In the News

Pamela Weathers, professor of biology and biotechnology, and Pratap Rao, associate professor of mechanical and materials engineering, were interviewed by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette about the impact of algal blooms on local bodies of water. Rao and a team of graduate and undergraduate students received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to create 3D-printed floating structures designed to mimic natural objects that serve as photocatalysts, which have been shown to break down cyanobacteria and associated toxins.

A WPI research team working to tackle harmful algal blooms by creating 3D-printed floating structures which serve as photocatalysts was chosen for funding by the Environmental Protection Agency. The project will include students in mechanical & materials engineering and robotics engineering, Professors Pratap Rao and Markus Nemitz, and postdoctoral fellow Ceren Yilmaz Akkaya.

Boston 25 reported on WPI researchers developing a sensor the size of a Band-Aid to measure a baby’s blood oxygen levels, a vital indication of the lungs’ effectiveness and whether the baby’s tissue is receiving adequate oxygen supply. This wearable device will be flexible and stretchable, wireless, inexpensive, and mobile - possibly allowing the child to leave the hospital and be monitored remotely.

The Worcester Business Journal reported on WPI receiving $3 million from the National Science Foundation to study human-robot interaction in the workplace. Eight WPI researchers are involved: Cagdas Onal (principal investigator), Yunus Telliel, Jeanine Skorinko, Winston Soboyejo, Jing Xiao, Pratap Rao, Soussan Djamasbi and Jane Li. 

 

The Worcester Business Journal reported on WPI and the University of Massachusetts Lowell partnering to award more than $111,000 in seed funding to six different teams, focusing on work ranging from human-robot collaboration to cancer detection and rehabilitation for stroke patients.

The Worcester Business Journal quoted Assistant Professor Pratap Rao, mechanical engineering, on how technological advancements have dropped prices of hydrogen and made it more feasible to store hydrogen for fueling stations.