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A Recap: Construction Safety Takes Center Stage at UW-Stout Make48

Last week, the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) hosted the Make48 competition. Teams of talented high school and college students from across Northwestern Wisconsin descended upon UW-Stout's state-of-the-art FabLab to tackle a 48-hour challenge focused on revolutionizing construction safety.


Make48 teams and tool techs at UW-Stout
Kickoff at UW-Stout


Make48, a national invention competition, puts teams to the ultimate test: brainstorm, design, and prototype a brand-new product in just two days. This year, UW-Stout joined forces with Derrick Building Solutions to inspire participants to develop groundbreaking solutions for common construction hazards.


Eight teams, each composed of two local (SkillsUSA) high school students and two UW-Stout students, embraced the challenge head-on. With access to UW-Stout's impressive arsenal of fabrication tools and technology and expert guidance from dedicated technicians, the teams worked tirelessly to bring their innovative ideas to life.


The UW-Stout FabLab proved to be the perfect breeding ground for ingenuity. This vital workspace, designed for creative thinkers, tech-savvy innovators, and passionate builders, empowered teams to push the boundaries of what's possible. A special shout-out to Mike Cropp, the lab's director, and his exceptional student team (Alex Dill, EJ Antoniewicz, Madi Klaja, Miranda Johnstone, Sam Bachofen, and Thomas Shamla) who not only crafted the impressive "Best Innovation Trophy" but also provided invaluable support to the competing teams.



2024 Derrick Building Solutions on first place trophy
Best Innovation Trophy

The collaborative spirit extended beyond the FabLab walls. UW-Stout film students (Lucas Furst, Noah Schwengels, Jadyn Miller, Maya Miller, March Gutman, Audra Rick, Tayler Schumacher, Tristan Hagen, and Annija Bodniece) lent their expertise, assisting teams with their marketing videos.


And let's not forget the incredible support from our Make48 veterans: ShopBot Tools (Ryan Patterson), Onshape (Steve Meyers), John Zehren (Gateway Technical College), and our lead tool tech Tyler Isaacs (Wooden Whiskers Trading Co). Their experience and guidance were instrumental to the competition's success.


Supporters in Menomonie

A heartfelt thank you to all the sponsors, businesses, organizations, and individuals who made this event possible. Educational leaders and business support are crucial in fostering the next generation of STEM leaders. 





Xcel Energy, a key team sponsor (Amery High School), highlighted the importance of supporting STEM education and Make48. Bob Schultz, (Community Service Manager), “Xcel Energies is a strong supporter of STEM Education and Make48 is a great opportunity for local students to participate in a national event that attracts students to STEM-related career opportunities,” Bob related to us. “It’s very important to Xcel Energies, especially with UW-Stout hosting at home in our own backyard. Xcel Energies participates in the university's career partner program which allows us the opportunity to strengthen our engagement with the university, ultimately providing us more exposure to students that will benefit our employee recruiting process.”


A huge thank you to Glendali Rodriguez (UW-Stout Provost) and Adam Accola (Dunn County EDC) for participating in the focus group, and to our patent attorneys, Paul Donovan (Beloit HS) and Tony Zeuli (Merchant & Gould), for ensuring the intellectual property was protected. We also extend our gratitude to the dedicated chaperones who supported their teams throughout the entire 48 hours! Dan Buccholz, Dustin Blum, Gretchen Yonko, Josh Kirkpatrick, Kaleena Kirkpatrick, Lynda Wyse, Michelle Snyder, Mike Rose, and Tim Pomietlo went above and beyond to help their teams succeed.


Finally, a huge thank you to all the Wisconsin supporters who made this incredible event possible! Special thanks to mentors Casey Ryan and Mike Derrick from Derrick Building Solutions, for providing guidance on construction safety. We also appreciate the support from the following Wisconsin companies and organizations: Andersen Windows, Xcel Energies, OEM, TTM, Presto, Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Workforce Development, GMDC, WCMP, Momentum West, Dunn County EDC, 3M, Valmet, Greater Beloit EDC, Stateline Manufacturing Assoc., Stateline Community Foundation, Beloit Memorial H.S., Racine Rotary, Racine Community Foundation, United Way of Racine, Donald Kirby, Menomonie Tourism Bureau, and BioForward Wisconsin.



UW-Stout admin and leadership team at Make48
UW-Stout Team (l to r: Gretchen Yonko, Seth Hudson, Scott Revoir, Beth Hein and Mike Cropp


And the Winners Are...

A distinguished panel of judges, including Aaron Sundeen (Derrick Building Solutions), Chancellor Katherine Frank (UW-Stout), and Kristie Larson (The DeBruce Foundation), had the difficult task of selecting the winners.


The Knights from Beloit Memorial High School (Scarlett Kirkpatrick and Audra Glosemeyer) and UW-Stout students (Corey Hedlund and Sam Koland) came out on top! They will be representing UW-Stout at the Make48 National Competition in Kansas City this November 8-10th. Congratulations! (See the winning teams here [link])



The knights team won Stout's competition.
The Knights won best innovation and will compete at Nationals!


Stay Tuned!

Don't miss the exciting episodes on This Old House Makers Channel early next year, and be sure to cheer on The Knights as they represent UW-Stout at Make48's 8th National Season!


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