Students (L-R) Naomi Treto and Katelyn Lunny participated in a presentation of their team's project.
On January 31, a campus tradition recognized some of the excellent work done by WPI students during one of the university’s signature academic experiences, the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP). The President’s IQP Award, given annually, honors outstanding achievement in the seven-week, full-time projects completed during the previous academic year. The IQP requires students to work in interdisciplinary teams in partnership with a community-based sponsor to address a real-world problem that involves science, technology, and societal needs. Most students complete their IQP off-campus at one of more than 50 WPI project centers located on six continents.
Student teams are invited to enter their projects to compete for the President’s IQP Award. Out of the submissions from the more than 300 IQPs completed in the 2023–2024 academic year, a faculty screening committee selected five projects as finalists. The teams whose projects were chosen presented their work in the Rubin Campus Center Odeum to President Grace Wang, their project advisors, faculty, staff, students, family members, and a panel of judges.
The finalist projects represent the breadth of the societal challenges addressed by WPI students, the variety of locations where students can travel through the Global Projects Program, and the exemplary research, writing, teamwork, and appreciation of the social and humanistic contexts that are critical components of the IQP.
After deliberation, the judges decided two teams—instead of just one—should win the 2024 President’s IQP Award. The winning projects were announced at a reception for the finalists at Higgins House following the project presentations.
The winning teams
Hunter Daris, Ella Devault, Gavin George, and Federico Lenson, all seniors, completed their award-winning project “Behind the Frontline: Vicarious Trauma Amongst Support Staff in Victoria’s Emergency Management Sector” at the Melbourne, Australia project center. They worked with the nonprofit Emergency Services Foundation, interviewing support workers (such as dispatchers, journalists, and counselors) from 12 agencies to better understand their lived experiences with vicarious trauma. Their stories revealed often-unacknowledged struggles and barriers to accessing trauma support resources. After interviews with mental health experts, the team recommended new practices to help workers in these roles.
In addition to preparing a final written report, the students presented their findings in a webinar with managers from the emergency services sector and they produced a podcast episode in which emergency management support staff shared their stories to raise awareness of vicarious trauma and encourage others to seek help. “We’re very proud of the reach that our research has had,” Devault, a civil engineering major, said in the team’s award event presentation. “We know that the real work is being done every day by the managers and the support staff to really develop and refine these programs to make sure that no support staff individual is left behind.” The team was advised by Lorraine Higgins, a teaching professor in The Global School, and Jonathan Chee, a local coordinator at the Melbourne project center.
A President’s IQP Award was also given to seniors Peter Allen, Marley Fortune, and Camille Prats and juniors Annabelle Mullins and Colette Scott for their project “How Bazar? Creating Interactive Media to Promote Community Building,” which they did at the Lyon, France project center. The team partnered with SINGA Lyon, an organization that seeks to accelerate the inclusion of migrants and asylum seekers in communities.
The students conducted research on immigration politics in France and developed strategies, including a digital icebreaker game and a migration quiz, for SINGA’s annual Bazar Festival to promote greater understanding of migrants and create new connections between people. Prats, an interactive media and game development major, said the project sponsor was excited by the team’s ability to build games. “They thought that games would be a good way to reach out to people without having to have a serious conversation about immigration,” she said. “A game can be a friendlier way to start a conversation.” The team was advised by Grant Burrier, associate professor of teaching in The Global School, and Tahar El-Korchi, professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering.
The finalists
“Harmonizing Holistic Health & Disaster Relief in Puerto Rico.” Students: seniors Ian Cody, Mya Darrow, Katelyn Lunny, and Naomi Treto. Advisors: Grant Burrier and Scott Jiusto. San Juan, Puerto Rico project center. The team worked with Apoyo Mutuo Agrícola to create a community-based emergency plan for rural and urban areas, develop a website, and gather information on resources available to help the nonprofit strengthen its network.
Students (L-R) Avila Thompson, Hillary Quezada, Andrew Cunningham, and Luca Scotto presented their project.
“The Implementation of the XRP Curriculum in the Cerrito School of Paraguay.” Students: seniors Andrew Cunningham, Hillary Quezada, Luca Scotto, and Avila Thompson. Advisors: Dorothy Burt, adjunct instructor, and Lina Muñoz-Márquez. Asunción, Paraguay project center. The team worked with the nonprofit Fundación Paraguaya to develop presentations, lesson plans, workshops, and multimedia tools to launch a robotics course in a high school. The course utilizes the Experiential Robotics Platform (XRP), which WPI helped develop with DEKA Research & Development Corp.
“T-School Hands-On Program at Soochow University.” Students: seniors Spencer Dill, Eleanor Foley, Sakshi Gauro, and Jakub Jandus. Advisors: Robert Kinicki and Wen-Hua Du. Taipei, Taiwan project center. The students worked with faculty at Soochow University and conducted interviews, surveys, observations, and analysis to provide recommendations for the university’s experiential Talent School (T-School) to improve educational outcomes, student satisfaction, and teamwork.
Honorable mentions
The following projects received honorable mentions by the faculty review committee that selected the finalists for the President’s IQP Award:
“Developing a Kiwi Safety Plan for Upper Hutt, Aotearoa.” Students: seniors William Brownell, Seth Frank, Domenic Sena, Paige Sommers. Advisors: Leslie Dodson, Kenneth Stafford, and Ingrid Shockey. Wellington, New Zealand project center. The team collaborated with Pest Free Upper Hutt, a community-based organization, to develop a plan and create publicly available informational material on ways to protect kiwi, birds that are a national symbol in New Zealand.
“Digital Heritage Preservation of the Shilin District: Conserving Taiwan’s Unique Identity.” Students: seniors Will Buchta, Hannah Moran, Rose Strobel, Alexis Vilmenay. Advisors: Wen-Hua Du and Robert Kinicki. Taipei, Taiwan project center. The students partnered with Fu-sheng Shih, an associate professor at Soochow University, to develop an interactive website to help preserve the cultural heritage and identity of one of Taipei’s 12 districts.
The judges
In advance of the final presentations, four judges reviewed the written reports and materials submitted by the five finalist teams. At the event, the panel observed each team’s presentation, asked team members questions about their projects, and then met to select the award winners. Judges included Lisa Mullins, news anchor at WBUR, a National Public Radio affiliate in Boston; Mimi Sheller, dean of The Global School; Kris Wobbe, director of the Center for Project-Based Learning at WPI; and Mark Boyer, professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut and former executive director of the International Studies Association.
