Turkiewicz named WiSys Campus Champion

First big event is Innovation in Aging Competition, March 1

UW-Green Bay Associate Prof. Katie Turkiewicz (Communication, Information Sciences) has been selected as the WiSys Campus Champion for UW-Green Bay, and through this role plans  to help promote a strong sense of innovation on campus.

Associate Prof. Katie Turkiewicz

Turkiewicz was referred to the role by Dean Susan Gallagher-Lepak (College of Health, Education and Social Welfare) and after speaking with WiSys campus representative, Assistant Prof. Brian Walsh, it was determined that the role would be the perfect fit.

As the WiSys Campus Champion for UW-Green Bay, Turkiewicz has been part of the Innovation in Aging organizing committee. The WiSys Innovation in Aging Competition student idea competition will be taking place on Friday, Mar. 1, 2019 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at UW-Green Bay’s Christie Theatre, located in the University Union.

“As campus champion, I work with the competition planning committee leading up to the event. I have also been supporting student team recruiting efforts,” she says.

This student idea competition, now in its third year, involves teams comprising of three to five UW-Green Bay students. Each team comes up with innovative solutions that address challenges that aging presents. Solutions can come in many different forms — a product, service or anything that can be seen as an innovative concept that attempts to solve a challenge brought on by aging. The competition’s best solution will win a $500 prize.

The WiSys Campus Champion role caught Turkiewicz’s interest because of her primary research and teaching focus being health communication.

“This role was an excellent opportunity to merge these interests with those of the broader campus community,” she said. She will hold the role of Campus Champion for the Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Spring 2020 semesters.

Turkiewicz says innovation is already present and thriving on the UW-Green Bay campus.

“We just need to find new ways to spotlight what students and faculty and doing,” she says. “And we are really focused on getting the entire campus community to recognize that the projects they are working on are innovative and compelling to a larger audience than they may realize.

WiSys also sponsors other events that compliment these efforts, including the upcoming WiSys Quick Pitch Competition, which will be taking place on campus on Wednesday, Apr. 3, 2019. The Quick Pitch competition aims to encourage innovative and entrepreneurial thinking at UW Comprehensive Campuses by inspiring students to consider the impact of the research they are currently undertaking or other innovative ideas they may have and how such ideas could ultimately benefit the local economy (e.g. development of a new product, technology or service) and/or society (e.g. changes in public policy and/or benefits to the environment).