Press Release
Falcon Futures: UW-River Falls student puts finance, economics and math skills to work for internship at Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Mason Steele of Hudson, a triple major in finance, economics and mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, had a goal in his junior year: to land a competitive summer internship at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. “This was something I was working toward for a while,” Steele said. “I applied last year also, but I wasn’t successful that time.” As one of more than 5,000 students applying for around 45 positions, Steele was not alone. Fewer than 1% of applicants are accepted. Steele
Traveling with a purpose: UW-River Falls and nonprofit team up to bring speech and hearing help to children in Jamaica
When Sarah Smits and Tonja Lesmeister first became acquainted in River Falls as parents of kids around the same age, it may have been hard to imagine that their chats would lead to bringing much needed hearing and speech services to children in need thousands of miles away. “It literally started over a cup of coffee,” said Smits, who is director of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Speech-Language and Hearing Clinics, graduate program director and co-chair of the Communication Sciences and
UW-River Falls staff recognized with Chancellor’s Employee Excellence Awards
Seven University of Wisconsin-River Falls staff members have been honored with the Chancellor’s Employee Excellence Awards for outstanding service to the university. The awards recognize employees who go above and beyond expectations, actively contribute outside their primary duties and demonstrate helpfulness, teamwork, customer service, a positive attitude and strong work ethic in supporting the fulfillment of the UWRF mission. Recipients of the UWRF Chancellor’s Employee Excellence Awards
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Scholarship supports internship opportunities for UW-River Falls political science and international studies students
In 2023, University of Wisconsin-River Falls Political Science Professors Moira Lynch and Davida Alperin (now retired), recognized a need. “Political science and international studies majors recognize the important value of completing an internship while earning their degree at UWRF,” Lynch said. “Internship opportunities bridge the gap between the educational and professional work worlds, but for students in these majors, internship opportunities are often out of reach due to financial
Rockets’ red glare: UW-River Falls Falcon Rocketeers win NASA WSGC Collegiate Rocket Launch Competition
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls Falcon Rocketeers were named Grand Champion of the 2026 NASA Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium Collegiate Rocket Launch Competition, held April 24-25 at Richard Bong State Recreational Area in Kansasville. The team received a $3000 prize and a VIP Tour of Sierra Space in North Freedom. “I am very happy with the rocket team's performance,” said Team Lead Brook McLaird, a senior physics major from Kansas City, Kan. “We put in a lot of work throughout the school
Falcon Futures: Hands-on opportunities, on-campus job experience help UW-River Falls grad prepare for career in animal science
Afton Nelson, a May graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, didn’t have long to wait to get started on her career after graduation. The double major in dairy science and animal science from Owatonna, Minn., was able to step right into a job as an embryo export coordinator for GenOvations in Lodi. “I heard about the company because we went on a field trip there fall semester for one of my reproduction classes,” said Nelson. Nelson, who transferred to UWRF her sophomore year, said
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Home again: Country singer and UW-River Falls grad Hailey James to headline River Falls Days July 9
Hailey James was 14 years old when she heard something on the radio that set her on her life’s path. James always loved to sing but never thought she would go anywhere with it. “I feel like I had an aha moment when I heard Carrie Underwood for the very first time,” said James, a December 2025 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. “I thought, ‘Wow, I really love this song [Blown Away].’ Wouldn't it be so cool to be like Carrie Underwood and have my songs play on the radio?” Jumping
Professor Grace Lewis receives ADSA Foundation Early Career Award: Dairy Foods Division
The American Dairy Science Association® (ADSA) honored University of Wisconsin-River Falls Assistant Professor Grace Lewis as the 2026 recipient of the ADSA Foundation Early Career Award: Dairy Foods Division Tuesday during an awards ceremony at the ADSA Annual Meeting in Milwaukee. The ADSA Foundation Early Career Award was created to recognize two young scholars (one from the Dairy Foods Division and one from the Production Division) for their potential in research and/or educational leadership in
Looking inside AI: UW-River Falls students apply math skills to AI challenges
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to create new content in imitation of previous human-generated content. But what happens as more and more of that online content used to train AI models has already been generated by AI? That was the question posed in a recent mathematics modeling competition and three University of Wisconsin-River Falls students rose to the challenge. The SIMIODE Challenge Using Differential Equations Modeling (SCUDEM) is presented by the Systemic Initiative for
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Five faculty fellowships funded at UW-River Falls by state-sponsored Dairy Innovation Hub
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) recently awarded five faculty research fellowships to expand dairy-related research through the Dairy Innovation Hub initiative. The selected faculty will lead projects across the Hub’s four priority areas: stewarding land and water resources; enriching human health and nutrition; ensuring animal health and welfare; and growing farm businesses and communities. Funded by a $7.8 million annual
Falcon alum establishes $1 million endowment for UW-River Falls Athletics
A former University of Wisconsin-River Falls two-sport athlete who has been an engaged and generous supporter of the university for more than four decades has established the largest individual-funded program endowment in UWRF history. Paul Dykstra, who was a four-year letter winner in golf and hockey and a key member of the Falcons’ 1983 NAIA national hockey championship team, will donate $1 million to establish the Falcon Athletics Endowment for Excellence. The transformational contribution, one of
