Courses

These courses are part of a network of experiential classes being developed at UWM to integrate entrepreneurial thinking into the existing curriculum and strengthen themes of creativity and innovation. Many of these courses are taught by the Teaching Fellows, who are some of UWM’s most innovative instructors and are helping to transform the educational experience for UWM students. The Lubar Entrepreneurship Center is not one of UWM’s Schools or Colleges – instead, Teaching Fellows are hosted in our space. Check out course offerings below:

Health, Performance & Injury Monitoring

A unique course opportunity to be immersed in design & entrepreneurial thinking around health and performance that is aligned with current industry practices to optimize workability of employees. This course was offered Fall ’22.

Offerings

OCT THPY 522

Instructors

Barbara Meyer

Professor, College of Health Sciences

Dr. Meyer’s research projects are borne out of the need to identify solutions to the real life concerns of individuals, teams, and organizations. Ongoing research examines: (a) rest and recovery in athletes, sport organizations, and occupational workers; (b) integrated human performance; and (c) applied team science.
Kyle Ebersole

Associate Professor, College of Health Sciences

Kyle Ebersole, Ph.D., LAT is the Director of the Human Performance & Sports Physiology Laboratory which conducts research focused on health, performance, and recovery in the professional and occupational athlete. His research focuses on the integrative contributions of movement efficiency, muscle function, and the autonomic nervous system to performance enhancement through training, recovery and injury prevention strategies with an emphasis on professional baseball pitchers and the tactical athlete. His research expertise coupled with his clinical background as a Licensed Athletic Trainer have supported a research model that engages community agencies along with students in the process of discovering new information and developing innovative solutions around health and performance.

Design and Visual Communication I

Basic forms and concepts for design and visual communication. Basic professional and academic concepts explored through studio assignments, lectures and readings.

Offerings

ART 321

Instructor

Coe Douglas

Lecturer, Design & Visual Communication

Coe Douglas is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and storyteller. He teaches design and story at UW—Milwaukee in the Peck School of the Arts. In the past, Coe has worked in advertising as a copywriter and creative director, edited fiction for Revelore Press, was the founding managing editor of Bridge Eight Magazine and co-founded the Abridged Reading Series in Jacksonville, FL. He’s participated in the Tin House Writer’s Workshop and The Breadloaf Writers’ Conference and has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tampa. He recently worked with UWM Professor Kim Beckmann on Design Thinking and Storytelling Workshops for Islands of Brilliance and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance and he gives regular talks on the topic.

Design Methodologies: Process, Communication & Theory

Focus on creative process and communication, as well as entrepreneurial, professional and cross-disciplinary practices in design and related fields.

Offerings

ART 422

Instructors

Kim Beckmann

Associate Professor, Design & Visual Communication

The new and evolving design entrepreneurship curriculum in the Design & Visual Communication Program is directed and written by Associate Professor Kim Beckmann and Lecturer Amy Decker. This curriculum inspires students in ways that traditional assignments involving hypothetical clients simply do not, and culminates in exciting programming featuring a student pitch event and the public UWM Design Entrepreneur Showcase exhibition. The showcase features innovative products and services developed around the themes of water, energy, human ecology, safety, and education for Wisconsin residents.
Coe Douglas

Lecturer, Design & Visual Communication

Coe Douglas is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and storyteller. He teaches design and story at UW—Milwaukee in the Peck School of the Arts. In the past, Coe has worked in advertising as a copywriter and creative director, edited fiction for Revelore Press, was the founding managing editor of Bridge Eight Magazine and co-founded the Abridged Reading Series in Jacksonville, FL. He’s participated in the Tin House Writer’s Workshop and The Breadloaf Writers’ Conference and has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tampa. He recently worked with UWM Professor Kim Beckmann on Design Thinking and Storytelling Workshops for Islands of Brilliance and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance and he gives regular talks on the topic.

Business for Performing Artists

This is a pre-professional course aimed at preparing the student performing artist to make the transition from student to professional. Students will be guided through business subjects of the performing industry such as marketing, branding, resume writing, and website construction. Throughout the semester students will be introduced to design and entrepreneurial thinking through class activities and assignments.

Offerings

Music 604

Instructor

Antonina Johnston

Lecturer, Entrepreneur, Design Thinker

Antonina Johnston (she/her/hers) is a Soprano and Private Voice Teacher. Antonina is an Associate Lecturer at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she teaches Class Voice, Voice Lessons, and Business for Performing Artists. She earned a University Innovation Fellowship through the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. Antonina is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management through the Helen Bader Institute and her Masters in Music Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she received her vocal degree in 2009. She has been teaching private voice lessons for the past twelve years and is the owner of Johnston Voice Studio, LLC. Antonina teaches classical, musical theatre and contemporary styles of singing and her students have consistently participated in singing competitions nationally and statewide. She is a current member of MTEA, PAVA, and NATS, where she just started her first term as Treasurer/Membership Secretary for the Wisconsin Chapter. Antonina is also a former board member and Program Manager for the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee. In addition to running a successful voice studio, she and her family are dedicated to promoting music education, equity, inclusivity, and access to the performing arts.

Thinking Like an Entrepreneur

Participants use the entrepreneurial experience to develop skills in critical thinking and communication; students also learn to identify opportunities, understand key leverage points, and communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders. This course was offered Fall ’20 and Spring ’22.

Offerings

HON 499

Instructor

Brian Thompson

Director, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, President, UWM Research Foundation

Mr. Thompson is the Director of the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, Co-PI of the Milwaukee I-Corps Site, and President of the UWM Research Foundation. He also teaches new ventures as an adjunct instructor in UWM’s College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Lubar School of Business.

Business Forecasting Methods

Participants apply the strategic framework of “lean launch,” which is intended to address the unique concerns of a new venture. You will also apply tools – including financial modeling, valuation and capitalization analysis.

Offerings

BUS ADM 713

Instructor

Elmer Moore

Adjunct Faculty; WHEDA Chief Executive Officer

Elmer Moore Jr. is an adjunct faculty for the Milwaukee I-Corps and serves as Executive Director of Scale Up Milwaukee. Scale Up Milwaukee is an initiative of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. Within Scale Up Milwaukee Elmer leads accelerators and programs to grow small businesses. Elmer founded a VC-backed manufacturing business - Milwaukee Denim Co. - and plans on pursuing a few more entrepreneurial ventures in the very near future. He has traveled extensively to speak, teach, and provide consulting services around entrepreneurial growth and strategy.

Special Topics in Business

Current topics and issues related to specific management areas of business. Specific topics and additional prerequisites announced in Schedule of Classes whenever the course is offered.

Offerings

BUS ADM 395

Instructor

Matthew Friedel

Senior Lecturer

Matthew Friedel is an Angel Investor with Milwaukee Venture Partners Inc (MVP), Senior Lecturer at UWM, Adjunct Faculty at Marquette University and Co-Founder of the Disruptive Technologies Laboratory at UWM. He teaches a new Graduate level class: Practical Applications in AI and disruptive technologies in UWM’s new $10 million Lubar Entrepreneurship Center that promotes entrepreneurial and design thinking with emphasis on cross pollination of disciplines. Matt is also a Lubar Entrepreneurship Ideas Challenge Fellow, National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps mentor and is working with other faculty and staff on cross disciplinary learning.

Creative Coding

Creative coding sees an introduction to principles and applications of coding languages within art and design practice. Students will: Program with Javascript, P5, and object-oriented code more generally; Create generative and interactive, browser-based software, utilizing P5 and other JavaScript libraries; Produce utilitarian and bug-free code; Apply creativity and aesthetics using Javascript; Research towards new functionality; Collaborate with others via the network; Use critical thinking and language skills concerning generative and interactive art, both on- and off-line; Discuss, debate, and create with and around the latest forms of technological innovation, currently including but not limited to AI and Machine Learning, Blockchain and NFTs.

Offerings

ART 313

Instructor

Nathaniel Stern, PhD.

Associate Professor, Art and Design, Head of Digital Studio Practice, Director, SSC

Dr. Stern is an artist and engineer as well as the Director/Co-Founder of the UWM Student Startup Challenge. He has produced and collaborated on projects ranging from interactive and immersive to prints and sculptures.

Purchasing and Supply Management

Domestic and global aspects of the purchasing function in an organization.

Offerings

BUS ADM 477

Instructor

Steven Michael

Karl A. and Lillian Bostrom Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Dr. Michael is an active member of the Academy of Management, the Strategic Management Society, the American Economic Association, and INFORMS. He has been an Associate Editor of the Journal of Management, and serves or has served on the editorial boards of every major journal in entrepreneurship and strategy, including the Journal of Business Venturing, Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, and the Journal of Small Business Management, among others.

My Major As Consulting Startup Or Professional Practice

Taking your major (whether it is in Arts, IT, Engineering, or Health Sciences) to the next step into a consulting company or a professional practice is a skill honed in this class. Writing your “Launch Playbook” as part of this course, you’ll acquire the skills needed to Launch, Grow, and Sustain a Professional Practice or Consulting Company.

Offerings

ART-524 / Professional Practice / J. Dietenberger

Instructor

Jason Dietenberger

Business, Innovation, & Design Internship Coordinator, Student Affairs Instructor, Engineering & SOIS IS Tech Srv Senior, Info Tech Svcs-MEL

J. Dietenberger is an Executive Strategic Consultant, University Lecturer, Administrator, and Engineer in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Internships, and Technology. He brings ivy league training, extensive sector, and multi-industry expertise. He is a senior-level Information Technology, Project Management, and Organizational Development leader.

Product Realization

Product Realization courses teach students how to design, test, and produce prototypes for companies that offer mentorship and funding. This course includes design thinking and innovation content. Industries like Aurora Healthcare, Eaton Corporation, and Biz-starts, are just some of the local industries that have participated in the course. Product Realization is offered every semester at the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center.

Offerings

MECH ENG – 405

Instructors

Ilya Avdeev, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Avdeev is the Director of Innovation at LEC, founding director of the Advanced Manufacturing Design Laboratory, Co-founder of the Student Startup Challenge, Co-PI of the Milwaukee I-Corps Program, and Kellner Entrepreneurship Fellow.
Nathaniel Stern, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Art and Design, Head of Digital Studio Practice, Director, SSC

Dr. Stern is an artist and engineer as well as the Director/Co-Founder of the UWM Student Startup Challenge. He has produced and collaborated on projects ranging from interactive and immersive to prints and sculptures.

Design Thinking

Design Thinking teaches students how to navigate ambiguity, learn from others, synthesize information, and experiment rapidly between concrete and the abstract. Students will learn how to build and craft prototypes as well as communicate deliberately through the design process and work.

Offerings

ME-809

Instructor

Ilya Avdeev, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Avdeev is the Director of Innovation at LEC, founding director of the Advanced Manufacturing Design Laboratory, Co-founder of the Student Startup Challenge, Co-PI of the Milwaukee I-Corps Program, and Kellner Entrepreneurship Fellow.

Computer Aided Engineering Laboratory

Computer Aided Engineering Lab incorporates state-of-the-art CAD, kinematics, and FEA computer tools to build upon mechanical design and analysis skills from previous classes with the goal of designing a product that can be brought to market.

Offerings

ME 101

Instructor

Andrew Dressel, Ph.D.

Lecturer, CEAS

Dr. Andrew Dressel is a UWM lecturer of Mechanical, Civil, and Environmental Engineering. His research focuses on bicycle and motorcycle dynamics as well as mechanical properties of bicycle tires.

Scientist Career Transitions

Scientist Career Transitions is designed to enlighten science undergraduates as they transition to employment in science-oriented industries by exploring topics that help translate academic learning to initial employment, job success, and career development.

Offerings

CHEM 690

Instructor

Douglas Stafford, Ph.D.

Director, Milwaukee Institute of Drug Discovery

Dr. Douglas Stafford is the founder of the Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery. He has over 25 years of experience in the biomedical industry with executive position in operations.

Design & Visual Communication

Design and Visual Communication focuses on the creative process through an entrepreneurial, professional, and cross-disciplinary practice in design and related fields. The curriculum includes coursework in strategy and design process, design methodologies and research, portfolio development, web and multimedia design, and design entrepreneurship. For more information, visit the website.

Offerings

ART-422

Instructor

Kim Beckmann

Co-Area Head & Associate Professor of Design & Visual Communication

The Design & Visual Communication Program inspires students to bring entrepreneurship into the arts. The course culminates with the UWM Design Entrepreneur Showcase exhibition that features innovative products and services developed around different themes.

Performing Communities

Performing Communities explores the development of communities through cultural and performing practices by creating community-based work in the arts. This course teaches students how to collaborate with community partners in order to identify social change goals and learn skills to facilitate change.

Offerings

THEATRE-320

Instructor

Anne Basting, Ph.D.

Professor of Theater, Artist in Residence Program Coordinator

Dr. Basting is an educator, scholar, and theater artist whose work over the last 15 years has focused on encouraging community engagement, intergenerational connections, and enriching the lives of elders through long-term care embedded with cognitive art projects.

Electronics & Sculpture

This production class focuses on technologies and aesthetics that incorporate electronics, sensors, motors, physical animation, and other devices into contemporary art and design projects. Students learn programming, kinetics, analog and digital input and output, and communication between computers and micro-controllers. This course was offered Fall ’22.

Offerings

ART-418

Instructor

Nathaniel Stern, Ph.D.

Professor, Art & Design / Mechanical Engineering, Director, Startup Challenge

Dr. Stern is an artist and engineer as well as the Director/Co-Founder of the UWM Student Startup Challenge. He has produced and collaborated on projects ranging from interactive and immersive to prints and sculptures.

Gizmos & Gadgets

This course introduces students to the history, depth, and breadth of assistive technology and universal design through a combination of direct instruction and individual exploration.

Offerings

OCCTHPY-220

Instructor

Michelle Silverman, MS, OTR

Professor of Occupational Therapy, Coordinator of Assistive Technology & Adaptive Design

Michelle Silverman, MS, OTR, is Professor of occupational therapy and coordinator of assistive technology and adaptive design at UWM. She instructs the course through the use of internet resources, print resources, and guest speakers.

Infopreneurship

This course provides students with the skills and knowledge to identify potential business ideas centered on information while developing business plans to secure funding.

Offerings

INFOST-691

Instructor

Shana Ponelis, Ph.D

Assistant Professor, Information Studies, Member, Association for Computing Machinery, Association for Information Systems

Dr. Ponelis is Assistant Professor of Information Studies and a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and Association for Information Systems. She focuses on empowering people to make informed decisions concerning themselves, their organization and their society as a whole.

Information & Commercialization

Students focus on the basics of innovation and commercialization as well as “Lean Launch” methodologies that are used in early stage business formation to help develop specific skills that are useful in engineering and technology ventures.

Offerings

CIV ENG 691
COMPSCI 657
ELECENG 490
IND ENG 590
MATL ENG 690
MECH ENG 490

Instructor

Brian Thompson

Director, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, President, UWM Research Foundation

Mr. Thompson is the Director of the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, Co-PI of the Milwaukee I-Corps Site, and President of the UWM Research Foundation. He also teaches new ventures as an adjunct instructor in UWM’s College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Lubar School of Business.

Entrepreneurship for Healthcare Professionals

Entrepreneurship for Healthcare Professionals teaches entrepreneurial thinking skills that are necessary for healthcare managers while receiving hands-on experiences through developing business ideas into marketable products.

Offerings

Instructor

Priya Nambisan, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair, Health Sciecnes

Dr. Priya Nambisan's research focuses on broad areas of marketing and organizational communication, social media, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Her work has been published in premier journals such as MIT Sloan Management Review and the Journal of Business Research.

Business & Entrepreneurship

Study the creation, growth, or acquisition of business through entrepreneurial efforts. Students develop their own ideas into effective business models and strategies that ultimately lead to increased management skills and positive management succession. Topics include methods of financing, venture capital, leveraged buy-outs, and acquisitions. This course has been offered Fall ’22 and Spring ’23.

Offerings

BUS ADM-447

Instructors

Jim Hunter III

Bostrom Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Mr. Hunter is Bostrom Entrepreneur-in-Residence and has taught entrepreneurship courses at the Lubar School of Business since the mid-1990s. He is the president of three companies, CFO of one company, vice president of four companies, and director of nine companies.
Matt Matson

Adjunct Lecturer

Mr. Matson is an Adjunct Lecturer at UWM, as well as the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at Strang, Inc. He specializes technology, manufacturing, engineering, architecture, construction, chemicals, and consulting.