interaction with the staff but also seeing the application
of the work they’re doing. It’s not just an idea – it’s a
real engineering improvement. The students are able
to understand the problem firsthand and be part of the
solution and the understanding of that solution. It takes
what they’ve learned in books and classrooms and puts it
into an engineering context for them.”
CSU does applied research, meaning that the project
team wants to see the results used and practiced.
“The Ayres personnel understand research, and the
CSU team understands the engineering implementation,”
Thornton said. “We’re able to communicate very
effectively, which is the key.”
Clopper noted that CSU is very creative in working with
Ayres to formulate ideas for testing different ideas and
how to measure and quantify conditions under which
something might be expected to fail. “A fundamental
underpinning of the research that we do is if you know
how or why something fails, then you can design against
that kind of failure,” Clopper said.
Working as part of a research team allows CSU students
to get experience in their chosen fields, and also provides
a steady stream of well-qualified employees to Ayres
Associates. The Fort Collins staff currently includes 17 staff
members with CSU degrees ranging from bachelor’s to
doctoral levels. Ayres also hires interns from CSU, which
often leads to full-time employment.
“It’s been a wonderful partnership,” Thornton said. “We
love teaming with Ayres. It’s just always a pleasure.”
Rolling with program-related punches
Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC), part of the
Wisconsin Technical College System, serves an 11-county
region in northwestern Wisconsin. The largest campus is
in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with major regional campuses in
Chippewa Falls, Menomonie, Neillsville, and River Falls.
Total enrollment is more than 16,000 students in nearly
100 programs. Each program requires a unique set of labs,
classrooms, and specialized equipment.
One challenge for CVTC is the speed with which its
program priorities can change as the needs of students,
communities, business, and industry change, said Rod
Bagley, CVTC director of facilities.
“New training demands may require different types of
labs and facilities,” Bagley said. “Our buildings and labs
need to be flexible enough to meet changing priorities as
conditions dictate. We need to be prepared to create new
types of space in order to support program needs.”
Disa Wahlstrand has been project manager and engineer
on CVTC projects ranging from drainage reviews to
complete site, environmental, and landscape design for
a new Energy Education Center. She has seen how the
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