Contest Judges

Ross Borchardt - Second from right


  • Employed by Orbital Technologies, Madison, WI
  • Previously held positions at Boeing Company Satellite Development Center as a Flight and Control Engineer and as a Systems Engineer
  • Interned with Buffoli Transfer S.p.A. Brescia, Italy.
  • Technical experience includes mechanical design, analysis, fabrication, assembly, test, and verification. Past projects have involved aerospace power systems, controls technology and simulation, and life support systems.
  • Past UW-Madison Activities
    • Flying Badgers Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Project: Jet Turbine and landing gear team leader
    • Vice-chair of the Wisconsin Section of AIAA
    • Lace Master(2007-2008)
      • Schoofs Contest for Creativity- 4th Place
      • Tong Prototype Competition- 2nd Place
      • Patent Pending
    • Sea Squad-Luxury Submersible: Designed a luxury submersible to an operating depth of 100 meters.

Ed Gisske

  • BSEE UW-Madison 1970
  • BSME UW-Madison 1973
  • Thirteen postgraduate credits in Thermoscience and Fluid Dynamics at UW-Madison
  • Registered professional engineer in Wisconsin since 1979
  • 15 US and foreign patents issued, 8 applications pending. More than 50 US Patent citations.
  • Owns Gisske Engineering, Mt. Horeb, WI.
    • Sole-practice that designs and develops electrical and mechanical products for forensic analysis and testing.
    • Participated in bringing more than 150 products to market since 1978
  • Served as a Lecturer/Specialist in the UW-Madison Mechanical Engineering department teaching Manufacturing Processes, Welding Engineering, Instrumentation and various short courses.
  • Taught ME349 (Mechanical Engineering Senior Design) as an adjunct lecturer in 1997
  • Interests
    • Amateur radio: First licensed in 1961, Amateur Extra class license
    • Aviation: Commercial, Instrument, and Multi-engine ratings
    • Precision metalworking and machine tool renovation
    • Home brewing beer

Nick Passint

  • Born and raised in Rice Lake, WI
  • Employed by Pflow Industries, Inc., Milwaukee, WI
    • Project Engineer on the Cartveyor product line
    • Experience with vertical reciprocating conveyors
  • Past UW-Madison Activities
    • SAFEWalker
    • Engineering Expo
    • AIAA
    • Ice Net X (2003-2004)
      • Schoofs Contest for Creativity- 1st Place
      • Tong Prototype Competition- 3rd Place
  • Interests
    • Hunting, Fishing, Sailboat Racing
    • Supporting Badger Athletics
University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Engineering Physics
Madison, Wisconsin
Revised: 12/8/2008