Interactive 360-degree Lab Tour
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Golf Management & Swing Labs
Open-faced desks, movable seats, and a large projection screen provide a collaborative and conducive setting for group projects, discussions, and presentations. In the Golf Management lab, students research various projects, including how to plan a golf outing and tournament from scratch. Details of these events include locations, staff time, guests, marketing, emergency needs, catering needs, and budgeting. Aspects of managing pro-shops and day-to-day operations are also covered.
B.S. Golf Enterprise Management (GEM) majors at UW-Stout use the Swing Lab, which serves as a teaching space and club repair room.
"The lab has a golf simulator to aid in club fitting and swing analysis," said GEM seniors Bennett Underwood and Shawn Roo. "It shows you the player's swing speed, and the distance, trajectory, and spin of the ball. All ball flight characteristics are also measured to benefit a player."
Students learn aspects of golf clubs, such as the correct shaft type for a player, and the loft and lie angle of the club for a specific swing is analyzed to improve a player's technique. Club repair practiced by GEM students in the Swing Lab includes putting new grips on clubs, adjusting loft and lies, and replacing old shafts.
Weidner Center for Residential Property Management
The Weidner Center for Residential Property Management at UW-Stout consists of a lab and study lounge. The lab functions as a highly interactive classroom which includes seven huddle spaces, while the study lounge includes workspaces for students and an additional huddle space for small group or club meetings along with faculty offices and an interview center for visiting employers.
"Management and principals of real estate are mastered, while we gain interview experience at receptions and conferences attended by community business leaders," explained Miranda Scholten, a junior in the B.S. Real Estate Property Management. "The Weidner Center has open lab hours outside of class time where we have access to property management software and may practice the full range of concepts from property tours and plans, to sales and management."
Recognized by Seattle-based real estate mogul Dean Weidner, UW-Stout is a fertile ground for property management employers seeking candidates for high-level positions. Weidner donated the funds necessary to create this unique space.
"Stout's commitment to the industry and our high-quality graduates encouraged Mr. Weidner to help us grow our program," stated Fred Prassas, Program Director of Real Estate Property Management. "We are one of only four programs in the country. The Weidner Center gives Stout students the edge, placing our graduates a cut above the rest."
Pattern Lab
Affectionately known as the "Apparel Home," the Pattern Lab is where B.S. Fashion & Retail (Apparel Design and Development) students bring their designs to life.
"We come to understand the whole spectrum of the fashion industry, from the beginning to the end of the pattern-making process," said Apparel students Farah Alfayruz, Courtney Schmitt, and Cassidy Gerriets. "We learn about the pattern-making process and how to manipulate patterns for larger and smaller sizes, developing garments ranging from basic cotton skirts to fashionable wool coats."
Courses in the Pattern Lab are Pattern Development, Line Research & Development, Advanced Pattern, Specifications and Fit, Studio I, and Studio II. Students master garment-making in their Maker classes and during their senior capstone, design, and develop, and brand their collection. The fabrics may be donated for specially requested prototypes, or students may purchase their fabric at the campus bookstore or local shops. Large worktables are conducive to drafting patterns, and sewing machines, dress forms, and sergers are available in the Pattern Lab. The lab is open outside of class hours. Lab assistants are always available.
Knitting Lab
In UW-Stout's Knitting Lab, students learn about the various components and complexities of the product development process. Courses held in the Knitting Lab include Knit Design, Global Fashion Industry, History of Fashion, and Quality and Analysis.
"The Knitting Lab has given me a deeper understanding and appreciation of knits," said Mary Cross, a senior in B.S. Fashion & Retail (Apparel Design and Development), speedily knitting her orange thread. "Being from the Midwest, I often dress in layers. I like to know how my clothes are made and where they come from. The Knitting Lab helps me understand the process and allows me to take my product to the next level."
Throughout the program, students create professional presentations of their projects. The dedicated space of the Knitting Lab allows for testing of proper fit on dress forms, constructing scarves, blankets, and sweaters. The knitting machines are available to use outside of class hours.
Cedar Cafe Corner III
In the Cedar Cafe Corner III at UW-Stout, students in the B.S. Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management program attend a Restaurant Operations course, while B.S. Dietetics majors attend Quantity Food Production. Students learn the full-scale of what it's like to work in the foodservice industry by planning, marketing, and executing a Student Team Meal. With roughly twenty students per class, five teams of four students each create these unique events, with ten meals per semester. Each team is in charge during their particular Student Team Meal, while the other four teams serve as their employees, then rotate each week.
"We forecast and research costing, purchase, prepare, and serve our meal," explained Kate Watkins and Kaylie Brand, Dietetic majors in the Quantity Food Production course. "We also design our tickets and menu. With 70 people attending, the three-course two-hour event simulates what a real-life restaurant would be like to work in."
The Cedar Cafe Corner III has a dining area, deli-style food counter, and full kitchen accommodating up to 20 students. All implements, equipment, and appliances are fair game.
Infant and Toddler Education Lab
The Infant and Toddler Education Lab at UW-Stout is a certified childcare center for the university staff, students, and the Menomonie community. Students in the School of Education's B.S. Early Childhood Education program provide childcare for children ages 0-3. Aaron Wisecup, a senior in ECE, assists in and teaches children for nine weeks during the semester.
"We really focus on teaching the children self-help skills and social and emotional skills, like learning to share toys, take turns, and asking friends if they are hurt," Wisecup said.
Working alongside other student staff and experienced faculty, and watching the children progress gives students the necessary experience to benefit in their future teaching careers.
Nutritional Assessment Lab
B.S. Dietetics and B.S. Health, Wellness, and Fitness majors, as well as graduates of the M.S. Food and Nutritional Science, conduct research at UW-Stout's Nutritional Assessment Lab. Within the lab, students conduct assessments on volunteer clients by studying values related to nutrition by measuring and interpreting dietary intake and body composition.
"We also conduct biochemical assessments," explained Graduate Assistant Brittney Hegg. "This includes testing glucose, hemoglobin, and cholesterol levels in the blood. Physical assessments include skin-fold and circumference measurements, bone density, body fat, height, weight, and blood pressure."
Some of the instruments used are skinfold calipers, measuring tapes, scales, and stadiometers. The adjacent Human Performance Lab houses a state-of-the-art Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) machine which measures bone density, body fat, and muscle mass. A sterile facility, The Nutritional Assessment Lab has a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) waiver and is approved for finger-stick blood draws. The lab is open outside of class hours when instructors and grad assistants are available for further instruction.
Promotions Lab
The Promotions Lab at UW-Stout’s Business Department is home to B.S. Fashion & Retail students during their Visual Merchandising class. In the lab, students receive hands-on experience in visual design.
“We are very fortunate to have this space available at UW-Stout,” Professor Meriem Chida said. “It helps students link between theory and application.”
Students learn about the importance of lighting, color, design principles and elements, business principles, and visual storytelling. The Promotions Lab is a unique asset as students have access to top of the line props such as mannequins, slat walls, grid walls, five medium window displays and one large window display, and display tables. The lab also has tools like staple guns, glue guns, and ladders. The Retail faculty replenish the lab each semester with supplies such as paper, tape, and additional props needed based on the previous year’s demand.
Retail majors have the opportunity to bring their projects to life in the Promotions Lab. Students apply theories learned in class to propose a display for a real brand. In doing so, they learn visual merchandising strategies such as how to align a promotion with the brand’s image, what not to do, and how to push traffic to the store. Students quickly learn the importance of “where the eyes go, the feet must follow.”
“We learn how to advertise and promote our products through our displays,” said Jordyn Danielson, a sophomore in B.S. Fashion & Retail (Retail Analytics). “The Promotions Lab teaches us a lot more than just supplies. We choose how you see things before you even go into a store.” The lab is open during class. It is also open during office hours, and by appointment, should students need to work on project design when faculty or a teaching assistant is available.