Project Centers

Each Project Center has a WPI faculty member as the director, well-defined procedures for completing project work, and selective admissions processes. The Centers tend to be highly structured and require superior performance.

At the present time, the WPI project centers close to campus are:

See also page 50 for residential Project Centers at a distance from WPI.

LINCOLN LABORATORY PROJECT CENTER

MIT Lincoln Laboratory located in Lexington, MA was founded in 1951 as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center of MIT. The Laboratory's fundamental mission is to apply science and advanced technology to critical problems of national security. The scope of problems includes air defense, communications, space surveillance, missile defense, tactical surveillance systems and air traffic control.

The WPI-MIT Lincoln Laboratory MQP Program is a one-term, off-campus, multidisciplinary for students to complete their MQP requirements. Students participating in the program will be required to complete a Preliminary Qualifying Project (PQP) in D-Term 2007 or at the end of summer employment at Lincoln Laboratory. During this PQP, the students will learn about the project, perform background research, and interact with their project sponsor at Lincoln Laboratory. One of the outcomes of the PQP will be detailed proposal describing the general area of the project, the specific problem to be addressed, and the approach the students will take to solve the problem.

During A-Term 2007, the students will work full-time (five days a week) for 7 weeks at Lincoln Laboratory on their projects. They will work with a mentor from Lincoln Laboratory and with one or more WPI faculty advisors.

Admission to the WPI-MIT Lincoln Laboratory MQP Program is based on the following criteria: academic standing, and performance, essay response, evidence of maturity and independence, availability of projects in a specific area, qualifications relevant to the project offered, and results of an interview.

Project opportunities typically exist in the following disciplines:

GILLETTE COMPANY PROJECT CENTER

Gillette is the world leader in grooming products. Their South Boston Manufacturing Center (SBMC) is their primary location for the manufacture of shaving systems such as the Mach 3 and Venus razors, where over a billion units are produced each year. Many major qualifying project opportunities are available, principally in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. Projects can range from the design of equipment for automated production systems to the analysis and modeling of the kinematics, dynamics, and vibrations of existing systems. Students who do these projects will have the opportunity to solve real engineering problems, interact with professional engineers at one of the most automated assembly facilities in the world, and demonstrate their presentation skills. Those interested in exploring project opportunities at Gillette should contact Professor Robert L. Norton, Mechanical Engineering Department.

UMASS MEMORIAL HEALTH CARE/UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SCHOOL/ TUFTS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE PROJECT CENTERS

Biomedical projects (MQP, IQP, PQP, and thesis) are available at UMass Memorial Health Care, University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), and Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine (TUSVM) for students from all disciplines on campus. Each of these centers is located close to WPI.

It is recommended that students spread their projects over the entire academic year. However, in some cases, full-time activity for a term can be accommodated. Students interested in project opportunities should contact the Biomedical Engineering Department Projects Faculty Coordinator well in advance of their planned project activity.

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Last modified: February 12, 2007 10:12:55