Congratulations to two faculty members from the college who were honored at the UWM Employee Excellence Awards on Oct. 14. View the full list of awardees here.
Faculty Distinguished Public Service Award
Christine Cheng, associate professor, computer science
Cheng’s service and outreach has strengthened UWM’s reputation among Milwaukee families as a welcoming place for young people to learn technology skills.
In 2016, Cheng co-founded “UWM’s Girls Who Code” program, building it into a supportive community that has introduced hundreds of middle and high school students from the Milwaukee area to computing.
As the main site administrator, Cheng manages enrollment, coordinates promotional efforts, recruits and supports instructors, and partners with UWM Advancement on grants. She has designed the program’s curriculum and traditions, including a pathway for advanced students to return as volunteer teaching assistants and instructors.
Beyond “Girls Who Code,” Cheng has judged regional science and hackathon competitions, reviewed for the NCWIT Aspirations Award, served on a high school IT academy advisory board, and spoken on panels addressing women and underrepresented groups in technology.
Office of Research/Senior Faculty Award
Robert Cuzner, professor, electrical engineering
Cuzner specializes in the architecture and development of smart systems needed to electrify ships and to overhaul the aging U.S. electrical grid using microgrids. Microgrids are small-scale power grids that operate independently of the national electrical grid to power a local area.
This research affects everyone as the U.S. electrical grid becomes more overworked and prone to blackouts. Power electronics and new control mechanisms are needed to upgrade the existing infrastructure.
Cuzner has attracted significant funding from the U.S. Navy, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies. He leads the Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems at UWM and is site director for the NSF-funded Grid-Connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES) center, an academic/industry collaboration in this field.
He oversees the microgrid, electromagnetic interference, and high voltage laboratories at UWM. In fact, he and his lab member have built an experimental microgrid at the university’s USR building. In 2023, he worked with a local company, Badger Technologies, to install, test and integrate a unique battery energy storage system with the UWM’s experimental microgrid. Through these experiences his students have done hands-on research and then gone on to both private-sector and federal jobs, many in Wisconsin.