5 from college recognized as international advocates
Four CEAS faculty members and one graduate student were among those honored Nov. 16 at the Center for International Education’s first International Advocate Recognition Ceremony. The event recognized people who have made a difference in the lives of UWM international students and students pursuing study abroad.
Congratulations to:
Brian Armstrong, professor, electrical engineering and computer science
John Boyland, professor, computer science
Mohammad Rahman, Richard and Joanne Grigg associate professor, mechanical engineering
UWM’s Biomedical and Health Informatics PhD program graduates 28th student; graduates are in high demand
In December, the Biomedical and Health Informatics PhD program will honor its 28th graduate – Xiaoyu Liu.
The interdisciplinary program—now in its 16th year—remains the only such PhD program in Wisconsin and graduates two or three students annually who are fully prepared for careers in this high-demand field. Graduates pursue careers in biomedical and health-related fields including public policy, public health, cancer research and data analytics.
Liu set her sights on an academic career. She is already working at Southern Illinois University as an assistant lecturer in health care management, with a teaching and research concentration in health informatics. (She will be promoted to assistant professor upon graduation.) This is a perfect fit, Liu says, as her undergraduate and master’s degrees were in business administration.
Interdisciplinary nature of program was a significant draw
“I am very grateful to UWM for offering a well-designed, holistic program,” Liu said. The interdisciplinary nature of the program was a draw and allowed her to choose from courses in various disciplines—including engineering and health science—and work with faculty members and doctoral students across campus. She said her work as a research assistant for a professor in the College of Nursing dovetailed with her own research interests in health informatics, specifically to identify patients’ unmet needs and improve healthcare outcomes with trustworthy, effective health IT solutions.
While earning her PhD, her academic advisor was Susan McRoy, professor and department chair, who is an expert in health informatics, artificial intelligence and natural language processing.
“The people at UWM are very friendly and were always willing to help,” Liu said. What she’ll miss most about Milwaukee, she adds, is the “beautiful lake and pleasant summertime.”
Learn more about earning this in-demand degree
The curriculum for UWM’s Biomedical and Health Informatics PhD program includes coursework in human pathophysiology, medical informatics, databases and medical ethics, and students select from one of six tracks to follow.
It is housed in the College of Engineering & Applied Science and is run collaboratively by a steering committee comprised of faculty representative from the Medical College of Wisconsin, the College of Engineering & Applied Science, the College of Nursing, the Lubar College of Business, the College of Health Sciences, the School of Information Studies and the Zilber School of Public Health.
Military vet and engineering senior credits Warrior-Scholar Project for helping him succeed at UWM
UWM electrical engineering undergraduate and Navy veteran Pat Hollenbach, who is preparing to graduate in December, spoke to WTMJ-TV about the key role that the Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP) played in his academic success.
WSP is a non-profit organization whose offerings include free bootcamps to help veterans transition from military life to college.
6 UWM students initiated into Tau Beta Pi, a national honor society for engineers
The UWM Chapter of Tau Beta Pi (WI Gamma) held their fall 2022 joint initiation ceremony Nov. 5 at the Milwaukee School of Engineering with Marquette University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Congratulations to the following UWM students who were initiated that day into Tau Beta Pi: Cameron Ahles, Steven Knopp, Kevin Monahan, Abhiroop Reddy, Dakota Rodman and Casey Sroda. (Pictured above with Marina Slawinski, president of the UWM chapter.)
Tau Beta Pi (WI Gamma) faculty advisors are Kevin Renken, associate professor, mechanical engineering, and Robert Balmer, professor emerit, mechanical engineering.
Adjunct Instructor Kyle Crum named Notable Veteran Executive by Biz Times
Congratulations to Kyle Crum, who was named a Notable Veteran Executive by the Biz Times Nov. 8.
Crum is an adjunct instructor, industrial & manufacturing engineering for UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science and is the senior manager of advanced technology at Rockwell Automation, where he leads a research team that helps to define the future of industrial automation.
He served as a U.S. Navy officer specializing in operational intelligence and was employed overseas for a year on a global anti-terrorism mission.
Shelly Billingsley (’00 BS Civil Engineering) was recently appointed director of Kenosha County’s Department of Public Works. In this position, she oversees the divisions of facilities, highways, planning and development, parks and golf. Billingsley holds an MBA from UW-Parkside and is vice president of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Public Works Association.
Jerrel Kruschke (’07 BS Civil Engineering) was confirmed in October as the City of Milwaukee’s commissioner of public works, which has a $247 million budget, four divisions and 1,674 authorized positions.
Alyssa Walker (’16 BS Civil Engineering) was named Young Civil Engineer of the Year in September by the American Society of Civil Engineers-Wisconsin Section. Walker works at raSmith as a structural engineer and is secretary of the ASCE’s Young Members Group.
UWM honors David Yu for lasting contributions to university
David Yu, professor emerit of electrical engineering and computer science, was awarded an Ernest Spaights Plaza award during the annual UWM Fall Awards presentation Oct. 19. The award is named in honor of the late Professor Ernest Spaights and is dedicated to individuals who have made significant, enduring and campuswide contributions to the growth and development of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Chancellor Mone and David Yu
During his 36 years at UWM, whenever David Yu was asked to contribute, he did – and the university and community are better because of it.
In addition to a successful career as a researcher and educator, Yu was a talented administrative leader. Over the years, he served as his department’s chair, associate dean for research in the College of Engineering & Applied Science, and interim dean of the Graduate School.
Yu (left) and K Vairavan (right), who received a Spaights Plaza Award in 2012. Vairavan is a professor emerit, electrical engineering and computer science.
Yu was a major contributor to and supporter of the integrated bachelor’s-master’s degree program, which encourages undergraduates to continue their UWM education in the college’s master’s program. As associate dean in the college, he developed initiatives to boost graduate student enrollment across departments.
He stepped in to lead the Graduate School at a critical time – when it was growing its doctoral program offerings for the first time in more than two decades.
Yu led the Graduate School in a reorganization, a step that set the university on the path to achieving R1 status, the top tier of research universities as defined by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Learning, in 2015.
He also forged important collaborations between the Graduate School and the Center for International Education to increase the campus enrollment of international students and form partnerships with numerous institutions in other countries. The relationships he built in China and Taiwan are still active and benefiting UWM faculty and students.
These partnerships resulted in several high-profile international internships. Two of these were with Rockwell Automation in Shanghai, in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and an international co-op program with Foxconn in Taiwan, in collaboration with Chung Yuan Christian University. These allowed UWM students to get experience working in a truly global setting.
Transportation symposium updates 150 professionals on trends, developments in WI
Close to 150 people from across the transportation landscape recently attended the 2022 Southeast Wisconsin Transportation Symposium, held at UWM and co-hosted by UWM’s Institute of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation (IPIT) and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
Twenty-four speakers—representing academia, government, non-profit institutions, and industry—showcased innovative projects and addressed topics including the state’s electric vehicle infrastructure plan, promises and pitfalls of emerging vehicle technology, comprehensive crash analysis, and municipal green infrastructure.
You can view all the speakers’ bios and download many of the presentations here.
Keynotes were given by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson.
Join the mailing list for the 2023 symposium
The annual IPIT symposium offers one of the best opportunities in the state for transportation professionals to connect and learn about the latest trends and developments in Wisconsin’s transportation systems, said Xiao Qin, IPIT’s director, a Lawrence E. Sivak ‘71 Professor and professor of civil and environmental engineering.
To make sure you’re invited to IPIT 2023, click here; scroll down to “Symposium Interest” and add your name and contact information.
Freshwater technology research: Public invited to learn about groundbreaking work to remove contaminants from water
Two UWM’s College of Engineering & Applied Science faculty members are doing groundbreaking research on technology to remove contaminants from water.
UWMs’ School of Freshwater Sciences will spotlight this research in two colloquiums that are open to the public. Both will be held 4:30-5:20 p.m. at the School of Freshwater Sciences/Great Lakes Research Facility, 600 E. Greenfield Ave., Ballroom.
Oct. 31: Xiaoli Ma, Water Treatment Technologies and Their Environmental Impacts. Ma is an assistant professor of materials science. More
Nov. 14: Yin Wang, PFAS Removal from Water. Wang holds a Lawrence E. Sivak ’71 Professorship and is an associate professor of civil & environmental engineering. More
Chang receives UWM Bridge Grant to help commercialize portable, affordable lead sensor
Woo Jin Chang
Biosensor expert Woo Jin Chang, associate professor, mechanical engineering, and Ihnjea Choi were awarded a $25,000 UWM Research Foundation Bridge Grant for their startup company, Septillionth Inc. Choi is the company’s CEO.
The grant will support Septillionth’s move from the lab to commercialization.
Chang and Choi are developing a portable lead detector for on-site testing of water in wells, homes and water-treatment facilities. The sensors, Chang says, will be affordable and feature digital read-outs that a user can easily interpret.
Chang has been developing portable sensing systems that instantly detect low levels of contaminants in drinking water, ground water and surface water. These low-cost detectors use a single drop of water to detect one or more heavy metals—including cadmium, mercury, chromium, and copper.
Bridge Grants provide “gap” funding to startups that have progressed past the government-funded basic research stage and are moving toward commercialization. Funding comes from a matching grant to UWM by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
