Campus News

NEW

Dual-Degree Program

A new partnership between Wisconsin Lutheran College and Rush University in Chicago provides students with an opportunity to obtain both

a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology or Sport and Exercise Science from WLC and a Master of Science in Respiratory Care

degree in just five years. The program at Rush University offers advanced practice preparation in multiple areas, including critical care, neonatal care, and cardiopulmonary diagnostics. Students will obtain hands-on experience in this rapidly growing field at top-tier academic medical centers in Chicago.

Honors Program Project

Ella Kramer, a December 2020 graduate, created three stunning, all-original dresses last semester for her Honors Program thesis project, titled “Textile Texts.” Each dress represented a female character found within a “Great Book” studied in the program. Kramer chose to depict Penelope from Homer’s Odyssey, Grete from Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, and Antigone from the eponymous play by Sophocles. “Antigone stood out because of the agency she displays, that is, how she creates the space in her story to make her own decisions,” shared Kramer.

Her project began with researching the three literary women in order to analyze the level of character development attributed to them by their male authors. Kramer then interpreted her findings by sketching out the basic design of each dress. “Then … I sewed a lot!” she said. “I wanted to hone my skills of working without pre-made patterns, so all of the designs were completely original.”

In mid-November, Kramer presented a lecture in the Center for Arts and Performance in which she explained her project and showcased the magnificent dresses. Kramer’s project was funded by a generous grant from the Christian Women’s Leadership Circle.

COMPUTER SCIENCE CLUB OUTREACH

Christian Lee ’22

When it comes to reaching the next generation of programmers, the WLC Computer Science Club has cracked the “code” for success. Last November, the club hosted a virtual programming workshop with sixth and seventh graders at Creation Village Preparatory School in Celebration, Florida. The club, which is entirely student led, met earlier in the semester to brainstorm ways they could get kids excited about computer science. “We decided to plan a virtual event with middle school students to introduce them to programming and to demonstrate the extensiveness of computer science,” said club president Mandy Abernathy ’21. “We wanted to show them that it’s more than just ‘coding.’”

Abernathy enlisted the help of her nephews Cayden and Logan – sons of WLC alumni Jason ’06 and Marissa (Abernathy) Draeger ’07 – and their teacher, Matthew Zahorec, to arrange the workshop. The event began with members of the Computer Science Club asking the students to list everything they could think of that uses a computer, the goal being to illustrate the countless ways in which programming impacts the world.

The students then broke off into groups and paired up with club members to partake in a handson programming activity. “We wanted to introduce the kids to programming concepts in a fun way,” explained Abernathy. The activity consisted of a computer game in which students utilized the Python programming language to move a cartoon turtle through a maze.

Abernathy’s nephew Logan loved the workshop experience: “I really liked learning about computer science and enjoyed the activity. Solving the maze was my favorite part, and it also involved math, which is my favorite class.”

The Computer Science Club members deemed the event to be a great success and feel it is important to offer similar opportunities in the future: “I was glad to be involved because teaching programming is important, and getting kids started at a young age can help develop skills like teamwork and problem solving,” reflected club member Christian Lee ’22.

Abernathy stressed another reason to begin reaching out to students early on: “I never had anything like this when I was in middle school. Females are underrepresented in the computer science field, and I feel we’re helping to change that with events like this workshop.”

Mandy Abernathy ’21

Nursing major Samantha Stiemke ’22 and biology major Nicole Buiter ’22 work with the Anatomage Table for the first time under the direction of Prof. Courtney Moll ’09.

ANATOMAGE TABLE

Students got their first look at WLC’s new Anatomage Table this semester in the anatomy lab. The college obtained this stateof-the-art resource thanks to a generous gift from alumna Sharon A. Schoeneck ’89.

“Nothing compares to cadaver dissection, but the Anatomage Table prepares students for dissection by allowing them to see internal anatomy before cutting, plan better dissections, and examine pathologies that are not present in all cadavers,” said Prof. Courtney Moll ’09, assistant lecturer of biology. “We can now go beyond the ‘think twice, cut once’ strategy because the table provides the opportunity to practice dissections, remove and replace organs, and review clinical applications.”

The Anatomage Table offers a virtual library of human cadavers, as well as CT scans and MRI examples for nuclear medicine technology majors to study, plus animal images for pre-vet students and those in WLC’s Vertebrate Zoology course. While the Anatomage Table will never replace human donors, it is certainly an amazing study tool that students and faculty will be able to use for years to come. “It’s an instrument to show all our students how God designed us and how we truly are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made,’” said Moll. Psalm 139:13-14 is the theme for all of the human anatomy courses at WLC.

"I am very excited and thankful for the opportunity to use the Anatomage Table, said junior Nicole Buiter. “The extensive tools it provides will allow us to study cadaver dissection from a new perspective. The Anatomage Table will allow me to visualize what I am learning in class in a way that wasn’t previously available.”

Class Lecture

On November 5, WLC’s English Department offered a virtual talk by Dr. Larry Watson (pictured) on his novel Let Him Go, which was adapted into a major motion picture starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. The film was released November 6.

Dr. Rebecca Parker Fedewa ’01, associate professor of English, arranged the lecture for her creative writing course: “It was a privilege to have Prof. Watson share his insights with students, colleagues, and alumni. His self-deprecating manner makes him approachable to writers of all levels of experience, and he was wonderfully receptive to questions about the writing process, his novel Let Him Go, and the recent film adaptation.”

Student Patricia Waraczynski ’22 gave positive feedback after the event: "I truly enjoyed our visit with Prof. Watson. It was certainly thrilling to be able to speak with the author of several well-known novels, but I was most touched by the humility and kindness Prof. Watson showed to our group of students. Not only did he give us valuable writing advice and allow us to dissect the nuts and bolts of his work, but he acted as if our opinions came from professional literary critics. It was an unforgettable evening.”

Watson even followed up with Parker Fedewa to let her know he enjoyed visiting with the students. He added: “I miss teaching, so it was good to return to the classroom, even virtually and even for only an hour. The intelligence and insight of the students’ questions and comments really impressed me.” Students living in WLC’s residence halls let their creativity run wild last semester. The college’s annual Trick or Treat in the Halls celebration was canceled due to the pandemic, so students sought an alternative source of fun. What started as putting notes up on windows between the floors in Fischer Hall erupted into an all-out creativity war among the colleges’ three residence halls. These conversations turned into a fun competition and provided artistic masterpieces for the WLC community to enjoy. The ammunition of choice? Sticky notes.

Students were given a week to complete an image made entirely out of sticky notes. The submissions were creative, featuring characters like Buddy the Elf from the popular movie Elf and Perry the Platypus from the Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb cartoon series, and Baby Yoda from Disney’s The Mandalorian. The Resident Council hosted the competition and gave prizes to the winning floors.

RES HALL CONTEST

BABY YODA

Aspire Hall Winner and Fan Favorite

STARRY NIGHT

Fischer Hall Winner

SUNSET

Stimac Hall Winner