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New Members Inducted to National Engineering Honor Society Tau Beta Pi

amduffy — Thu, 01 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Congratulations to the newly inducted members of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society.

Tau Beta Pi was founded in 1885 to honor academic achievement and outstanding character. WPI鈥檚 Massachusetts Alpha Chapter, the first chapter in New England, was founded in 1910. In addition to the students who were inducted last night, we had the honor of inducting two Eminent Engineers, Professors Andrew Teixeira of Chemical Engineering and Fiona Zoutendyk of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.

Please join us in congratulating their achievement!

Tau Beta Pi. Integrity and Excellence in Engineering.

Justina Amoako, MS, Manufacturing Engineering

Gemma Baldwim 鈥?7, Environmental Engineering

Octavio Bittar 鈥?7, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Courtney Brady 鈥?7, Biomedical Engineering

Allison Califano MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Kevin Collins 鈥?7, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Abigail Coolidge 鈥?7, Architectural Engineering

Ethan Curley 鈥?6, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Khang Diep 鈥?7, Robotics Engineering

Ryann Dionne 鈥?5, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Halim Faker 鈥?5, Industrial Engineering

Christopher Ferrarotti 鈥?7, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Samantha Germano, MS, Systems Engineering

Noah Gibbs 鈥?7, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Joshua Gifford 鈥?7, Robotics Engineering

Veronika Gorski, MS, Biomedical Engineering

Jeremy Hudon 鈥?6, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Marshall Ismail, MS, Mechanical Engineering

Amelia Kokernak PhD, Aerospace Engineering

Nicholas Lentino 鈥?7, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Kathryn McDonagh 鈥?7, Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Brynn McElligott 鈥?7 Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Collin Mello, MS, Fire Protection Engineering

Everett Mosher 鈥?6, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Sofia Murphy 鈥?7 Robotics Engineering

Sofia Pantano 鈥?7 Chemical Engineering

Fiona Prendergast 鈥?6 Robotics Engineering

Frederick Smith '26, Engineering

Anthony Virone, MS, Robotics Engineering

Maxwell Wiesenfeld 鈥?7 Architectural Engineering

Fan Yang, MS, Mechanical Engineering

Alexandr Zilberleyb 鈥?7, Robotics Engineering

The Next Wave: Artificial Intelligence in Project-Based Learning at WPI

rtatarek — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Two WPI professors reveal the future role of AI in engineering education at exclusive workshop

Dean of Engineering John McNeill and Assistant Professor Koksal Mus, both from WPI鈥檚 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, recently hosted a session at an invitation-only workshop for engineering educators at Sabanci University, Turkey. Only nine universities worldwide were invited, including MIT and UC Berkeley, two of the top five engineering and technology schools in the 2024 QS World University Rankings.

The goal of the workshop was for a small number of higher-education leaders to put their heads together and ideate strategies for the future of engineering education. McNeill and Mus鈥檚 session, 鈥淎rtificial Intelligence in Project-Based Learning at WPI,鈥?aimed to show their fellow educators how AI can drive a learner-centered experience for the next generation of STEM students.

Current State: Evolution and Benefits of Project-Based Learning

Dean of Engineering John McNeill gives his portion of the presentation on project-based learning at WPI.

Their session began with an overview of how project-based learning (PBL) at WPI has evolved and how it benefits students. McNeill explained that PBL has experienced three waves of evolution at WPI since its introduction in the 1970s:

In the first wave, projects were designed to help students learn discipline-specific skills.
Later, the second wave expanded to include professional skills.
Currently, the third wave also helps students build self-efficacy鈥攖he belief in their own ability to overcome challenges.

How does PBL build self-efficacy? During projects, student teams solve open-ended, unfamiliar problems under the mentorship of a faculty member. As a result, students develop confidence and competence to struggle, learn, apply, and succeed while functioning as effective teammates and project managers.

鈥淲PI's pioneering approach to PBL has had a positive, measurable impact on the professional and personal success of our alumni,鈥?said McNeill, citing qualitative and quantitative survey results from over 2,000 alumni respondents. (View data on the lifelong impact of PBL.)

When graduates have professional skills and believe that they know what to do in any situation, they鈥檙e more ready for the rapidly evolving future of work. And now that the world of STEM and higher education are experiencing large-scale disruption due to AI, PBL will become even more critical.

In fact, McNeill showed, AI鈥檚 role in driving student-centered learning will come to define the next wave of PBL鈥檚 evolution.

AI learning technologies are the next step in the natural progression of project-based education.

Future State: AI-Enhanced Project-Based Learning

Here, Mus took the lead to demonstrate how AI technologies can be used to students鈥?benefit, further enhancing the impact of PBL. If leveraged properly, Mus said, AI can accelerate student-centered learning, particularly in a project-based environment where learning is active, collaborative, and self-directed.

AI can help move students further in Bloom's Taxonomy, which is a hierarchical framework used to categorize educational goals.

In this next wave of PBL, the emphasis will be on creativity, critical thinking, and innovation. Because Gen Z and Gen Alpha students are digital natives accustomed to using technology, integrating AI tools into education will be essential to hold their attention. These tools will not only help them master course material on their own time, but also play a vital role in enhancing their engagement, fostering creativity, and developing innovation skills as the classroom turns into a place for open discourse and collaborative problem solving. Instructors will use their experience and expertise to guide classroom discussions and provide mentorship on research and projects.

With the incorporation of certain AI learning tools, PBL will have the power to improve self-efficacy and DEI outcomes to an even greater degree than before. For example, virtual teaching assistants (VTAs) enhanced by retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) can be trained to support students of different backgrounds, use session logs to update course material and learning outputs, and analyze individual needs.

AI technologies will meet the demands of Gen Z and Gen Alpha learners.

Though McNeill and Mus鈥檚 session was meant to last 30 minutes, it lasted more than an hour because the highly engaged participants asked so many questions. Participants were most surprised鈥攁nd relieved鈥攖o learn that an AI-powered, personalized learning approach, where students direct their own learning, would not diminish the role of instructor but elevate it.

Save the Date: Aug. 9 Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Poster Symposium on UN SDGs

tadams — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

A cohort of 11 middle and high school teachers in the local area will be presenting their summer research work in WPI faculty labs at the RET poster session on Friday, August 9, 10:30-11:30am in Higgins House. The research projects address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and serve as the inspiration for integrated STEM lesson plans to be used in K-12 classrooms.

All are welcome to attend this event, which will include coffee break beverages and treats!

Four WPI undergraduates in the Teacher Preparation Program are part of the RET teacher cohort and have received extra mentoring from the in-service teachers. Faculty mentors include Erin Solovey, Ulkuhan Guler, Pratap M. Rao, Jagan Srinivasan, Yihao Zheng, Ron Grimm, Scarlet Shell, and Andrew Teixeira. In addition to the research experience, the RET teachers participated in weekly professional development sessions led by the STEM Education Center.

2024 RET RESEARCH PROJECTS WPI faculty/staff leading RET

UN Sustainable Development Goal

Research Project

Faculty Mentor

Pre-Service Teacher Participant

In-Service Teacher Participant

#3 鈥?Good Health & Well-Being

Engineering Bench-Top Testing of Interventional Devices for Cardiovascular Diseases

Yihao Zheng
(Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering / MME, RBE & BME)

Sam Simmons
(WPI Management Information Systems / MS Math)

Jayne Kerner
(F.A. Day MS / Newton MS Science)

#11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Bioinspired Harvesting Calcium from Water for Cement and Concrete

Ron Grimm
(Chemistry & Biochemistry / CBC)

Allison Morin
(WPI Chemistry / HS Chemistry)

Stephanie Korunow
(South HS / Worcester HS Chemistry)

#3 鈥?Good Health & Well-Being

Genetically Engineering a Plasmid to Develop a Live-Dead Reporter System in Mycolicibacterium smegmatis

Scarlet Shell
(Biology & Biotechnology / BBT)

Abigail Prisby
(Groton-Dunstable HS / HS Biology )

#3 鈥?Good Health & Well-Being

Using Microscopic Worms to Understand Health-Associated Issues

Jagan Srinivasan
(Biology & Biotechnology / BBT)

Rebecca Cooke
(Douglas HS / HS Biology)

#12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Waste-to-Energy: Engineering Feedstocks for a Circular Economy

Andrew Teixeira
(Chemical Engineering / CHE)

Demetrios Kennedy
(WPI Chemistry / HS Chemistry)

Jay Turner
(South HS / Worcester HS Chemistry)

#3 鈥?Good Health & Well-Being

Development of Miniaturized Noninvasive Blood Gas Monitors

Ulkuhan Guler
(Electrical & Computer Engineering / ECE)

Genesis Bernabel
(WPI Electrical Engineering / HS Physics)

James Sheehan
(Leominster HS / HS Physics)

#7 鈥?Affordable & Clean Energy

Photocatalysts for Clean Energy and Environment

Pratap M. Rao
(Mechanical & Materials Engineering / MME)

Meredith Leighton
(Raynham MS / MS Science)

Podcast: High Power Rocketry Club Looks Ahead to Spaceport Cup

sfoskett — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Aunika Yasui, captain of WPI鈥檚 High Power Rocketry Club, recently spoke with the T-Minus Space Daily podcast about the team鈥檚 preparations for the upcoming 2024 Spaceport America Cup, which will be held June 17-22. The HPRC will send Project Revelatio--a payload-carrying rocket--10,000 feet into the New Mexico sky while competing with top teams from schools around the world. Yasui, a BS/MS graduate in mechanical and aerospace engineering, also spoke about her experience competing in three consecutive Spaceport America Cup events. Listen here: https://space.n2k.com/podcasts/t-minus/286

Award-winning Engineer Named New Director of Systems Engineering at WPI

sfoskett — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Larry Mallak, a deeply experienced engineer and longtime educator, has been named the new director of the Systems Engineering Program at WPI. He comes to WPI from Western Michigan University, where he is a professor of engineering management.

"Bringing with him a wealth of expertise and a proven track record in systems engineering, Larry Mallak joins WPI at a pivotal moment, poised to drive innovation, collaboration, and excellence in engineering education and research,鈥?said Rick Brown, department head and professor of electrical and computer engineering. 鈥淗is leadership will propel WPI to new heights as Systems Engineering at WPI continues to shape the future of complex systems, technology, and management."

One of the largest graduate programs at WPI, systems engineering teaches a holistic approach to the conceptualization, design, construction, and maintenance of successful systems.

Throughout his career, Mallak has built and used innovative methods to improve organizational systems and design processes. His work on corporate ethnography is bringing new tools to balance the art and science of new product development, particularly in the medical device industry.

Prior to his university appointment, he was a healthcare systems engineer for Premier Healthcare in Charlotte, N.C., and has worked as a science reporter for National Public Radio. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including TEDx, Engineering Management Journal, WORK, and Industrial Management.

His research interests include empathic design in research and development, organizational culture and change management systems, and workplace resilience.

Mallak earned his Ph.D. and master鈥檚 degrees in industrial and systems engineering from Virginia Tech. His bachelor鈥檚 degree is in industrial engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

A Certified Professional in Engineering Management (CPEM), Mallak has received several awards, including the Franklin Woodbury Special Service Award and the Western Michigan University Research Development Award. He is a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management and is a Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Mallak is expected to begin his new role at WPI in August.

WPI鈥檚 Massachusetts Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi Initiates Nearly 50 New Members

amduffy — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000

New Members of Tau Beta Pi

WPI鈥檚 Massachusetts Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi recently initiated 47 new students鈥攁nd two Eminent Engineers鈥攊nto the honor society.

Tau Beta Pi is the only engineering honor society representing the entire engineering profession. It is the nation's second-oldest honor society, founded at Lehigh University in 1885 to mark, in a fitting manner, those who have conferred honor upon their alma mater by distinguished scholarship and exemplary character as students in engineering or by their attainments as alumni in the field of engineering, and to foster a spirit of liberal culture in engineering colleges. There are now collegiate chapters at 255 US colleges and universities and 50 active alumni chapters.

WPI鈥檚 Massachusetts Alpha Chapter was established in 1910 and is the oldest honor society on campus. It recognizes junior engineering students who are in the top 12.5% of their class, senior engineering students who are in the 20% of their class, and distinguished engineering graduate students, alumni, and engineers who are eminent in their field.

New members include Rick Brown, Professor and Department Head of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Sarah Wodin-Schwarz, Associate Professor of Teaching and Associate Department Head of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, along with the following students, listed by class and major:

Class of 2024

Priyankha Sunil, BME
Adrianna Louise Tagayun, CHE
Natalie Gonthier, ME
Rowan Mattox, ME (Masters)
Nikita Igoshin, ME
Keelan Smith, ME
Stephanie Steriti, ME
Oleg Russu, RBE (Masters)
Rene Verduzco, RBE (Masters)

Class of 2025

Priyal Anand, BME
Ketterra Johnson, BME
Geethika Chandragiri, CE
Stephanie Dean, CE
Lucas Anthony, CHE
Adelyn Fisher, CHE
Rachel Gealow, CHE
Roberto Sabater, ECE
Adam Spencer, ECE
Melissa Hasbrouck, ME
Nicholas Healy, ME
Kathryn Juliuson, ME
Olivia Dunn, MGE
Amy Conley, RBE
Nikesh Walling, RBE
Cole Welcher, RBE

Class of 2026

Emily Herrera, AE
Catalina Mudgett, AE
Colby O鈥機onnell, AE
Ryan Smith, AE
Bailey Allmon, BME
Delina Chavez, BME
Benjamin Petrich, BME
Aidan Flanagan, CE
Alexander Sheehey, CE
Andrea Wu, CE
Victoria Escuer, IE
Grace Henderson, ME
Cullen Jacene, ME
Griffin Melia, ME
Galen Miller, ME
Alana Moretti, ME
Jack Shanks, ME
Nikhil Gangaram, RBE
Pranav Jain, RBE
Christian Piper, RBE

Class of 2029

Daniel McArthur Sehar, MME, PhD
Celso do Cabo, ME, PhD

Tau Beta Pi. Integrity and Excellence in Engineering.

IGNITING INNOVATION: Compete For Your Share of $20K in the JAM!

jmzafiris — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center

in partnership with Fire Protection Engineering

Presents

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!

馃敟 Calling all students! 馃敟

Ready to ignite your ideas and compete for your share of $20K in cash prizes? 馃挵

Calling all WPI students from all majors to submit an application and compete for a share of $20,000 in prize money. Five teams will be selected to participate in the jam.

1st place: $7,500 2nd place: $5,000 3rd place: $2,500

Top 5 applicant teams: $1,000 each if the team participates in all jam sessions and final pitch

The Challenge: Develop innovative solutions that address the most pressing GRAND CHALLENGES related to fire to make our world safer! Below are examples of interdisciplinary areas that focus, but are not limited to, these topics:

Ariel Surveillance Mavericks: Master drones, satellite imaging, and smart sensors for early fire detection
EV Revolution: Engineer the future of electric vehicles 鈥?think battery safety, vehicle design, crash innovations, and explosion defense
Urban Planning Architects: Design structures and communities that defy wildfire odds, turning urban planning into a force for resilience
Building Blaze Busters: Create fire-safe havens through innovative building designs, evacuation strategies, and groundbreaking materials
Virtual Reality Pioneers: Dive into the future of firefighter coordination
Cyber Sentinel Innovators: Safeguard firefighting systems in uncharted territories with cyber-secure innovations

For ideas, check out this great resource of white papers on GRAND CHALLENGE related to fire.

MQP, GQP, IQP, and ISP fire-related projects are welcome to apply.

Application Process

February 20: Deadline for Intent to Compete APPLY HERE (1 minute to complete)
February 22: 6:30-8:00pm Attend Introductory NABC Value Proposition & AI Tutor Workshop Zoom Link
March 5: Deadline to submit your NABC Value Proposition. Email it to Janet Zafiris at jmzafiris@wpi.edu
March 8: Top 5 teams announced

Jam Sessions (all virtual sessions are from 6:30-8:00 pm)

Thursday, March 14: 1.5 hours forum (session will be recorded)
Thursday, March 21: 1.5 hours forum
Thursday, March 28: 1.5 hours forum

Final Pitches and Celebration (in-person)

Thursday, April 4: Final Presentations & Award Ceremony (presentations will be recorded)

Igniting Innovation is made possible through the generosity of Marjorie and Duane Pearsall and the Duane D. Pearsall Endowment

Do you have any questions about the application or challenge?

Please contact Curtis Abel at caabel@wpi.edu or Janet Zafiris at jmzafiris@wpi.edu.

New Graduate Course! Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies

lmbohigian — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Available for ECE, CS, and DS students!

This brand new graduate course, available online, emphasizes a hands-on approach, allowing students to enhance their skills through practical experience. Dive into simulations using datasets from specific security applications, honing your ability to apply Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques in real-world scenarios. Uncover the potential applications of these technologies in Cybersecurity, preparing yourself for the challenges of safeguarding digital systems in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

Course Description:
Machine Learning has proven immensely effective in a diverse set of applications. This trend has reached a new high with the application of Deep Learning virtually in any application domain. This course studies the applications of Machine Learning in the sub domain of Cybersecurity by introducing a plethora of case studies including anomaly detection in networks and computing, side-channel analysis, user authentication and biometrics etc. These case studies are discussed in detail in class, and further examples of potential applications of Machine Learning techniques including Deep Learning are outlined. The course has a strong hands-on component, i.e. students are given datasets of specific security applications and are required to perform simulations.

Register now for Spring 2024!

WPI Awarded Grants Totaling $900,000, Builds Upon Current Strengths in Advanced Wireless Research

kmus — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Wireless is everywhere, and our society depends on this critical technology for everything that we do. We use GPS when we travel, Bluetooth when we want to connect to our headphones, Wi-Fi for accessing the internet with our laptops, and 5G for utilizing streaming services or multimedia text messaging with our smartphones. Given society鈥檚 increasing reliance on wireless connectivity, there exists numerous challenges and issues that need innovative solutions.

Several of these challenges are currently being addressed head-on by a group of core faculty members at WPI specializing in a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and wireless, including Alex Wyglinski (Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering), Rick Brown (Department Head, Electrical & Computer Engineering and Weston Hadden Endowed Professor in Electrical Engineering), Kaveh Pahlavan (Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering), Reza Zekavat (Professor of Physics and of Data Science), Bo Tang (Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering), and Bashima Islam (Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering). Their research and teaching activities span a wide range of topics including 5G/6G security, millimeter wave communications, Internet of Things, machine learning-based wireless communications, and tiny machine learning for wireless devices without batteries.

This fall, Wyglinski received four separate grants totaling $898,793 supporting research into 5G 鈥?and 6G 鈥?innovation, including his activities into 5G security and lunar 5G/6G networks. Of these grants, the largest, totaling $679,741 and titled 鈥淓nhancing 5G Security via Analysis of RF Hardware Characteristics and Spectral Behavior,鈥?was awarded by the Air Force via the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) program to WPI to support advanced physical layer wireless research where the study of electromagnetic characteristics of wireless devices and propagation is needed to enhance the security of the 5G network. Additionally, two separate grants were awarded to Wyglinski by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, including a $92,225 amendment to the current 鈥淪ecuring Future 5G Connectivity鈥?award, and a new grant for $96,828 titled 鈥淎I-Optimized Spectrally Agile Cognitive Radar Design.鈥?amp;nbsp;Finally, thinking beyond the confines of Earth and about the needs for reliable wireless connectivity on the moon and Mars, Wyglinski received a sub-award of $29,999 from the multidisciplinary autonomous technology company EpiSci, which recently won a grant from NASA for its proposal titled, 鈥?G-MOSAIC: 5G Mission-Critical Sidelink for Autonomous and Interoperable Communications in Lunar Networks.鈥?lt;/p>

These recent grants are part of a broader wireless research and teaching ecosystem at WPI, which is focused on solving challenging problems and innovating reliable, secure, and practical wireless solutions. For instance, in 2022 Professor Zekavat received a $1,172,896 grant to support his innovative research into leveraging ground-penetrating radar (a form of wireless technology) by putting it on aerial drones to collect soil moisture data and post-process the data using AI to form a map that can be used by farmers to enhance agricultural output.

With support from a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award, recently hired Professor Tang is leading efforts at WPI on the use of deep learning and federated learning across different wireless applications such as GPS navigation and Wi-Fi radio frequency 鈥渇ingerprinting.鈥?Furthermore, Tang is one of the co-leads for an innovative open software environment鈥攃alled 鈥?lt;a>Open AI Cellular鈥?lt;/span>鈥攖hat can be used to test how well AI solutions work for 6G networks.

Recognizing the significant contributions he has made to the field of wireless communications, signal processing, and machine learning, Professor Brown was just named the Weston Hadden Endowed Professor in Electrical Engineering.

Amongst the newest faculty specializing in wireless and AI is Professor Islam, who is a world-renowned expert in Internet of Things and machine learning. As a result of her significant achievements Islam was named one of Forbes 鈥?0 under 30鈥?in the science category. Her current research and teaching activities are capturing substantial attention externally as well as on campus with her ECE/CS graduate course 鈥淥n-Device Deep Learning,鈥?which has enrollment from both graduate and undergraduate students across several majors.

Finally, an internationally renowned pioneer in advanced wireless research here at WPI, Professor Pahlavan, has made numerous contributions to society via his seminal research into Wi-Fi, localization, and body-area networks. An IEEE Fellow, Pahlavan鈥檚 impact on how society uses wireless technology was revolutionary. Because of these significant contributions, Pahlavan was the recipient of the 2011 WPI Board of Trustees' Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Scholarship.

鈥淕iven the increasing importance of advanced wireless on society and the many applications that we use on a daily basis,鈥?Wyglinski says, 鈥渋t is great to see such a broad spectrum of cutting-edge fundamental and applied research being conducted here at WPI to help solve the big technical challenges currently preventing us from connecting point A to point B.鈥?lt;/p>

Call for Nominations of Outstanding WPI Alumni

jldaigle — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Nomination Deadline Extended!

Each year, the WPI Alumni Association presents awards to deserving alumni in recognition of their professional achievements, service to the university, service to the Alumni Association, and service to their local communities. The 2024 award form is now open and the Citations Committee, chaired by Mark Macaulay '89, MS'94, is looking for nominations of alumni from classes ending in 4 or 9!

Learn more about the alumni awards at: wpi.edu/alumni/awards/about

Nominate a deserving alumna/us HERE

For additional information or questions, please contact alumni-office@wpi.edu

Save the Date: Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Poster Symposium on UN SDGs, August 16

tadams — Wed, 02 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000

A cohort of 10 middle and high school teachers in the local area will be presenting their summer research work in WPI faculty labs at the RET poster session on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, 10:30-11:30am in Higgins House. The research projects address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and serve as the inspiration for integrated STEM lesson plans to be used in K-12 classrooms.

Three WPI undergraduates in the Teacher Preparation Program are part of the RET teacher cohort and have received extra mentoring from the in-service teachers. Faculty mentors include Erin Solovey, Ulkuhan Guler, Bashima Islam, Pratap M. Rao, Jagan Srinivasan, and Michael T. Timko. In addition to the research experience, the RET teachers participated in weekly professional development sessions led by the STEM Education Center.

All are welcome to attend this event, which will include coffee break beverages and treats!

Teacher 1

(school, subject, level)

Teacher 2

(school, subject, level)

UN SDG

Project Title

WPI Faculty

(department)

Genesis Bernabel

(WPI, Electrical & Computer Eng;鈥?amp;nbsp;
HS Physics)鈥?amp;nbsp;

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Gregory Jones

(South High;鈥?1-12th Grade Physics & Robotics/Engineering)

#3 鈥?Good Health & Well-Being

Development of Miniaturized Noninvasive Blood Gas Monitors

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Ulkuhan Guler

(Electrical & Computer Engineering)

Rachel Adamsky

(Oak Middle School; 8th Grade Science)

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Christina Vlad

(Essex North Shore Ag & Tech School; Biology)

#3 鈥?Good Health & Well-Being

Using Microscopic Worms to Understand Health-Associated Issues

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Jagan Srinivasan鈥?amp;nbsp;

(Biology & Biotechnology)

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Rebecca Cooke

(Douglas High School; Biology)

Meredith Leighton

(Raynham Middle School; 8th鈥疓rade Science)

#6 鈥?Clean Water & Sanitation

#7 鈥?Affordable & Clean Energy

Photocatalysts for Clean Energy and Environment

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Pratap Rao

(Mechanical & Materials Engineering)

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Dylan Shanes

(WPI, Computer Science; HS math)

David Tavilla

(Worcester Tech HS;鈥?-12th Grade Info Support Services & Network)

鈥?amp;nbsp;

#7 鈥?Affordable & Clean Energy

Benchmark for Assessing Battery-Free Computing Systems

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Bashima Islam

(Electrical & Computer Engineering)

鈥?amp;nbsp;

Joelis Velez Diaz

(WPI,鈥疌hemical Eng; HS Chemistry)

Thara Rangaraj

(Leominster HS;鈥?0, 11, 12 Chemistry)

#12 鈥?Responsible Consumption & Production

New Water-Based Technology for Plastic Recycling

Mike Timko

(Chemical Engineering)

13th New England Workshop on Software-Defined Radio

dofcarcik — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000

The 2023 New England Workshop on Software-Defined Radio (NEWSDR'23) is the thirteenth installment of an annual workshop series organized by the Boston SDR User Group. We are very excited about this year's NEWSDR event being hosted in-person for the first time in three years, and that it will be taking place on the beautiful campus of WPI, Unity Hall. The primary goal of this workshop is to provide a forum that enables SDR enthusiasts to get together, collaborate, and introduce SDR concepts to those interested in furthering their knowledge of SDR capabilities and available resources.

Event Date: Friday, June 2, 2023

Main Event Address: Unity Hall, WPI

Details: https://newsdr.org/workshops/newsdr2023/

Jack Adiletta '25 Awarded Prestigious 2023 Goldwater Scholarship

cbwamback — Thu, 04 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Jack Adiletta 鈥?5 has been named a 2023 Barry Goldwater Scholar one of the most prestigious undergraduate awards of its type in STEM. A double major in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Data Science, Adiletta was recognized for his stellar work in research as well as his outstanding academic record which made him a top candidate for the Scholarship.

Adiletta is one of 413 undergraduate students from across the United States who were selected to receive the Goldwater Scholarship which are awarded by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation and were designed to encourage outstanding undergraduate students to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics fields. The recipients were selected from an initial pool of approximately 5,000 students of which 1,223 became nominees from 443 academic institutions. Each scholar will receive up to $7,500 per year toward the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board.

Adiletta says, 鈥淚 am driven by my desire to solve problems. In pursuing the Goldwater Scholarship, I investigated utilizing analog circuits to speed up Artificial Intelligence and improve its efficiency and sustainability. I am extremely excited that the Goldwater Foundation found my research worthy of this award, and I appreciate the recognition that comes with it.鈥?lt;/span>

2023 Summer Training in Arts & Sciences Research (STAR) Program

abriggs — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000

The School of Arts & Sciences is pleased to announce that student applications are being accepted for the 2023 Summer Training in Arts & Sciences Research (STAR) Award program. These fellowship stipends will support current WPI sophomores and juniors who seek to conduct A&S research projects full-time for two months during the summer of 2023, with a faculty advisor. These awards are generously funded by the A&S Advisory Board. Funding is competitive and limited.

To be funded, students must propose research projects in one of the arts & sciences disciplines (this includes all majors and programs under the A&S departments, including robotics engineering).

STAR Fellows will participate in summer professional development workshops with other WPI summer undergraduate researchers, present a poster at a summer research showcase, and conduct a presentation as part of WPI鈥檚 Fall A&S Week.

Eligibility:

All current WPI sophomores and juniors who are pursuing a major in a department or program in the Arts & Sciences are eligible for these fellowships.

Deadline: APPLICATION SITE IS NOW CLOSED. We expect to inform students about the status of their application by the week of April 3.

Application Process:

Students should start by discussing their interests with potential faculty research mentors. Once the student has identified a research mentor and project, the student submits the following materials (PDF only please!) using the online application:

Brief description of the research project and how this work fits into your academic plan or career goals
Brief personal statement on your relevant experience (including course work, independent study, or projects that show your ability to work through open-ended questions)
Resume
Letter of support from faculty mentor for the proposed research project
Other supporting materials (optional, PDF only).
The brief descriptions of the proposed research project and the applicant鈥檚 relevant experience should each be limited to 500 words or fewer.

Award Details and Stipend:
This is a full-time appointment for two months (students will negotiate start and end dates with their mentor).
The stipend is $5000 total: $2500 paid at the end of June; $2500 paid at the end of July.

Questions? Please contact Rebecca Ouellette in the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences at raouellette@wpi.edu.

Call for Alumni Nominations!

jldaigle — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Hurry! Nominations Close October 28.

Each year, the WPI Alumni Association presents awards to deserving alumni in recognition of their professional achievements, service to the university, service to the Alumni Association, and service to their local communities. The 2023 award form is now open and the Citations Committee, chaired by Mark Macaulay '89, MS'94, is looking for nominations of alumni from classes ending in 3 or 8!

Learn more about the alumni awards at: wpi.edu/alumni/awards/about

Nominate a deserving alumna/us at: https://fs28.formsite.com/webteamwpiedu/alumni-award-nomination/index.html_gl=1*s0mlhx*_ga*MTg5NzQ3NjE2LjE2ODE5OTUwNDk.*_ga_RE35PKQB7J*MTY4MzcyNzkxNi45LjEuMTY4MzczMzg5NS41MS4wLjA.

The Citations Committee is chaired by Mark Macaulay '89, MS'94.

ECE Department Head

dofcarcik — Tue, 03 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

On behalf of the ECE Department Head Search Committee, it gives me great pleasure to announce that Professor Rick Brown has accepted WPI鈥檚 offer to be the next Head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at WPI.

Professor Brown received his ECE bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of Connecticut in 1992, his MS degree from the University of Connecticut in 1996, and his PhD from Cornell University 2000. He joined WPI as an Assistant Professor in 2000. In addition to his faculty appointment at WPI, he also held an appointment as a Visiting Associate Professor at Princeton University from August 2007 to June 2008 and an appointment as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation from January 2016 to July 2018. More recently, he served as Associate Department Head from 2018-2019, and has been interim Head of the ECE department since 2019.

Professor Brown is a highly regarded scholar and educator in the areas of signal processing, wireless communications, synchronization, low-latency networking, and game-theoretic analysis of communication networks. In 2002 he founded the signal processing and information networking laboratory (spinlab) with the purpose of bringing motivated undergraduate and graduate students together to work on fundamental and applied problems in signal processing, communication systems, and networking. Spinlab funding has been provided by government and industry sponsors including National Science Foundation, Army Research Office, DARPA, Raytheon BBN Technologies, Bose, Inc, and General Electric Industrial Systems. Professor Brown also has a demonstrated record of innovation, as a co-inventor on multiple patents in the areas of wireless communication and power management.

Professor Brown has been an invited keynote speaker at IEEE Globecom, and since 2018 he has been an elected member of Board of Governors for the Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers. He is Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, and has served in organizing and reviewing roles for a wide range of journals and conferences including IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Globecom, ICASSP, CISS, and the Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, and Computers.

I would like to thank all the members of the search committee, and we express our gratitude to Professor Brown for his continuing service to WPI.

John McNeill (search committee chair)
Reinhold Ludwig
Berk Sunar
John Sullivan
Aaron Deskins

Applications are Open: Strage Innovation Award - Deadline March 17th

jjones3 — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Strage Innovation Award

Application Deadlines Friday March 17^th, 2022

Strage Award established in 2005 through the generosity of Henry and Alberta Strage to help encourage WPI undergraduate students who are interested in innovation and turning new ideas into viable new projects or ventures. Students鈥?ideas are evaluated by a panel of judges. The award will be given annually. The prize amount is up to $5,000.

The objective of the competition is to develop student knowledge and practical experience in the translation of creative ideas into viable new products, ventures, or licensing opportunities. It may be given to an individual or team involved in submitting their commercial, philanthropic, or social venture ideas.

Application Requirements:

Submit the Intent to Participate Form
Submit written proposal
Selected finalist will prepare an presentation slide deck
Selected finalist will present on Competition Day

Judging Criteria:

Customer Need / Pain Point / Problem Definition
Solution / Approach to Solving Problem
Value (Benefits/Costs)
Competition / Alternatives
Technical Merit, Viability, Commercialization Strategy
Implementation Feasibility
Quality of Presentation and Clarity of Idea

For more information and to apply for the Strage Innovation Award, please visit our web page at Strage Innovation Award

ES 202x: Innovation Through Making Course

lbaghsarian — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0000

NEW COURSE OFFERING!

ES 202x: Innovation Through Making

D Term 2022, M-W 3:00-4:50 pm

Open to all Undergraduate Students

Enrollment Limit: 25

Workday Course Name: ES 202X-D01 - Innovation Through Making

If you鈥檙e curious about how to make things, this course is for you!

Would you like to learn more about the basics of digital fabrication and 鈥淢aker鈥?technologies including 3D printing, laser cutting, vacuum forming, Arduino programming, etc., and leveraging technology to create change in the world?

Innovation Through Making (ES202x) is a multi-disciplinary beginner-friendly pilot course that introduces you to the world of digital fabrication and provides hands-on experience on the basics of engineering design and entrepreneurial skillset training. You will be inspired to develop creative innovations, prototype, test, learn, get feedback, and iterate through fun activities, workshops, guest lectures, and design challenges to spark discovery. The course culminates in an open-ended, team project that uses human-centered design thinking and value creation approaches to develop solutions to a real-world problem and fabricate a product prototype as you compete for the 鈥淢aker Goat of the Term鈥?award.

Teams will have the opportunity to seek further funding, mentorship, and guidance to build upon their prototypes and move towards product commercialization.

This course counts for ES 2000-level degree requirements for M.E, RBE, ECE and Business degree programs, and may also be available for credit as an engineering elective in other degree programs.

For more info, contact:

Mitra Anand

Advanced Technology Specialist, Dept of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Adjunct Instructor, Dept of Mechanical Engineering

mvanand@wpi.edu

Call for Alumni Nominations!

jldaigle — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Each year, the WPI Alumni Association presents awards to a select group of alumni in recognition of their professional achievements and their service to the university and the Alumni Association. The nomination form is now open! We are looking for outstanding alumni from classes ending in 2 or 7. You can learn about the categories HERE. Please submit nominations by Dec. 7 to be considered for this year's award cycle. For any questions, email alumni-office@wpi.edu

12 WPI Students Inducted into the LSAMP Scholar Program

alanejr — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 12:00:00 +0000

On Wednesday, October 27, 2021 the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) inducted twelve (12) WPI undergraduate students into the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholar Program for the 2021-2022 academic year.

The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholar Program, named in honor of former congressman Louis Stokes, is a NSF funded program intended to support historically underrepresented students in the STEM fields. Enrollment in the program is reserved to a select and highly committed group of students with a declared major in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and pre-health professions.

As new inductees to the program, these 12 scholars join their peers at WPI along with new colleagues at our sister schools in Northeast Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NELSAMP). They will gain access to funding to enhance their education through professional development and research; professional and peer mentorship; training in developing a research agenda; participation in supervised research projects and initiatives; and preparation and guidance toward graduate school.

Led by Dr. Funmi Ayobami, Assistant Teaching Professor in Biomedical Engineering and the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) team we hope to enhance the lives of these scholars as they pursue their respective professional endeavors in STEM. Please help us in congratulating our students and wish them well in their professional successes this year and beyond.

The 2021-2022 LSAMP Scholar Program experience is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Teradyne, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA).

WPI's LSAMP Scholar Support Team can be reached at gr-lsamp@wpi.edu.

2021-2022 LSAMP Scholar Program Inductees

Maya Angeles 鈥?4 - Robotics Engineering

Samuel Appiah Kubi 鈥?4 - Robotics Engineering

Marissa Desir 鈥?3 - Biochemistry

Nicole Dressler 鈥?3 - Biomedical Engineering

Maya Ellis 鈥?3 - Electrical and Computer Engineering

Florkenthia Jolibois 鈥?3 - Data Science

Jackie Lopez 鈥?3 - Robotics Engineering

Gabe Rivera 鈥?3 - Biomedical Engineering

Kwesi Sakyi '22 - Mechanical Engineering

Adrianna Tagayun 鈥?4 - Chemical Engineering

Naomi Treto 鈥?5 - Computer Science

Regina Valencia 鈥?4 -Aerospace Engineering

Tinkerbox Cohort 6

lbaghsarian — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Tinkerbox Program:

The Tinkerbox Program provides seed funding for WPI student-initiated innovation and entrepreneurship ideas/projects.

Grant recipients gain access to

accomplished entrepreneurial mentors who provide guidance on projects
workshops aimed at developing and honing student鈥檚 entrepreneurial skills
community networking events

Building the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Community:

The main driver for the Tinkerbox Program is a deep desire to build an I&E Community by fostering partnerships with students who wish to work on their ideas/projects. In the spirit of building a 鈥楾inkering Community鈥? participants engage in Group Mentoring/Goal Setting sessions which allow teams the opportunity to learn about other student projects, suggest improvements as well as brainstorm - all aimed at building a diverse and inclusive I&E Community.

Program Commitments:

Each Tinkerbox participant is required to sign the Tinkerbox Student Agreement and commits to the following:

Attend Kick-off Meeting
Submit monthly status reports through Tinkerbox Canvas course site
Participate in virtual meetings with mentor at least twice a month
Participate in at least two virtual monthly Group Mentoring/Goal Setting sessions
Submit five-minute reflection video at the conclusion of the cohort documenting their Tinkerbox experience
Follow proper reimbursement policies and procedures

Honest Broker:

WPI鈥檚 Tinkerbox does not take equity in student companies.
Students and teams do not give up any rights to intellectual property through participation in Tinkerbox.
Funding for WPI Tinkerbox is possible because of the deep commitment of alumni and friends to WPI鈥檚 mission.

Apply today!

Tinkerbox Cohort 6 - Application Link

The application deadline for Tinkerbox Cohort 6 is Wednesday, September 15 at 11:59 pm.

For additional information/questions contact Kristie Dejesus, kldejesus@wpi.edu

Rising high school student's COVID-19 research shows how to keep hallway traffic safe

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Charles Tang, a rising high school sophomore from Algonquin Regional High School, will present a poster on 鈥淲hy one-way hallways are better than two-way hallways鈥?at the WPI Summer Research Showcase. He worked with Archanaa S. Krishnan, Ph.D. student, and Patrick Schaumont, professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The research simulates pedestrian movements in a closed space to reveal close contacts between pedestrians, which may promote COVID-19 infections. The simulation results help to identify various factors such as population, size, and speed, that need to be considered in deciding an indoor pedestrian traffic model. The hallway simulation is applicable to the public-indoor setting such as the office, university, school, or the mall. The project was supported in part by an NSF RAPID grant.

Call for Applications: Kalenian Award 2021

jjones3 — Thu, 06 May 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Kalenian Award Application Deadline on August 13^th, 2021

The Kalenian Award, established in 2006 through the generosity of Alba Kalenian in memory of her late husband Aram (Class of 1933), provides seed funds to support and advance the ideas and inventiveness of WPI students, faculty, and alumni.

Aram Kalenian was an inventor who had numerous useful ideas and reduced many of them to practice. The purpose of the Kalenian Award is to encourage similar innovation and entrepreneurship at any stage of development from the WPI academic community. The award's focus is to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit through annual funding of a single viable invention.

This award will be given annually. The duration of the award shall not exceed 18 months and will be a grant of up to $25,000. It may be given to an individual or group involved in the invention of a product in order to assist in the process of moving the invention toward commercialization. The award may be given to support innovative ideas or the development of commercial products. Ideally, the recipients should be either a part of an existing small business enterprise or in the process of trying to establish a small business. This is not a business plan contest. Many diverse and high quality proposals are received making it difficult to select one winner. Applicants may resubmit proposals if they do not win an award in the previous year.

Read the Application Guidelines (pdf) and keep the following deadlines in mind.

Intent to Compete Form is due no later than August 13^th, 2021
Three-page narrative is due no later than September 10^th, 2021鈥?lt;/strong>

Winners will be announced on October 6^th, 2021 at 4pm. Location to be determined.

For more information please visit the Kalenian Award Webpage

WPI on List of 2021's Best Online Master's in Engineering Programs

jdadams — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 12:00:00 +0000

WPI continues to climb U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 annual list of the Best Online Master鈥檚 in Engineering Programs, ranking #30 in 2021. Per U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 description, the 鈥渉ighly raked programs on the list have strong traditional academic foundations based on the excellence of entering students, graduation rates, and instructor credentials. They also excel at educating distance learners while offering robust career and financial support.鈥?lt;/p>

New England Hardware Security Day - Call for Posters

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 12:00:00 +0000

We would like to invite you to the 1st New England Hardware Security (NEHWS) Day that will take place virtually on April 9, 2021. The NEHWS Day - organized by WPI, NEU, UMass, and Yale- aims to initiate a discussion between industry and academia by outlining research priorities and opportunities in hardware security according to strategic visions of semiconductor companies and government agencies. On the website of NEHWS Day, http://vernam.wpi.edu/nehws21/, the information will be updated continually, so stay tuned!

Website: http://vernam.wpi.edu/nehws21/

Call for Posters: http://vernam.wpi.edu/nehws21/submission/

WPI Announcements RSS Feed

New Members Inducted to National Engineering Honor Society Tau Beta Pi

The Next Wave: Artificial Intelligence in Project-Based Learning at WPI

Two WPI professors reveal the future role of AI in engineering education at exclusive workshop

Current State: Evolution and Benefits of Project-Based Learning

Future State: AI-Enhanced Project-Based Learning

Save the Date: Aug. 9 Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Poster Symposium on UN SDGs

Podcast: High Power Rocketry Club Looks Ahead to Spaceport Cup

Award-winning Engineer Named New Director of Systems Engineering at WPI

WPI鈥檚 Massachusetts Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi Initiates Nearly 50 New Members

IGNITING INNOVATION: Compete For Your Share of $20K in the JAM!

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center

in partnership with Fire Protection Engineering

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!

馃敟 Calling all students! 馃敟

Ready to ignite your ideas and compete for your share of $20K in cash prizes? 馃挵

New Graduate Course! Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies

WPI Awarded Grants Totaling $900,000, Builds Upon Current Strengths in Advanced Wireless Research

Call for Nominations of Outstanding WPI Alumni

Save the Date: Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Poster Symposium on UN SDGs, August 16

13th New England Workshop on Software-Defined Radio

Jack Adiletta '25 Awarded Prestigious 2023 Goldwater Scholarship

2023 Summer Training in Arts & Sciences Research (STAR) Program

Call for Alumni Nominations!

ECE Department Head

Applications are Open: Strage Innovation Award - Deadline March 17th

Strage Innovation Award

Application Deadlines Friday March 17th, 2022

ES 202x: Innovation Through Making Course

ES 202x: Innovation Through Making

D Term 2022, M-W 3:00-4:50 pm

Open to all Undergraduate Students

Enrollment Limit: 25

Workday Course Name: ES 202X-D01 - Innovation Through Making

Call for Alumni Nominations!

12 WPI Students Inducted into the LSAMP Scholar Program

2021-2022 LSAMP Scholar Program Inductees

Tinkerbox Cohort 6

Rising high school student's COVID-19 research shows how to keep hallway traffic safe

Call for Applications: Kalenian Award 2021

Kalenian Award Application Deadline on August 13th, 2021

WPI on List of 2021's Best Online Master's in Engineering Programs

New England Hardware Security Day - Call for Posters

Application Deadlines Friday March 17^th, 2022

Kalenian Award Application Deadline on August 13^th, 2021