RSS Feed for Latest News

Q&A with Christina Bailey-Hytholt

leckelbecker — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Christina Bailey-Hytholt鈥檚 research explores something so ordinary that it is often discarded when no longer needed yet so critical that it sustains life.

The placenta.

Recently named to the Leonard P. Kinnicutt Professorship, Bailey-Hytholt 鈥?5 is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering who focuses on using engineering approaches to advance women鈥檚 and prenatal health. She concentrates specifically on problems of the placenta, a temporary organ that forms in the uterus during pregnancy to provide nutrients and oxygen to a developing baby.

Some of her work is considered exploratory, but she鈥檚 also interested in developing models of the placenta for research and developing particles that package and deliver therapies to patients.

Her research has captured attention from funders and others. In 2024, Bailey-Hytholt was awarded a three-year, $502,999 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for early-career researchers to determine the relationship between placental cells known as trophoblasts and the biomolecules they secrete, called exosomes, that are important for cell communication. In 2022, Forbes named her to its 30 Under 30 Class of Innovators.

Bailey-Hytholt joined the WPI faculty in 2022 after receiving her PhD in biomedical engineering at Brown University and completing postdoctoral research in genomic medicine and biologics drug product development and manufacturing at Sanofi. Her research has been supported by the NSF, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and the Amnion Foundation. She is affiliated with WPI鈥檚 Department of Biomedical Engineering.

From left, Christina Bailey-Hytholt and students Emily Lei '27 and PhD student Kerstin Andrews '25

Q: Did you always want to be a researcher?

A: I always gravitated toward healthcare. During middle and high school, I volunteered at a nursing home for several years. When I arrived at WPI as an undergraduate in chemical engineering, I thought I would later go to medical school. Then I worked in the lab of Terri Camesano (dean of graduate studies) and had the best experience. She and the graduate students working in her lab encouraged me to think about pursuing research and my PhD. I didn鈥檛 know what graduate school and becoming a researcher really was until my experience working in a lab. At the same time, I had some health challenges of my own. I realized that there are many things we don鈥檛 have answers to in a clinical setting, and new research is important to advance medicine.

Q: How did you decide to focus your research on women鈥檚 unmet health needs?

A: Women鈥檚 health is an area that I can relate to and feel I can be an advocate for, which led to my passion for this area of research. However, research into women鈥檚 health as an engineer really wasn鈥檛 on my radar until a few things came together during my first year of graduate school鈥攐pportunities, exciting projects, and good mentors. There was an opportunity to contribute to a prenatal diagnostic project, and that project spurred ideas about using engineering skill sets to study the placenta. I also was fortunate to be an NSF fellow and to have advisors who supported me. Pursuing these projects, I really became passionate about the subject and saw that there were not many engineering approaches being used to advance prenatal and women鈥檚 health. On a personal level, I recently went through my own pregnancy and had a healthy daughter, so I saw firsthand how important research is for prenatal health.

A researcher holds a clear container that is used to measure the surface charge of nanoparticles in solution.

Q: What does chemical engineering have to do with human health?

A: The words 鈥渃hemical engineering鈥?may typically conjure up images of a person wearing a hard hat and working in an industrial plant, but chemical engineers work in many different fields. Many chemical engineers work in health-related fields such as the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Chemical engineers learn to solve problems involving complex systems and processes, and human health involves complex systems and processes. Chemical engineering concepts such as material properties, mass balances, transport, kinetics, thermodynamics, and more are crucial to designing therapeutics and cell models, which are important in advancing human health.

Q: What is the goal of your three-year NSF-funded project?

A: The goal of this project is to study and identify the relationship between the environment that trophoblast cells, the main cells in the placenta, are grown in and how they communicate with each other. Trophoblasts invade the endometrium, which is the membrane that lines the uterus, to anchor the placenta in place and ensure adequate blood flow. Trophoblasts also secrete factors that allow cells in the placenta to communicate with each other. The placenta is not a well-understood organ, so my lab is looking at how the environment in the placenta鈥攕uch as the presence of growth factors or hormones鈥攊nfluences invasiveness and impacts what trophoblasts secrete. It鈥檚 important to expand knowledge about the placenta because it is a critical organ for developing babies and there are studies that suggest placental health impacts the lifelong health of babies and mothers鈥攕o really, everyone. This award also financially supports graduate and undergraduate students in the lab. We have a great team working on this important project.

Q: As a graduate of WPI, what is it like to return here as a faculty member?

A: I love it. It鈥檚 awesome to be back in the same research building where I got started. I also think a lot about the mentors I had as an undergraduate, how they influenced my career decisions, and how I can give the undergraduates in my research group a similar experience. I want to give them the opportunity to own their research and enjoy an immersive experience. In the classroom, I can relate to students taking the chemical engineering courses that I teach, because I was in the same seat as them not so long ago. I thought the seven-week terms were fast paced as a student, but they seem to fly by even faster now as a faculty member!

WPI Researcher Receives DOE Award To Study Uranium Recovery From Wastewater

sfoskett — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

A chemical engineering professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute has received an $800,000 award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study the recovery of critical minerals like uranium from industrial wastewater鈥攚ork spurred in part by a growing demand for nuclear fuel as the world鈥檚 capacity for nuclear power increases.

The International Atomic Energy Agency鈥檚鈥渉igh case scenario鈥?estimates world nuclear power capacity will increase by 2.5 times the current level by 2050. Given the momentum of this global growth, researchers are working to identify unconventional sources of uranium, like highly toxic industrial wastewater from mining and milling operations. The efforts are intended not only to recover uranium for use, but also to minimize the amount of uranium in the environment.

鈥淏eing able to extract uranium from uranium-bearing mining wastewater will improve the health of ecosystems while addressing uranium security for the nation鈥檚 needs,鈥?said Xiaowei Teng, the James H. Manning Professor of Chemical Engineering.

The current uranium separation process, called adsorption, is costly and has limited capacity. Teng will focus instead on understanding how heavy metal ions interact with electrode materials to design an electrochemical system capable of recovering uranium from wastewater. Ultimately, the methods Teng and his team will examine could result in a more efficient process that yields more uranium and produces less toxic wastewater.

鈥淲e want to move away from reliance on trial-and-error methods and instead figure out the key features that help us extract uranium from wastewater more effectively and efficiently,鈥?Teng said. 鈥淧art of this study will be to develop new materials for electrodes that can be used repeatedly and are designed to recover important elements in an environmentally responsible way.鈥?amp;nbsp;

Teng鈥檚 work on the grant will build on his previous research using chloride ions from seawater to develop green batteries and separating urea from wastewater.

The three-year grant is administered by the Separation Program at the Office of Basic Energy Sciences at DOE. Teng is the principal investigator on the grant and will work with subaward principal investigator 脰zg眉r 脟apraz, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

WPI Researchers Turn Up the Heat on PFAS with Novel Removal Process

jcain — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Reducing human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as 鈥渇orever chemicals,鈥?is a significant societal challenge. In the search for possible solutions, a group of researchers in WPI鈥檚 Department of Chemical Engineering has developed a process for wastewater treatment plants that not only shows promise in removing PFAS from sewage but also may ultimately generate renewable fuel while potentially reducing the amount of carbon emissions produced by these plants.

Demonstrating WPI鈥檚 commitment to developing impactful innovations, the researchers are collaborating with academic, industry, and government partners in hopes of bringing their technological approach from the lab into communities facing the daunting challenge of remediating PFAS contamination.

鈥淧FAS are insidious. They can slowly accumulate and contribute to health risks. We鈥檙e trying to reduce those risk factors,鈥?said Michael Timko, professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

(L-R) Julian Bennett, chemical engineering doctoral student, Michael Timko, professor of chemical engineering, David Kenney, chemical engineering doctoral student

The timing of WPI鈥檚 work is important: Government, health, and community leaders are increasingly pushing for reductions in PFAS in the environment. PFAS are human-made chemicals that have been used for decades in the production of goods such as nonstick cookware, water-resistant clothes, and firefighting foam used at airports and military bases. Once in the environment, they are hard to break down and the widespread use of products with PFAS has resulted in the chemicals being found in soil, water, crops, livestock, and the human food chain.

When someone drinks water or eats food with PFAS in it, the chemicals can build up inside the body. According to the federal government鈥檚 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, evidence suggests associations between increased exposure to specific PFAS and health effects including certain cancers, higher cholesterol, and higher levels of enzymes that can signal liver damage.

Michael Timko, professor of chemical engineering

PFAS often show up in wastewater, and, if they are not broken down, they can re-enter the environment through emissions as both runoff water and solid waste. But, it can be challenging, costly, and energy-intensive for municipalities and water systems to remove PFAS from wastewater and its associated by-products. That鈥檚 where the team from WPI comes in.

鈥淎s we aim to reduce the presence of PFAS and people鈥檚 exposure to health risks, we also want to reduce the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment,鈥?said Timko. 鈥淭here鈥檚 enough energy in the incoming waste stream to power wastewater treatment facilities, and we believe these plants can be carbon-neutral or even energy-producing.鈥?lt;/p>

The team, which is led by Timko, built upon a core advanced technology known as hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to create a process called radical initiated hydrothermal liquefaction (RI-HTL). The process works by heating up wastewater treatment鈥揼enerated sewage sludge in a reactor that serves as a pressure cooker. A 鈥渞adical,鈥?hydrogen peroxide, is put into the mixture to help speed up the reactions that break down the bonds holding PFAS together. Ultimately, RI-HTL generates solid waste, processed water, gas, and biocrude oil.

A reactor inside a WPI laboratory which can be used for radical initiated hydrothermal liquefaction.

Initial tests found that heating sludge for 10 minutes at roughly 570 degrees Fahrenheit in the WPI-developed process removed 99 percent of PFAS from the processed water, 98 percent from solid waste, and 89 percent from the oil. Techniques for further processing the oil can remove additional PFAS and upgrade it into transportation fuel, such as diesel or aviation fuel.

The testing also found RI-HTL increases the amount of biocrude generated, offering a 60 percent yield, compared to a 40 percent yield from HTL. Additionally, because WPI鈥檚 RI-HTL works with sewage sludge in a 鈥渨et鈥?state, it bypasses the energy-intensive steps of drying and incinerating sludge used by some treatment facilities.

Hoping to bring this technology to the market, Timko and his team worked with WPI鈥檚 Office of Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship to seek a patent on the technology and license it to River Otter Renewables. Timko co-founded the Massachusetts-based company in 2023 with CEO Amelia Thomas.

鈥淩iver Otter hopes to use this technology to save wastewater treatment facilities money by reducing solid waste heading to incinerators or landfills and by reducing their use of natural gas, electricity, and chemical additives for other methods of sludge disposal,鈥?said Thomas.

Sewage sludge (left) can be turned into a biocrude oil (right) using the WPI-developed process to reduce PFAS.

The Environmental Protection Agency helped advance the research in 2023 when it awarded Small Business Innovation Research funding to River Otter Renewables for testing and design work. Timko and Thomas hope to build a larger pilot-scale reactor, test more sludge samples, conduct analysis on the gas generated through RI-HTL for PFAS and hydrocarbons, and investigate other potential radical initiators or catalysts.

鈥淭here isn't going to be a one-shot solution to the PFAS problem. There will be many different solutions in different areas,鈥?said Timko. 鈥淲e think we have a sweet spot with a technology that could benefit wastewater treatment. It has very complex and rich chemical engineering science behind it that I hope to further understand through testing so we can help reverse some of the damage PFAS have been silently causing for decades.鈥?lt;/p>

WPI Researchers Unlock the 鈥淪ilicate Magic鈥?for Safer, Cheaper, and More Efficient Batteries

sfoskett — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The world is rapidly transitioning to renewable power, but there are shortcomings. Solar power falls at night, and wind power recedes and ascends irregularly. New technologies need to be developed that can store energy from the electrical grid when there鈥檚 a surplus and deploy it when there鈥檚 not enough.

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries play a crucial role in everyday life, powering devices from smartphones to electric vehicles. However, they rely on limited resources like lithium, nickel, and cobalt, raising concerns about sustainability and cost.

Xiaowei Teng, the James H. Manning Professor in Chemical Engineering at WPI, is leading a team to explore new battery technologies for grid energy storage. The team鈥檚 recent results, published in the European scientific journal ChemSusChem, suggest that iron, when treated with the electrolyte additive silicate, could create a high-performance alkaline battery anode. The second most abundant metal in the Earth鈥檚 crust after aluminum, iron is far more sustainable than nickel and cobalt. The United States alone recycles approximately over 40 million metric tons of iron and steel from scrap each year.

Xiaowei Teng, James H. Manning Professor in Chemical Engineering

Teng notes that iron is already used as an alkaline battery anode in iron-nickel alkaline batteries鈥攊nvented by Thomas Edison in the 1900s鈥攂ut it has low energy efficiency and storage capacity due to the formation of hydrogen gas during charging and inert iron oxide during discharging.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want hydrogen gas formation when charging a battery,鈥?said Teng. 鈥淚t impairs the energy efficiency of the battery system considerably. Without addressing these technical challenges, iron alkaline batteries are less attractive for modern energy storage systems to be coupled with electric grids.鈥?lt;/span>

In an Oct. 7 cover story featured in ChemSusChem, the team reported that adding silicate to the electrolytes allowed them to charge a battery without producing hydrogen.

A chemical compound of silicon and oxygen, silicate has long been used as an inexpensive and simple agent in glass, cement, insulation, and detergents, said Sathya Jagadeesan, a PhD student at WPI and lead author on the paper. The team discovered that silicate also strongly interacts with battery electrodes and suppresses hydrogen gas generation. Teng said this new process could improve the alkaline iron redox chemistries in iron-air and iron-nickel batteries for energy storage applications, such as microgrids or individual solar or wind farms.

WPI Early-Career Researchers, With New Awards of $3.7 Million, Launch Projects to Advance Health and Work

leckelbecker — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Four Worcester Polytechnic Researchers (WPI) who are in the early stages of their careers have received grants totaling $3.7 million for projects that will help establish their laboratories and produce breakthroughs in biology, robotics, and women鈥檚 healthcare.

The grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support research into the basic workings of cells in placenta, algorithms that could help robots grasp objects, the genetics behind egg cell division in tiny worms, and mechanisms that allow cells to communicate with each other and their environment. All the projects will run for several years. The studies will be conducted by faculty in WPI鈥檚 School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering.

鈥淭hese projects are supported by prestigious programs that aim to accelerate the work of the nation鈥檚 most talented young researchers,鈥?said Bogdan Vernescu, WPI vice president and vice provost for research and innovation. 鈥淭ogether, these awards and projects show that WPI is home to remarkable early-career researchers who are making important contributions in their fields.鈥?lt;/span>

WPI has long been home to distinguished junior faculty who advance science and engineering through their research into more secure computer chips, surgical robots, medical sensors, detection of lies in online news and reviews, better ways to learn mathematics, the mysterious workings of plant cells, and more. Over the past 10 years, WPI鈥檚 faculty has included 27 recipients of NSF CAREER Awards, one of the most prestigious honors for junior faculty members who have the potential to become leaders at their research institutions.

鈥淲PI is a place where rising researchers can thrive and grow as scholars, educators, mentors, and leaders,鈥?said Jean King, Peterson Family Dean of Arts and Sciences. 鈥淭hese new projects will answer specific questions about biology, but they also will enable researchers to follow new and emerging leads while training the next generation of scientists.鈥?lt;/span>

鈥淓ngineering faculty at WPI are focused on global challenges that impact the health, safety, and productivity of people,鈥?said John McNeill, the Bernard M. Gordon Dean of Engineering. 鈥淓arly-career faculty in engineering are pushing the boundaries of their fields by pursuing breakthroughs that could improve pregnancy outcomes for women and enable humans and robots to work together.鈥?lt;/span>

Two new projects are led by faculty members in the School of Arts and Sciences. Their research, funded by the NIH, will delve into tiny structures on the surface of cells and the mechanisms that enable eggs to divide.

Inna Nechipurenko

Inna Nechipurenko, assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology, has been awarded a $1,890,960 grant through the NIH鈥檚 Maximizing Investigators Research Award for Early Stage Investigators. Her lab studies the assembly of tiny cellular antennae called primary cilia, which mediate communication between cells and their environment. Defective cilia cause a myriad of genetic disorders that have no cure. Nechipurenko鈥檚 five-year project will delve into mapping the signaling networks that regulate cilia assembly, remodeling, and function in nerve cells to better understand how cilia dysfunction contributes to human neurodevelopmental disorders. A member of the faculty since 2020, Nechipurenko previously received grants from the NIH and the Charles H. Hood Foundation for her work. She received her PhD in neuroscience from Case Western Reserve University.

Karl-Fr茅d茅ric Vieux

Karl-Fr茅d茅ric Vieux, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology, has been awarded $747,000 through the NIH鈥檚 Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers program that supports diverse researchers transitioning from postdoctoral programs to careers. Vieux received his PhD from McGill University, was a postdoctoral fellow at NIH, and joined the WPI faculty in July 2024. His research focuses on transcribed copies of genes, known as RNA, and the molecular modifications that regulate their expression and stability in the context of reproduction. His project, which began during his postdoctoral fellowship at NIH and will continue for up to three more years, focuses on understanding the role of these genes during the process in which an egg transitions into an embryo.

WPI Receives Funding To Tackle a Major Recycling Challenge: Mixed Plastics

cbwamback — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has been awarded $331,592 in state funding to help develop a groundbreaking process for converting mixed plastic waste into valuable chemicals. This innovative approach aims to make the process more efficient and cost-effective, ultimately reducing plastic waste and its environmental impact.

Chemical engineering professor Michael Timko and assistant research professor Alex Maag are leading the WPI effort to create a versatile and scalable process using modular reactors that can convert mixed plastic waste and films into important chemicals. This initiative addresses the critical issue of plastic waste, with nearly 80% of all plastic currently ending up in landfills. The global plastic industry, valued at $593 billion, is predominantly made up of single-use plastics, contributing 3.7% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions.

WPI鈥檚 project is one of several being supported by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) through the Mass. Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) program announced today at an event in Holyoke.

The M2I2 funding will allow WPI to purchase equipment for its hydrothermal catalytic conversion of plastics, which includes the following:

Catalyst Characterization: Utilizing equipment to analyze new and used catalysts and reaction products, providing proof of concept for effective plastic conversion into chemicals.
Product Characterization: Plastic breaks down into complex mixtures which WPI aims to funnel selectively to chemicals. The characterization equipment this award will purchase will be used to characterize intermediates on their way to useful chemicals.

This project aligns with the Department of Energy's objectives for advanced chemical manufacturing and is submitted to the Manufacturing USA Institute REMADE, which focuses on sustainable manufacturing practices.

This work is another example of WPI鈥檚 vast research portfolio advancing technologies that recover, recycle, and reuse materials throughout the manufacturing process. Read more.

2024 Annual Awards Honor Faculty and Teaching Assistants

jcain — Mon, 06 May 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The 2024 Faculty Honors Convocation, held April 26 in the Rubin Campus Center Odeum, celebrated outstanding WPI faculty members and teaching assistants. Awards were presented during the ceremony to recognize excellence in areas including innovation, teaching, service to community, research, and academic advising. Here are the winners:

Karen Troy, professor and associate department head in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, received the Board of Trustees Chair鈥檚 Exemplary Faculty Prize. The award honors excellence across areas of faculty performance, including teaching, research, and scholarship. Troy was recognized for inspiring and mentoring students, exposing them to the excitement of lab experimentation, and researching biomechanics, bone strength, and risk factors for bone stress injury. Read the award citation here.

Greg Lewin, assistant teaching professor and associate head in the Department of Robotics Engineering, received the Trustees鈥?Award for Outstanding Teaching. The award recognizes faculty who display excellence in teaching and outstanding professional contributions. Lewin was recognized for his engaging approach to presenting introductory robotics, for helping students in the lab, and for being invested in the success and well-being of students. Read the award citation here.

Jamal Yagoobi, the George F. Fuller Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, received the Trustees鈥?Award for Outstanding Research & Creative Scholarship. The award recognizes outstanding teaching, research, and creative scholarship, academic advising, and service to the community. Yagoobi was recognized for his significant contributions to the understanding of drying and thermal processes and connecting industry and academic research. Read the award citation here.

Leonard Albano, associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering, received the Trustees鈥?Award for Outstanding Academic Advising. The award recognizes the guidance and mentorship offered by academic advisors through stages of professional and personal development. Albano was recognized for always leaving his door open for students, going out of his way to make students feel seen, and helping them grow as people and professionals. Read the award citation here.

Mark Richman, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and WPI鈥檚 Secretary of the Faculty, received the Denise Nicoletti Trustees鈥?Award for Service to Community. The award honors the memory and spirit of service of the first tenure-track female faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the co-founder of Camp Reach, a summer program which introduces girls to engineering and science. Richman was recognized for supporting and elevating people in the WPI community. Read the award citation here.

Joseph Aguilar, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Humanities & Arts, Kate McIntyre, assistant professor in the Department of Humanities & Arts, and Rose Bohrer, assistant professor in the Computer Science Department, received the Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education. The award honors the memory of a longtime faculty member who was a key player in bringing tenure to WPI and creating the WPI Plan, which revolutionized undergraduate education on campus. Aguilar and McIntyre were recognized for their work to make creative writing thrive at WPI. Read the award citation here. Bohrer was recognized for advancing computer science education at WPI through a redesign of a programming language course and integration of theory with social and ethical considerations. Read the award citation here.

Rebecca Gilchrist, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, received the Teaching Assistant of the Year Award. The award honors the contributions graduate students make to the quality and success of WPI鈥檚 curriculum. Gilchrist was recognized for teaching with humor and skill and allowing students to leave the fear of failure behind. Read the award citation here. Alexandra Harrison, a graduate student in the Department of Chemical Engineering, received honorable mention for her excellent support of students and faculty.

Calling All Introverts

mlumsden — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Q: What do Audrey Hepburn, Bill Gates, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Mahatma Gandhi have in common?

A: They鈥檙e each extremely successful in their chosen field鈥攁nd famously introverted.

Guiding introverted students toward their own paths of professional accomplishment is part of why N. Aaron Deskins, professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, created the class Success for Introverts, offered annually in B-Term since 2021. The course fulfills a wellness and physical education credit, which students need in order to graduate. But it also equips students with important practical skills, a sense of community, and so much more.

Long mischaracterized as a synonym for shyness, introversion is a basic personality type marked by the need to turn inward to regain energy. Extroverts, on the other hand, get energy from external social interactions.

Professor N. Aaron Deskins

Almost all of the students who have taken the class have identified somewhere on the introvert end of the personality spectrum, according to Deskins, who says he is also an introvert. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity for them to realize they鈥檙e not alone and that it鈥檚 okay to be an introvert.鈥?lt;/p>

Deskins鈥檚 co-teacher Kristin Boudreau, professor in the Department of Humanities and Arts, adds, 鈥淭he goal is for students to learn something about introversion, about the chemistry and biology behind it, and how it shows up in social life and how it can hamper somebody. But we also really want them to understand that there are real strengths to introversion and that it鈥檚 another form of diversity.鈥?amp;nbsp;

All of that is helpful for introverted students preparing for careers in the modern workplace because often physical office layouts, as well as reward and promotion systems, are designed for those who gravitate toward social interactions and frequent collaboration.

Before they even get that first job, though, WPI students must navigate the university鈥檚 signature group projects, which can prove especially challenging for introverts.

鈥淭here鈥檚 evidence of people being marginalized on teams because of gender, because of race. It鈥檚 also because of personality styles,鈥?says Boudreau, who identifies as an introvert. 鈥淓xtroverts tend to take control, and if introverts don鈥檛 speak for a while, people stop looking to them to speak. Then they get marginalized and feel discouraged, and there鈥檚 a cascading effect because the introverts don鈥檛 learn鈥攁nd in turn don鈥檛 teach their peers.鈥?lt;/p>

Undergraduate Research Projects Showcase at WPI: Innovative Ideas Tackling Real-World Problems

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

A low-cost feeding device for infants, a process to break down 鈥渇orever chemicals,鈥?and an augmented reality quilt were among more than 500 innovative undergraduate research projects on display April 21 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) during the university鈥檚 annual campus-wide celebration of senior students鈥?achievements.

The Undergraduate Research Projects Showcase gave about 1,145 senior students, who had worked alone or in teams for months, an opportunity to display their Major Qualifying Projects (MQP), which all students must complete to graduate. Supervised by faculty members and sometimes performed with outside sponsors, MQPs are professional-level research, design, or creative projects that seek solutions to real-world problems and reflect WPI鈥檚 leadership in project-based learning.

Grace Wang

鈥淚t is inspiring to see WPI鈥檚 students tackle real-world problems with innovation, creativity, and a great sense of social responsibility,鈥?said Grace Wang, WPI president. 鈥淭heir extraordinary accomplishments illustrate how project-based learning and WPI鈥檚 philosophy of theory and practice prepares critical thinkers, lifelong learners, and leaders who contribute to their fields and positively impact their communities.鈥?lt;/span>

Undergraduate research at WPI enables students to strengthen their knowledge in their majors and work across disciplines. The university鈥檚 annual showcase of undergraduate research projects is among events featured on the website of the Council on Undergraduate Research, which supports and promotes high-quality mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry.

All the research projects, including the following five projects, can be found here:

2023 Annual Awards Honor WPI Faculty and Staff

leckelbecker — Tue, 02 May 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Members of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute faculty and staff were honored for their achievements and service to the university at the April 28 annual Faculty Honors Convocation at the Rubin Campus Center.