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.
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."
In The Academic Minute podcast, Sarah Stanlick, assistant professor in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies and director of the Great Problems Seminar, explains how a WPI alumni survey demonstrates that a negative project experience still provides learning benefits to students. The findings shed light on the differences between satisfaction and learning and demonstrate that even projects that do not seem useful to students at the time can have lasting positive benefits.
Megan DeSanty '24 was interviewed by Worcester Magazine for a story on college students who give back to their communities. DeSanty began volunteering at the Wachusett Food Pantry in Holden when she was in high school. Eventually, she focused on systemic issues involving food insecurity, and as a freshman at WPI, she joined the Food Recovery Network, a national organization that has about 200 member schools.
Arthur Carlson, university archivist and assistant director for special collections, Gillian McCuistion, access and outreach archivist, and Madelyn Veccia, an Interactive Media & Game Development student, spoke with Spectrum News 1 about the joys of Tetris as the George C. Gordon Library vintage video game exhibit highlighted the iconic game's 40th anniversary. The story aired on Spectrum TV stations in Worcester, Rochester, NY, Syracuse, NY, Albany, NY, Buffalo, NY, Raleigh, NC, and Greensboro, NC.
Andrew Sears comes to WPI with more than 30 years of experience in higher education. He will serve as chief academic officer, supervising all facets of academic affairs, manage associated curricular, human, financial, and physical resources, head recruitment initiatives, and foster a positive academic experience for students.
In this episode of The Academic Minute podcast, Ryan Madan, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Humanities and Arts, discusses the results of a WPI alumni survey which suggest WPI's project-based humanities and arts curriculum helps students explore themselves, the human experience, and equips them with tools and perspectives that deepen their learning in STEM fields.
The Academic Minute podcast featured WPI's Benefits of Project-Based Learning Week. In this episode, Kimberly LeChasseur, senior researcher and evaluation associate with the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center and the Center for Project-Based Learning at WPI, discusses a WPI alumni survey that shows when students are exposed to more project-based learning experiences, they increasingly develop valuable skills in a variety of areas.
The Academic Minute podcast explores the results of a WPI alumni survey. It finds that WPI's project-based curriculum provides strong preparation for students' lives and careers. Kris Wobbe, director of WPI's Center for Project-Based Learning, discusses how stacking high-impact practices over time can uniquely benefit students.
Shahin Tajik, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will develop new technologies to monitor and protect computer chips and other hardware from malicious attacks.
Bakersfield.com reported on the work of Joel J. Brattin, professor of Humanities & Arts and resident Charles Dickens expert, who recently co-edited a scholarly edition of Dickens's third novel, "Nicholas Nickleby."
“Our analysis finds polystyrene to be an ideal candidate for a chemical recycling process.” – Professor Michael Timko on the study he authored with colleagues from the Department of Chemical Engineering and the University of Bath. The analysis found a simple and scalable technology could increase the viability of recycling products like food packaging and packing peanuts. WPI authors include Professor Nikolaos Kazantzis and PhD students Elizabeth Belden (’24) and Madison Reed. This analysis was also reported on in Plastics Today, Recycling Today, and The Business Magazine.
Analysis from researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering and at the University of Bath suggests a new approach could dramatically increase the amount of polystyrene recycled. Their paper in the Chemical Engineering Journal finds a simple process combining pyrolysis and distillation has the potential to be a scalable, cost- and energy-efficient method of transforming old into new when it comes to polystyrene. WPI researchers include professors Michael Timko and Nikolaos Kazantzis and PhD students Elizabeth Belden (’24) and Madison Reed.
Angela C. Incollingo Rodriguez, assistant professor of Psychological & Cognitive Sciences and Neuroscience, talked with Self Magazine for an article about how pregnancy can impact body image. She noted that pregnancy content on social media tends to skew toward what we look like versus what we feel like, even if what you're seeing isn't overtly talking about appearance.
Natalie Farny, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology, has received funding from the National Science Foundation to advance the use of bacteria in the cleanup of contaminated soil. Farny will study how a critical biological process regulates genes in bacteria as they adapt to conditions outside of laboratories.
Graduate students Camila Gomez and Muhammad Hassan Dajana, in the Community Climate Adaptation program, are exploring historical data on winter storms, climate projections, and surveying Worcester residents to identify winter weather impacts and potential vulnerabilities. Their project with the City of Worcester's Department of Sustainability and Resilience seeks to identify recommendations to support winter climate adaptation and resilience in Worcester.
Ephraim, professor of English in the Department of Humanities & Arts, was interviewed about her book Green World, that details her quest to become a Shakespeare scholar.
More than a thousand students got their degrees from WPI during commencement ceremonies at the DCU Center. President Grace Wang urged graduates to dream boldly. Read more in The Worcester Guardian.
Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated. Xiaoyan (Sherry) Sun, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, discusses how managed detection and response combines technology and human expertise to approach cybersecurity risks. Learn more in this article from Techopedia.
The class of 2024 was celebrated at commencement ceremonies at the DCU Center. "Today's commencement is especially meaningful," said President Grace J. Wang. "The global pandemic kept many of you from having an in-person high school graduation ceremony. It's truly a joy and honor to celebrate our graduates in person, together." Graduates included the first cohort of WPI's Great Minds/CoMPASS Scholar Program. It supports low-income, academically talented, first-generation students from Worcester Public Schools.
Among the nearly 1,200 undergraduate students who celebrated their commencement Friday, ten were part of the first Great Minds/CoMPASS Scholars Program. The scholarship program is for first-generation students from Worcester Public Schools and provides orientation and support throughout the students' time at WPI.
