CALS Senior Awards recognize students for their scholastic performance, leadership and service. Students who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher can apply. Applications are approved by faculty and staff on the CALS Prospective Students and Scholarships and Loans Committee.

CALS Prospective Students and Scholarships and Loans Committee members: Brian Asen, Jim Berkelman, Thomas Browne, Kendra Gurnee, Brent Hueth, Heidi Kaeppler, Paul Koch, Karen Martin, Marisa Otegui and Heather White.

This year, each CALS Senior Award winner maintains at least a 3.8 grade point average. In addition to their outstanding academic performance, these students demonstrate remarkable records of both leadership and service.

2016 – 2017 Award Recipients

Name: Bradley Carlson
Major: Biochemistry, Certificate in Global Health
Hometown: Wayzata, MN

Leadership, scholarship and service have been a large part of Brad’s undergraduate experience at UW–Madison. He served as the president of both the Spanish Club and the Wisconsin Pre-Medical Society. Furthermore, he facilitated a discussion for Biochemistry 501 and tutored his peers in math and chemistry as a volunteer through the Greater University Tutorial Service. In order to serve the greater Madison community, Brad volunteered in the Meriter emergency room and became certified to train new volunteers. He has also volunteered with underserved patients at Wingra Family Clinic as a health coach. Finally, Brad worked to get the most out of the academic community at UW by participating in three years of research in the Department of Neurosurgery at UW Hospital, embarking on a field study in Cuba, and studying abroad in Costa Rica for a summer.

Name: Lucille Kohlenberg
Major: Genetics and Psychology
Hometown: Elm Grove, Wisconsin

Lucille participated in student organizations, undergraduate research and community service throughout her undergraduate career. She held multiple leadership positions for the Undergraduate Genetics Association. Lucille also served as the Managing Editor for the Journal of Undergraduate Science and Technology during for three semesters. She was involved in mentored research on campus in the Saha and Terasawa laboratories. Through the UW-Madison SCORE Program, Lucille participated in a summer research internship at the University of Cambridge. These research experiences encouraged her to apply the concepts that she learned in the classroom to a team setting. Additionally, Lucille served as a peer mentor and outreach ambassador for the Biology Core Curriculum Program and as an undergraduate chemistry tutor. Lucille volunteered at hospitals and children’s centers in both Madison and Milwaukee. She will be graduating in Fall 2017 and plans to pursue a career in medicine and clinical research.

Name: Sara Herzog
Hometown: Maribel, WI
Major: Dietetics, Certificate in Education and Educational Services

During her undergraduate career, Sara sought many leadership, service and academic opportunities. She led two self-initiated service projects through the Dane County Farmer’s Market including one collaborative effort across three campus departments. The two projects focused on providing the community with both accurate nutrition information and nutritious food. She also pursued volunteer opportunities through UW-Hospital and Clinics, UW-Madison Adapted Fitness and local nursing homes. While on campus, Sara was involved with the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the Big Ten Leadership Program, the Dietetics and Nutrition Club and a study abroad experience in London. Despite her extraordinary level of involvement, Sara maintained a 4.0 GPA and remained employed in the Madison area. Sara actively pursued each of these opportunities as she transferred to UW-Madison during her sophomore year. Before coming to UW-Madison, she mentored under-privileged youth, worked for the disability center, and was one of the select freshman chosen for a research assistantship. Sara intends to enter a dietetic internship this fall and work toward a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition.

Name: Lauren Sipple
Major: Food Science
Hometown: Denmark, WI

During her time at UW-Madison, Lauren participated in a variety of extracurricular activities and held leadership positions. The clubs, teams and professional organizations in which she was active included the Food Science Club (Vice President, Fundraising Co-Chair), the Dairy Product Evaluation Team, Student Dairy Showcase (Team Coordinator), the Dairy Product Development Team (Captain) and the Wisconsin Institute of Food Technologists (Student Representative). For a semester, Lauren also had the opportunity to work in the Plant Pathology Department performing undergraduate research on PARP genes in Arabidopsis seedlings. In addition to these activities, Lauren was employed by the Center for Dairy Research as a Trained Descriptive Sensory Panelist for two academic years. During her summers, Lauren had internships with Land O’Lakes, Smucker’s, and Agropur. Academically, Lauren was on the Dean’s List each semester and received scholarships from the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board, the Midwest Food Processors Association, the American Dairy Products Institute and the Badger Flyers.

Name: Caroline Brown
Hometown: Naperville, IL
Major: Animal Science and Agricultural Business Management

Caroline pursued her passions for animal health care and leadership through academic and co-curricular experiences during her time at UW-Madison. Caroline’s determination and hard work allowed her to complete two degrees, which helped her build skills in animal health care-focused business management. She also held several leadership positions, including Captain and President on the UW-Madison Equestrian Team. Through this experience Lauren was able to represent her university at the intercollegiate competitive level while also serving as a leader for her teammates. She also distinguished herself as a CALS Ambassador, where she was able to share her knowledge and passion for CALS with prospective students. Caroline also served as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the introductory animal science course. She will be attending vet school at the University of Florida in the fall.

Name: Mirelle Goetz
Hometown: Plymouth, MN
Major: Wildlife Ecology, Certificate in Environmental Studies

Mirelle participated in a wide variety of activities as a UW-Madison student. She was a proud member of the UW-Madison Marching Band. One of her most valuable experiences at UW-Madison was volunteering as a research technician for the UW Urban Canid Project and achieving the position of Outreach Project Leader. In this role, Mirelle helped collect scientific data in order to study the movements of foxes and coyotes across an urban landscape and provided information that will help humans peacefully coexist with urban canids. As Outreach Project Leader, she also led educational efforts that gave Madison community members opportunities to learn more about the project and their wild neighbors. Mirelle was a member of the Community of Environmental Scholars Program with the Nelson Institute. In this program, she participated in service and educational opportunities in order to cultivate community engagement around environmental issues. Mirelle was inspired to use scientific data to promote positive relationships between humans and wildlife. She hopes to pursue a career studying animal behavior and ecological interactions in order to inform conservation efforts for species threatened by climate change and other human activities.

Name: Madeleine Jones
Hometown: Madison, WI
Major: Agricultural and Applied Economics, Certificate in Development Economics

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madeleine was engaged in many co-curricular activities. Madeleine served as a writer and designer for Equilibrium, the undergraduate economics journal and worked as a lab assistant at the Kaufman Lab for the Study and Design of Food Systems and Marketplaces. Madeleine also participated in two internships while on campus. She interned at the BRITE Lab studying behavioral economics and at the Goodman Youth Farm where she led students on farm-based field trips. Madeleine was also active in AmeriCorps Achievement Connections tutoring program at West High School for several years. In the fall of 2015, she held an internship position at the Council of Economic Advisors within the Executive Office of the President. After graduation, Madeleine plans to complete a health economist internship with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota and pursue a career in healthcare economics.