Melbourne, Australia Project Center - IQP

Current Director(s)
Stephen McCauley
Lorraine Higgins
Active Program Term(s)
D-Term during spring
B-Term during late fall
Project Opportunities
Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP)
PROJECT CENTER WEBSITE GET STARTED

Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia and the capital of the state of Victoria. Located on Australia’s southeast coast, the seaside city offers a rich array of culture, history, and entertainment. Melbourne has consistently been voted as “the world’s most livable city,” and it’s easy to see why—the city is known for its parks, gardens, and beaches, as well as many popular arts festivals, sporting events, and fine dining establishments. Melbourne is also a gateway to exploring the diversity of Australian life, as it is located a short distance from mountains, deserts, mining towns, and extensive parklands and wildlife reserves. 

Since 1998, over 750 WPI students have conducted over 200 projects at the Melbourne Project Center (MPC), partnering with local government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private enterprises in Melbourne and across the state of Victoria.

Past Melbourne students have:

  • Evaluated an educational program teaching conservation to visitors with Zoos Victoria
  • Provided an evaluation of assistive technology options to improve the independence of people with disabilities with the E.W. Tipping Foundation
  • Sought to improve engagement of aboriginal communities with emergency services in Victoria

Media Coverage

Waste Management Review
JSS project uncovers the importance of recycling education

An article in Australia's Waste Management Review highlighted the work of WPI students during their Interactive Qualifying Project at the Melbourne Project Center. The students helped Jesuit Social Services' Ecological Justice Hub to support local recycling solutions by designing a plastic recycling assembly line to collect, sort, and recycle bottle caps and turn them into new products. In March, the student team was honored for its work as winners of the Forum on Education Abroad's Award for Academic Achievement Abroad.