Madison College wins stem cell grant

The National Science Foundation recently awarded a grant of $851,454 to Madison Area Technical College for the project entitled “Development of a Technical Program in Stem Cell Technologies: Responding to an Emerging Need.”  This award is effective July 1 and expires June 30, 2014.    

Tech college students tell stories through videos

Semi-finalists in Futuremakers’ Video Competition announced

Twelve student filmmakers have become semi-finalists in a video competition centered on stories about their futures. Viewers will see pyrotechnics, music video and animation with coffee beans as students take them inside their technical colleges. The entries include stories of students enrolled in programs as diverse as fire protection, web design, electro-mechanical technology, computer numerical control machining, graphic design and more.

The semi-finalists for the Wisconsin Technical Colleges’ Futuremakers’ Video Competition are:  Boe Atkins, Gateway Technical College; Tracy Champagne, Milwaukee Area Technical College; Jonathan Gatzke, Fox Valley Technical College; Jason Kracht, Lakeshore Technical College; Hailey Lundberg, Nicolet Area Technical College; Mark Murphy, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College; Jordan Porter, Northcentral Technical College; Leanna Schmidt, Waukesha County Technical College; Arturo Schwencke, Chippewa Valley Technical College; Jim Shaw, Western Technical College; Heather Van Dorf, Mid-State Technical College; and Dustin Wolvert,Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College.

Judges will evaluate the videos over the next two weeks, with winners announced Friday, April 29 in La Crosse. Cash prizes of $2,500, $1,000 and $500 will be awarded at that time.

“These videos show the creative spirit and the culture of originality thriving at Wisconsin’s Technical Colleges,” said Kyle Schwarm, executive director of statewide marketing for the colleges and contest coordinator. Through their videos students share their experiences at the technical colleges and convey how they are making their futures.