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First-Year Students Explore Artificial Intelligence

jcain — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The steady drumbeat of news about advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its potential to unlock solutions and reshape the nature of work has made it clear that society is facing rapid transformation.

To help students prepare for the possibilities and challenges of this moment and the future, WPI has begun examining AI through its Great Problems Seminar, exposing first-year students to AI tools to explore how they work, to think critically about those tools鈥?potential benefits and risks to individuals and communities, and to consider ethical questions involving the emerging technology.

WPI鈥檚 Great Problems Seminar offers 11 courses, two-terms in length, to immerse first-year students in university-level research, introduce them to WPI鈥檚 project-based learning, and explore issues of global importance. This fall, the seminar launched two new AI courses.

鈥淭hrough this new curriculum, we鈥檙e calling on students to ask, 鈥楥an we?鈥?amp;nbsp; and 鈥楽hould we?鈥?when it comes to AI,鈥?said Sarah Stanlick, director of the Great Problems Seminar and an assistant professor in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies. 鈥淲e hear a lot about the potential of AI for good and sustainability. However, there are concerns about the hidden costs of running AI, such as data usage and resource depletion. I鈥檓 excited our students are exploring these complexities.鈥?amp;nbsp;

WPI Appoints Five Professors to Tenure Track for Teaching Faculty

leckelbecker — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has added five teaching professors to the university鈥檚 pioneering tenure track that recognizes and rewards excellence in teaching. The appointments took effect July 1.

Andrew Sears

鈥淭hese five faculty members are accomplished educators in diverse fields who have shown a commitment to WPI鈥檚 students and the university鈥檚 distinctive approach to learning,鈥?says Andrew Sears, WPI provost and senior vice president. 鈥淚 am delighted that they have the opportunity to pursue tenure at WPI.鈥?lt;/p>

Research universities such as WPI typically award tenure only to faculty members who balance teaching, research, and service. WPI launched a second tenure track in 2021 for full-time faculty members whose primary responsibility is teaching.

Including the five new appointments, a total of 48 teaching faculty members have been appointed to the innovative tenure track since 2021 and nine have been awarded tenure.

New appointments:

Escaping Into a Cozy World of Mystery

sfoskett — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Do you remember the best summer of your life?

You might recall vivid details of a joyous family vacation or walks in the woods. Cookouts. A fleeting romance.

But memory can be a tricky thing. Once-sharp details soften over time and can blend and re-arrange themselves. Sometimes what you鈥檙e left with is just a feeling鈥攁n emotion triggered by a certain smell, or the position of the sun in the sky.

You hold tight onto that feeling鈥攕ometimes too tight, as the fictitious Dr. Julia Adler demonstrates in 鈥淢emoirscape,鈥漚n immersive and interactive exhibit designed and built by graduate and postgraduate students in WPI鈥檚 Interactive Media and Game Development program.

Wrestling with the concept of memory is just one of the many layers of the innovative role-playing game, built out in the sub-basement of Fuller Laboratories. Designed as an 鈥渁nti-escape room,鈥?it鈥檚 an experiential art piece that uses all the physical senses to communicate environmental storytelling.

鈥淢emoirscape鈥?invites players to work at their own pace to piece together subtle clues about what happened during the long-lost summer of 1986 for Dr. Adler, a professor experimenting with 鈥渕emory technology.鈥?Players may get a sense that something is askew. Borrowing a term from traditional video games, things get a little 鈥済litchy,鈥?and players may start to notice that summer in Queens might not have been so perfect after all.

Members of the team behind the experience say they鈥檙e surprised at how differently people approach it, and that鈥檚 just fine. There really isn鈥檛 a wrong way to play it.

Kathleen Morrissey, a second-year PhD student who served as producer and director, said some students rip through the game as if it were a traditional escape room situation, solving the puzzle in 20 minutes. Other players linger, and some just want to stay and absorb the details. Still others go through it multiple times, coming back to find out what they might have missed.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to control how players interact with the room and what they take away from it,鈥?she said. 鈥淲e just want them to feel seen by the experience.鈥?amp;nbsp;

Tending and Befriending

The idea of making the game a place where you want to stay is part of an emerging gaming trend Melissa Kagen, assistant professor of teaching in IMGD, refers to as 鈥渃ozy games鈥?that emphasize safety, abundance, and softness. They鈥檝e been a popular phenomenon in gaming for a decade or two鈥攇ames like Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, and Unpacking are a few that have taken off since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about tending and befriending,鈥?says Kagen, who served as narrative and acting director for Memoirscape. 鈥淵ou give the players the experience of kindness and gift giving. They come out of the game feeling calmer. The challenge for this team was to create an interactive media 鈥榚scape room鈥?experience that was also cozy.鈥?amp;nbsp;

In a way, the increasing popularity of cozy games could be viewed as a reaction to the pressures and worries of modern life.

鈥淚 think that the world right now feels pretty stressed and full of anxiety; there are lot of really enormous problems out there,鈥?Kagen said. 鈥淎nd whoever you are, wherever you are, you are probably feeling the weight of some of them. Cozy games meet you where you are. They let you experience a sense of 鈥渙kay-ness,鈥?a sense that all is right with the world, and that everything matters. You make mundane actions that make you feel good about yourself, that make you feel like everything really is okay. That seems to be what a lot of players need to experience right now.鈥?lt;/span>

鈥淧layers are encouraged to linger and take their time,鈥?Morrissey said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a test. I don鈥檛 want people to enter the space and just rush through it,鈥?she added. 鈥淚 want them to savor and appreciate some of the decisions we made. I want them to feel relaxed enough to let the room change them, instead of having them try to prove some sort of competency.鈥?lt;/span>

MassDigi Summer Innovation Program Sees Unprecedented Success, Bridging Local and Global Talent

cbwamback — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The summer of 2024 marked a significant milestone for the MassDigi Summer Innovation Program (SIP) a highly prestigious and competitive program for student game developers. This year's SIP, the largest to date, brought together an impressive cohort of 42 budding game developers. Sixteen students from various colleges and universities across the United States joined forces with 26 students from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), creating a diverse and dynamic environment that fueled creativity and innovation.

Hosted at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Northeastern University, the program provided these aspiring developers with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a real-world game development environment. Over 11 weeks, the students worked in teams to take video game concepts from the initial idea stage to public release on iOS and Google Play stores. The hands-on experience not only honed their technical skills but also gave them invaluable insights into professional practices in the game development industry, such as time management, problem solving, and communication, especially in a hybrid environment. This year, three of the games were released by teams that worked hybrid, with students at WPI and Northeastern.

"The collaboration between students from the U.S. and the UAE this summer was truly inspiring," said Gillian Smith, Director of IMGD and MassDigi. "The diversity of perspectives and ideas enriched the creative process, and the games that emerged from this program are a testament to the power of international collaboration in the field of game development."

WPI and UMass Lowell Put New Spin on Wheelchair Training

jcain — Wed, 27 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000

For many people who require use of a powered wheelchair, current methods of training don鈥檛 provide enough time and experience practicing in common and challenging settings. For example, everyday life might require a powered wheelchair user to safely navigate a busy parking lot or a crowded grocery store. However, training in rehabilitation centers often consists of driving tasks in tightly controlled environments with few distractions or obstacles. To address deficiencies in current methods, a team of faculty and students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell has created a virtual reality颅鈥揵ased simulator that provides effective training in safe settings.

鈥淥ur project addresses training limitations that negatively affect wheelchair users鈥?ability to choose the best wheelchair for their needs and seeks to make people feel comfortable when they start using powered wheelchairs in public spaces,鈥?says Robert Dempski, a co-principal investigator, WPI professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, a member of the Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD) program, and managing director of the Intentional Design Studio (IDeaS).

Professors Yunus Telliel, Robert Dempski, and PhD student Max Chen (L-R)

The team鈥檚 project 鈥?lt;/span>WheelUp! Engaging communities in the development of a wheelchair training simulator for diverse bodies鈥?has generated a simulator with high-resolution graphics, interactive technology, and game elements. With a joystick and an immersive virtual reality headset or a computer monitor, users can practice navigating a wheelchair in challenging virtual settings, such as a dimly lit restaurant or an office crowded with furniture. People can use the simulator at home or in a physical therapist鈥檚 office. 鈥淚n the simulation, users can see feet and footrests of the virtual wheelchair from a first-person perspective. These details help bridge the virtual to the physical world,鈥?says Yuko Oda, an associate professor of art and design at UMass Lowell and a co-principal investigator. 鈥淢any of our participants are thrilled and excited about how 鈥榬eal鈥?it feels.鈥?lt;/span>

A virtual reality headset and controllers used for powered wheelchair training.

A benefit of this virtual reality-based system is the opportunity for users to make mistakes, like bumping into objects, privately and without causing injury or damage. 鈥淪kills improve with more practice and the privacy allows the person to practice these new motor skills without the added anxiety of performing in front of others,鈥?says Erika Lewis, co-principal investigator and UMass Lowell associate professor of physical therapy and kinesiology. In addition, Lewis says, the system can reduce the travel time required for a physical therapist and a wheelchair user to train in different environments.

The WheelUp! project has the additional goal of creating more awareness about the need for greater accessibility, according to co-principal investigator Yunus Do臒an Telliel, an assistant professor of anthropology in WPI鈥檚 Department of Humanities & Arts and IMGD Program. 鈥淚 call this part of our work 鈥榓dvocacy design.鈥?We want to emphasize there are public spaces that are actually inaccessible to powered-wheelchair users, and to contribute to efforts to make our society more accessible to everyone.鈥?lt;/span>

From the start of the project, the research team has gathered and incorporated input from wheelchair users about training needs, challenging real-world environments, and simulator design. 鈥淲e always want to know what users really want and we engage them as participants in the design process, ultimately enhancing user independence,鈥?amp;nbsp;says principal investigator Kelilah Wolkowicz, UMass Lowell assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

The project is a collaboration between professors, graduate students and undergraduate students from various disciplines including neuroscience, robotics, bioengineering, mechanical engineering, physical therapy, 3D printing, 3D modeling, ethics, and signal processing. At WPI, the project is being developed in the Intentional Design Studio (IDeaS). The studio, managed by the IMGD program, facilitates project collaborations between students and professionals with experience in interactive media and games, art and design, human-computer interaction, computer science, simulation design, app development, augmented reality, and virtual reality.

WPI Announces Faculty Promotions and Tenure Awards

leckelbecker — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) today announced that 31 full-time faculty members have been promoted and/or awarded tenure. For the first time, those awarded tenure include faculty members from the university鈥檚 tenure track for professors who focus on excellence in teaching.

鈥淚t is an honor to congratulate these remarkable members of our WPI community,鈥?said Arthur Heinricher, interim senior vice president and provost. 鈥淭enure and promotion recognize the significant contributions that each has made to our students and to the wider community of scholars. They are exceptional teachers and advisors, internationally recognized scholars in their disciplines, and leaders for the future of WPI and for higher education.鈥?amp;nbsp;

All promotions and awards of tenure take effect July 1, 2024.

Tenure at WPI, like other U.S. colleges and universities, has long been a distinction awarded to faculty members who focus on both teaching and research. Other faculty members hired to focus on teaching typically worked under short-term contracts and did not have the opportunity to pursue tenure.

Beginning in fall 2021 and after years of discussions among faculty, administrators, and university trustees, WPI launched a second tenure track for the teaching faculty. A total of 43 individuals were appointed to the track over the past three years and received titles of assistant, associate, or full professor of teaching.

Top row, from left: Marcel Blais, Esther Boucher-Yip, Farley Chery. Middle row from left: Destin Heilman, Ryan Madan, Buddika Peiris. Bottom row, from left, Geoffrey Pfeifer, Elisabeth Stoddard, Sarah Wodin-Schwartz

The following faculty members are the first to be awarded tenure on WPI鈥檚 teaching track:

Marcel Blais, professor of teaching in the Department of Mathematical Sciences
Esther Boucher-Yip, professor of teaching in the Department of Humanities and Arts
Farley Chery, associate professor of teaching in the Interactive Media and Game Development Program
Destin Heilman, professor of teaching in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ryan Madan, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Humanities and Arts
Buddika Peiris, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Mathematical Sciences
Geoffrey Pfeifer, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies
Elisabeth Stoddard, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies
Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

鈥淔ive years after a group of dual mission and teaching mission faculty members first conceived of the idea, today鈥檚 announcements bring to life with real examples the power and promise of a teaching path to tenure,鈥?said Mark Richman, WPI鈥檚 secretary of the faculty. 鈥淎t this historic moment, we should congratulate our newly tenured colleagues for their outstanding achievements; we should be proud of the WPI faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees for their forward thinking; and we should redouble our efforts to share our institutional model with all colleges and universities looking to properly value the contributions of their teaching faculty.鈥?lt;/span>

In addition to the nine teaching faculty members who have been awarded tenure, six other faculty members are being promoted to full professor, eight are being awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor, and eight more are being promoted to associate or full teaching professor.

Exhibit showcases video game history and IMGD success

jcain — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000

It鈥檚 not often you hear the fun and bouncy sound of Super Mario Bros. theme music in a library. But on the last Friday in October, the recognizable soundtrack to the retro video game and the exclamations from excited game enthusiasts permeated the ground floor of the George C. Gordon Library.

Attendees play on Nintendo Entertainment System at kickoff event for library exhibit.

On this evening, the entrance to WPI鈥檚 Archives and Special Collections was filled with dozens of students, faculty, and staff. They huddled in groups around four televisions to play classic video games like Pac-Man, Mario Kart, and Zelda and watch others test their skills on game consoles dating back four decades, all items preserved in WPI鈥檚 collection. For some, it was a surprising scene. 鈥淚 was utterly astounded,鈥?said Benjamin Levy, a sophomore computer science and interactive media and game development (IMGD) major. 鈥淚 was amazed they managed to collect so many different consoles and iconic games. I can see so many different people having fun here and it warms my heart.鈥?lt;/span>

The buzzy scene was the kickoff event for the newest exhibit of Archives and Special Collections, 鈥淰ideo Game Console Wars 1976-2001 featuring WPI鈥檚 Interactive Media Archive & Interactive Media & Game Development Department.鈥?The exhibit, located in the library鈥檚 Gladwin Gallery, features a display of consoles including a 1970s Atari 2600, the Mattel Electronics Intellivision, a Nintendo Entertainment System from 1985, and a 1995 Sony PlayStation. The exhibit also includes vintage system controllers and games such as Frogger and Metroid.

Arthur Carlson

The collection on display was built through collaborations between Archives and Special Collections and IMGD program faculty and staff. One of the program鈥檚 founding professors, the late Dean O鈥橠onnell, was a driving force in gathering and preserving the historical items. Arthur Carlson, University Archivist and Assistant Director for the library, says the exhibit reflects a core mission of Archives and Special Collections, 鈥渢o support WPI's unique educational model. One of the ways we do that is by documenting both the history and development of academic courses and providing access to unique resources.鈥?lt;/span>

Carlson says the archive of video games and interactive media is rare among colleges and universities. The collection places WPI with the likes of The Strong National Museum of Play and the Smithsonian, which developed a video game archive in 2016.

"We cannot celebrate progress unless we understand how far a journey we've made."

Arthur Carlson

University Archivist, Assistant Director, George C. Gordon Library

Casey Costa

The exhibit and the event are inspiring students to reflect on the past and their own future at WPI and beyond. 鈥淎ll the consoles and games are from my parents' generation. I feel bad for professors who are standing right over there who are like, 鈥楧on't say it's old鈥?鈥?said Casey Costa, a sophomore IMGD and computer science major. He said he especially appreciates the exhibit posters that describe the evolution of the video game industry and the portion of the exhibit dedicated to the history of the IMGD program and its recent student and faculty projects. 鈥淚 was reading every single sign. I feel like I need to know exactly how this [IMGD] happened. It's so cool. I am excited to work on projects, work on games, and get my ideas out there and explore what I can really do here.鈥?lt;/span>

Number of Teaching Professors Pursuing Tenure at WPI Grows

leckelbecker — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has appointed 13 additional teaching professors to the university鈥檚 pioneering tenure track that recognizes and rewards excellence in teaching, bringing the total number of teaching faculty members on the tenure pathway to 43. The appointments take effect July 1.

The newest cohort represents the third round of appointments to the innovative tenure track. Sixteen faculty members were appointed in 2022; the first cohort of appointees, named in 2021, included 14 faculty members.

鈥淎ll of these faculty members are accomplished teachers who have demonstrated their commitment and talent for engaging students to think, learn, and collaborate in classrooms, in labs, and on projects around the globe鈥攚ork that is critical to providing the distinctive WPI education that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and passion to address the world鈥檚 great problems,鈥?says Provost Wole Soboyejo. 鈥淚 am delighted that these outstanding educators have the opportunity to pursue tenure.鈥?lt;/span>

Research universities such as WPI typically award tenure only to faculty members who balance teaching, research, and service. WPI鈥檚 tenure path for teaching professors opened the pursuit of tenure to those full-time faculty members whose primary responsibility is teaching, as well.

WPI launched its tenure track for teaching faculty members in 2021 after more than three years of study and discussion among faculty members, administrators, and trustees. Those who pursue and achieve tenure on this path are known as assistant, associate, or (full) professors of teaching, and are expected to spend most of their time teaching while also demonstrating professional growth and service to their academic communities.

The teaching track to tenure was part of a bundle of changes made in 2021 that also secured longer-term contracts, academic freedom, and the right to faculty governance participation for full-time teaching faculty who are not eligible to pursue tenure.

Countdown to Commencement for the Class of 2023

adill — Mon, 08 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

As Commencement 2023 kicks into high gear, WPI students reflected on how their projects, friendships, accomplishments, and even failures brought them to this exciting transition. Those featured below represent only a tiny slice of our dynamic campus community. A hearty congratulations to all of our graduates!

From Pixel Art to 3D animation, IMGD Student-led Event Celebrates Region鈥檚 Talent

cbwamback — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000

For five students in WPI鈥檚 Interactive Media and Game Design (IMGD) department, last month鈥檚 JoyArt event, an intercollegiate game art competition, was not only an experience of a lifetime鈥攊t was one they created themselves. The event, an evening in Boston that brought together student artists from a dozen colleges and universities across New England as well as professional game artists from studios in the area, was a just an idea before Tate Donnelly, Yulin Chen, Skye Pritchard, Jack McEvoy, and Nick Frangie鈥攁ll Class of 鈥?4鈥攎ade it a reality as part of their Interactive Qualifying Project.

鈥淟aunching a new event specifically for game artists was something we felt strongly about,鈥?said Donnelly. 鈥淭here is so much artistic talent in the gaming world right here in the Northeast, it just made sense to celebrate, collaborate, and have some friendly competition.鈥?lt;/span>

Working with their IQP advisor IMGD Assistant Teaching Professor Melissa Kagen, as well as with MassDigi Managing Director Monty Sharma, the team managed every aspect of the event, including securing sponsorship, building a website, figuring out logistics, inviting attendees, and running the event itself.

In total, the event attracted over 200 submissions from students at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Montserrat College of Art, Lesley University, University of Connecticut, University of Hartford, New England Institute of Technology, Clark University, Northeastern University, Fitchburg State University, Massachusetts College of Art, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and, of course, WPI.

The competition portion featured eight categories and were judged by representatives from Demiurge Studios, Designori, Snoozy Kazoo, Zapdot, PopCannibal, Mightier, and Dejobaan Games. (Winners are listed below.) The professionals also offered portfolio reviews.

鈥淟ike everyone else, I was so impressed by the event and by the quality and creativity of the artists involved in the competition,鈥?said Richard Fox, art manager at Demiurge Studios. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 wait to see what 2024 brings.鈥?lt;/span>

鈥淭hey pulled it off,鈥?said Kagen. 鈥淭he team did a great job with this first year of JoyArt, especially the way they reached out to artists and schools from across the area. I'm looking forward to seeing where they go from here!鈥?lt;/span>

The team plans to make JoyArt an annual event and is excited to incorporate what they learned this year into next year鈥檚 event.

Meanwhile, if you think the IQP team is resting on its laurels after its inaugural JoyArt, that鈥檚 not the case. 鈥淲e're not done yet,鈥?said Frangie. 鈥淥ur team will be managing WPI IMGD's booth at PAX East later this month, exhibiting student games at the massive expo hosted in the Boston convention center. And after that, we'll be hosting IMGD Showfest in the Innovation Studio on April 28, showing off what IMGD students have been up to this year. We hope to see everyone on campus there.鈥?amp;nbsp;

JoyArt Winners:

Overall Winner: MacKenzie Reid, RISD
People鈥檚 Choice: Mackenzie Reynolds, Lesley University
Pixel Art: Kateri Bajer, WPI
In-game Implementation: Kateri Bajer, WPI
3D Animation: Kerri Thornton, WPI
Character Concept Art: Tony Tran, Fitchburg State
Environmental Concept Art: Brooke Glasier, Northeastern University
3D Character Art: Maya Horta from Montserrat
3D Environment & Prop Art: Jericho Dibb from MassArt
2D Animation: Adam Ying, RISD