Big Things are Happening at Viterbo

Have you found out what all of the chatter is about at Viterbo recently? Does a brand new major ring a bell? Well, I have news for you: Viterbo now offers a new engineering major.

Engineering is science’s own form of art, for it turns science into reality through intervention, innovation and design.

The new major was created in response to a local need for engineers and at the request of employers in the La Crosse area.

This fall Viterbo continues to work with local industry leaders to provide a solid foundation of engineering skills before officially beginning the new program. The goal is also to develop communication and leadership skills, while at the same time, upholding Viterbo’s core values.

The new program has several new highlights including scholarship opportunities, networking opportunities within local engineering companies and faculty-mentored research opportunities.

The program begins with a first-year project based design course which leads into an important internship requirement.

This new program will allow engineering majors to finish their degree here at Viterbo in a maximum of four years. Though the program is 120 credits total, the low number of required credits for the major/program will allow for flexibility of student’s schedules.

In other words, at a liberal arts school, those students who want to be science majors can also be part of the arts as well and fit all of those courses into a four-year plan.

As to how this affects the rest of Viterbo, it really doesn’t. One of the major changes that has occurred to this addition of program is the number of students now coming to Viterbo and the class sizes of general science classes.

For example, where there were once twenty students in a General Chemistry lab, there is now nearly twice that. This may be able to provide more diversity and group learning in this particular setting.

Regarding the new program’s benefits though, a room was able to be built just for engineers on the second floor of Reinhart, which was designed by Emily Schiavone, the assistant professor for the new program.

The room includes faux wood floors, calming blue-colored walls, and resources such as power tools and saws that the students may utilize to practice their building and designing skills.

The room also has computers that each include a wireless mouse and keyboard, so the students at one table may all look at one monitor to learn material more efficiently. Lastly, there are wooden tables around the back of the rooms that students may utilize for group discussions.

Schiavone is excited about the program as she was about designing the room. “I’m most excited about the support for the new program, both at Viterbo and the community,” she explains. “The local employers have helped tremendously in the developing of our curriculum and working with us to incorporate unique field experiences, internships and networking opportunities for students.”

Schiavone also teaches courses in Physics and is located on the second floor of Reinhart.

Change isn’t all bad, right?