PI made its first forays into global technological education more than 25 years ago with university exchange programs in London and Zurich. Its first overseas center for student project work opened 11 years ago in London. Since then, programs have been established in cities around the globe. The list of WPI's global project sites will expand over the next 18 months with the addition of Boston, Copenhagen, Melbourne, and Kariba, Zimbabwe.

As the University's Global Perspective Program matures, some project sites are reaching significant anniversaries. Last year, the London Project Center celebrated its first 10 years. A gala event is being organized for the summer of 1999 to note the 10th anniversary of the Venice Project Center. In July, WPI observed five years of project work in Costa Rica with a party in San Jose. Guests included students completing projects in Costa Rica, alumni, representatives of sponsoring corporations, museums and agencies, and prospective WPI students and their parents. Provost John F. Carney III gave the welcome address. Susan Vernon-Gerstenfeld, who directs the Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., project centers, discussed the history of the center and the range and focus of student projects there.

Since the center was established in 1993, 69 undergraduates have completed 24 Interactive Qualifying Projects there. Topics include reforestation, energy and water conservation, computerization, and tourism. "WPI students are doing valuable work within the cultural context of the country," says Vernon-Gerstenfeld. "Many of the students who complete IQPs in Costa Rica have completed their Humanities Sufficiencies in Spanish and write and present their work in that language. It's the perfect marriage of these two degree requirements."

The following projects were completed in Costa Rica this summer:

Market Analysis for a Museum
The National Museum of Costa Rico is planning to move its offices to a new building to provide space for a new café, new exhibits and additional services. Eric Detmer, Jaime Gibson, Jennifer Marinello and Michael Zocchi looked at how the museum might make the most of that space and surveyed visitors to determine the demographic mix and the types of administrators needed to implement changes.

A Warehousing Analysis
Atlas Industrial S.A. manufactures and distributes appliances throughout Costa Rica. After Electrolux purchased 20 percent of the company's stock, product volume increased and markets expanded, resulting in an overcrowded finished-product warehouse. Kate Burgess, Julie Kernis and Anthony Roccisano helped Atlas conduct a cost analysis that showed that expanding the current facility would be more effective than renting new space.

Reinventing the Garden
Lesley Chamberlain, Eric Las, Tim Miranda and Chris Tullman worked with the Lankester Botanical Gardens in San Jose. They analyzed and recommended software to track botanical information and create a map for the garden; developed a fund-raising program; redesigned the garden's Web page; restructured the inventory control process; and developed detailed greenhouse maps.

Environmental Marketing
Matthew Cole, Rodolfo King and Vrinda Nargund constructed a Web site for scientists interested in using the extensive rain forest system as a laboratory. Their mission was to advertise the Central Volcanic Cordillera Conservation Area (ACCVC) as a location for scientific studies. The students' plan included entrance brochures, signs, training programs for tour guides, and recommendations for foods to be sold at the site.

Telecommunications Analysis
ICETEL, the telecommunications division of the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity, is an autonomous government agency that holds a monopoly in the nation's electricity and telecommunications industries. To help it assess consumer needs, Malinda Danforth, Park Hays and Jocelyn Songer created a three-part system dynamics model to predict demand in Guanacaste and developed a detailed methodology ICE could use to expand the model to other regions. The entire assessment was done in Spanish.

A Focus on Waste Management
In return for some concessions, Baxter I.V. Systems Corp. donates its reusable and recyclable waste materials to the local municipality of Cartago. The company wanted to track its waste and reduce volume by 5 percent by the end of this year. Dina Carreiro, Michael Lavoie and Victoria Regan developed a database for Baxter to track and better manage cardboard and plastic packing waste.

Vernon-Gerstenfeld and her husband, WPI management Professor Arthur Gerstenfeld, served as project advisors. "Costa Rica, a thriving, modern industrialized nation, offers opportunities for WPI students to become immersed in a Central American culture where democracy, economic development and concern for the environment are a permanent part of the landscape," she says.