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."
Raghvendra Cowlagi, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, and Alexander Wyglinski, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, are developing self-driving cars that can operate safely and efficiently, even in complex city environments; the work is funded by a $425,000 National Science Foundation award.
Craig Shue, associate professor of computer science, was interviewed about his research into cloud-based security for home networks. The work is supported by a $507,600 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation.
Scott Barton, assistant professor of humanities and arts and an expert on how sound is perceived, was interviewed for an article about the Windsor Hum, a “persistent noise of unknown origin, sometimes compared to a truck idling or distant thunder,” that has been affecting residents of Windsor, Ontario, for years.
Amy Zeng, assistant dean of Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s business school, is helping the school design a supply chain master’s degree program to be offered in August. It emphasizes technical competencies such as data analytics and emerging technologies.
WPI math professor Bill Martin is interviewed about the impact of Euler’s number, and how the number is used to model growth rates, ranging from financial investments to the rate of spread of disease.
Gregory Fischer, mechanical and robotics engineering professor, and Laurie Dickstein-Fischer, professor of education at Salem State University, were interviewed for this article. The feature story focused on the potential of robots, including the Fischers’ PABI (Penguin for Autism Behavioral Intervention), to help therapists treat adults and children with autism.
The Boston Business Journal reported on the opening of WPI Seaport, a multipurpose space in Boston that will further WPI’s role in the state’s innovation economy. President Laurie Leshin was joined by several state and local officials, including Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, who said the new collaboration with WPI will “will bring more outstanding talent into our neighborhoods.”
Forbes interviewed Michael Ahern, director of corporate and professional education, on the cybersecurity training programs he and his team have been creating for several ‘critical’ industries, for this article. “I was an engineer in the power industry for 30 years, and I know that some of these companies are being attacked thousands of times a day,” Ahern said. “There are not enough cybersecurity workers at a time when the trend is that more and more hacks are successful.”
WPI’s now-famous spinach leaf was named seventh in National Geographic’s “Our 21 Most Popular Stories of 2017.” The annual roundup noted that, “In a feat of science that captivated the attention of a million readers, a spinach leaf’s genetic material was replaced with that of a human heart, with far-reaching implications for future heart surgeries.”
Medical News Today published an article about a smartphone app developed at WPI that may help in the fight against obesity. While apps that aim to assist with weight loss are not new, this app — known as SlipBuddy — takes a unique three-pronged approach to combat overeating.
This “Light Matters” webcast highlights how WPI and Quinsigamond Community College are awarded a $4 million grant by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to create a comprehensive joint laboratory for integrated photonics.
The Associated Press interviewed Professor Nick Dembsey, fire protection engineering, for this article. Dembsey told the AP that the goal of the new risk assessment tool known as the Risk Evaluation Matrix is to enable fire marshals, building owners and others to make their structures safer through a rational and scientific approach.
The Wall Street Journal a letter to the editor by Interactive Media and Game Development professor Jennifer deWinter, written in response to an article about how movies based on Nintendo characters, particularly those focused on Super Mario Bros., have fared in the past.
WBZ Am Radio broadcast a report (12:37 mark) on computer science professor Craig Shue designing a cybersecurity system known as the Policy Enforcement and Access Control for Endpoints, or PEACE system, which enhances security and allows IT analysts to identify and deal with malware quickly.
John Orr, IEEE Fellow and director of sustainability and professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering, is mentioned in the IEEE article “Awards Honor People Making a Difference in Engineering Education.” Orr received the Meritorious Service Citation “in recognition of sustained contributions and leadership in IEEE-HKN and engineering accreditation.”
N magazine features the amazing project work that WPI students do at the university’s Nantucket Project Center that makes a difference to this local community.
Business Officer magazine features WPI’s distinctive project-based learning curriculum and the impact of the program on student engagement in addressing human needs and social challenges.
[“Teaching Students to Care” originally appeared in the November 2017 issue of Business Officer, the monthly flagship magazine published by the National Association of College and University Business Officers in Washington, D.C.]
Assistant professor of computer science Kyumin Lee, assistant professor of computer science has developed algorithms that have proven highly accurate in detecting fake “likes” and followers across various platforms like Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter. His work is funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award.
President Laurie Leshin was interviewed for a segment on the importance of play and role models for getting girls interested in STEM at a young age and keeping them engaged.
