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WPI Researchers Pioneer Advances to Make Next-Generation Lithium Batteries Safer, More Sustainable, and Ready for Widespread Use

cbwamback — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Battery technology researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) recently published major studies in two top-tier journals that address some of the biggest challenges in the field. Led by Professor Yan Wang, William B. Smith Professor of鈥?lt;/span>Mechanical and Materials Engineering and a widely recognized innovator in battery technologies, the studies in Joule and Materials Today focus on improving the performance and stability of all-solid-state lithium batteries and on ways to recycle lithium-metal batteries safely and efficiently.

Safe and scalable lithium-metal battery recycling

In Joule, Wang鈥檚 team reports a safe, scalable, and economically viable method for recycling highly reactive lithium-metal anodes. By using a 鈥渟elf-driven鈥?aldol condensation reaction in commercial acetone, the researchers converted spent lithium-metal anodes into lithium carbonate (Li鈧侰O鈧? at 99.79% purity鈥攕urpassing industry standards for battery-grade materials.

The recovered lithium carbonate was then used to produce new cathode materials with electrochemical performance comparable to commercial counterparts, demonstrating real-world feasibility. This breakthrough offers a pathway to reduce dependence on mining while lowering costs and accelerating the adoption of cleaner technologies.

鈥淭his method is an effective solution to one of the most pressing challenges in the battery industry,鈥?said Wang. 鈥淏y turning a safety liability into a driving force for recovery, we鈥檝e created a process that is both practical for industry adoption and critical for building a more sustainable energy future.鈥?lt;/span>

Advancing solid-state battery design

The research team鈥檚 work published in Materials Today tackles another barrier to next-generation batteries: the poor compatibility of halide-based solid-state electrolytes with lithium-metal anodes. Traditionally, these systems require protective interlayers that add cost and complexity.

The WPI team introduced iron doping into lithium-indium chloride, creating a material that achieves direct and stable contact with lithium-indium anodes without the need for a protective layer. The material retained high ionic conductivity and delivered long-term performance, with full cells cycling more than 300 times at 80% capacity retention and symmetric cells operating for over 500 hours鈥攖he first such demonstration in the field.

鈥淭his work establishes iron doping as an effective strategy to simplify solid-state battery design while enhancing stability and performance,鈥?said Wang. 鈥淭ogether with our recycling research, these findings represent important steps toward a future where high-performance lithium batteries are not only more powerful but also safer and more sustainable.鈥?lt;/span>

By tackling both the beginning and end of the battery life cycle鈥攆rom safer designs to scalable recycling鈥擶PI researchers are advancing the technologies needed for the next era of electric vehicles, portable electronics, and renewable energy storage.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Appoints Emily Perlow Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

cbwamback — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has announced the appointment of Emily Perlow as vice president for student affairs and dean of students, effective immediately. Perlow, who has served WPI since 2005 and most recently was assistant vice president and dean of students, has long been recognized as a champion for students and an empowering mentor for her team.

In her new role, Perlow will oversee all areas within student affairs, including career development, housing and dining, physical education, athletics, recreation, student activities and engagement, support for WPI鈥檚 diverse student populations, health and well-being, student conduct, the Rubin Campus Center, and the bookstore.

鈥淓mily has consistently demonstrated empathetic and principled leadership that puts students at the center of everything she does,鈥?said Grace Wang, president of WPI. 鈥淗er vision, dedication, and deep knowledge of higher education will continue to strengthen WPI鈥檚 commitment to providing an outstanding student experience.鈥?lt;/span>

Since joining WPI, Perlow has played a central role in shaping the university鈥檚 student experience, from enhancing residential life and student well-being to advancing initiatives that promote belonging and developing leadership opportunities. She has overseen multimillion-dollar housing and dining operations, led crisis response teams, advanced student conduct processes, and secured major grants to support equitable teamwork and universal design in education.

鈥淚 am honored to step into this role and continue working alongside our remarkable students, staff, and faculty,鈥?said Perlow. 鈥淲PI is a community that values innovation, inclusion, and resilience, and I look forward to advancing initiatives that ensure every student thrives personally, academically, and professionally.鈥?lt;/span>

Beyond her leadership at WPI, Perlow is widely recognized in the field of student affairs. She has authored numerous articles, book chapters, presentations, and resources on hazing prevention, including editing and contributing to the 2024 New Directions for Student Services monograph, 鈥?lt;/span>Special Issue: Understanding and Addressing Hazing,鈥?and has a forthcoming book chapter on hazing prevention in athletics. She also designed the curriculum for and continues to lead the award-winning Hazing Prevention Institute through the Hazing Prevention Network, which received the North American Interfraternity Conference 2024 Laurel Wreath Award.

Her professional leadership includes service as vice chair of the board of directors for Worcester鈥檚 Friendly House Inc., participation on numerous accreditation visit teams for the New England Commission of Higher Education, and more than a decade of teaching as an adjunct instructor in the Student Development in Higher Education program at Central Connecticut State University. Her professional excellence has also been recognized with the Talent of Leadership Award by Alpha Gamma Delta and the Compass Award from the Northeast Greek Leadership Association.

Perlow earned her PhD in higher education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where her dissertation examined fraternity men鈥檚 gender identity and hazing. She also holds a master of arts in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University and a bachelor of arts in anthropology, with distinction, summa cum laude, from the Ohio State University.

Perlow succeeds Philip Clay, who will retire in May after nearly 33 years of dedicated service to WPI, leaving a lasting legacy of commitment to student success and community.

Why Was 'This Old House' Filming in Washburn Shops? It鈥檚 a Long Story

koreilly — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The story behind why producers from the home improvement show This Old House came to Washburn Shops in August to film general contractor Tom Silva and WPI student Max Sivert 鈥?6 as they created a topographical map of Massachusetts that is destined to be installed on a U.S. Navy submarine鈥攚ell, pull up a chair, because it鈥檚 a long one.

Dinis Pimentel

The tale begins with alumnus Dinis Pimentel 鈥?2, chair of the board of directors for the commissioning committee of the USS Massachusetts, a new Virginia-class attack submarine scheduled to be commissioned in Boston in March 2026. The committee is a nonprofit organization that acts as a sort of booster club for the USS Massachusetts, with volunteers working to bring symbols of the commonwealth into the submarine to capture the spirit of its namesake. In addition to planning the commissioning ceremony, the committee acts as a lifelong support system for USS Massachusetts sailors and their families.

Pimentel is a captain in the Navy Reserves who served on active duty in submarines when he entered the U.S. Navy after graduating from WPI. He reached out to producers of This Old House, a show with Massachusetts roots, to see if they wanted to participate in some kind of project related to the submarine. The producers toured a sub in Groton, Conn., and identified an elegant solution to a simple problem: creating a safe location for officers鈥?coffee mugs that would normally hang from simple pegs in the wardroom.

After a consultation with the sub鈥檚 captain, Silva, with the help of carpenter Nathan Gilbert from the spinoff show Ask This Old House, constructed a beautiful, wall-mounted, wooden board that will snuggly hold each mug, even in the worst sailing conditions. Above the mugs sits an intricately cut map of Massachusetts, with each of its 14 counties constructed from a different type of wood.

The map of Massachusetts ready for its third dimension.

The design called for adding a third dimension to the map to show the topography of the state鈥攆rom the mountains of Western Massachusetts to the flat Atlantic coastline鈥攁 task that needed specialized CNC (computer numerical control) machinery. That鈥檚 when Pimentel, remembering his time in Washburn Shops as a nuclear and mechanical engineering major at WPI, contacted Robert Daniello, associate teaching professor and manager of Washburn Shops.

鈥淚鈥檓 often talking to people around the state about the USS Massachusetts, and as we build community, we see the spirit of the state coming to get behind the boat, the crew, and their families,鈥?says Pimentel, who has volunteered on the committee since construction of the sub started in 2019.

鈥淚 thought it was an interesting project,鈥?says Daniello, who notes that although most of the CNC machines in the shop are for metal work, one of the oldest machines (circa 2001) could be adapted.

Enter Sivert, a robotics engineering major with a mechanical engineering minor, who is a lead lab assistant for the intro to manufacturing course and evening lab monitor for the shops. In addition to attending a trade high school focusing on advanced manufacturing, he completed a co-op at a machine shop working with CNC machines.

鈥淔or the past eight years or so I鈥檝e really only worked with metal,鈥?he says. 鈥淕iven the chance to not only work with a variety of woods, but for a commemorative art installation, it seemed like an incredibly interesting project.鈥?lt;/p>

Sivert worked on the project in his free time鈥攏o credit or pay involved鈥攁nd says writing the CAD (computer-aided design) program to accommodate the size of the board was the most challenging part.

鈥淔irst, I had to split the state into a few different pieces because the board was too large to machine in one go,鈥?he says. The town of Southwick, which oddly juts into the top of central Connecticut, proved to be particularly challenging. 鈥淪eeing the first pass of the endmill go over Southwick successfully was a big relief because it proved the remainder of the program would work.鈥?lt;/p>

The three-person This Old House crew, which in addition to Silva included producer Sara Ferguson and videographer Dino D鈥橭nofrio, was keen on getting multiple angles of the entire process of setting up and running the machine.

鈥淏eing filmed while working was kind of bizarre,鈥?says Sivert. 鈥淚 felt incredibly self-aware about what I was doing throughout the entire milling process. Usually, I interact with the workpiece and the machine console without much thought, but this time around I had to explain everything I was doing, and the reason for it.鈥?lt;/p>

Sivert confirms the genuineness of Silva鈥檚 down-to-earth, friendly TV persona.

鈥淛ust chatting with him throughout the day was nice, too. He鈥檚 got a lot of stories to share, and just hearing his perspective on the board and shop was really insightful,鈥?says Sivert, adding that his grandmother is a huge fan of the show.

It鈥檚 unclear when or how the final segment may air, either as part of Ask This Old House or a web feature. But Pimentel hopes it can premier sometime around the official commissioning ceremony at the end of March 2026.

鈥淲e look forward to celebrating this project with the This Old House and WPI teams at the commissioning gala to thank everyone for their help,鈥?he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great that a little bit of WPI and This Old House will be symbolically represented in a submarine named for Massachusetts.鈥?lt;/p>

WPI Entrepreneurs Find Pricing, Awareness, and Supplies Impact Rare Earth Recycling Industry

leckelbecker — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000

When a group of WPI students and faculty members first set out in 2022 to interview people connected to the rare earth magnet industry, they wanted to know if an innovative magnet recycling business could succeed.

After more than 130 interviews, says Adam Powell, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and a member of the team, the group concluded that the answer is a qualified 鈥測es.鈥?lt;/p>

Adam Powell

鈥淲e learned there is demand for recycled materials, and a lot of people want a domestic recycling industry to grow,鈥?Powell says. 鈥淵et the reality is that only a small number of U.S. companies are building recycling capacity. The industry is still maturing as companies develop facilities, awareness of recycling grows, and a steady supply of old magnets builds.鈥?lt;/p>

鈥淩are earth鈥?refers to a group of metallic elements such as neodymium that are abundant in the earth鈥檚 crust but difficult and environmentally damaging to mine and process. Magnets made from rare earth minerals are used in everything from hybrid and electric vehicles to wind turbines and fighter jets, and the total market for rare earth elements was valued at more than $3 billion in 2023.

China supplies most of the world鈥檚 rare earth minerals and has used its hold on the market as a political tool. In early 2025, China threatened to limit rare earth exports, especially to Western defense contractors, as a response to U.S. tariffs.

During its review, the WPI group found that challenges for rare earth recycling include incentivizing the recycling of materials and competing with magnets made from virgin materials.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Receives $12 Million Legacy Gift from Distinguished Alumnus Carl Karlsson 鈥?0 to Advance Faculty Excellence and Student Success

cbwamback — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) today announced a鈥痸isionary $12 million legacy gift鈥痜rom Carl Karlsson, Class of 1960. The unrestricted estate gift, made following Karlsson鈥檚 passing in 2023, will provide broad support across WPI, with a portion dedicated to establishing鈥痚ndowed professorships for early career faculty鈥攁 strategic investment in the university鈥檚 long-term academic excellence.

Among the most significant philanthropic commitments ever made by an individual to WPI and in support of Beyond These Towers: The Campaign for Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Karlsson鈥檚 gift will leave a lasting mark on the university鈥檚 future. Unrestricted gifts are among the most powerful forms of philanthropy because they provide WPI with the flexibility to address its highest priorities, respond to emerging opportunities, and invest strategically in areas of greatest need. Karlsson鈥檚 altruism ensures WPI remains nimble and well-positioned to advance its mission for generations to come.

鈥淭his is a shining example of the extraordinary generosity and dedication of our alumni to give back and help WPI continue to thrive,鈥?said Grace J. Wang, President of WPI. 鈥淐arl Karlsson鈥檚 remarkable gift will impact the university by supporting faculty excellence, fueling research and innovation, and enriching the student experience. His legacy will empower future generations to achieve, discover, and lead in ways that ensure WPI鈥檚 enduring excellence and global impact.鈥?lt;/span>

After earning his degree in chemical engineering in 1960, Karlsson built a successful career in information systems and technology, working for Praxair Inc. in Tonawanda, New York. Throughout his life, he remained deeply connected to WPI, contributing annually to the university鈥檚 areas of greatest need for nearly four decades. His legacy gift reflects a lifelong belief in the power of education to improve lives, a value that aligns closely with WPI鈥檚 mission and project-based learning model.

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 CAREER Award for Project Focused on Fibrosis

leckelbecker — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Catherine Whittington has been awarded a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop three distinct laboratory models for the study of fibrosis in pancreas, skin, and uterine fibroids.

Whittington, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, was awarded $629,998 from the NSF for the five-year project. The models she develops could lead to research advances in the understanding and treatment of fibrosis, a condition that occurs when an injury results in too much scarring that stiffens tissue and threatens to disrupt the normal functioning of organs. Chronic pancreatitis, keloid scars, and uterine fibroids are all the result of fibrosis.

鈥淭here is much to learn about fibrosis so that better treatments can be developed,鈥?Whittington said. 鈥淏etter laboratory models for pancreatic, skin, and uterine fibroid tissues could lead to an improved understanding of factors at the cellular level that lead to fibrosis and how interventions could interrupt or reverse that process.鈥?lt;/span>

Models are representations, such as physical objects or mathematical equations, that represent real-world phenomena. Researchers use models to study a problem, test ideas under controlled conditions, and make predictions.

Whittington will develop models composed of materials such as collagen and human cells that represent the tissues of interest. The combined materials will be placed in wells on laboratory plates about the size of an index card and then exposed to hormones, varied mechanical inputs, and other environmental factors.

鈥淭hese models will be small, but they will allow us to systematically ask questions and make discoveries about how different chemicals and forces contribute to the process of fibrosis,鈥?Whittington said.

WPI Selected as Key Partner in National Cybersecurity and AI Training Initiative to Advance U.S. Automotive Innovation

cbwamback — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has been named to a select group of academic institutions leading a nationwide effort to strengthen cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in the U.S. automotive industry鈥攁 sector increasingly reliant on smart, connected technologies.

Supported by a $2.5 million grant from the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity the DRiving Automotive Industry WorkForce Transformation (DRIFT) program will provide specialized online and in-person training designed to upskill the workforce and protect vehicle systems from emerging threats.

WPI associate professors Jun Dai, Xiaoyan Sun, and Xiaozhong Liu, all from the Department of Computer Science, will lead the university鈥檚 DRIFT program. WPI will receive $749,994 over two years, with the opportunity for an additional $300,000 in a third year. The program will offer tuition-free modules, workshops, and real-world training to help engineers and professionals develop advanced competencies in cybersecurity and AI.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 vehicles are computers on wheels鈥攑owered by data, software, and smart systems,鈥?said Dai. 鈥淎I is transforming the future of mobility, but without robust cybersecurity, we put innovation鈥攁nd lives鈥攁t risk. DRIFT directly addresses the workforce gap by preparing engineers and professionals with the tools they need to protect connected and autonomous vehicles, and ultimately, to accelerate the development of next-generation transportation.鈥?lt;/span>

As vehicles become more connected, equipped with internet-enabled infotainment systems, GPS, remote diagnostics, and automated driver assistance systems, they also become more vulnerable to cyberattacks. While autonomous vehicles are often in the spotlight, nearly all modern vehicles are now potential targets.

In one of the most publicized demonstrations of this risk, cybersecurity researchers remotely took control of a Jeep Cherokee in 2015, manipulating its brakes, steering, and transmission while it was on the highway. More recently, the 2025 Global Automotive and Smart Mobility Cybersecurity鈥痳eport鈥?lt;/span>by鈥疷pstream鈥痳evealed that massive-scale incidents鈥攅ach impacting millions of vehicles鈥攎ore than tripled between 2023 and 2024, rising from 5% to 19%. The data shows the vulnerability of even top-tier smart vehicles. These incidents underscore the urgent need to secure both automotive systems and the talent pool capable of doing so.

The DRIFT curriculum is designed for a wide audience, including:

Automotive engineers
Cybersecurity and AI professionals
IT workers transitioning into transportation-related sectors
Educators and students at two- and four-year institutions
Department of Transportation personnel
Military and civilian defense staff
First responders and public safety officials
Policymakers and regulators

Courses will be delivered online, in-person, and hybrid formats and will cover:

The architecture and key components of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) systems
AI applications and their role in enabling core CAV functions
Common vulnerabilities in connected vehicle systems, including GPS spoofing, sensor interference, and over-the-air update threats
Defensive cybersecurity strategies tailored for CAV environments
Hands-on case studies to bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world applications

WPI joins the following partner institutions in offering DRIFT training:

Oakland University
University of Delaware
University of Michigan-Dearborn
Cleveland State University
Sinclair Community College

Those interested in this program can access the application link for the activities at: https://www.secs.oakland.edu/ei/drift/programs/. For more information about WPI鈥檚 DRIFT program, visit: /academics/departments/cybersecurity/drift.

WPI Named to First-Ever LinkedIn Top Colleges List

jcain — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has been ranked 39th on the 2025 LinkedIn Top Colleges list, an inaugural ranking of the top 50 schools in the U.S. LinkedIn, the world鈥檚 largest professional network, created the Top Colleges list to identify the undergraduate programs that best position their alumni for long-term career success.

鈥淟inkedIn鈥檚 Top Colleges list is additional proof of something we鈥檝e long known and prioritized: that WPI offers students an incredibly valuable education,鈥?said WPI President Grace Wang, noting that more than 95% of WPI graduates who responded to a survey reported that the university鈥檚 signature project-based learning prepared them for their current career. 鈥淥ur unique hands-on educational model is designed not only to equip students with specific expertise and skills in their fields but also to empower them to think critically, work well in teams, and learn how to learn. As a result, our graduates are well positioned to be versatile and successful throughout their professional lives.鈥?lt;/span>

LinkedIn's data finds WPI has the second highest percentage of recent grads working in engineering roles for their first job after graduation.

The first-ever ranking relies on exclusive LinkedIn data that measures the career outcomes of millions of alumni from universities and colleges. It uses a methodology that compares schools based on factors including job and graduate school placement rates, internship completions, and recruiter demand.

鈥淓mployers tell us consistently they love WPI graduates, and that鈥檚 for a number of reasons,鈥?said Amanda Laungani, director of the Heebner Career Development Center at WPI. 鈥淭he employers we work with praise our students for having the confidence and capability to contribute immediately to their organizations as well as the extensive experience working in teams that allows our graduates to turn knowledge into impactful applications.鈥?amp;nbsp;

The LinkedIn ranking echoes a March 2025 ranking by U.S. News & World Report that placed WPI 18th on its list of 鈥淐olleges with the Best Return on Investment鈥?lt;/span> and cited an estimated $3,408,000 return on investment for a WPI education after 40 years, as measured in 2023 dollars.

When Driving at Night, Mind the Thermostat

leckelbecker — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Shichao Liu

To determine the ultimate driving environment, WPI researcher Shichao Liu has put drivers to the test in some interesting ways.

Liu, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, has measured the performance of study participants in a driving simulator while outfitting them in caps to image brain activity and exposing them to varying light levels, heat, cold, and even stinky T-shirts.

Now Liu鈥檚 lab has published new research showing that when it comes to driving performance at night, the temperature inside a vehicle matters. Study participants who drove in a simulator were less comfortable, sweatier, and more mentally stressed as temperatures rose. They also used the simulator鈥檚 accelerator more and drove in a way that would increase the vehicle鈥檚 pitch and roll鈥攎eaning there would be more car body movement that could make rides feel rougher.

鈥淎s the temperature inside the simulator went up, participants drove less steadily and with more variation in their speed,鈥?Liu says. 鈥淭his has implications for air conditioning operation in vehicles, vehicle design, and, of course, safety.鈥?lt;/span>

The group鈥檚 research, which focused on both temperature and lighting, was published in the journal Building and Environment. In addition to Liu, authors were Chao Wang, PhD 鈥?4, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital; John Elson, a research engineer at Ford Motor Co.; and Yingzi Lin, a professor at Northeastern University. The research was supported by WPI and the Ford University Research Program.