Frederick Bianchi: Prior to coming to Bar Harbor or any project center, WPI does a lot in terms of prepping the students relative to safety, how to maneuver through a culture, and what to do in case there's an emergency. During the term before traveling to the project center, the students are introduced to the culture of Bar Harbor—in particular, the history of Acadia National Park. There are lots of things we try to get across to the students because it's going to help them understand their project better and give them some more insight into what's going on in the park. One of the biggest transformations I observe is once a student is in Bar Harbor, the environment comes into play. Prior to being here, it's just a project. But as soon as they climb to a summit, get on a boat, go to a lake, become lost on a hike, they start to realize there's a lot to learn about the environment. This is when the project really starts to take shape.