Madison Section Newsletter

Vol. 27, No. 2            Serving IEEE Members of South Central Wisconsin              February 2024

Newsletters are archived online at IEEE-Madison

Upcoming Meetings

Upcoming Meetings

UW-Madison MakerSpace Talk and Tour

• Thursday, February 8th, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
• Location: Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Labs
     (Formerly Wendt Engineering Library)
     215 N Randall Ave. 53706
     Madison WI,
• Please Register at the Vtools Event page HERE.

Talk:

The University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering is increasingly requiring students to complete hands-on projects as undergraduates. Lennon Rodgers, Director of the the Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Labs will present an overview of the MakerSpace and solicit feedback for ways to create engagements between members of IEEE and engineering students at UW-Madison. The talk will be followed by a brief tour of the Makerspace.

Following the tour pizza and beverages will be served.

Background:

The UW Makerspace is a community of designers and builders at UW-Madison within the College of Engineering (CoE). The Makerspace facilities include 25,000 ft2 of shop and flex space with a wide range of rapid prototyping equipment, made possible by a donation from the Grainger Foundation. Largely student run, the Makerspace strives to empower students by creating a community immersed in emerging technologies, focused on creating innovative products.

The Makerspace is a part of the CoE ecosystem of fabrication facilities, called the Design + Innovation Labs, which comprises the Makerspace (rapid prototyping), TEAM Lab (Technical Education and Manufacturing Lab – precision machining, fee for service job-shop), the Design Hub (a coaching and training service) and the Kohler Innovation Visualization Studio (virtual & augmented reality, 3D scanning, and data visualization). The CoE fabrication facilities combined are over 40,000 ft2, run by 9 professional full-time staff members and ~60 student workers. Each space contains millions of dollars of high-tech equipment. Students can build anything here – from micro to macro and from virtual to the physical.

Speaker:

Lennon Rodgers is currently the Director of the Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Labs at UW- Madison. Educatinos indludes a PhD and M.S. from MIT and B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (all mechanical engineering). Previously he worked at MIT as a Research Scientist and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an engineer. All of his research is related to engineering education and modeling, designing, building, instrumenting and testing complex systems ranging from spacecraft to electric vehicles.

IEEE Madison Section News.

Volunteer to Help Students at UW-Madison College of Engineering
 
At UW-Madison College of Engineering, there are increasing requirements for students to participate in projects as a requirement for a degree.  In many cases, undergraduate students might not have enough experience to understand how to begin project planning. As IEEE members and experienced professionals, we can help guide students through the pitfalls of project management while benefiting our companies and organizations thought increased visibility at the University. There are many ways where you can potentially help by volunteering a a small amount of your time. Here are some of the organizations needing help:

UW MakerSpace: This innovative Lab at the College of Engineering has become one of the key places for student project development. Students can access a number of resources, such as 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC milling, and electronics fabrication.  One of our retired IEEE Members, John Lombardo, was using the MakerSpace, as an over 60 year old (see: Senior Guest Auditor) student in the College of Engineering when Director Lennon Rodgers discovered that he was a retired engineer and former Madison Area Technical College electronics instructor.  John now spends most of his time helping students with projects, using his experience as an electronics engineer to steer students the right direction. There are many opportunities to volunteer at the MakerSpace, with the side benefit of having access to the equipment. The MakerSpace is a great facility -- attend the Talk/Tour this Thursday and have pizza on us!

The BioMedical Engineering Department in the College of Engineering requires all students to participate in a Project Design as a member of a group, preferably with outside project ideas. The BME Web Page (HERE) says this:

"Each semester, our students choose a project to solve an unmet biomedical need submitted to us by clients - individuals with a specific biomedical challenge, faculty, industry and medical professionals. BME Design provides a unique, seven-semester, small team-based, real-world, close-mentored, prototype-driven, multidisciplinary design experience for our students."

The IEEE Madison Section has donated money in 2023 and 2024 to the BME Department specifically for student projects.  IEEE Member Dennis Bahr has been on the Project Judging Team for the end-of-semester Poster Sessions where the students present their project. I have attended these sessions and was quite impressed with the student work.  Do you or your company have an idea they would like BME students to explore?  Volunteer to help!

ECE Department Mentoring is another area where IEEE Members can volunteer.  IEEE-Madison Section Chair Mike Stemper met with ECE Chair, Dr. Susan Hagness who expressed interest in having IEEE volunteers mentor students.  Though the specific means to do so was not identified, Mike has set it as one of the 2024 Section goals. I have also worked with some faculty and they would welcome help.  One faculty member, Dr. Nathan Strachen taught a Senior Design Seminar and hopes to form a student group that will compete in an underwater robot competition. He is also interested in finding volunteers who will help students with Extra Credit Experiments covering the material in ECE220, (Electrodynamics I).  Consider volunteering -- be a member of a team that helps influence and lead engineering students in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The Computer Science Department is now part of the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences. It will be expanding their programs over the next few years.  IEEE Madison leaders have had contact with Faculty and Department leaders who have expressed interest in getting more involved with the IEEE. One possibility to to activate the dormant student branch of the IEEE Computer Society.  Interested in helping? -- Volunteer!

IEEE Madison Section Volunteer Positions are Open

The Madison Section of the IEEE is run by volunteers who work to bring relevant programs to our Madison Area IEEE members.  One of the IEEE-Madison Section Goals for 2024 is to find members who can fill the vacant leadership positions. It is a rewarding way to connect with other IEEE members, make your company have higher professional visibility, and advance you own skills.  In addition, the leadership skills you learn are valuable and allow you to "pad" your resume with relevant experience that can help future employment opportunities.  Below is a description of some of the vacant positions. 

Section Vice Chair -- this position is responsible for helping the Chair, in the Chair's absence and also to work on the slate of candidates for the next Section elections.  There are travel opportunities and leadership development programs that the Section can pay for to help make this a valuable experience.

Section Secretary -- this position is responsible for recording the minutes at the once-a-month Executive Committee Meetings and for reporting official Officer and meeting counts to the IEEE. As with the Vice Chair there are leadership development opportunities.

PES/IAS Chapter -- this technical organization is a local joint chapter of the Power and Energy Society and the Industry Applications Society.  It was created in 2021 because the a large portion of the IEEE Madison members are in the PES or IAS Societies.  Since PES/IAS Chair Mike Stemper is now the IEEE Madison Section Chair, he is less able to plan the PES/IAS events.  At the very least, we should have volunteers fill the Vice Chair and Secretary positions.  Volunteer for leadership and help to plan a minimum of two technical meetings in 2024. I know there are some of PES or IAS members who can benefit from being a volunteer.  Think of the benefit for your future career opportunities!

EMB Chapter -- this is our local Chapter of the Engineers in Biology and Medicine and the ChaIr position was vacated when Brinda Sevak entered a PhD program in California.  With the growth of the BME Department on Campus, and with the growth of BioMedical Industry in the area, this should be of growing importance.  Volunteer and help plan future events! As with all of the volunteer positions, there are opportunities for paid travel and development programs.

Other Groups -- Affiliate Groups such as the Life Members,  Entrepreneurs and Consultants Network, and Young Professionals (YP) present more opportunities for professional growth and leadership development. I know that there are a number of Graduate Student Members of the IEEE Madison Section and you are most likely a YP member -- 15 years from the first Undergraduate Degree.  Volunteer and plan social or technical events on the Sectinon's dollar!

Volunteer! Most of the positions require only a small amount of your time and your resume will benefit! Please contact Mike Stemper via email at mstemper@ieee.org to discuss your interest.

IEEE Madison Leadership

• Section Chair – Mike Stemper
• Section Vice Chair – VACANT
• Section Treasurer – Matt Nowick
• Section Secretary – VACANT
• Webmaster –  Hugh Schmidt, Gaurav Anand
• Membership Development Chair – Hugh Schmidt
• PES/IAS Chair – Mike Stemper
• PES/IAS Vice Chair – VACANT
• PES/IAS Secretary/Treasurer- VACANT
• EMB Chapter Chair – VACANT
• EMB Chapter Vice Chair – Dennis Bahr
• Life Member Affinity Group Chair – San Rotter
• Life Member Affinity Group Vice Chair – Charles Cowie
• Life Member Affinity Group Secretary -- VACANT
• ECN Chair – Matt Nowick
• Young Professionals Chair – Thomas Murphy
• Section Student Activities Chair -- Hugh Schmidt
• Members at Large: Clark Johnson, Craig Heilman, Dennis Bahr

Membership Upgrades

Those interested in upgrading their IEEE membership level should be aware that the process has been streamlined with much of it on-line.  The application process can start with your application as described on line here. You will have to provide the names and IEEE numbers for three Senior Members in your field.  The Madison Section Chair (Mike Stemper via email at mstemper@ieee.org) can help, or attend the informal networking portion of the monthly Section meetings to meet the Section Board members and discuss your intention to elevate.

About IEEE

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