College of Engineering Annual Report 2011

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A special edition o PERSPECTIVEor alumni and riends o the

UW-Madison College o Engineering

SPRING 2011

ANNUAL REPORT

2011

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

Opportunitiesin engineering

Advancing our workforceand our economy

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badgerengineers.engr.wisc.edu

A special edition o PERSPECTIVE or alumni and riends o theUW-Madison College o Engineering

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• Industrial Advisory Board• Early Career Advisory Board

ON THE COVER

CONNECT WITH THE COLLEGE

@UWMadEngr

By the Numbers:

20102011

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College o Engineering acts and gures

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Student achievements

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Biomedical Engineering14

Chemical and Biological Engineering16Civil and Environmental Engineering18

Electrical and Computer Engineering20

Engineering Physics22

Engineering Professional Development

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Industrial and Systems Engineering26

Materials Science and Engineering28

Mechanical Engineering

College DepartmentsFeatures

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GAINS IN GRADUATESTUDENT DIVERSITY

Program marks 10 years

o meaningul success.

By Renee Meiller

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EXPO, OLYMPIAD,STUDENT EXCHANGE

• Engineering ‘open house’

• National science•

competition

• Nuclear education

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FROM THE MENOMINEEFOREST TO MADISON

Engineering a pathor American Indiantranser students.

By Sandra Knisely

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TEACHING THE SOCIETALSIDE OF ENGINEERING

Outreach initiative engages

middle-school studentsand teachers

.

By Sandra Knisely

Published September 2011. Printed via gifts administered through the University of Wisconsin Foundation.

engineeringuwUW-Madison College o Engineering

Interdisciplinary Degree Programs

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THEY DIGTHE OUTDOORS

Geological engineers

live and work forthe environment.

By Renee Meiller

ON THE COVER

Arrielle Opotowsky, an American Indian PhD student in theGraduate Engineering Research Scholars program. Since 1999,the program has increased opportunities or talented minority graduate students to study with world-class UW-Madisonengineering aculty. Read more on page 4.

ANNUAL REPORT 2011

Volume 38, Issue 2

Editor

: Renee Meiller

Writers

: Jim Beal, Sandra Knisely,Mark Riechers, Christie Taylor

Design

: Phil Biebl

Photography

: James Beal, Narayan Mahon,Renee Meiller, David Nevala

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

www.engr.wisc.eduPaul S. Peercy

, Dean

Steven Cramer

, Associate Deanor Academic Aairs

Brian Mattmiller

, Assistant Deanor Alumni and Corporate Relations

Contact the college:

Brian Mattmiller, alumni relations

608/8903004bsmattmi@engr.wisc.edu

Prospective students:

Nancy Hansen

608/2622473

EGRadvisor@engr.wisc.edu

Industry, R&D:

Lawrence Casper608/2654104casper@engr.wisc.edu

Proessional education:

Department o

Engineering Professional Development

608/2622061 or 800/4620876

custserv@epd.engr.wisc.edu

Make a git to the college:

Ann Leahy

608/2656114

ann.leahy@supportuw.org

donate.engr.wisc.edu

Feedback about this annual report:

Renee Meiller608/2622481

perspective@engr.wisc.eduView our annual report in video on the college playlist:

youtube.com/engineeringuw

.

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C103275

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Message fromDean Peercy

Creating pathways to engineering success

ESP alumni: Let’s hear from you!

The Engineering SummerProgram will celebrate its 40

th

anniversary in August 2012with an alumni party andreception. We’d like you to bea part of this special event.Did you participate in ESP

or know someone who did?

If so, contact us! We’d love tohear about your successes

and

have you join our celebrationof UW-Madison’s oldest

residential summer camp.

Contact Molly Reinhard atmpdavis@engr.wisc.edu

, or608/2635367, to learn more

about the anniversary event.

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A

s the University of Wisconsin-Madison celebrates the “Year of

the Wisconsin Idea,” recognizing a century of contributionsto the greater public good, it’s worth reecting on how

ingrained that tradition has become in engineering.

The Wisconsin Idea drives us to extend the benets of UW-Madison

work to the citizens of the state and beyond. We see its expansiveinuence on areas such as healthcare, with new treatments, toolsand services that improve quality of life. We also see it reected in

economic impact, through hundreds o spino companies and tens

of thousands of talented, uniquely trained graduates making their

mark on the world.

Here’s another perspective. This year, the Wisconsin Idea has comealive in the College of Engineering through unprecedented outreachto the next generation. As we detail in our 2011 Annual Report,this has been a transformative year in exposing young people to the

possibilities o a career in science and engineering.

Why does this outreach matter? Because it’s at the top of the listof concerns of America’s largest employers, who require a greaterinfusion of talent in science, technology, engineering and math(STEM) in order to stay globally competitive. They need universities

to help address a mismatch between current workorce skills and the

skills required for new and emerging jobs. And they need a workforcethat better represents the ethnic, cultural and gender diversity of the

nation at large.

In 2011, we took this pursuit further than ever before. The center

-

piece was hosting the 2011 National Science Olympiad competition inMay. More than 6,000 competitors, parents, educators and volunteers

converged on campus for four days of fun and spirited competition.Our visitors saw UW-Madison at its nest, with homerooms in ournew Union South, a daylong showcase in the Wisconsin

Institutes or

Discovery, competitions across engineering buildings

and ceremonies in

the Kohl Center. For most of these young people,

their rst exposure toWisconsin will stay with them forever.

We are also making greater strides in reaching middleschoolers,

whose academic pathways are starting to solidify. The highly successful“Camp Badger” took its show on the road this summer. With supportfrom 3M Corporation, a camp at UW-River Falls gave two-dozen north

-western

Wisconsin kids a weeklong exposure to engineering. And ourmiddle-school modules, which introduce young people to engineering“grand challenges,” debuted in six Wisconsin middle schools this fall.Our diversity outreach programs have produced groundbreaking

success. The Engineering Summer Program

(see story on back cover),

nowentering its 40

th

year, has a nearly 100-percent success rate in preparing

high school students or undergraduate enrollment—including more

than 70 percent who pursue engineering. And our cover story on the

Graduate Engineering Research Scholars (GERS) program highlights

a decade of tremendous progress, as GERS produced 46 master’s and

45 PhD recipients rom underrepresented backgrounds since 2000.

And, as always, our undergraduates put on quite a show duringEngineering EXPO in spring 2011. More than 7,000 visitors—including114 busloads of K-12 students —enjoyed the 45 interactive exhibits

scattered across the college.

As engineers, the impulse to share our successes and prepare the nextgeneration starts early and stays with us throughout our careers. This is

our Wisconsin Idea.