The Bridge - July 2003
Contents
- Welcome: View Reunion Photos Online!
- News: Daniel Webster Has Left the Campus
FM Global Supports WPI Fire Research
Corporate Gifts Tally $2 Million
Race and Admissions at WPI
William Durgin Appointed to ASME Committee - Job Posting: Mechanical Engineer; Philadelphia, Penn.
- Save the Date: Oct. 25: Hairspray, the Broadway musical
- Events: Aug. 26-28: IT Training Info Sessions
- Sports: In Step With WPI Footpounders
- Did You Know: Groundskeeping 101
- Bookmarks
1. Welcome
Reunion Was a Success!
Despite rainy weather, hundreds of alumni returned to Worcester for Reunion Weekend in early June. View reunion photos online
2. News
Daniel Webster Has Left the Campus
Spring cleaning unearthed a treasure for Rodney Obien, director of the WPI Archives. "We were cleaning out a storage room and 'rediscovered' this fine piece of art," said Obien of a four-foot-high petit point (fine-gauge needlework) portrait of Daniel Webster, famed Early American orator and Massachusetts statesman. The artist remains a mystery, but a textile expert says it's safe to assume she was a Victorian-era woman of means. Obien has loaned the work to the Old Baptist Meeting House in Salisbury, N.H., Webster's birthplace. It will be on display there through the summer season and will be returned to WPI this autumn.
View a newspaper article on the find
More information on Daniel Webster
FM Global Supports WPI Fire Research
FM Global, the commercial and industrial property insurer, recently pledged $570,000 in funds and equipment to contribute to fire research and graduate education in WPI's fire protection engineering department.
Read the press release on FM Global's gift
Corporate Gifts Tally Nearly $2 Million
Since January, WPI has received nearly $2 million in gifts from corporations. Donations range from Intel Massachusetts' funds for K-12 Outreach and WPI's new MEMS Laboratory, to Hahn Engineering's gift-in-kind of a forced adaptive grinder and software.
View a full list of corporate gifts since January 2003
Race and Admissions at WPI
In light of the recent Supreme Court rulings on how race may be factored into college admissions decisions, WPI's policy doesn't need to change; it already complies with the new guidelines. "The key is for us to make sure that underrepresented middle school and secondary school students are taking the appropriate courses so that they meet our admissions criteria," says Kristin R. Tichenor, WPI's director of admissions. "That's why we are so committed to K-12 Outreach programs." At WPI, ethnicity is considered among other admissions factors, but applicants are ranked solely on the basis of their academic credentials.
WPI Office of Diversity and Women's Programs
William W. Durgin Joins ASME Committee on Honors
William W. Durgin, associate provost for academic affairs and vice president for research, has been appointed to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Committee on Honors. The appointment by the ASME Board of Governors is an opportunity for WPI to serve the professional society of one of its oldest and largest engineering departments.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
3. Job Posting
Mechanical Engineer; Philadelphia, Penn.
A privately-owned $85 million flexible packaging company in the Philadelphia, Penn., area seeks two mechanical engineers. The organization has been financially sound for all of its 25 years and is currently in a growth mode. BME degree preferred, but candidates with BEE will be considered. Minimum six years experience in a manufacturing/packaging environment and a hands-on, roll-up-sleeves work ethic are required. Interested, qualified candidates may contact Ann Gaimster, 610-527-8369 and/or e-mail their resumes to agaimster@yahoo.com.
4. Save the Date
Hairspray in Boston
The hit Broadway musical Hairspray, based on the John Waters film about coming of age in the early 1960s, is coming to the Colonial Theater in Boston. Join the WPI Alumni Association on Sat., Oct. 25, for a 2:00 matinee. Limited tickets available; $97 for mezzanine, $87 for balcony. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 508-831-5600 or e-mail regional-events@wpi.edu.
5. Events
Alumni
July 31, Aug. 7 and Aug. 14: New Student Receptions. Newly admitted students and their parents meet WPI alumni at private-home receptions. July 31, Fairfield, Conn.; Aug. 7, Hartford, Conn.; Aug. 14, Smithfield, RI; all start at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations, alumni-office@wpi.edu.
Oct. 10-11: Homecoming. Cookouts, parade, varsity football vs. Norwich. Also, the Classes of 1988, 1993, 1998 and 2003 have reunions this weekend. View the full schedule.
Oct. 11: Class Boards of Directors meeting. Alden Memorial; 8:30 a.m., with continental breakfast. For information, contact 508-831-5600 or alumni-office@wpi.edu.
Nov. 1: Reunion Workshop. Work and information session for classes celebrating reunions in the spring of 2004. For information, contact 508-831-5600 or alumni-office@wpi.edu.
WPI Campus
Aug. 26-28: Targeted IT Training Info Sessions. Learn about WPI's IT short course and certificate programs at Worcester, Waltham and Southborough campuses. Instruction available in: VB.NET, IT Security, Java, Linux, Oracle, ASP.NET, Web Services and more. Aug. 26: 6 p.m., MetroWest Campus in Southborough, 225 Turnpike Road, 2nd floor. Aug. 27: 6 p.m.; Higgins House, 100 Institute Road, Worcester. Aug. 28: 6 p.m., Waltham Campus, 60 Hickory Drive, 5th floor. For more information, contact WPI's Continuing and Professional Education Office at 800-WPI-9717 or online.
View the calendar of campus events
6. Sports
WPI Footpounders Tackle Grand Prix Races
For the third straight season, the WPI Footpounders (a USA Track and Field registered road-racing club focusing on WPI faculty, staff, alumni and friends) will compete in the New England Grand Prix, a series of seven races around New England. The Footpounders are actively seeking WPI alumni who run at any level or distance to join the team. For further information on the WPI Footpounders, contact Brian Savilonis: bjs@wpi.edu
View USATF New England Grand Prix races and results
7. Did You Know...
WPI Groundskeeping 101
From the office of John A. Miller, vice president and director of physical plant:
Flats of annuals planted on campus each year: 80-100
Perennial bulbs on the grounds: 20,000, planted over the past 6 years
Estimated age of beech tree in Beech Tree Circle: 60 years
Yards of mulch used each year: 300
Biggest sources of pride for grounds crew: Commencement; keeping the campus open and safe during winter storms
Biggest challenges: sports camps; keeping the Quad and the flower beds watered during dry spells; cookouts that people hold on established lawns
Pet peeves: cigarette butts, littering, skateboarders
Of Special Note: The hillside south and east of Boynton Hall is historical, having been designed in 1866 by Calvert Vaux of New York, who, with Frederick Law Olmstead, designed New York's Central Park in 1857.
8. Bookmarks
Class Notes
Got something exciting to announce? Tell us about it.
Alumni Cafe
Keep in touch with other alums on our message boards.
Alumni Web Site
Your source for alumni information and events!
Alliance of International Students and Alumni at WPI
Transformations
Read the Spring '03 issue with Web-only features!
We'd love to hear your suggestions or comments. Please send them to us at thebridge@wpi.edu.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: May 25, 2006, 13:18 EDT