In the News

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Holiday shopping: Tips for using AI to compare prices and get gift inspiration

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."

Telegram.com

A WPI course on artificial intelligence and academic writing makes a Telegram & Gazette list of interesting and unusual classes offered at area colleges this fall.

Reuters

Fire protection engineering professors Albert Simeoni and James Urban were quoted in a Reuters Fact Check article on the dynamics of the devastating fires in Hawaii. They explain how wildfires spread and why some things in a burned area avoid damage when so much else is destroyed.

AFP (Agence France-Presse)

Agence France-Presse interviewed Purvi Shah, professor at The Business School, about the phenomenon behind the recent resurgence of items such as Barbie, Furbies, and Grimace. Shah has done extensive research in this area, even coining the term "nostalgic brand love", which is a main driver behind the newfound popularity. The original article was published in French and widely circulated to English media outlets such as MSN and Barron's.

WalletHub

Global health professor Tsitsi B. Masvawure provided analysis for this WalletHub article on uneven and lagging efforts in the U.S. to address gender inequality. She points out reasons why the country ranks poorly on many health metrics used to measure gender gaps. 

Government Technology

Computer science professor Neil Heffernan spoke with Government Technology about the public discussion over regulations of artificial intelligence. He explained why regulations could stifle research and development and lead to monopolization.

AFP Fact Check

Fire protection engineering professor Albert Simeoni was cited in the Agence France-Presse (AFP) Fact Check section about speculation surrounding the cause of the deadly Maui fire.

Simeoni stated, “You had all the conditions -- the fuel, the heat, the wind and the ignition sources -- to create a catastrophe.”

Universe Today

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.”

 

Spectrum News 1

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.

Worcester Business Journal

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.

Los Angeles Times

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!

EnergyPortal.eu

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    

Telegram.com

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.

Nature

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."

Lifewire

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.

Spectrum News 1

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. 

Boston Business Journal

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. 

Worcester Business Journal

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. 

Lifewire

A new ChatGPT feature will let the platform remember conversations. Computer science professor Xiaozhong Liu says that could offer users a more personalized experience.

HuffPost

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. 

MSN

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.