Menomonie, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Stout packaging Program Director Min DeGruson
and UW-Eau Claire nursing Professor Charlotte Sortedahl are collaborating across colleges and
disciplines to improve patient safety, environmental sustainability and economic efficiency.
For their endeavors, they were awarded a Universities of Wisconsin 2024 UW Innovation Grant for
their proposal, “Driving Innovation and Value in Education Through Collaboration of Nursing and
Packaging Students and Professionals: DRIVE Initiative.”
DeGruson and Sortedahl’s proposal builds on an existing faculty partnership begun in 2023,
bringing together engineering and nursing students to improve the packaging of sterilized medical
devices. Ultimately, educational materials and medical device packaging kits could be used across all
UW nursing programs.
The Innovation Grant awards them seed funding totaling up to $175,000, split over two years.
“We’re delighted that UW-Stout’s expertise in packaging engineering continues to attract investment
for its contributions in a wide range of critical workforce areas. Through this interdisciplinary work with UW-Eau Claire’s nursing program, our collaboration is positioned to better prepare the health
care workers of tomorrow through practices that will improve care in Wisconsin, throughout the
nation and across the world,” said UW-Stout’s Chancellor Katherine Frank.
“Bringing nursing and engineering students together for collaboration illustrates the kind of
innovation the UWs are known for,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman.
“Ultimately, this work could generate better patient outcomes in Wisconsin and across the nation.”
The proposal is one of three receiving a UW Innovation Grant. Progress reports will be issued
detailing the status, work completed, and the team’s vision for future research or project
development. From this year’s three finalists, a review panel will select a “big idea” winner to receive
additional funding totaling up to $400,000 distributed over three years.
Graduates of the packaging program are 100% employed or continuing education within one year of
graduation, according to Career Services’ First Destination Report. UW-Stout is one of only a few
schools in the U.S, and the only school in the Universities of Wisconsin, that offers a B.S. in
packaging.
Recently, packaging students won an international competition sponsored by Kellanova, a division of
Kellogg’s, to improve the Pringles potato crisps consumer’s experience. Their innovative tube design
won first place in an invitation-only field of eight other university teams from the U.S., Canada,
Germany and the United Kingdom.
Student teams also won the Paperboard Packaging Alliance student competition, Institute of
Packaging Professionals’ 48HR REPACK student design competition, an Institute of Packaging
Professionals challenge, with a Modular E-commerce Box, and Flexible Packaging
Association Student Design challenges.
Last fall, USDA Under Secretary Alexis Taylor and Wisconsin Agriculture Secretary Randy Romanski
explored sustainable packaging and AI innovations underway at UW-Stout. DeGruson and students
detailed research around biodegradable mushroom mycellum in protective packaging and an
industry-sponsored project around the development of sustainable protective packaging to meet
standards of use by Amazon and Target. Interdisciplinary work included packaging and food science
and technology programs collaborating on sustainable packaging for cheese. Food science and
technology Professor Pranabendu Mitra and students outlined work using cranberry pomace to
develop edible packaging.
UW-Stout, a member of the Universities of Wisconsin, is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a
focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes. Learn
more via the FOCUS2030 strategic plan.
