In the News

Worcester is home to a thriving gaming industry. Livability reports on how the Massachusetts Digital Game Institute, based at WPI, and our interactive media and game development program are helping students enter the field and innovate. 

For the first time this fall, the Great Problems Seminar, a program for first-year students, will feature two courses dedicated to understanding and thinking critically about artificial intelligence. The Telegram & Gazette highlighted one of the new courses: AI, Design, and Society. The course will provide a hands-on opportunity to build and use AI systems and to explore the history and future of AI. It will be co-taught by Sarah Stanlick, director of the Great Problems Seminar and assistant professor in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies, and Gillian Smith, director of the Interactive Media and Game Development Program and associate professor of computer science.

WCVB-TV 5's "Chronicle" program featured an exhibit from Archives & Special Collections titled "Video Game Console Wars 1976-2001 featuring WPI’s Interactive Media Archive & Interactive Media & Game Development Department.” The show about all things 'fun and games' showcased the exhibit's collection of retro video game consoles, the history of console development, and how Interactive Media & Game Development students are learning to push the industry forward with understanding of the field's foundation.

Gillian Smith, associate professor of computer science and director of the Interactive Media and Game Development, talked about the dangers of, and misconceptions about, artificial intelligence and platforms like ChatGPT with 100FM The Pike radio.

The Boston Globe interviewed Gillian Smith for an article on the impact of ChatGPT on higher education.

Video game news site TechRaptor says it sees a “bright future” for the gaming industry after speaking with two Interactive Media and Game Development students and IMGD Director Associate Professor Gillian Smith.  

NPR’s Marketplace spoke with Gillian Smith, Associate Professor and Director of IMGD, about the unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard – the video game company behind titles including Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and World of Warcraft. It’s the first time a union has been formed at a major video game studio. Smith talked about what she has heard about the working conditions at some similar companies. The story was featured on NPR’s national broadcast, as well as approximately 50 local stations around the country.

Worcester News Tonight covered New England's first Algorave, which was brought to PopUp Worcester by Charlie Roberts, assistant professor of computer science. Roberts, along with Gillian Smith, assistant professor of computer science, participated in live coding to create images and music simultaneously for attendees to enjoy. Roberts said one of the goals of the event was to combine computer science with art to make coding easier to digest and more accessible to students. (Clip begins at 9:21)

The Telegram & Gazette profiled Gillian Smith, assistant professor of computer science, in this College Town article.