{"id":13448,"date":"2026-02-18T10:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&#038;p=13448"},"modified":"2026-02-18T10:06:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T16:06:06","slug":"uw-platteville-student-wins-first-place-for-assistive-zipper-device","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-platteville-student-wins-first-place-for-assistive-zipper-device\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Platteville student wins first place for assistive zipper device"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device_Wys2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device_Wys2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of the Easy Zip design, which is intended for individuals who may struggle to free fabric caught in a zipper due to limited hand mobility.\" class=\"wp-image-13449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device_Wys2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device_Wys2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device_Wys2-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device_Wys2.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Easy Zip design is intended for individuals who may struggle to free fabric caught in a zipper due to limited hand mobility.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A University of Wisconsin-Platteville student earned first place in the WiSys Innovation On-Ramp program after presenting an assistive zipper device designed to help people with limited hand mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Eazy Zip is an attachable cube that fits onto a zipper pull. Its cover wraps around the zipper tab and gently pushes surrounding fabric away from the zipper track, helping to prevent snags. The device was created by Leah Norgal, a junior mechanical engineering major from Waukesha, Wisconsin. Its design is specifically intended for individuals who may struggle to free fabric caught in a zipper due to reduced dexterity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Norgal developed and presented her invention as part of WiSys Innovation On-Ramp, a multi-campus learning experience that gives Universities of Wisconsin students the opportunity to build innovation skills and advance their ideas, regardless of their field of study or career goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device-won_Easy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device-won_Easy-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Leah Norgal, a junior mechanical engineering major from Waukesha, Wisconsin, who won first place for the Easy Zip design.\" class=\"wp-image-13450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device-won_Easy-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device-won_Easy-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device-won_Easy-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/PLT_zipper-device-won_Easy.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Leah Norgal, a junior mechanical engineering major from Waukesha, Wis., won first place for the Easy Zip design. \u201cBeing recognized with this award shows me that people genuinely value my ideas,\u201d said Norgal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBeing recognized with this award shows me that people genuinely value my ideas,\u201d said Norgal. \u201cIt reassures me that the effort I put into this project mattered and that others believe in it enough to invest their time and support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the WiSys Innovation On-Ramp course, 54 students from seven Universities of Wisconsin institutions earned an Innovative Thinking badge for their participation and project work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UW-Platteville badge recipients were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Logan Baird<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Anders Beckes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Christian Hibru Kelemu<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leah Norgal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sithijaya Perera<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To earn the Innovative Thinking badge, students participated in at least two interactive sessions and completed online coursework covering topics such as identifying important problems, testing assumptions and preparing a pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About WiSys<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>WiSys is a nonprofit organization that works with faculty, staff, students and alumni of the Universities of Wisconsin to facilitate cutting-edge research programs, develop and commercialize discoveries and foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Written by Christine Bellport<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Link to original story: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwplatt.edu\/news\/student-wins-first-place-assistive-zipper-device\">https:\/\/www.uwplatt.edu\/news\/student-wins-first-place-assistive-zipper-device<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A University of Wisconsin-Platteville student earned first place in the WiSys Innovation On-Ramp program after presenting an assistive zipper device designed to help people with limited hand mobility. The Eazy Zip is an attachable cube that fits onto a zipper pull. Its cover wraps around the zipper tab and gently pushes surrounding fabric away from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[93],"story_category":[147,146],"class_list":["post-13448","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-platteville","story_category-community","story_category-research-innovation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13448"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}