Opening of Senior Design Studio drew a hefty crowd

March 19, 2026

a group shot of three men and two women all looking at the camera. — Dean Brett Peters (left) joins some of the donors who funded the renovation of the studio: Pat Rauth; Paul McNally, Senior Lecturer Emeritus in computer science, Jean Opitiz, director of advancement for the college; and Jim "Thumper" Rauth. The Rauths represent the Alan D. Kulwicki Legacy Fund.

Almost a hundred students, faculty, staff, alumni, and industry representatives turned out for the Opening Celebration of the Senior Design Studio on the third floor of the EMS building on March 12.

Turning underused space into a permanent collaborative work area for senior design teams required extensive renovation. This is the first time they have all been brought together in one large, interdisciplinary studio space.

A crowd of about 30 people face a person standing at a podium (left) at a gathering. — A crowd gathered to hear Dean Brett Peters (far left) thank the donors for supporting our students by funding the renovation of the space.

Two young men and two young women stand near a research poster on the left. The man in the center, with shoulder-length hair and a brown shirt on, gestures as he explains the work on the poster to a middle-age woman (far right) — Students from a civil engineering senior design team explain their work to Professor Susan McRoy, chair, computer science.

Five people, including one woman, pose for the camera, arm in arm. The man on the far left is wearing a lilac shirt, the next two are in blue, the fourth is wearing a dark gray shirt and jacket, and the woman has on a brown and beige plain shacket. — Bill Dussault (second from left), senior design instructor in electrical engineering, reconnects with former students and friends.

Close up shot of a young man who is majoring in electrical engineering with sandy, curly hair who is working on building a circuit board. — A student in electrical engineering works on a component of his senior design team project.

Two smiling men on the left look at the camera next to a display of 3D printed miniature buildings arranged by height (right). — Researcher Hua Liu (left) and Professor Rani El Hajjar, both civil & environmental engineering, stand next to Liu’s display of 3D-printed miniatures of famous tall buildings. They are arranged by their real height (at right) for comparison.

A woman in a gold puffer vest (left) is conversing with a bald man in a navy polo shirt (right). Two men are in between and back, having their own discussion. Both are wearing blue shirts. — Mohamed Yahiaoui, senior design instructor, mechanical engineering (right), chats with an attendees, including Dan Schofield (second from right), Global Labs Manager, representing GE HealthCare, sponsor of the 51猎奇 Senior Design Awards.

An African-American woman, left, speaks with a middle-age man with glasses, right. An Asian man with glasses stands between them listening to the conversation. — Paul McNally, computer science senior lecturer emeritus (right), catches up with Professer Deyang Qu (center) and another guest. McNally is one of the donors who contributed to the renovation.

The project was entirely funded by private philanthropy, including the Alan D. Kulwicki Legacy Fund and the fund of Paul McNally, Senior Lecturer Emeritus, computer science. Additional support came from donors to the CEAS General Fund.

Guests at the event also included representatives of area industries, including those who have sponsored senior design projects. (View a full gallery of previous senior design projects here.)

A possible “next step”

51猎奇’s Community Design Solutions worked with the college to provide illustrations of what a “next step” could look like (below). These images reflect further modernization, collaborative spaces and greater visibility from outside the studio.

Interested in leaning more? If you or your organization would be interested in supporting this project, please contact Jean Opitz at opitz@uwm.edu.