May 27, 2026 ME/EMA Badgers represent at National Conferences Written By: Kassi Akers Departments: Mechanical Engineering Categories: Students|Undergraduate Attending national conferences provides a unique opportunity for badger engineering undergrads. Whether attending to present research, explore their interests further, build on their skills, or network with professionals in the field, the immersive experience proves to be beneficial for personal and professional growth. The following students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering can speak to the benefits of this exposure. All members of various College of Engineering Student Orgs, these individuals attended their group’s respective national conferences and walked away with memories and skills that will last long into their engineering careers. SWE National Conference ME badger students attending the SWE National Conference. The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) conference brings together people of all genders from more than 85 countries worldwide. 4 Mechanical Engineering students attended the Fall 2025 convention in New Orleans to engage with global companies and professionals from across the country to expand their career horizons. Each student walked away from the conference with a new skill or path to explore. Maddie Mickiewicz, a rising senior, discovered process development engineering for the first time, and learned how it bridges the gap between R&D, testing and validation, and manufacturing (all industries she’s interested in!). Ella Brown, a rising senior, met a new mentor from Lockheed Martin who offered resume tips and shared insights about working in aerospace after graduation. The students were able to make meaningful connections with a variety of badger alums. Reflecting on the experience, they shared, “We were reminded just how far the reach of Wisconsin Engineering extends: throughout the conference, we met professional engineers with UW degrees who are driving innovation across the country, at every level of leadership and at every stage of their careers. It made us proud to be part of a program that cultivates such a strong, supportive, and impactful community.” SHPE National Convention UW-Madison students and alumni pose at the 2025 SHPE convention. In fall 2025, 4 students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering attended the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) National Conference in Pennsylvania. The SHPE National Convention is the largest Hispanic technical and professional conference in the country. It serves to develop engineering undergraduates, graduates, and professionals in the aspects of professional, technical research, and academic development. David Quintanna, rising junior in Mechanical Engineering, remarked, “Attending the SHPE national convention was a very eye-opening experience to what it means to be an engineer in the real world. I got to learn about some of the many different career paths in engineering, some of which I knew nothing about beforehand. If there was one thing I learned, it was to always keep the door open to new opportunities, as many of the presenters I heard from said that they did not even know their jobs existed prior to working at their respective companies.” AIMS International Joshua Clark at the AIMS International Conference. The AIMS International Conference brings together professionals in the amusement safety industry. With more than 400 hours of educational content geared towards ride inspectors, maintenance technicians, operations personnel, aquatics technicians, and adventure attractions, this conference was the perfect place for Joshua Clark, ME rising senior, to further explore his passion for the amusement industry! Joshua got to participate in courses, interact with various entertainment personnel, connect with peers, and learn from professionals in the field. One highlight of this opportunity was securing an internship with a company that is hard to obtain. Joshua explained, “I had the opportunity to meet some of the team at Chance Rides, the largest amusement ride manufacturer in the US. The team liked me so much that they offered me a position as an Engineering Intern, making myself their first out of state intern.” In the early stages of the summer internship, Joshua is excited to share it is going great! NSBE National Convention Julius Nurse, EMA senior, with other UW NSBE participants. The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) annual conference was held in Baltimore, Maryland in March. 21 NSBE members representing 14 different disciplines were able to attend, 4 of which were ME/EMA students. These students were able to participate in technical workshops, practice their elevator pitch at the career fair, and attend invite-only networking sessions. The team was even recognized with the Region IV Comeback Chapter of the Year Award – an award given to 1 of 57 chapters in the 4th region who has experienced great growth and excellence over a short period of time. Mohamed Mohamed, an ME student, explained, “Going to the convention helped me prepare myself more for my future and what is to come, and I look forward to taking what I learned, spreading the advice and helping others on campus to become a more confident and stronger campus community.” Mohamed was also excited to share he got 2 interviews and a summer internship with Mortenson from the experience. We’re proud of these students for representing our department and university on a broad scale. Thank you to the students who provided photos, details, and quotes about their conference experience. Special shoutout to Maddie Mickiewicz, Marco Assam, Jose Salatiel Ramirez, and Joshua Clark for initiating and gathering the materials to send to the department! Featured image caption: 15 NSBE students show their UW-Madison pride at the NSBE National Convention.