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WPI robot helps power Hollywood movie "Rule Breakers"
If you see the new movie Rule Breakers, look for a robot developed in 2022 by a student and professor from the robotics engineering program. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported on the student research work that drew movie producers to the program; and ultimately led to WPI's unique contribution to the film about Afghanistan’s first all-female robotics team and its inspiring journey to international competitions.
For its coverage of the Los Angeles area wildfires, 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. The department of fire protection engineering conducts extensive research on wildfires aimed at improving the prevention of and response to fires in the future.
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 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. NBC Boston's report was re-aired on more than a dozen television news stations in cities around the U.S. including Washington, DC, Minneapolis, Dallas, Albuquerque, Spokane, Yakima, WA, Fresno, CA, Albany, NY, Topeka, KS, Greenville, SC, Abilene, TX, and Elmira, NY.
The Los Angeles fires have raised questions about how fires behave. For one: how do some wildfires generate fire whirls, or fire tornadoes? The Department of Fire Protection Engineering conducts research on wildfires that seeks to protect people and property from future fires. James Urban, assistant professor of fire protection engineering, speaks in this Associated Press video about fire whirls, and a recent demonstration of the phenomenon that was conducted in a WPI fire protection engineering laboratory.
Large wildfires like the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area can sometimes develop fire whirls, or fire tornadoes. To help create more understanding about that phenomenon, Assistant Professor James Urban spoke with the Associated Press and helped conduct demonstrations in a WPI Fire Protection Engineering laboratory for an article that explains fire whirls. Urban, other faculty, and students in the Fire Protection Engineering program conduct research on a variety of aspects of wildfires with a goal of improving fire prevention and response.
The Associated Press interviewed James Urban, an assistant professor of fire protection engineering, for an article that explains how firebrands, or flying embers, contribute to the spread of wildfires like those in the Los Angeles area. Urban and faculty and students in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering research wildfire behavior with a goal of better protecting communities from the threat. The article was republished by more than 600 news outlets including the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, and San Francisco Chronicle.
Albert Simeoni, professor and head of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, provided analysis to the fact-checking website Full Fact for an article addressing online claims about the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. In the article, Simeoni explains how wildfires can cause uneven damage to objects that are in proximity.
As brush fires in the northeast continue, WPI students and faculty in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering are doing research and hands-on projects that help better understand how wildfires spread and their impact. Spectrum News 1 Worcester reported on the laboratory experiments being conducted aimed at protecting solar energy infrastructure from wildfire threats.
Drought and winds have increased wildfire risk in Massachusetts. Dozens of fires have started in the last month. James Urban, assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, provided insight into the factors leading to the elevated risk for an article in The Boston Globe.
“When you go from a lot of wet weather to a lot of dry weather, there’s a lot of fine fuels that grow and then die. If it dries out, that can be very dangerous tinder for a wildfire to start and spread.” James Urban, assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, explains how dry weather is a factor in brush fires around the Northeast.
Astronauts on the International Space Station will perform experiments for a study led by James Urban, assistant professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering. A spacecraft carrying materials for the experiments was launched to the space station on August 4. Urban studies wildfires and believes the experiments in microgravity will provide insight on non-steady flame behavior and lead to better understanding of how wildfires spread on Earth.
New announcement will allow WPI to build upon its longstanding expertise in fire protection to study new fire detection methods, robotics solutions to enhance first responder safety, and fire suppression systems for wildfires.
WBUR reports on the addition of WPI to a federal Wildlife Interdisciplinary Research Center. The work will focus on fire detection models, first responder safety, and wildfire suppression systems.
The Worcester Business Journal reported on the National Science Foundation's adding of Worcester Polytechnic Institute to its Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center, bringing the university on to its collaborative effort between universities and industry leaders to better understand, prevent, and respond to wildfires.
Michael Ahern, instructor, and recently retired Director of Power Systems at WPI, provided analysis for an Associated Press report on the presence of uninsulated electrical wires in Maui before the devastating wildfires. The reporting on power line infrastructure and questions about the source of the fires was republished by hundreds of outlets including the Los Angeles Times, PBS NewsHour, Chicago Tribune, Yahoo! News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Politico.
Fire protection engineering professors Albert Simeoni and James Urban were quoted in a Reuters Fact Check article on the dynamics of the devastating fires in Hawaii. They explain how wildfires spread and why some things in a burned area avoid damage when so much else is destroyed.
The recent presence of wildfire smoke in the air has caused harmful air pollution. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering assistant professor Shichao Liu explained to MassLive why future wildfires could pose an even greater danger to air quality if the smoke arrives during hotter weather.
Smoke from wildfires can be dangerous, especially to people with certain health conditions. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering assistant professor Shichao Liu studies indoor air quality. He spoke with NECN about how smoke particles can get into buildings and affect health.
Assistant professor Shichao Liu, in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, warns that the thick wildfire smoke over much of the east coast is not just an outdoor air quality issue. He spoke with WBUR about how harmful particles can seep into homes and offered advice on steps people can take to protect themselves indoors.
WPI research on wildfires includes how smoke plumes affect indoor air quality. Assistant professor Shichao Liu explained to the Boston Herald why wildfire smoke does not stop at a building’s doors and windows. The story was also published in The Lowell Sun and The Sentinel & Enterprise.
WPI assistant professor Shichao Liu studies indoor air quality. As wildfire smoke blankets Worcester and much of the U.S., health officials have urged people to stay indoors. Liu explained to Spectrum News 1 how smoke particles can infiltrate buildings and how people can stay safe indoors.
