72-WSLS-Scholarship-Recipient-Page - Continuing Education and Outreach

WSLS Scholarship Recipients

Travis Atman | Bernsten Scholarship

Personal Bio

Travis Altman is a student in the Civil Engineering Technology – Highway Technician program at Mid-State Technical College, and is from Marshfield, WI. Travis plans to graduate in May 2020, and is currently working part-time for MSA in Marshfield.

Sara Braun | Leica Scholarship

Dear Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors,

I am sincerely honored to have been selected for the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors (WSLS) Scholarship sponsored by Leica GeoSystems. I am very thankful and very appreciative of the scholarship! This scholarship will help tremendously in completing my last year as a student at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in the Civil Engineering Technology Program. I look forward to what the future holds for me as a Civil Engineer, along with being able to help others out along the way! This generous scholarship will not only help pay for tuition costs but also other expenses that come along with colleges such as books and fuel costs. In conclusion, I would like to thank my past employers, my teachers Mark, Tim and Howard, and Leica GeoSystems for their helping hand for all school and non-school related tasks. I would not be where I am today without all the tremendous help and hard work of these influential people!

Personal Bio
I would describe myself as a friendly, flexible, hardworking, motivated individual. I am passionate about my work and take pride in what I do while being very dependable and honest. I am passionate about my work because I am a very driven person and I thrive on setting goals and challenges for myself to achieve. With that in mind, I am always looking for ways to improve myself to be the best that I can be. A few of my hobbies include outdoor recreational activities such as fishing, hiking, kayaking, and water sports. I tend to find myself either watching or playing sports that include things such as football, basketball, or snowboarding. In the winter I enjoy taking trips to ski and snowboard, while in the summer I find myself spending time on the lake with friends and family. As for extracurricular activities I am an active member of the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College civil engineering technology club. This club meets once a month on campus, and we discuss attending Northeast Wisconsin chapter meetings along with volunteering around the campus and ways to improve and educate others about our program. This club helps bring awareness to civil engineers and showcase what a day in the life of a civil engineer is all about. In my first year of college here at NWTC, I was asked to be a part of a student competition team for the NSPS 2020 student competition. This was a very big role to take on as a first-year student in college, but I accepted the offer and joined 5 other classmates in researching the new 2022 datum change and how it directly impacts Wisconsin. Due to the Covid19 virus, we were not able to attend the competition in person, but we end up completing the required tasks online and our team placed first for NWTC! In conclusion, I would like to thank my past employers, my teachers Mark, Tim and Howard, and Leica GeoSystems for their helping hand for all school and non-school related tasks. I would not be where I am today without all the tremendous help and hard work of these influential people!

Samuel Hebel | Seiler Scholarship

		Personal Bio I am a first-year student at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Prior to starting at NWTC, I earned my bachelor's degree from UW Oshkosh in Geography, as well as worked as a GIS technician for Shawano County. My wife, Jayne, and I live in Green Bay. In our spare time, we enjoy visiting Wisconsin's various state and county parks, traveling (pre-COVID-19), playing board games with friends, and trying out new restaurants. When I finish with my courses at NWTC, I am hoping to begin a career in the transportation construction industry. I cannot thank Seiler Instrument, and the WSLS Foundation and Education Committee, enough. I am extremely appreciative of being selected to receive this scholarship.

Adan Plata | WSLS "Anthony B. Kiedrowski" Scholarship

About the Scholarship

Anthony was owner and president of Kiedrowski Engineering in Wisconsin Rapids. He was duel licensed as both a Registered Land Surveyor and Professional Engineer. Tony served as the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors president in 1975. Additionally, Tony was chairman of the Mid-State Technical College Board, was the Portage County Surveyor for several terms and served on the Portage County Board of Supervisors for over 11 years. Tony was a lightning rod for remonumentation efforts in Wisconsin. He wrote several articles on that subject as well as other items for the ACSM Surveying and Mapping Bulletin.

Cole Erickson | WSLS "Mark Teuteberg" Scholarship

Personal Bio

I am a Civil Engineering Technology student in my final semester of the two-year, associate degree program. My expected graduation is May 2021. I am currently working part time for a municipality as an engineering technician, this job will turn into full time once I graduate. One day in the future I would like to start my own land surveying business, and thanks to this scholarship I am one step closer to that goal.

The WSLS Foundation Scholarship will be used for the tuition and books of my final semester. This scholarship will be helpful in lightening the financial burden so I can still pay for both school and my wedding. With this scholarship I will be able to focus more on school, which will ensure I am doing my best work possible.

About the Scholarship
Mark served as the Oconto County Surveyor and head of the Land Infonnation Department until his abrupt retirement due to contracting West Nile Virus. Unfortunately, this left Mark in a seriously depilated condition from which he would not recover. Mark graduated with a degree in Land Surveying from Gateway Technical College in 1976. During his career Mark served on many committees of the WSLS Northeast Chapter including as its President in 2002. He was very active in the Wisconsin Land Records Association serving 2 terms on the Board of Directors. Additionally, Mark was the chairman of the Land Information Officers Network in 2007-2008. Mark believed in mentoring and was extremely proud of the younger surveyors he was able to help. When a tornado struck Oconto County in 2007, Mark was able to display the power of GIS as an aid during search and rescue efforts.

Maddison Adams | WSLS "Frederic Woodson Zietlow" Scholarship

About the Scholarship

Fred served as the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors President for 1982 and is a Life Fellow member. He has been a member of the Society continuously since 1969. Fred earned an Associate's Degree in Highway Construction & Allied Technology at Madison Area Technical College. During his career Fred worked for H.A. Sime, the City of Madison Engineering and Planning Departments and with Mid States Engineering which became MSA. Fred was instrumental and presided over the reorganization of the WSLS Board of Directors into its current structure. Fred was also an accomplished cross country skier and skied with distinction in many North American Birkebeiner races. Utilizing his Surveying background Fred produced a comprehensive route and profile map of this world class sld trail which is still in use today.

Austin Mohr | WSLS "William T. Wambach Jr." Scholarship

About the Scholarship

William began his surveying career back in the early 1960's when he and Sylvan Baudhuin started the firm of Wambach & Baudhuin. From there he spent many years working for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Bill attended Marquette University and Lawrence College before completing his Master's Degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Wisconsin. Bill served in the United States Navy (1943-1946) as a Marine pilot. His lifelong love of flying continued with his work with the BAA Young Eagles program. Bill along with Thomas Sprague was instrumental in establishing the Wisconsin Point of Beginning Historical Marker. Bill was a Masters Track champion having set records for an Octogenarian in the high jump. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Senior Olympics Hall of Fame in 2019.

Jacob Kocken | WSLS "Bernard L. Watermolen" Scholarship

Personal Bio

Hello, I am Jacob Kocken and I am 19. I enjoy doing pretty much anything outside and hanging out with friends. I wanted to give a huge thanks to the WSLS Foundation and the WSLS Committee for picking me as a recipient for the scholarship. I am extremely grateful for this donation and it will go a long way.

I am currently attending my second year at NWTC pursuing my Civil Engineering degree. I have just started my last semester, which turns out to be the hardest. This scholarship will obviously help tremendously with the cost of school, but it will also allow me to focus on school more and work a little less. With that I will be able to take the most out of this program that I can. Of course, I want good grades, but I also want to be able to take everything I learned through the program and transfer it over to work after I graduate. This scholarship gives me even more motivation to try and do the best I can. When I graduate, I plan to continue working for the excavating company I am currently employed at. With this degree, I feel like I will be able to bring a lot more to the table and be more beneficial to the company or wherever I end up. I wanted to say thank you once again for this donation, it will have a huge impact on me and even my future.

About the Scholarship

At the time of his retirement Bernie was the owner of Bernard L. Watermolen Inc. Prior to that Bernie was Brown County's first full time County Surveyor. He also spent over 20 years with the State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Robert E Lee Engineering. Additionally, he served many years on the Land Surveyors Section of the Wisconsin Registration Board. He served in both the United States Naval Reserve and the U.S. Army. In his retirement Bernie served on the Town of Silver Cliff Planning Board. Bernie was an avid hunter and fisherman. Having one of his Canadian fishing trips famously published in Outdoor Life magazine. Many a brook trout ended their run on his hooks