Op-ed brings statewide attention to Engineering Moonshots

An op-ed published in mid-May in the Wisconsin State Journal and other Wisconsin publications highlights the college’s recently announced “Engineering Moonshots”—six ambitious, transdisciplinary initiatives that gather people and focus research on solutions that change society.

“The term ‘moonshot’ most often reminds people of the Apollo space program that first landed astronauts on the moon in 1969 or April’s Artemis II mission, which was the first crewed flight beyond Earth’s orbit since 1972,” wrote author Tom Still, who’s past president of the Wisconsin Technology Council and an adviser to the nonprofit public policy group Competitive Wisconsin Inc. “Devesh Ranjan, the new dean of UW-Madison’s College of Engineering, is hoping people will also associate ‘moonshots’ with lofty research goals in the coming decade.”

The College of Engineering announced its Engineering Moonshots in May 2026. Together, they span some of the most urgent and far-reaching challenges of our time, from human health and sustainable energy to intelligent systems, quantum technologies, critical resources and the future of food.

“Modern engineering is not just about designing better buildings or roads—although that’s still a vital function,” wrote Still, a longtime member of the engineering College Advisory Board. “Engineering can also help in areas such as human health, energy and securing resources in short supply—or finding alternatives for such resources.”

For his piece, Still talked with Devesh Ranjan, Grainger Dean of the College of Engineering, who noted that research within engineering can involve other schools and colleges with expertise in one or more of the six moonshots. “These moonshots have the potential for changing the way we do research on the campus,” said Ranjan.

Still noted that judging the moonshots’ success would be an ongoing process—comparing it to President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 time-defined goal of man’s reaching and returning from the moon by the end of the 1960s. “Because there are six distinct engineering goals, measuring success by the clock may vary,” he wrote.

Ranjan, who grew up in a farm family in India that valued education, said he believes his background influenced how he views the role of public universities today. “Looking forward, our college vision is bold,” he said in Still’s piece. “Our aim: to galvanize technical progress into public benefit.”