UniverCity Pepin County
With 7,400 residents and encompassing 249 square miles, Pepin County is one of the smallest counties in the State of Wisconsin. Despite its size, county leaders are pursuing a grand vision to improve resident health and quality of life, protect natural resources, and bolster the rural economy.
Pepin County is comprised of the City of Durand, the villages of Pepin and Stockholm, and eight towns. It is most well known for being the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the setting for her beloved autobiographical children’s novel, “Little House in the Big Woods.” The county is also a top vacation destination, boasting year-round outdoor recreational opportunities.
Faculty, staff, and students working on UniverCity projects in Pepin County during 2018-21 focused on the county’s economic development, education, and environmental sustainability efforts. The Pepin County summary report provides a brief glimpse into the work of hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and local government leaders.
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- “Community branding for Durand.” Independent project with the Division of Extension. Kristin Runge.
- “Downtown revitalization and redevelopment plan for Durand.” Urban & Regional Planning 912: Planning Workshop. Alfonso Morales.
- “Economic development guidebook for Pepin County.” Urban & Regional Planning 912: Planning Workshop. Alfonso Morales.
- “Historic walking app for the Village of Pepin.” (App for Android devices. Video of app functionality.) Computer Science 407: Foundations of Mobile Systems and Applications. Suman Banerjee.
- “Industrial park designs for Durand.” Civil & Environmental Engineering 578: Senior Capstone Design. Jan Kucher.
- “Marketing plans for Pepin County.” Journalism 445: Creative Campaign Messages. Doug McLeod.
- “Pepin County economic analysis of the Durand-Arkansaw School District.” Independent project with the Division of Extension. Steve Deller and Matt Kures.
- “Pepin County economic benchmarking.” Independent project with UW-Eau Claire. Tom Kemp.
- “Updating the Village of Pepin comprehensive plan.” Environmental Science and Management 351: Planning for Sustainable Communities, UW-River Falls. Christopher Holtkamp.
- “Best practices for analyzing school data.” Independent project with the School of Education. Sarah Archibald.
- “Economic impact of the Durand-Arkansaw School District.” Independent project with the Division of Extension. Steve Deller.
- “Focus group results for the Durand-Arkansaw School District.” Independent project with the Division of Extension. Pat Malone.
- “Statistical analysis of Wisconsin Forward Exam English and Language Arts scores.” Statistics 998: Statistical Consulting. Sunduz Keles.
- “Statistical analysis of Wisconsin Forward Exam math scores.” Statistics 998: Statistical Consulting. Sunduz Keles.
- “Surveying Pepin County farmers’ attitudes about nitrogen use.” Independent project with Life Sciences Communication and the Division of Extension. Bret Shaw.
- “Best practices for managing GIS data.” Independent student project with the State Cartographer’s Office and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
- “Conservation management plan for Fall Creek watershed.” Environmental Studies 972: Conservation Planning. Arlyne Johnson.
- “Feasibility study of composting manure.” Civil Engineering 421: Environmental Sustainability Engineering. Andrea Hicks.
- “Feasibility study of composting yard waste.” Civil Engineering 421: Environmental Sustainability Engineering. Andrea Hicks.
- “Groundwater quality protection in Pepin County” (research paper) and pamphlet. Environmental Studies 600/Soil Science 499: Capstone. Steve Ventura and Nick Balster.
- “Health impact assessment of multi-hazards” (final report). “Pep Talk” (interview with students). Environmental Studies 560: Health Impact Assessment of Global Environmental Change. Jonathan Patz.
- “Increasing visitors to Holden Park in Pepin County, WI.” Independent student project with the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture.
- “Stormwater mitigation plan for Stockholm.” Civil & Environmental Engineering 578: Senior Capstone Design. Jan Kucher.
- “Wastewater treatment system design for the Village of Stockholm” (final report) and narrated presentation. Civil & Environmental Engineering 578: Senior Capstone Design. Mark Oleinik.
- “Water quality data, privacy, and communication strategies.” Environmental Studies 950: Environmental Monitoring Seminar. Steve Ventura.