51猎奇

Dedicated space for senior design studios funded entirely by private donors

a modern open space with tables, backed by a bright yellow wall.

The new EMS Senior Design & Capstone Studios in EMS 371 have been renovated and will open for use later this month. These spaces are entirely funded by private philanthropy and offer a permanent collaborative workspace for student/industry capstone projects.

Two young men, one of the left and one of the right, work on laptops in a combined work station.
Writing in blue, red and black on a whiteboard.
Three men and one woman look over an infant bed that that was modified. An infant doll lies on the bed.
A half-dozen young men socialize in a maker space.

Donors whose gifts have supported the new space include:

  • Alan D. Kulwicki Legacy Fund
  • Paul McNally Fund, and
  • Donors to the CEAS General Fund

The capstone projects are critical to prepare students for the workforce, said Mohamed Yahiaoui, teaching faculty, mechanical engineering. Previously, seniors working on their capstone projects had to share room with all engineering students in the Makerspace and its adjacent study area.

That space crunch prompted Yahiaoui to propose a dedicated studio, reserved exclusively for senior design students, with 24/7 access.

“The new senior design studio will bring together students from all engineering disciplines in one permanent space,” he said. “It fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration that mirrors industry, a crucial soft skill students would not otherwise have the opportunity to develop.”

Donors were enthusiastic about the idea. 

“This is a worthy project that the Alan Kulwicki Legacy fund is honored to be a part of,” said Jan Beatty-Hendley, chair of the fund鈥檚 advisory committee.

If you haven’t already signed up to use the studios, contact lab manager Avie Judes at judes@uwm.edu.

Joint degree programs provide global opportunities for CYCU students

a group of students from Taiwan at Milwaukee's Bradford Beach.

Welcome to 35 new and returning students from Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU) in Taiwan who are participating in joint academic programs with 51猎奇鈥檚 College of Engineering & Applied Science.  

a large group of Taiwanese students having dinner.
A group of returning students and staff are supporting the new cohort. Yu-Ping (Peter) Teng, PhD student in physics (clockwise from left) joins CYCU staff member Jiaxian Freya Lin; CYCU Associate Professor Dung-Sheng Tsai; doctoral candidate Li-Chih Tsai, bioinformatics; Te-En (Danny) Liu, PhD student, mechanical engineering and president of the Taiwanese Student Association at 51猎奇; Ting-Rui (Ray) Chang, industrial & manufacturing engineering; Chi-Ping Chiu, senior, EE; Yu-An Su, senior, EE; Chi-Yueh Tai, senior, EE; and Chen Chang, senior, computer science.
Dung-Sheng Tsai (back row, from left), CYCU associate professor, electronic engineering, and director of the CYCU-51猎奇 undergraduate dual degree program, takes a moment with Te-En (Danny) Liu, current president of the Taiwanese Student Association at 51猎奇, and Jiaxian Freya Lin, secretary of the CYCU-51猎奇 undergraduate dual degree program. Yi-Chen (Kelly) Chen (foreground), a returning master’s student, electrical engineering, offers positive vibes for the new school year.
A group of men and women in discussion.
Susan McRoy, 51猎奇 professor, computer science (with microphone), speaks to the new cohort of CYCU students at a gathering at the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. In the background are Dah-Chuan Gong, teaching faculty, industrial & manufacturing engineering (left) and Deyang Qu, professor, mechanical engineering (center).
Two men on a stage, one behind a podium, address an audience. Only a few audience members' heads are shown.
Te-En (Danny) Liu, returning PhD student, mechanical engineering, (left) and CYCU Professor Dung-Sheng Tsai welcome the gathering.
A group of Taiwanese college men, all seated except for one who is standing and speaking with a microphone.
Chen Chang, senior, computer science, takes his turn as students introduce themselves around the room.
a middle-aged man talking with a microphone in his hand.
Dean Brett Peters makes welcoming remarks at the gathering at the start of the semester.
A group shot of about 25 seated persons shot from above.
Have a great school year!

This is the continuation of a successful partnership: the college and CYCU have operated a dual master鈥檚 degree program since fall of 2017. In 2023, the partnership expanded to include CYCU undergraduates, who attend 51猎奇 for their final two undergraduate years.

In both programs, the credits students earn are transferrable to their home institution and students receive their degrees from both universities. 

This year鈥檚 cohort includes 11 juniors in the 鈥�2+2 program鈥� in three departments: computer science, computer engineering鈥痑nd electrical engineering.

There also are four new dual master鈥檚 students in the electrical engineering and industrial & manufacturing engineering departments. 

These students join the 18 CYCU undergraduates who are beginning their senior year and two master鈥檚 students who are continuing their studies at 51猎奇. 

The Taiwanese Student Association at 51猎奇 recently hosted a welcome event for these students. Te-En (Danny) Liu, mechanical engineering doctoral student, and college leadership, including Dean Brett Peters, faculty and academic staff organized the event.

In addition to the students, CYCU guests included Dung-Sheng Tsai, associate professor in the department of electronic engineering and director of the CYCU-51猎奇 undergraduate dual degree program, and Jiaxian Freya Lin, secretary of the CYCU-51猎奇 undergraduate dual degree program.  

Professional magazine highlights Amano lab in research on animal waste as energy

Four men looking at the camera. Three of them are wearing blue lab gloves.

Ryo Amano, professor, mechanical engineering, and his doctoral students, Mohamed Maache and Cheikh Kada, were featured in a story in The American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ magazine about their research into optimizing animal waste for maximum energy output.

The story, which ran as the cover of the online magazine, elaborated on an academic paper Amano’s research team recently published in the ASME .

The technology already is being tested at multiple sites across Milwaukee. Other lab members involved in the work were PhD students Kada Kada and Abdallah Benelmadjat.

The study looked at the thermochemical properties of horse manure 鈥� and suggests that biowaste can provide an efficient means of energy generation in oxygen-free environments.

Researchers tested mixing sewage sludge with cow or chicken manure to see if it could produce more energy when heated. Then they used experimental and mathematical modeling and found that the right mix matters: about 30% sludge with 70% cow manure more than doubled the energy output.

The ASME is the second-largest professional organization in the field, subscribed to by 85,000 members in 135 countries.

Members can read the magazine story here.

Faculty recognized with named professorships, fellowships

A cluster of 11 head shots. Two are women. The rest are men.

Congratulations to the following faculty members, each of whom was honored with a named professorship or named fellowship for this academic year. The awards are backed by two donor funds 鈥� Richard and Joanne Grigg and Alan D. Kulwicki.

Through these gifts, the college is providing a fourth year of philanthropic support to faculty.

Named professorships and fellowships support the growth of some of the college鈥檚 key research areas and honor recipients鈥� research, teaching and scholarship. Named professorships, which are for a three-year period, provide a salary supplement, in addition to the funding award. Named fellowship awards are for one year.

Richard and Joanne Grigg Professors

Rob Cuzner, electrical engineering (renewed)
Roshan D’Souza,聽mechanical engineering (renewed)
Xiao Qin, civil & environmental engineering聽
Md Habib Rahman, mechanical and biomedical engineering (renewed)
Brooke Slavens, mechanical and biomedical engineering (renewed)
Konstantin Sobolev, civil & environmental engineering聽

Richard and Joanne Grigg Fellows

Mahsa Dabagh, biomedical engineering
Xiaoli Ma, civil & environmental engineering
Junjie Niu, industrial & manufacturing engineering
Yin Wang, civil & environmental engineering

Alan D. Kulwicki Faculty Fellow

Nathan Salowitz, mechanical engineering

The Donors

Richard and Joanne Grigg
After earning his degrees, the late Richard Grigg (鈥�04, 鈥�75, 鈥�70 engineering) went on to become the president and CEO of We Generation, the electric-generation arm of We Energies. In 2004, he joined FirstEnergy Corp., in Ohio, and retired as executive vice president and president of FirstEnergy Utilities in 2010.

Alan D. Kulwicki
Kulwicki (鈥�77, BS mechanical engineering) applied his degree to his skill in racecar driving to achieve success on the track. Despite his death in a plane crash in 1993, Kulwicki鈥檚 name and legacy live on. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2019.

George Davida, professor emerit and pioneer in computer science, passed away in August

George Davida, professor emerit, electrical engineering & computer science, passed away in August. Davida, a pioneer in the field of cybersecurity, was on the faculty at the college from 1970 until his retirement in 2010.

The field of computer science essentially did not exist when Davida began his career. He served on several national committees that established the field and created accreditation standards for university programs.

a man with dark, short hair, smiling and looking at the camera.

Davida was among the first faculty members hired for the newly created 51猎奇 College of Engineering & Applied Science. He delved into unbreakable codes that can hide information, quickly becoming one of the foremost leaders in the field and creating 51猎奇鈥檚 Center for Cryptography, Computer and Network Security.

His groundbreaking work in data encryption helped the college’s computer science program establish an international reputation, attracting students, including Satya Nadella, (MS ’90) who went on to become Chairman and CEO of Microsoft.

“He diligently fought for citizens鈥� rights to privacy and personal data encryption by raising public awareness of the importance of cryptography,” said Edward Beimborn, 51猎奇 professor emerit of civil & environmental engineering. “His win ushered in our everyday ability to use online banking, send private emails, phone calls, or messages, and other uses of electronic security and online applications.”

Davida was one of the first on campus to use the internet and also brought the Unix operating system to 51猎奇 to facilitate research in computer science.

“I remember his friendship for many years,” said K. Vairavan, professor emerit, electrical engineering & computer science. “I also value his major contributions to the development of our computer science program.”

Early years

Davida grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, during a difficult political and social time. At the age 17, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to come to the U.S. and attend the University of Iowa, where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees.

At Iowa, he worked for Professor James Van Allen during the time high energy belts surrounding the earth were investigated (the Van Allen radiation belts). Davida participated in NASA-related research projects with Allen.  

His funeral is Friday, Aug. 29 at Saint Peter & Paul, 2490 N. Cramer St. near campus. Visitation is at 11 a.m. and the Catholic service begins at noon. The burial is at 2:30 p.m. at Resurrection Cemetery, 9400 W. Donges Bay Road, Mequon, Wis. 

 

MPS high school seniors test-drive engineering at 51猎奇

a group of young people working on furniture making.

When Salman Ibrahim, a senior at Ronald Reagan High School, heard he could take a real college engineering class while still in high school 鈥� and for free 鈥� he didn鈥檛 hesitate.

鈥淭his way, I can try it out and see if I like it,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ince it鈥檚 free, I don鈥檛 have to spend money if I change my mind later.鈥�

Ibrahim is one of 19 Milwaukee Public Schools seniors spending Fridays this year at 51猎奇, earning three credits for taking Introduction to Engineering.

The opportunity comes through the , a partnership between 51猎奇, MPS, and MATC that allows high school students to take college-level classes in fields like nursing, psychology, education, and architecture. This year, engineering joined the list for the first time.

How it works

Through College Connections, seniors take English and math courses at MATC for most of the week. On Fridays, they take their chosen elective course. The engineering course, taught by faculty member Madiha Ahmed, gives students an early look at what the field is really like. It鈥檚 also a chance to ease into the college environment, said Chris Beimborn, 51猎奇鈥檚 STEM outreach manager.

鈥淭his class gives students a chance to explore their interests and get familiar with the college experience,鈥� Beimborn said. 鈥淢PS’s career and college readiness mentors will provide support services. But students also will have access to campus resources like tutoring, so they鈥檒l be set up for success.鈥�

A young African American woman in a college makerspace is looking at the camera.
Jayla Harris took some time out from 51猎奇’s summer “Design & Build” camp to talk about why she joined the M3 College Connections pathway in engineering. Through the program, she will be taking an engineering course at 51猎奇 on Fridays during her senior year.  

Other students weigh in

For Jayla Harris of Golda Meir High School, the addition of the engineering class is more than an experiment 鈥� it鈥檚 a launchpad. 鈥淚 want to be an engineer, and this helps me get a head start,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd if I’m already acclimated here [at 51猎奇], and if I like the program, then why not stay?”

Abeedah Adebayo, a senior at Rufus King High School, is attracted to engineering because it combines her favorite things. 鈥淚 decided I wanted to be an engineer because I love working hands-on and with computers,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his major lets me do both.鈥�

She said she was already leaning toward 51猎奇 for college so the free course is just icing on the cake.

New cohort of Nadella Scholars announced

Photo of a man and a woman

51猎奇 has named its fourth cohort of full-ride Nadella Scholarship in Tech Education winners, funded through a gift from 51猎奇 alumnus and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella (鈥�90 MS) and his wife, Anu Nadella.

Fourteen graduates of Milwaukee high schools, 11 of them pursuing computer science or computer engineering, were awarded the scholarship for 2025-26.

Recipient Owen Hirthe, a graduate of Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School, is planning to study computer science. He said the scholarship is life-changing for his family.

“Receiving this award is incredibly important to me. When I start in the fall, I will be one of three of my siblings in college at the same time, so not burdening my parents with the cost of it means a lot to me.”

The original cohort of scholarship winners, which began in fall 2022, are seniors this fall. To date, 44 Nadella Scholars have been named; 37 are studying computer science or computer engineering.

The Anu and Satya Nadella Scholarship is specifically for students who graduate from Milwaukee high schools and intend to study computer science, computer engineering, data science or information technology. Each scholarship provides financial and academic support and room and board for up to five years.

The Nadellas have donated $4 million to support tech education. In addition to providing funding for scholarships, their gift also provides funding for academic support to help students remain successful in pursuing their degrees.

College scores half of new Catalyst Grants from the 51猎奇 Research Foundation

A woman, left, and a man are examining microparticles for an experiment

Four researchers in the college recently have been awarded funding from the 51猎奇 Research Foundation to further projects that aim to better facilitate renewable energy sources, find circulating cancer cells, and provide robotic physical therapy to patients confined to a bed.

The Catalyst Grants are supported by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and Invenergy through the 51猎奇 Research Foundation and are designed to support research in areas where 51猎奇 has the greatest potential to impact the regional economy through commercialization.聽

Each team is using the funding to advance early-stage solutions that address urgent societal needs and position their innovations for real-world deployment. The CEAS projects include:

Next-generation power conversion for energy storage
Feng Guo, electrical engineering

Guo is prototyping a novel power converter to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of battery storage systems, enabling better integration of renewable energy.

Precision cancer diagnostics
Ashwin Narasimhan and Priya Premnath, biomedical engineering

The researchers are developing a liquid biopsy platform to isolate rare circulating tumor cells with greater accuracy, improving early cancer detection and personalized treatment planning.

Rehabilitation robotics for bedridden patients
Habib Rahman, mechanical engineering

Rahman is creating a portable, bed-attachable robotic exoskeleton to deliver early-stage lower-limb therapy, reducing caregiver burden and improving recovery outcomes.

Stern awarded funding from the National Endowment for Arts

Nathaniel Stern, professor of mechanical engineering and art & design, is principal investigator for a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support a new fellowship for autistic individuals as they transition into the workforce.

The fellowship will be offered through the Autism Brilliance Lab for Entrepreneurship (ABLE) which brings together art, design, engineering, and nursing with nonprofit partner Islands of Brilliance to explore how creativity empowers autistic people. Stern also is ABLE executive director. More

Concrete researcher earns Arthur R. Anderson Medal

A woman in a suit gives an award to a man in a suit jacket and jeans.

Konstantin Sobolev, professor of civil & environmental engineering, has been awarded the Arthur R. Anderson Medal from the American Concrete Institute for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge of concrete as a construction material.

Sobolev, who is the Lawrence E. Sivak (’71) Faculty Fellow and director of the Concrete Sustainability and Resilience Center in the college, is also a founding leader of the , an NSF-backed Industry University Cooperative Research Center.

The Arthur R. Anderson Medal was established in 1972 and recognizes people, firms or organizations for outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge of concrete as a construction material.

Sobolev’s research interests include superhydrophic materials, photocatalytic and photovoltaic materials, ultra-high-performance composites, and nanotechnology for advanced cement-based materials.

He earned his PhD at the Research Institute of Concrete and Reinforced Concrete, Russia and his master’s at Moscow State University.

The award will be given at the ACI Concrete Convention Oct. 26.