In the News

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Christmas tree fire dangers explained

Do you know how quickly a Christmas tree can burn and what measures you can take to prevent this type of fire from happening in your home? Every year, WPI’s student chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers conducts a tree burn demonstration in a laboratory in the Department of Fire protection Engineering to educate students and the public on the dangers and dynamics of Christmas tree fires. The event highlights fire prevention and safety measures during the holiday season and highlights the hands-on learning opportunities available to students in WPI’s fire protection engineering program. 

Boston 25 News, the Telegram & Gazette, and Spectrum News 1 reported on this year’s demonstration which, for the first time, included an artificial tree in addition to a real tree. Also, don’t miss a replay of WPI’s live stream of the burn and our recap video which helps explain some of the lessons learned.

Boston Globe

David Ibbett, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Humanities & Arts, was featured in The Boston Globe for an article about composers who translate science into musical scores. Ibbett's "Mars Symphony" is being performed this summer at the Museum of Science in Boston

Boston Globe

Have you ever wondered what Mars sounds like? Visiting assistant teaching professor David Ibbett in the Department of Humanities & Arts composed the Mars Symphony. Three performances are scheduled at the Museum of Science, Boston this summer. He spoke with The Boston Globe about the sonification of science and this joint project with the Museum of Science and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He also discussed the composition on WGBH's The Culture Show podcast and the CultureLab podcast from New Scientist.

Nature

Humanities and Arts assistant professor David Ibbett was interviewed for Working Scientist, a Nature Careers podcast. In it, Ibbett, who is composer and director of the Multiverse Concert Series, explains how he collaborates with scientists to create shows that blend scientific talks with music and dance to help answer the question: what does science sound like?

GBH

Adjunct Professor of Music David Ibbett appeared on the GBH program “Boston Public Radio” to talk about the “Black Hole Symphony” he composed and is performing at the Museum of Science planetarium. Ibbett worked with astrophysicists to turn the different aspects of a black hole galaxy into a concert and immersive experience that includes audio and visuals.

Boston Globe

The Boston Globe spoke with Adjunct Professor of Music David Ibbett about his “Black Hole Symphony” concerts. The performances are being held in the planetarium at the Museum of Science. Ibbett composed the music for the symphony, which features a live chamber orchestra, recorded electronic music, visuals, and a narration. The symphony seeks to educate and entertain by combining music and science to help the audience understand black holes.

WBZ News Radio 1030

WBZ News Radio was in the audience for the practicum performance of the class Music & Science, and spoke with Adjunct Teaching Professor David Ibbett about (at the 13:35:57 mark) the class and the student projects featured in the concert. The musical pieces blended scientific research, data, music, and the student experience in an interactive show that brought new perspectives to the topic

Telegram.com

David Ibbett, adjunct professor of music, sat down with The Telegram & Gazette to talk about his first album, "Octave of Light," which was written based on the more than 4,000 exoplanets that have been discovered in our solar system. Ibbett will debut his album tonight via live stream at the Boston Museum of Science. 

Spectrum News 1

Spectrum News 1 spoke with David Ibbett, adjunct professor of music, about his first album, Octave of Light, which will debut this Thursday. Ibbett, who will also live stream a performance of the album from the Boston Museum of Science (also on Thursday), wrote the album to explore the possibility of life on exoplanets.