News releases
May 13, 2008
TO: Reporters, news directors
FROM: University Communications, (608) 262-0930
RE: Story ideas on Spring 2008 bachelor's degree graduates
Reporters covering Spring 2008 Commencement this weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Kohl Center may be interested in stories of individual students who have done remarkable work while on campus.
This tip sheet profiles a number of bachelor's degree recipients who will participate in Saturday (May 17) and Sunday (May 18) ceremonies.
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Leann Barden: Research leads to help for dysphagia sufferers
UW-Madison food science graduate Leann Barden made a commitment to the field when she began researching and developing beverages suitable for people diagnosed with dysphagia, a swallowing disorder that affects nearly 18 million adults and children and is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
As a research assistant to Rich Hartel in the Department of Food Science, Barden worked with others at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in developing dysphagia-suitable beverages that would meet the barium standard while improving their overall taste.
"We came up with a strawberry-based beverage and we liked the way it tastes and we are assuming others will, so now we're working on making this beverage thick enough to meet the barium standards," says Barden. "There's a lot of debate as to how we even assess what the thickness is, but bottom line, the commercial products don't meet the same thickness as the barium standard."
The beverage prototype has yet to endure a series of sensory trials in order to ensure its safety and effectiveness, but the Galloway Company, located in Neenah, WI, has agreed to manufacture the product. Marketed thickened liquids are currently a $5.25 billion business and although Barden is graduating this August, her research will continue by upcoming students trained by Barden herself.
A former intern for General Mills in 2007, Barden will be attending graduate school at the North Carolina State University to continue researching processed food. She'd ultimately like to return to working with products that benefit others.
"The idea of helping people really appeals to me," says Barden. "Satisfying need versus satisfying want are very different and I can see myself getting involved in government regulations or working with a medical-related project down the road."
Barden will participate in the Saturday, 2 p.m. ceremony. She can be reached at (414) 429-5633, barden@wisc.edu.
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David Blodgett: Concrete accomplishments on the water
When competitors from other schools hear about David Blodgett of UW-Madison's Concrete Canoe team, they generally have the response: "That's not fair."
Blodgett, a UW-Madison senior graduating in civil engineering, has been building functional boats since he was 14, and worked for Carl's Paddlin' in Madison (now the Paddlin' Shop) for several years. He's also an accomplished whitewater kayaker, an extreme water sport that requires more agility and precise steering than whitewater rafting.
Kayaking has not only driven his interest in the Concrete Canoe competition, but also his major, Blodgett says. Traveling across the U.S. for whitewater kayaking has allowed him to see river basins submerged under lakes from damming.
"What I want to do is figure out how to do what dams do without the dam. Treat the watershed instead of treat the river," he says. "That's kind of my passion - it comes from the whitewater kayaking because I know there are so many beautiful, wonderful, amazing rivers beds and canyons that have been buried by a dam."
Calling himself "kind of an unconventional" civil engineering student, Blodgett says he has already taken 15 to 20 graduate credits for water resource classes to learn more about replacing dams with more natural systems. He will continue on in graduate school in the fall and incorporate geology and geographic information science into his studies.
Blodgett will graduate at 2 p.m. Saturday. He can be reached at (608) 262-2977, dblodgett@wisc.edu.
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Brandon Gador: Co-Founder of Powered Green LLC
Brandon Gador, a business student majoring in marketing, didn't like the prospect of graduating into a stuffy desk job. So, when the opportunity to enroll in Professor Phil Kim's courses in entrepreneurship and venture creation arose, he jumped at the chance, and throughout the process, developed a feasible idea for a business with a UW-Madison peer.
Partnering with Edward Durkee, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, the two have laid the framework for a renewable energy credit option for energy-conscious laptop users. Their company, Powered Green, will offer consumers the option of purchasing "Energy Seals" for the lifetime energy consumption of their laptops. These seals represent a guarantee that an equivalent amount of energy used throughout the life of a laptop will be produced by wind turbines. Part of the proceeds from Powered Green will go directly towards the creation of new wind facilities.
"For green consumers, their opportunities are limited as far as expressing a commitment to usage," says Gador. "Powered Green will give people the opportunity to express their commitment to green purchases and renewable energy by placing an energy seal on the outer surface of the laptop. Consequently, we hope doing so will help to further spread awareness of the green movement."
Beginning May 25, credits will be available for purchase at www.poweredgreen.com, a multimedia Web site that includes an explanation of the renewable energy credit process, a five-minute product survey, and the Green Today blog.
Gador will graduate on Saturday at 2 p.m. He can be reached at (414) 232-4805, gador@wisc.edu.
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Stacy Knuth: Paving way for future Wisconsin entrepreneurs
As marketing and supply chain management graduate Stacy Knuth heads for a promising future at Proctor & Gamble, her campus commitment to service will be cherished by UW-Madison students for generations to come.
In 2007, Knuth's business idea for a non-traditional marketing company targeting campuses nationwide took first place in the prestigious G. Stephen Burrill Business Plan Competition. In order to help other students with business venture ideas of their own, Stacy developed the Student Business Incubator (www.uwsife.org/incubator), a new 2,400-square-foot center housed in the University Square building, set to open in 2009.
The Incubator will give UW-Madison students the opportunity to develop, test and grow their business ideas in a dedicated space rich with campus resources and support. The Incubator is just one of 33 community outreach projects this enterprising graduate has spearheaded as a student in the Wisconsin School of Business and a member of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), a group whose membership grew from seven to 135 students in a single semester under Knuth's direction.
Among her many other undertakings is "Reality Check," a simulation led by SIFE members to help area high school students gain an understanding of budgeting and saving once they are financially independent adults.
In 2007, Knuth's business idea for a non-traditional marketing company targeting campuses nationwide took first place in the prestigious G. Stephen Burrill Business Plan Competition.
Knuth will graduate on Saturday at 2 p.m. She can be reached at (262) 689-5692, sknuth@wisc.edu
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Craig Kohn: A passion for agricultural education
In the process of applying for grants to conduct his own environmental research, Craig Kohn was asked to take the lead on implementing an environmental education program through the Wisconsin Future Farmers of America (FFA) Association.
Unenthusiastic at first, Kohn soon discovered his passion for education.
"The initial disappointment of having to drop the research project was outweighed by how much I enjoy teaching," says Kohn. "I felt that my work would be more beneficial if I could create future ecological researchers rather than continue my own research."
Kohn assumed full control of the program and conducted Wisconsin's first-ever Environmental and Natural Resources State Competition, held at the Alliant Energy Center during the Wisconsin State FFA Convention. He also conducted educational workshops and sought contributions and ideas from the state's agricultural instructors and UW-Madison students and faculty.
"At the competition, we try to incorporate things like soil science, water quality, air quality, wildlife identification and so on. It's a test of high school students' knowledge but also shows that they really care about the environment," says Kohn.
Kohn continues to ensure the program reflects ideas of sustainable use, and his success can be measured by recognition from the Wisconsin Legislature, the University of Wisconsin System and multiple agricultural agencies. He will graduate with degrees in both agricultural and educational science as well as acquiring two teaching certificates.
In addition to a hectic schedule of student teaching and program-coordinating, Kohn spends 10 to 20 hours per week as one of UW-Madison's Bucky Badger mascots. After completing his program in six years, which is typically finished in seven, Kohn plans on residing in the Madison area and continuing his work with the FFA.
Kohn will graduate on Saturday at 2 p.m. He can be reached at (715) 853-9449, ckohn@wisc.edu.
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Ryosuke Shibuya: Breaking through language barriers
When Ryosuke Shibuya came to Madison in 2002, he had more of an adjustment to make than the average freshmen. Arriving from his home country of Japan, Shibuya did not speak any English. Six years later, he's graduating with a degree in history.
Shibuya says his first year was spent solely taking classes to learn English. In his second year, he took classes at Edgewood College, and then transferred to UW-Madison to study history.
He says that he looked at several universities in the United States - including the University of California-Los Angeles, New York University and the University of North Carolina - before settling on UW-Madison. He says he chose this school for its size, affordability and diverse international community. With more than 3,000 international students, UW-Madison is ranked in the top 20 U.S. universities for international students.
In the past 18 months, Shibuya has been involved in the Reach program, which places international students as speakers in Madison area schools, on campus and in community organizations to share information about their home countries and life experiences.
Shibuya has focused on contemporary and Middle Eastern history in his studies at UW-Madison, and says he hopes to work for the U.S. federal government some day.
Shibuya will graduate on Sunday at 10 a.m. He can be reached at shibuya@wisc.edu.
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Joe Simler: Headed to the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium
When Wisconsin native Joe Simler stepped foot on the UW-Madison campus as a freshman in 2004, little did he know four years later he would be assisting a 30-member sales staff charged with filling seats at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, the largest stadium in the NFL at 3 million square feet.
And with premium seating at the team's elaborate new digs selling for a price of $340 per ticket, plus a special one-time seat license fee for some ranging from $16,000 to $150,000, Simler's task is no small feat, all things considered.
"It's very exciting to be part of such a major project for the NFL, especially witnessing first-hand this monumental moment in Dallas Cowboys history," Simler says of his upcoming experience. "I consider myself very fortunate."
Because every ticket sold at the new stadium will be the result of a one-on-one meeting, he hopes to channel his experiences as an award-winning door-to-door student summer salesperson for The Southwestern Company, a Nashville-based educational reference book publisher. For three consecutive summers, Simler earned the company's Gold Seal Award for working 80-plus hours per week for the duration of the summer sales period. In 2005, his first summer with the company, he was pinned with the Top First Year Dealer Award for being among the top 100 first-year dealers of the national sales force.
Simler will graduate on Saturday at 2 p.m. He can be reached at (608) 558-9610, simler@wisc.edu
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Tiffany Trzebiatowski: A leader is born
An undergraduate double-majoring in management and human resources and economics, Tiffany Trzebiatowski has already shown a penchant for organizing and growing companies. As president of the Society of Human Resource Management chapter at the Wisconsin School of Business this spring, she was responsible for increasing its membership from 60 to 140 members and restructuring the organization's vision and strategy.
As you trek back through her time at UW-Madison, you will discover a similar story no matter what her involvement. Working alongside Wisconsin School of Business faculty and staff this year, Trzebiatowski served as the first undergraduate teaching assistant for MHR 300: Organizational Behavior, helping to shape course content and assignments around the needs of undergraduate students and their future recruiters.
Starting off four years ago as a volunteer coordinator for PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment), she now chairs the student organization whose mission it is to end sexual assault, dating and domestic violence. As leader of a seven-member team of students, she has been responsible for overseeing and motivating the organization in the development and design of campus outreach efforts, campaigns, and a 2-credit peer-to-peer course offered through the School of Social Work.
Recently, she earned a coveted Leadership certificate from the University of Wisconsin Student Leadership Certificate Program, recognizing her commitment through leadership roles, academic courses, civic engagement, out-of-class learning, and work experience.
At the end of August, she will be traveling to South Korea to teach English as a second language for a year. Her professional goal is to obtain a doctorate degree in management and human resources and continue to contribute to the research field.
Trzebiatowski will graduate on Saturday at 2 p.m. She can be reached at (608) 354-4199, tmtrzebiatow@wisc.edu. Her Web site is http://web.mac.com/tifftrz/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html
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