Projects Program
Project opportunities have been established at industrial, institutional, and governmental organizations. Projects are available in nearly all disciplines. Announcements of off-campus project opportunities are made annually in February.
Students work on problems at the off-campus site in cooperation with site personnel and under the overall supervision of WPI faculty. The WPI project centers feature programs specifically chosen for the educational merit and close relationship to the student's interest.
Students may participate on a full-time basis. Only students who have demonstrated by acceptable work at WPI the necessary aptitude and sense of responsibility will be approved for study at a center. Students and advisors interested in off-campus project opportunities should contact the Projects Office for further information.
OFF-CAMPUS INSURANCE AND LEGAL AGREEMENTS
WPI's insurance program includes a broad range of coverage for students doing projects in cooperation with offcampus organizations. This insurance coverage requires proper documentation of individual student participation. All students doing project work with off-campus organizations must complete the pertinent portion of the project registration form. In certain cases, where the project is included as part of a regular course, the course instructor must submit to the Projects Office a list of the students going off campus and the name (s) and address(es) of the organization(s) involved.
WPI has entered into a variety of agreements with offcampus organizations, covering a wide range of issues common to the projects program. Students agree to abide by these agreements during the registration for the project.
MQP 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:
• Gillette Company Project Center.
• Lincoln Laboratory Project Center.
• UMass Memorial Health Care, University of Massachusetts
Medical Center, and Tufts School of Veterinary
Medicine Project Centers.
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:
• Computer Science
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Physics
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.
Last modified: March 26, 2007 13:57:54