Wisconsin’s Kohler Co. has partnered with leaders in UW-Madison’s College of Engineering to create the Kohler Visualization Innovation Studio in order to foster innovative, young engineers — who will hopefully go work for Kohler.
It is dedicated to the wise, innovative students hoping to make a difference in the modern technological world, according to the UW-Madison press release.
“The Kohler Visualization Innovation Studio provides the College of Engineering with the educational facility to teach future engineers how to interrogate, visualize and make decisions based on data that may come from, for example, wearable electronics, transportation systems, medical images, smart cities and manufacturing facilities,” said Ian Robertson, the Dean of the College of Engineering, in an email.
Kohler donated $1 million to renovate the space and support UW-Madison engineering students.
“Support from corporate partners such as the Kohler Company helps ensure that we can provide the faculty with the educational facilities needed to educate students in emerging technologies, it is part of our continuing effort to ensure are students are prepared,” Robertson said.
Over 200 UW graduates are current Kohler associates, highlighting the company’s crucial need for well-trained graduates to be able to design and manufacture effective products.
Cynthia Bachmann, vice president of engineering and product development for Kohler’s kitchen and bath group, hopes the space will attract engineering students to advance Kohler’s goals of improving their products.
“One of Kohler’s guiding principles is to ‘live on the leading edge of design and technology,’ and we recognize how critical it is for students to develop and use innovative thinking to create new products and technologies that address real world challenges,” Bachmann said in the press release.
The space offers students the opportunity to utilize virtual and augmented reality and data modeling to develop prospective products for companies to produce for customers worldwide.
“Our goal is to provide our engineering students with the best educational experience and preparation possible so that their skills align with their employers’ needs,” Robertson said.
Kohler is the leading manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom products in America. Their headquarters are in Kohler, Wis.
