Note: Some media outlets require users to log-in. The Gordon Library offers the WPI community free access to a number of newspapers. Visit newspaper database for details.
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.
Associate Professor Elisabeth Stoddard of the Department of Integrative & Global Studies within The Global School spoke with NBC10 as part of their Climate 2022 coverage about the Farm Stay Project Center in Paxton, Massachusetts. Through the partnership with Turn Back Time, WPI students are helping some of the youngest learners get excited about environmental education through the university’s project-based education.
Professor Jennifer Rudolph, an expert on modern Chinese political history, lends her thoughts about the potential impact of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in a Financial Times article which was picked up by several other media outlets including The Irish Times.
The Worcester Business Journal highlighted two grants secured by WPI researchers: a $900,000 grant secured by WPI’s Institute of Science and Technology for Development (instead) for work in Ethiopia related to WPI MicroFlush toilets; and a $700,000 National Science Foundation grant secured by WPI researcher and associate professor Erin Ottmar to improve math tools for middle school teachers.
Associate professor Michelle Ephraim spoke with WBUR Radio Boston about her popular “Infected Shakespeare” class at WPI that studies how the famed playwright understood and wrote about pandemics and infectious diseases, as part of the station’s “Brilliant Boston” series.
Adjunct Professor of Music David Ibbett appeared on the GBH program “Boston Public Radio” to talk about the “Black Hole Symphony” he composed and is performing at the Museum of Science planetarium. Ibbett worked with astrophysicists to turn the different aspects of a black hole galaxy into a concert and immersive experience that includes audio and visuals.
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette interviewed researcher Erin Ottmar about the $700,000 grant she received from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop technology that will help middle school teachers better understand when and how students are succeeding or struggling while learning algebra.
The Washington Post spoke with Social Science & Policy Studies Department Head Rob Krueger about what the term “carbon neutral” means for hotels, and how people using a sustainable building can change the way it functions. Krueger also gave recommendations on how to travel in an environmentally-friendly way.
The Academic Minute on WAMC NPR aired a segment by Professor Rob Krueger titled “Overcoming the Hubris Problem in Engineering”. Kruger examines how decades after US interventions to "develop" the "third world" were deployed without consideration for culture or context, programs like WPI’s Institute of Science and Technology for Development (InSTeD) are replacing hubris with humility, thus reframing the goals of engineering in development.
WBUR's Radio Boston spoke with Professor Jennifer deWinter about a ban on arcade games in Marshfield that lasted from 1982 to 2014 for its “Hidden History” series. Professor deWinter talked about the history of video and arcade games, the concerns that drove the ban, and how similar sentiments are being manifested today.
Video game news site TechRaptor says it sees a “bright future” for the gaming industry after speaking with two Interactive Media and Game Development students and IMGD Director Associate Professor Gillian Smith.
The Boston Globe spoke with Adjunct Professor of Music David Ibbett about his “Black Hole Symphony” concerts. The performances are being held in the planetarium at the Museum of Science. Ibbett composed the music for the symphony, which features a live chamber orchestra, recorded electronic music, visuals, and a narration. The symphony seeks to educate and entertain by combining music and science to help the audience understand black holes.
Spectrum News 1 covered a visit to MassDigi at WPI by fifth-graders from Elm Park Community School, who "playtested" video games being developed by students participating in MassDigi's 12-week Summer Innovation Program.
Money Magazine included WPI on its list of the best colleges for engineering majors, citing the university’s longtime commitment to a project-based learning curriculum, as well as the focus on combining theory and practice.
NPR’s Marketplace spoke with Gillian Smith, Associate Professor and Director of IMGD, about the unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard – the video game company behind titles including Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and World of Warcraft. It’s the first time a union has been formed at a major video game studio. Smith talked about what she has heard about the working conditions at some similar companies. The story was featured on NPR’s national broadcast, as well as approximately 50 local stations around the country.
Professor Jennifer deWinter spoke with the restaurant industry trade magazine Nation’s Restaurant News about how restaurants – from fast food to fine dining – might adapt metaverse technologies to creatively interact with customers.
Worcester Magazine profiled Maggie Gunville, Class of 2022, in an article about local college students who have made an impact in the Worcester community. Maggie had leadership roles in the Food Recovery Network, a student-run organization that recovers unserved food from Morgan Dining Hall and delivers it to Friendly House. During the height of the pandemic, Maggie was instrumental in pivoting to help the homeless community, and in restarting food delivery operations in fall 2021.
The Boston Globe dove into the unique lithium-ion battery recycling process developed by Prof. Yan Wang. They also covered the company he founded with former PhD student Eric Gratz, Ascend Elements, and its plans for expansion.
The Worcester Business Journal reported on The Business School’s new Executive PhD program, which is designed to help senior leaders influence their industries, give back to younger generations, and contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The Boston Globe and the Worcester Telegram covered WPI’s 153rd Undergraduate Commencement ceremony. Keynote speaker Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the CDC, praised the Class of 2022 for their resilience and told them to “embrace the gray” and uncertainty in their lives, as they work to “find their rainbow.”
Worcester Magazine covered a financial technology boot camp held by The Business School at WPI in partnership with Mass Fintech Hub. Attendees learned how cryptocurrency and mobile stock-trading have become available to more diverse groups of people and how they themselves could benefit from them.
