Undergraduate Research

Every undergraduate student. Every major. Discovering, designing, doing.

All WPI undergraduate students do significant research in pursuit of their degrees. It is in our DNA.

Performing meaningful, purpose-driven research with faculty early in a college career helps students gain a greater understanding of their discipline, see the implications of their work in the world, and develop a better focus on the career they want. Undergraduate research at WPI runs the gamut from basic to applied to fundamental. Research problems come from within academia or from our business, industry, or government partners.

Interactive Qualifying Project

All undergraduate students do an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) in the junior year. They tackle issues at the intersection of science, technology, and society, and in their work they learn how technology affects societal values and structures.

Great Problems Seminar

WPI undergraduate students have the opportunity to engage in significant inquiry as soon as they step on campus. The Great Problems Seminar (GPS) is a two-term, project-based course that introduces first-year students to university-level research focusing on themes of global importance.

Major Qualifying Project

The Major Qualifying Project (MQP) is a senior-year capstone research or design project completed by all students within their major field of study. Students bring to bear all the theory that they have learned in their disciplines to solve open-ended problems and to effectively communicate their results.

Why is undergraduate research valuable?

Builds close relationships and promotes collaboration with faculty members
Increases graduate school preparation and admission
Improves communication skills
Prepares students for the workforce
Builds universal skills, including teamwork and project management
Fosters innovation and entrepreneurship
Discoveries can lead to patents and copyrights
Develops expertise in the field
Engages corporate partners who offer real-world problems to solve, resources to help, and additional opportunities for students
Aids in successful fellowships and grants applications
Offers experiences unlike anything found in a classroom

I have data-intensive projects in health and medicine and undergraduate students get excellent experience working from the initial data gathering all the way through to publication.

Brenton Faber, biomedical engineering and humanities & arts

Contributing in the Field

Undergraduate students have worked closely on Marja Bakermans' research in studying migratory songbirds. They accompany her on field studies across Massachusetts to learn about the whip-poor-will and how to help rebuild its breeding populations.

Read more about student research on the whip-poor-will project

Collaborating with Industry

Companies and organizations fund various WPI projects and give students real-world work experiences while solving an authentic industry problem. Undergraduate students often work on an MQP that is done in collaboration with industry partners. The following list is a sample of some companies that have sponsored WPI research projects.