Universities of Wisconsin, Alliant Energy recognize outstanding students, instructors for 2025

Thursday, October 30, 2025

MADISON, Wis.—Two Universities of Wisconsin students and four educators are being recognized today by the Universities of Wisconsin and Alliant Energy Foundation for their outstanding achievements. The Alliant Energy Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Achievement Awards recognize the outstanding academic and community-service efforts of students from traditionally underrepresented minority groups who are pursuing a degree in business or engineering at UW-Madison. The Alliant Energy James R. Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Awards recognize outstanding commitment to undergraduate student success and the ability to inspire in students an enthusiasm for learning. The awards are presented to students and educators from Universities of Wisconsin campuses located within Alliant Energy’s service area.

“I thank the Alliant Energy Foundation for its continued, generous support of these awards recognizing student success and influential teaching,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. “Congratulations to this year’s hard-working students and instructors on their impressive accomplishments and contributions.”

“We are honored to continue the legacy of these awards, which were created to recognize the hard work of students and faculty,” said Andy Kitslaar, executive director of the Alliant Energy Foundation. “These annual awards reflect Alliant Energy’s long-standing investment in education and our shared future.”

The recipients of the 19th annual Alliant Energy Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Achievement Awards are:

  • Sarah Stevens, Business Administration, UW-Madison. Stevens plans to graduate in December 2025 from UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Investment, and Banking. At UW-Madison, Stevens was selected to join Women in Business. She also joined the Undergraduate Business Council, planning and executing initiatives that foster an inclusive business school. She has worked at the Office of Student Financial Aid, providing support to students and families navigating financial aid. Stevens participated in the Goldman Sachs Women’s Possibilities Summit and interned as a summer investment analyst at Freeport Financial, a sponsor-backed direct lending firm. She received a full-time offer as an investment analyst there, which she will begin in February after graduation.
  • Taeren Yang, Electrical Engineering, UW-Madison. Yang plans to graduate in May 2026 from UW-Madison with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics. Yang has spent time as a student intern with the Architects & Engineers division at UW-Madison, assisting with remodeling projects and maintaining the database of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems for nearly every building on campus. He was a substation engineer intern at Electrical Consultants Inc. before finding a passion for nano materials and solid-state electronics with the Rhodes Lab. These experiences have prepared Yang for graduate study. He looks forward to a career in the semiconductor industry, pursuing the next material for the future of electronics.

The recipients of the 35th annual Alliant Energy James R. Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Awards are:

  • Christopher Frayer, Professor, Department of Mathematics, UW-Platteville.
    Frayer fosters a learning environment that encourages active student participation and prioritizes understanding over memorization. Frayer uses teaching techniques such as preparing skeleton note handouts for his students and using a tablet to project a note-taking application onto a screen at the front of the classroom, allowing him to face students and facilitate real-time interactions. Many student research projects he has mentored have resulted in collaborative research papers published in professional journals. His students have presented at state and national conferences. Frayer also designs and facilitates activities for outreach programs and summer camps that take place at UW-Platteville.
  • Dale F. Murray, Professor, Department of Humanities–Philosophy, UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County.
    Dr. Murray’s commitment to student success is admired by students, colleagues, and community members, including adult auditors who have taken his courses. Former students have become teachers, physicians, nurses, journalists, businesspeople, and even a stand-up comedian. He has guided 17 honors projects. Murray was on working groups for what became the Helios program, launched in fall 2022 by UW-Platteville’s College of Liberal Arts and Education to enhance opportunities for students to explore humanities concepts and pressing global issues. Murray has lent his expertise as a guest lecturer covering more than 50 philosophical topics.
  • Eduardo Romero Arvelo, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UW-Madison.
    Dr. Arvelo implements a hybrid approach to a flipped classroom, using class time for discussion and problem-solving after a brief lecture. Arvelo’s teaching philosophy is built around approachability and authenticity. He co-created and co-facilitated a teaching assistant program to enhance teaching effectiveness of graduate students in instructional supporting roles. As vice chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and a member of the Curriculum Redesign Committee, Arvelo is helping shape the future of electrical and computer engineering education at UW-Madison. He serves as faculty advisor to 70 undergraduate students.
  • Prashant Sharma, Associate Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, UW-Madison.
    Dr. Sharma teaches undergraduates in a large introductory course as well as advanced courses with lectures, labs, and discussions. Each year, he mentors undergraduates in directed research projects. Several of his students have published peer-reviewed works, including as first-authors. Sharma provides immersive experiences through a laboratory component that features live animals from marine facilities and a global network of collaborators; museum specimens from the UW Zoological Museum, which he now manages as faculty director; and material collected by his laboratory during research expeditions. Sharma also participates in residential learning communities and K-12 teacher training programs.

About the Awards

The Alliant Energy Foundation established an endowment in 2006 to honor Erroll B. Davis, Jr.’s distinguished record of public service. Davis, the first African-American leader of a “Business Week 1000” company, is a former chief executive of Alliant Energy and a former member of the Board of Regents of the Universities of Wisconsin. He was interim Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools from 2012 to 2014.

The James R. Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Awards are given as a tribute to the energy company’s long-time senior executive, James R. Underkofler (1923–2015), who was a staunch proponent of excellence in undergraduate teaching. He spent his entire career with the Wisconsin Power and Light Co. (now Alliant Energy), ending with his retirement in 1990 as chairman and CEO.

Both award programs are administered by the Universities of Wisconsin Division of Academic and Student Affairs.

For more information about the awards, visit:

 

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The Universities of Wisconsin serve more than 164,600 students. Awarding more than 37,000 degrees annually, these 13 public universities are Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state Universities of Wisconsin graduates stay in the state five years after earning a degree. The universities provide a 23:1 return on state investment. The Universities of Wisconsin also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy. Learn more at wisconsin.edu.