Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research, on August 12th the achievements of our undergraduate summer researchers were celebrated with the 2021 WPI Summer Research Showcase at the end of a 10-week intensive on-campus experience. Students who had conducted research in WPI departments and labs throughout the summer presented posters of their work to faculty, staff, guests, friends, and family. This multidisciplinary event brought together undergraduate researchers from several NSF funded REU sites, the EREE summer program, and other WPI students. Seventy-two posters were presented by individuals and groups of students, and with over 180 in attendance the upper floor of the WPI Innovation Studio was the busiest place on campus since March 2020! Arne Gericke, Associate Dean and Director of the Undergraduate Research office, noted “I am incredibly impressed with the high quality of the research our undergraduate students are presenting. I am extraordinarily grateful to the many faculty members who provided our undergraduate students with these great opportunities.”
After the poster session, there was a Celebration BBQ Dinner with students, faculty, staff, guests, and friends and family of the students in the Rubin Campus Center. Jessica Rosewitz, coordinator of the EREE Program and the event, enjoyed meeting the students’ friends and families, saying “This culminating experience caps a successful summer of research and professional development for our own WPI and visiting students. I am so proud of the students’ hard work and have high expectations for their continued success at WPI and beyond, and I hope they stay engaged in research with their incredible faculty mentors as the next school year begins.”
Parallel to the Summer Research Showcase, MassDigi held their Summer Innovation Program (SIP) open house in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship center, a culmination of 12 weeks of work where 29 awesome interns from 17 different fantastic colleges and universities were working on 5 amazing games.
