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WPI Receives Prestigious Recognition for Advancing Inclusive Access to Global Learning Opportunities

jcain — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

In recognition of Worcester Polytechnic Institute鈥檚 (WPI) commitment to immersive global experiential learning, NAFSA: Association of International Educators has selected WPI as winner of a NAFSA 2024 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization. Since 2002, NAFSA, the world鈥檚 largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange, has presented the awards annually to American colleges and universities that demonstrate outstanding commitment to and accomplishment in campus internationalization.

NAFSA defines internationalization as the conscious effort to integrate and infuse international, intercultural, and global dimensions into the philosophy of postsecondary education. The organization has chosen to recognize WPI for its Global Projects for All Initiative. The initiative seeks to maximize the number of students who participate in WPI鈥檚 Global Projects Program, in part by removing financial barriers.

Student teams working out of WPI's Monteverde, Costa Rica Project Center

As a signature element of WPI鈥檚 project-based learning, the Global Projects Program gives students the opportunity to complete required research projects off-campus at more than 50 WPI project centers worldwide. The goal of the program is to help students become well-rounded and globally aware by working as part of a team to apply classroom knowledge and analytical thinking skills to advance solutions to real-world challenges.

The Global Projects for All Initiative was first introduced as a key element of WPI鈥檚 2015-2018 strategic plan. It has marshalled financial and human resources to significantly expand student and faculty participation in the Global Projects Program. As part of the ongoing initiative, every full-time undergraduate student at WPI receives a one-time institutional scholarship of up to $5,000 to defray some of the costs of an off-campus project experience through the Global Projects Program.

鈥淲e are proud to receive this recognition of our innovation and the progress WPI has made in addressing the cost barrier global programming can present for students,鈥?says Mimi Sheller, dean of The Global School. 鈥淭he Global Projects for All Initiative has strengthened our high-impact undergraduate educational experience by ensuring more students can participate in the Global Projects Program. Our alumni report that this is an especially meaningful and valuable aspect of their WPI experience, and it prepares them well for their future careers.鈥?lt;/span>

"We are proud to receive this recognition of our innovation and the progress WPI has made in addressing the cost barrier global programming can present for students."

- Mimi Sheller, dean of The Global School

More than 1,100 WPI students participated in the Global Projects Program in the 2022-2023 academic year, including approximately 88% of third-year students. 鈥淭he program鈥檚 immersive team-based approach promotes STEM-centered education through global learning at the intersection of science, technology, and society,鈥?says Kathleen Head, director of The Global School鈥檚 Global Experience Office, which administers the Global Projects Program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 centered around tangible problem solving in local communities and cultures where students may have no prior experience. By enabling students to apply their knowledge in the world and outside of their comfort zones, WPI is empowering graduates to become global leaders.鈥?lt;/span>

The prestigious award from NAFSA is named for the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon of Illinois. Simon was an advocate for international education, global dialogue, and increased participation in study abroad programs by American college students.

WPI is one of three schools to win a NAFSA 2024 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award. WPI received the award in 2003 in recognition of the Global Projects Program. This year鈥檚 winners will be honored during a reception on May 29 at the NAFSA 2024 Annual Conference & Expo in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Seniors鈥?Research, Creativity, and Curiosity on Display

mlumsden — Fri, 05 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

In a sign of spring as iconic as daffodils in bloom, the WPI community took time recently to share and celebrate graduating students鈥?achievements as every senior presented their completed thesis.

The annual Undergraduate Research Projects Showcase (previously Project Presentation Day) is not only an opportunity for students to publicly present the findings of their Major Qualifying Projects, but it also gives faculty, staff, other students, and off-campus partners a glimpse into the wide range of research topics and methodologies that seniors have tackled this year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring to see the creativity and skills that our students bring to these projects, as well as the professionalism with which they present their research,鈥?says Arne Gericke, interim dean of undergraduate studies and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, Design & Creative Activity. 鈥淭heir experience managing a major project like this鈥攊ncluding identifying a problem and researching all of the implications and possible solutions while also managing team dynamics over an extended period of several months鈥攕ets them up well for success not only in their first jobs after graduation but throughout their careers.鈥?amp;nbsp;

This year Gericke and others worked to change the name of the annual project showcase event to more accurately highlight the unique blend of research, design, and creative scholarship at the heart of WPI鈥檚 undergraduate education. The WPI showcase was featured on the Council on Undergraduate Research website in support of Undergraduate Research Week 2023.

Below are just a few examples of the diverse work displayed in the 556 projects from more than 1,000 seniors graduating this year.

WPI Global School Joins Partnership to Co-Create a Caribbean Climate Adaptation Network with Funding from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

jlevy2 — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 12:00:00 +0000

After suffering drastic impacts from recent hurricanes such as Irma, Maria, and Fiona, US Caribbean archipelagoes urgently need to make their communities more resilient to extreme weather events, rebuild their infrastructure, and create actionable plans and policies to better adapt to climate change and its effects, including extreme rainfall, extreme heat, drought, landslides, and coastal and river flooding.

A team of researchers from The Global School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has been awarded funding to co-create a Caribbean Climate Adaptation Network (CCAN). The five-year, $6 million project is sponsored by the recently renamed Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with WPI receiving $675,000 in funding. The Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus is the lead institution for CCAN, with other researchers from nine academic institutions across the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and the US Territories of the Virgin Islands (USVI).

CAP鈥檚 national objectives are closely aligned with those of WPI鈥攕pecifically to create networks of people working together to support 鈥渃ollaborative research relationships that help communities build lasting and equitable climate resilience鈥?within social contexts. "The CAP program advances NOAA鈥檚 goal of creating an equitable climate ready nation by working closely with decision makers and frontline communities,鈥?according to Wayne Higgins, director of NOAA鈥檚 Climate Program Office.

Building on the WPI Global Projects Program鈥檚 long experience in community-based learning, with over 30 years at the Puerto Rico Project Center in San Juan, the goal of CCAN is to foster knowledge sharing for more sustainable and equitable strategies for climate-action and community empowerment throughout Puerto Rico and the USVI.

There are five WPI researchers involved in the project: Dean of The Global School Mimi Sheller, Professor Sarah Strauss, Associate Professor Seth Tuler, Assistant Professor of Teaching John-Michael Davis, and Professor Emeritus Scott Jiusto.

WPI students, both graduate and undergraduate, will be integral to advancing CCAN鈥檚 research. As co-director of the Master鈥檚 in Community Climate Adaptation (CCA) at WPI, Strauss will connect graduate student projects with the Puerto Rico Project Center and CCAN鈥檚 overall program objectives. Solange Uwera, a Fulbright Scholar from Rwanda and a new graduate student in CCA, is starting a project in Puerto Rico in January, and a postdoctoral researcher will also be hired in 2023. Tuler and Sheller, with the postdoctoral researcher, will work with the CCAN leadership team, regional agencies, and community organizations to implement a process to support how decisions are made about climate risk management and adaptation.

At the undergraduate level, some of the students doing their Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) at the WPI Puerto Rico Project Center will be able to support the research. Davis and Jiusto, who are co-directors of the Puerto Rico Project Center, will recruit and advise the undergraduate IQP teams working in Puerto Rico, as well as organize projects where WPI students, faculty, and members of the local community can collaborate. These students will work with local non-profit and community-based organizations in a variety of ways, including contributing to the planning for climate change scenarios, creating community-based monitoring systems, and participating in and developing citizen science programs. For example, a potential project focuses on developing a community-based flood detection system that would help with understanding and predicting the risk of flooding.

WPI Joins the Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative; Sarah Stanlick Named Co-Director

jlevy2 — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000

WPI has joined 19 other colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations around the world to support the goals of The Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative, a network of educational institutions and community organizations that 鈥渁dvances ethical, critical, and aspirationally de-colonial community-based learning and research for more just, inclusive, and sustainable communities.鈥?lt;/em> Sarah Stanlick, assistant professor in the Department of Integrative & Global Studies and director of the Great Problems Seminar (GPS) was also named a co-director of the Collaborative, a responsibility she shares with colleagues from Dickinson College and Haverford College.

鈥淲PI鈥檚 membership in the Collaborative is a reinforcement of the university鈥檚 reputation as a pioneer and leader in project-based learning,鈥?said Stanlick. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 more, WPI鈥檚 involvement with the Collaborative provides opportunities to further mobilize and showcase our knowledge and leadership in the global project-based-learning space鈥攁nd with other institutions who are doing this kind of work so well already. In addition to providing WPI with ample opportunities to share best practices, the Collaborative connects us with outstanding colleagues who can, in turn, teach us great things. We know there is high regard for鈥攁nd curiosity about鈥攐ur Global Projects Program, the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), the Major Qualifying Project (MQP), and the Great Problems Seminar (GPS), and we鈥檙e excited to share the knowledge and insights we鈥檝e gained from years of guiding, supporting, and working with students to make meaningful societal contributions through their projects.鈥?lt;/p>
WPI鈥檚 institutional membership allows all faculty access to knowledge-sharing opportunities such as webinars, on-campus institutes, and other informal opportunities to work with peer global educators. Students can also participate in the Collaborative鈥檚 events. In addition, there are opportunities to collaborate on scholarship and research, from working with the data from the Global Engagement Survey to publishing books and articles. Stanlick is co-editing a volume about adult learning and global citizenship education with contributions from Collaborative members. It鈥檚 expected to be published by the end of 2022.

Being an institutional member also affords WPI another platform to build partnerships and demonstrate how The Global School鈥攁nd the entire university鈥攁re at the forefront of ethical community-based global learning.

鈥淭he goals of the Collaborative harmonize beautifully with WPI鈥檚 values and mission,鈥?said Mimi Sheller, Dean of The Global School. 鈥淭he pressing need for well rounded, globally focused STEM professionals who are able to address the great problems challenging our planet and its people continues to grow. WPI has a deep commitment to鈥攁nd experience with鈥攃ollaborating with other academics, governments, NGOs, and people around the world. Through global projects, our students co-create contextually informed solutions to complex global challenges in ways that support community needs and aspirations. By working with our Collaborative colleagues, we seek to elevate and extend the rich educational experiences that we value at WPI.鈥?lt;/p>

WPI Hosts Six African PhD Students in Inaugural PASET Program

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 12:00:00 +0000

As a boy growing up in a remote village in Kenya鈥檚 Rift Valley region, Richard Kipyegon Koech would spend evenings studying by a kerosene lamp. The smoke smudged the walls of his thatched-roof hut and irritated his lungs. At times, he would have to turn away from his work.

Richard Koech

鈥淚f I coughed, it could make the light go out,鈥?Koech remembered. 鈥淚f I did not have a matchstick, it would interfere with my studies.鈥?lt;/p>
Years later, Koech is still immersed in his studies, having realized early on that education would lead him to a better life. He is among six African PhD students spending two years at WPI courtesy of the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) of the African-led Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET).

Koech is researching perovskite solar cells with a flexible substrate鈥攁 cheap, clean, and readily available source of power and light.

鈥淚 would like to use the knowledge for people in remote areas so they will not have to go through the problems I went through during my studies,鈥?Koech said. His advisor at WPI is Kehinde Oyewole, assistant research professor of mechanical engineering. His supervisors at the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) are Professor Esidor Ntsoenzok and Dr. Abdulhakeem Bello. His advisor at AUST is Dr. Vitalis Anye.

Fatoumata Thiam

WPI Senior Vice President and Provost Winston Soboyejo is an advisor to PASET, founded seven years ago by the governments of Senegal, Ethiopia, and Rwanda with support from the World Bank. The initiative now has nine African governments contributing to RSIF: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, and Senegal, with Benin, Nigeria, and Mozambique in final stages of signing agreements. Tanzania is also in the pipeline.

Its mission is to lift the economy in Sub-Saharan Africa by strengthening science, technology, and engineering. Its Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund aims to build a critical mass of researchers and university professors by supporting African PhD and postdoctoral candidates in the areas of information and communication technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence; food security and agribusiness; minerals, mining, and materials engineering; energy, including renewables; and climate change.

David Afolayan

Soboyejo was instrumental in bringing the six RSIF PhD candidates from PASET鈥檚 inaugural class of 15 to Worcester. WPI is the first university in the U.S. to receive and host these African PhD students. Virginia Tech is the program鈥檚 other U.S. partner university; other students are studying in South Korea. More universities worldwide are on tap to join the partnership next year.

Each of the PASET scholars have completed one year of doctoral studies at their home universities in Africa and are spending two years at their partner schools before returning home to complete their final year before earning their degrees.

The program fulfills WPI鈥檚 commitment to global impact in its graduate programs, according to Dean of Graduate Studies Terri Camesano. She noted that WPI professors are embracing the opportunity to mentor these African PhD students, share their knowledge and strengths, and contribute to important research in areas not just critical to African countries but to the entire planet.

Jeanne Pauline Munganyinka

Alex Wyglinski, professor of electrical engineering and robotics engineering, is working with two of the scholars鈥擡mmanuel Effah of Ghana and Fatoumata Thiam of Senegal. Both are enrolled at the University Gaston Berger in Senegal and researching ways to apply the Internet of things to solve irrigation problems and water pollution.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for WPI to be part of a program that contributes to the professional growth of the next generation of African professors as they conduct research into some of the most difficult global challenges of today, including climate change and sustainability," Wyglinski says.

Plans include bringing more PASET scholars to WPI in coming years and using the program as a template for training future university professors and researchers in other parts of the world.

Jean Baptiste Habinshuti

鈥淚n many of these cases, these students are already hired as faculty at universities across Africa," Soboyejo says. "At the end of their PhD programs, they have jobs to go to where they can take the rich experience that they have gained and spread their knowledge in a way that will have a big impact on the landscape of higher education in Africa. I think more and more places will share in the WPI approach to higher ed in ways that will be enabled by this program.鈥?lt;/p>
Fatoumata Thiam is full-time doctoral student at the University Gaston Berger in Saint Louise, Senegal under the supervision of Dr. Maissa Mbaye. She is studying computer science and working with Wyglinski and assistant professor Ulkuhan Guler on using artificial intelligence and the IoT to understand and solve irrigation problems in the Niayes area of Senegal. She is looking forward to sharing what she learns at WPI when she returns home.

Emmanel Effah

鈥淲PI is very different from home,鈥?she says. 鈥淚 am working with high-level professors, and that is very good for our career. We have access to resources to enhance our knowledge in rhetorical science. The environment here is very favorable to be productive.鈥?lt;/p>
Also enrolled in the program are David Afolayan of Nigeria, who is working with Carrick Eggleston, professor and department head of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Mingjiang Tao, associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Jeanne Pauline Munganyinka and Jean Baptiste Habinshuti, both of Rwanda, are working with Brajendra Mishra, professor of mechanical engineering and director of WPI's Metal Processing Institute. Afolayan鈥檚 and Munganyinka鈥檚 supervisors at AUST are Dr. Richard Amankwah and Dr. Adelana Adetunji, respectively. Baptiste鈥檚 supervisors at AUST are Dr. Adelana Adetunji and Dr. Grace Ofori Sarpong of AUST.

鈥擲harron Kahn Luttrell

WPI Welcomes 19 New Full-Time Faculty Members

leckelbecker — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has welcomed 19 full-time educators and researchers to its faculty for the 2020-21 academic year.

鈥淲e are excited to add these talented and accomplished individuals to the WPI faculty,鈥?said Provost Wole Soboyejo. 鈥淭hey possess stellar credentials and will expand the university鈥檚 teaching and research agenda.鈥?lt;/p>
New members of the faculty:

Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Ayobami will join the faculty in January 2021 as assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She is currently assistant dean for inclusion and engagement in the Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Ayobami has studied orthopedic biomechanics, mechanobiology, contact mechanics in human joints during activities of daily living, and the persistence and success of traditionally underrepresented populations in higher education. A WPI alumnus from the Class of 2011 with a BS in biomedical engineering and professional writing, she has an MS and PhD in biomedical engineering from Cornell University. At Cornell, she received the 2014 Zellman Warhaft Commitment to Diversity Award. Ayobami completed a postdoctoral fellowship in biomechanical engineering at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

Francesca Bernardi is assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. Before joining WPI, she was a postdoctoral scholar in mathematics at Florida State University. Her research focuses on small-scale fluid mechanics and microfluidics. Bernardi has a BS in engineering physics and an MSc in nuclear engineering from Politecnico di Milano in Italy. She earned a PhD in applied mathematics and a graduate certificate in Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a co-founder of Girls Talk Math, a free math and media camp for female and gender non-conforming high school students.

Crystal Brown is assistant professor in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies. She was an assistant teaching professor at WPI from 2019 to 2020. Brown has a Master of Public Administration from Pennsylvania State University, and an MS and a PhD in political science from the University of Oregon. Her research compares policies and politics that impact marginalized groups in different societies. She is most interested in comparative politics, international relations, human rights, immigration policies, women鈥檚 rights, and race/ethnicity and politics. She was a 2017-2018 Fulbright Schuman Scholar and received the Russell Sage Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Proposal Development Institute award for summer 2020 that was postponed to the summer 2021 due to the pandemic.

Kelly Colvin is assistant teaching professor in the Department of Humanities and Arts. Colvin previously taught courses on European history and gender history at the University of Maryland and Brown University. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender, culture, and politics, and how those factors impacted events and conflicts of the 20th century. She is the author of the book 鈥淕ender and French Identity since the Second World War鈥?(Bloomsbury, 2017). Colvin received a BA in history and French studies from Bowdoin College, and an MA in history and a PhD in European history from Brown University.

Fatemeh Ganji is assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the Cybersecurity Program. She was previously a post-doctoral associate at the University of Florida and the Telecom Innovation Laboratories/Technical University of Berlin. Ganji earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the Technical University of Berlin. Her research focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to machine learning and cryptography for design and evaluation of security-critical hardware.

Aswin Gnanaskandan is assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Before joining the WPI faculty, he was a research scientist at Dynaflow Inc., developing numerical models for multiphase flows for applications in aerospace engineering, marine engineering, and biomedicine. His research focuses on high-fidelity mathematical models for multiphase flows to answer critical questions in engineering and biomedicine. Gnanaskandan has a BS in aeronautical engineering from Madras Institute of Technology in India and an MS and a PhD in aerospace engineering and mechanics from the University of Minnesota. He did postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology.

Mitchell Lutch is assistant teaching professor in the Department of Humanities and Arts. Lutch earned a BA in music education at the University of Lowell, an MA in music at the New England Conservatory of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in instrumental conducting at the University of Washington. He began his teaching career in the Malden Public Schools in Massachusetts and has conducted concerts and made presentations around the world. He is the author of 鈥淚n Search of Meaning: Frank L. Battisti鈥擳he Conservatory Years and Into the New Millennium鈥?(Meredith Music, 2019). Lutch was previously interim associate director of bands at the University of Northern Colorado and associate professor of music and director of bands at Central College in Pella, Iowa.

Markus Nemitz is assistant professor in the Department of Robotics Engineering. Nemitz earned a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical engineering from Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany, and an MS in electronics and a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. During his PhD, he was a research scholar at the University of Michigan. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, under the mentorship of George Whitesides. His work blurs the line between machines and materials by integrating intelligence into elastomeric polymers, thermoplastics, and textiles to develop collaborative robotic systems that support, protect, and interact with humans.

Doug Olsen is instructor/lecturer in the Department of Humanities and Arts. A jazz educator and trumpeter, Olsen has performed with Boston and national acts, and he coordinates clinics for the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education. He was previously interim director of jazz studies at WPI. Olsen has directed jazz programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Community College of Rhode Island, and he was director of music for the Medfield Public Schools. He has a BA in jazz and African-American music studies and in music education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and he has an MA in jazz studies from the New England Conservatory. Olsen鈥檚 CD of original compositions, "Two Cents," was published in 2019 by BMI.

Guanying Peng is assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. He received a BS in mathematics from Peking University and a PhD in mathematics from Purdue University. He has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Arizona. Peng鈥檚 research explores partial differential equations with a focus on applications to the sciences. His work has been published in journals such as the Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis, and Annales de l'Institut Henri Poincar茅 C, Analyse non lin茅aire.

Dina Rassias is assistant teaching professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences. Rassias has taught at WPI since 1994 and has broad project-based research and teaching experience. Her recent research focused on molecular mechanisms that drive malignancies, novel drug delivery, and treatment strategies for cancer, including those with the natural product Artemisia annua. She earned a BA in mathematics at Assumption College and has MS degrees in applied mathematics and mechanical engineering and a PhD in biomedical engineering from WPI.

Farnoush Reshadi is assistant professor of marketing in the Foisie Business School. Her research focuses on consumer well-being, financial and health-related decision making, and social influence. Reshadi previously taught consumer behavior and marketing research courses at West Virginia University, where she also earned a PhD in business administration. She has a BS in computer engineering from Bu Ali Sina University, an MSc in e-commerce from Iran University of Science and Technology, and an MBA from the University of Tehran, all in Iran.

Sarah Riddick is assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and Arts. She teaches courses in rhetoric and writing, and she directs the Professional Writing Program. Riddick earned a BA in English and a BA in Spanish from the Honors College at Virginia Commonwealth University, an MA in comparative literature at University College London, and a PhD in English with an emphasis on rhetoric at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on the relationship between rhetorical tradition, digital rhetoric and writing cultures, and emerging media.

Adam Sales is assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, with an affiliation with the Learning Sciences and Technology Program and the Data Science Program. Formerly the lead statistical consultant in the University of Texas College of Education, Sales researches methods for causal inference using administrative or high-dimensional data, especially in education. He has a BS in physics and mathematics from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in statistics from the University of Michigan. Sales also was a post-doctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University and RAND.

Stacy Shaw is assistant professor in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies. Her research focuses on creative thinking in mathematics, how anxiety and other experiences impact mathematical cognition and reasoning, and how classroom experiences can impact learning and performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Shaw has a BA in human development from California State University and an MA and PhD in psychology from the University of California Los Angeles. She is an ambassador for the Center for Open Science, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting transparency and reproducibility in science.

Shahin Tajik is assistant research professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and is affiliated with the Cybersecurity program. Tajik previously was an assistant research professor at the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research at the University of Florida. His research focuses on noninvasive and semi-invasive side-channel analysis, Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs), machine learning, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) security, and designing anti-tamper mechanisms against physical attacks. Tajik has a BS in electrical engineering from K.N. Toosi University of Technology in Iran and an MS and a PhD in electrical engineering from Technical University of Berlin in Germany.

Raisa Trubko is assistant professor in the Department of Physics. Trubko is an experimental quantum physicist who comes to WPI from a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. Her research uses ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy quantum defects in diamond to image magnetic fields with high spatial resolution. She graduated from the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI and went on to earn a BS in optics and a BA in physics, both at the University of Rochester, and a PhD in optical sciences at the University of Arizona. Trubko founded the University of Arizona Women in Physics group.

Edvina Uzunovic is assistant teaching professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Uzunovic has been an adjunct professor at WPI since 2012 and has also served as associate director of power systems engineering in the Corporate and Professional Education Office. Her research focuses on power system modeling, simulation, control, and optimization in distribution and transmission power systems. After earning a BSc in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, she earned an MSc and PhD in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Zhangxian Yuan is assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. He comes to WPI from a postdoctoral fellowship at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he also earned an MS and PhD in aerospace engineering. Yuan has a BS in aircraft design and engineering and an MS in engineering mechanics from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in China. His research focuses on the mechanics of advanced structures, composite materials and structures, computational methods for high performance computing, structural dynamics, stability, and fracture mechanics.

WPI Kicks Off Celebration of The Global School, Hosting Yearlong Speaker Series on Global Challenges

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 12:00:00 +0000

As part of a yearlong celebration of the launch of The Global School, WPI kicks off a monthly virtual series in October featuring experts on the most pressing global issues of our time鈥攁mong them sustainability, the environment, the future of work, and the impact these have on people and the diverse regions of the world. The virtual speaker series will focus on global challenges and the impact of the work that WPI is doing to address these problems in collaboration with academic, corporate, government, and nonprofit partners around the world.

First announced earlier this year, Provost Wole Soboyejo says, 鈥?lt;a>The Global School will enhance WPI鈥檚 impact as a leader and innovator in addressing great problems by creating a platform for realizing the university鈥檚 long-held vision of building a true global polytechnic with a reach and an impact far beyond what has previously been possible.鈥?lt;/p>
The inaugural Oct. 9 event will offer more details about The Global School, which builds upon the strengths of WPI鈥檚 distinctive project-based education and research to address increasingly urgent and complex global grand challenges in interdisciplinary teams. Dr. Robert Langer, Institute Professor at MIT, recognized as the 鈥淓dison of Medicine鈥?and the most-cited engineer in the world, will be the keynote speaker.

WPI faculty will share their perspectives in a session on Global Grand Challenges that will include an overview of WPI projects on the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, climate change, energy, water, health, sustainability, and the future of work and the worker. WPI's Center for Global Public Safety will also be discussed.

鈥淭he Global School virtual event series is intended to engage all of the potential stakeholders in The Global School. These will include alumni, faculty, staff, students, and potential industrial collaborators or policy makers who could become part of the fabric of The Global School,鈥?Soboyejo says. 鈥淭he monthly interdisciplinary virtual events will allow our faculty to share their passions and progress around research, scholarship, and related initiatives; gain third-party endorsement from renowned colleagues around the world; and engage the WPI community.鈥?lt;/p>
Events will focus on regional and global issues within the context of ongoing collaborations with partners from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Oceania, Asia, Europe, and local communities.

Oct. 9, 鈥淭he 鈥楨dison of Medicine鈥?Robert Langer鈥檚 Quest to Solve Global Health Challenges Using Biotechnology鈥?lt;/li>
Nov. 6, Africa, H.E. Dr. Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah, Ghana鈥檚 Ambassador to the US

Dec.2, Latin America, 鈥淭he Amazon Near a Tipping Point: The Need of a Novel Bioeconomy of Forests Standing and Rivers Flowing,鈥?with Dr. Carlos Nobre, Member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize

Winter/Spring 2021 Sessions:

January: Middle East

February: Oceania

March: Asia

April: Europe

May: The Future of Work

Click on this link for updates to the 2020鈥?1 schedules and to register for any of the 2020鈥?1 virtual series events.

Herd Revisited - Taking a Thoughtful and Critical Look at Sustainable Urbanism

admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 12:00:00 +0000

As it turns out, maybe sustainable urbanism isn鈥檛 so sustainable.

According to Rob Krueger, associate professor in the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies, the idea of urban sustainability is on target for achieving many goals, but the reality of its implementation isn鈥檛 so ideal.

Krueger, whose latest book, Adventures in Sustainable Urbanism, says the consequences of implementing sustainable approaches into densely populated urban areas has created significant, and unexpected, environmental and social impacts. 鈥淎bout 80 percent of the global population is moving toward cities, and to achieve global sustainability, cities are important targets,鈥?says Krueger.

More Than One Approach to Sustainable Urbanism

In Krueger鈥檚 early days of research, he was a proponent of urban sustainability, but as the practice has progressed and taken hold, his views have shifted. He is a critic of sustainable urbanism that is more disruptive than progressive. From this dissatisfaction came the inspiration for his latest book.

鈥淚 was a keynote speaker at a conference in Germany in 2012 and, after my talk, I was sitting listening to the other speakers; I was taken by the research findings of scholars from all over Europe,鈥?he says. 鈥淭heir data showed how current sustainability policy and practice around Europe was evolving in ways similar to what I had seen in North America and the UK, and thought we should document this.鈥?Turns out it happens this way around the world.

In addition to conceptualizing and documenting urban sustainability, Krueger wanted to help students understand the ripple effects of what was happening and begin to think critically about the future. 鈥淚 wanted students to understand the historical roots of urban sustainability and the context that it has become operationalized in. I want to inspire students to think of alternatives given the problems with it,鈥?he says. 鈥淚 want them to think of how they might do it better.鈥?lt;/p>

The book, says Krueger, offers a global view of what sustainable urbanism looks like in different cultures鈥攚hether that includes urban design, sustainable development, or land use鈥攁nd how social justice is an important, yet often neglected, part of the conversation. 鈥淲hen developers invoke the notion of sustainability in their rhetoric, people stop asking important questions,鈥?he says. 鈥淪ustainability has become a shiny object. We can鈥檛 get distracted by shiny objects.鈥?lt;/p>
A Global Understanding

The book includes chapters that contain what Krueger refers to as 鈥渇ield trips鈥?showing what urban sustainability policy and sustainable development practice looks like in different cities that are seeking to add to the broader picture of global sustainability. 鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 case studies with a particular agenda or ax to grind鈥攖hey are first-person narratives that provide a visual image of sustainable initiatives around the world,鈥?he says. 鈥淭hey are written in a way that invites students to untangle them in their own way to come up with something better.鈥?lt;/p>
Krueger feels unsettled with the way sustainability has changed over the years鈥攎oving from idea to actual implementation. 鈥淲hen I started at WPI,鈥?he says, 鈥済overnments were starting to reinvest in cities. They were cleaning up brownfields, and renovated warehouses all of a sudden had a certain cach茅 and were fashionable. People were interested in how cities could become vibrant and inclusive places. In the course of policy development, planning, and implementation, some co-opted the discourse of sustainable development and made it less than something it should be.鈥?lt;/p>
Even with all kinds of positive changes that urban sustainability has the potential to bring鈥攊ncreased mixed-use spaces, green transportation鈥攖he act of change shifts the bigger picture of sustainable urban development, he says. As the spaces become more attractive, the market value and housing prices increase; increased interest in living in a regenerated area makes available housing tight and changes everything from parking patterns to stores; and even the basic geography may change as green spaces are encroached upon or natural waterways are diverted.

Like dominoes, families, even those who have lived in a neighborhood for generations, find themselves being priced out of local property markets, says Krueger. Disruptions to social circles, community networks, even community-centered employment changes the entire neighborhood, leaving a story of urban sustainability that Krueger classifies as unsuccessful.

Student Teams to Present Results of Global Projects Related to COVID-19 Pandemic

admin — Tue, 12 May 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Eight teams of undergraduates who revamped their spring global projects to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic will present their findings today during an online event covering subjects ranging from cows to laboratory learning.

The students, who were among those who had been scheduled to travel abroad but instead stayed home when WPI had to suspend D-Term travel and move to remote operations, hope their projects will make a difference in the world, says Peter Hansen, history professor and director of International and Global Studies at WPI .

"There's hardly anything going on in the world today that is more important than how we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and our students have been engaging with various aspects of it,鈥?Hansen says. 鈥淲e want to share some lessons they鈥檝e learned. This is their chance to do it.鈥?lt;/p>
The real-time online event will begin at 11:45 a.m. Those planning to attend must register in advance. The event will also be available live on YouTube. Each team will make a 10-minute presentation, and the event will close with a discussion.

Students Chose New Topics

Project-based learning is the cornerstone of a WPI education. Many students travel overseas to project centers during their junior year to complete an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) that examines an issue at the intersection of science and society.

Some D-Term projects that had been planned for overseas project centers could not be completed remotely, so a number of teams chose new project topics.

"Though this pivoting was difficult for students and faculty, these projects succeeded because of the resilience and creativity of our project teams,鈥?says Kent Rissmiller, interim dean of Interdisciplinary and Global Studies. 鈥淎nd they learned lessons about themselves and remote teamwork that will serve them later in life.鈥?lt;/p>
Among the students who took on a new project are Kade Woolverton, Ivan Nikulin, and Matthew Withington. They had planned to go to Moscow to work on a nursing home search engine. Instead, they decided to work with students and professors at Financial University in Moscow on a number of models to simulate the most effective protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The project proved more complicated than anticipated, says Nikulin, an aerospace engineering major. But Withington made a breakthrough recently that the team will present, and the Russian students have developed models that could be worked on in the future.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of different information, but we鈥檙e able to tie it together to show what鈥檚 significant about responding quickly to a pandemic,鈥?says Woolverton.

Authentic Stories from Around the World

Emilia Perez, an environmental engineering major who had planned to work on an eco-travel project in India, is part of a team that collected stories from ordinary people around the world living through the pandemic. Perez says her

team found interesting trends in the stories.

鈥淚 think we collected authentic stories of what was happening to people, and I think that is unique and important,鈥?Perez says.

Another team that collected stories had planned to go to Worcester, England, to work on a project about energy use in rental properties occupied by students. They did well taking on a new topic, especially since they had little time to do so, says Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, assistant teaching professor of mechanical engineering and an advisor to the team.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e preserved these important snapshots of what鈥檚 happening right now,鈥?Wodin-Schwartz says. 鈥淚 think the work was important for them to do as students, but I also think that it鈥檚 important work for others to see.鈥?lt;/p>
Meanwhile, a student team composed of Connor Mulvey, Ryan Peters, and Nathaniel Rutkowski pivoted to focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. dairy industry. Among their findings: Dairy farmers who sell products through farm stands or market directly to consumers are less affected by the pandemic than those who rely on traditional mass markets. The team is drafting letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Congress to share their findings and urge legislative action to better support and protect dairy farms.

鈥淚 have enjoyed immersing myself in learning the details behind dairy farms and the broader industry through talking with those working in the industry and hope we have been able to convey their stories through this work,鈥?Peters says.

Advisor Ingrid Shockey, associate teaching professor of Interdisciplinary and Global Studies, was impressed by the work students accomplished remotely.

鈥淭he teams were able to conduct Zoom interviews, have phone conversations with important stakeholders, survey neighborhoods, and spent a lot of time learning new skills in data visualization,鈥?she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of their ability to make the most of the situation.鈥?lt;/p>
Projects in Showcase

Using Dynamic Models and Empirical COVID-19 Data to Showcase Pandemic Prevention Measures Presenters: (from WPI) Kade Woolverton, Ivan Nikulin, Matthew Withington; (from Financial University in Moscow) Anna Kozhieva, Astra Nikitina, Karina Nurgalieva, Olga Skiba

Advisors: (WPI) Svetlana Nikitina; (Financial University) Anton Losev, Dmitri Korovin

Transitioning During Covid-19: Student Perspectives

Presenters: Nicholas Boggiano, Olivia Lattanzi, Megan McCoole

Advisors: Bruce Bursten, Peter Hansen

Analyzing the Effectiveness of Remote Labs at WPI

Presenters: Patrick Macauley, Zachary Newlon, Erika Wentz, Peter Zollinger

Advisors: Bruce Bursten, Peter Hansen

Coronavirus Stories: Capturing the Voices of College Students

Presenters: Christopher Ferrari, Lucas Falsarella Guerreiro, Gelila Hailemariam, William Schwend

Advisors: Bruce Bursten, Peter Hansen

Recording Human Stories in a Time of Crisis

Presenters: Henry Poskanzer, Alex Klenk, Emilia Perez, Chioma Onyenokwe, Raj Dandekar

Advisors: Uma Kumar, Ingrid Shockey

Global Stories of Young Adults During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Presenters: Scott D鈥橝ttilio, Chenxi Li, Andrew Ressler, Jeremy Gagnon

Advisors: Uma Kumar, Ingrid Shockey

Evaluating Impacts of COVID 19 on the Dairy Industry

Presenters: Connor Mulvey, Ryan Peters, Nathaniel Rutkowski

Advisors: Uma Kumar, Ingrid Shockey

The Many Faces of COVID

Presenters: Matthew Gulbin, David Robie, Gwyneth Zelmanow

Advisors: Tom Balistrieri, Sarah Wodin-Schwartz

-By Lisa Eckelbecker

When the Pandemic Upended Global Travel, Students Canceled Trips and Pivoted to Remote Teamwork

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Emilia Perez considers herself a positive person, but when the WPI junior learned in March that her long-anticipated spring trip to India for an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) had been cancelled along with all university travel because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt a loss.

鈥淚ndia is just so wildly different from the culture here,鈥?said Perez, an environmental engineering major who had been scheduled to study ecotourism opportunities in India. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been to Asia, never been to India. Of course, I can go another time. But the project aspect of it鈥攎eeting people and interviewing people鈥擨 am very aware that I have lost that experience.鈥?lt;/p>
She鈥檚 not the only one. About 280 WPI students and their advisers who had been scheduled to depart for offshore projects centers in early March were instead told to scuttle their plans as public health authorities raised alarms about a novel coronavirus spreading worldwide. Then as the student teams regrouped to work on campus, WPI鈥攁long with universities across the country鈥攃losed nearly all campus operations.

Now, teams that would have been in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia are scattered to their homes, working remotely. Some teams have adjusted their projects to move forward with few changes. Other teams have abandoned projects and adopted new ones. And some teams have disbanded and regrouped with other members to work on new projects.

Ingrid Shockey, director of the India Project Center, who had planned to accompany 22 students to the Himalayan foothills community of Mandi, feared students unable to travel would feel despondent. Instead, she said, she鈥檚 seeing something else: students demonstrating flexibility and resiliency.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e interested in what鈥檚 possible,鈥?Shockey said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e at the point now, instead of saying, 鈥榃hat have we lost?鈥?we鈥檙e saying, 鈥榃hat can we still do?鈥?鈥?lt;/p>

Aiming to Solve Problems

Project-based learning is the cornerstone of a WPI education, and for many WPI undergraduates, junior-year travel to a foreign project center for an IQP is a highlight of the WPI experience.

The projects are typically designed by WPI global project center directors in collaboration with foreign sponsors鈥攕uch as universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations鈥攁nd aim to solve a problem at the intersection of science and society. Students express their interests and are assigned to teams.

All students who had been scheduled for spring IQPs had recently completed seven weeks of preparation when they learned they could not go. In the scramble that followed, some students and advisors found ways to carry on with planned projects.

Alex Harrigan, an aerospace engineering major from York, Maine, had been scheduled to go to the Berlin Project Center with a team assigned to assist the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries with better integration of open-source software practices. The student team had planned to interview the institute鈥檚 staff in person but is now communicating with the German staffers, who are also staying home, through email and video conferences.

鈥淭here are going to be technical hiccups with having to deal with that many online interviews, but it鈥檚 definitely a relief being able to just continue with a lot of the work we had previously planned,鈥?said Harrigan.

Veronica Gurnawan, a computer science major from Jefferson, New Jersey, had also been scheduled to travel to the Berlin Project Center. Her team lucked out, she said, and went forward with its project to create an app for ORAM, the Organization for Refuge, Asylum, and Migration, that could be used by LGBTQ+ refugees.

Now Gurnawan and her teammates use Jira project management software to collaborate on the work and communicate over another platform, Discord.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not ideal that we can鈥檛 see each other face to face, but we鈥檝e been doing a lot of conferencing, we have a meeting every single morning, and then we check in at the end of the workday,鈥?Gurnawan said. 鈥淲e have daily goals, and we have weekly goals, and we communicate with our advisor and with our sponsors pretty much every single day. I think this will be a good term.鈥?lt;/p>