Since our beginning, the College of Engineering has focused on impact—true to the principles of the Wisconsin Idea. As a key college of the state’s flagship university, we have a responsibility both to the citizens of Wisconsin, and those beyond. With a longstanding tradition of world-renowned research programs, academic excellence, and a knack for innovation, our college has been home to an endless array of breakthrough ideas that have positively altered the course of society forever.
From astronauts to executives to professional engineers, alumni are among the driving forces of our impact, taking what they learned in our classrooms and labs and applying it in world-changing ways. Here is a short list of people whose contributions are exceptionally notable. From the 1800s until now, our alumni have been on the forefront of innovation and discovery. In fact, they’ve always been engineering the future.