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President Grace J. Wang was named to the annual list which was featured in The Boston Globe Magazine as part of its Women & Power issue. The list was created by The Women’s Edge, a nonprofit that supports female business leaders, and celebrates the state’s leading companies and nonprofit organizations led by women. The group examined 2023 revenue or operating budget as well as other variables and ranked organizations according to its own formula.
Research co-led by mathematical science professor Mayer Humi was featured in the Universe Today article. Humi developed the math models that shows an optimal trajectory that places the shuttle into an elliptical orbit and minimizes the thrust requirements. “This type of shuttle and trajectory, said Humi, is needed for any plans to establish a permanent Human presence on the Moon, but could also lead to a thriving Earth-Moon economy.”
Robotics engineering professor Markus Nemitz is working to create soft robots, made of flexible materials, which can go where other robots, and humans, cannot. His work was highlighted in this report by Spectrum News 1 Worcester.
Imagine flexible robots that can dive, swim, climb, and crawl to assist in challenging search and rescue environments. This Worcester Business Journal article outlines the efforts by robotics engineering professor Markus Nemitz to develop them and to create an obstacle course to test the robots.
Drought and high winds were major factors in the devastating Maui fire. In this Los Angeles Times article, fire protection engineering professor James Urban explains the dangerous combination and how flying embers can spread. The article was republished by more than 40 newspapers and digital outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Houston Chronicle, Miami Herald, and Yahoo!
Research led by chemical engineering professor Xiaowei Teng finds potential in using ions from seawater as a possible replacement for lithium in batteries. The published research is summarized in an article on EnergyPortal.eu
Recent WPI graduates Paul Pacheco and Elizabeth LeMay will be brand-new teachers in local classrooms this fall, and talked with the Telegram & Gazette about how WPI prepared them for their new careers, what they're looking forward to, and and what they're nervous about.
Provost Wole Soboyejo was interviewed for the article in Nature, "Is it time for tenure to evolve?" In the article, he discusses his own pathway towards tenure as well as WPI's move to broaden its tenure system in 2021, offering tenure to professors who focus more on teaching than research, who weren't eligible before. "Already, the institution is seeing benefits, says Soboyejo, including a substantial drop in the attrition rate for teaching-focused faculty members."
Robotics engineering professor Carlo Pinciroli shares how artificial intelligence could be used to make drones better at completing complex and dangerous missions. He tells Lifewire that advancements in AI technology could also minimize the risk of human harm during those missions.
Purvi Shah, associate professor at the Business School and an expert on brand deletion, talked with Spectrum News 1 about the possible strategies underlying social media giant Twitter's transition to X.
President Grace Wang talked to the Boston Business Journal about Worcester's opportunity to provide the space, research, talent and manufacturing capability to fuel a drug manufacturing boom.
President Grace Wang spoke with the Worcester Business Journal about how a more diverse cross-section of college presidents can push progress forward in other areas of higher education.
A new ChatGPT feature will let the platform remember conversations. Computer science professor Xiaozhong Liu says that could offer users a more personalized experience.
Humanities & arts professor David Spanagel shared his insight on the history of atomic bomb development with HuffPost. Spanagel explains how the 'father of the atomic bomb', Julius Robert Oppenheimer, failed to question whether it was the right thing to do for humanity.
Civil, environmental, & architectural engineering professor Shichao Liu shared expertise on how to keep cool indoors during hot weather, without putting undue strain on an air conditioning system.
Turning your thermostat to a low temperature could wear down your air conditioner and won’t cool down your home any faster. Civil, environmental, & architectural engineering professor Shichao Liu explained some best practices for staying cool to WBUR.
Fire protection engineering professor Milosh Puchovsky was interviewed by GBH News about the importance of standpipe systems. He said maintenance and inspections of these systems are essential to make sure they work when needed.
Efforts to put out a fire at a MBTA station were complicated by a standpipe fire protection system malfunction. The Boston Globe spoke with fire protection engineering professor Milosh Puchovsky to understand how these types of systems are used, their purpose, and how system inspections are enforced.
Computer science professor Tian Guo was interviewed about the newest efforts to improve graphic quality in virtual reality headsets. She also explained why these improvements don’t come easily.
Erin Ottmar, professor of learning sciences and psychology will research ways to improve algebra comprehension. The Worcester Business Journal reported on how Ottmar will consider the use of color and spacing in the presentation of equations.
Neural signaling experts from WPI are part of the research team on a project funded by the Department of Defense. The Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported on the goals of the effort.
