University Innovation Fellows (UIF) is a program that promotes change and collaboration with regards to best practices, project development, new strategies, and idea feedback. UIF is a part of Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) and has trained more than 2,399 students across 270 schools worldwide, including here at UWM. This year, we are proud to welcome four new members as our 2021 Fall UIF cohort.
Allyn Lottouzee is a senior double majoring in Political Sciences and Conservation & Environmental Science. Allyn is filled with ideas to engage with as a part of UIF, one of which is Sercular ReZoning, a zero-waste grocery store. His ideal store would be located adjacent to the campus and would supply local distributors, catering to paleo, vegetarian, vegan, and keto diets. Sercular ReZoning focuses on “clean eating,” waste-reduction, and meal planning, growing their own herbs as well as using produce scraps to produce freezable “power” juices.
Rudi Marciniak is in her fourth year as a Doctoral Student. She is pursuing a PhD in Health Sciences with a concentration on performance physiology under the advisement of Dr. Kyle Ebersole in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences & Technology. She would like to focus on projects that build the UWM community and the connections within.
Antonina “Nina” Johnston is a second-year graduate student working towards a Master in Music Education & Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management. While the number of projects that are available to follow are infinite, the categories she would like to focus on and explore include arts advocacy & recruitment, diversity, equity & inclusivity on campus, and building a culture for UIF fellows past, present, and future.
Manuel “Manny” Garmendez is in his second year at UWM. A transfer student, he has previously studied for one year with Excelsior and three in person at Stevens Institute of Technology and Rutgers, New Brunswick. He spent 9 years in the Navy as a submarine mechanic before returning to study at UWM. Manny is working on his Mechanical Engineering bachelors and would like to pursue a masters upon graduation. He has been working on marine EV battery technology and is also interested in exploring self-sustaining communities both on Earth and extraterrestrial.
The University Innovation Fellows program trains students to be agents of change on their campus, in their community, and abroad in the world. UIF recruits once yearly in the spring. Congratulations to Allyn, Rudi, Nina, and Manny; we eagerly look forward to seeing the changes and innovation you bring to campus!