Commencement is a formal farewell to the campus where they’ve spent years rushing to classes, hanging out with friends and living in the residence halls.

They may return someday but probably not to eat pizza with friends at midnight or to pull an all-nighter studying for a final exam.

Commencement day has a much different feel, however, for some graduates. For online students it’s more of a hello than a goodbye. It often is their first chance to set foot on campus.

The latter scenario was the case for a group of graduates from the Master of Science in education program. Students from at least five states outside of Wisconsin came to campus for the Friday, May 10, Graduate School ceremony at Johnson Fieldhouse.

The master’s degree graduates not only were visiting UW-Stout for the first time but were meeting classmates and professors in person for the first time.

Angela Wilson came from New Orleans with her parents. Fiorella Velarde came from Miami with her daughter, Oriana, 6. Lisa Klein came from New Jersey with her husband, three young children and mother.

There to meet them were other cyber classmates: Melissa Magnuson-Cannady from New York with her husband, Will; Stacy Harvey from Minnesota; and Mara Werner from 100 miles away in Hayward.

The outlier of the group was Linda Young, who works at UW-Stout as the transfer coordinator but also was graduating with her master’s.

Assistant Professor Renee Chandler, the program director, was there to greet all of them, having helped orchestrate the meet-and-greet.

Graduates and Chandler exchanged handshakes and hugs in the Memorial Student Center about an hour before commencement, happy to finally meet some of the people they had gotten to know online.

The M.S. in education program had a total of 21 graduates from eight states, including Georgia and Nebraska.

“I loved my entire experience at Stout online,” Klein said. “I made some great friends who I know will be lifelong friends. It was easier than I imagined to attend graduate school online.”

Klein and her husband, from Flanders, N.J., decided to turn the occasion into a family vacation. “We surprised the kids, since we didn’t think we would be able to bring them. I honestly don’t know who’s more excited, them or me!” said Klein, who added that they spent the day before commencement at the Mall of America after flying into Minneapolis.

With her master’s, Klein plans to return to the classroom after 14 years away from teaching.

Wilson is a baking and pastry instructor at the Louisiana Culinary Institute. Werner is a kindergarten teacher in Hayward. Harvey is a fourth-grade teacher in Osseo, Minn. Magnuson-Cannady works for the National Park Service at Ellis Island in New York City.

Velarde completed a certificate in instructional design, as well, and planned to stay in Menomonie for several days to meet with Career Services at UW-Stout. “I wanted to see the city and the school. Stout has a great reputation,” she said.

UW-Stout Master of Science in education online students from six states meet in front of the Memorial Student Center prior to the Graduate School commencement ceremony Friday, May 10, at Johnson Fieldhouse. From left are Melissa Magnuson-Cannady, Lisa Klein, Angela Wilson, program director Renee Chandler, Linda Young, Stacy Harvey, Mara Werner and Fiorella Velarde.

The project is led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and involves researchers and extension staff from seven universities, five federal labs of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the project in Madison on May 7 during a visit to the USDA’s Dairy Forage Research Center on the UW campus.

Matt Ruark

The goal is to find ways to reduce GHG emissions generated in all phases of dairy production while continuing to grow profitability and productivity, says project director Matt Ruark, UW-Madison assistant professor and extension soils specialist.

“We will be working across the entire dairy production system to improve production efficiency while decreasing negative impacts in an effort to support U.S. dairy producers’ ongoing sustainability efforts,” Ruark says.

“This is about adaptation — how to move agriculture forward to be as productive as possible as we move into a changing climate,” Ruark says. “Anything we can do to reduce losses of carbon, nitrogen and water from the system can lead to greater efficiency. This will lead to more profit for the producer, less impact on the environment and a sustainable milk supply for the consumer.”

The project is supported by a coalition of dairy industry organizations, which in 2008 made a voluntary commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from milk production by 25 percent by 2020.

Molly Jahn

“This award is built on the very strong partnerships that are in place to further the commitment of America’s dairy producers to world-class science and continue to move the dairy industry toward a vibrant, prosperous future in balance with our natural resource base, including climate,” says project co-director Molly Jahn, a UW-Madison professor of genetics and agronomy.

In their quest to identify opportunities to reduce GHG emissions, multidisciplinary research teams will look at all aspects of milk production — dairy rations and dairy cow genetics, manure handling and storage, crops, tillage and rotations — to identify systems that are most effective at retaining carbon, nitrogen, and water while maintaining healthy financial bottom lines.

Among the research partners is the industry-sponsored Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, which is working with university and federal researchers to refine a decision tool that farmers can use to assess the impact of various management practices on their own farms’ production and sustainability. The decision tool will be informed by the research findings and tested on commercial dairy operations in several states, including farms participating in Wisconsin’s Discovery Farms program.

Under the USDA grant, researchers will look at all aspects of milk production to identify systems that are most effective at retaining carbon, nitrogen and water while maintaining healthy financial bottom lines. Photo: Jeff Miller

There is also an educational component. Science educators will work with public school districts to develop curricula that integrate food and agriculture with cutting-edge approaches to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. That effort includes a partnership with the Milwaukee Public Schools anchored at Vincent High School.

The project is being funded through USDA’s Coordinated Agricultural Projects program, which brings together teams of researchers that represent various geographic areas to support discovery, applications and promote communication leading to innovative, science-based solutions to critical and emerging national priorities and needs.

Along with UW-Madison, the project includes researchers from the University of Arkansas, the University of Michigan, Cornell University, Pennsylvania State University, North Carolina A&T State University and the University of Washington, along with four USDA-ARS laboratories, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

—Bob Mitchell

As Milwaukee positions itself as a world water hub, UW-Whitewater is providing innovative and creative contributions to the growing regional cluster of freshwater businesses. From the new water business minor to the combined science-business degree with a water emphasis, the university is educating the future water workforce.

Students are busy with internships in water programs here and abroad, and partnerships are thriving between the university and community members.

“We’re doing this because it matters,’’ said Meghan Jensen, a graduate student in marketing and management and founder of the student Water Council. “It’s students saying, ‘Hey, this is an issue that’s important.’ We’re making a huge step in the water business.”

Andrew Smits ’10, UW-Whitewater’s first water graduate in the business-science major, landed his dream job with Ecolab, a global company with headquarters in St. Paul, Minn.

Meghan Jensen, a graduate student and president of the UW-Whitewater Water Council, wore water bottles and carried a sign to promote water awareness on campus.

He’s an account manager for a region of northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, visiting large dairy plants and other users of his company’s water treatment products. He loves his job and thinks UW-Whitewater prepared him well.

“I never thought I would do a chemical titration ever again after my chemistry classes,” Smits said. “Now I carry a chemical set and do all sorts of titrations.”

Recent business water news includes:

Economic development. A grant of $970,000 to foster innovation and create jobs was awarded to a collaborative effort that includes UW-Whitewater. The five-year grant came from the U.S. Economic Development Administration under its University Center Program. Water and energy are expected to be a priority for the project, which also includes the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Marquette University, UW-Parkside and UW-Milwaukee.

Institute of Water Business. A proposal is being developed to create a campus program that would embrace water business efforts, facilitate outreach and community activities and provide advising and career counseling for water business students. It could offer continuing education opportunities on such issues as environmental accounting and water law and policy, promote awareness of water issues and work with other successful centers on campus, including the Global Business Resource Center and the Fiscal and Economic Research Center.

It also could foster collaboration with entrepreneurial activities at the Innovation Center at Whitewater University Technology Park.

International interns. Three MBA students spent a summer in Singapore working as interns with the Singapore-Delft Water Alliance at the National University of Singapore. One of them, Jensen, helped create the urban sustainability display for Singapore International Water Week and participated in the opening of the Aquatic Science Centre, meeting with researchers to plan posters, websites and Facebook materials.

“It made me realize that Milwaukee is definitely on its way to becoming a world water hub,” Jensen said. “That experience helped prepare me to see a broader sense of the water industry and compare it to what we’re doing in Milwaukee. UW-Whitewater definitely fits in.”

She’s also a global communications intern at Badger Meter, the Milwaukee company headed by UW-Whitewater business alumnus Richard Meeusen, whose vision helped inspire the university to create its water business programs.

Educational excellence. When a Milwaukee nonprofit group was looking for meaningful examples of hands-on student learning, it turned to UW-Whitewater and its water programs. Representatives of the Great Lakes Constructivist Consortium, which advocates learner-centered education, made a video that included students collecting water samples from Whitewater Creek and cleaning up Lake Michigan beaches.

UW-Whitewater Water Council. Founded just two years ago, the student organization is thriving. UW-Whitewater students toured Sweet Water Organics, an urban vegetable and fish farm in Milwaukee, and visited the School of Freshwater Sciences at UW-Milwaukee. They also volunteered as Milwaukee hosted the fifth annual Water Summit, which draws hundreds of people focused on the energy, economic and environmental issues of water.

Rock River Basin. UW-Whitewater is working with UW-Extension and municipalities within the 10 counties of the Rock River Basin to be chosen for the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge. The competitive grant program provides $50 million in IBM expertise to help communities explore challenges that affect the lives of citizens.

World water issues. Last summer’s travel study trip to Ireland filled up quickly with UW-Whitewater students eager to explore issues of sustainability and water. They’ll attend a lecture by Owen McIntyre, an expert on international water law at University College in Cork, and visit the IBM Water Management Centre of Excellence in Dublin.

Community survey. New automated water meters in the city of Whitewater provide timely data on water consumption with updates every six hours. This allows quick detection of leaks and helps residents better understand how much water they’re using.

Campus sustainability. UW-Whitewater installed water bottle filling stations to encourage use of reusable containers and offer access to filtered drinking water. Stations have opened in the Williams Center, the James R. Connor University Center, Hyer Hall and several residence halls. Dual-flush toilets that conserve water have been installed in Timothy J. Hyland Hall, home of the College of Business and Economics.

EAU CLAIRE — Brian Tessmer is eager to earn his bachelor’s degree in nursing but with a job in Marshfield and wife who teaches in Wisconsin Rapids, the central Wisconsin native has little interest in relocating to attend college. Earning an associate degree from a two-year campus and then pursuing a completion degree at another institution also is not appealing to him.

Fortunately for Tessmer and other talented students with strong ties to central Wisconsin, a 25-year-old partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield enables them to pursue their academic and professional goals without leaving behind jobs and families.

“This is the perfect fit for me,” said Tessmer, a senior who already is working at Ministry as a certified nursing assistant. “I’m working at a hospital where I’m exposed to best practices while I’m earning my nursing degree from a great school. Having school and work in one campus has made it easier to do both. And I’m doing it close to home, which supports my wife’s teaching. I wouldn’t be able to fit it all in if not for the UW-Eau Claire program in Marshfield.”

The university’s partnership with Ministry allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from UW-Eau Claire while taking UW-Eau Claire classes in Marshfield. State-of-the-art technology in classrooms in Marshfield and Eau Claire bring nursing students and faculty from both sites together for interactive discussions and learning. All nursing classes offered at the Eau Claire and Marshfield sites are available to students in both locations. Clinicals, advising and other hands-on learning activities take place at or near the Marshfield site, just as they do on campus in Eau Claire.

To date, 531 nurses have earned nursing degrees from UW-Eau Claire through the Marshfield program, which enrolls 16 new students each semester. Many of the program’s graduates now work as nurses in central Wisconsin, which is home to two large medical centers that employ thousands of nurses and other health professionals.

“This was a pioneering partnership that now is a roadmap for nursing’s future,” said Dr. Linda Young, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Twenty-five years ago university and hospital leaders saw a need for more highly educated nurses in central Wisconsin. Using basic audio technology and dedicated faculty, they found a way to make a satellite nursing program work in a way that was efficient and effective. It’s grown and evolved as students, health care and technologies have changed, but our earliest goal of increasing the number of nurses with bachelor’s degrees in central Wisconsin remains the same.”

Suzanne Voros, a clinical instructor at the UW-Eau Claire nursing program’s Marshfield site, and then-nursing student Kay Wiedenbeck worked together in the clinical skills lab in Marshfield. Wiedenbeck, a native of Wausau who graduated in December, is now a registered nurse participating in a residency program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

When university and hospital officials established the program a quarter century ago, it was the first known agreement between a public higher education institution in Wisconsin and a private health care agency, and the first program in the state to use two-way telecommunications to teach nursing at an off-campus location.

“We were on the cutting edge and we didn’t even realize it at the time,” said Marcia Bollinger, a retired media specialist who helped launch and then maintain the UW-Eau Claire nursing distance education program. “Our approach was different than anything else being done. Now it seems basic, but then it was innovative. It was challenging for our faculty and students, but it also was exciting. That it worked so well and continues to be so successful is a compliment to people at UW-Eau Claire and at Ministry who had the vision to make this happen.”

With health care becoming even more complex, baby boomers aging and many nurses preparing to retire, the demand for highly educated nurses soon will skyrocket across all of Wisconsin and the United States, Young said.

State and national nursing and health care organizations, as well as state workforce development groups, now have stated goals around increasing the number of nurses with bachelor’s degrees, Young said, noting several health care organizations in the country now require bachelor’s degrees for entry-level positions.

In 2010, the Institute of Medicine released a report, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” which includes among its recommendations raising the education level of the nursing workforce. Specifically the report called for:

• Increasing the number of nurses with baccalaureate degrees from 50 percent to 80 percent by 2020.
• Doubling the number of nurses with a doctorate by 2020.
• Moving to have at least 10 percent of nurses with bachelor’s degrees enter a master’s or doctoral degree program within five years of graduation.

In February, Competitive Wisconsin Inc.’s “Be Bold 2: Growing Wisconsin’s Talent Pool” report included nursing and health-related professions as one of five skill clusters around which the state’s talent development must focus because of high demand. The report states that nearly 60 percent of Wisconsin’s registered nurses are age 45 or older, and more than 46 percent plan to retire during the next nine years.

Partnerships among academic institutions and private organizations, as well as the use of technology in nursing education, are among the recommended strategies for meeting those goals, Young said.

“We have been doing for 25 years the kinds of things that many organizations now just are talking about as we all look for ways to better meet the talent needs of the health care industry,” Young said. “We have in place a successful, longstanding partnership program that can be a model for other nursing education programs. It’s also something we would like to replicate with organizations in other communities if we can find the resources.”

Most of the students who enroll in the Marshfield program are from central Wisconsin, many are nontraditional students for whom relocating would be difficult, and most want to remain in the area after earning their degree, said Dr. Robin Beeman, assistant dean of nursing for UW-Eau Claire at the Marshfield site.

“I would say half of the graduates work as nurses at Ministry and at least 75 percent stay in central Wisconsin,” said Beeman, who has been with the program for 20 years. “Having a pool of highly educated nurses who already are in the area and want to stay here is helpful to health care organizations. It’s easier and less expensive for them to recruit nurses who have strong ties to central Wisconsin.”

With Ministry and other Magnet hospitals — hospitals that earn the Magnet distinction by offering a proven level of excellence in nursing care — requiring that their nurses have bachelor’s degrees, the UW-Eau Claire program has become even more valuable, Beeman said.

The Marshfield program appeals to many students because they can complete their entire nursing degree program through UW-Eau Claire in Marshfield, rather than earning an associate degree at one school and then going to another for a nursing completion program, Beeman said.

“Students like it because it’s a more direct path to their bachelor’s degree,” Beeman said.

Mark Knauf, a member of the first class to graduate from the Marshfield program, said the quality and the convenience of the program were equally appealing to him.

“I was fortunate that they started the bachelor’s program here at the same time I was thinking about my education,” said Knauf, a 1990 graduate who now works as a nurse practitioner at the Marshfield Clinic. “I wanted a bachelor’s degree because I knew it would be much more beneficial to me in the long run. UW-Eau Claire’s nursing program had a good reputation and I wanted to be part of it, but I also wanted to stay here to save money while I earned my degree. It was a great experience because I had good faculty who pushed me, and the connections with the Marshfield Clinic and Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital set me up for a great future.”

Tessmer agreed, saying the program has been life changing.

“As an employee of Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital, a UW-Eau Claire student, a person doing the Ministry Health Care Nurses for the Future tuition reimbursement program, and someone who will be a nurse intern with Ministry this summer, I need to say thanks to all the parties involved,” Tessmer said. “It’s given me great experiences, including a chance to travel. I studied in Scotland for a semester and I had clinicals at Rosebud in South Dakota. At the same time I grew up in central Wisconsin, my wife works here, and I want to continue to live here. Someday I’d like to work at Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital as a nurse. This program is helping me do all of these things, which I’m not sure otherwise would have been possible.”

JB/JP

Fast facts:

UW-Eau Claire-Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital nursing education partnership

• UW-Eau Claire signed a partnership with Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital in 1986 after the hospital phased out its diploma nursing program because the increasing complexities of health care made a bachelor’s degree for professional nursing essential.
• The partnership allowed nursing students to remain in Marshfield while receiving the same quality nursing education provided to students on the UW-Eau Claire campus.
• It was the first known agreement between a public higher education institution in Wisconsin and a private health care agency, and the first program in the state to use two-way telecommunications to teach nursing at an off-campus location. This is the longest running known partnership of its kind in Wisconsin.
• Students first began taking classes at the Marshfield site during the 1987-88 academic year (25 years ago). In 1990, the first nursing students from the Marshfield site graduated.
• Today, about 90 UW-Eau Claire students are enrolled in the bachelor’s of nursing degree program at the Marshfield site. Each semester, 16 new students are admitted to the program.
• To date, 531 nurses have graduated from UW-Eau Claire through the Marshfield program.
• Courses are taught by faculty located in Marshfield and Eau Claire. Eleven nursing faculty teach at the Marshfield site.
• Both sites use interactive distance education technologies to facilitate simultaneous instruction in classrooms. Students in Eau Claire or Marshfield can take nursing classes taught from either site.
• In addition to classrooms, the Marshfield site has computer labs, a clinical skills lab, a student lounge, video-conference rooms, group collaboration areas and the Ministry Saint Joseph Hospital Nursing Learning Resource Center.
• UW-Eau Claire’s program at the Marshfield site is located in the South building of Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital, which is attached to the Marshfield Clinic.

State-of-the-art technology in classrooms in Marshfield and Eau Claire bring UW-Eau Claire nursing students and faculty from both sites together for interactive discussions and learning.

UW-Platteville has seen robust growth in the School of Agriculture in recent years. With approximately 800 students majoring in agricultural degrees, the School of Agriculture has doubled in size since 1995. This increase should come as no surprise according to Dr. Michael Compton, director of UW-Platteville’s School of Agriculture. “During 2010-15, the United States economy will generate over 54,000 openings per year for graduates with a baccalaureate in agriculture related programs,” he said. Some major factors that will shape the job market of students graduating with an agricultural degree include retirements, consumer preferences, global market shifts and public policy on food, energy and the environment.

UW-Platteville students work on weed identification at Pioneer Farm.

The increasing popularity of agriculture degrees is not just at UW-Platteville or the Midwest, but nationwide. “From 2006-11, enrollment in colleges of agriculture rose about 20 percent to around 145,000 students nationwide,” said Compton. “Job increases in agriculture are happening due to rising U.S. farm income which results in agribusiness growth.”

The number of graduates in agriculture is expected to continue to increase but it also is expected that the increase will fall short of meeting demands the industry is anticipating when it comes to qualified graduates. Areas of study such as animal science and agribusiness will see the largest increases in enrollment, while plant and soil sciences and horticulture programs are not expected to see the same boost in enrollment. This trend will most likely result in a shortage of graduates to fill anticipated vacancies.

Students work in the meat processing lab at UW-Platteville.

“Students typically select majors for which they have a strong interest,” Compton said. “Unfortunately, a person’s interest does not always align with the market for available career positions. For example, soil and crop science is our third largest major in the School of Agriculture at UW-Platteville with just over 80 students. However, it is arguably the area with the greatest opportunity for jobs.”

With a strong job market, many students in agriculture have the flexibility to choose a career path of their preference. “It is obvious to students graduating with an agricultural degree that there are many options for them upon graduation. Many companies are growing in the industry, and need us to fill their voids,” said Kanis.

The career fair held on campus led to three job offers for Kanis, seven months before she graduates from UW-Platteville. Kanis has accepted a position working for DuPont Pioneer in Renwick, Iowa as an agronomist-emerging leader at a soybean seed production facility. Many graduates with an agricultural degree are experiencing the same demand.

Contact: Dr. Michael Compton, director, UW-Platteville School of Agriculture, (608) 342-1323, compton@uwplatt.edu

Written by: Ethan Giebel, UW-Platteville University Information and Communications, (608) 342-1194, giebele@uwplatt.edu

Students work to process cattle at the UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm.

Visual arts students in UW-Stevens Point’s College of Fine Arts and Communication require a special art paper to handle the inks and processes they use, and the art paper is expensive. Meanwhile, the university is home to the fastest student-run pilot paper plant in the country, used for classes in the Department of Paper Science and Engineering (PS&E) and also for paper development and production runs by the university’s Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology (WIST). The pilot machine is ideal for materials studies and small developmental runs.

The three units worked together to develop an economical, archival art paper. The paper had to be versatile enough for use in a range of printmaking and drawing applications. Under direction of WIST and PS&E faculty, students made a series of trial runs on the pilot paper machine. Working on a real-world problem provided a great learning opportunity for the students. By May 2012, they had produced a 100 percent cotton paper with the qualities needed. Since then, students and faculty in visual arts have used the paper in all sorts of projects and have been very happy with its performance.

The collaboration has been so successful the group decided to introduce the paper to the market through WIST. The Design Center in the Department of Art and Design coined the name, RiverPoint art paper, and put together marketing packets for the new paper. The paper made its debut in March at Print:MKE, a design conference in Milwaukee, where PS&E and visual arts students hosted a trade-show booth and gave away samples of RiverPoint. Response from attendees was very positive, resulting in a number of orders. WIST is now marketing the paper to educational institutions and the general public. Paper sales will support research and education at UW-Stevens Point.

UW-Stevens Point visual arts student Bradley Trotter prepares to make a print on RiverPoint art paper.

Bernier worked in a greenhouse while in high school and loved it. She decided to pursue a career that would allow her to be outdoors and combine her two passions: plants and art.

Those passions, along with her academic skills, are taking her places. On Wednesday, April 17, she will be showcasing her interests in a slightly bigger house: the state Capitol in Madison. Bernier is one of eight University of Wisconsin-Stout students who will be presenting research at the annual UW System Posters in the Rotunda.

For Bernier, a senior from Land O’ Lakes majoring in applied science, the opportunity is one more step up the educational ladder. This fall she will take another major step when she begins graduate school at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She has been accepted into the master’s program for landscape architecture.

Bernier’s career path opened up when she decided to major in applied science at UW-Stout. An Honors College student, she also has studied abroad in Scotland and New Zealand.

“I want to make a difference and restore the environment through sustainable design, but I felt I couldn’t accomplish this goal without first learning how society was contributing to environmental degradation,” Bernier said.

She accomplished that at UW-Stout by choosing an environmental science concentration and adding a minor in sustainable design and development.

A major foundation at UW-Stout for Bernier has been the opportunity to conduct independent research with funding from the McNair Scholars Program.

“The McNair Scholars Program has guided me through college, brought me numerous academic opportunities and caused me to reassess my personal goals. It has prepared me very well for graduate school,” said Bernier, who hopes to pursue a doctorate degree.

Her research project, “Wet Prairie Restoration Methods Affect Species Richness and Transplant Survival,” not only will be presented at Posters in the Rotunda but was accepted for presentations this academic year at the:

• Wisconsin Wetlands Association meeting, Sheboygan
• Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel conference, Lake Geneva
• National Conference on Undergraduate Research, UW-La Crosse
• Natural Areas Conference, Norfolk, Va.

Bernier designed and built 36 research plots at UW-Stout’s Outdoor Classroom.

“We investigated whether existing vegetation is a competitor or facilitator in wet prairie restoration projects. This short-term experiment displays promising solutions for restoring wet prairies,” Bernier said.

Associate Professor Amanda Little, Bernier’s faculty adviser.

Associate Professor Amanda Little is Bernier’s faculty adviser. “Callie’s research is making important contributions to the field of wetland restoration. It is immensely difficult to restore wetland systems, especially native wet prairies and sedge meadows, once they have become degraded,” Little said.

Little said she has been impressed by Bernier’s determination and skills. “Callie is one of those students that everybody in the biology department wants to work with. She consistently pushes the boundaries of what she knows a bit farther due to her curiosity,” Little said. “She is sincere, responsible and has a great attitude.”

Bernier’s research also will be published in the Journal of Student Research at UW-Stout, and she will present at UW-Stout Research Day, Tuesday, April 30.

Other UW-Stout students presenting at Posters in the Rotunda, their projects and advisers are:

• Nicole Casperson, of Oshkosh, “Understanding Age in the Workforce: The Teacher’s Influence”; Leni Marshall, English and philosophy
• Chelsea Culver, of Pulaski, and Averill Heimdahl, of Menomonie, “UW-Stout Engagement and Volunteering”; Tina Lee, social science
• Samuel Foster, of Menomonie, “Evaluating the Financial Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Local Farmers in Wisconsin”; Inoussa Boubacar, social science
• Julia Heck, of Durand, and Amber Roberts, of Greenville, “The Relationship Between Gender and First-Generation College Students”; Susan Wolfgram, human development and family studies
• Michael Krueger, of Milwaukee, “Telomere-Specific Effect of Chaga Extract on HFF1 Cells”; James Burritt, biology

This is the 10thannual Posters in the Rotunda. About 100 students from the UW System are expected. For more information, go to www.wisconsin.edu/posters.

The federally funded Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program began nationally in 1989. It is named after McNair, a scholar and astronaut who died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion.

For more information, go to www.uwstout.edu/mcnair.

Callie Bernier will present her research project on wet prairie restoration during Posters in the Rotunda Wednesday, April 17, in the state Capitol.

Find out how…

UW-Parkside educating cyber security sentinels

The headlines are global and Dr. Susan Lincke, computer science professor and certified systems information auditor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, knows all too well the magnitude of cybercrime:

• 30,000 computers paralyzed in South Korea
• Data looted from more than 100 major U.S. companies
• President threatens trade sanctions for cyber espionage

“Right now it’s way too easy and we’re all not secure enough,” Lincke said. “If you talk to the people in security, they say there are two types of companies: companies that have been broken into and know it, and companies that have been broken into and don’t know it.”

Dr. Susan Lincke, second from right, works with students, from left, Raul Barrera, Charles Huggins, and Kristen Thompson in the UW-Parkside Cyber Security Lab. The university’s cyber security program recently received certification for the National Training Standard for Information Systems Security.

Interpol, the international police organization, calls cybercrime “one of the fastest growing areas of crime.” Criminals worldwide are exploiting technology’s speed and anonymity. Attacks against computer data and systems, identity theft, penetration of online financial services, virus deployment, “Botnets,” and email scams such as “phishing” are just a few of the tools at their disposal.

Inside the Cyber Security Lab

On the ground floor of Molinaro Hall at UW-Parkside, computer science students are learning to detect—and prevent—cybercrime. The Cyber Security Laboratory is open only to students studying in this cutting edge field. It’s isolated from the campus computer network, enabling students to investigate security issues without running the risk of being hacked from the outside or hacking the university network.

UW-Parkside has a variety of computer labs. However, inside the Cyber Security Laboratory, the environment is…different.

“The Cyber Security Lab does have a different atmosphere,” said graduate computer information systems student and cyber security certificate holder Shannon McCumber. “There’s a feeling of exclusivity.”

Here, the object is to understand how break-ins occur and how to defend against them.

“Network security focuses on what’s called ‘pen testing’ or penetration testing,”  Lincke said. “That is: How do you monitor to make sure your firewalls are working? Can you break into the network by looking at different servers and seeing what ports are open and then making sure that only the required ports are open?

“I show students how we can monitor the transmissions of what’s happening to their computers. There’s no way of breaking in without sending a packet over a line. And if you’re monitoring what’s happening on the line, then you know what’s going on with your computer,” Lincke said.

The Cyber Security Laboratory is separate from the campus network allowing students to investigate security issues without the dangers of being hacked.

Undergraduates can earn a cyber security certificate and students pursuing a master of science degree in computer information systems (MSCIS) can integrate cyber security into their studies.

“The Cyber Security Lab enables people to really understand security in all aspects, no matter how they want to focus their careers,” Lincke said.

Business Professor Dr. Stephen Hawk, addresses cyber security in his M.B.A. class. “I was surprised by how many students were in the cyber security course. And most of them did not have a security background,” he said.

Hawk, also a certified systems information auditor, is currently developing an online cyber security course to be offered worldwide through the UW System this summer.

Outside the Cyber Security Lab

Of course, not everything about computers and security can be learned inside a lab. Working through the university’s Information Technology Practice Center, Lincke and her students have provided network monitoring, security planning and education, encryption, and other services to area businesses, nonprofits, government entities, and educational facilities.

Seeking Security Certification

In late March 2013, UW-Parkside received certification for the National Training Standard for Information Systems Security. This is the first step in becoming a National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in IA Education. (NSA CAE/IAE). That, Lincke said, will serve as a strong credential for graduates seeking careers in cyber security. She added that full NSA CAE/IAE certification is a strong possibility by 2014.

The headlines about cybercrime are disturbing raising concerns about global financial stability, international trade relations, and public safety. With the help of the Cyber Security Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Parkside students are positioned to have a positive impact on global data security.

Cyber Security Courses

• Computer Communication and Networks (CSCI 477)
• Advanced Business Data Communications (MIS 424)
• Introduction to Network Security (CSCI 478)
• Web Security (CSCI 445)

Brandner, a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point forestry major, is working with Professor Mike Demchik on a research project that ultimately aims to develop American hazelnut strains for commercial production. The plants show promise as an oilseed crop – the nuts are more than 50 percent oil and similar to olive oil in health advantages. They also have potential as a biodiesel crop, but their value is much higher as a foodstuff, Demchik says. Either use has the potential to add a new income source for Wisconsin agriculture producers.

One research aspect is developing the protocol for propagating the plants. Heath’s part of the project is helping to determine the optimum interval for division and transplanting.

Brandner is a third-year student from Marshfield, Wis., and hopes to work in agroforestry after graduation. One of his goals in college was to gain laboratory experience as an undergraduate and he’s happy that the CNR provides such opportunities. “I’ve always wanted to do student research,” Brandner says, adding that he plans to present his work at the college’s annual research symposium on April 5.

Demchik’s research is supported in part by the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology (WIST) at UW-Stevens Point, under its WIST Scholars program, which has provided funding for nearly a dozen projects since 2011. The program aims to foster creative ideas and solutions for businesses through collaborative work, targeting opportunities that promise environmental as well as economic gains.

UW-Stevens Point forestry major Heath Brandner transplants American hazelnut seedlings as part of a research project that aims to develop a new commercial opportunity for Wisconsin agricultural producers.

The UW-Stout Career Services office new employment report showed that 97 percent of the graduates from 2011-2012 had either found positions or were furthering their education. The rate is similar to last year and continues a trend of more than a decade with an employment rate at or above 97 percent. The report also had a response rate of 91.5 percent, compared to 86 percent last year.

Chancellor Sorensen

“We keep hearing from state and federal officials how universities need to get serious about ensuring their graduates are prepared for fulfilling career and jobs are available for those graduates,” said Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen. “UW-Stout has been answering that challenge for decades.”

Sorensen said he was particularly pleased that 79.3 percent of the employed graduates were working within their field of study. That compares to 77 percent of 2010-11 graduates working in their field of study.

“This is a clear indication that our majors are aligned with the needs of employers,” Sorensen said. “We are offering majors that clearly are needed by business and industry because they snap up our graduates in these fields.”

Amy Lane, Career Services director

Another area that improved, Sorensen said, was the median starting salary that 2011-12 graduates reported. The median salary was $40,000 a year in the most recent report, compared to $37,000 last year and $35,000 the year before. Six majors had starting median annual salaries in excess of $50,000.

“These starting salaries show that an education at UW-Stout is still a great investment,” Sorensen said, adding,

“Furthermore, 28 of our majors reported 100 percent placement of their graduates.”

Amy Lane, Career Services director, attributed the continual success of UW-Stout graduates in the workplace to the fact that “employers know that UW-Stout students have an excellent work ethic and ability to contribute to the organization from their first day on the job.”

More than 925 students participated in the UW-Stout cooperative education program last year, Lane said, through which students get paid to work in a position related to their major at a company and earn college credit.

Tara Bartolomeo, a 2011-12 UW-Stout graduate

“Students who participate in a co-op have realistic expectations of the world of work and are able to apply their knowledge at an organization upon graduation,” Lane said. “The co-op advantage benefits all three partners: student, employer and the university.  At UW-Stout we build strong partnerships with organizations to help them develop a strong talent pipeline of new hires each year. Many new hires are co-op students who have worked at these companies while taking the co-op course as part of their curriculum at UW-Stout.”

Other types of experience students have each year include student teaching and practicums.

One of the 2011-12 graduates was Tara Bartolomeo, a retail merchandising and management graduate from Pewaukee, who landed a position as product development coordinator for Kohl’s corporate office in Menomonee Falls.

“I first came to UW-Stout to visit my identical twin and fell in love with the campus,” Bartolomeo said. “From the unique and career-focused majors, to the industry experienced professors, I am very pleased that I transferred to UW-Stout.”

The full employment report can be found at www.uwstout.edu/careers/upload/anrpt.pdf.