We are delighted to announce that Mitra Anand, Director of Innovation for WPI Makerspaces and Innovation Studio, has been honored with the "Excellence in Education Award" at the 2024 Education 2.0 Conference in Dubai, UAE. This recognition highlights his contributions to advancing engineering education through makerspace innovation and the integration of an entrepreneurial mindset.
Since joining WPI in 2018 as part of the inaugural makerspace team, Mitra has made significant contributions in integrating makerspace-focused, project-based learning into multiple academic courses, Major Qualifying Projects (MQPs), and research labs. Notably, he co-developed the VentureWell-funded “Innovation Through Making” pilot course with Prof. Ahmet Can Sabuncu and Prof. Curtis Abel, effectively merging an entrepreneurial mindset into engineering design education. In addition, Mitra broadened opportunities for student innovation by launching and expanding initiatives such as MakerBucks and TinkerBox, fostering hands-on, project-based learning. He has shared his expertise through publications and presentations at leading conferences like the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces (ISAM). As a Community Catalyst for the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), he continues to disseminate best practices and further enhance makerspace-driven learning environments.
This award reflects Mitra’s unwavering dedication to fostering innovation at WPI and beyond. Please join us in congratulating him.
For more information on WPI’s initiatives in makerspace learning and innovation and to learn more about MakerBucks, visit our website.