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Wildfire research at WPI
The devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area exemplify the dangers of wind-driven fires in inhabited areas. WPI’s Department of Fire Protection Engineering is leading research designed to understand how fires spread with the goal of contributing to measures that can better protect communities and firefighters.
WPI’s experts in this field include those who are part of the National Science Foundation’s Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center, a collaboration with San Jose State University, to study new fire detection methods, first responder safety, and wildfire suppression systems.
WPI’s research, which involves faculty and ongoing experiments conducted by students in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel on campus, was featured by several media outlets including The Boston Globe, WCVB, NBC 10 Boston, NECN, and Spectrum News 1.
For its coverage of the L.A. fires, The New York Times interviewed Albert Simeoni, professor and head of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, about how the wildland fires in Southern California transformed into urban fires, leading to extensive loss of life and destruction of property. Simeoni also provided analysis for the fact-checking website Full Fact for an article addressing online claims about the wildfires.
The Associated Press also interviewed James Urban, an assistant professor of fire protection engineering, for an article that helps explain how firebrands, or flying embers, contribute to the spread of wildfires. The AP also interviewed Urban and visited campus to observe fire laboratory experiments for its coverage explaining how fire whirls, or fire tornadoes, can develop in large fires like those occurring in the Los Angeles area. Their experiments were photographed and featured in an AP article, "Fire tornadoes pose a threat in California. A fire lab shows how they work" and in an AP video.
Professor Urban also spoke with WPTF, a news radio station in Raleigh, NC, about how wind and drought factored into the California fires, and about wildfire prevention.
Andrew Palumbo, dean of admissions and financial aid, was interviewed for this article. How much one should borrow “is an inherently personal decision that is best made after conducting thoughtful research,” Palumbo said.
The Worcester Business Journal reported on work funded by a $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a new smartphone app to monitor chronic wounds. The work is led by Emmanuel Agu, associate professor of computer science and coordinator of WPI’s Mobile Graphics Research Group, with co-principal investigators professor Diane Strong and associate professor Bengisu Tulu, both of the Foisie Business School, and Peder Pedersen, a retired professor of electrical and computer engineering.
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.
