Whitefish Bay Student Wins UW-Madison Energy Award

WHITEFISH BAY, WI — UW–Madison student Thomas Bihler of Whitefish Bay is the recent recipient of awards from the Wisconsin Energy & Sustainability Challenge (WESC), a UW–Madison based contest that encourages students to develop innovative solutions focused on energy and sustainability.

Bihler is a fifth-year senior at UW-Madison studying Mechanical Engineering, and previously attended Whitefish Bay High School. Bihler is a part of a team called Uptica that won two prizes from WESC, the Global Stewards Sustainability Prize (a grant for $5,000) and second place finish in the Dvorak Energy Prize ($1,500).

“It was the best news you can hear, really, to find out that we won,” said Bihler. “It was really exciting.”

Uptica, formerly known as Transforma, plans to transform plastic waste into usable products using easy-to- build machines that shred and sort by plastic type and color. The resulting plastic material can be used in 3D printers to make recycled products. The project will be based in Costa Rica, where the team hopes to boost the local economy by giving women the opportunity to collect plastic waste and sell recycled products.

With their WESC money, Bihler and the rest of the Uptica team have already begun moving the project forward. They have increased communication with a community in San Louis, Costa Rica, and are in the process of submitting for more grants to help jumpstart the project on- location.

The Wisconsin Energy and Sustainability Challenge (WESC) is funded in part by the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI). WEI is the collaborative home of energy research and education on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus and a nationally recognized leader in clean energy.

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