The Month in Photos: March 2024

April 26, 2024

From athletics championships and a K-9 retirement to Wellness Days and, of course, a campus-wide inauguration celebration, here’s some of what the WPI community was up to in March through the lenses of photographers and videographers across campus.

Hundreds of faculty, staff, and students; delegates from more than 30 colleges and universities and learned societies; federal, state, and local dignitaries; and special guests gathered on campus to celebrate Grace Wang’s formal inauguration as the 17th president of WPI. The event also saw the announcement of $18.6 million in philanthropic commitments from seven alumni and friends.

Attendees at the special University Lecture event ahead of President Wang's inauguration.

Ahead of her formal inauguration ceremony, President Wang hosted “AI and the Future of Work,” a dynamic university lecture featuring panelists Deepthi Bathina ’00 (MS), Terrence Sejnowski, PhD, and Steve Vassallo ’93.

Student athletes smile with their coach during a competition event.

Before this month, WPI had won two national championships in over 100 years of varsity athletics and in 50 years of Division III. Now, though? Now they’ve got two more—earned in just two days at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship.

She may be a dog, but she’ll always be the GOAT—K-9 Bella is preparing to retire at the end of this academic year. Her handler and WPI Police Officer Brian Lavallee sat down with us to reminisce about Bella’s time in the department and what she’s given to the WPI community.

A student shares research during a presentation event in the Innovation Studio.

This year the WPI Women’s Impact Network (WIN) awarded 11 Impact Grants totaling over $150,000 to WPI students, faculty, staff, and alumni for their work and initiatives aimed at advancing women in STEM. At the end of March, the WPI community was able to celebrate the recipients and learn more about their work during a poster presentation event in the Innovation Studio.

Attendees dance during the faculty achievement dinner celebration.

Members of WPI’s faculty aren’t just smart, talented, and passionate about their work—they’ve also been known to showcase their moves on the dance floor, which is exactly what they did during the annual Trustees’ Celebration of Faculty Achievement.

To help new power wheelchair users learn safe practice and operation, a team of faculty and students from WPI and UMass Lowell has created a virtual reality-based simulator that provides effective training in safe settings.

Two student wrestlers prepare for a match.

Joseph Tully ’27 earned a podium finish during the 2024 NCAA Division III Northeast Regionals, hosted right here on campus. (Photo credit courtesy Jonah Carter ’27)

Kalvin Cummings poses with the new Peace Pole outside the CRC.

The Collegiate Religious Center installed a Peace Pole outside the building, offering messages of peace in various languages.

Panelists during a recent Critical Conversation discussion.

The latest in WPI’s Critical Conversation series saw panelists discuss AI in education and how it’s transforming the classroom.

Students smile with their plants during a Wellness Day activity.

The theme of the latest Wellness Day on campus was Blossom Bash—what better way to celebrate than with free flowers and the opportunity to pot your own plant in the newly refurbished Biology and Biotechnology Greenhouse?