In the News

Bio-Medicine reported that a team of scientists from Johns Hopkins, the University of Arkansas, WPI, and elsewhere developed a faster and more objective way to examine the surfaces of fossilized teeth, a practice used to figure out the diets of our early ancestors.

Alex Wyglinski, professor of electrical and computer engineering, appeared in a story and webcast discussing his research in 5G wireless communications. In the interview, Wyglinski, director of WPI’s Wireless Innovation Laboratory, noted how Internet of Things devices and vehicles will connect to 5G networks.

The Boston Herald reported on the effort that is under way to prevent Massachusetts colleges from turning into coronavirus hot zones as students return to campus. President Laurie Leshin, who also served on Gov. Charlie Baker’s Reopening Advisory Board and as chair of the Massachusetts Higher Education Working Group, described how critical testing is to protecting the health and safety of students, faculty, staff members, and people in the communities that surround college campuses.

Defense Visual Information Distribution Service explained how researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory collaborate with academic partners at WPI and other institutions in the Northeast. Bogdan Vernescu, WPI's vice provost for research, is quoted in the piece talking about each of the universities collaborating to meet the Army’s needs.

Worcester Magazine reported on WPI alum and Board of Trustees member Robert Hart ’79. Hart, CEO and president of Los Angeles-based TruAmerica Multifamily, and a founding partner in Benedict Canyon Equities of Los Angeles, has plans for the 24-story Skymark Tower apartment building in downtown Worcester that Benedict Canyon Equities purchased last year. Hart outlines renovations and building improvements that are under way.

The Telegram and Gazette covered the crossing of Earle Bridge by the Class of 2024, which took place Aug. 30. One of WPI’s most sacred annual traditions to welcome each new class, this year’s bridge crossing (socially distanced) was coordinated by the Student Alumni Society.

WPI student Manjusha Chava '22 was featured in the Wall Street Journal article. Chava talked about how she was able to pivot her internship role at the industrial automation company Alert Innovation to a remote setup when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and still have a successful experience.

President Leshin was interviewed about WPI’s fall reopening on NBC 10 Boston Facebook Live.“We’ve got to figure out how we can live and learn with COVID,” she said. “We’re going to learn from all of this.”

Jeanine Skorinko, professor of psychology, was mentioned in The New York Times article. Skorinko said people's behavior in the new, COVID-19 normal will reflect what they perceive others to be doing. "If your group keeps social-distancing rules, talks quietly, and avoids sharing drinks, you’re likely to follow suit," for example.

NBC 10 Boston reported on the checklist WPI is recommending for students to follow in order to safely return to campus in the fall. “This is all about helping ensure that the experience students have is as low-risk and as seamless as possible,” Emily Perlow, assistant dean of students, told NBC Boston. (Clips begins at the 00:23 mark).

More than 150 media outlets, including The Oklahoman and The Pittsburg Post-Gazette, reported on Eric Young, Leonard P. Kinnicutt Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at WPI, who received four separate grants totaling more than $2 million to support his research into using yeast and fungi to take on significant genetic engineering challenges. Through his research in synthetic biology, Young aims to engineer organisms to make it easier to develop numerous products, like medicines, biofuels, and plastics, and increase security by developing a new method to detect hidden underground explosives.

WPI’s new TechFlex was noted in the MassLive report. TechFlex is WPI’s reworking of teaching and learning for the upcoming academic year, grounded in all that is distinctive about the WPI experience, and designed to support students in person and remotely. 

The Boston Globe quoted President Leshin in their article. “Every single one of the presidents is taking this work incredibly seriously,” Leshin told The Globe. “They see these decisions as being the most important of their professional careers."   

The Worcester Business Journal featured WPI university research in their article. Yan Wang, William Smith Dean’s Professor of Mechanical Engineering, is principal investigator of the three-year project.

President Leshin was quoted in the Commonwealth article. Leshin served as the higher education representative on the Massachusetts reopening board headed by the lieutenant governor. Leshin told Commonwealth that Polito took the weight of the Massachusetts reopening decisions seriously, listening to various opinions, acknowledging that the group needed to act with imperfect information.

Vox noted the work of Jennifer Wilcox, James H. Manning Chaired Professor of Chemical Engineering, and her team (scroll down to caption under Figure 4.5) in their article. 

WPI was one of the many Worcester colleges noted in the Telegram & Gazette article defending international students’ rights to higher education in the United States. President Leshin spoke about the importance of educating all students, including those from around the world: “WPI has a proud history of welcoming and educating students and scholars from around the world,” she said. “These future STEM leaders are important members of our community, and this week’s action by ICE threatens their educational success.”

Andrew B. Palumbo, dean of admissions and financial aid, was interviewed for The Chronicle of Higher Education article. “The playbook goes out the window,” he said. “It’s a scary thing on one hand, but it’s also somewhat refreshing. It opens us up to innovate.”

President Leshin was interviewed for the Boston Business Journal. she describes the impact on college and university presidents of having to make decisions on how to approach the Fall semester/term.

IEEE Spectrum recapped President Leshin’s interview with a high school student as part of a series by MassRobotics “How to Be a Robotocist.” (scroll down to Robotics Debate subhead, 3:59 mark).