While working as a lifeguard in her native Trempealeau one summer, Miranda Campbell had a chance conversation with a Viterbo business professor. Hearing Campbell was interested in engineering, the faculty member encouraged her to look into the university’s program.

Campbell was already familiar with the university because her older sister Riley was a student at Viterbo pursuing a degree in psychology. Campbell decided to talk with engineering faculty Emily Vanderfleet and Ric Harned about the major.

“One meeting with them on Zoom and I knew the Viterbo program was for me,” said Campbell, who will graduate in May. “It’s been a great experience. Viterbo stuck out to me because of the way they’re so connected to different businesses. Sometimes engineering is just a problem-solving degree, here you learn more than the technical skills. They help you develop into a well-rounded person who can communicate and lead diverse teams and different projects. I think that’s what companies want now days, especially when it comes to engineers.”

An internship with the research and development team at GEA Farm Technologies in Galesville has opened a world of opportunity for Campbell. GEA Farm Technologies makes state-of-the art milking equipment for dairy producers around the globe. The company is part of GEA Group of Germany, which is one of the world’s largest systems suppliers for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries.

Campbell and a fellow employee were assigned to research and rectify customer complaints with its Clean in Place (CIP) trays for dairy rotaries (a carousel-like milking system.) Housed in a drawer in each stall, the CIP trays clean the milking units after use. In the current version of the CIP, debris and moisture would eventually cause the drawer to be very difficult to open. If the trays were left open, the cows could step on them. Campbell and her colleague decided on a redesign.

After an intensive design process involving farm visits, consulting with dairy professionals and dealers in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and company engineers in Germany, and constructing prototypes, the new CIP trays are in the testing phase and meeting with very positive reviews. If all continues to go well, the CIP trays will go into full-scale production. The project and its results have been very rewarding, Campbell said.

Campbell currently works 20-25 hours a week at GEA Farm Technologies in addition to finishing her degree at Viterbo. In addition to engineering, she is also considering career opportunities in project management, which would allow her to be “up on my feet talking to customers, but still interacting with the engineering world.” Either way, she wants to stay with GEA after graduation in May.

“There are many great people there,” she said.

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