In the News

Andrew Palumbo, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, was interviewed for a Wall Street Journal article about universities across the country questioning the fairness—and the impact on diversity—of basing scholarships and financial aid on students’ SAT and ACT scores. WPI was one of the first to eliminate test scores from its financial aid calculations.

Randy Paffenroth, associate professor of mathematical sciences, computer science, and data science, told Boston-based WBZ radio how he is helping the U.S. Army create a thumbnail-sized chemical sensor to protect soldiers. In the five-minute segment, he noted that he is using a “combination of classic and new math to extract from these many sensors what’s in the environment.”​

Forbes reported online about research led by Shichao Liu to study the optimal indoor conditions for learning. Liu, Jacob Whitehill and Steven Van Dessel received $299,991 develop technologies that detect and boost student engagement in lessons by controlling classroom temperature, ventilation, and lighting.

WBUR spoke with chemical engineering professor Mike Timko about his research on food and yard waste. Timko and his team recently received $2M to see if both types of waste can make a more efficient biofuel.

Inside Higher Ed's Academic Minute featured Kent Rissmiller, dean of interdisciplinary and global studies ad interim, who explores how project-based learning can set students up for success outside school.

In an audio segment on Inside Higher Ed's Academic Minute, Kristin Wobbe, Co-Director of the Center for Project-Based Learning, explains that project-based learning provides benefits from the beginning.

The Telegram & Gazette reported on Professor Michael Timko, associate professor of chemical engineering, expanding his green energy research with a $2M Department of Energy grant. ​Timko is teaming up on the project with Andrew Teixeira, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Geoffrey Tompsett, assistant research professor of chemical engineering.

In an article on college admissions, the Worcester Business Journal noted WPI’s drawing more students from faster-growing areas of the country such as California and Texas and saw annual applications rise more than 3,000 in the past decade.



 

In this article, the Worcester Business Journal referred to research by Nikhil Karanjgaokar, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, as an “example of local cutting-edge technology” that could conceivably become a venture-backed startup based on technology developed in Worcester.

Inside Higher Ed featured an audio segment by Geoffrey Pfeifer, associate teaching professor, in its Academic Minute section.   

In another Inside Higher Ed  segment, Rick Vaz, co-director of the Center for Project-Based Learning, discussed "Women in STEM Fields." “Project-based learning could be a powerful strategy to attract and retain more talented women into science and technology fields,” he said.

WCVB highlighted research by Adam Powell, associate professor of mechanical engineering, who is testing a new type of welding that may make the joint between light metal alloys more resistant to corrosion, including salt spray, leading to future designs of durable, next-generation metal car joints used in ultra-light car doors and other vehicle body applications. “Typically, if you reduce the weight by 10 percent, you get five percent better gas mileage,” (1:40) Powell told WCVB.  

In an audio segment on the cost of higher education from Inside Higher Ed, Dean Art Heinricher, undergraduate studies, discussed the value of project-based learning. “Project-based learning works because it’s more than a pedagogical approach, more than a way to teach better. It’s a fundamental survival skill for the future our graduates must build,” he said.​

The New York Times sought President Leshin’s insight for this article. (scroll down to 12th graph). “The fact is, the vast majority of the women and men serving in the Space Force will be doing their important work right here on Earth, just like other members of the military,” Leshin said. “The same is true for people at NASA.”

Rolling Stone interviewed Marco Kaltofen, associate research engineer, physics, for this article. (17th graph). “Essentially what you are doing is taking an underground radioactive reservoir and bringing it to the surface where it can interact with people and the environment,” he told the publication.

The Telegram & Gazette in it's College Town section reported on Bruce Bursten, chemistry and biochemistry professor, being named by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to receive the 2020 ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry.

The Worcester Business Journal highlighted WPI’s PracticePoint ribbon-cutting event in its article​, "WPI Marks Opening of New $17M PracticePoint Facility​." PracticePoint is the university’s membership-based development and testing facility. The goal of this alliance space is to advance healthcare technologies and launch better medical cyber-physical systems, through collaboration across the spectrum of product development and implementation. 

The Telegram & Gazette in this article, highlighted the university’s ribbon-cutting at PracticePoint, its membership-based development and testing facility. PracticePoint labs is a collaborative health care technology facility that university, state and business leaders hope will deliver breakthroughs in medical devices.

WBUR radio aired a segment about Adam Powell, associate professor of mechanical engineering, who is testing a new type of welding that may make car joints more resistant to corrosion, leading to lighter and more fuel efficient cars. Powell said the welding process is ideal for car doors, which are “especially beneficial for a car with reduced weight in some other parts that need just another 20 or 40 pounds of additional weight reduction to get to that smaller engine.”

Erin Solovey, assistant professor of computer science, was featured in a Telegram & Gazette article. Solovey received a $1 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that could lead to significant breakthroughs in technology platforms for the ASL-signing Deaf Community.