The Month in Photos: February 2022

At the beginning of the month, several hundred students came together for a student-organized and -led support walk in an effort to, in their words, “spread hope and symbolize our unity and strength as a community.”

You know them, you love them, you’ve gotten COVID tests from them—give it up for the Facilities crew, one of the many teams who were and continue to be instrumental in helping our community through the pandemic.

Following up on the news that President Leshin will be departing WPI in May, it was announced that Provost and Senior Vice President Winston Oluwole “Wole” Soboyejo would assume the role of interim WPI president.

Paula Fitzpatrick, PhD, has joined WPI as the inaugural director of the new Center for Well-Being, which will provide wellness programming and support for the campus community.

WPI’s colors may be crimson and gray, but the American Cancer Society on Campus transformed them to purple during its seventh annual Purple Gala in the Odeum, featuring a speech by a cancer survivor, a performance by the Audiophiles, and a raffle and silent auction with all proceeds donated to the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life.

Happy birthday, Gompei—you don’t look a day over 129.

Stage Band 1, Stage Band 2, and the Jazz Ensemble were joined by special guests Lauren Sevian and the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra for a Women in Jazz performance in Alden Memorial.

The Pep Band took over Alden Memorial to host a Valentine’s Day dance with performances from several a cappella groups on campus.

The Men’s Basketball team defeated Emerson College, earning its first NEWMAC Championship Tournament title since 2013 and securing a spot in the NCAA tournament for the second straight season. The team also hosted the first and second rounds this past Friday and Saturday, advancing to the sectional semifinal themselves with a victory over Penn State Harrisburg. Next up: they'll be taking on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday, March 11.

Sigma Phi Epsilon transformed the Campus Center into a hair salon for its annual head shaving event to benefit the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

WPI’s campus has gone to the dogs: The Business School hosted several therapy dogs at the end of the month, all of whom earned a round of apaws (and an afternoon of snuggles) from students.

Just keep swimming, indeed—Katherine Pawlak ’22 was selected to participate in the 2022 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships, making her the first member of the WPI women’s swimming program to earn a trip to the event.

Members of the Class of 2024 stopped by to make their mark—literally—on a class banner in the Campus Center.

Min Wu, assistant professor of mathematical sciences, has been awarded a CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation to develop mathematical models describing how secretions and mechanical forces shape the growth of elongated plant cells.