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WPI Class of 2025
WPI celebrated Commencement 2025 with ceremonies at the DCU Center, which included speeches by students, faculty, administrators, Michelle Gass ’90, president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co, who delivered the undergraduate Commencement address, and graduate ceremony speaker Noubar Afeyan—inventor, entrepreneur, and founder of Flagship Pioneering, and co-founder and chair of Moderna.
To help document the graduation of nearly 1,300 undergraduates and more than 900 master's and doctoral students, multiple news organizations covered the ceremonies or interviewed graduating students.
The Boston Globe reported on AM Batteries which held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of its “Customer Success Center." The company was co-founded by Professor Yan Wang, William Smith Foundation Dean's Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and based on dry-electrode technology developed in his lab at WPI.
Professor Danielle Cote's work on a groundbreaking initiative that could transform additive manufacturing by enabling the rapid production of high-quality components from scrap metal has been featured in several publications including Interesting Engineering and The Engineer.
7News in Boston reported on students in the Explosion Protection Engineering program who are studying how explosions happen. This first of its kind in the nation master's program is empowering a new generation of experts to help industry and key stakeholders improve workplace and public safety.
Inside Higher Ed highlighted the Sustainable Career Mentorship Program as an example of how universities are connecting students with alumni to support their career journeys. The program allows WPI students of all majors to connect with professionals working in green and sustainable jobs and industries for one-on-one meetings to discuss job search advice, internships, resume assistance and more.
Shichao Liu, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering and affiliated with the Fire Protection Engineering Department, provided analysis to The Boston Globe on how smoke particles can infiltrate buildings. Liu, who studies the impact of wildfire smoke in indoor environments, points out that when wildfire smoke is present outdoors, the risks to exposure sometimes persist when you go indoors.
Robert Krueger, professor and head of the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies, provided analysis for a Wallet Hub article on income disparities between and within states. Krueger discusses why he believes policy makers and others must create and share tools that can help bring people out of poverty.
"At a STEM institution like WPI, we're pretty well positioned for our students to be successful in the in the job market.” Amanda Laungani, director of the Heebner Career Development Center, provided analysis for a Spectrum News 1 report on what hiring managers and looking for from new hires and what recent college graduates are seeking as they search for and take on new jobs.
Alexander Smith, associate professor of social science and policy studies, offers advice in a Wallet Hub article that seeks to provide information for drivers who need to file an SR-22. Smith offers three tips on steps drivers can take to avoid making a costly insurance mistake.
The Worcester Guardian reported on a Memorial Day tribute on campus. Community of Valor, an employee resource group comprised of university employees who are military veterans, organized an event to place 1,000 small American flags around the beech tree in front of Alden Memorial. The display remembers those who have died in service to their country in the U.S. military.
President Grace J. Wang and Vice President and Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Bogdan Vernescu have been named to the Worcester Business Journal’s Power 100 for 2025. The list highlights professionals who have an outsize influence on Central Massachusetts. The selection of these WPI leaders recognizes their leadership of the university and their focus on enhancing impactful research at WPI and driving innovation and entrepreneurship in the region. Read the articles featuring President Grace J. Wang and Vice President and Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Bogdan Vernescu.
Fabio Carrera, teaching professor in The Global School and director of the Venice Project Center, appeared on CNN's The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper as part of an episode titled "Saving Venice." Carrera, who oversees WPI student projects focused on Venice's transformation, provided analysis on some of the city's current challenges with tourism and transportation. A subscription is required to view the episode, however a free transcript is available at this link.
Gillian Smith, director of the interactive media and game development program, provided analysis for an article about the potential implications of the use of artificial intelligence in video game development.
Yahoo! News republished an article originally from The Worcester News in the United Kingdom which documented the experience this spring of students from WPI who were in Worcester, England to conduct their interactive qualifying projects with local community partners.
For Worcester’s Fatimah Daffaie ’25, BS MS Biomedical Engineering, her graduation marks the culmination of a journey that began half a world away. She credits mentorship from WPI faculty and students while she was still in high school with sparking an interest in studying engineering. She shared her story with the Telegram & Gazette.
Paula Fitzpatrick, director of the Center for Well-Being and a faculty affiliate in Social Science & Policy Studies, wrote about how staying in touch with nature, connecting with co-workers, and moving through your day "without activating rushing energy" can help you get more centered at work.
Farnoush Reshadi, assistant professor of marketing, provided analysis for an article in E&E News on factors that influence people's decisions on whether to trust self-driving vehicles. Reshadi, who studies consumer psychology, discussed considerations about control which are heightened in situations involving driving.
Alexander Wyglinski, director of the Wireless Innovation Laboratory, provided analysis for an article on the benefits and side effects of intelligent connectivity -- or the interconnectivity of artificial intelligence, 5G networks, and internet-connected devices. He discusses society's dependence on connectivity and the challenge of bandwidth shortages.
A team of researchers including Joseph Sarkis, professor of management in The Business School, has published a study which found that online reviews of products may influence decisions companies make about which products they will discontinue. The team analyzed thousands of online reviews and identified characteristics of those reviews that make a product more likely to be discontinued.
The third annual event, to be held at WPI's Innovation Studio, will feature a keynote speech from Debora Jackson, Dean of The Business School. The expo provides support, resources, and networking opportunities, and will include a business pitch competition.
Jiawei Yang, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering who is affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is developing a new class of medical adhesives to safely and reliably connect human tissues to therapeutic devices implanted in the body, such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, and artificial joints.
