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Two WPI Professors Recognized with State Educator Award

jcain — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has recognized two WPI faculty members as recipients of the department's Educator Award to celebrate their decade of work in upholding the department鈥檚 mission to ensure a clean environment and enhance natural resources in the state. During an event at WPI in June, the MassDEP announced the recipients of the award: Corey Denenberg Dehner, associate professor of teaching in The Global School, and Paul Mathisen, associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering and WPI鈥檚 director of sustainability.

Dehner and Mathisen co-direct WPI鈥檚 Massachusetts Water Resource Outreach Center (WROC), a project center that allows student teams to partner with municipalities, local government agencies, and watershed organizations to work on water resource challenges. Dehner and Mathisen co-founded the center in 2015 with a goal of exposing students to the inner workings of state and local government and tackling water resource issues in Central and Eastern Massachusetts.

Leaders with the MassDEP cited the pair鈥檚 work at the center as a main reason they were selected to receive the award. The department gives the honor to recognize educators who inspire and empower students to protect the planet; who incorporate environmental themes into curriculum; and who are committed to fostering environmental awareness in the community. MassDEP leaders said the project center has exposed students to environmental challenges through work on water issues such as nitrogen reduction and emerging contaminants and has provided students with the chance to learn about careers in the environmental field.

鈥淔or 50 years, MassDEP has been protecting our natural resources and working with local communities to ensure the water we drink is safe and healthy,鈥?said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. 鈥淎nd since its founding, WPI鈥檚 Massachusetts Water Resource Outreach Center has shared this commitment to safeguarding our vital water resources. Students are gaining hands-on experience to address the many challenges facing our drinking water today, including lead, PFAS, and a changing climate. We are grateful to have partners like WROC to ensure the next generation of water specialists are well equipped to take on these challenges and maintain Massachusetts鈥?lt;/span> drinking water as some of the cleanest in the nation.鈥?lt;/p>

Dehner accepts award and governor's citation from John Beling, deputy commissioner of policy and planning for MassDEP

Dehner expressed gratitude for everyone at the MassDEP and for their efforts and collaboration with the WROC. 鈥淚 think the award is a recognition of this effective partnership,鈥?she said. 鈥淭hrough collaboration with the MassDEP, our project center is able to help WPI students understand the value of being civically engaged and the interplay between federal and state environmental agencies, local communities, industry, and organizations.鈥?lt;/p>

Dehner credited Andrea Briggs, deputy director of MassDEP鈥檚 central region, with helping her and Mathisen bring the evolving goals of the WROC to fruition. For example, in the spring Dehner, Mathisen, and Briggs worked with students to develop a comprehensive immersion program to intentionally and thoughtfully expose students to the breadth of water resource career opportunities and to help students understand the complex relationship between state, federal, and local governance. During a single project term, for example, students may tour a water treatment plant and a town鈥檚 stormwater infrastructure facilities, conduct hands-on activities such as water quality testing and participate in a MassDEP roundtable with employees from different water-related divisions.

Also starting this spring, WROC began publishing student projects on QUBES Hub, an open educational resource site. This gives residents, organizations, and municipal officials an additional way to access the resources students develop. These materials can also be found on the WROC website.

Through the center and WPI鈥檚 commitment to delivering project-based learning, students have had the opportunity to complete more than 40 projects directly with MassDEP or other sponsors, including local municipalities and the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition.

WROC student team learning about the requirements for completing culvert assessment in Sutton

Those projects have included creating educational campaigns to alert the public to the dangers of PFAS chemical contamination in drinking water; conducting outreach to inform private well owners about groundwater contamination; producing a manual to help cities and towns consider establishing funding mechanisms to manage the impacts of stormwater runoff; and helping the City of Worcester develop guidelines for monitoring bacteria levels in ponds and lakes. In many cases, towns and cities have chosen to partner with WPI students to help tackle important water issues that demand resources and staff beyond what they can dedicate.

Mathisen said the projects give students the chance to make an impact in communities by doing hands-on work in partnership with others. The projects also help the students learn how water resource policy is created and implemented and provide opportunities to receive mentorship from professionals working in water management and environmental protection.

鈥淥ne of the goals of the WROC is to help our students gain leadership experience and the perspective to make a difference and have a positive impact on sustainability in their future careers,鈥?said Mathisen. 鈥淭he projects not only help to educate students and the public, they also show students the importance of bringing together people with different experiences, perspectives, and talents to address an issue, whether it鈥檚 a water resources challenge or a problem in a different area.鈥?lt;/p>

Students learn about the water protection work of MassDEP employees in the department's Central Regional Office

The WROC is one of more than 50 WPI project centers on six continents where students conduct term-long projects required for graduation. At this specific center, students can complete their Interactive Qualifying Project, a signature WPI project that places students in interdisciplinary teams to work in partnership with a community-based sponsor on a challenge at the intersection of science, technology, and the needs of society.

Dehner accepted the award on behalf of herself and Mathisen during a MassDEP 50th anniversary celebration at Rubin Campus Center. John Beling, the department鈥檚 deputy commissioner of policy and planning, read a citation from Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll in recognition of the WPI educators and WROC鈥檚 10th anniversary, stating, 鈥淢assachusetts commends your ongoing efforts addressing municipal water resource challenges through this hands-on community engagement and partnership.鈥?amp;nbsp;

Beling added that the state鈥檚 partnership with the project center provides benefits both to students and the MassDEP. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so important that we expose students to the work we do and to help them understand what we do,鈥?he said. 鈥淲e get a lot out of it. Hopefully they get a lot out of it. I hope this relationship continues and is as beneficial as it has been for the last 10 years.鈥?amp;nbsp;

The Power of Academic and Industry Collaboration Comes to Life through Student Research Projects at WPI

cbwamback — Fri, 02 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000

On April 25, student teams representing every academic department on campus presented the results of their senior theses during WPI鈥檚 annual Undergraduate Research Project Showcase. This signature event showcases the culmination of WPI鈥檚 distinctive project-based undergraduate education, where students engage in team-based professional-level design and research that mirrors the challenges they will likely tackle in their careers. Known as major qualifying projects (MQPs), these yearlong experiences provide students with both technical skills and 鈥渟oft鈥?skills like communication, leadership, teamwork, and critical thinking.

Industry support is vital to this process. Every year companies are invited to sponsor projects that introduce corporate-specific scenarios, offering students invaluable problem-solving experience while providing companies with bold new thinking and proposals for innovative solutions. Here are just a few examples of the exciting projects, conducted by graduating seniors, made possible by sponsors鈥?support this year.

Draper

L-R: Emma DeMartino; Fatimah Daffaie; Adeline Fede

Project: Investigating Endothelial Responses to Tissue Under In-Vitro Flow: System Development for the Preclinical Evaluation of Draper鈥檚 LEAP Valve
Department: Biomedical Engineering (BME)
Students: Fatimah Daffaie; Emma DeMartino; Adeline Fede
Advisors: Kristen Billiar, professor (BME); Corin Williams (Draper)

This project focused on helping children who have had heart valve replacements. Currently, replacement heart valves don鈥檛 grow as a child grows, which often means multiple surgeries. Draper has designed a new kind of heart valve鈥攖he LEAP Valve鈥攖hat鈥檚 made to grow with the child. The WPI team built a special lab setup that mimics how blood flows through the body, specifically how cells that line blood vessels react when the LEAP Valve is in place. This is a critical step in studying the efficacy of the valve and identifying how it affects the body prior to clinical trials.

鈥淲orking with Draper鈥檚 biotechnology department鈥攁nd learning from both the bio team and other departments鈥攚as an incredible experience,鈥?said Emma DeMartino. 鈥淥ur sponsor gave us so much helpful advice, and getting to see and understand the full scope of the project made it really fun and rewarding.鈥?amp;nbsp;

Draper advisor Corin Williams said, 鈥淚鈥檝e been really impressed with this team and the amount of work they put into the project. They essentially built this system from scratch鈥攏o one had created anything like it before. Watching it all come together from an initial concept to a fully realized system was incredibly exciting.鈥?lt;/span>

L-R: John Chau, Halim Faker

Fidelity Investments

Project: Creating the Metric Store for Business Performance Metrics
Departments: Computer Science (CS), Data Science (DS), Financial Technology (FT), Industrial Engineering (IE), Management Engineering (MGE)
Students: John Chau (DS, MGE, IE); Halim Faker (IE, FT); Mansi Gera (DS); Harshith Iyer (CS); Sophia John (CS)
Advisors: Marcel Blais, professor of teaching (mathematical sciences); Joshua Cuneo, senior instructor (CS); Kwamie Dunbar, associate professor (The Business School); Xin Gao, assistant professor (The Business School); Renata Konrad, associate professor (The Business School)

An interdisciplinary team of students worked with project sponsor Fidelity Investments to develop a prototype for a user-friendly web-based application for employees to view, search, and easily understand business performance metrics. The students said the partnership with Fidelity provided them with valuable connections who helped them gain technical expertise and a greater understanding of how data are used to inform business decisions.

鈥淲orking with Fidelity was one of the best experiences in my four years at WPI,鈥?said Halim Faker. 鈥淭his project was an opportunity to work in a company and learn how the financial world works and how important data are to customer analysis.鈥?lt;/span>

General Dynamics Electric Boat

L-R: Sofia Eckerson; Marc Donahue, MS 鈥?5 (CS); Samantha Germano; Taniya Crosby; Mir Valentine; Benjamin Perrin

Project: Designing an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle and Updating a Parametric Design Tool
Department: Mechanical and Materials Engineering (ME)
Students: Taniya Crosby; Marc Donahue, MS 鈥?5 (CS); Sofia Eckerson; Samantha Germano; Benjamin Perrin; Mir Valentine
Advisors: Ahmet Sabuncu, assistant teaching professor (ME); Shubbhi Taneja, assistant teaching professor (CS)

The team continued research started by the 2024 MQP team into the design of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), focusing on design features, materials, structural strength, and control systems. A key part of the work involved testing a new computer-based design tool and comparing its results to the 2024 team鈥檚 version. The students recommended refining the tool鈥檚 input settings, improving its ability to model water flow, and enhancing its real-time adaptability. Modeling is essential when working with large and complex systems like UUVs because it allows engineers to test designs virtually before anything is built. Another team will continue the sponsored project next year.

鈥淚t was a big responsibility to build on the work of last year鈥檚 team鈥攚e wanted to honor what they created while also making it our own and moving it forward,鈥?said Taniya Crosby. 鈥淲orking closely with our corporate sponsor helped us really understand the project鈥檚 full scope, and as we grew more confident, we focused on setting it up for success so next year鈥檚 team can launch it even further.鈥?lt;/span>

L-R: John Clendenin, Bora Hurst, Sara Kelly, Eli Budde, Dominic Brunetti

Honeywell

Project: GaN-based DC/DC Converter for Fuel Cell Applications
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
Students: Dominic Brunetti; Eli Budde; John Clendenin; Bora Hurst; Sara Kelly; Vanessa Narciso
Advisor: Gregory Noetscher, assistant teaching professor (ECE)

The team worked with project sponsor Honeywell to design and develop a prototype for a compact and lightweight power converter for use in unmanned autonomous vehicles that utilize hydrogen fuel cell power. The students said the opportunity to work with Honeywell provided a valuable real-world experience, and they praised their project partners in the company for providing consistent feedback and information on industry standards.

鈥淚t was wonderful working with them,鈥?said John Clendenin. 鈥淭hey really helped show us their standard way of doing things. They mentored us through the printed circuit board layout schematic part of the project. We got insight from them on the whole manufacturing process, from simulation to schematic to printed circuit board to ordering it.鈥?lt;/span>

NVIDIA

L-R: Alexander Samra; Owen Rago

Project: Performance Architecture Team鈥擯owerSense
Department: Computer Science
Students: Owen Rago; Alexander Samra
Advisors: Mark Claypool, professor (CS); Lane Harrison, associate professor (CS)

NVIDIA, a top company known for making GPUs鈥攖he computer chips that help run advanced AI programs鈥攐pened its door to the MQP team at WPI鈥檚 Silicon Valley Project Center. The students worked on systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) within the Tegra division鈥檚 Performance Architecture Team, analyzing and improving how these chips perform so teams across Tegra can better understand and improve their technology.

鈥淲orking with a corporate sponsor at their headquarters gave me real-world experience鈥攚e were in the office from 8 to 5 every day, just like a full-time job. Being fully immersed in that environment helped me learn a lot about how I work best, what I value in a company, and what I鈥檒l be looking for as I start my career,鈥?said Alexander Samra. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just a class project鈥攊t was real work, with real expectations, and it gave me a true sense of what my future could look like.鈥?lt;/span>

L-R Aidan Eldridge; Abigail Stack; Lauren Mitcheson; Sean Sullivan

Saint-Gobain

Project: Optimizing the Finishing Process in Bond Plant 7
The Business School
Students: Aidan Eldridge, MS 鈥?5 (management); Lauren Mitcheson, MS 鈥?5 (business analytics); Abigail Stack, MS 鈥?5 (management); Sean Sullivan, MS 鈥?5 (management)
Advisor: Walter Towner, teaching professor (The Business School)

It鈥檚 no small task to increase the productivity of a manufacturing line, but that鈥檚 what four students set out to do for global company Saint-Gobain. The team members focused on improving the finishing processes on a production line in Worcester that makes large, circular abrasive wheels for cutting steel and other hard materials. The students, all of whom are graduating this year with BS degrees in industrial engineering plus MS degrees in business fields, proposed steps such as adding laser technology, organizing tools, and standardizing operating procedures to make the line more efficient. They estimated their proposed changes could increase production and revenue for Saint-Gobain.

鈥淚t was really cool. All the concepts we used in this project were concepts we had learned in courses,鈥?said Lauren Mitcheson. Added Aidan Eldridge, 鈥淎lmost everything we suggested, Saint-Gobain is trying out.鈥?lt;/span>

Project-Based Learning Fellowship Benefits Faculty at WPI鈥攁nd Beyond

mlumsden — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Four WPI faculty members have been selected for this year鈥檚 cohort of faculty fellows at the Center for Project-Based Learning (CPBL). Now in its third year, the fellowship program is proving a successful鈥攁nd increasingly popular鈥攎ultidimensional growth opportunity for WPI faculty.

鈥淥ur faculty fellows program is a wonderfully symbiotic way for WPI faculty to engage in their own professional development while also producing a practical tool, like a resource guide or sample lesson plans, that enriches the field of project-based learning scholarship and teaching,鈥?says Kris Wobbe, director of the Center for Project-Based Learning.

This year鈥檚 cohort includes Zo毛 Eddy, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies; Ryan Madan, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Humanities and Arts; Stephen McCauley, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies; and Daniel Treku, assistant teaching professor in The Business School.

Over the summer each fellow will research an area of their choosing, then produce a related resource that will be accessible to faculty at WPI and beyond. (See In the Works, below, to learn more about the 2025 cohort鈥檚 projects and for a link to previous fellows鈥?deliverables.)

Faculty fellows also meet regularly as a group to discuss their topics and either teach a workshop or coach a team at the Institute for Project-Based Learning. For engaging in the program and submitting their final resource, each fellow receives $10,000.

Professional development, in community

The program is an especially beneficial opportunity for younger faculty who are working toward tenure and promotion, in part because each fellow creates a resource that becomes publicly available. Wobbe notes that the community that develops among each cohort is likewise valuable, regardless of where the fellows are on their professional journey.

鈥淥ver the summer the fellows have regular meetings, engaging in rich conversations about each other鈥檚 projects, providing not just guidance but also new ways of looking at things,鈥?she says. 鈥淔aculty don鈥檛 often spend much time talking to each other about how they鈥檙e teaching or why they鈥檙e teaching something in a certain way. The fellows are given the opportunity to have those conversations鈥攁nd they really enjoy it.鈥?lt;/p>

They鈥檝e also told their colleagues: Interest in the fellowship program has grown substantially since it began in 2023, with 23 faculty members applying for this year鈥檚 four spots. Last year the CPBL received 13 applications.

Real-World Learning, From Hawaii to Morocco

mlumsden — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Arriving in Honolulu in January 2024, they were: an extremely organized gourmand; a fly-fishing enthusiast with a knack for technical details; a fashion afficionado who is also a strong writer; and a numbers guy looking for good work-life balance. When they returned to WPI seven weeks later, they were a team.

Along the way, Kang Zhang 鈥?6, Nick Sloan 鈥?5, Morgan Polinski 鈥?5, and Sander Coscia 鈥?5 learned a lot鈥攁bout themselves, each other, community outreach, marketing, economics, manufacturing regulations and processes, oceanography, environmental conservation, Pacific Island cultures, and so much more.

Their Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) assessed the feasibility of producing value-added products at scale to reduce seafood waste in Hawaii. With guidance from community sponsor Conservation International Hawaii and two faculty advisors, the team focused its research on two value-added products: fish broth and fish leather.

None of the students had even heard of fish leather before working on this project. And Zhang was the only one of them who鈥檇 ever had fish broth. Polinski doesn鈥檛 even like fish.

Still, they figured out how to maximize their interests and strengths. Together.

WPI Highlighted Among Universities with Highest Return on Investment

jcain — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) ranks 18th on the U.S. News & World Report list of 鈥淐olleges with the Best Return on Investment.鈥?lt;/span>

The publication cites an estimate of the return on investment of a WPI education after 40 years as $3,408,000. After 10 years, the return on investment is estimated at $258,000. The figures are in 2023 dollars and were calculated using data from the 2021鈥?2 academic year. WPI is one of five Massachusetts institutions to make the list.

鈥淏eing ranked in the top 20 for return on investment highlights the lasting value of a WPI education,鈥?said WPI President Grace J. Wang. 鈥淥ur students excel at mastering foundational knowledge and skills in their chosen fields, and the value of our project-based education is exceptionally high because it also teaches students how to develop new ideas and builds character, leading to a lifetime of changemaking and leadership.鈥?lt;/span>

The ranking relies on data from Georgetown University鈥檚 Center on Education and the Workforce; the top-22 list was created by reviewing the center鈥檚 calculations of the return on investment at four-year colleges and universities that are ranked by U.S. News & World Report. The return on investment is a value metric that compares the cost of attendance to a student鈥檚 potential future earnings, using data on students鈥?median earnings and the average net price specific to each college or university. Essentially, the return on investment (ROI) measures a typical student鈥檚 projected earnings at a period in the future and subtracts their total estimated out-of-pocket costs to calculate a value.

Another measurement, using a separate data source than the one Georgetown used for its estimates, provides insight into more immediate impacts of a WPI education. WPI鈥檚 undergraduate Class of 2023 reported an average salary of $80,440 within six months after graduation, according to WPI First Destination Outcomes data. That compares to a national average of $63,721, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers鈥?amp;nbsp;First Destinations for the College Class of 2023 report.

The U.S. News & World Report recognition provides an additional proof point about the value of a WPI education, and it aligns with what alumni report: that the school has helped put them on a path to lifelong personal and professional success. A recent survey of more than 2,200 WPI alumni found that 95% said their project-based learning experience鈥攚hich is central to the university鈥檚 approach to education鈥攑repared them for their current career.

Projects are a hallmark of the WPI experience. The university鈥檚 curriculum requires students to conduct multiple academic and research projects that position students to learn how to work in teams, navigate uncertainty, and work with external partners鈥攁ll important life skills that contribute to the value of a WPI education.

New Advisory Board Expands Center for Project-Based Learning鈥檚 Network

mlumsden — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

This spring the Center for Project-Based Learning (CPBL) is launching an advisory board made up of thought leaders from around the country, bringing a range of valuable perspectives that will advance the center鈥檚 position as a national hub for research and professional development related to project-based learning (PBL) in higher education.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited to start working with this group of people,鈥?says Kris Wobbe, director of the Center for Project-Based Learning. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that their collective experience will provide ideas that can help us leverage the expertise that we have and disseminate it more broadly.鈥?amp;nbsp;

Since the CPBL began in 2016 it has tapped WPI faculty and staff to draw on their PBL expertise to present workshops, trainings, and other resources to colleges and universities throughout the United States and around the globe.

The schools that have engaged with the center to establish or expand the use of project-based learning in their curricula represent the broad range of institutions delivering post-secondary education. Of the more than 200 schools that the center has worked with to date, 17% are community colleges and 20% are liberal arts colleges. Only 10% are other polytechnic institutions.

While Wobbe is often asked why the center shares the recipe for WPI鈥檚鈥渟ecret sauce鈥濃€攐ur distinctive project-based approach鈥攕he doesn鈥檛 see the CPBL鈥檚 clients as competitors. Instead, she sees the center鈥檚 work as a contribution to a better future.

鈥淚 really believe that project-based learning is one of the best ways to educate students to handle a complex, quickly changing world full of problems. And I think we鈥檒l all be better off for having more people equipped to deal thoughtfully with today鈥檚 world,鈥?she says.

Students Share Global Projects at President鈥檚 IQP Award Final Presentations

jcain — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Students (L-R) Naomi Treto and Katelyn Lunny participated in a presentation of their team's project.

On January 31, a campus tradition recognized some of the excellent work done by WPI students during one of the university鈥檚 signature academic experiences, the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP). The President鈥檚 IQP Award, given annually, honors outstanding achievement in the seven-week, full-time projects completed during the previous academic year. The IQP requires students to work in interdisciplinary teams in partnership with a community-based sponsor to address a real-world problem that involves science, technology, and societal needs. Most students complete their IQP off-campus at one of more than 50 WPI project centers located on six continents.

Student teams are invited to enter their projects to compete for the President鈥檚 IQP Award. Out of the submissions from the more than 300 IQPs completed in the 2023鈥?024 academic year, a faculty screening committee selected five projects as finalists. The teams whose projects were chosen presented their work in the Rubin Campus Center Odeum to President Grace Wang, their project advisors, faculty, staff, students, family members, and a panel of judges.

The finalist projects represent the breadth of the societal challenges addressed by WPI students, the variety of locations where students can travel through the Global Projects Program, and the exemplary research, writing, teamwork, and appreciation of the social and humanistic contexts that are critical components of the IQP.

After deliberation, the judges decided two teams鈥攊nstead of just one鈥攕hould win the 2024 President鈥檚 IQP Award. The winning projects were announced at a reception for the finalists at Higgins House following the project presentations.

The winning teams

Hunter Daris, Ella Devault, Gavin George, and Federico Lenson, all seniors, completed their award-winning project 鈥淏ehind the Frontline: Vicarious Trauma Amongst Support Staff in Victoria鈥檚 Emergency Management Sector鈥?lt;/span> at the Melbourne, Australia project center. They worked with the nonprofit Emergency Services Foundation, interviewing support workers (such as dispatchers, journalists, and counselors) from 12 agencies to better understand their lived experiences with vicarious trauma. Their stories revealed often-unacknowledged struggles and barriers to accessing trauma support resources. After interviews with mental health experts, the team recommended new practices to help workers in these roles.

In addition to preparing a final written report, the students presented their findings in a webinar with managers from the emergency services sector and they produced a podcast episode in which emergency management support staff shared their stories to raise awareness of vicarious trauma and encourage others to seek help. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very proud of the reach that our research has had,鈥?Devault, a civil engineering major, said in the team鈥檚 award event presentation. 鈥淲e know that the real work is being done every day by the managers and the support staff to really develop and refine these programs to make sure that no support staff individual is left behind.鈥?The team was advised by Lorraine Higgins, a teaching professor in The Global School, and Jonathan Chee, a local coordinator at the Melbourne project center.

A President鈥檚 IQP Award was also given to seniors Peter Allen, Marley Fortune, and Camille Prats and juniors Annabelle Mullins and Colette Scott for their project 鈥淗ow Bazar? Creating Interactive Media to Promote Community Building,鈥?lt;/span> which they did at the Lyon, France project center. The team partnered with SINGA Lyon, an organization that seeks to accelerate the inclusion of migrants and asylum seekers in communities.

The students conducted research on immigration politics in France and developed strategies, including a digital icebreaker game and a migration quiz, for SINGA鈥檚 annual Bazar Festival to promote greater understanding of migrants and create new connections between people. Prats, an interactive media and game development major, said the project sponsor was excited by the team鈥檚 ability to build games. 鈥淭hey thought that games would be a good way to reach out to people without having to have a serious conversation about immigration,鈥?she said. 鈥淎 game can be a friendlier way to start a conversation.鈥?The team was advised by Grant Burrier, associate professor of teaching in The Global School, and Tahar El-Korchi, professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering.

The finalists

鈥?lt;/span>Harmonizing Holistic Health & Disaster Relief in Puerto Rico.鈥?Students: seniors Ian Cody, Mya Darrow, Katelyn Lunny, and Naomi Treto. Advisors: Grant Burrier and Scott Jiusto. San Juan, Puerto Rico project center. The team worked with Apoyo Mutuo Agr铆cola to create a community-based emergency plan for rural and urban areas, develop a website, and gather information on resources available to help the nonprofit strengthen its network.

Students (L-R) Avila Thompson, Hillary Quezada, Andrew Cunningham, and Luca Scotto presented their project.

鈥?lt;/span>The Implementation of the XRP Curriculum in the Cerrito School of Paraguay.鈥?Students: seniors Andrew Cunningham, Hillary Quezada, Luca Scotto, and Avila Thompson. Advisors: Dorothy Burt, adjunct instructor, and Lina Mu帽oz-M谩rquez. Asunci贸n, Paraguay project center. The team worked with the nonprofit Fundaci贸n Paraguaya to develop presentations, lesson plans, workshops, and multimedia tools to launch a robotics course in a high school. The course utilizes the Experiential Robotics Platform (XRP), which WPI helped develop with DEKA Research & Development Corp.

鈥?lt;/span>T-School Hands-On Program at Soochow University.鈥?Students: seniors Spencer Dill, Eleanor Foley, Sakshi Gauro, and Jakub Jandus. Advisors: Robert Kinicki and Wen-Hua Du. Taipei, Taiwan project center. The students worked with faculty at Soochow University and conducted interviews, surveys, observations, and analysis to provide recommendations for the university鈥檚 experiential Talent School (T-School) to improve educational outcomes, student satisfaction, and teamwork.

Honorable mentions

The following projects received honorable mentions by the faculty review committee that selected the finalists for the President鈥檚 IQP Award:

鈥?lt;/span>Developing a Kiwi Safety Plan for Upper Hutt, Aotearoa.鈥?Students: seniors William Brownell, Seth Frank, Domenic Sena, Paige Sommers. Advisors: Leslie Dodson, Kenneth Stafford, and Ingrid Shockey. Wellington, New Zealand project center. The team collaborated with Pest Free Upper Hutt, a community-based organization, to develop a plan and create publicly available informational material on ways to protect kiwi, birds that are a national symbol in New Zealand.

鈥?lt;/span>Digital Heritage Preservation of the Shilin District: Conserving Taiwan鈥檚 Unique Identity.鈥?Students: seniors Will Buchta, Hannah Moran, Rose Strobel, Alexis Vilmenay. Advisors: Wen-Hua Du and Robert Kinicki. Taipei, Taiwan project center. The students partnered with Fu-sheng Shih, an associate professor at Soochow University, to develop an interactive website to help preserve the cultural heritage and identity of one of Taipei鈥檚 12 districts.

The judges

In advance of the final presentations, four judges reviewed the written reports and materials submitted by the five finalist teams. At the event, the panel observed each team鈥檚 presentation, asked team members questions about their projects, and then met to select the award winners. Judges included Lisa Mullins, news anchor at WBUR, a National Public Radio affiliate in Boston; Mimi Sheller, dean of The Global School; Kris Wobbe, director of the Center for Project-Based Learning at WPI; and Mark Boyer, professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut and former executive director of the International Studies Association.

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;

Undergraduates Conduct Experiments to Explore Wildfire Spread in WPI鈥檚 Fire Laboratory Course

jcain — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000

In early October, students in the fire protection engineering department鈥檚 undergraduate course 鈥淔ire Laboratory,鈥?taught by assistant professor James Urban,鈥痯articipated in the hands-on culmination of their A-Term work, setting fire to miniature model wildland urban interface communities to understand how wildfires spread when the flames enter populated areas. Better understanding the spread of wildland urban interface fires is critical for society as more than 63,000 communities in the United States are considered at risk, according to the National Association of State Foresters.鈥?lt;/span>

Models of houses and trees made of cardboard and paper burn during student-designed fire laboratory experiments

In keeping with WPI鈥檚 project-based learning model, the class鈥攚hich is focused on the fundamentals of fire behavior measurement and research testing鈥攔equires four teams of five students to develop and perform experiments that study these damaging fires. Their designs involved running multiple tests using a wind tunnel and a burn table to see the variability of wildfire spread under changing scenarios. The students were responsible for choosing the experimental conditions and research questions. For example, the students designed experiments to see how changes in wind speed, terrain slope, soil type or moisture, and vegetation management around a structure would affect how quickly and extensively a wildland urban interface fire spreads between buildings.鈥?lt;/span>

WPI Receives State Department Grant to Increase Access to Global Projects Program鈥?

jcain — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester, MA鈥擩une 13, 2024鈥擶orcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has been awarded funding from the United States Department of State鈥檚 Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that will allow for greater access to one of the university鈥檚 signature project-based learning programs, the Global Projects Program.

The Department of State鈥檚 IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) grant of up to $34,970 will support a new initiative that seeks to increase the number of WPI students with disabilities who participate in global off-campus research projects.鈥€€?amp;nbsp;

Since 1970, WPI has been a leader in project-based learning. A cornerstone of the university鈥檚 distinctive hands-on educational model, the Global Projects Program enables students to complete required academic projects off-campus at more than 50 WPI project centers worldwide. Nearly 85 percent of WPI students participate in an off-campus project during their undergraduate experience.鈥?amp;nbsp;

鈥淥ur mission is to ensure every student has the opportunity to access the Global Projects Program and to take into account the varying needs of students with disabilities,鈥?says Kathleen Head, director of The Global School鈥檚 Global Experience Office, which administers the Global Projects Program. 鈥淭hese off-campus experiential learning opportunities are transformative and engaging and we are committed to removing all the barriers to participation. To have this support from the IDEAS Program is very meaningful and helpful to our efforts.鈥濃€?amp;nbsp;

Nationally, 20.5% of all U.S. undergraduate students report having a disability, according to the latest available data from the National Center for Education Studies. Yet the Open Doors 2023 Report on International Educational Exchange indicates that only 10.5% of U.S. students who studied abroad in 2021-2022 identified as having a disability.鈥疻hile WPI鈥檚 participation gap is smaller than those national figures, the IDEAS grant-funded initiative seeks to increase the participation of students with disabilities in the Global Projects Program and improve the experience at off-campus project sites for these students.鈥?amp;nbsp;

The IDEAS grant funding will support three different aspects of the initiative:

Researching and developing a tool, potentially a survey or assessment form, to measure accessibility at project sites.鈥€?amp;nbsp;
Visiting three WPI project centers to use the assessment tool and generate a report to inform future site improvements.鈥€?amp;nbsp;
Creating and delivering training, workshops, and resources for faculty and staff to improve support for students with disabilities throughout all aspects of their participation in the Global Projects Program, including advising, program selection, travel preparation, and onsite project work.鈥€?amp;nbsp;

Kathleen Head (L) and Krista Miller (R) will co-manage the initiative funded by the IDEAS grant

The initiative will be co-managed by Head and Krista Miller, assistant director of the Global Experience Office, in collaboration with Amy Curran, WPI鈥檚 director of the Office of Accessibility Services.

鈥淪ome students with disabilities may decide not to pursue an off-campus project experience because they assume it鈥檚 not possible,鈥?says Miller. 鈥淎 goal of this grant-funded work is to take a more proactive approach to provide students with information about accessibility at off-campus project sites. We strive to meet the needs of our students so they can apply their acquired knowledge and skills to real-world challenges in communities around the globe.鈥濃€?amp;nbsp;

These new efforts build upon WPI鈥檚 existing practices. For example, the Global Experience Office and the Office of Accessibility Services work closely together to support students with disabilities who travel off-campus for project work. The Office of Accessibility Services also provides faculty with training and support on accessibility in off-campus and project settings.鈥?amp;nbsp;

WPI鈥檚 efforts to expand access to global experiential learning were recognized earlier this year when the university received a 2024 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization. The award from NAFSA: Association of International Educators recognizes WPI鈥檚 supports for the Global Projects Program, which include the Global Scholarship. 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.