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How can AI tools help consumers find the best deals and tackle the holiday shopping list? Associate Professor of marketing Purvi Shah spoke with NBC Boston about the technology driving retail transformation. "AI can help you compare products and prices across stores. It can also give you review summaries that can help you evaluate various product options based on those review summaries," Shah said. "All of this is done very efficiently."
Astronauts on the International Space Station will perform experiments for a study led by James Urban, assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering. A spacecraft carrying materials for the experiments was launched to the space station on August 4. Urban studies wildfires and believes the experiments in microgravity will provide insight on non-steady flame behavior and lead to better understanding of how wildfires spread on Earth.
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is providing funding to Mehdi Mortazavi, associate teaching professor in the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering. The funding will support research to develop more efficient production of green hydrogen for use as fuel in heavy-duty transportation.
The Bangor Daily News and other media outlets reported on the results from a study by students at WPI's Acadia National Park, Maine Project Center in Bar Harbor. Students, as part of WPI's interactive qualifying project requirement and the Global Projects Program, have been collecting data on e-bike usage in the national park since 2019.
Suzanne LePage, an instructor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering juggles engineering with a side gig. Read more about her work in the classroom and her work running a farm-to-table restaurant, brewery, and bar. LePage is one of several women in engineering featured in this article in Society of Women Engineers Magazine on women in the field with professional endeavors outside of engineering.
What lessons should we learn from the global technology outage that resulted from a faulty CrowdStrike cybersecurity software update? NPR spoke with Professor and Computer Science Department Head Craig Shue to get his take. He discussed the need for speed in cybersecurity software updates and why there are pros and cons to the cybersecurity landscape's reliance on a handful of providers.
‘Technology is changing so fast, and there are many cool things to learn,’ said Elke Rundensteiner, head of the data science program and professor of computer science. The Worcester Business Journal spoke with Rundensteiner and reported on WPI's new master's degree program in artificial intelligence in a story on AI in higher education in the region.
A team from WPI representing the startup FinSafe AI placed second in a pitch competition held during the FinTech + AI 413 Startup Launch Series. The startup seeks to provide AI-driven cybersecurity solutions for early-stage FinTech organizations.
Steve Taylor, a professor in The Business School, is quoted in a column in BeautyMatter that suggests companies with a sustainability focus must also pay attention to aesthetics to connect with customers. Taylor, who researches organizational aesthetics, discusses storytelling as an aspect of aesthetics.
Peter Hansen, a mountaineering expert and professor of history and director of International and Global Studies at WPI, spoke to the BBC’s The Forum podcast about the history of mountain climbing dating back to the 1300s. Hansen, author of several books on mountaineering, including “The Summits of Modern Man: Mountaineering after the Enlightenment,” gave important insight into the role climbing has played in society’s ever-changing relationship with nature.
“If you’ve got a thousand computers, that’s going to take somebody a while to do.” Craig Shue, head of WPI’s computer science department discussed the recovery work facing organizations affected by a global technology outage. Professor Shue provided analysis on the outage’s effects and on cybersecurity software for an article in The Boston Globe.
Computer Science Department Head Craig Shue helps explain a global technology outage that resulted from a CrowdStrike software update. "It is an ‘all our eggs are in one basket’ situation,” he told The Associated Press.
EdTech Digest reported on federal efforts to support developers of educational technology and provide essential information regarding artificial intelligence. The article credits Neil Heffernan, the William Smith Dean's Professor of Computer Science and the director of the Learning Sciences and Technologies Program, with contributing ideas for translating Department of Education recommendations for AI in education into practical guidelines.
David Ibbett, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Humanities & Arts, was featured in The Boston Globe for an article about composers who translate science into musical scores. Ibbett's "Mars Symphony" is being performed this summer at the Museum of Science in Boston
Professors Michael Timko and Alex Maag in the Department of Chemical Engineering have received funding from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative to support their efforts to reduce plastic waste by converting mixed plastics and films into chemicals. The funding award was reported on in this article in Recycling Today, and also in articles in Waste Today, the Worcester Business Journal, and MassLive.
Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative grants will support research efforts at WPI involving the departments of chemical engineering and mechanical & materials engineering. One grant will see AM Batteries collaborate with WPI on battery material research. Another grant will allow WPI researchers to develop a process to convert plastic waste into valuable chemicals.
“When you move your IT infrastructure to the cloud, suddenly you’re in a place that is shared with a bunch of other people, and it becomes much trickier… There are many more ways in which potential attacks can be done.” Professor Patrick Schaumont in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering provided analysis for The New York Times on the AT&T breach involving the data of more than 100 million phone customers. He discussed the potential risks of shared IT infrastructure in the cloud. The article also appeared in MSN.
"These call logs reveal social and/or professional networks of people." Electrical & computer engineering professor Patrick Schaumont explains the security concerns raised by a data breach affecting millions of AT&T customers. His analysis was featured in a CBS News article that was re-published in yahoo! News and AOL.
Eurogamer recently reviewed a new escape room called Memoirscape, which was created as part of a design of interactive experiences course. The immersive narrative experience provides an opportunity for participants to let curiosity guide them and notice the narrative unfold, rather than rush to escape.
An agreement will offer guaranteed admission to WPI for Quinsigamond Community College students who meet program requirements. "By establishing pathways that reduce barriers and offer built-in support, we make obtaining a four-year degree more accessible for QCC students. Moreover, the strategic partnership between QCC and WPI will help meet today’s workforce demands and foster regional economic growth," said President Grace Wang.
WPI has formed a new partnership with Manchester Community College in New Hampshire to support expanded pathways for students to transfer to WPI and increase access to STEM education. The agreement will guarantee admissions to WPI for MCC students who meet program requirements. The transfer agreement was reported on by the Worcester Business Journal and WBUR radio.
