The Bridge - April 2004
Contents
- WELCOME: Readers Respond: Results From the Bridge Survey
- APOLOGY: A Virus Slips Through, But the Hole Has Been Plugged
- NEWS: Campus Community Hears From Three Presidential Candidates
- Project Presentation Day (April 20); Supercomputing at the Extreme Edge (May 3); New Frontiers in Chemical Engineering Workshop (May 7); Tech Old Timers Ladies Day (May 12); Commencement (May 22);
- REUNION COUNTDOWN: 23 Alumni and One WPI Friend to Be Honored
- JOB POSTINGS: Assistant Director of K-12 Outreach at WPI
- ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NOTES: WPI to Host Student Advancement Conference
- DID YOU KNOW: Hanging Around With Gompei, the "Magic Happens Here" Goat
- BOOKMARKS
1. WELCOME: What You Told Us About The Bridge
Last month we asked you to take an online reader survey, and about 60 of you obliged. Here are some of the highlights of what those readers said:
- 95 percent are satisfied or very satisfied with the Bridge.
- Everything about The Bridge is good or excellent except the layout (24 percent rated it only fair).
- Most of The Bridge is read or skimmed by most readers; 43 percent of respondents skip the job listings and 28 percent skip the sports stories.
- Readers agreed overwhelmingly that The Bridge is an effective way to keep abreast of events at WPI and that it strengthens their connection to the university.
- 61 percent of readers click on the links in The Bridge often or very often; 33 percent do so infrequently.
- Readers were evenly split on their satisfaction with receiving The Bridge as a text e-mail. Given a choice, half of readers would find HTML e-mails (with graphics) superior; fewer readers would prefer a newsletter sent out as a PDF or one available only on the Web.
- 61 percent of respondents spend 11 or more minutes reading The Bridge; the rest get through it in 10 of fewer minutes.
How do these results compare with your experience? We're always happy to hear from readers. Share your thoughts by writing to us at thebridge@wpi.edu.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts with us. Out hats are off to Erica L. Tworog '00 of Westborough, Mass., who was selected at random from all those who took the survey to win our prize: a dinner with WPI's new president.
2. APOLOGY: A Virus Slips Through, But the Hole Has Been Plugged
Our readers expect to receive the latest news from WPI each month; they don't expect to have their inboxes clogged with unwanted junk e-mail. Earlier this month, that's just what happened. A previously unknown security hole in WPI's e-mail software let a virus propagate to Bridge subscribers. Several readers replied to let us know about the problem, and their well-intentioned messages also bounced out to subscribers. As Jon Bartleson, manager of computing services at WPI, explained in an e-mail to Bridge readers, messages must be approved by WPI staff before they are allowed to go out to the bridge mailing list. But the virus took advantage of a previously undiscovered weakness in WPI's e-mail software. "We have since reinforced the software in order to ensure that this does not happen again," he noted. The editors of The Bridge and WPI's Alumni Office regret this security lapse and would like to assure readers that the integrity of the Bridge mailing list remains one of our highest priorities.
3. NEWS
Presidential Search: Campus Community Hears From Three Candidates
Three finalists for the position of WPI's 15th president visited campus in March and early April to meet with trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni. They are, in the order of their visits, Robert A. Kennedy, executive vice president and provost at the University of Maine; Allen L. Soyster, dean of engineering at Northeastern University; and Dennis D. Berkey, university provost at Boston University. A fourth finalist, Jack W. Wilson, who had been interim president of the University of Massachusetts, was named UMass president prior to his scheduled campus visit. According to Stephen J. Hebert, vice president for administration, treasurer and secretary of the corporation, the search committee is reviewing comments from the community about the three finalists and is still hopeful that WPI will have a new president in place by July 1.
For more information, visit the Presidential Search Web site...
Three More WPI Students Win Goldwater Scholarships
Matthew J. Black '05 (chemical engineering), Helen Hanson '06 (physics) and David J. LeRay '05 (mechanical engineering and mathematics) were recently named 2004 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars, bringing to eight the total number of WPI students who have won the award since 1995 (seven of those became Goldwater Scholars since 2000). Black, Hanson and LeRay were among 310 students, chosen from among 1,113 applicants, to receive the award. Goldwater scholarships are awarded to sophomores or juniors who have records of outstanding academic performance and who have a demonstrated potential for and commitment to a career in research in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering.
Read more about WPI's newest Goldwater Scholars...
Read about other WPI student award winners...
Student Team to Battle University of Rochester on Robot Rivals
Robot Rivals is a program on the DIY Network that pits teams of students from two universities in a battle to see who can build the best robot, in a set amount of time, to perform a specific task. On April 23 (9 p.m. Eastern), April 24 (12 a.m. Eastern) and April 25 (7 a.m. Eastern) a three-member team from WPI, Timothy Baird '04, Richard Petty '00 (currently a graduate student at WPI) and Chris Werner '06, will battle students from the University of Rochester to see whose lawn-mowing robot can cut the most grass, without the use of traditional spinning blades or wires.
See a photo of the WPI team backstage at Robot Rivals...
Visit the Robot Rivals page...
Founder of Algebra Project to Address Graduates
Robert Moses, founder and president of the Algebra Project Inc., will be the speaker at WPI's 136th Commencement on Saturday, May 22. His address will be titled "Federalism, Sharecropper Education in Civil Rights." Moses, who will also receive an honorary doctorate from WPI, created the Algebra Project, a national mathematics literacy effort, to help low-income students and students of color gain the math skills that are a prerequisite for full citizenship in today's technological society.
Department Head Receives Leadership and Service Award
John Orr, professor and former head of the WPI ECE Department, recently received the Leadership and Service Award from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA) at its annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. The award recognizes a member or former member of ECEDHA who has provided outstanding leadership and service contributions to the association. Orr served as an officer of ECEDHA for nine years, in the positions of secretary-treasurer, vice president, president, and member of the board of directors.
WPI/Museum of Science Partnership Sets I2 Record
The administrators of Internet2 recently announced the 100th participant in its Abilene Network-Sponsored Participation program: the Museum of Science in Boston, which is being connected to the Abilene Network through the sponsorship of WPI. The museum will work with WPI to develop new ways of using technology to enhance its relationship with visitors and foster learning communities of lifelong members. Primary participation in Abeline, a national high-performance backbone network, is open solely to Internet2 members, who may sponsor other organizations, such as museums, art galleries, libraries, hospitals and community colleges.
Register Today for Summer Session at WPI
It's officially spring, but summer is around the corner. Now's the perfect time to register for summer classes at WPI. WPI offers something for everyone during the summer months: undergraduate and graduate courses; online graduate courses; continuing education seminars and certificate programs; customized corporate training; programs for high school and middle school students; sports camps; and programs for teachers. To learn more, call 508-831-5999 or visit the Summer Programs Web site...
4a. CAMPUS EVENTS
April 20: Project Presentation Day. Don't miss this opportunity to return to campus to hear student teams present the results of a fascinating array of major projects covering work in every department on campus. All day, at locations around campus. Get a complete schedule of presentations and directions to campus...
May 3: Project Bread--Walk for Hunger. Join other members of the WPI community as they participate in this walk to raise funds to alleviate and prevent hunger in Massachusetts. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., starting on the Boston Common. For more information, call 617-723-5000 or visit www.projectbread.org.
May 3: Supercomputing at the Extreme Edge: From Femptoseconds to Gigayears, a talk by Don Dossa of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Center for Applied Scientific Computing, which currently has three of the 10 fastest computers in the world. 4 to 5 p.m., Olin Hall 107. For more information, contact Professor L. Ramdas Ram-Mohan at lrram@wpi.edu.
May 4: Karen Verrill '96 will gave a talk at the opening reception for her exhibition of her photos titled "The London Project Center: A Look Back." The photos were taken in England while Verrill worked at the project center there in 1994. Gordon Library, 3rd Floor Gallery. For more information, e-mail archives@wpi.edu.
May 7: New Frontiers in Chemical Engineering: Impact on Undergraduate Curriculum, a workshop sponsored by WPI's Chemical Engineering Department; Esin Gulari, division director, chemical and transport systems, National Science Foundation, will be the keynote speaker. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Higgins Labs, Room 116. More...
May 21-July 2: The Eagle's Eye: Woodbury & Company Collection. A special showing of items from an extensive collection of material donated to the university by this Worcester firm, founded by John C. Woodbury, Class of 1876, that was renowned for its fine engraving and printing work. The exhibit will include original bird's-eye drawings, sky-camera photographs and company memorabilia. Sponsored by the WPI Archives. Gordon Library, 3rd floor gallery.
May 21: Baccalaureate Ceremony, 5 to 6 p.m., Alden Memorial
May 22: Commencement, 11 a.m., the Quadrangle (rain location, Harrington Auditorium--by ticket only)
View the complete calendar of campus events...
3b. ALUMNI EVENTS
May 12: Ladies Day at the Tech Old Timers, a special luncheon to honor the wives and guests of the Tech Old Timers. The program includes a presentation by Charles Jasiak on historic papers signed by the famous and infamous. Campus Center, 9:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact alumni-office@wpi.edu or call 508-831-5600.
View the complete calendar of alumni events...
5. REUNION COUNTDOWN
23 Alumni and One WPI Friend to be Honored at Reunion
One important reason to return to campus for Reunion Weekend is to celebrate the achievements of classmates who have been chosen to receive distinguished alumni awards in recognition of their professional accomplishments and their service to their alma mater. This year, 23 individuals will receive the Alumni Association's four alumni and young alumni awards. In addition, a longtime member of the WPI faculty will be honored for his service to WPI and its students with the William R. Grogan Award, which honors contributions by nonalumni.
Find out who from your class will be honored...
Get the rundown on Reunion 2004, including the Alumni College schedule...
6. JOB POSTINGS
Assistant Director of K-12 Outreach at WPI (four-year position): Responsible for PLTW (Project Lead the Way) affiliate programs at WPI and a new K-5 literacy program. Position ends June 2008. Read the full job description...
7. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWS
WPI to Host 2005 Student Advancement Program Conference
Thanks to the initiative of WPI's Student Alumni Society (SAS), WPI will host the 2005 District 1 ASAP conference. The conference, which is organized by the Association of Student Advancement Programs, part of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, will bring about 250 people from as many as 20 schools to campus April 8-10, 2005. SAS made a bid to host the 2005 conference during the recent 2004 conference at Northeastern University. William Herbert '05 and Laura Amodeo '06 will be the conference chairs. "We thank the WPI Alumni Association for its continued support of SAS and our attendance at these conferences," says SAS Chair Adam Epstein '05.
8. DID YOU KNOW...
WPI is one of just five organizations across the country that have sponsored teams in the annual FIRST robotics competition since its inception in 1992. Created by Dean Kamen '73, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is designed to inspire high school students to get excited about engineering and science by having them participate in a national robotics competition modeled after big-time sports. WPI sponsors Team 190, from the Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science at WPI. Already this year the team's robot, Gompei, the MOH (Magic Occurs Here) Goat, has picked up two major awards at regional competitions, along with finishes among the top three teams. This weekend, the team was in Atlanta to compete in the national FIRST championship. The WPI/Mass Academy robot uses a technological innovation (it can hang from a bar 10 feet off the ground) that stymies other teams. It may be the first robot to win awards just by hanging around.
Read more about the robot and its prize-winning 2004 season...
Visit the Mass Academy FIRST page (a bit out of date)9. BOOKMARKS
- Class Notes - Share news with classmates
- Alumni Job Opportunities
- Career Development Center
- Alumni Web Site - Your source for alumni information and events!
- Alumni Events
- Transformations: WPI's Alumni Magazine
- Athletics: Weekly Roundup
- Athletics: Schedule
- Campus Events
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, 14:01 EDT