The Month in Photos: March 2018

Take a look back at some of the people, places, news, and events at WPI during the month of March as captured by our talented staff photographers and videographers. 

On March 1, C-Term finals were winding down, the temperature rose to 56, and students turned to a comfy hammock and thoughts of springtime.

One week later, Gompei––wearing his custom sweater––stands guard over the Quad as winter storm Quinn roars through Worcester, leaving more than a foot of snow and canceled classes in its wake.

Women in Data Science (WiDS) Ambassadors (from left) Caitlin Kuhlman, Cansu Sen, and Melanie Jutras organized the regional Central Massachusetts gathering of the global WiDS Conference on March 5. The conference attracted 200 people.

WPI students see two feet of snow as a gift of building potential, even if it’s temporary. After a mid-March storm, this full-size, structurally sound igloo was top real estate on the Quad.

Tyrone Patterson hits a walk-off home run to defeat Brandeis in the baseball home opener at the New England Baseball Complex on March 15.

Jing Xiao, WPI’s new director of Robotics Engineering, says mindful research and innovative approaches will open up the door for helpful and safe human-robot interaction. 

Sydney Packard ’20 (left) and Lea Strangio ’18 (right) represented WPI at Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jacket Invitational on March 17. The 800-meter run generated Packard’s WPI-record breaking time (2:09.34) and Strangio’s personal best time (2:14.09). 

With an Air Force competition challenge to build an autonomous security robot from a wheelchair, a WPI team’s prototype device might one day protect unmanned military installations, such as missile silos, worldwide.

Michael Timko, associate professor of chemical engineering, researches how to convert fuel waste otherwise destined for landfills into environmentally friendly, power-producing biofuels.

More than 500 attendees came to the International Food Festival on March 19 to sample dishes prepared by students representing WPI's international student population, including Vietnamese bap xao, Brazilian brigadeiro, Ecuadorian llapingachos, and American cruffins.

Dear World encouraged about 180 WPI students, faculty, and staff to share their thought-provoking and personal stories with a powerful summary. Jess Norman ‘18, above, talks about the experience on March 20. View the Dear World Facebook gallery.

Graduate student Karen Royer brings Interactive Media and Game Development creativity to traditional Ukrainian egg decorating.