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Around Campus

Health Insurance/Flexcomp Deadline

The deadline for changes to employees' health insurance and/or Flexcomp is Friday, April 21. Those who wish to participate in Flexcomp during the next fiscal year must complete the Annual Open Enrollment Form and return it to Human Resources by that deadline. Call ext. 5470 or e-mail David Everitt at deveritt@wpi.edu or Melanie Desiata at mdesiata@wpi.edu if you have any questions.

And the Winners Are...

To the 1,886 individuals who took part in the recent online Image and Marketing Survey (875 alumni, 641 undergraduates, 124 graduate students, 92 faculty members and 154 staff members), we offer our sincere thanks. From that pool, 10 individuals were selected at random to receive WPI sweatshirts. The lucky winners are:

Adrien L. Gaudreau Jr. '72 of Aloha, Ore.
William H. Hills '54 of Melbourne, Fla.
Kevin P. King '00
Robert P. Martino Jr. '94 of Evanston, Ill.
Charles R. Michel '37 of West Chester, Pa.
Edward F. Peczynski '73 of Meriden, Conn.
Nilufer E. Saltuk '98 of Denver, Colo.
Donald D. Walker Jr. '87 of Attleboro, Mass.
Charles L. Wilcox '01
John C. Woodhull '03

Walking to Change the Odds...

One in nine women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime; a smaller number of men will also be diagnosed with the disease. Some members of the WPI community will be doing something to help improve the odds for those individuals.

From June 2 through June 4, Peggy Isaacson, graphic designer, and her daughter Karen; Dale Snyder, director of the Academic Resource Center, and her cousin Pay Noyce; and Sandy Stafford, wife of Ken Stafford, manager of academic initiatives, will join more than 2,000 people in walking the 60 miles from Leominster to Boston in the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day. Five walks have been completed since the program started in 1998, and more than $20 million has been returned to breast cancer organizations nationwide for breast health education, early detection services and medical research.

Each participant has been asked to generate $1,800 in pledges. If you'd like to help the WPI walkers reach that challenging mark, they will be happy to provide you with pledge forms.

and to Curb Violence

Jennifer O'Neil, assistant director of admissions, and Yolanda King, associate director of residential services, are part of a team of WPI staff members and students taking part in the Taking Steps Against Violence walk on Sunday, April 30. The walk will benefit the Central Massachusetts Rape Crisis Center, the YMCA/Daybreak shelter for women, and Girls Incorporated. O'Neil and King will be accepting donations in the Lower Wedge during lunch each day during the week of April 24. For more information, call ext. 5645 or e-mail ymking@wpi.edu.

Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness

UMass Memorial Healthcare has teamed up with WPI to help promote organ donation during National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week (April 16-22). A discussion of the importance of organ and tissue donation was held last night in the Seminar Room in Gordon Library. The presentation included UMass Memorial physicians and transplant nurses, UMass Medical School students, New England Donor Bank staff, a family that made the decision to donate their daughter's organs, and a woman who got a new lease of life because of a liver transplant. For more information, call Peggy Thrappas at 508-334-8390.

New Voices 18 Adds a Matinee

Faculty and staff are invited to attend the 18th edition of New Voices, the annual festival of new plays written and performed by members of the WPI community. The festival began last night and will continue with 7 p.m. shows today, Friday and Saturday in Alden Memorial. The festival is free and open to the public.

A special matinee performance has been scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. in Alden. Five of the 18 works included in this year's festival will be performed. Guests are invited to enjoy pizza and soda, spiced up with a little New Voices history, in Riley Commons after the show. More information is available on the New Voices 18 Website.

Quadfest is Coming

Quadfest, WPI's campuswide spring festival, returns for its eighth consecutive year on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29. Here is a look at the scheduled events:

Friday, April 28: 7 p.m., Gong Show, sponsored by the Student Alumni Society (Ugliest Man on Campus competition, sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, during intermission); dusk, Movie on the Quad, sponsored by SocComm Films; 11 p.m., midnight breakfast, sponsored by the Student Activities Office.

Saturday, April 29: noon to 5 p.m., amusement rides, dunk tank, carnival games, free food; noon to 6:30 p.m., Indiefest; 8 p.m., Reel Big Fish concert, sponsored by SocComm Major and Special Events Committee.

For more information, call SocComm at ext. 5509.

Change in Venue

The performance by 150 members of the WPI, Wells College and Boston University glee clubs scheduled for Sunday, April 30, at 3 p.m., will take place at Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster St., instead of in Alden Memorial, as had been previously advertised. The groups will perform music by Francis Poulenc. Admission is free. Donations will be accepted.

Library Exhibit

Gordon Library is featuring works on panel and paper by Agnes Wyant in the third-floor gallery, and Mail Art by ArtXII in the library vestibule. Both shows run through June 4.

ARTXII is a group of women artists from Central Massachusetts and northern Connecticut who are committed to exploring the collaborative experience in creating artwork. The Mail Art Project was begun to see what would happen if several artists worked on the same piece. Each member began a postcard, or series of postcards, and sent it along to another member, who added something, and so on, until everyone had contributed to the work.

Nation Making and the Asian Economic Crisis

The Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division will present "Nation Making and the Economic Crisis in Asia: The Experience of Multicultural Malaysia," on April 24 at 4 p.m. in Salisbury Labs 105. This is a talk by Shamshul, A.B., professor of social anthropology and director of the Center of the Malay World and Civilization at the National University of Malaysia in Bangi.

Human Resources Deadlines

Staff time sheets are due by noon on the Friday before the pay date. Noted below are the scheduled Human Resources and Payroll Office deadlines:

Thursday, April 27
Biweekly staff payroll authorizations and Flexcomp claim forms
(Staff payroll Wednesday, May 3)

Thursday, May 4 by 10 a.m.
Biweekly student payroll authorizations
(Student payroll paid Thursday, May 11)

Thursday, May 11, by 10 a.m.
Biweekly staff payroll authorizations and Flexcomp claim forms
(Staff payroll Wednesday, May 17)

Monday, May 15, by 10 a.m.
Monthly Flexcomp claim forms

Thursday, May 18
Monthly payroll authorizations
(Monthly payroll paid Friday, May 31)

Thursday, May 18
Biweekly student payroll authorizations
(Student payroll paid Thursday, May 25)

Thursday, May 25
Biweekly staff payroll authorizations and Flexcomp claim forms
(Staff payroll Wednesday, May 31)

All forms submitted to Human Resources and Payroll must be complete and have all of the appropriate approvals in order to be processed. Forms submitted after these dates will be processed in the following payroll.

Employment Opportunities

(current as of April 14)

ADMISSIONS

Director
Assistant Director

BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Laboratory Research Technician

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Tenure-track positions

CAMPUS CENTER

Director

CAMPUS POLICE

Dispatcher

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Tenure-track position
Assistant Professor and an open position

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

Postdoctoral Research Assistant
Multiple fall 2000 faculty positions
Postdoctoral Fellow

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Tenure-track faculty positions
Administrative Secretary IV

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Program Manager
Technical Trainers, Seminar Leaders
Part-time Receptionist (Southborough campus)

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Tenure-track faculty position
Professor of Practice

FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERING

Faculty position

GORDON LIBRARY

Web Programmer

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES

Administrative Secretary IV

INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA CENTER

Instructional Designer and Manager, Faculty Support Services
Web Developer

INTERDISCIPLINARY AND GLOBAL STUDIES

Program Manager/Adjunct Assistant Professor
Operations and Exchange, Program Liaison

MANAGEMENT

Two Assistant Professors

MASSACHUSETTS ACADEMY OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE

Master Teachers
Visiting Scholars
Administrative Assistant

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

Graduate Internship/Research Assistantship, Applied Mathematics
Tenure-track faculty positions

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Department Head
Manager of Robotics Laboratory

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND ATHLETICS

Part-time Bowling Alley Manager
Part-time Administrative Secretary I
Administrative Secretary III

PLANT SERVICES

Custodian

PROJECT AND REGISTRAR'S OFFICE

Office and Program Assistant
Record-keeping Assistant/Transcript Coordinator

PROVOST'S OPERATIONS

Administrative Secretary III

SOCIAL SCIENCE AND POLICY STUDIES

Adjunct, Assistant or Associate Professor
Part-time Instructor

For more information about these positions, visit the Human Resource Web site at http://www.wpi.edu/Admin/HR/Jobs/.

WPI's Human Resources Office encourages current employees to refer qualified individuals to apply for jobs at WPI. For each person you refer who is hired and who successfully completes six months of active service, you will receive a $500 bonus. The new Employee Referral Bonus Program applies to all permanent nonfaculty, exempt and nonexempt positions posted on or after Sept. 1, 1999.

People

Sotak Elected Fellow

Biomedical Engineering Professor and Department Head Christopher Sotak was recently elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).

DiBiasio Named to New Post

David DiBiasio. associate professor of chemical engineering, has been appointed coordinator of assessment for the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division. In that capacity, he will coordinate assessment of the on- and off-campus IQP experience.

Standouts in Humanities and Arts

Three outstanding Sufficiency projects completed during 1999 were honored with Grand Prizes at this year's Class of 1879 Prize presentation on April 10. The winners are: Amelia A. Gilbreath (flute recital, advised by Douglas Weeks); Richard E. Harang (paper, "Mind and Materialism," advised by Marianne Janack); and Corbin Hodder (play, Toothpaste and Orange Juice, advised by Dean O'Donnell). Four finalists, Benjamin Clark, David T. Kilcoyne, Christian A. Pedersen and Maureen L. Upton, were also honored.

Students Honored for Research Papers

Two WPI students received awards for the papers they presented in the graduate student competition at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' 26th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference at the University of Connecticut, on April 8-9. They are:

Susan M. Shorrock, second place for "Determination of a relationship between bacteria levels and tissue pH in wounds: Animal studies," Steven Kun, Robert A. Peura and Raymond M. Dunn, co-authors.

Julie B. Roberts, third place for "Correlation of anisotropic elastic and transport properties of cancellous bone," Sean S. Kohles, co-author.

Undergraduates, graduate students and faculty from the departments of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering presented eight papers on design and research projects during the conference.

Greek Honor Society

The following WPI students have been elected to the Order of Omega, the national Greek honor society:

Lizabeth Amaral, a junior biotechnology major and vice president of operations and sisterhood coordinator for Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.

Nick Arcolano, a junior electrical engineering major and president of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Jimmy Cook, a junior mechanical engineering/theatre technology double major and member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Kevin Dickert, a junior mechanical engineering major and president of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

Kenneth Fountain, a junior biotechnology major and treasurer of Alpha Chi Rho fraternity.

Brynn Hart, a junior mechanical engineering major and president of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.

Stacey Leisenfelder, a junior biology/pre-medical major and member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.

David Levine, a senior biology/pre-veterinary major and president of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Angela Malaquias, a senior management engineering major and member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.

Eric White, a senior computer science major and social chairman of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

The society also elected John Minasian, director of the School of Industrial Management and advisor to Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, as an honorary member.

The society is open to juniors and seniors with an academic average of at least 3.0 who are members of the Greek fraternity and sorority system. Members participate in campus events and community service.

Alumni Awards

The WPI Alumni Association will honor the following individuals at Reunion, June 2-4:

Edward Sydor '50 and David Cyganski '75: Robert H. Goddard Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement.

Alfred Green '45, Lester Reynolds '50, Harlan Williams '50, F. David Ploss '70, and Anne McPartland Dodd '75: Herbert F. Taylor Award for Distinguished Service to WPI.

Kimberly Lemoi Bowers '90 and Janet Hammarstrom '80: John Boynton Young Alumni Award for Service to WPI.

Paul Bergantino '85, Edward Cheung '85 and Jonathan Bird '90: Ichabod Washburn Young Alumni Award for Professional Achievement.

John Nelson: WPI Award for Outstanding Service to WPI by a Non-Alumnus.

In addition, David Woodbury '79 SIM received the Albert J. Schwieger School of Industrial Management Award on Feb. 29.

Outstanding Advisors Recognized

Thirty-two faculty members were recognized at the March faculty meeting for their outstanding contributions to academic advising at WPI. Arthur C. Heinricher, chair of the Committee on Advising and Student Life, said these individuals had distinguished themselves through quality academic advising (as distinct from project advising) of large numbers of undergraduates. Each of the faculty members listed below carried an advising load of more than 30 students, carried a load significantly higher than the mean for his or her department, or was recommended for outstanding contributions to academic advising by his or her department head:

Biology and Biotechnology

David Adams, Daniel Gibson, Philip Robakiewicz, Jill Rulfs, Elizabeth Ryder

Biomedical Engineering

Stevan Kun, Yitzhak Mendelson, Christopher Sotak

Chemical Engineering

William Clark, David DiBiasio

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Leonard Albano, Robert D'Andrea, Paul Mathisen, Guillermo Salazar

Computer Science

Craig Wills

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Alexander Emanuel, David Cyganski, Robert Labonté, John McNeill, Richard Vaz

Fire Protection Engineering

Jonathan Barnett

Humanities and Arts

Bland Addison

Mathematical Sciences

John Goulet, Ann Wiedie

Management

Sharon Johnson, Chickery Kasouf, John Minasian

Mechanical Engineering

Robert Norton, Mustapha Fofana, Nicholas Gatsonis

Social Science and Policy Studies

John O'Connor

Undergraduate Studies

William Grogan (dean emeritus)

Employee Update

The following individuals have joined the campus community since January 2000.

Carol Contis, administrative secretary IV, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Donna DeChiaro, administrative secretary IV, Chemical Engineering; Sharon Donahue, administrative assistant, Human Resources; Denise Ehnstrom, database coordinator, Management; Bruce Fiene, operations manager, Instructional Media Center; Michael Folding, telecommunications analyst, Telecommunications; Janice Frederick, central mail clerk, Administrative Services; Margaret Frenette-Hook, administrative secretary IV, Development and University Relations; Rachael Graham, administrative secretary III, Biomedical Engineering; Joseph Kaupu Jr., administrative secretary III, Humanities and Arts; Francois Lemire, director of research administration, Research Administration; Donald Montville, power plant operator-class 2, Plant Services; Renee Patterson, administrative secretary III, Continuing Studies-MetroWest; Donald Pellegrino, laboratory manager, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Cynthia Robertson, administrative secretary IV, Continuing Studies; Jeffrey Scamacca, administrative computer specialist, College Computer Center, and Margot Thompson, administrative secretary III, Physics.

The following are no longer employed at WPI: John Blash, Cheryl Bruinsma, Tamera Gilberti, Phyllis Hanlon, Gina Herrera, Anthony Hopson, Rhonda Hull, Elizabeth Jolie, Robbin Joyce, James Lovewell III, Robyn Marcin, Diane Mercon-Griffin, Julie O'Connor, Marie Piergallini, Kathleen Watt.

WPI In the News

WorldNow, which provides news to television station Web sites in a ready-to-use digital format, recently featured WPI's Hoop Dreams program, which aims to make college a reality for inner-city youngsters.

A new but growing service, WorldNow serves stations in Portland, Maine, Hartford/New Haven, Conn. Providence, R.I., Richmond, Va., Louisville, Ky., Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn., Evansville, Ind., Lansing, Mich., Green Bay, Wis., Kansas City, Mo., Wichita, Kan., and Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Santa Rosa, Calif.

Colloquia/Conferences/Meetings

BROWN BAG SAFETY SEMINAR

Friday, April 21, noon, "The Big Spill: Chemical Spill Prevention and Clean-up," Goddard Hall 217.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Wednesday, May 3, 1 and 6 p.m., Information Session, "IT Career 2000 Information Session," MetroWest Campus, 225 Turnpike Road (Route 9 West) Southborough. For more information, call 800-974-9717.
Thursday, May 9, 1 and 6 p.m., Information Session, "IT Career 2000 Information Session," Waltham Campus, 60 Hickory Drive. For more information, call 800-974-9717.

FACULTY MEETING

Thursday, May 4, 4:05 p.m., Kinnicutt Hall. Refreshments at 3:45.

GRADUATE ADMISSIONS

Thursday, May 4, 6 p.m., Graduate Information Session, Higgins House. Call 800-WPI-9717 ext. 205 to register.
Thursday, May 11, 6 p.m., Graduate Information Session, Waltham Campus, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Management programs only. Call 800-WPI-9717 ext. 205 to register.

PHYSICS

Monday, April 24, 4 p.m., "What We Know About What Pynchon Knows About Physics," Humanities and Arts Professor Lance Schachterle, Olin Hall 107. Refreshments, 3:40 p.m., Olin 118.
Monday, May 1, 4 p.m., "Small is Beautiful, Small is Different, Small is Elegant," Physics Professor Nancy A. Burnham, Olin Hall 107. Coffee at 3:40 p.m. in Olin Hall 118.

Publications & Presentations

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Sotak, Christopher H., Robert Gillies, Zaver Bhujwalla, Jeffrey Evelhoch, Michael Garwood, Michal Neeman, Simon P. Robinson, and Boudewijn Van Der Sanden, "Applications of Magnetic Resonance in Model Systems: Tumor Biology and Physiology," in Neoplasia 2, 139-151 (2000).
____., Fuhai Li, Richard A. D. Carano, Katsumi Irie, and Marc Fisher, "Temporal Evolution of Average Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Threshold to Define Ischemic Abnormalities in a Rat Permanent Occlusion Model," in J. Stroke Cerebrovas. Dis. 9, 1-7 (2000).
____., Fuhai Li, Matthew D. Silva, and Marc Fisher, "Temporal Evolution of Ischemic Injury Evaluated with Diffusion-, Perfusion-, and T2-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging," Neurology 54, 689-696 (2000).
____., Fuhai Li, Kai-Feng Liu, Matthew D. Silva, Tsuyoshi Omae, Joseph D. Fenstermacher, and Marc Fisher, "Temporal Evolution of Reversibility of Ischemic Lesions on Diffusion-Weighted Imaging: Correlation with Histopathology," abstract, poster presented at the 25th American Heart Association International Stroke Conference, New Orleans, La, February 2000; also published in Stroke 31, 340 (2000).
____., Fuhai Li, Matthew D. Silva, Kai-Feng Liu, Karl G. Helmer, Joseph D. Fenstermacher, and Marc Fisher, "High-Temporal-Resolution Monitoring of Secondary Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Decline Following Mild Focal Ischemia in Rats," abstract, poster presented at the 25th American Heart Association International Stroke Conference, New Orleans, La, February 2000; also published in Stroke 31, 340 (2000).
____., Turgut Tatlisumak, Richard A. D. Carano, Kentaro Takano, Michael R. Meiler, Fuhai Li, Uwe Pschorn, and Marc Fisher, "Broad-Spectrum Cation Channel Inhibition by LOE 908 MS Reduces Infarct Volume In Vivo and Postmortem in Focal Cerebral Ischemia in the Rat," abstract, poster presented at the 25th American Heart Association International Stroke Conference, New Orleans, La., February 2000; also published in Stroke 31, 342 (2000).
____., Kai-Feng Liu, Fuhai Li, Matthew D. Silva, Marc Fisher, and Joseph D. Fenstermacher, "The Relationships Between MRI-Measured Parameters and Brain Tissue Damage Are Not Simple in a Rat Model of Brief Focal Ischemia," abstract, poster presented at the 25th American Heart Association International Stroke Conference, New Orleans, La., February 2000; also published in Stroke 31, 342 (2000).
____., J. W. Wellen, K. G. Helmer, and P. Grigg, "Investigations of Water Transport in Rabbit Achilles Tendon Under Load," abstract, oral presentation at the IEEE 26th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference, Storrs, Conn., April 2000; also published in Proc. IEEE 26th Annual Northeast Bioeng. Conf., (2000).
____., Mark Kazemi, Matthew D. Silva, Orna Mayzel-Oreg, and Fuhai Li, "Investigation of Techniques to Quantify In Vivo Lesion Volume Based on Comparison of ADCav Maps with Histology in Focal Cerebral Ischemia Studies of Rats," abstract, oral presentation at the Eighth Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Denver, Colo., April 2000; also published in Proc. Int. Soc. Magn. Reson. Med. 1, 474 (2000).
____., M. R. Meiler, and K. G. Helmer, "In Vivo Oxygen Tension Mapping of RIF-1 Tumors via Fluorine-19 NMR During 5-Fluorouracil Chemotherapeutic Intervention," abstract, oral presentation at the Eighth Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Denver, Colorado, April 2000; also published in Proc. Int. Soc. Magn. Reson. Med. 1, 255 (2000).
____., Orna Mayzel-Oreg, Tsuyoshi Omae, Mark Kazemi, Fuhai Li, Marc Fisher, Yoram Cohen, and "Slow ADC Lesion Development in a Model of Microsphere-Induced Embolic Stroke," abstract, poster presented at the Eighth Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Denver, Colo., April 2000; also published in Proc. Int. Soc. Magn. Reson. Med. 2, 1294 (2000).
_____., Karl G. Helmer, Jeremy W. Wellen, and Peter Grigg, "Large-q Investigations of the Effects of Static Loading on Rabbit Achilles Tendon Water," abstract, poster presented at the 41st Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference, Pacific Grove, Calif., April 2000.

BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Adams, David S., Rob Nathans, Stephanie C. Pero, Ami Se and Eric Wakshull, "Activation of a Rel-A/CEBP-b-Related Transcription Factor Heteromer by PGG-Glucan in a Murine Monocytic Cell Line." In the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 77: 221-233 (2000).

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Paar, Christof, J. Elbirt, W. Yip, and B. Chetwynd, "An FPGA Implementation and Performance Evaluation of the AES Block Cipher Candidate Algorithm Finalists," presented at the Third Advanced Encryption Standard (AES3) Candidate Conference, April 13-14, New York.
____.,Wollinger, M. Wang, and J. Guajardo, "How Well Are High-End DSPs Suited for the AES Algorithms? AES Algorithms on the TMS320C6x DSP," presented at the Third Advanced Encryption Standard (AES3) Candidate Conference, April 13-14, New York.

HUMANITIES AND ARTS

Fontanella, Lee. "Cristina Garcia Rodero's Photographs: Making the Particular Accessible," lecture for exhibition opening at the Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, April 1.
Hansen, Peter H., "Inventing Virtual Sherpas," Seminar on Race in Europe, Center for European Studies, Harvard University, April 4.
Hansen, Peter H., "Albert Smith, l'Alpine Club, et l'invention de l'alpinisme au milieu de l'ere victorienne," STAPS: Revue des Sciences et Techniques des Activites Physiques et Sportives vol. 21, n. 51 (Spring 2000): 7-28.

MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

Servatius, Brigitte, "Symmetric Degree of Freedom 1 Frameworks," presented at the 952nd AMS meeting at UMass Lowell, April 1-2.

Servatius, Herman, "The Knitting Condition," presented at the 952nd AMS meeting at UMass Lowell, April 1-2.
Hyunjoong, Kim, "2D Cla ssification Tree," presented at the 32nd Symposium on the Interface, April 5-8, New Orleans, La.

Worth Noting

Last Thursday, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee authorized an award of $1 million to WPI to develop new advances in fire technology. The award was included in an amendment, drafted by Sen. John F. Kerry, to the $1.6 billion Earth, Wind and Fire Authorization Act of 1999. With these funds, researchers in WPI's Center for Firesafety Studies and its Electrical and Computer Engineering Department will bring together several existing technologies, including wireless communications devices, Global Positioning System receivers, and computer inventory control systems, to develop a new system that will monitor and protect firefighters working in burning buildings.

The system will determine a fighter's exact position in three dimensions and monitor his or her health. It will guide firefighters safely out of a building and keep track of the conditions along escape routes. Finally, it will enable rescue teams to hone in on a firefighter in trouble. Such a system might have saved the lives of the six Worcester firefighters who died inside the Worcester Cold Storage building last December. In fact, the Kerry amendment was dedicated to the memory of those fallen heroes.

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Last modified: February 13, 2008 09:26:53