WPI Announcements RSS Feed

Fall 2025 University Census Data Now Available

mml — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

University Analytics has completed the Fall 2025 census. Admissions, enrollment, completions, and persistence dashboards have been updated and are available on the Data Dashboards webpage within the Office of Strategic Initiatives & University Analytics website.

Two dashboard sets are available:

Public Data Dashboards 鈥?Basic university data
WPI Community Dashboards 鈥?Login required; includes enhanced detail and filters for WPI community members

For questions, please contact: university-analytics@wpi.edu

Wellness Day Event Submission

moles — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The deadline to submit Wellness Day events is coming up! Events submitted after October 21st won't be in printed materials. Events submitted after October 28th will not be approved. Click for submission form.

Submit Student Achievements to Merit Pages

adill — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Do you know a student or students who have done something noteworthy this term? Make sure to let us know! Faculty, staff, and others can submit news about student accomplishments via an online form. Please include as much information as possible on the form. Someone in WPI鈥檚 Marketing Communications division may reach out for further information, if needed. If accepted, the submission will appear on a student鈥檚 or students鈥?Merit page(s).

Submit student accomplishments here. More information on the contribution form can be found on the Hub. FAQs about Merit Pages are here.

Dr. Caitlin Ferrarini, Assistant Teaching Professor in Integrative and Global Studies leads "Dissertation Dish"

dfarmer — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Professor Ferrarini examines the Potential of Online Community-Based Learning to Foster Global Citizenship Capacities in College Students.

This multi-institutional study examines the potential of fully online community-based learning to foster global citizenship in college students. A mixed-methods analysis of pre/post surveys (n = 187) and alumni interviews (n = 23) found that first-generation students participating in an online community-based learning program during the COVID-19 pandemic reported greater learning gains than their non-first-generation peers. The most influential program factor in shaping student learning and future actions was the development of trusting relationships with partner community members (i.e. mentors, peers, or community members). Recommendations include practical resources that global and civic educators can utilize in their own classrooms.

Associate Dean Sarah Stanlick writes for IIE Networker "Future-Ready Learners: Tackling Global Challenges"

dfarmer — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

WPI's Great Problems Seminar is featured in IIENetworker magazine, from the Institute of International Education, in an issue focused on innovations in first-year programs in international higher education. The article, authored by The Global School Associate Dean Sarah Stanlick, showcases WPI鈥檚 two-term course that immerses first-year students in university-level research and introduces them to the university鈥檚 project-based curriculum.

Benefits Newsletter

crudzinski1 — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Click here to view the October 2025 Special Edition Newsletter.

Zurich A24 IQP Team invited to the 2025 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) conference in Montreal, Canada

dfarmer — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

After a successful IQP collaboration between WPI students John DePalma, Tanisha Gupta, Brett Mann, Sophia Reynolds, and Heidelberg Instruments Nano, a nanolithography company based in Z眉rich, the project group was invited to present their findings at the ASEE conference this past summer in Montreal, Canada.

Tanisha states: "This was a huge learning opportunity and an incredible experience getting to share our research at an academic conference. We also had the opportunity to learn about other poster presenters and their work, attend keynote sessions and talks and network with industry and university representatives."

The students extend their thanks to Nicholas Hendricks and Emine Cagin for help with conference material, Heidelberg Instruments Nano and Deans Arne Gericke and John McNeill for providing the team with funding. And, to IQP advisors Carolina Ruiz, Jeffrey Solomon and Nancy Burnham whose invaluable guidance throughout this project also yielded two publications: "Fabricating the Invisible: A Case Study of Observing Nano with the NanoFrazor" and "Seeing is Believing - How the NanoFrazor Generates and Sees Nano in Real Time."鈥?lt;/span>

Be sure to stop by Olin 219 to see a cloth replica of the students' poster presentation on display.

Employee Wellness: Yoga B Term FY26

cbenoit — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The FY26 B Term Yoga session will begin Friday October 20 and run thru Friday December 12 for a total of 22 classes. Classes are open to faculty, staff, and graduate students but not to undergraduate students or to non-WPI participants and will be held in person from 12:00 to 12:50 p.m. in the Schwaber Dance Studio located on the second floor of the Sports & Rec Center.

Full list of class dates

October 20, 22, 24, 27, 29, 31
November 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24
December 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

Classes will include a Zoom option and will be recorded. Masks are optional. Total cost is $110.00 or $5.00 per class. Instructor is Catherine Flayhan. **Please note registration, pricing, and payment are for the full series of classes; registration is non-refundable and can't be prorated.**

In order to register for the classes, please scan the QR code or visit this page (pictured and hyperlinked above) and click the Sign In link in the upper right corner of the page. In the sign on pop-up box, click on the red bar that says SSO Login (pictured below), click the Checkout button, and follow instructions to complete and submit your payment. A receipt will be auto-generated and emailed to you.

Sports & Recreation Center Updates

memerchant — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The Sports & Recreation Center will be adjusting their hours of operation for term break. The hours of operation is the following:

Saturday, October 11-Sunday, October 19

Facility

11AM-7PM

Pool

Monday-Friday 11AM-1PM

Friends & Family Time

The Sports & Recreation Center is happy to announce WPI Family & Friends winter break time from Saturday, October 11- Sunday, October 19. This is the time when all WPI employees may bring their immediately family (spouse/partner and children) or up to two friends with them to use the Sports & Recreation Center each day at no charge. WPI employees will need to accompany their family and friends at all times when using the Sports & Recreation Center. The following activities are available:

All fitness equipment (must be over the age of 18)
Gymnasium Courts
Racquetball & Squash Courts
Harrington Auditorium
Indoor Track
Dance Studios

Each family member and friend over 18 years of age will need to fill out a Liability Waiver (if under 18 years of age will require the WPI employee to complete) at the front desk when they arrive and prior to any activities.

Please note: The pool will be opened, Monday-Friday 11AM-1PM, closed on weekends.

For additional updates regarding the Sports & Recreation Center, please visit our website at www.wpi.edu/+reccenter

Looking forward to seeing you at the Sports & Recreation Center soon

SHARP Session 1: Writing Time Management

svijayanagaram — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The Research Solutions Institute (RSI) Invites You to 鈥?lt;/span>

Strategies for High-Impact Academic Research Proposals (SHARP) Series鈥?lt;/span>

Series Description: SHARP is more than training. It鈥檚 a strategic investment in your research career. A dynamic, in-person training series SHARP equips faculty with the tools, strategies, and insights needed to craft competitive, compelling research proposals. Whether you're new to federal funding or looking to sharpen your edge, SHARP offers hands-on guidance and personalized support to help you succeed.

What you鈥檒l gain: 鈥xpert Coaching on every stage of proposal development; 鈥?lt;/strong>Time Management Techniques to stay focused and productive; 鈥?lt;/strong> Persuasive Writing Strategies that resonate with reviewers; 鈥raphics & Visuals Development to enhance clarity and impact; 鈥?lt;/strong>Budget Planning Guidance to align with agency expectations; 鈥unding Opportunity Navigation to find the right fit; 鈥I Tools for Research Development to streamline your workflow

Format: These in-Person Sessions are Interactive workshops with real-time feedback, peer collaboration, and direct access to proposal development experts. The series consists of 7-8, 1.5 hr sessions each tackling different topics in the proposal development life cycle.

Who should attend and why: Faculty across disciplines who are actively preparing proposals for federal research funding 鈥?including NIH, NSF, DOE, NEH, and others. Federal funding is competitive 鈥?SHARP gives you the edge.

SHARP Series Session 1: Writing Time Management 鈥?lt;/span>
October 21, 2025 | 12-1:30 pm | Unity Hall 405

Session Co-ordinator Bio: The session will be conducted by our external expert Dr. Justine Pinskey. Dr. Pinskey is the Sr. Scientific Writer for the Investigator Career Advancement Program (iCAP) at UMass Chan Medical School. She helps early-career faculty improve their scientific communication skills by providing individualized coaching, facilitating writing retreats, and completing substantive edits on grants, and other projects.

鈥?lt;/span>

The link for registration is: https://forms.office.com/r/ubV5SNkrq1 鈥?lt;/span>

We look forward to seeing you at the event!

CARD IAB Meeting

scanning — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The Center for Advanced Research in Drying (CARD) is having its 10^th year Industry Advisory Board meeting at WPI on October 8-10, 2025. There will be 80 participants with more than half from industry with the rest students and faculty from WPI and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (CARD co-site). CARD is an NSF Industry University Cooperative Research Center that was established in 2016.

B-Term Academic Technology Requests

lftapper — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

It's hard to believe we're already approaching B-Term! Our Academic Technology team is here to support you with consultations, training, and technical assistance for the academic software you use every day.

Schedule a consultation with us: atc-ttl@wpi.edu

Request Forms 鈥?Bookmark us!

Use the forms below to request administrative tasks for Canvas, Lecture Capture, and wireless microphones.

Canvas Request Form - Merge sites, add users, copy content, create new courses

Echo360 Lecture Capture Form - Opt-in to automatic lecture recording

Classroom Microphone Request - Wireless lavalier microphones for classrooms

*We are continuing to improve our form automation to better support you. If you have any issues using the forms, please email us at atc-ttl@wpi.edu.

What's New This Term

Canvas News

Differentiation Tags

Differentiation Tags in Canvas LMS allow instructors to tag students based on learning needs, preferences, or academic progress.

Discussion Checkpoints

AKA 鈥渕ultiple discussion due dates,鈥?this feature allows instructors to create a more intentional discussion environment.

Microsoft Education LTI

The new Microsoft 365 LTI brings together all of their education tools鈥?lt;strong>Assignments, OneNote Class Notebooks, OneDrive, Reflect, Teams, and Teams Meetings鈥攊nto a single integration.

Canvas: AI & Emerging Technologies Group

Want to explore the latest Canvas features, including AI tools? TTL has set up a dedicated group where you can test new features and provide feedback. Use this form to opt-in鈥攜ou can choose to add a current course or a 鈥渢esting鈥?course.

Join AI & Emerging Technologies Experiential Canvas Group

Workshops

EdTech Tools for Student Success: Canvas

In this session, we will introduce new AI-powered features in Canvas along with the latest tools added to the platform. The session will connect technological innovations with effective teaching strategies, showing you how to intentionally utilize these tools to enhance student learning and streamline routine tasks, freeing up time for more meaningful engagement with students.

October 15, 2025
11:00AM - 12:00PM

Register Here

AI User Group

Curious about AI? Join faculty, staff, and students for an informal monthly gathering where we explore the opportunities, challenges, and real-world applications of artificial intelligence across campus and beyond.

Each month we'll dive into a featured AI theme, but the conversation is yours to shape鈥攂ring your questions, experiences, and ideas. Whether you're an AI enthusiast, skeptical observer, or somewhere in between, your perspective adds value to our dialogue.

What to expect:

Relaxed, collaborative discussions in a brown bag format

Monthly themes to spark conversation (with plenty of room to explore tangents!)

Open submissions for future discussion topics

A welcoming space for all experience levels

Pack your lunch and join us for engaging conversations about how AI is reshaping our work, learning, and daily lives. Together, we'll navigate this rapidly evolving landscape and learn from each other's diverse experiences and viewpoints.

Upcoming sessions:

October 7, 12-1:30pm

November 18, 12-1:30pm

December 3, 12-1:30pm

EdTech Office Hours 鈥?Book a Time

Want to learn more about the EdTech tools we have to support teaching and learning at WPI? The ATC-TTL team is always here to help you! Email us to book a consultation: atc-ttl@wpi.edu

Need Help With a Specific Tool?

Canvas LMS: Course websites, assessments, grades 鈫?Complete Canvas Guide | canvashelp@wpi.edu

Zoom & Echo360: Web conferencing and lecture capture 鈫?jcotnoir@wpi.edu | echocapture@wpi.edu

Video Storage: Dedicated servers for large media files 鈫?Storage Solutions Guide | atc-ttl@wpi.edu

Interactive Tools: Increase student engagement 鈫?Poll Everywhere | atc-ttl@wpi.edu

STEM Assessment: Gradescope 鈫?| atc-ttl@wpi.edu

Content Creation: Adobe AI, Camtasia 鈫?Media Creation Resources | jmonaco@wpi.edu

Learn at Your Own Pace

The TTL team offers many asynchronous training opportunities:

Training Library - 45-minute recorded sessions

Micro-Trainings 鈥?Learn something new in 10-minutes or less

TTL Blog - Latest resources and tech updates

Questions? Email atc-ttl@wpi.edu | Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm

Wellness Day: Planet Wellness Button Design

moles — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Help us design the B-term Wellness Day collectable button! Designs are due by Monday, October 20th. See the Wellness Day page for more info.

Updated University Editorial Style Guide Now Available

mlumsden — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Guide is helpful for Drupal administrators, content producers, and anyone who ever wondered if they need that comma before 鈥渁nd鈥?in a list of things

You鈥檙e typing up a quick announcement for WPI Today about an upcoming event. You get to the time of the event and hesitate. Should it be 4:00PM? 4 P.M.? 4pm? What about the date? Is the event on Oct 8^th or October 8? Does the guest speaker鈥檚 book title go inside quotation marks or get italicized?

Do any of these choices even matter?!

The short answer to that last question is, simply, 鈥測es.鈥?lt;/p>
The answers to the other questions are in WPI鈥檚 updated editorial Style Guide.

While the stakes may seem low when it comes to punctuation and formatting, you still want readers to absorb the correct information. Put another way, you want readers to understand you. That鈥檚 the whole point of communication, after all. In our hypothetical example, readers are more likely to attend your event if they understand what the guest speaker is speaking about, not to mention when and where the speaker is speaking.

The Division of Marketing Communications has updated and reformatted our editorial style guide to help everyone who writes (and reads!) content on the WPI website or other public-facing communications. A consistent editorial style takes the guesswork out of communications and elevates the university鈥檚 message with a more professional, unified voice. In addition to clear guidance on punctuation and formatting, the style guide includes WPI鈥檚 standards on how to indicate graduation years for alumni who earned multiple degrees from WPI, when to capitalize a person鈥檚 job title, when to spell out the numerous acronyms our community seems to love, and so much more.

Please check out the newly updated style guide, bookmark it, and refer to it often. Your readers鈥攊ncluding future students and potential funders鈥攚ill thank you.

And yes, you do need that comma before 鈥渁nd鈥?in a list. That鈥檚 the serial comma the WPI style guide calls for.

Using AI to Optimize Hydrogen Fuel Production and Reduce Environmental Impact: WPI Research Published in Nature Chemical Engineering

jcain — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

To increase energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of hydrogen fuel production, Fanglin Che, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, is leveraging the power and potential of machine learning and computational modeling. The multi-university team she leads has completed a research study that was just published in Nature Chemical Engineering. The study utilized artificial intelligence to identify catalysts with the potential to facilitate cleaner and more efficient hydrogen production.

In the paper, Che and the team present a new strategy to overcome two challenges:

Production hurdles that prevent greater adoption of hydrogen, a fuel that does not emit carbon dioxide

The length of time it takes to identify materials that are optimal catalysts for cleaner hydrogen production

Hurdles to hydrogen

Efforts to improve environmental sustainability and increase the availability of clean energy have long been focused on hydrogen. However, hydrogen is often produced using fossil fuels, which generate carbon dioxide.

An alternative method to produce hydrogen is to use a catalyst to break down carbon-free ammonia into its elements, which include hydrogen. However, this approach as currently designed requires very high temperatures, which are often achieved by using a lot of energy produced by fossil fuels, as well as ruthenium, an expensive rare metal that is used as a catalyst.

Clearing the hurdles

Che鈥檚 team proposes to reduce the carbon footprint of hydrogen production by decomposing ammonia using plasma technology, which can be done at lower temperatures than traditional chemical reactions. The researchers also propose using more commonly found and affordable metal alloys, such as iron-copper or nickel-molybdenum, as catalysts. Their analysis found this method would use less energy and perform just as well as current approaches to hydrogen production.

Identifying the catalysts

With more than 3,300 bimetallic alloys to consider as possible catalysts, testing each in a laboratory using traditional experiments would take a lengthy trial-and-error period. By leveraging computer models and artificial intelligence, Che鈥檚 team developed interpretable machine learning algorithms to identify earth-abundant metal alloys that outperform ruthenium catalysts in plasma-assisted ammonia decomposition. This combination of simulations and machine learning streamlined the process by quickly eliminating unsuitable materials and identified six candidates from abundant and easily sourced noncritical minerals. Laboratory tests validated the anticipated performance of the metal alloys and ultimately the researchers selected four alloys as the best catalysts.

Potential applications

Che鈥檚 team believes this new approach to producing hydrogen has the potential to be more affordable and cleaner than current methods. Additionally, because ammonia is easy to store and transport, this process could enable on-site hydrogen production on ships, allowing for maritime vessels to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

The research team

Che鈥檚 MAC (Modeling and AI in Catalysis) Lab at WPI combined multi-scale simulations with interpretable machine learning to develop predictions. Their work on the project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

鈥淏eing published in Nature Chemical Engineering is a milestone for our lab,鈥?says Che. 鈥淲e are making great progress using computational and AI techniques to make chemical processes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.鈥?lt;/span>

Researchers at Dalian University of Technology in China conducted laboratory-based validation experiments. Researchers at Northeastern University conducted economic and environmental analysis that suggests plasma technology reduces costs and carbon emissions in hydrogen production when implemented in small, modular reactors.

AI Pedagogy Lab #1: Ethics & Academic Integrity

mcourtemanche — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Thursday, October 9

12 pm-1 pm

Campus Center, Chairs

Join colleagues in an interactive session exploring the ethics of using AI in teaching and learning. We鈥檒l consider questions of student preparedness, equity and access, faculty transparency and responsibility, academic integrity and environmental impact, among others.

With: Reza Ebadi, Assistant Professor of Teaching | AI Pedagogy Specialist

Library Elevator Outage Update

akgold — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The Library's elevator is currently out of service. Our partners in Campus Facilities are actively working on a repair plan but are currently anticipating an outage of at least 4-6 months. Facilities will be sharing more information with the campus and as soon as we have any updates on expected restoration of service, we will also update our website.

During the outage, we encourage anyone with questions about services available, or needing access to materials or services located on the upper or lower floors of the Library, to reach out to the Library staff at library@wpi.edu.

We have also prepared a short FAQ describing some alternative options for anyone unable to use the Library stairs.

We apologize for the inconvenience!

New Art Exhibit in the Library: Enchanted Garden by Lora Brueck

epobrien — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The Gordon Library and Archives & Special Collections Department invite visitors to the Enchanted Garden: Photographs of the Higgins House Grounds exhibit located in the Scott Room on the 3rd floor of the library. The well-known beauty of the Higgins House grounds was captured in 1990-1991 by Lora Brueck (1948-2025), Gordon Library's first archivist.

Delicate flowers, towering trees, textured stones, and glimpses of Higgins House are the subjects of her black and white photography. Accompanying the exhibit is the published history of Higgins House, A Passion Fulfilled for All to Enjoy, written by Lora, and shares the aesthetic and human stories of this iconic building on the WPI campus.

Lora was a beloved colleague and brilliant artist whose long career at WPI was remarkable, most notably for all she did to make time and space for art at the heart of WPI鈥檚 Library and of the Institute itself.

Resources for Proposal Development Workshop

skoduvayur — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

At this Workshop, you can learn about the resources available to you at every step of proposal development from finding funding all the way to successful and timely submission. Representatives the Research Solutions Institute (RSI), Office of Sponsored Programs-pre award (OSP), Gordon Library, and Foundations Relations will walk you through the process of finding funding, notifying the relevant offices of proposed submissions and getting help with budget development, graphics, content writing and editing based on academic and industry best practices. This is your one-stop-shop for learning about these different offices, their specific roles and how they help you with funding for your research and scholarly endeavors.

October 8^th, 2025 12-1 pm

The link for the RPD registration is: here

We look forward to seeing you at the workshop!

Celebrating Innovation and Entrepreneurship at WPI: Highlights from the i3 Lab Demo Day 2025

jgylychmuhammedo — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

馃殌 Demo Day 2025 at WPI鈥檚 i3 Lab was a success! On September 24th, the Innovation Studio was transformed into a hub of creativity, entrepreneurship, and inspiration as student founders pitched their ideas for a share of $60,000+ in prizes.
We are thrilled to celebrate the hard work, courage, and ingenuity of every team that took the stage 鈥?and to recognize this year鈥檚 winners:

WPI President Grace Wang

馃敡饾檮饾櫍饾櫂饾櫔饾櫁饾櫀饾櫓饾櫈饾櫎饾櫍饾樉饾櫀饾櫓饾櫄饾櫆饾櫎饾櫑饾櫘
馃 饾棡饾棶饾椆饾棽饾椈饾椂饾棶饾椈饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻: QuickEst Estimations Inc. 鈥?Russell Hertel 鈥?7 (RBE), Luis Alzamora 鈥?6 (RBE)
馃 饾棤饾椂饾椄饾棽饾棓饾棷饾椏饾棶饾椇饾榾 '饾煶饾煶饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻: BrailleBox 鈥?Jelaleddin Gylychmuhammedov 鈥?7 (RBE), Octavio Bittar 鈥?7 (ECE), Minh Ha 鈥?7 (CS)
馃 饾棔饾槀饾榾饾椂饾椈饾棽饾榾饾榾饾棪饾棸饾椀饾椉饾椉饾椆饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻: HydroFlex 鈥?Jack Shanks 鈥?6 (ME)
馃弲饾棯饾椂饾椏饾棽饾棜饾椏饾椉饾槀饾椊饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻: EpiSafe - Aaryan Panchal '28 (RBE), Ezra Yohay '25 (Phys), Khushal Sharma '27 (ECE), Ethan Takvorian '28 (RBE), Joshua Kashambala

馃殌饾檮饾櫍饾櫍饾櫎饾櫕饾櫀饾櫓饾櫈饾櫎饾櫍饾樉饾櫀饾櫓饾櫄饾櫆饾櫎饾櫑饾櫘:
饾棪饾榿饾椏饾棶饾棿饾棽饾棞饾椈饾椈饾椉饾槂饾棶饾榿饾椂饾椉饾椈饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻: FellowBridge - Dan Nguyen 鈥?6 (CS), Ana Merlo '25 (MS BA), Antonela Tamagini '25 (MS CS)
饾椂饾煰饾棢饾棶饾棷饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻: Cybele Technology - Maxwell Markey (PhD Chem)

馃挕饾檮饾櫃饾櫄饾櫀饾櫓饾櫈饾櫎饾櫍饾樉饾櫀饾櫓饾櫄饾櫆饾櫎饾櫑饾櫘:
饾棖饾椉饾椏饾椈饾棽饾椏饾榾饾榿饾椉饾椈饾棽饾棔饾棶饾椈饾椄饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻: Christy Lam 鈥?6 (CS)
饾棗饾槀饾棶饾椈饾棽饾棗. 饾棧饾棽饾棶饾椏饾榾饾棶饾椆饾椆饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻饾榾馃敟:
FireMap - Tair Kareneyev '27 (RBE & CS)
Firewise - Dimitris Graikos '25 (MS BA)

饾棧饾棽饾椉饾椊饾椆饾棽'饾榾饾棖饾椀饾椉饾椂饾棸饾棽饾棓饾槃饾棶饾椏饾棻: Venturly - Khushali Shah '26 (MS Fintech), Labhesh Mahajan '26 (MS CS), Rohan Solipuram '26 (MS Fintech), Mihir Kate '25 (CompE)

Provost Andrew Sears

We were honored to have Provost Andrew Sears and Interim Dean of Business School Kwamie Dunbar open the day with a powerful message about the importance of student innovation, and President Grace Wang conclude the event and open the evening session, inspiring our community to keep pushing the boundaries of what鈥檚 possible.

Interim Dean Kwamie Dunbar

We were also privileged to host Anthony Galgano, Owner & President of True Robotics, Inc., as our keynote speaker. His story of perseverance and growth deeply resonated with the audience, and he was recognized with the Vignaly Commercialization Fund "Spirit of Joe Award" by the WPI OTIE.
This event would not have been possible without the dedication of our judges: Christine Murner, Evan Cox, Geoff Strage, Greg Dalle-Molle, Joe Klimek, Lisa A. K., Paul Kalenian, Paul Rummel, Peter Cifichiello, Roman Fayerberg, Sandhya Balasubramanian, Tara Ostromecky, and Zachary Dutton 鈥?thank you for lending your expertise.

We also extend our deepest gratitude to our donors and supporters: Auxilium Worcester, Aram and Alba Kalenian Award, Henry and Alberta Strage Award, New England Innovations, Wire Group, Cornerstone Bank, Joe Klimek 鈥?4, Bowditch & Dewey, LLP, WPI Business School, Michael Abrams 鈥?7, Duane D. Pearsall, and WPI OTIE.
Finally, thank you to the entire WPI community and guests 鈥?who joined us to celebrate entrepreneurship and innovation. Your energy made this Demo Day truly special.

Benefits Newsletter

crudzinski1 — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Please click here to view the October 2025 benefits newsletter.

Microsoft365 Storage Management September Update and Action Needed

kls — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

This information was emailed to all employees and students on September 29, 2025.

Dear WPI Employees and Students,

Since the Microsoft365 Storage Management announcement in April, WPI total storage used has decreased by more than 100 TB due to your individual action and ITS optimization of storage usage. If you are unable to operate within the new limits, please consult with Information Technology Services (ITS) so that we can understand what you need to store and assist with a solution.

Action Needed:

August Update: If you missed it, the update is available online for review.

Remove personal data: WPI email and OneDrive are provided to you for WPI business and academic usage. It is very important that you avoid using these for personal matters, including but not limited to, medical records, social media, personal finances, running businesses not related to WPI, etc.

October goal for Staff: Thank you to the many staff who have addressed storage since May. If you still have more than 20 GB stored in either Outlook email or OneDrive files, please reduce to 20 GB or less in each area by October 30, 2025. Being about 20% below quota ensures that when the new limits are applied to your account, you will not have immediate quota warnings. Contact ITS if you are unable to operate within the new limits.

Faculty and Students: We appreciate your attention to storage management since August. To help ITS determine storage needs by the end of 2025, please contact ITS if you are unable to operate within the new limits. The resources below will help you assess and manage data.

These resources are available to the community:

Inbox Cleanup Journey and OneDrive Cleanup Companion are especially helpful for those just getting started.

Frequently Asked Questions are continually updated.

Self-service instructions are included in the FAQ.

The Data Storage Management form may be submitted for questions, feedback, individual help requests, or department consultation requests.

These sessions will be offered in October, and OneDriveand Outlookrecorded video training is also available.

Users whose accounts are over the limit will continue to be notified by ITS. For academic, research, and business data that must be retained beyond the new limits below, ITS will work with individuals and departments to pursue other storage options.

Storage limits will be applied to accounts as they meet the new thresholds. ITS will apply the new limits to accounts using 80% or less of the above amounts. Account holders will receive an email notification with additional details when this occurs.

Total Storage: 309 TB in use; we aim to operate within the new 200 TB threshold.

Email: Storage has decreased by 45%.

OneDrive: Storage has decreased by 19.5 %.

Quota: 63% of staff, 48% of faculty, and 90% of students are already operating within the new limits; thank you!

Account Type Outlook Email Storage OneDrive File Storage

Employee up to 25 GB up to 25 GB

Students up to 15 GB up to 15 GB

The time and effort taken to reduce storage by 30 TB since our last update is greatly appreciated.

We look forward to continued progress!

Best,

Vijay Menta, Vice President and Chief Information Officer

LeeAnn LeClerc, Chief Information Security & Technology Officer

Noemi Robertson Joins Leadership Worcester Class of 2026

ablessington — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce recently announced the Leadership Worcester Class of 2026, and we are proud to share Noemi Robertson has been selected to participate. Leadership Worcester is a nine-month program that creates a network of thinkers and doers who are moving the region and each other forward. Participants connect with key stakeholders, learn from influential leaders, and forge relationships that help them take the next step in their leadership.

WPI has a history of participating in the program. Previous participants include Ellen Piccioli (Class of 2025), Matthew Foster and Emily Perlow (Class of 2024), Laura Roberts and Theona K. Scola (Class of 2021). Noemi joins this group of alumni, extending WPI鈥檚 tradition of cultivating leaders who strengthen the Greater Worcester region.

As a member of the Class of 2026, Noemi will explore topics such as education, government, public health, sustainability, and economic development. Through immersive sessions, behind-the-scenes site visits, and conversations with local leaders, she will gain valuable insight into the opportunities and challenges shaping Greater Worcester. Noemi鈥檚 participation in the leadership program brings valuable insights and experiences that will enrich her work in family and community partnerships.

Noemi plans to integrate these leadership insights into the EDU 2200 Community Engagement & Pre-Practicum in Teaching and EDU 2300 Teaching K-12 STEM in the Community courses (taken by the Teacher Preparation Program students) to help strengthen K-12 student engagement, cultural humility, and authentic community relationships. Additionally, in collaboration with Worcester community partners, she plans to develop a community tour experience for WPI students, offering them a meaningful opportunity to explore the city鈥檚 history, cultural wealth, and community assets, while learning about the challenges and needs of Worcester, and how to engage with the community in impactful and reciprocal ways.

Interim Title IX & Sexual Misconduct Policy Posted for WPI Community Comment

amduffy — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Dear WPI Community,

As co-chairs of the Administrative Policy Group, we are writing to announce that, per the APG Process, the Interim Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Policy is posted for community comment. You may access the commenting page by clicking the following link: APG Policy Comment Page. On the site, you will see instructions on how to comment. The 30-day comment window is open through October 30.

WPI鈥檚 Interim Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Policy ensures that all students, faculty, and staff are protected from sexual misconduct as defined in the policy, and has existed for several years. Before it can be converted to permanent status, the Administrative Policy Group, through the APG Process, seeks input on minor modifications. All proposed changes are summarized on the commenting page.

The comment period allows any member of the WPI community to provide valuable input for consideration. Thank you for working together with us to ensure that WPI policies serve the needs of this community.

Best,

Co-Chairs, Administrative Policy Group

Mike Horan, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Andrew Sears, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost

PBL Fall 2025 Newsletter Now Available

mverma — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Project-Based Learning in Higher Ed: Era of AI

In the current issue of the PBL newsletter, we are excited to kick off the academic year with new, innovative tools to help jump-start your PBL initiatives. Whether you鈥檙e new to PBL or looking to advance your existing PBL activities, we hope these resources will help you to achieve your goals. Email subscribers received the newsletter in their inboxes on Thursday, September 25.

Check out the fall 2025 issue鈥攁nd become a subscriber so you don't miss the next one!

Account Type	Outlook Email Storage	OneDrive File Storage
Employee	up to 25 GB	up to 25 GB
Students	up to 15 GB	up to 15 GB