A Message from Dean Jean King
Imagine. Innovate. Integrate. Impact. These concepts lie at the heart of WPI’s School of Arts & Sciences. The interdisciplinarity of the arts and sciences at WPI— seamless interactions between and among the arts and sciences as well as engineering and business—allows what our imagination sparks to come to life through scientific, technological, artistic, and humanistic innovation.
The arts and sciences eliminate barriers between disciplines such that the specter of what is possible is limitless. Overcoming barriers between disciplines has allowed WPI faculty and students to utilize their imagination, innovation, and creativity in extraordinary ways to tackle the unprecedented global challenge of the COVID-19 crisis. This approach lies within the fabric of our institution and school. With a challenge like COVID-19, WPI faculty and students continue to imagine a world where we play a critical part in addressing not just the needs of the moment but those that will define our future.
I am honored to be part of this amazing community without boundaries. Where music, art, and design-thinking allow our scientists and engineers to have long-lasting and eternal impact, inspiring and exciting the imagination to reach their own stars, regardless of what they choose to research or study. The students and faculty of WPI’s School of Arts & Sciences are making an impact not only here on campus and nationally, but throughout the world.
-Jean King, Peterson Family Dean of Arts & Sciences
Exploring Global Challenges Through Critical Conversations
WPI’s Critical Conversations series—initiated by the School of Arts & Sciences in 2018—uses panels of faculty, students, and external guests to explore emerging topics. Recent topics included Technology & Social Justice, Impact of Social Media, Climate Science, Student Mental Health, and Circular Economy.
Arts & Sciences Annual Report: PATHWAYS
Discover how our students and faculty are making an impact not only here on campus and nationally, but throughout the world, in the latest edition of Pathways, the annual report of the School of Arts & Sciences. Download the latest report (2022) here.
Recent Work, Research, and Accomplishments
L Dana, lab manager for the physics department, worked within COVID restrictions to provide uninterrupted student learning. She figured out how to teach remote labs for 700 students, with 140 working remotely and the rest staggering their lab time.
Farley Chery, assistant teaching professor, demonstrates equipment during the interactive media & game development (IMGD) program during the Visual Art Design Showcase & Gallery Walk.
John Galante, assistant teaching professor of humanities & arts, Aarti Smith Madan, associate professor of humanities & arts, and Angel Rivera, professor of arts, communication, and humanities, lead WPI's Latin American and Caribbean Studies program and initiatives.
Amity Manning, assistant professor of biology & biotechnology, received a $799,995 American Cancer Society grant for research into a tumor-suppressor protein in cancer cell division. Manning and Sarah Olson, associate professor of mathematical sciences, were awarded $917,999 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop cancer-related computational models.