VIDEO: North Dakota roots to lasting impact
The College’s Homecoming Week ceremony celebrated four graduates whose careers have shaped industry, public service and communities.
Homecoming Week brings UND alumni back to campus. On Oct. 2, the College of Engineering & Mines welcomed four graduates into its Alumni Academy, recognizing careers built over decades and the many ways they have put their education to work.
The College’s highest alumni honor, the Alumni Academy celebrates graduates whose achievements and contributions can inspire future engineers and scientists. Their stories are also preserved for students through plaques displayed in the Upson II Building.
Vickie Joyce-Morast Batroot began her 38-year association with 3M as a co-op student while earning her chemical engineering degree at UND. A 1979 graduate born in Hazen, North Dakota, she went on to lead engineering and manufacturing work across several divisions. In 2004-2005 she was awared the Six Sigma Master Black belt certification, the highest ranking expert level in the Lean Six Sigma Methodology. She retired in 2014 as manufacturing site director in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, and lives in Zap, North Dakota, with her husband, Gregg.
David Engelstad, a first-generation UND graduate, earned his civil engineering degree in 1990. His career in public service included the U.S. Public Health Service, the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency in American Samoa. After retiring from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps as a captain in 2021, he and his wife, Jill, served in the Peace Corps in Botswana. They live in Bemidji, Minnesota.
W. Brian Poykko returned to Grand Forks after beginning his electrical engineering career in Michigan. A 1978 graduate born in Gackle, North Dakota, he led Poykko Engineering and Design Services before retiring in 2025. His work in the region includes two familiar landmarks: the LEED-certified Gorecki Alumni Center and the Alerus Center.
Jim Wendschlag spent 36 years with Trane Technologies, advancing from research engineer to director of product engineering. The Minot, North Dakota, native earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from UND. His career included four patents and Six Sigma Black Belt certification; after age 50, he also completed three marathons.
From engineering and manufacturing to public service, the four honorees show how a UND education can lead in many directions—and leave a lasting mark on the people and places their work touches.
