minutes
date
1 May 2008
project name
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Master
Plan
project #
07G2U
meeting date
April 29, 2008
time
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
location
Great Lakes Water Institute
recorded by
Tyler Patrick
distribution
Jon Jenson, Jeff Kosloske, Kate Sullivan, Patricia Arredondo, Chris Gluesing, Jim Vander
Heiden, d'Andre Willis, Lora Strigens, Julie Penman, Greg Havens, Janne Corneil, Philip
Parsons, Kathryn Madden
purpose
WATER Institute
These minutes represent a summary of the content and character of each meeting and
are not meant to be an exhaustive list of the comments made. Also, these notes are
an initial attempt to understand the academic issues on campus; we will return to
gather additional information as necessary.
ATTENDEES
Val Klump, GLWI
Michael Carvan, GLWI
Jim Woples, GLWI
Bill Holahan, Economics
Glen Fredlund, CES/Georgraphy
David Petering, Chemistry/Biochemistry
Jack Orchard, GLWI
Brad Eggold, WDNR
Brian Shepherd, ARSU/USDA
Jim Lubner, WI Sea Grant
Carmen Aguilar, GLWI
Russell Cuhel, GLWI
Henry Tomasiericz, NIEHSMFBSL
Ava Udvadia, Biosciences/GLWI
John Janssen, GLWI
Jon Jenson, Project Manager, State of Wisconsin Department of Administration
Gregory Bird, Citizen Observer
Jim Vander Heiden, HGA
Tyler Patrick, Sasaki
Sasaki Associates Inc. | 64 Pleasant Street Watertown MA
02472
USA t 617 926 3300 f 617 924 2748 w www.sasaki.com
1 May 2008 | 2
SUMMARY
A.
Academics
1)
2)
3)
A.
Enrollment

The new School of Freshwater Sciences will be primarily a graduate-level program.

Undergraduate Potential – There are typically undergraduate summer students
from other Universities, although the demand is up to 40 students. There are
another 20 students on staff for a total of 30 undergraduates in the summer.
Faculty feels that there could be up to 60 undergraduates during the school year.
Research

The WATER Institute is the largest academic Great Lakes research unit in the
region

Primary research areas include:
o Aquatic Ecology
o Biogeochemistry
o Aquaculture and Fisheries

Aquaculture is a primary area of research and, incidentally, is the
fastest growing sector in agriculture, even though it currently
represents only a small proportion of total agriculture. The seafood
trade deficit was once second only to petroleum; now it's behind
automobiles. Bottom line – the U.S. is shipping a lot of money
overseas for seafood, so aquaculture represents a significant
opportunity.
o Freshwater Technology
o Environmental Genomics
o Environmental Health

A School of Freshwater Science would be the first in the country
Peer Institutions

Other schools have Great Lakes freshwater research centers but they are not as
large. They include UM Duluth, Michigan Tech, Toledo, University of Michigan,
The Ohio State University, Buffalo State, Grand Valley State.
Physical Space Attributes
1)
2)
Existing Space:

8 acres total

120,000 gsf facility (90,000 asf)

Master Plan considers adding a second floor, but expensive. Have also considered
constructing another building on property.

Need more office space; collegial space, windows
Space needs

Need office/lab combination space for collaborators and visiting faculty; could be
like hotel suites for those that come and go.

Need for classroom and teaching lab space

Would like to see adjacent dormitories and suites - for summer students – 12 to 20
people – and for visiting investigators

Could have rentable lab space for when it is not needed by the Institute

Would like a climate-controlled room of significant size; certain experiments cannot
be done due to humidity and temperature fluctuations.
1 May 2008 | 3

Would like space for facility tours with improved entry and egress.
Configurable first-class presentation facility – 100 chairs or 20 chairs and 5 tables;
A/V capability, sound. Hands-on teaching, small seminars, presentation space,
lecture space.

Better access to the water for small craft. Would like a private boat launch.
Location

Remote location is typical of these kinds of facilities; distance does not make a
difference in terms of collaboration. When there is motivation to do work, it gets
done.

Need to connect to the south side – the surrounding community.

Satellite facility downtown but not necessarily committing to moving faculty or entire
schools there. Two offices (one on each campus but with a lab at the satellite
facility).
Transportation

Students access facility via bus from the main campus – travel time is long but it is
still convenient due to the parking crunch on main campus.

Students don't seem to mind coming to the Institute, despite its distance.

As the program grows, UWM could benefit from better transportation to link the two
campuses. Currently, it's a minimum 45-minute bus travel time one way, so
students need to book 3 hours for a one-hour class.

Safety issue at night, particularly if there are classes at the WATER Institute.

Short-run issue – connectivity. Talk to Right-way about buses/transit.

Long-run issue – rail-road rights of way. Light-rail system potential. Milwaukee has
the ribbons of land, which go exactly where they need to be. Strategically locate
new buildings (both for Water Institute and general campus uses) along the rail
lines.

3)
4)
C. Collaboration and Community
1) Collaborations

Collaborate with Medical College, Children's Hospital, and Marquette, as well as
many of the local and regional colleges and universities.

Have split appointments with Biology and Geosciences

Non-University Partnerships (Institute)
o Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
o USDA Agriculture Research Service Aquaculture Cooperative Agreement

Help develop and improve technology for growing yellow perch;
demand for yellow perch far exceeds supply

Contract out research that they cannot do
o Wisconsin Sea Grant Program
o NOAA National Undersea Research Center Northeast Atlantic and Great
Lakes
o US Environmental Protection Agency
o Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

Idea of intellectual critical mass - important to diversify, just like assets in the stock
market. An increase in critical mass requires collaboration. At times, the main
campus has discouraged this because of certain faculty's absence from the
department. Part of the solution is space, but part is culture.

School of Freshwater Sciences will only work if it's an integrated enterprise.
1 May 2008 | 4

WATER Institute is predominantly an ecological enterprise at present; Rockwell
(formerly Allan-Bradley, the original owner of the property) has not been a natural
partner.

Potential for private industry to collocate near GLWI

Biomedical engineering is not a starter; The Medical College is a more natural
leader than UWM. Instead, UWM should focus on bioenviroengineering - water
purification, sensing pollution.

Need to form win-win partnerships that generate surplus and that can spill into
other areas of the University.
2) Funding

¾ of funding is federal (NIH, USDA, NOAA, NSF, EPA). The rest is private.

Operational monies come from the state.

Industry partnerships must happen because federal funding has decreased. More
prevalent and relevant.

Gambling on the fact that freshwater federal dollars will increase because it is such
an opportunity area. Anticipate a burst of interest.

Tradeoff – when government does not fund the research then private industry
comes in.
3) Opportunities

The WATER Institute has its own research vessel, which is on the water 12 months
of the year, but is 56 years old and too small for the expanding research and
instructional needs. The Institute is working with the UWM Foundation to raise an
anticipated ~$20M needed for a new state-of-the-art research vessel. The new
vessel with have a 3 part mission: research, education and public welfare with the
last category including assisting with emergency services like, search and rescue
and environmental clean-up.

The lack of a coastal culture in Wisconsin – a vessel can do that; broader uses.
Make coastal communities feel more like a unit.

Freshwater Science is part of a broader environmental movement – it presents a
unique contribution opportunity for the local economy.

The shortage of campus-wide research space could, in part, be accommodated at
the WATER Institute, thereby reinforcing a broader connection between the
Institute and the Kenwood campus.
Next Steps
1.
Document meeting minutes.
2.
Return for field work, data collection, and additional meetings May 20-22.
3.
Perform data and site analysis throughout the summer.
4.
Present initial analysis findings in the Fall.
The information above will stand as recorded unless Sasaki receives written comments within five days of the
distribution date from a recipient requesting an amendment.
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