Join us for a journey into the essence of nature, identity, and heritage as our artists explore the theme of Roots. Through a diverse range of media and perspectives, this exhibition delves into the connections between who we are, where we come from, and the natural world around us.
Featured Artists: Marci Kodl, Kayla Ellefson, Karla Lara, Amelia Johnson
December 7th, 6-8pm
The Raw Deal - 603 Broadway St S, Menomonie, WI, 54751
Ladies! Join us in making a porch pot to grace your home this Christmas season.
Bring a pot filled with sand/soil and the rest is provided. Hot apple cider will be served along with holiday goodies. We would love to have you join us!
Yuan recognized for ‘pushing the envelope’ to train next generation at Cyber Security Summit
By Abby Goers, UW-Stout
For leading the way in cybersecurity and for her outstanding educational contributions to the industry, University of Wisconsin-Stout Professor Holly Yuan received the Visionary Academic Leadership Award at 14th annual Cyber Security Summit.
The summit, held recently in Minneapolis, brings together cybersecurity professionals, educators and students from across the nation to tackle emerging challenges and to protect people, processes and property.
Yuan has secured funding from the Department of Defense, Department of Workforce Development, and other agencies to engage students in cutting-edge research involving cybersecurity, AI and cloud computing. This work has enabled students to earn scholarships, internships and secure roles in the field.
“I’m honored to be recognized with the Visionary Academic Leadership Award. Receiving this award is incredibly meaningful to me. It’s a recognition of the collective efforts of our students, faculty and partners. I’m grateful for all the support I’ve received along the way,” Yuan said.
Six students were awarded summit scholarships to attend the event at no cost:
Alexander Nachreiner, computer science, Mound, Minn.
Liam Nicholson, cybersecurity, Milwaukee
Owen Pryga, cybersecurity, Grafton
“The students received praise for their engagement and professionalism, further solidifying the program’s strong reputation. Everyone just loved them,” Yuan said. “A member of the Cyber Security Summit Think Tank Advisory Board remarked, ‘The future is bright,’ recognizing their energy and potential.”
Alumni David Tesar, a security service agent at a national cybersecurity company, and Cheyne Taylor, a graduate student representative for the Think Tank advisory board, joined to celebrate with the students. Taylor supported Yuan’s nomination.
“When I was given the opportunity to nominate an individual for this honor, Dr. Holly Yuan came to mind immediately,” Taylor said. “Dr. Yuan has been an outstanding faculty member and a strong advocate of her students and UW-Stout to numerous IT firms nationwide. She is always striving to provide the best opportunities for her students by bringing in partnerships from both the private and public sectors. Outside of creating CyROC and establishing the B.S. cybersecurity degree, Dr. Yuan also takes time to mentor students throughout their undergraduate career.”
Students are prepared for cybersecurity careers
With UW-Stout’s focus on hands-on and experiential learning, Yuan believes graduates are equipped not just with theoretical knowledge but also with practical skills through internships, capstone projects and industry certifications.
“This hands-on approach ensures our students will be successful in their careers,” she said.
Pryga, president of the university’s Collegiate Cyber Defense League, and CCDL vice president Nicholson, think that one of the hardest parts about leading a cybersecurity program is to evolve alongside the fast-moving industry and to push the envelope to train the next generation of professionals.
“Holly has really been helping to advance the industry through her work in pushing UW-Stout’s program. This has and will continue to produce students who are up-to-date with the industry and are confident and capable of becoming effective professionals and leaders in the field,” Nicholson said.
For example, in response to the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, Yuan and faculty have integrated AI into the curriculum, including a new course called Application of Generative AI in Cybersecurity.
“This course explores how AI can be leveraged to enhance cybersecurity controls and processes, helping our students stay ahead of emerging trends. In the field of cybersecurity, generative AI is quickly becoming a tool for both defensive and offensive measures. We’re focused on integrating these aspects into our curriculum to ensure our students are well-equipped to address challenges,” Yuan said.
“Holly creates this unmatched enthusiasm for everyone involved. She works so hard for the program, and the students and alumni see the hard work she puts in and want to help her out in any way they can,” Pryga said. “Holly regularly keeps up with people in the industry to ensure that the program is up-to-date, and the employers are happy with Stout graduates. She supports the students in a variety of ways, encouraging employers to hire Stout students throughout the semester, giving students hands-on work experience before they graduate.”
Pryga and Nicholson will graduate in spring 2026. They plan to work in an incident response role or as a cybersecurity analyst; and security research, engineering or offensive security, respectively.
Addressing Wisconsin’s cybersecurity and AI needs
In spring 2023, UW-Stout received a $298,771 cybersecurity internship grant to address Wisconsin’s workforce and infrastructure needs. The Fast Forward grant is from the state Department of Workforce Development and Universities of Wisconsin. It provides paid industry internships to students enrolled in cybersecurity-related programs.
UW-Stout Career Services Director Bryan Barts thinks the DWD internship program creates a total win-win scenario for students and employers.
“Students looking to use the skills they built in Stout programs on real world projects for actual employers demonstrate the polytechnic education in practice,” he said. “Employers looking to make their organization, services, products and especially data more secure are finding students bringing insights and impacts right away. This program brings both together in impressive ways.”
Ezra Wilhelmy, cybersecurity, Maple Grove, Minn., began an internship at Yahara Software, in Madison, through the DWD program in July. They have accomplished impressive work, said Yuan, including designing a security pipeline, conducting security scans and collaborating closely with the DevSecOps team. They presented to more than 40 engineers and leaders at Yahara, including the CEO, providing a great overview of their achievements during the internship. Wilhelmy is completing the DWD internship remotely this fall semester, with an expected end date in December.
“It’s inspiring to see the real-world impact our students are making through these opportunities,” Yuan said.
Thirty companies have partnered with Career Services through the DWD internship program to recruit students: 3RT Networks, Malisko Engineering Inc., Greenheck Fan, IBM, Yahara Software, Promega, Heartland Business Systems, Trellis Management, City of Menomonie, ND Paper, TechHorizon Consulting, Nelson-Jameson Inc., School District of Holmen, Wieser Concrete Products Inc., Mystic Lake Casino, School District of Cudahy, In Control Inc., BouMatic, Dove IT Services, Kayres Counseling LLC, L.E. Phillips Career Development Center, Chippewa Valley IT Consulting, Sanmina, Maxcess International, the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration - Division of Enterprise Technology, MacaroniKIDMadison, Black River Country Bank, Anderson Engineering of MN, Plastic Ingenuity Inc., and the Dirks Group.
A recent $124,555 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy will create ACCESS — the AI-Powered Cloud Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification and Education Support System. The DoD program, beginning in 2025, will help businesses guard against cybersecurity threats. It will require defense supply chain partners that handle sensitive unclassified information to meet stringent cybersecurity standards.
Yuan will lead development of a network prototype that simulates a manufacturing system, incorporating cloud service providers, headquarters, branch offices and teleworkers.
The certificate program will also strengthen career opportunities and industry workforce readiness for cybersecurity and CNIE majors, prospective students and professionals in the field.
Yuan is also working to expand CyROC’s community engagement opportunities through hands-on cybersecurity workshops.
Davis, an engineering technology graduate, supports efforts to improve lives at Minneapolis VA Medical Center
By Jerry Poling, UW-Stout
Menomonie, Wis. — On the fourth floor of the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center, with a panoramic view of the Mississippi River valley, an office countertop holds a seemingly macabre collection of plastic models: A foot, hand and forearm, a heart, part of a spine, a lower jaw and other small, novel devices.
To the visitor, they’re just that. To their creator, Drew Davis, a 2007 University of Wisconsin-Stout engineering technology graduate, they are so much more. The 3D-printed models are re-creations of actual body parts of veterans, based on their MRIs and CT scans, that support their treatment and potentially improve their lives.
Davis and the VA’s RECOVER team — Rehabilitation and Engineering Center for Optimizing Veteran Engagement and Reintegration — give hope to veterans.
The collection in the high-tech, 3D print lab includes, for example: one veteran’s aorta 3D-printed in exact detail that a doctor used to explain what had to be fixed; a half-scale head with a face that can be peeled away to reveal the extent of damaged bone. Davis uses software that takes CT and MRI data, captured by a radiologist, and generates 3D printable files of patient anatomy. He then optimizes the 3D printer settings to print bone and tissue structures.
The foot on the counter is part of an ankle-foot system designed for veterans with a prosthesis. The system is attached to the wearer at the end of the prosthetic socket. It slips into a 3D printed foot that is designed for a specific heel height.
The veteran can bring in a pair of shoes and walk away with a prosthetic foot for that shoe, which slips onto the ankle unit. Imagine a veteran walking into their home, taking off their outside shoes — foot included — and putting on their inside shoes, foot and all.
At RECOVER, veterans are included in the design process, whether it’s a novel design or adaptive technology. “We take their input and make it real. Helping the veterans makes the job worth it,” Davis said.
Davis also has designed a system to test the strength and wear of a prosthetic socket, creating a pneumatic testing frame and using custom software to control the tests. “The goal is to come up with a test that can confirm the structural integrity of a traditionally fabricated socket. We can then apply those same tests to start to optimize materials and design of the sockets,” he said.
A new kind of wheelchair
On another floor at the VA hospital, Davis enters a windowless room with an assortment of wheelchairs. One of them is special: A prototype of a manual, mobile, standing wheelchair. Davis sits down, presses a button at the end of an arm with his thumb and the chair slowly rises to a standing position.
Then, he rolls forward like he wants to get something from a high shelf. Think of the many more things people in wheelchairs could do if they could move and stand. “It would help empower veterans,” he said.
Davis, who has worked at the VA for more than two years, helped design and oversees the manufacture of the wheelchair. The project goes back 10 years, but with his work it has advanced to user testing in Minneapolis and Palo Alto, Calif.
“That’s the major reason I’m here. I saw that technology and wanted to be part of it,” said Davis, who previously worked as a project engineer with Stratasys, which makes 3D printers. The standing wheelchair includes 3D-printed parts. If successful, it too could be licensed for commercial production.
Along with the 3D lab, Davis works in the machine shop. “We’re more of a hacker space. It’s a really cool job, the culmination of my career experience,” he said.
He also supports the design engineers with TTAP — the VA Technology Transfer Program.
“TTAP is for ideas, devices and therapies that come from anyone in the VA network who wants to develop them. We will apply our experience and skills to help get the idea through industrial design, functional design and design for manufacturing,” he said.
Davis’ engineering technology degree included an emphasis in plastics. Seventeen years ago, 3D printing was fairly new technology, but he saw its potential. Once, he was two hours late for a date with his future wife, Jillian McDowell Davis, a 2005 alum, when he lost track of time while 3D-printing in a lab.
For his senior capstone, he was the only person who 3D-printed his project — a crank arm for a bicycle pedal. His career in engineering and 3D printing has been cycling forward ever since.
UW-Stout is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.
The UW-Stout Symphonic Band will present a concert titled “Winter’s Colors.”
The concert will feature the world premiere of a new piece by Minneapolis based composer Clare Howard, titled Over the Blue & Green. The piece explores the experience of astronauts awed by the sight of the earth from space.
The rest of the concert will feature more colorful and wintery favorites that all are sure to enjoy!
The concert will be in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center. Tickets are $5 and are available online atuwstout.universitytickets.com, at the Service Center in the Memorial Student Center, and at the door. UW-Stout Students with Stout I.D. will be admitted free of charge at the door.
