RISE AI: Ag & Engineering Innovation

What does it really take to turn an idea into something that changes lives? Join presenter Jon Eckhardt, Pyle Bascom Professor in Business Leadership, as he explores the heart of entrepreneurship, guided by Howard Stevenson’s definition: the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources. From launching nonprofits to innovating inside companies, this talk explores how entrepreneurship isn’t just for tech startups, it’s for anyone with an idea and the drive to make it happen.

Dr. Eckhardt leads a team of researchers dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship and innovation in academia. He has taught at the undergraduate, MBA, Ph.D., and executive education levels and is the editor-in-chief emeritus of the Entrepreneur and Innovation Exchange, an online publication connecting research and practice in entrepreneurship. From 2012 to 2019, he served as Executive Director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship, transforming it into a campus-wide program with over 1,800 students annually through alumni engagement, fundraising, and program development. As a cofounder of the gener8tor business accelerator, he has helped build over 1,263 companies that have raised more than $2 billion in venture funding and created over 10,000 jobs. He serves on for-profit and non-profit boards, advising on entrepreneurship, innovation, and data science applications in business, and has spoken at business retreats and c-suite board meetings. His research integrates business leaders and entrepreneurs, earning him accolades such as a $50,000 fellowship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a Schulze Distinguished Professorship (2015-21) for significant contributions to entrepreneurship research. Before academia, Dr. Eckhardt served in the U.S. Army, worked in economic consulting, and analyzed fixed-income securities for Legg Mason. An avid amateur cyclist, he enjoys discussing big ideas while riding the rolling hills of South Central Wisconsin with students, alumni, and colleagues.

Jen talks about the Menominee Tribe’s WPP grant successes including building the Wisconsin Tribal Elder Food Box Program, the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition, and the Menominee Tribe’s food system projects.

Jen is an Oneida Nation Member. She works for the Menominee Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, focusing on rebuilding tribal food systems at the Great Lakes regional level. Jen also operates a small demonstration and teaching farm in Oneida. Her and her husband raise small scale beef, eggs, chicken, and pork. They also teach farmstead skills, provide tours, and emphasize bartering.

UW’s Researchers need to make figures, graphs, and models to do their work, but they’re not all experts in Python or R coding languages. When they need a guiding hand, they call upon Dr. Sarah Stevens, which is who we at Badger Talks Podcast just called upon to help us understand what she does. Tune in as Buzz Kemper speaks with Dr. Stevens about her important role.

Sarah Stevens is the Director of the Data Science Hub at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. With a PhD in Microbiology from UW–Madison and a BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sarah is passionate about empowering researchers to leverage data science in their work.

During her graduate studies, Sarah discovered her passion for teaching and mentoring peers in coding and data analysis. She frequently organized and led workshops to help fellow students develop essential computational skills. In her role at the Data Science Hub, she facilitates connections and provides training to help researchers integrate data science into their projects. Under her leadership, the Data Science Hub offers workshops and consultations, and hosts communities of practice to support the UW–Madison research community. Sarah’s commitment to advancing data science education and application makes her a pivotal figure in the field.

Buzz Kemper talks with Dr. Kevin Ponto, Audrey Rothermel Bascom Professor at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery about his lab’s exciting work with virtual and extended reality and its many scientific applications.

Kevin Ponto is a Professor at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and in the Design Studies Department in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has a long history and passion for multidisciplinary studies and has worked on everything from studying health in the home, to creating theater productions, to developing technologies to investigate crime scenes. While a graduate student, he worked on projects to rediscover a lost Leonardo da Vinci painting, locate the tomb of Genghis Khan, and facilitate natural methods for the public to explore cultural heritage artifacts. His current work explores the ways in which emerging technologies can have a positive impact on people’s everyday lives.