Madison, WI – April 15, 2025 – Artificial intelligence is reshaping nearly every industry, and higher education is racing to keep pace. At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Tech Exploration Lab is emerging as a national model for how universities and companies can collaborate to experiment, learn, and develop future talent in an era of rapid technological change.
Part classroom, part startup incubator, part R&D lab—the Tech Exploration Lab gives students hands-on experience tackling real-world problems with AI, augmented reality (AR), and other emerging technologies across disciplines. But beyond the tech, it’s the lab’s industry partnerships that set it apart, creating a rare alignment between academic exploration and corporate urgency.
“The lab contributes to the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem on campus, with industry, and in the state through multidisciplinary experimentation with emerging technologies and industry engagement,” said Sandra Bradley, co-director of the Tech Exploration Lab. “Bringing together real-world problems to solve and having a fail-fast environment for exploration provides a really unique opportunity to drive innovation.”
“Bringing together real-world problems to solve and having a fail-fast environment for exploration provides a really unique opportunity to drive innovation.”
Sandra Bradley
Housed within the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, the Tech Exploration Lab operates parallel to the Wisconsin School of Business’s AI Hub, a conduit designed to bridge academia and industry in the age of AI. With former Google executive Matt Seitz at the helm, the AI Hub is expanding its reach by delivering real-world applications, research insights, boot camps, and executive learning opportunities.
Real-World Impact
What makes the lab’s model so timely is that it solves a challenge both universities and corporations often face: working together at the speed of innovation.
In many fields, academic research moves on a slower timeline than corporate problem-solving. But with AI advancing so rapidly—and so few experts with deep experience—the typical barriers between industry and academia are breaking down.
This lab, alongside WSB’s AI Hub, represents a new kind of collaboration where companies bring real problems, students bring fresh thinking, and both sides learn from rapid experimentation.
Together, these efforts are positioning UW–Madison as a proving ground for innovation at the intersection of education, industry, and AI. In its inaugural semester this spring, the Tech Exploration Lab’s collaborative model is already generating promising outcomes:
- Students are developing new digital health solutions, including an app to support caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients and an augmented reality platform designed to improve learning.
- Industry and UW–Madison alumni mentors from Google, Exact Sciences, Nike, Crystal Farms, Cub Foods, and Salesforce are guiding student projects—and in some cases, exploring internship or hiring opportunities with student teams.
- Demand for the lab has far exceeded expectations. Organizers planned for 30 to 40 students in its pilot semester; nearly 70 signed up.
The lab’s model is designed around business impact and societal value. Students begin with a clearly defined problem, then collaborate with industry mentors to ideate, prototype, and test potential solutions. The result: technically sophisticated projects directly applicable to real-world challenges.
Industries represented this semester span health care, manufacturing, retail, real estate, and education—with students exploring solutions such as:
- AI-powered personalization in health care and wellness
- Optimizing trade programs in manufacturing
- Enhancing retail customer experiences
- Improving trust and safety in real estate rentals with AR/AI
- Expanding access to education and training through VR/AI
“The lab’s strength lies in its ability to bring students from different disciplines together to solve real-world challenges.”
Kevin Ponto
“The lab’s strength lies in its ability to bring students from different disciplines together to solve real-world challenges,” said Kevin Ponto, UW–Madison faculty and co-director of the lab. “Through industry collaboration and hands-on experimentation, students are gaining experience that sets them apart in today’s job market.”
Beyond industry-driven initiatives, students also launch self-directed projects, where they develop their own AI and technology applications with lab support, mentorship, and funding. Current projects include:
- Wildfire risk tracking using drones and thermal imaging AI
- Lidar-based human body measurement apps
- AI-powered voice agents to combat loneliness
- AR tools for piano education
“Being able to talk to innovators in industry, who have years of experience with AI and VR systems that are usually too expensive for students to access, helps me learn what is actually valuable and what I want to pursue in my career,” said Noah Lessard, computer engineering major and founder of startup OdachiVR. “It lets me see through the hype.”
“Being able to talk to innovators in industry, who have years of experience with AI and VR systems that are usually too expensive for students to access, helps me learn what is actually valuable and what I want to pursue in my career.”
Noah Lessard
Industry Partnerships Drive Innovation
The lab’s strong ties with industry leaders ensure students are working on problems that matter. Through direct collaboration, companies gain access to fresh ideas and emerging talent while students receive mentorship and insights from professionals in the field.
Recently, leaders from Google, Exact Sciences, Amazon, and Holos, Inc. joined an informal session to see student-led projects in action. These interactions provide invaluable guidance as students refine their innovations before the lab’s Open House on April 24 at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.
Many companies see the lab as an opportunity to “pre-train” future employees, test new ideas, and stay connected to the fast-moving world of emerging tech.
“The lab is unique in that it connects students from across campus with advanced tools and industry mentorship to rapidly prototype and gain essential skills for an increasingly AI-driven world,” said Kristin Storhoff, Google field sales representative. “It’s exciting to watch entrepreneurial ideas develop, and there is significant value in bringing the best of Google’s AI to support students’ exploration.”
“It’s exciting to watch entrepreneurial ideas develop, and there is significant value in bringing the best of Google’s AI to support students’ exploration.”
Kristin Storhoff
Upcoming Events—April 24
Executive Industry Learning & Strategy Session | 3:30–5:30 p.m.
An invitation-only session for industry leaders to explore AI and emerging tech trends, engage directly with student teams, and help shape future lab initiatives.
Interested in attending? Contact sandra.bradley@wisc.edu.
Public Open House | 5:30–7 p.m.
The Tech Exploration Lab will host its semester-end Open House at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery offering the campus community and public a chance to see what students have been working on this semester.
Attendees can explore student-led projects, ask questions, and get hands-on with emerging technologies like AI, VR, AR, smart devices, and more. The event is free and open to the public.
Learn More & Get Involved
- Tech Exploration Lab: https://techexplorationlab.wisc.edu/. For industry partnerships, contact sandra.bradley@wisc.edu.
- AI Hub: Contact matt.seitz@wisc.edu.
Tags: