Biochemistry alumnus Daniel Klessig ’71 grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm. There, 18-hour workdays prepared him for the effort it would take to excel in school despite his dyslexia. Those arduous years also played a part in his desire to leave the farm and follow in his brother’s footsteps as a biochemistry-focused Badger.
Make “cool stuff.” That’s what Micah Robinson BS’23, MSx’25 wanted to do in the Biological Systems Engineering Shop. Thanks to the Martin and Kathleen Burkhardt Fund, that’s exactly what he did for two years as an undergraduate employee.
First unveiled in fall 2020, the Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery (MSABD) building is a state-of-the-art facility for research, teaching, and outreach. It contains a USDA-inspected plant for meat production, an animal biologics preparation room, a high-security biosafety lab, and a retail store called Bucky’s Varsity Meats. (See The Future Holds No Limits for Meat Science at CALS, Grow, spring 2021.) The building is also home to the MSABD program in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, which offers exceptional training opportunities for students, staff, and industry professionals.
Undergraduate Brooke Stibbe and alum Tom Schmidknecht BS’71 came to CALS with similar backgrounds. Both grew up in small rural Wisconsin towns, so both encountered a wave of culture shock when they arrived at UW.
Blake Suhre MS’92 — passionate engineering alumnus and lifelong car enthusiast — made his way to UW–Madison through a serendipitous string of events. Raised in Edwardsville, Illinois, Blake earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the General Motors Institute (now, Kettering University). Like many college students, he thought he knew where his career path… Read more »
The Renk Agribusiness Institute — housed in the UW College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) — was established in 1996 through a generously endowed gift from the Walter 1924 and Martha ’30 Renk and Richard ’62, MBA’64 and Sharon Renk families of the Renk Seed Company in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. For nearly 30 years, the… Read more »
The University of Wisconsin–Madison continues to be a leading choice for local, out-of-state, and international students alike. In September, the university welcomed nearly 9,900 new freshmen and transfer students, more than 1,200 of whom are attending the UW with scholarships and grants provided through UW–Madison. This fortunate cohort is receiving monetary support from impactful initiatives… Read more »
A transformational lead gift from Marv ’68, JD’71 and Jeff ’72 Levy — the largest single contribution in college history — will benefit future generations of Badgers while honoring the memory of their brother, Phil ’64, who passed away in 2021.
