, Gemini 1.5, and Copilot responses about drug interactions.”

“I published this research because this is truly a new academic frontier. This work is also very timely, because we believe that many people already consult everyday chatbots for medical advice,” she said.

Access to better information on human health

The pharmacology project experience led Grant to wonder how this approach could help students in her human biology class. Because the goals in that course are different, Grant redesigned the activity.

Instead of focusing on medications, students used Copilot and ChatGPT to explore how molecules influence human health. Every other week, students asked the chatbots a question tied to the organ system the class was studying. Early results showed that the chatbots provided accurate information, and Grant is excited to work up the rest of the data.

“Chatbots are everywhere now, which means learners and patients have more information at their fingertips than ever before. My hope is that this work will help people get better information, not just more of it,” she said.

A third line of Grant ��. research addresses biochemistry, using AI software to look at how proteins fold. These student projects are in mid-stage, with outcomes expected by June.

“I am very excited about these projects and will start looking for high-power collaborators with bespoke AI chatbots this spring,” she said.

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Grant develops student-driven projects; finds high accuracy in AI-dispensed information Jennifer Grant research, ChatGPT vs Copilot plot graph

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Biology Department

Biology helps us understand ourselves, other species, and our place in the earth's ecology, and what life is and how it functions.

�� . biology department offers undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and molecular biology; applied science; biology; environmental science; as well as an online professional science master's in conservation biology. �� also offers degrees in chemistry and physics.

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Jennifer Grant

Teaching Interests: Proteomics (Bio425); Biochemistry (Chem311); General Chemistry (Chem135); Human Biology Lecture & Laboratory (Bio132); Biochemistry Lecture & Laboratory (Chem311); Introduction to Biotechnology (Bio210, Online); Advanced Biotechnology (Bio470); Introductory Biology (Bio101); General Chemistry (Chem 135); Biology of Aging (Bio125)

Research Interests: The impact of proteins in disease and the creation of functional foods using biochemistry.

Professional Interests: Mass spectrometry, protein chemistry, protein separations.

Full Name: Jennifer E. Grant, Ph.D.

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Area of Expertise: Mass Spectrometry Protein Chemistry Protein Separations

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Curriculum Vitae: Jennifer Grant CV (445.53 KB)

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Degree: Ph.D. Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology

University: University of Wisconsin Medical School

Degree: M.S. Biochemistry

University: Case Western Reserve University Medical School

Degree: B.A. Biochemistry

University: Oberlin College

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Biology professor joins team of scientists to study glacial methane emissions in Iceland

goersab — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 14:51:50 +0000

Biology professor joins team of scientists to study glacial methane emissions in Icelandgoersab January 31, 2025

Research finds small organisms play significant role in slowing emission of greenhouse gas

Abbey Goers

In the summers of 2018 and 2019, an all-female team of scientists ventured to the glaciers of Iceland to research the complex interactions between glacial systems, climate change and methane emissions.

Their findings were recently published in Scientific Reports. The study, one of only a handful of its kind, examined how melting glaciers release trapped methane – a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming – and how microbes in glacial streams and lakes prevent that methane from reaching the atmosphere.

The team was led by 2019 National Geographic Explorer Kristin Strock, associate professor of environmental studies at Dickinson College.

Nicole Hayes at Solheimjokull / Nicole Hayes

She was joined by �� biology and environmental science Assistant Professor Nicole Hayes; Bridget Deemer, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey; and Dickinson student Rachel Krewson.

“Studies that span the land, ice, water, and air are rare because it requires an interdisciplinary and full ecosystem kind of perspective,” said Strock, who noted the critical work was possible because of the team ��. interdisciplinary fields.

Clues to mitigating climate change in polar regions

Hayes’ research is on the effects of climate change on aquatic ecosystems, such as lakes and reservoirs.

She met Strock and Deemer when the three were PhD graduates, and together, they applied for a National Geographic Explorer grant to research the “Thermal controls on methane dynamics in Icelandic lakes: In-situ incubations across a geothermal temperature gradient.”

Nicole Hayes, right, and Bridget Deemer at a glacial lake / Nicole Hayes

Polar ecosystems are being affected by climate change at a higher rate, including sea ice thinning, permafrost melting and accelerated glacial melt, with rapid loss of ice volume reported in 260 small glaciers across the globe.

“These ecosystems are really interesting because as they start to warm, they release greenhouse gases that have been trapped under the ice,” Hayes said.

“We know that under glaciers is the right environment for methane-producing microbes to live. These microbes create methane as part of their metabolism. As glaciers melt, they release large amounts of methane – a potent greenhouse gas.”

In their journey across Iceland, the team collected samples at four locations from three glaciers: Langjökull, Snæfellsjökull, and Sólheimajökull. At Sólheimajökull, they sampled water from a paraglacial lake and river.

To reach these locations, they rented a four-wheel pickup truck from an outfitter, drove down long gravel roads and parked on the side of the road to begin their trek to each site.

Nicole Hayes, left, and Bridget Deemer collecting meltwater samples / Nicole Hayes

With no lab base, they carried in all their equipment, including inflatable rafts, oars and an electric trolling motor, as no gas motors were allowed.

“There were constant 20 miles-per-hour winds. It was very challenging to do fieldwork,” Hayes said. “But Iceland is very cool. At Thingvellir National Park, it is one of the few places where the Mid-Atlantic Rift is above sea-level. You can stand in the middle of two tectonic plates. Iceland is also famous for its midges – non-biting mosquitoes that emerge in mass every spring. They were everywhere.”

The team tested glacial meltwater samples onsite using the headspace equilibrium method – or shaky bottle method, Hayes said.

“By filling bottles with meltwater, measuring the amount of methane at the start, incubating them for 24 hours and agitating the bottles, we could then measure the methane in the shaken gas bubbles to tell us how much methane the aquatic microbes in the ecosystem used up.

“Methane is an important molecule for some microbes, which use the gas in their metabolism and turn it into carbon dioxide,” Hayes said.

Nicole Hayes at Djupavatn / Nicole Hayes

The team found that when glacial meltwater enters lakes and streams, the microbes in the tributaries can consume large amounts of methane via a natural biological process called microbial methane oxidation, which may reduce atmospheric methane emissions from glaciers by up to 53%, significantly mitigating the impact of the greenhouse gas.

By incorporating methane oxidation into estimates of glacial methane emissions, scientists can more accurately assess the impact of melting glaciers on the global climate.

This expedition led Hayes to think more about under-ice research. Locally, she has studied how climate change may be affecting Lake Menomin, just blocks away from ��.

“Climate change is affecting our winter conditions here in Wisconsin, too,” she said. “Often, we think of lakes being inactive in the winter, because light tends to be limited under the snow and ice. But with warmer winters and thinner ice, we’ve been looking at how much algae is growing under the ice. We can ask questions like, ‘Does a greener winter lake affect the summer algal blooms?’”

Eystra Gíslholtsvatn, a glacial lake in Iceland / Nicole Hayes

Hayes thinks the best way to protect polar regions, glaciers, lakes and reservoirs, and the best way to combat climate change is through government policies and individual actions.

“In Wisconsin, we all experience the effects of climate change firsthand. Warmer winters with less snow and less ice mean less ice fishing, skiing and snowmobiling,” Hayes said. “The data collected by scientists across the globe is just as clear. Humans are changing Earth ��. climate. The real question is, how are we solving climate change.”

�� environmental science Program Director Mandy Little believes that “We are lucky that our faculty are highly engaged in globally important research and bring that cutting-edge experience to our students’ courses and research in environmental science and biology.”

The study was originally proposed by Krewson as part of her senior research thesis in environmental science as a student at Dickinson.

The team ��. research was funded by a grant from the National Geographic Society, with additional support from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Churchill Exploration Fund and the Dickinson College Research and Development Fund.

�� . biology department offers undergraduate degrees in applied science; biochemistry and molecular biology; biology; and environmental science, as well as an online master's conservation biology. �� also offers degrees in chemistry and physics.

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Research finds small organisms play significant role in slowing emission of greenhouse gas Nicole Hayes' research

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Nicole Hayes

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STEAM Day opens world of career, academic possibilities in �� . labs, studios

goersab — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 17:36:59 +0000

STEAM Day opens world of career, academic possibilities in �� . labs, studiosgoersab November 21, 2024

Menomonie High School sophomores have hands-on experiences in workshops across campus

Abbey Goers

The Menomonie High School sophomore class glimpsed the possibilities open in STEAM careers – science, technology, engineering, art and math – during hands-on workshops at �� recently.

The 225 students broke into small groups and attended workshops led by faculty and instructional staff, including activities in anatomy, automation, psychology, physics, proteins, thermodynamics, natural history, the biology and behavior of honeybees, testing water and food quality, nonfiction comics, packaging, construction, design and more.

National STEAM Day, on Nov. 8, introduces young students to STEAM fields and careers. / ��

“Each workshop was designed to inspire curiosity and highlight �� . unique polytechnic focus, blending creativity with practical, applied skills. This inaugural event offered students an authentic glimpse into STEAM disciplines, illustrating their relevance to future careers and academic opportunities,” said biology Lecturer Tiffany Hoage, College of STEMM project coordinator.

The field trip on Nov. 8 aligned with National STEAM Day. STEAM Day is a part of Menomonie High School ��. Academic and Career Planning process, which encourages students to investigate a variety of potential career pathways, said Principal Casey Drake.

“�� has been very willing to work with our vision of what the STEAM Day structure could be so that the students experience a dynamic and hands-on set of activities. We believe having a full understanding of potential next steps is critical,” Drake said. “We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with ��. We have the same goal of providing outstanding learning experiences for our area ��. youth and encouraging them to think about their post-secondary options.”

�� also offers summer STEAM camp experiences for middle and high school students to discover career paths in science, technology, engineering, and art and design, while nurturing creativity and critical thinking skills through lab workshops led by faculty and university students.

Students use simple electrodes to test signal processes in their bodies. / ��

The Body Electric

Students learned how muscles, nerves and the heart use electricity to send signals throughout the body in the Body Electric workshop.

Led by Dr. Alex Hall and biology Lecturer Shelby Saenger in the university ��. Cadaver Lab in Jarvis Hall Science Wing, students saw how this happens at the cellular level and then tested the process on their own bodies using a simple electrode and software system.

“They got to see their own body electricity at work and how the ‘wiring’ for our bodies is set up,” Hall explained. “They saw the electrical impulses from their muscle contractions and heartbeats – like in an EKG – and timed the nerve signaling to their muscles in reaction to a stimulus.”

Students saw a brain, spinal cord and nerves from one of the lab ��. body donors to observe sensory versus motor neuron axons coming into and out of the spinal cord. They saw a heart with a pacemaker attached, used when a patient ��. own cardiac electrical system isn’t working properly.

“We hope that the students were able to see that the things they learn about in school have direct connections to how even their own bodies function, as well as to learn that our body systems are amazing,” Hall said.

“The key to learning is to always stay curious. There are so many incredible things at work in our bodies and our world,” she added.

Food science faculty and student lab assistants help high school students run a water quality test. / ��

Testing of Food and Water Quality

Students in a food science lab in Heritage Hall engaged in a Testing of Food and Water Quality experiment. They tested tap water, fountain water and environment samples using rapid, ready-to-use, low-cost test kits for the detection of indicator microorganisms, such as coliform or E. coli pathogens, in water and food.

“I believe we keep young students curious to learn more if we provide them with hands-on, engaging activities and experiments that allow them to explore concepts directly, ask questions, and discover answers through trial and error, while connecting scientific concepts to real-world application,” said food science and technology Program Director Taejo Kim.

Kim provided students with easy, step-by-step manuals to walk them through the rapid test kit process and techniques, explaining the principles of the test, its benefits, sensitivity and specificity, safety and precautions.

The manuals also helped them understand the chemical and biological principles of the test kits and how research in rapid testing techniques is important to ensure food quality and safety in the food industry.

Students in the Controls and Instrumentation Lab see how automation processes begin. / ��

A Look at Automation

Across campus in Fryklund Hall ��. Motion, Controls and Instrumentation Engineering Lab, engineering technology Program Director Mike Miller helped students to understand what automation is, how circuits are set up and how devices interact with each other.

“Overall, what makes things operate,” Miller said.

Equipment in the lab includes controls trainers, hydraulics trainers, power electronic trainers and Rockwell digital twin software.

Students first learned the function of each trainer and then hooked up their own circuits to watch its operations.

“If you like to build, fix, or simply understand things, engineering is a field to consider,” Miller said.

More than 65 �� faculty, staff and students were involved in STEAM Day. It was organized by Hoage and Drake, Senior Admissions Counselor Jeanie Albricht, College of Arts and Human Sciences Associate Dean Jennifer Astwood, Educational Pathways and Outreach, and MHS counselors Kayla Hundt and Lee Vang.

�� and Menomonie High School also collaborate on Direct Admit, the Early College Credit program, the transcription of high school courses for dual credit, and providing students with leadership opportunities in conjunction with the Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce and in the community.

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Menomonie High School sophomores have hands-on experiences in workshops across campus STEAM Day, fall 2024

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Hero Caption: The Menomonie High School sophomore class of 225 students had hands-on experiences in ��'s labs and studios as part of STEAM Day.

Tiffany Hoage

As the Youth Program Manager at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin ��. ��, I design and lead initiatives that help young learners discover their strengths, spark curiosity, and see themselves as innovators and problem-solvers.

Through programs such as STEAM summer camps, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), SkillsUSA, and Science Olympiad, students explore emerging fields, build technical and transferable skills, and gain confidence in their academic and career pathways.

By collaborating with faculty, student leaders, PK-12 and higher education partners, industry, and youth-serving organizations, I help expand access to high-impact experiences that develop future-ready talent and strengthen communities.

If you are interested in partnering, I welcome the opportunity to connect and explore how we can create meaningful impact together.

Bio Introduction: Youth Program Manager at UW–Stout collaborating with schools, industry, and community partners to advance PK-12 career exploration and workforce readiness.

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Jeanie Albricht

Hello! My name is Jeanie, and I am from Central Wisconsin. I was very fortunate to have known exactly what I wanted to do when I grow up. I wanted to run a restaurant! That is where �� came in, they have the best program for Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management in the area. I didn’t even look at any other colleges because I knew. We got to travel to different hotels, restaurants, and run our own restaurant here on campus. Even though our program was big, you didn’t feel like you were just another number. I earned my degree and worked in restaurants for a very long time until I decided to come back to �� to work in Admissions as a First-Year Admissions Counselor. Now I get to share what �� has to offer and the reasons why I loved Stout to prospective students.

What is your advice for a new student?

Slow-down! Take in and appreciate each moment you have as you grow! Don’t take anything for granted! Get involved inside and outside of the classroom.

What was your college major (and minor)?

B.S. Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management

What do you love most about ��?

Our hands-on approach, you learn so much by “Doing”

My favorite thing to do in Menomonie is…

I love supporting the local businesses... Menomonie has great restaurants and places to shop!

A random fact about me...

I was fortunate to cater for some of the stars that were performing in a local music festival!

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Bio Introduction: Schedule a virtual meeting with me at uwstout.edu/Jeanie

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High aspirations: Recent grads leverage Prehealth courses to pursue medical careers

polingj — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:34:10 +0000

High aspirations: Recent grads leverage Prehealth courses to pursue medical careerspolingj October 15, 2024

Brooks, Charest begin medical school, following in footsteps of recent alum who benefited from focused lab, research experiences

In 2010 when the $43 million, gleaming Jarvis Hall Science Wing addition was dedicated at ��, Gov. Jim Doyle and others called it the finest science facility in the state.

By at least one measure, the building with state-of-the-art lab equipment and classrooms is living up to its lofty billing: It has turned out dozens of graduates with a focus in Prehealth Sciences who have gone on to successful careers in professional health fields, including as doctors, pharmacists, dentists, chiropractors and more in Wisconsin and beyond.

Two recent graduates are beginning medical school this fall, Anna Brooks at the UW-Madison and Olivier Charest at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. “I am extremely grateful for all the doors that Stout has opened for me,” Brooks said. “It ��. an amazing place to go to college.”

Anna Brooks, a 2023 �� applied science graduate with a focus on Prehealth Sciences, celebrated her white coat ceremony after beginning medical school this fall at UW-Madison. / Contributed photo

Prehealth Sciences is a focus area that offers targeted preparation for admission to professional schools. It can be added to �� . preparatory bachelor ��. programs, including biology, chemistry, physics, applied science, biochemistry and molecular biology, and health, wellness and fitness. The programs provide students with lab-based classroom and research experiences, part of the polytechnic advantage.

Brooks and Charest were aiming for medical school all along, knowing Prehealth Sciences would put them on the right track. They appreciated the mentorship of professors like Jim Burritt, Jen Grant and Dr. Alex Hall. Focused and inspired, they conducted research projects, mentored other students and were involved on campus and in the community, earning scholarships and awards and graduating with honors.

“The strength of UW Stout for Prehealth students is that not only do we have a lot of hands-on opportunities, but class sizes are small. Students really get to know their professors, who also really get to know them,” Hall said. “This allows for a lot of collaboration, research opportunities and mentorship.”

Anna Brooks works on a research project in a �� lab. / ��

‘This is exactly what I want to do’

Brooks recalled one class where students worked on removing a gene from a strain of yeast and another in which they led their own project studying the impact of various medications on cancer cells that had been created in the lab by the professor.

“I’ve heard from other students at big institutions who didn’t have the hands-on research opportunities I had at Stout, like the Cadaver Lab,” said Brooks, who loved the small class sizes and ability to work closely with her professors.

Brooks, who was born in Ukraine, graduated in May 2023 from �� in applied science then was chosen for a 10-week internship at UW Medical School Urology Lab. In 2022, she interned at the University of Washington Medical School.

Anna Brooks accepts her diploma in applied science from ��. / ��

While applying to medical schools in 2023, she worked as a phlebotomist at Mayo Clinic Red Cedar in Menomonie. “I witnessed the whole synergy of the team and what a physician does. It was a pleasure to see that kind of collaboration,” she said. “It reassured me that this is exactly what I want to do.”

She remembers the day in January when she received a call from a dean at UW-Madison telling her she’d been accepted into the medical school, something she first considered as a 10-year-old while coming across a medical publication. She celebrated with her Mayo Red Cedar co-workers, exclaiming, “I’m going to be a doctor!”

Olivier Charest, a 2024 graduate, began medial school this fall at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada. / Contributed photo

‘The support is there and the equipment top notch’

Charest, who graduated in applied science this past May, also was a Blue Devil athlete. He played hockey but saw his career derailed in his second season by a knee injury. He had other knee injuries going back to his high school days; one subsequent interaction with a physician who helped him avoid surgery with a knee strengthening program sparked an interest in medicine as a career.

“If I could have the same impact that doctor had on me, the empathy she had toward my situation, if I could add this to any patient I see on a daily basis that ��. what I’m really looking forward to as a doctor. Most patients come in in a vulnerable position. I was able to be in the shoes of my future patients,” he said.

Charest had a competitive internship in summer 2023, one of 18 chosen from 300 applicants, at the University of Rochester Medical School in Rochester, N.Y., focusing on pediatrics. “I saw the research side and the clinical side. Being able to see what I’ll do in the field was great,” he said.

Olivier Charest, left, with Professor Jen Grant and student Ava Cinealis, accepts a �� research award. / ��

While at ��, Charest became a certified nursing assistant and volunteered as a CNA in palliative care at Dove West Healthcare in Eau Claire and in the emergency department at Red Cedar Mayo. “Many people believed in me and paved the way for me to succeed, so being able to have these opportunities meant the world to me,” he said.

His education at �� gave him the independence to explore opportunities in the labs and through research. “The program teaches you a lot of qualities you need in the field and helps you grow a little faster. The support is there, and the equipment is top notch.”

Kym Ludwig Klimek, a 2013 graduate, earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UW-Madison and is a pharmacist in Green Bay. / Contributed photo

From Prehealth Sciences to professionals

Charest and Brooks are excited to take the next step in their careers this fall. They will have four years of medical school, followed by a three- to seven-year residency, depending on the field of medicine they choose.

The University of Sherbrooke, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, is about an hour ��. drive from the Montreal suburbs where Charest grew up. Brooks has moved to Madison with her husband, also a �� graduate.

Another spring 2024 graduate, Chaeyun Jung, began pharmacy school this fall at the University of Minnesota.

December 2023 graduate Henry Scheit is attending St. Catherine University in St. Paul for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Trever Koester, a 2018 graduate, finished Harvard Medical School and is a surgical resident doctor at the University of Michigan Medical. / Contributed photo

They add to an already long list of graduates in the past 15-plus years choosing a variety of health and medical fields. They include:

Kym Ludwig Klimek, 2013 graduate, finished pharmacy school at UW-Madison and is a pharmacist in Green Bay.
Nolan Green, 2015 graduate, is a doctor of osteopathy with Mayo Clinic. He graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dylan Meyer, 2015 graduate, did post-doctorate research at Harvard Medical School and is a research scientist at Vertex Pharma in Boston.
Matt Flesher, 2017 graduate, graduated from the St. Scholastica physical therapy program and works at Tamarack Health in Hayward.
Trever Koester, 2018 graduate, finished Harvard Medical School and is a surgical resident at University of Michigan Medicine.
Neal Wrobel, 2019 graduate, earned a Ph.D. in biomedical science at Rush University in Chicago and is a biomedical research scientist at Rush University Medical Center.
Issabella Stueck, 2020 graduate, attended Palmer College of Chiropractic and is a chiropractor in Appleton.

Other recent alum are working as dentists, physician assistants, nurses, surgical first assistants, athletic trainers, clinical lab technicians and clinical trial coordinators.

###

In 2010 when the $43 million, gleaming Jarvis Hall Science Wing addition was dedicated, Gov. Jim Doyle and others called it the finest in the state. Anna Brooks white coat

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Alexandra Hall

Dr. Hall trained and worked as a family physician for over two decades and now works full-time for the Biology department. She has been teaching since 2013 and loves sharing her knowledge of and enthusiasm for the marvels of the human body with her students. As the Pre-Health Advisor, she also supports Stout students pursuing future careers in the health professions.

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PHOTO ESSAY: A New Histology Lab

goersab — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 15:00:00 +0000

PHOTO ESSAY: A New Histology Labgoersab September 3, 2024

Discover biological and biomedical student research on the microscopic level

Abbey Goers

A new Histology Lab will open this fall semester, providing cutting-edge educational and hands-on research opportunities for students and faculty in �� . applied biochemistry and molecular biology; applied science; and biology programs.

“The Histology Lab enables hands-on learning in tissue preparation and analysis and provides new opportunities for biological and biomedical research. By studying the microscopic structure of tissues, we can gain valuable insights into their function and pathology,” said Lecturer Tiffany Hoage.

“Furthermore, it complements the Cadaver Lab, as students are now able to observe both microscopic (cell/tissue-level) anatomy and gross (organ-level) anatomy.”

Last spring semester, Hoage worked with seniors Ethan Kalin and Natalie Mercill to establish the space within Jarvis Hall Science Wing ��. larger biotechnology labs.

Histology is the study of the microscopic structures of biological tissues and is important for medical diagnosis, forensic investigation and scientific study.

While �� . Histology Lab is not intended to diagnose patients, it will help students prepare for their future careers in biological and biomedical research and health care fields.

As they were establishing the Histology Lab, Kalin and Mercill learned how to operate the equipment, which includes a Leica EG1160 paraffin embedding center, a Leica RM2255 rotary microtome, a Fisher Scientific warm water bath and staining equipment.

They used such equipment only once before during a tour of Mayo Clinic ��. histology department with the university ��. Prehealth Society.

“The tour definitely got us interested in histology,” Mercill said.

In May, Kalin, of Maplewood, Minn., graduated from �� in applied science, with a concentration in biology and minors in cognitive neuroscience and chemistry. Mercill, of Woodbury, Minn., graduated in biology from UW-Eau Claire.

They now work at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Kalin is a clinical lab technologist in a genomics lab, extracting DNA for cancer and hereditary disease diagnosis. Mercill does phlebotomy as a lab services technician and is starting the cardiovascular invasive specialist program at the Mayo School of Health Science, where she will learn the skills to assist with diagnostic and therapeutic invasive cardiology procedures.

“Getting to work in the Histology Lab made me much more confident in my ability to pick up new techniques and put them into practice. I believe this has helped me work through training I have undergone at my new position in Rochester. I hope to see the lab we created allow for other students to grow in the same ways I have and discover new passions that will help expand their horizons,” Kalin said.

Revisiting the lab before it opens for the semester, Kalin and Mercill practice what their peers will soon be experiencing in class.

They extract the brain from a zebrafish and use the microwave method to dehydrate the tissue to prepare it for paraffin embedding. Zebrafish are a model organism for research, as the fish shares more than 80% of genes known to trigger diseases in humans, such as cancer types and heart disease.

“The brain of an adult zebrafish is about four millimeters in length, or the width of a sunflower seed. Even with that small of a tissue sample, you can create hundreds of microscope slides,” Mercill said.

At the paraffin embedding center, Kalin places the silver mold under the paraffin wax dispenser and partially fills it. He uses a forceps to place the tissue into the molten wax.

He places an embedding cassette, a blue plastic slotted tray about one-inch square, into the silver mold. Additional molten paraffin wax is added, and he places mold on a cooling platform to solidify the wax and form the tissue block.

Mercill readies the rotary microtome to slice the tissue block into sections around five microns thick. By comparison, an average human hair has a diameter of 100 microns.

She clamps the tissue block into the microtome and installs a blade into the holder below. Turning the operating handle, she moves the block up and down to slice it, creating a length of perforated squares for microscope slides.

Mercill uses a pair of tweezers to lift a perforated section from the tray and hands it to Kalin, who lays it in the warm water bath, heated to 37 degrees Celsius, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

As it floats on top, the warm water flattens and smooths the section, and it is adhered to a slide and dried.

The sections are then stained to observe the tissue ��. components. Specific stains are used to better visualize cells and structures of interest, Hoage explained, noting thioflavin-S highlights the amyloid beta, a protein that accumulates in the brains of patients with Alzheimer ��. disease, while H&E – hematoxylin and eosin – is used to stain DNA purplish blue and the rest of the cell pink.

Under the microscope, Kalin and Mercill observe zebrafish tissue stained with H&E.

The initiative to establish the lab stemmed from an Honors College project in fall 2023 that involved Kalin and Mercill dissecting a brain from a cadaver with Alzheimer ��. disease. They wanted to further their educational experience and see the microscopic pathology of Alzheimer ��. disease, so their mentor Dr. Alex Hall connected them with Hoage.

With a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from Mayo Clinic Graduate School and histology experience from her thesis research, Hoage was thrilled at the opportunity to help establish the Histology Lab.

“With Ethan and Natalie helping to set up the lab and now working at Mayo, it feels like they’re completing the cycle,” Hoage said.

The lab allowed them to continue their project at the microscopic level when they successfully sectioned and stained the cadaver brain to see amyloid beta plaques.

In another project, Kalin and Mercill compared the conventional method of tissue processing with the microwave method for processing zebrafish tissues.

“Their preliminary findings show both tissue processing methods are equivalent with respect to tissue integrity and staining quality,” Hoage said. “Their findings are important, as the microwave method takes less than one hour versus the conventional method, which takes about six hours. The shorter processing time will allow the microwave method to be integrated within a regular lab period.”

Kalin and Mercill were among nearly 300 undergraduate and graduate students who presented at �� . Research Day in April. Kalin also presented his temporal analysis at Research in the Rotunda in March at the state Capitol.

During their undergrad, Kalin and Mercill volunteered in the Cadaver Lab with Hall, giving tours to visiting high school students. Nearly 300 students from 15 high schools visited last semester to examine human organ systems on the 75-minute tour.

�� . Pre-Health Pathways prepares students to enter medical school and other health care fields, including chiropractic, dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, occupational therapy, veterinary medicine and more.

Pre-health degrees include applied biochemistry and molecular biology; biology; health, wellness and fitness; rehabilitation services ; applied science, with an interdisciplinary science concentration; dietetics; environmental science with an environmental health concentration; human development and family studies; and psychology.

The biology, chemistry and physics majors have branched out of the applied science program, giving students the option to focus their degree on their science of choice.

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Stout University Foundation support student research and dissemination projects through internal and external grant programs.

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PHOTO ESSAY: A Fish Tale

goersab — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 19:30:00 +0000

PHOTO ESSAY: A Fish Talegoersab August 20, 2024

Discover what Ichthyology students encounter on Lake Superior shores

Abbey Goers

The waves of Gitche Gumee roll high this afternoon. Churning brown crests surge and crash onto the beach at Wisconsin Point on Lake Superior, dragging large hunks of driftwood up and down the sand. The size of the waves is heightened as freighter ships cruise by.

The Great Lake calls to a group of 15 �� students, even as the cold spray clings to their faces and water threatens to fill their waders.

They’ve been waiting for this – “Fish Camp,” – their affectionate name for the fourth and final week of the hybrid summer Ichthyology course, where they’re learning about fish biology and the diversity of species in Wisconsin.

Students watch the waves on Lake Superior, preparing to take out the seine nets / Terry Mortier

For the first three weeks of the course, Professor Mike Bessert provides his students with online video introductions about fish species, methods of research and regional relevance.

Their goal is to become familiar with the major families of fishes represented in the state; deepen their knowledge of the taxonomy, anatomy, physiology, behavior and ecology of fishes; and learn the impact of the fisheries industry and its management efforts.

“We are fortunate in Wisconsin to be located at the interface of a wide variety of aquatic systems – clear, cold streams of the Driftless Area, slow-moving marshes and wetlands, northern bogs, two of the Great Lakes and, of course, the St. Croix and Mississippi River main stems – home to more than 150 species of native freshwater fishes, as well as an increasing number of invasive species, such as round gobies and bighead carp,” explained Bessert, who designed the course 15 years ago.

Students and Professor Bessert work together to bring in the fish / Lyndsey Krist

The course is open to undergraduates as a part of Stout Core, foundational general education classes at Wisconsin ��. ��. Through Stout Core, students gain skills in natural sciences, communication, analytic and ethical reasoning, social responsibility and more, so they graduate ready to do more on day one.

The natural sciences – astronomy, geology, biology, chemistry and physics – requirement aims to introduce students to the sciences of the physical world and its phenomena.

Students observe both invasive species and native species / Jake Swanson

The course applies well to Brinley Tonn ��. environmental science major and concentration in environmental health.

“It seemed like a fun course to take to expand my knowledge on something that not a lot of people are aware of,” said Tonn, of Maple, Wis., just 10 miles from Lake Superior. “It was a very exciting week, and I was shocked at how fast it went by. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested.”

Environmental science major Brinley Tonn holds a large redhorse sucker / Lyndsey Krist

The “Fish Camp” home base is Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary, a nature preserve and learning center near Sarona, 70 miles north of �� and another 70 miles to Lake Superior.

They spend time fishing from canoes and kayaks on a local chain of lakes, collecting and studying fish on site, including observing spawning sunfish species.

They visit a gushing waterfall flooded by heavy summer rains and travel to various fish-related destinations, including the Iron River National Fish Hatchery, and Everett ��. Fisheries, a fish processing business in Port Wing owned by the family of one of Bessert ��. former students.

The field experience included several side trips, including an area waterfall / Lyndsey Krist

One early foggy morning, the group leaves Hunt Hill and heads to the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, Minn. Bessert is friends with the aquarium director, who gives the students a behind-the-scenes tour.

They then head back across the two-mile-long Bong Memorial Bridge to Wisconsin Point, a peninsula off the shore of Superior. Located within the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, the point is part of the world ��. largest freshwater bay mouth sand bar.

Students climb boulders along the shore and use driftwood to steady themselves in the waves / Lyndsey Krist

The students pile out of their vehicles, pull on their waders and head down to the shore. They help Bessert into his fitted drysuit, which will keep him warmer as he wades out past his chest to draw out the arc of the 100-foot-long seine – a fishing net with weights on the bottom and floats on top to keep it upright.

The students stay nearer to shore, wading up to their waists to bring the seine out, using long walking sticks they find on the beach to test the water ��. depth with each step.

As waves kick up the surf, the net catches more bits of driftwood than fish at first. The wind picks up inland as well and blows through the bogs. It drives an unexpected visitor to the lakeshore.

Terry Mortier, a retired metal worker from Hudson, travels around the state photographing its natural wonders. He is photographing indigenous butterfly species that inhabit the bogs, when it starts to be too windy, cloudy and cold for butterflying.

“You could say the weather drew, or more accurately drove me to the lake,” said Mortier, who joins the class for a few hours and captures their experience on camera.

Students brought the seine net in several times / Lyndsey Krist

Vivid memories of family smelting adventures as a kid come to mind as Mortier watches the students pull in the first couple runs with the seine.

“I was drawn into the excitement and couldn’t wait to see what was in the seine as it was being pulled to shore. The excitement of that last part of the pull as the net is closing and the fish are starting to bump – it was apparent on the students’ faces. It was contagious,” he said.

The students draw in the seine, and Bessert pulls up an eight-pound, two-foot-long redhorse, a native species of sucker – the largest fish they catch. They take turns taking photos with the redhorse and feel its natural slick sliminess and sheer strength as it wrestles to free itself from their grasp before they release it back to the water.

The students caught several species in the seine nets / Lyndsey Krist

In another draw of the net, they bring up a black crappie, several invasive gobies and a black bullhead catfish.

“I was super excited that we caught the catfish, as this was the species I wrote my life history paper on for a class assignment,” said Jay Tie, a video production student from Lakeville, Minn. “As my peers were busy working on trying to catch more fish, I spent time looking at the catfish.

“I later found out from my classmates that bullheads have venom in spines on their fins and can sting you. Looking back at this photo and seeing where this fish ��. fins are touching my hand, I’m grateful that it didn’t decide to hurt me,” he said.

Jay Tie holds a small black bullhead catfish / Jay Tie

On another day, the water is calm on Allouez Bay along Wisconsin Point and reflects the blue sky above, towering pines and sandstone shore. They wade up to their chests to drag smaller seines out from shore and take turns carrying smaller handheld nets and a shocker backpack for electrofishing.

The backpack is connected to an insulated six-foot wand, which the wearer uses to sweep the water and send an electric current to temporarily paralyze fish, allowing other students – protected from the current by their waders – to net, gather and observe species that rise to the surface before being released.

It is a method frequently used by the Department of Natural Resources during fish surveys and population counts.

Students follow Professor Bessert into a bog to electrofish to survey fish / Lindsey Krist

They explore the biodiversity in a bog, where spring peeper frogs call and ferns and marsh grasses rustle in the breeze. Entering the bog, their boots are sucked down into the soft mud as they trudge through the shallows with the shocker and nets, using their arms for balance.

Classmates observe from a wooden bridge just feet above.

Jay Tie and Jake Swanson watch a gobie in the Hunt Hill lab / Lyndsey Krist

Back at Hunt Hill, in the hands-on lab, they refer to a dichotomous key, live fish and preserved fish specimens to identify unknown species.

“I took part in this course because I’ve always loved fish. It was an amazing experience getting to know the field and gave me a whole new perspective,” said Jake Swanson, an applied mathematics and computer science major from Eden Prairie, Minn.

“It ��. hard work, but everyone worked together and used our resources to identify the 10 different fish that we caught during the day. It took hours, but it was such a fun time debating over what type of fish we were looking at,” he added.

Swanson would like to focus on aquatic biology and use his mathematics and computer skills to analyze fish.

A fish scale under a microscope / Jay Tie

Students also examine fish scales under a microscope to identify species.

“We looked at some of the smallest details to better understand our fish – counting the number of rays on a fin or the scales from the head to the tail of a fish,” Tie said. “While tedious, these labs were great bonding moments, with many debates over if a fish was yet another yellow perch or laughing as Professor Bessert started to doze off in the corner once the clock hit 10 p.m.”

Tie appreciates how welcoming Bessert is, especially to those unfamiliar with the field, as Tie came into the class with no knowledge of fish. Tie was excited at the opportunity to spend a week outdoors but was nervous about his lack of experience.

“Even with my lack of experience, I found myself waist-deep in waders trying to help catch fish with a giant net and using the shocker. My friend and I only ended up catching one fish about the size of my hand, but to a video production and graphic design student, it was a huge win,” Tie said.

The Ichthyology course is a general education Stout Core class / Lyndsey Krist

“There were so many things that I enjoyed during the field experience,” he added. “I haven’t had many opportunities to work this closely with students in other majors. I got to meet so many people I wouldn’t have otherwise run into. It offered me an opportunity into a space that I otherwise felt I didn’t belong. I’m not the type of person to go out fishing even though I do like the outdoors.”

One of Tie ��. favorite moments with Bessert was studying for the final in the Hunt Hill lab. Tie and his friends were visiting stations around the room, pointing to different fish and trying to remember their scientific family names.

“Professor Bessert joined in our excitement, shouting ‘Yes!’ while we recalled information we had been learning over the week,” he said.

Ben McDonald, Trev Wood, Amanda Valest and Brinley Tonn helping Professor Bessert out of his drysuit / Brinley Tonn

Other ichthyology students are:

Allison Bolterman, environmental science, Champlin, Minn.
Miguel Heegeman, industrial design, Marshfield
Oliver Hinds, animation and digital media, Maple Grove, Minn.
Elias Jeska, environmental science, Somerset
Lyndsey Krist, video production, Oak Creek
Paulette Lambert, environmental science, St. Paul
Ben McDonald, environmental science, Circle Pines, Minn.
Zack McFadden, graphic design and interactive media, Lakeville, Minn.
Theresa Stanislaw, applied science, Menomonie
Amanda Valest, applied science, Warrens
Brianna Wallin, human development and family studies, Caledonia, Minn.
Trev Wood, environmental science, St. Paul

“It was nice meeting Michael and his students,” Mortier said. “He certainly gave them an experience they will remember. I’m sure the challenging weather and turbulent lake, combined with the excitement of collecting specimens and the camaraderie of the field trip, provided the students with an experience far beyond that of a classroom. Memories that will last them a lifetime.”

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Discover what Ichthyology students encounter on Lake Superior shores Summer ichthyology students. Photo by Terry Mortier.

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Michael Bessert

Research Interests

I am interested in fish evolution, systematics, and conservation. Much of my current work is focused on molecular systematics, population genetics, and phylogeography in the North American freshwater fish genus Cycleptus (blue suckers), a group that inhabits large rivers in the Mississippi, Rio Grande, and Mobile basins of North America.

I am the first researcher to investigate genetic structure (on multiple levels) in the genus. Mitochondrial data clearly indicate the presence of a new, undescribed species from the Rio Grande basin. In addition, nuclear markers have revealed impacts of dams on genetic structure in the Missouri River as well as incomplete lineage sorting (in particular, an allophyletic condition) between the two described species. This work has important conservation implications as the genus occurs in 22 states, but none of the three species are considered stable in any of them (S3, vulnerable > SX, presumed extirpated).

I have also initiated or participated in other molecular genetic-based investigations in ecology, evolution, and behavior, such as research to characterize the molecular evolution of HIV-Clade C in Zambian mother/infant pairs. More recent efforts include a project to examine cloning frequency in a native plains thistle (Cirsium undulatum), studies of genetic mating systems in the nurseryfish (Kurtus gulliveri) of Australia and fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) of North America, phylogeographic studies in the plains topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus), and initiation of a long-term ichthyomonitoring project (incl. effects of drought) of fish assemblages in the Platte River forks of western Nebraska.

A new project that is taking shape here at Stout involves the assessment of genetic structure in native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations of the Driftless Area in western Wisconsin. This is a developing collaboration between Dr. Chuck Bomar, John Sours and others in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and Trout Unlimited (TU), a private organization.

�� lies on the northern rim of the Driftless Area, a region that was encircled - but untouched – by ice sheets during the last glacial maximum. The degree to which this ‘pocket’ within the ice acted as a refugium for aquatic organisms is largely unknown. It is possible that brook trout populations survived within. This species is popular among fly fishing enthusiasts and has been stocked in many regional drainages.

Still, there are a number of disjunct areas that contain populations which have never been stocked. These are of highest interest to the WDNR because stocked trout tend not to survive well in many (most?) streams. From an applied management standpoint, the WDNR would like to know how ‘genetically unique’ these endemic populations really are and, secondly, how much hybridization occurs in stocked streams.

Additional basic questions involve ascertainment of historical demographic patterns and an estimation of divergence time between unstocked endemics and other populations outside the Driftless Area. Using molecular techniques, we can directly test the refugium hypothesis. If the area did serve in this capacity, it is plausible that there are one or more cryptic, undescribed species in the region.

I actively seek the participation of undergraduates in all of my research endeavors – both in the field and in the laboratory. As a professional educator, I know the value of hands-on, inquiry-based experiences. If you are interested in working in my lab.

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Students from across country address water quality issues in Red Cedar watershed with �� mentors

goersab — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 18:17:31 +0000

Students from across country address water quality issues in Red Cedar watershed with �� mentorsgoersab July 22, 2024

LAKES researchers to present on dynamics of water quality, community efforts to protect it on Aug. 8 at Raw Deal in Menomonie

Abbey Goers

Undergraduate researchers from across the U.S. and Canada have spent the summer in the Chippewa Valley investigating water quality awareness, invasive species, groundwater pollutants, public opinion and local mitigation for positive change in the Red Cedar watershed.

Led by �� co-directors Professor Tina Lee and Senior Lecturer Arthur Kneeland, LAKES REU students from eight universities are collaborating on research to improve the health of the watershed and develop sustainable solutions with community and government partners, local citizens and policymakers.

The interdisciplinary team of students represents a range of academic fields: anthropology, biology, environmental science, political science, mechanical engineering, and applied mathematics and computer science.

LAKES students gather on a hillside for a soil lesson at a local farm / Tina Lee

Students and mentors will present their findings from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8, at the Raw Deal, 603 S. Broadway St., Menomonie. Community members are encouraged to join them in conversations about the local environment and issues facing the watershed.

Their research will be shared with local policymakers through reports, conversations and participation in the Red Cedar Water Quality Partnership in hopes of facilitating positive change in land use and water quality regulations and practices.

LAKES 2024 researchers

In addition to Lee and Kneeland, LAKES mentors include Professor Devin Berg, Assistant Professor Nicole Hayes and Professor Kim Zagorski.

“LAKES gives students the experience of being able to focus on research for a whole summer and to really immerse themselves in the problems they are working on. They get to work with and get to know community members and work on a problem that is important to the community,” Lee said.

Lee believes it ��. important to consider the issues of water quality and pollution from various angles, from the biology of pollutants to human interactions with waterways.

“To address the dynamics of water quality issues in the Red Cedar watershed, we need to understand the people who live and own land here in an empathic way,” she said. “Our research adds to our knowledge and helps inform those who are working to address water quality issues. It ��. important to understand the economic, social and cultural constraints people face as well as the capacities they have to help address problems, and these topics are a key focus of our work.”

Students, their degrees, schools and mentors are:

Murphy Boksanski: environmental science at University of San Francisco, Lee and Kneeland
Eva Elbert: environment and gender, sexuality, feminist and social justice studies at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Lee
Lara Erickson: environmental studies at Carleton College, Northfield, Minn., Zagorski
Olivia Franklin: community sustainability at UW-Stevens Point, Zagorski
Maya Hoffman: public health science at University of Maryland College Park, Hayes
Jennifer Kahn: biology at UW-Stevens Point, Hayes
Lucas Krueger: anthropology and history at Beloit College, Lee
Jessica Qualich: mechanical engineering at ��, Berg
Shayla Riley: public policy at Georgia State University, Atlanta, Zagorski

LAKES students collect plant samples during a soil lesson at a local farm / Tina Lee

LAKES REU is in its ninth year at ��. It is funded by the National Science Foundation and by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, which works to enhance its water-related academic programs.

Lindsey Redepenning, an applied mathematics and computer science student at ��, and Professor Keith Wojciechowski are collaborating with LAKES researchers. Their research is funded through a separate Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin grant.

“Environmental sustainability and water quality is such an important issue and one we can’t ignore. Mentoring students is the absolute best part of my job, and it ��. a privilege to get to know such an amazing group of young people each summer,” Lee said.

Making a decade of research accessible

Boksanski thinks that a direct pairing of science and communication is uncommon for undergraduate research opportunities, which makes LAKES stand out from other programs.

He is collaborating with local organizations to post infographics in the community to best present nearly a decade of LAKES research collected by nearly 100 students.

He read 20 peer-reviewed papers on scientific communication and found that different forms of communication appeal to different audiences and that the most effective presentations are jargon-free with simple statistics and offer background on researchers to give them credibility.

“The process of synthesizing nearly a decade ��. worth of data can be grueling. You cannot fit all the information into a few reports, so picking the most important information from each topic is the biggest challenge,” Boksanski said.

“But it is rewarding. To put everything together and share our research with our community is important and feels great.”

Social Science: Activism in the community

As an applied anthropologist, Lee feels strongly that she should apply her research skills to problems that affect the area “since I’ve made it my home and am raising my children here,” she said.

Her hope for Elbert and Krueger is that they build a strong grounding in interviewing and qualitative coding techniques and are more prepared to conduct research in their careers or graduate school.

LAKES students help with fencing at a local farm / Tina Lee

Elbert ��. project is connected to work Lee has been involved with in collaboration with Grassland 2.0. She is interviewing community members from a variety of sectors in the area to explore what a healthy rural community would look like to them, what changes they see that should be made and how the community might come together to make those changes.

Krueger will present on the history of environmental activism around the Red Cedar watershed. He is reviewing archival material and interviewing community members to highlight their efforts.

“From the Great Lakes to wild rice, to the success of Chicago and Minneapolis as river cities, water and Midwestern culture are nearly synonymous. By studying either, we learn more about both,” he said.

Krueger believes that changes in water are reflective of changes in culture, citing the reversal of the Chicago River by civil engineers in 1900 and the damming of the Red Cedar River in the 1880s to create a mill pond for the lumber industry, forming what is now Lake Menomin.

“By studying what people protected and how they did it, we can better appreciate the water and land around us,” he said.

Biology: surveys on wind patterns and zebra mussels

Hayes wants Hoffman ��. and Kahn ��. LAKES experience to be their first steps as independent researchers as they survey harmful aquatic plant and animal species on Lake Menomin.

“I want Maya and Jennifer to leave LAKES with a better understanding of the scope and magnitude of the impact humans have on lakes and of how much we still need to learn about lakes,” she said.

LAKES students Olivia Franklin, Lara Erickson, Jennifer Kahn and Maya Hoffman / ��

Kahn is surveying the zebra mussel population density and hopes to raise awareness of the invasive species. In one field experience, she led Hoffman, Erickson and Franklin on a search for the mollusks at Lakeside Boat Launch near the Menomonie Public Library.

The finding of zebra mussels in the lake is recent. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources discovered several hundreds of the mollusks last fall when removing docks from the lake before winter.

At Lakeside, Kahn turned over rock after rock and sifted through sediment. She identified several zebra mussels, as well as Chinese mystery snails, also an invasive species.

“There isn’t a way to get rid of zebra mussels once they arrive, but we can limit the spread. People need to be aware of the species’ presence to prevent accidental introductions to noninfested water bodies. They should inspect and remove any aquatic plants or animals from their boats, trailers and equipment before leaving a launch,” Kahn said.

LAKES students collect zebra mussels and Chinese mystery snails on Lake Menomin / ��

Hoffman is determining the impact of wind patterns on cyanobacteria bloom sizes and distribution.

This research on the harmful algae formations is her first exposure to limnology – the study of freshwater bodies. She has conducted different forms of data collection in the field, trekking through streams and collecting lake water samples while boating across Menomin and Tainter lakes. She is also gaining hands-on laboratory skills, filtering water samples to find Microcystis toxin concentrations and nutrient makeups and measuring algae colonies under the microscope.

“Looking at wind as a factor with cyanobacteria blooms is especially important when considering a recent phenomenon called atmospheric stilling,” Hoffman said. “This phenomenon is a climate change-driven pattern in which surface-level winds have been decreasing across the globe. These decreasing wind levels have been linked to increased harmful blooms in various other lakes across the world. Finding a link between climate change-driven patterns and these harmful blooms is an important sign to put more focus into this pressing environmental issue.”

Political science: Connecting awareness and policy

LAKES offers Erickson, Franklin and Riley an intersection of political science and environmental studies.

Erickson is compiling and analyzing perceptions of nitrate contamination in private wells in Dunn County, which may impact residents’ health and well-being.

Franklin is researching urban and residential runoff, its effects on waterways, public opinion and local mitigation on runoff. She is also investigating attitudes regarding sustainability and public perception.

Riley is a nontraditional student who grew up in a neighborhood next to a paper mill. Over the years, she noticed that people from the area suffered from reproductive issues and various cancers, including herself. She began to wonder if there was a link between the two. The experience inspired her passion for environmental studies.

Her LAKES research involves understanding if there is a relationship between a household ��. awareness of local water pollution, the source of their indoor water and its quality.

“Existing research shows a strong connection between awareness and policy,” Riley said. “I think gaining detailed knowledge about local water quality issues empowers residents to take informed actions, whether advocating for better practices, participating in local initiatives or implementing personal changes to improve their own water safety.

“LAKES has been instrumental in my development as a student and researcher. It perfectly aligns with my plans to engage with and advocate for communities like my hometown and Dunn County to understand what resources are needed to make the changes necessary to improve the quality of life.”

Mechanical engineering and mathematics: Advancing agricultural technology

Berg, Qualich, Wojciechowski and Redepenning are collaborating on research to advance agricultural technology, working in the Jarvis Hall Greenhouse Lab on campus and with Chippewa Valley Bean of Dunn County, the world ��. largest producer of dark red kidney beans. Wojciechowski is a project consultant at Chippewa Valley Bean.

LAKES student Jessica Qualich and AMCS student Lindsey Redepenning measure kidney beans in the Jarvis Hall Greenhouse / Keith Wojciechowski

Qualich, of Buffalo Grove, Ill., is growing kidney beans using Farmbot, an automated three-axis robotic farming system housed in the greenhouse. Farmbot allows Qualich to study precision planting, watering and soil analysis techniques and climate simulations.

Redepenning, of Elk River, Minn., is using Farmbot to receive data input such as irrigation levels and to take photos of the kidney bean crop canopy cover twice weekly. The data and photos help her track growth through a canopy cover model, which displays leaf area, ground cover area, plant conditions and productivity.

Redepenning was drawn to ��'s AMCS program because it offers “the perfect balance of math and computer science to give me a wealth of knowledge in both subjects.” She will graduate in December 2025 and plans to work in industry or earn her master ��. degree.

AMCS student Lindsey Redepenning installs a Farmbot to collect data at Chippewa Valley Bean / Keith Wojciechowski

Students’ 2024 research will be posted in August on the LAKES website, where past research is also available.

Students receive a $5,400 research stipend for the summer, as well as housing in �� . residence halls, a $450 food allowance, up to $500 in travel reimbursement and funding support to travel to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research to present their final research findings.

Applied Learning

All Applied Learning News

Supporting entrepreneurs: Edgewood Bakeshop benefits from business students’ cost accounting project

Successful small business collaborates with class to improve operations, sales

February 20, 2026

AI reshaping industry: Advanced Machine Learning students develop impactful, competitive models

Projects result in innovative way to search course bulletin, play digital Othello board game

January 22, 2026

Breaking ground for polytechnic partnerships: �� top story highlights of 2025

Heritage Hall renovation, AI innovations, industry-sponsored focus among year ��. notable headlines

January 21, 2026

LAKES researchers to present on dynamics of water quality, community efforts to protect it on Aug. 8 at Raw Deal in Menomonie LAKES students collecting invasive species on Lake Menomin

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Experience LAKES REU

Experience LAKES REU. Spend two months in Menomonie, WI, research with professional mentors and present your findings at an academic conference.

Hero Caption: LAKES students look for zebra mussels on Lake Menomin for a research survey on the invasive species.

Tina Lee

Dr. Lee is an applied anthropologist who specializes in the anthropology of the contemporary United States, specifically public policy and inequality. She is a graduate of the Anthropology PhD program at the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center and has conducted research about the child welfare system, environmental governance, and humanitarian engineering. She is the author of Catching a Case: Inequality and Fear in New York City's Child Welfare System, published by Rutgers University Press in 2016, as well as serval articles based on her fieldwork in New York City. A book chapter on her follow-up work on child welfare in rural Wisconsin will be published soon. She is also the co-director of the LAKES REU, an NSF-funded research experience for undergraduates site which trains students through research on phosphorous pollution in the Red Cedar Watershed and how it might be mitigated. She teaches anthropology, research methods, and women and gender studies courses and is the program director for the Applied Social Science major as well as the Stout Core Director (Stout's polytechnic version of general education).

Teaching Interests: Cultural Anthropology, Anthropology of Gender, Anthropology of the Contemporary U.S., Qualitative Research Methods, Applied Anthropology

Research Interests: Gender, Race, Poverty and Class; Family and the Law; Women ��. Activism; Public Policy; Urban United States

Full Name: Dr. Tina Lee

Job Title: Professor / Program Director / Certificate Advisor

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: Social Science Department

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Curriculum Vitae: Tina Lee CV (57.7 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Anthropology

University: The Graduate Center, City University of New York

Degree: Women's Studies Certificate Women's Studies

University: Graduate Center, City University of New York

Degree: M.A. Anthropology

University: Arizona State University

Degree: B.A. Anthropology

University: University of Houston

CACHSS

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Arthur Kneeland

Skills: Teaching, Entomological taxonomy, sampling and IPM. Sustainable Agriculture, GIS proficiency, ARCgis and ERDAS. Statistical proficiency, SAS,

Teaching Interests: Entomology, lab teaching,

Research Interests: Innovative sustainable agricultural techniques, Insect Ecology,

Full Name: Arthur J. Kneeland, M.S.

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

Include in Directory: Yes

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: Biology Department

Curriculum Vitae: Arthur Kneeland CV (51.93 KB)

Education:

Degree: M.S. Renewable Resources Entomology

University: University of Wyoming

Degree: B.A. Sc Applied Science Lab Management

University: University of Wisconsin-Stout

CSTEMM

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STEAM camps offer nearly 275 area middle, high school students hands-on preview of education at ��

goersab — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 15:12:14 +0000

STEAM camps offer nearly 275 area middle, high school students hands-on preview of education at ��goersab July 2, 2024

They discover career paths in microbiology and genetics; develop innovative patterns in fashion design

Abbey Goers

For two weeks in June, 118 area high school students stepped into campus labs at �� and learned what it ��. like to be a student at Wisconsin ��. ��.

In hands-on learning experiences led by faculty, they discovered career paths in science, technology, engineering, and art and design during �� . Summer STEAM Experience.

The weeklong camps highlight the value of creativity and critical thinking in genetics; graphic design and printmaking; fashion; film making; metalwork; video game design and other disciplines.

Students interested in the cellular makeup of the human body and the fashions that cover it joined Professor Mike Bessert in a Jarvis Hall Science Wing biology lab and Lecturer Sarah Eileen Smith in the Maker's Lab in Fryklund Hall.

Alyxandria Lunemann, a Bloomer High School senior, plans to be a mutational geneticist / ��

In Bessert ��. Microbiology: Genetics and DNA Analysis camp, 19 students used a diverse array of lab technology to gain skillsets they can apply in biochemistry, forensics or health fields.

They collected DNA field specimens and used various techniques to copy and study DNA and discover how scientists solve problems within DNA.

“This camp gives the students a taste of what it ��. like to be a biology student here at Stout,” said Bessert, program director of P.S.M. conservation biology. “Similar to the Molecular Cell Biology college course, the goal is for them to become familiar with some of the most prominently used DNA extraction and quantifying techniques used in the field.”

In the Fashion Drawing and Draping camp with Smith, interim program director of fashion design and development, 10 students brought their fashion designs to life.

High school students' hands-on experiences patternmaking serves as an introduction to a Stout education in fashion design / ��

Their hands-on introduction to patternmaking included draping fabric on 3D dress forms and sketching professional fashion figures.

“They’re all doing great,” Smith said. “They’re doing exactly what our first-year fashion students practice in the Pattern Development course in their first week at Stout.”

Nearly 115 students entering grades six to eight will join the Junior STEAM Experience this summer, a series of specialized camps with hands-on experiences in Chain Making, Fashion Design Drawing, Storytelling and Video Production. Thirty-eight students will participate in a new Video Game Design Week.

Two steps closer to their careers in genetics and forensics

On the third day of camp, after collecting samples of their own hair follicles, Bessert walked his students through a two-step polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, optimization technique – a gradient thermal cycle to find the perfect temperature to view the strongest signal of DNA markers, or alleles, in the human genome.

They then used gel electrophoresis to visualize and analyze the DNA markers. At one end of the gel, an electric current is applied to pull DNA fragments through the gel. It is a technique the FBI uses to help identify people through genetic traits, Bessert said.

Maura Bright, of Chippewa Falls, and Mila Mitchell, of Stanley-Boyd, analyze DNA markers using gel electrophoresis / ��

Maura Bright and Mila Mitchell took a time-lapse video on Mitchell ��. phone to capture the process and rewatch the dark bands slowly lengthen within the gel.

In another activity, Bessert and the students collected deer tick specimens from animals at the Dunn County Humane Society to see if the samples contained the borrelia bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

Bright, a Chippewa Falls junior, wants to be a geneticist. She discovered the concept of genealogy when she was 12, when she compared her and her sister's traits with their parents’ and noticed the difference in the color of their eyes.

Mitchell, a first year at Stanley-Boyd High School, became interested in forensic science watching TV with her mom and after completing a school project on genealogy.

Maura Bright and Mila Mitchell took a time-lapse video to capture the progress of DNA fragments being pulled through the gel / ��

Alyxandria Lunemann, a Bloomer High School senior, has always loved science. She was looking into future careers in chemistry “but it didn’t fit the description of what I had in mind,” she said.

Then when Lunemann talked with a professor who explained their research on the makeup of fruit flies and yeast and possible mutations in genes, she thought, “This is what I want to do. Mutational genetics is the study of the human genome and mutations within it, such as gigantism, dwarfism, albinism or sickle cell anemia,” she said.

“I feel that Stout ��. STEAM camp is a good representation of what it will be like researching in a genetics lab. I’m glad to be here.”

Fashion inspiration through exploration

During an exploratory draping time, Smith encouraged her students to play with fabric to see how it laid over the dress forms, how it can be shaped, and to experiment creating pleats and ruffles. Her only parameter for them was that their dress must be sleeveless or strapless.

Students pulled inspiration from trends, entertainment, nature, architecture and more for their fashion drawings / ��

While drawing their designs, Smith asked students to pay attention to and accentuate body shapes. They looked for inspiration in images in her slideshow presentations and on their phones, referring to current and classic fashion trends, movies, books, nature and even architecture.

“Be intentional with each aspect of your design, just as each aspect of architecture in a building or branch of a tree has its function,” she said.

Three of the students – Annella Wolbert, Samantha Anderson and Addison Bauste – will be first-year students this fall at Menomonie High School. They joined the fashion camp because they are inspired by the creative of clothing. This was their first time draping and drawing fashions.

While draping the 3D forms, Wolbert ��. inspiration was to go with the flow and see where the fabric led her. Anderson ��. design was inspired by Taylor Swift ��. Grammy outfit – a corset gown with a high leg slit and train.

Menomonie High School student Annella Wolbert drapes fabric on a 3D dress form / ��

Bauste ��. sketches, including a blue and pink gown with a heavy shoulder ruffle, were inspired by “The Summer I Turned Pretty” book series and a mix and match of outfits she saw online.

Wolbert and Anderson have sewed before, creating pillowcase dresses with their Girl Scouts troop for Little Dresses for Africa. They are working toward earning their Silver Award with their troop and have made 50 dresses in the last two years.

Students showcased their designs on the final day of camp and shared in ideas.

Menomonie High School student Addison Bauste sketches fashions inspired by book series she recently read / ��

�� . STEAM camps, which attract students from around Wisconsin, are sponsored by the Menomonie and Chippewa Falls school districts, Parker, OEM Fabricators and Delta Fastener in partnership with Continuing Education and Conferences, a unit of Ed ucational Pathways and Outreach.

�� Athletics is offering multiple summer youth sports camps led by university coaches, staff and student athletes. Camps include basketball, football, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track, volleyball and dance.

Stout Adventures’ Youth Climbing League offers introductory activities, designed to empower kids ages 6 to 12. Experienced instructors lead activities for all skill levels. Two sessions will be held from Tuesday, June 11, to Wednesday, July 17; and Tuesday, July 23, to Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Youth Programs

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STEAM camps offer nearly 275 area middle, high school students hands-on preview of education at ��

They discover career paths in microbiology and genetics; develop innovative patterns in fashion design

July 2, 2024

Discover, create, innovate: �� summer youth camps pick up ‘STEAM’ in STEM, art, design and sports

Hands-on creative, athletics experiences geared for middle, high school students

April 2, 2024

Career-building: Award from Momentum West honors programs that help youth prepare for their futures

With a 99% employment rate for bachelor ��. and master ��. degree graduates, �� is known for developing talent in multiple fields to support careers.

March 27, 2024

They discover career paths in microbiology and genetics; develop innovative patterns in fashion design STEAM camp, DNA track

University Marketing

Hero Caption: Menomonie High School student Samantha Anderson drapes fabric on a 3D dress form in ��'s Maker's Lab in the STEAM fashion camp

For-Credit Continuing Education

Courses offered for credit or audit that fit your needs and interests.

We are committed to meeting the outreach and lifelong educational needs of learners. Through the development and delivery of courses on campus, online and at designated off-campus locations, we connect the resources of the university with your needs. Apply your coursework toward professional development or degree completion. The courses on this page are offered for credit at ��. Some courses are also open for audit, as noted.

SPRING 2026

Flyfishing - PE-125

Fly tying, casting techniques, literature, stream craft, equipment considerations, conservation ethics and natural resources stewardship.

Credits: 1 credit or audit by approval
Delivery Format: In-Person, On- and Off-Campus
Instructor: Dennis VandenBloomen
Start Date: Mar. 23, 2026
End Date: May 15, 2026
Meeting Times: Mondays, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

SUMMER 2026 - REGISTRATION NOT YET OPEN

Remote Pilot Certification Prep – VID-296

Prepares students for the FAA ��. Part 107 knowledge test to obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate. Covers drone regulations, airspace, weather effects, emergency procedures, and flight operations. Ideal for those seeking to operate drones commercially or enhance employability across multiple industries.

Credits: 1
Delivery Format: Online - Asynchronous
Instructor: Jonny Wheeler
Start Date: June 8, 2026
End Date: July 5, 2026
Meeting Times: n/a - Asynchronous

FALL 2026 - REGISTRATION NOT YET OPEN

Elementary French I - FREN-101

Listening, pronunciation, reading, and writing. Basic vocabulary, polite phrases, questions and answers. Adjective agreement, present and some past-tense verbs. Cultural information about the French-speaking world. Stout Core - Communication Skills.

Credits: 4
Delivery Format: Online - Synchronous and Asynchronous
Instructor: Sandrine Pell
Start Date: September 2, 2026
End Date: December 18, 2026
Meeting Times: Online Synchronous Sessions - Thursdays, 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm

Elementary German I - GER-101

Establish a solid foundation in the fundamentals of the German language through the development of speaking, listening, reading and writing skills; foster interest in the language and culture of Germany. Stout Core - Communication Skills.

Credits: 4
Delivery Format: Online - Synchronous
Instructor: David Coury
Start Date: September 2, 2026
End Date: December 18, 2026
Meeting Times: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 9:30 am - 10:25 am

Elementary Japenese I - JAPN-101

Stout Core - Communication Skills.

Credits: 4
Delivery Format: Online - Synchronous and Asynchronous
Instructor: Magara Maeda
Start Date: September 2, 2026
End Date: December 18, 2026
Meeting Times: Two sections available -
- 600A: Online - Synchronous Sessions - Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 10:50 am
- 601A: Online - Synchronous Sessions - Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00 am - 11:50 am

WINTERM 2027 - REGISTRATION NOT YET OPEN

Chainsaw Safety Certification - BIO-250

Two-day field course introducing chainsaw use, maintenance, and safety. Chainsaw parts, function, and care; proper care and use of personal protective equipment; creating a pre-fell plan and safety evaluations; and notching, felling, limbing, and bucking techniques. Chainsaw safety certification Levels I and 2 may be awarded upon completion.

Credits: 1
Delivery Format: In-Person, On-Campus
Instructor: Forest Industry Safety and Training Alliance (FISTA)
Start Date: TBD
End Date: TBD
Meeting Times: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Asynchronous

SPRING 2027 - REGISTRATION NOT YET OPEN

Elementary French II - FREN-102

Second level of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in French. Introduction to future, conditional, imperfect and subjunctive verbs. Direct and indirect object pronouns. Short spontaneous and directed conversations. topics in cultures of French-speaking people. One year H.S. French or FREN-101 required. Stout Core - Communication Skills.

Credits: 4
Delivery Format: Online
Instructor: TBD
Start Date: TBD
End Date: TBD
Meeting Times: TBD

Elementary German II - GER-102

Continued development of the fundamentals of the German language through the development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills; continued development of an understanding of German society and culture. Stout Core - Communication Skills.

Credits: 4
Delivery Format: Online
Instructor: TBD
Start Date: TBD
End Date: TBD
Meeting Times: TBD

Elementary Japenese II - JAPN-102

Stout Core - Communication Skills.

Credits: 4
Delivery Format: Online
Instructor: TBD
Start Date: TBD
End Date: TBD
Meeting Times: TBD

How to Enroll

Are you a current student at ��?

If so, enroll using Access Stout or Stellic. If you need assistance with enrollment, contact outreachreg@uwstout.edu.

Not a current �� student?

Questions

Questions about the application process, contact the appropriate Admissions Office:
- Undergraduate Admissions Office: admissions@uwstout.edu
- Graduate Studies Office: gradstudies@uwstout.edu
Questions about enrolling in or dropping a course, contact Registration & Records at outreachreg@uwstout.edu
Questions about tuition, contact Student Business Services at sbservices@uwstout.edu
Questions about auditing (only if course is listed as allowing audit), contact Registration & Records at outreachreg@uwstout.edu
Questions about course specifics, contact Continuing Education at continuinged@uwstout.edu

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Contact Information

For-Credit Continuing Education

Office: Vocational Rehabilitation

715-232-2793

Email: continuinged@uwstout.edu

Senior Citizen Audit

Wisconsin residents who are 60 or older (as of the first day of class) are eligible to audit a class free of tuition.

SmarterMeasure Readiness Tool

SmarterMeasure is a �� online assessment that measures learner readiness. It can help you decide whether a technology-rich learning environment will be a good fit for you.

ASSESS YOUR READINESS

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Young scientists share enthusiasm with �� professors, retired area educators at Science Exploration Day

goersab — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:30:00 +0000

Young scientists share enthusiasm with �� professors, retired area educators at Science Exploration Daygoersab June 10, 2024

Free family event at Colfax Red Cedar Preserve and Recreation Area proves community, university commitment to natural areas

Abbey Goers

On a sunny Saturday morning in May, 24 area children became young scientists in hands-on activities led by �� environmental science faculty and retired area educators at the Colfax Red Cedar Preserve and Recreation Area ��. annual Science Exploration Day.

The second- to sixth-graders learned about the creatures and habitats of the preserve while exploring with volunteers �� biology professors Keith Gilland and Julia Chapman and committee members Mark Mosey and Paul Verdon in three 50-minute sessions.

Gilland and Chapman have volunteered at the preserve since 2019, collaborating with community members and �� students to enhance its habitats.

“The connection we have with the preserve has been really valuable for providing our environmental science students opportunities to do research, gain hands-on experience and develop new skills,” Chapman said.

Professors Keith Gilland and Julia Chapman look under logs and rocks for insects and creatures to show the children / Julie Bates-Maves

During the science day, Gilland and Chapman focused on grassland bugs and critters and the ecology of a prairie; Mosey on amphibians and reptiles; and Verdon on rocks and minerals. In turn, they learned about the children ��. enthusiasm for their topics as questions and observations poured in.

“Science lends itself to wanting to share it with anyone who is genuinely interested. Children are naturally curious about their surroundings, and I feel obligated to help them better understand their world. Just seeing the interest and knowledge they possess, I have renewed hope for the future,” said Mosey, who taught life science to middle and high school students in Colfax for 33 years.

Verdon taught earth and space science in Menomonie for 33 years and served as environmental education coordinator for a decade.

“I frequently encouraged interested students to consider science as a career,” he said. “It ��. so important that the general public has a good understanding of the earth and how it works, so that we can take care of it. With the changes that our environment is facing, it ��. more important than ever.”

Retired science teacher Paul Verdon shows children how minerals shine in water / Julie Bates-Maves

The Colfax Red Cedar Preserve and Recreation Area offers several events and activities throughout the year. Located roughly one mile north of downtown Colfax on State Road 170, it comprises more than 150 acres, with access to the Red Cedar River. The 12-acre Ferry Pond is popular for fishing and motorless boating, and a walking path takes hikers, cross-country skiers and snowshoers through wooded and prairie areas.

�� clinical mental health counseling Professor Julie Bates-Maves often visits the preserve with her family and attended the science day with her children.

“It ��. a beautiful place to explore. Having Stout partner to provide programming at no cost for local children is even better. This event was so much fun. I’m so thankful for the time that Stout professors put in alongside other local educators. It ��. a fantastic free resource for our region.”

Grassland bugs and critters

Gilland and Chapman led the children on a short walk through the portion of the preserve that is being rehabilitated as prairie and oak savannah, east and south of Ferry Pond. They talked about some of the prairie plants and why they are important habitat for various insects and animals at the preserve.

Professor Keith Gilland shows children a prairie skink / Julie Bates-Maves

Native grasses and flowers are being replanted to create habitat for grouse, pheasants, small predators and insects. Chapman strewed native flower seeds while Gilland turned over dead logs to find roly-poly pill bugs, ants and beetles.

One of the groups spotted a painted turtle crossing the preserve road to reach the Red Cedar River. Chapman described how to identify a painted turtle by looking for the yellow lines on its head and red pattern on its belly, versus a slider turtle, which has a red stripe behind its eyes and no red on its belly. While painteds are native, sliders are non-native and are pets that people have released.

Throughout the day, they found garter snakes and five prairie skinks – a small lizard with tiny limbs that appears to move like a snake through the thick grass.

Gilland explained how the presence of the small predatory reptile is evidence of the returning health of the preserve and an indication of a returning balance to the food chain. There are small insects to feed the small reptiles and birds; and native plants to feed small herbivores and omnivores like skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes, as evidenced when a child found skat with hair and bone.

Amphibians and reptiles

Mosey is on the preserve ��. management committee and helps document phenology on the property. His sixth-grade science teacher made science fun with a lot of hands-on learning, and his dad took him hunting and fishing at an early age.

Retired science teacher Mark Mosey shows children aquatic plants in the preserve's wetland area / Julie Bates-Maves

“I learned about the river ecosystem, and it became a part of me from then on,” he said. “I became a science educator because I realized how important it was to share knowledge about how things work in nature and how we as humans are part of that system.”

Walking the preserve road to the wetland area on the west side of Ferry Pond, he and the children saw painted turtles basking on a log. They passed a dead softshell turtle and talked about how its shell differs from most turtle species.

At the wetland area, Mosey had set aside a ten-gallon bucket and a small fishing net. He had hoped to net a frog or two, but instead netted some aquatic plants, algae and snail eggs for the children to examine.

On the north shore of the pond, Mosey pointed out a dried broken turtle shell. He and the children talked about the differences between amphibians and reptiles, including the structure of their eggshells, where they lay their eggs and how their young are born.

The children presented him with interesting questions and their own observations and facts, including how sea turtles return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs and how they may dig multiple holes to lay their eggs in, to save some from predation.

A chorus of American toads / ��

Mosey, a Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey volunteer, helps conduct counts of the amphibians in Dunn County. He explained to the children that to count, he listens for their calls during different periods in the spring and summer, and notes either one call, two calls or a chorus of three or more.

He explained how there is only one species of toad in Wisconsin, while there are 11 species of frog. They then listened for calls, identifying spring peepers, gray treefrogs and the American toad. Mosey also played calls on his phone, and the children practiced mimicking the sounds they heard.

Rocks and minerals

Verdon, who serves on the preserve ��. planning committee, grew up in northeast Iowa, exploring the Mississippi River valley. Like Mosey, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, trapping and hiking.

“This experience was a major factor in choosing a career in science education. Also, my dad was a science teacher,” Verdon said. “I’ve always tried to make science fun and engaging for my students. Hands-on science in an outdoor setting is a perfect combination.”

Retired science teacher Paul Verdon and children examine quartz crystals in rocks / Colfax preserve

Sitting around a picnic table near the new Ferry Pond fishing pier during the exploration day, Verdon introduced children to the three types of rock – igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary. They focused largely on agates and quartz, formed deep within the earth under intense heat one billion years ago.

Verdon passed around examples from his own rock collection, explaining how quartz crystals are formed and how it is harder than most rocks, lasting long after others have eroded. Holding an apple-size agate in his hand, he sprayed it to show the children how water can bring out the true color of a rock and make its minerals shine.

They then walked along the road through the prairie area to a gravel pile to look for agates and other rocks the children could keep.

A child collects small agates and other rocks / ��

Verdon explained that the preserve is the site of an old quarry and that the gravel below their feet could be 50 feet deep because glaciers deposited a mass of rocks across the region upwards of two million years ago, when the rivers were 50 feet higher.

The children picked through the gravel, asking Verdon about the rocks they found. Even after their rock session ended and they joined their other sessions, they continued to look for agates on their walks.

Hands-on environmental activities embody polytechnic experience

Gilland and Chapman conduct controlled burns at local natural areas with the Prairie Enthusiasts, including the Colfax preserve and Dobb ��. Landing, north of Lake Tainter. They recruit and train �� students to help with these burns. Gilland also instructs a one-credit chainsaw safety course.

Over the past couple of years at the preserve, they have removed invasive plant species, such as buckthorn, Siberian elm and non-native honeysuckle, from the prairie area and have seeded and planted trees.

They cut, hauled, stacked and burned organic material to expand the native grassland and to open the area around a new kestrel nesting box and osprey nesting platform.

Professor Julia Chapman looks through the prairie grass for small creatures / Colfax preserve

“These hands-on opportunities are a win-win. Our students get the experience of managing natural areas and the local natural areas benefit from their contributions. This embodies the polytechnic experience at ��,” said environmental science Program Director Mandy Little.

This summer, Little, Gilland, Chapman, Professor Nicole Hayes and students are studying the effects of beaver on riparian areas at Beaver Creek Reserve, in Eau Claire County; and water quality and riparian stream area management at the Gilbert and Wilson Creek trout stream restorations, as part of the Red Cedar Basin Monitoring Grant through the Wisconsin Freshwater Collaborative.

They are also studying the effects of ash die-off on the local black and green ash swamps at Muddy Creek State Wildlife Area; and will manage and monitor properties around Galloway Creek in town.

Faculty and students have also removed invasive plant species from the south shore of Lake Menomin with the Lower Chippewa Invasives Partnership; worked toward prairie restoration at Menomin Park on the northeastern shore of Lake Menomin; identified more than 200 plant species at Devil ��. Punchbowl; and monitored the health of Red Cedar watershed through LAKES REU.

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Hero Caption: �� professors Keith Gilland and Julia Chapman look for grassland bugs and critters with children at Science Exploration Day. Photo provided by Julie Bates-Maves.

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�� . STEM Fest welcomes Upward Bound students from six regional high schools

willams — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 19:48:04 +0000

�� . STEM Fest welcomes Upward Bound students from six regional high schoolswillams January 12, 2024

Students’ hands-on experiences in biology, engineering labs show them what polytechnic degrees can offer

Sky Petranovich

About 40 high school students from six northwestern Wisconsin schools recently visited the University of Wisconsin-Stout to participate in hands-on workshops at STEM Fest.

As participants in the Upward Bound program, the students have the opportunity to explore what colleges around Wisconsin and Minnesota have to offer through tours, hands-on learning experiences and engagement sessions.

�� welcomed the students with two workshops that demonstrated what a polytechnic university has to offer for degree programs and future careers in STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Upward Bound students in �� biology lab. / ��

The students were from Barron, Hayward, Shell Lake, Siren, Turtle Lake and Unity. Through these hands-on experiences, they got a glimpse at what �� has to offer and could imagine themselves studying in a university lab, doing on day one.

Sasha Weegman, adviser of the Upward Bound West Program, explained, “Upward Bound is a federal college readiness program. Our main goal is to help low-income and first-generation students get into college. We take a lot of college campus field trips and have a summer program on a college campus. We do a lot of work with the students during the school year to help them make sure they are on the right path to getting into college.”

�� professors and staff planned and led the activities, each of which focused on the electrical connections between biology and engineering.

Summer Thorp, an Upward Bound student, working in �� science lab. / ��

Students split into two groups and explored two lab classrooms in �� . Jarvis Hall Science Wing.

In the first lab, the students created a pulse rate monitor from a kit that included a breadboard, Arduino (brains of the circuit), an LED screen to output the sensor device and a pulse sensor to measure the pulse on their finger. When the students completed the circuit, they were able to visually see their pulse rate beat per minute.

Electrical engineering Professor Ahmet Turkmen wanted students to learn to, “use their imagination to build on the basic knowledge they learned from this lab to design more complicated circuits that could be used for diagnosis or monitoring of people's physiological condition.”

In the second lab, students did a series of mini-units, that included learning about how the nervous system works and visualizing how the nervous system communicates with their muscles, visualizing electrical messages as they travel through the heart, and seeing a real human brain and spinal cord, as well as a human heart with a pacemaker.

Summer Thorp, a freshman at Hayward High School, reflected on her experience in the labs and said, “The whole experience was very new. We have not gone over anything about the nerves or heart system in school, and if we did it was very basic in middle school.”

Upward Bound student, Gunner Imme, working on lab with Tiffany Hoage, a �� biology lecturer. / ��

Gunner Imme, a sophomore at Siren High School who wants to go into biomedical engineering or biomedical chemistry, explained why doing on day one is so important to him.

“I have to watch how someone does something, or I need to do it myself to learn it. Day one experiences give you job experience right then and there. At Stout, you get to learn things hands-on, which is extremely awesome because I don’t think I have ever seen a school do that. The small classes are amazing, so if you went to a huge college with like 300 kids, the professor wouldn’t even know your name. I feel like you would be able to get a connection with your professors here and get to know them.”

Bethany Bigner of Upward Bound working in science lab on bioelectrical engineering project. / ��

The students, who come from many backgrounds and have vast career aspirations, said they learned a lot from their day on campus. Many did not know �� offered so many hands-on labs that allow them to utilize equipment they could potentially use out in the field once they graduate.

They also said Upward Bound has given them the opportunity to see universities up close.

“Upward Bound has helped me understand what my future could be if I go to college compared to if I don’t,” said Barron High School freshman Bethany Bigner, who wants to pursue forensic science or bioengineering.

As a university industry partner, 3M sent representative Caroline Muehlenkamp to talk with the students and answer any of their questions about the company or the industry in general.

Muehlenkamp encouraged them to, “try new things because you never know what you might like to do.” She explained how she prepared herself for college by taking AP courses in high school and then went on to say, “try those different classes and clubs to see what you like and what you don’t like because it might surprise you.”

�� has collaborated with Upward Bound in the past and will continue this partnership to help show students what college and �� specifically have to offer them.

�� . College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management offers 20 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs.

Within CSTEMM, is the School of Engineering, offering undergraduate programs in computer and electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering and plastics engineering. CSTEMM's biology department offers undergraduate programs in applied biochemistry and molecular biology; applied science; and environmental science.

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Engineering, technical, design competitions prepare young people for future careers

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Year of Design celebration central to ��'s spring 2026 event schedule

Community invited to exhibitions, civic and literary conversations, film screenings and performances

February 11, 2026

Students’ hands-on experiences in biology, engineering labs show them what polytechnic degrees can offer stem_fest_2024_04.jpg

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Students from across country address water quality issues in Red Cedar watershed with �������� mentors

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Making a decade of research accessible

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STEAM camps offer nearly 275 area middle, high school students hands-on preview of education at ��������

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Young scientists share enthusiasm with �������� professors, retired area educators at Science Exploration Day

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�������� ��������. STEM Fest welcomes Upward Bound students from six regional high schools

Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering

Biology Department

AI reshaping industry: �� professor develops unique approach to chatbot use in pharmacology, human biology

STEAM Day opens world of career, academic possibilities in �� . labs, studios

Capitol project: Science student ��. research on prion disease highlighted in Madison

Students from across country address water quality issues in Red Cedar watershed with �� mentors

STEAM camps offer nearly 275 area middle, high school students hands-on preview of education at ��

Are you a current student at ��?

Not a current �� student?

Young scientists share enthusiasm with �� professors, retired area educators at Science Exploration Day

�� . STEM Fest welcomes Upward Bound students from six regional high schools