Welcome to @WPI

Around Campus

A Weekend of Pomp and Circumstance Commencement Schedule

The new Academic Mace and Presidential Medallion were gifts to WPI from President Berkey and his wife, Catherine.

On Friday, May 18, members of the Class of 2007 and their families will gather in Alden Memorial at 5:30 p.m. for the Baccalaureate ceremony, the beginning of the annual Commencement weekend. Robing for Baccalaureate will take place on the lower level of Alden at 5:15 p.m.

Commencement day, Saturday, May 19, will begin at 7 a.m. with the Class of 2007 graduation breakfast in Morgan Dining Commons. Faculty and staff are invited to attend. Tickets, $13.50 per person, and $7.50 for children under 12 (additional $2 per person for walk-ins) may be ordered in advance at the Office of Student Activities, third floor, Campus Center.

The ROTC commissioning ceremony starts at 8:30 a.m. in Alden Memorial. Brigadier General Oliver Mason, Massachusetts National Guard adjutant general, will be the commissioning officer.

The 139th Commencement ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on the Quadrangle (rain location: Harrington Auditorium; by ticket only). Faculty members are asked to assemble at 10:15 a.m. behind Boynton Hall for the processional, or, in the case of inclement weather, in Alumni Gym on the first floor.

Deborah Dunsire

Deborah Dunsire, president and CEO of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, based in Cambridge, Mass., is the commencement speaker. In addition to Dunsire, WPI will confer honorary doctorates upon Analogic Corp. founder Bernard M. Gordon and Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and Frederick P. Rose director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium. Time magazine recently named Tyson as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the Year. The WPI Presidential Medal will be presented to Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray.

WPI's 2007 Commencement will feature the debut of new regalia for candidates, trustees, and President Dennis Berkey. The degree candidate robes (black for bachelor's and master's degrees, crimson for PhD) will have embroidered WPI seals on the front. Undergraduates receiving honors will wear crimson or gray cords. The new trustee and presidential robes are also crimson.

President Berkey will wear a new Presidential Medallion, with the WPI seal cast in silver and the names and years of service of all 15 of WPI's presidents engraved on small silver plates that form links in the chain. Provost ad interim John Orr will carry a new Academic Mace, a 42-inch-tall staff made from fluted cherry wood topped with a circular silver pedestal on which sits a large silver medal that has the WPI seal on both sides. The new Presidential Medallion and the Academic Mace were gifts to the university from President Berkey and his wife, Catherine. For more information on the event visit the Commencement website .

Renovations are being made to Alumni Field, as of May 10. Construction started this month and will finish by August. The project, which will enhance space for various sports, includes a new infill-system turf field, new bleachers and press box on the north side of the field, and a new scoreboard and lighting system. The existing eight-lane track will be resurfaced.

Alumni Returning for Reunion Weekend WPI’s Reunion Weekend will be held Thursday, June 7 through Sunday, June 10. In addition to a golf outing and many social events, the following is a list of Alumni College Sessions that are scheduled on campus as part of the three-day reunion weekend. The community is encouraged to attend the sessions to support faculty, staff, and graduates who are presenting as well as to celebrate with alumni.

Friday, June 8

"Compounds in Cranberry Juice Show Promise as Alternatives to Antibiotics for Preventing a Host of Human Illnesses," Terri Camesano, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering, Salisbury Labs 104, 10 a.m. The health benefits of cranberry consumption are discussed in terms of recent advances in using cranberry to prevent or treat conditions including urinary tract infections, ulcers, and periodontitis. Compounds in cranberry can affect the ability of bacteria to attach to tissues or cells in the body, thus preventing infections from forming on kidney cells, on teeth and gums, and in the stomach lining. Hear how Professor Camesano’s lab is investigating why cranberry is unique in providing this benefit, compared to other fruits.
"The Cost of a WPI Education: How It all Works in the Finances of Higher Education," Dexter A. Bailey Jr., vice president of development and alumni relations, and Jeff Solomon, vice president of finance and CFO, Salisbury Labs 105, 10 a.m.
"The Changing Face of College Admissions," Kristin Tichenor, associate vice president of enrollment management, Higgins House Great Hall, noon.
"Postwar College Architecture: When the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex Met Modernism," David Samson, associate professor of art history and architecture, Salisbury Labs 104, 1:45 p.m.
"Advances in Tissue Engineering: Current Successes and Future Challenges," George Pins, associate professor of biomedical engineering, Salisbury Labs 105, 1:45 p.m.
"Failure Analysis of the World Trade Center 5 Building," Kevin LaMalva M.A. ‘07, Salisbury Labs 104, 3 p.m.
"Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as Myth and Monster," Lance Schachterle, associate provost for academic affairs, Salisbury Labs 105, 3 p.m.

Saturday, June 9

"Why the WPI Plan is the Best Model for Education in the Global Economy," Curtis Carlson ’67, Salisbury Labs 105, 9 a.m.
Robotics Demonstration, Kenneth Stafford, director of WPI’s robotics resource center, Alden Memorial, 9 a.m.
"Understanding the Markets," Megan Lally ’02 and Eric Marshall ’02, Salisbury Labs 104, 10 a.m.
"Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft," Neil Spellman, WPI police officer, Salisbury Labs 105, 10 a.m.

For more information

Summer Hours to Begin

WPI will continue the tradition of a summer work schedule beginning Tuesday, May 29 and ending Friday, August 17. Full-time, non-exempt staff members scheduled to work a minimum of 37.5 hours per week are allowed to work 35 hours and be compensated for 37.5. Staff members scheduled to work a minimum of 40 hours per week will work 37.5 hours and be compensated for 40 hours. Time cards for all full-time hourly paid, nonunion personnel working 40 hours should reflect 37.5 hours. In each case, biweekly employees will be paid for the full work week.

For most offices and departments, the workday during this period will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The monthly (exempt) staff workday will be a minimum of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Division and department heads who need to arrange flexible work schedules should inform Human Resources in writing so this can be communicated Campus Police, Payroll, and Plant Services.

New Restaurant’s Name Chosen

The name of WPI’s future restaurant, scheduled to open this fall, is “The Goat’s Head.” A contest was held in February to choose the eatery’s name, and it was announced May 4 that senior Marc Bouchard is the winner.

Chartwells Dining Services will open the new restaurant and a convenience store in Founders Hall to provide the WPI community more dining options, and to offer products and services not currently available on campus. The restaurant will be a 175-seat, full-service eatery offering popular foods in a casual wait staff-serviced environment with booth seating, a pool table, and plasma television screens. It will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. with late-night service available on weekends. The new restaurant, similar to a T.G.I.F. or Chili’s, will serve appetizers, entrees, sandwiches, burgers, desserts, and beverages including coffee, espressobased drinks, freshly brewed teas, soda, beer, and wine.

The Outtakes convenience store is tentatively scheduled to be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It will sell food and beverages (including Starbucks coffee), newspapers, toiletries, and school supplies. The store will be located on the first floor of Founders Hall.

People

Student Employees of the Year Announced

WPI’s first Undergraduate Student Employee and Graduate Student Employee of the Year awards were announced on April 16.

Selection Committee members said these students perform, “invaluable services to the campus community, and their contributions deserve recognition. They have made outstanding contributions to the departments they work for and demonstrated leadership and initiative in their job responsibilities.” Awards went to:

COMPUTER TIP

D-Term Departure

Now that D-Term has closed, here are some things to consider if you will be departing WPI for an extended leave:

Windows/ADMIN password: When was it changed last? It automatically prompts for a change every 180 days. If it will not be convenient to reset it while away, you can change it prior to leaving, or be prepared to change it immediately upon your return.
Email: You can access it via the web, forward to a different address, and apply a vacation message.
VPN & Proxy Server: Use to access WPI network and library resources from off-campus.
Business Shares: To connect from off-campus, you’ll need to know the full path. Ex: \\admin.wpi.edu\fc\ccc
Office 2007: It will be made available prior to A Term.

More details are available on the
Helpdesk website.

Undergraduate Students

First Place: Nate Piper
Second Place: Scott Sideleau
Third Place: Amy LeBlanc

Graduate Students

First Place: Kristin Collette
Second Place: Shelley Dougherty
Third Place: Ronak Bhuta

Student Art Competition Winners

The Humanities and Arts Department and the Gordon Library recently sponsored a student art competition. The following students won the competition, according to Rodney Obien, curator of special collections and archives at the Gordon Library. A reception was held in their honor on April 18. These works will be displayed at Gordon Library through May 25.

First Place

Rachel Katz ‘09, Pastel, Alice's Underwater Tea Party

Second Place (Tie)

Niva Shretha ‘08, Paintings, Lily Pond in the Afternoon & Lily Pond
Jo Bridge ‘07, Photograph, Spring

Honorable Mention

Matthew Campbell ‘08, Digital Photograph, Little Brook
Justin DiNino ‘07, Mixed Media, Forgotten Port
Jordon Preve ‘09, Photograph, Remarkable Rocks
Mansai Varteck ‘10, Painting, Omnious Waters

Recent Grants

Chemical Engineering

Wilcox, Jennifer, for “Alloy Design for Optimal Hydrogen Separation,” from the U.S. Army, $37,335

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Ray, Malcom, for “Development of Verification and Validation Procedures for Computer Simulation Used in Roadside Safety Applications,” from the National Academy of Sciences (National Cooperative Highway Research Program), $150,000

IN MEMORIAM:
Ryan Patrick Jones ‘05

Ryan Patrick Jones, 23, died on Tuesday, May 2, 2007, in Baghdad of wounds he suffered when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb. First Lt. Jones was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kansas.

Born on Sept. 13, 1983, Jones was the only child of Kevin and Elaine Jones. He grew up in Westminster and graduated in 2001 from Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School. At Monty Tech, he was cocaptain of the football team, a member of the school's National Honor Society chapter, and a Fitchburg Rotary Club student of the month. In his senior year, Jones received the Monty Tech Purple and Gold Award for being the school's most positive role model.

In 2005, Jones received a bachelor of science degree in civil and environmental engineering from WPI, where he distinguished himself as a student and community member. A member of Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, he received the Class of 1879 Prize for excellence in his Humanities and Arts project, "Ministry: A Screenplay." For his Major Qualifying Project (MQP), "Use of Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation for Structural Design of Pavements," Jones and his classmates evaluated the pavement at Moore Army Airfield and designed new pavement suitable for aircraft use.

"It is a terrible loss of human life, youth, energy and education," said Rajib Mallick, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and advisor of Jones's MQP. "Ryan was always willing to help others, and he would help you in such a way that you didn't know you were being helped."

As a freshman at WPI, Jones joined the Army ROTC program on an Army Scholarship. He played a leadership role in many ROTC activities and events, including the Color Guard, Ranger Challenge, and Pershing Rifles. Following graduation, he continued to serve ROTC as a Gold Bar recruiter before reporting in August 2005 to his Engineer Officer Basic Course in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Calling hours were on Friday, May 11, in the Westminster, Mass., Chapel of the Sawyer-Miller-Masciarelli Funeral Home, located at 123 Main Street in Westminster, Mass. A Funeral with full military honors was held on Saturday, May 12, at Holy Spirit Church, 50 Lovewell Street, in Gardner, Mass. Interment followed in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Ellis and Knower Roads, Westminster, Mass.

Through May 25

Exhibit: Student art competition, themed “Water,” is sponsored by Gordon Library and Humanities and Arts Department • Gordon Library’s Gladwin Art Gallery, second floor

Thursday, May 17

Baseball: WPI vs. Suffolk (ECAC Championship, games 1 and 2) • Alumni Field, noon and 3pm (doubleheader)

Friday, May 18

Baseball: WPI vs. Suffolk (ECAC Championship, Game 3) • Alumni Field, 11am Baccalaureate, Alden Memorial, 5:30pm

Saturday, May 19

Commencement, 11am

Wednesday, May 30

Alumni: Annual Giving Office sponsors an Alumni Phonothon to call alumni to help raise money for WPI’s Annual Fund, which supports the areas of greatest need on campus including financial aid, faculty teaching, research, and library services; dinner and refreshments provided • Higgins House, 6pm

Thursday, June 7

Reunion: WPI Reunion Weekend through Sunday, June 10

Monday, June 11

Conference: WPI’s fourth U.SAfrica Business Conference through June 15 • Campus Center, Odeum, 5pm

Tuesday, June 12

WPI Venture Forum: “Spectacular Business Failures” • Campus Center, Odeum, 6pm

Friday, June 15

Robotics: BattleCry @ WPI • Harrington Auditorium, 4pm

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: February 07, 2008 09:01:07