Chippewa Valley Times

The Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery in Menomonie recently unveiled three cow sculptures at a twine-cutting ceremony, marking the end of a yearlong collaboration with UW-Stout. The life-size Holstein cows, crafted from stainless steel pipes and sheeting, are part of the creamery's sustainability efforts. "This project really shows what we’re about at Stout as a polytechnic university," stated Chancellor Katherine Frank.

Students from UW-Stout's School of Art and Design, along with packaging and engineering majors, worked on this project. Renae van der Hagen, a senior in industrial and product design, was among those involved. She noted the project's challenges but also its educational value. "The project took a lot more time than I thought it would, but it also was a lot more fun," she said.

The fabrication team included five seniors: Dominick Konkel, Sam Bachofen, Bryan Irish, Daniel Neve, and van der Hagen. Deano Samens and Assistant Professor Nathan Spike assisted in creating the sculptures. "It takes a little vision to look at a pile of pipe and think, ‘Hey, what if we make some cows out of this?’" Samens remarked during the event.

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery's John Freeman praised the students' work: "These sculptures are a wonderful reflection of how we come together to approach challenges at the Ellsworth Creamery Cooperative with innovation and collaboration."

In addition to this project, UW-Stout students have been involved in other industry collaborations. Graphic design and packaging students worked with Great Northern Corp. on product displays for Athena Club. Ashley Jandro reflected on her experience: "This project made me think in a 3D world."

Moreover, Room & Board partnered with industrial design students to develop furniture concepts. Kate Dieckman shared insights from her experience: "I learned that the client's opinion is what truly matters."

These projects were coordinated through UW-Stout’s Office of Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement (OCREE), aiming to integrate real-world experiences into academic settings.