Nicole Kozlovsky ’16 shares the findings of two local economic impact studies.

Business Community Encounters Next-Generation Researchers at SNC

Local employers visiting campus April 22 for new insight into the resources the college can make available to businesses in the region were also able to visit with student researchers – representatives of the generation who will be among their next hires.

The guests were on campus for a Mulva Library luncheon and panel presentation planned so that they could extend their visit by attending the Undergraduate Research Forum, also taking place in the library. This annual forum celebrates the ongoing collaborations that see undergraduates partnering with faculty and staff in serious independent research projects.

The visitors heard from an alumni panel featuring Jessica Rogers ’12, lead scientist at Kimberly-Clark; Matthew Muenster ’09, senior data scientist at Breakthrough Fuel; Derek Harrington ’12, principal and owner at Entrision; and Lu Wojciechowski ’13, formerly at Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Ascedia. 

They then headed to the Mulva Studio where student presenters spoke on:

• Stability of Older Adult Reaction Time in an Impulse Control Task  – Elizabeth Paitel ’16 and Raquel Cowell (Psychology)
• Economic Impact Studies for the Green Bay Botanical Garden and Cerebral Palsy Center – Nicole Kozlovsky ’16 and Marc Schaffer (Economics)
• Virulence of Flaobacterium Columnare Mutants in Zebrafish – Jack Roets ’16 and David Hunnicutt (Biology)
• Differences in Sensation-Seeking by Age Group and Sex – Sarah Jensen ’18, Shelby VanRossum ’17 and Raquel Cowell (Psychology)
• Hippocampal Insulin Receptor Labeling in Zebra Finch Brain as Revealed by Confocal Microscopy – Angel Hon ’17 and David Bailey (Biology)

For those who had the chance to linger at the Undergraduate Research Forum, further offerings ranged from coral density to moth diversity; from the relationship of income to depression, to minimizing microbial growth in craft beer. 

Breann Woodruff, recruitment specialist at business consulting firm Wipfli, said, "It was really great for me to learn a little more about what students are really looking for when they are looking to start their careers, and to help students make that transition from college to a career."

In SyNC
The Spring 2016 event, dubbed SyNC, was posted as an outreach to the northeast Wisconsin business community, invited business partners – who included hiring managers and leaders in human resources – to encounter St. Norbert College not only as a rich source of talent, but as a hub offering a wealth of resources. 

An expo planned as part of the program introduced guests to on-campus resources available to the local community, like the college’s language services and conference and event services departments; and its Strategic Research Institute and Center for Business & Economic Analysis.

Amy Kundinger (College Advancement) says, “Everyone of these guests has a reason to partner with us – and their reasons are very different one from the other. Our next challenge is to ask, how can we fine-tune events like these by asking, ‘What more can we do for you?’ ”


May 3, 2016