Welcome to @WPI

Vol. 1, No. 17 May 4, 2000

Around Campus

@WPI Summer Schedule

The May 18 issue of @WPI will be the last biweekly issue for the academic year. @WPI will be published in June, July and August on the first Thursday of the month to keep the campus community informed of events during the summer.

@WPI is intended for the entire WPI community. We encourage you to use it to inform the campus community about people, programs and events that can be publicized on campus. Mail articles and suggestions to the Communications Group, 20 Trowbridge Road, or e-mail atwpi@wpi.edu.

Farewell to the Class of Aught Aught

The Baccalaureate ceremony for members of the Class of 2000 and their families will be held in Alden Memorial on Friday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. Faculty are encouraged to participate in cap and gown; you may robe on the lower level of Alden at 5 p.m. The service will last about 45 minutes.

Commencement day, Saturday, May 20, will begin the Class of 2000 graduation breakfast under a tent near Alumni Field. All faculty and staff are invited to attend. Complimentary tickets may be obtained in the Student Life Office in Daniels Hall Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. More faculty each year are finding this a special opportunity to see their students and wish them well.

The ROTC commissioning will take place at 8:30 a.m. in Alden. Rear Admiral Peter A.C. Long, U.S.N. provost at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., will be the commissioning officer.

The Commencement ceremony itself begins at 11 a.m. on the Quadrangle (rain location: Harrington Auditorium--by ticket only). The speaker will be C. Michael Armh3, chairman and CEO of AT&T. Honorary degrees will be awarded to Armh3, William N. Giudice '76, vice president and general manager of Broadband Internetworking Systems, Conexant Systems Inc., and Michael C. Ruettgers, president and CEO of EMC. Corp.

Commencement Help Needed

The Student Activities Office requests your assistance during Commencement: "Commencement gives everyone an opportunity to celebrate our campus and congratulate our graduating seniors and graduate students," says Greg Snoddy, director of orientation and student activities. "One of the most important tasks during Commencement is assuring that our graduates are lined up in the correct order. To facilitate this, we rely on volunteers. Your involvement will be of great importance to our graduates. While you're here to enjoy the ceremony, why not help us make this a successful and well-ordered event?" To help out, contact Student Activities at ext. 5291.

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

WPI's ombudspersons provide help with interpersonal conflict. Timely and effective resolution of conflict will improve your quality of life and productivityThe ombudspersons

If you have concerns regarding interpersonal conflict within the WPI community, please call WPI's ombudspersons:

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, 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 Wednesday, 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

ADMISSIONS

Director
Assistant Director

ADVANCED DISTANCE LEARNING NETWORK

Program Manager

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

COLLEGE COMPUTER CENTER

PC LAN Server Administrator

COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Administrative Secretary III

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Tenure-track faculty positions

CONTINUING EDUCATION

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

CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION RELATIONS

Part-time Grant Writer

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Tenure-track faculty position
Professor of Practice

FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERING

Faculty position

GORDON LIBRARY

Web Programmer
Archives/Special Collections Librarian

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 MATH 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

UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

Assistant Director of Planned Giving

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

Major Undergraduate Awards Announced

THE TWO TOWERS PRIZE, given each year to a student who, through academic competence, campus leadership, course work, research and projects, best exemplifies the heart of the WPI educational experience, has been awarded to Nicholas F. Arcolano, a junior majoring in electrical and computer engineering.

Twelve members of the Class of 2000 have received the SALISBURY PRIZE, given each year to WPI's most meritorious seniors. Those honored were: Jovanna R. Baptista, mathematical sciences; Emrah Diril, electrical and computer engineering; Cheryl K. Eddins, chemistry and biochemistry; Kyriacos N. Felekkis, biology and biotechnology; Aimee Fitzpatrick, civil and environmental engineering; Brian A. Greenlaw, electrical and computer engineering; Virginia A. Jerome, humanities and arts; Joseph D. Lussier, chemical engineering; Ravi S. Misra, biology and biotechnology; Casey L. Richardson, physics; John P. Tassinari, mechanical engineering; and Maureen Upton, biomedical engineering.

The KRANICH PRIZE, which honors students majoring in engineering or science who best exemplify excellence in the humanities and arts, and the integration of technical and nontechnical disciplines, has been awarded to Patrick J. Kaplo, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering.

The following students recently received the CLASS OF 1879 PRIZE, the University's humanities and arts award, which is given each spring for the most outstanding Sufficiencies. Amelia A. Gilbreath won for her flute recital; Richard E. Harang was honored for a paper titled "Mind and Materialism"; Corbin Hodder received the award for his play, Toothpaste and Orange Juice. Four finalists were also honored: Benjamin Clark, David T. Kilcoyne, Christian E. Pedersen and Maureen L. Upton. Originally an award for rhetoric, the Class of 1879 Prize is one of the oldest undergraduate awards at WPI.

Tap, Tap, Tap - Skull Inducts New Members

Skull, WPI's senior honorary society, recently tapped new members. Founded in 1911, the society seeks to preserve WPI traditions. New members from the Class of 2000 are: Michael Quigley, electrical engineering; Christopher Brassard, biochemistry; Kathy Pacheco, chemical engineering; Lakee Smith, biotechnology; Katie Gagnon, civil engineering; Legrand Reynolds, biotechnology/pre-med; Liz Amaral, biotechnology; Chris Bitzas, mechanical engineering; Kevin Norcott, mechanical engineering; Jennifer Hardy, electrical engineering and international studies; Nick Arcolano, electrical engineering; Frederick Tan, biotechnology and computer science; and Amelia Gilbreath, biomedical engineering. David S. Adams, associate professor of biology and biotechnology, and John Goulet, professor of mathematics, were also tapped.

Textbook Raffle

Congratulations to Jeff Bacon, winner of the Tatnuck Bookseller Textbook Raffle held during the Admissions Open House on Wednesday, April 19. When he arrives in August to begin his first term, his textbooks will be free (up to $400.00).

WPI in the News

Jordan Levy's April 13 commentary on WTAG radio was devoted to the FIRST robotics competition and the fact that the Clinton High School/NYPRO team was a finalist at the national meet at Epcot Center. Levy said the team also received the WPI Design Innovation Scholarship Award (a full four-year scholarship). Selection was based on ballots cast by each of the 268 teams competing. Tim Baird of Clinton High was selected to attend WPI.

Worcester Business Journal's April 10-23 edition featured three photos of WPI activities. One showed President Edward Alton Parrish and Metal Processing Institute Director Diran Apelian receiving a $1 million gift from Ray H. Witt. The other two were of Alex Emanuel, professor of electrical and computer engineering and winner of the John Mungenast International Power Quality Award, and Marianne Janack, assistant professor of humanities and arts and recipient of a Pembroke Post-Doctoral Fellowship to Brown University.

Three WPI-centered articles and photos were featured in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette on April 6. Andi Esposito's business column highlighted Chris Brown, professor of mechanical engineering, and his course, "Techniques of Alpine Skiing." A front-page color photo showed four WPI students testing their concrete canoe

on Indian Lake. Finally, the Chemistry and Biochemistry colloquium series resulted in a story on Frank Hart, special agent of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, who spoke on arson investigations.

The April 13 Telegram & Gazette mentioned the Lambda Chi Alpha and Alpha Gamma Delta teeter-totter-a-thon. On April 14 the T&G ran a feature on three WPI alumni who founded Wachusett Brewing Co. in Westminster, Mass.

WPI's Matt Gissell, winner of the National Monopoly Championship last October, is featured in a story titled "Do Not Pass Go: Ode to an Icon," in the April 2000 issue of Attaché, U.S. Airways magazine.

WPI appeared in other front page stories in the T&G. On Easter Sunday, Kevin Kelly, associate vice president for enrollment management, was quoted in a story titled "Choosy Colleges Raise Bar: Higher Grades Now a Necessity. The April 24 T&G, under the headline "WPI Building Dreams," recognized WPI's Hoop Dreams program with a story and a color photo showing WPI's Ken Stafford demonstrating a robot to children from Friendly House. Quoted were William A. Baller, adjunct professor of humanities and an organizer of the program, Dawn R. Johnson, director of Minority Affairs and Outreach Programs, Hoop Dreams volunteers, WPI sophomores Matthew J. Hodson and Kelly A. Jaramillo, and several Friendly House youngsters.

Science Daily, a Web site that calls itself the "link to the latest research news," posted a story titled "Tiny Machines Do the Work of Giants," which describes work on nanomachines directed by Rysard J. Pryputniewicz, professor of mechanical engineering. Science Daily currently offers two other WPI stories: "Latest in Computer Security Revealed at WPI International Workshop" and "Members of Class of '03 Are Virtual Students in More Ways Than One at WPI."

U.S. News & World Report published its 2001 Annual Guide titled "America's Best Graduate Schools" on April 10. WPI was mentioned in the lead paragraph of a story titled "Schools are Building a New Breed of Engineer -- One With Management Savvy."

Michael B. Elmes, associate professor of organization behavior and theory in the Department of Management, was quoted in the April 9 Guardian/Observer of London in a story on "Macho Mountaineers." The story examined the findings of a study on the psychology behind mountain-eering and ill-fated climbs, co-authored by Elmes.

Cabinet Meeting Summary

Summaries of Cabinet Meetings are available online to members of the WPI Community on the Cabinet website.

Colloquia/Conferences/Meetings

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Thursday, May 9, 1 and 6 p.m., "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.

VENTURE FORUM

Tuesday, May 16, 6:30-9 p.m. (registration 6 p.m.), "Strategic Alliances and Ask the Expert," attorney Jeffrey Swaim, Mirick O'Connell, moderator, Kinnicutt Hall. $5, members; $10, nonmembers; free with WPI ID. For more information, call ext. 5075.

Publications & Presentations

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Kohles, Sean S., "Applications of an Anisotropic Parameter to Cortical Bone," in the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 261-265 (2000).

HUMANITIES AND ARTS

Dunn, Patrick P., panelist, "Teaching Russian History: Russian and American Perspectives," sponsored by the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Higgins Armory, April 18.

MANAGEMENT

Zhu, Joe, "Multi-factor Performance Measure Model with an Application to Fortune 500 Companies," in European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 123, No. 1 (2000), 105-124.

PHYSICS

Burnham, N.A., "How Does a Tip Tap?" presented at the MIT Polymer Mechanics Group, Cambridge, Mass., April 21.
Burnham, N.A., "Small is Beautiful, Small is Different, Small is Elegant," presented at the WPI Physics Department seminar, May 1.

Recent Grants

The following is a list of new research grants received by WPI in March. The Office of Research Administration provides information about these awards:

Iannacchione, Germano S., "Magnetic Properties of Monomolecular Films of Organic Radicals," $7,000 from the National Science Foundation.

McGimpsey, W. Grant, "Development of Optical Probes for Blood Analytes," $246,000 from Bayer Corp.

Ryder, Elizabeth F., "CAREER Award: Sensory Map Formation in the Nervous System of C. Elegans," $205,000 ($405,000 over four years) from the National Science Foundation.

Worth Noting

WPI's commitment to maintaining an up-to-date information infrastructure has again been recognized by the editors of Yahoo! Internet Life. In its latest report on the nation's 100 "most wired colleges," the magazine ranked WPI 23rd. Published since 1997, the survey was broadened considerably for 2000. While 571 colleges and universities were included last year, all of the more than 3,600 accredited colleges and universities in the United States were invited to participate this year; according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, more than 1,300 took part.

This year, for the first time, the rankings are divided into several categories. WPI is ranked under "Universities and Research Schools." Topping that group were Carnegie Mellon, the University of Delaware, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Indiana University, Bloomington.

The rankings take into consideration such factors as the availability of computers and printers on campus, the use of PCs by undergraduates, access to and usage of e-mail, how schools use the Web, the scope of campus networks, and whether schools offer courses on the Web and distance-learning programs.

Yahoo! Internet Life found that 98 percent of participating schools now allow prospective students to apply online (WPI was a pioneer in this area); 84 percent allow students to reserve library books electronically; 68 percent offer Web-based registration; and 11 percent require students to own computers.

"WPI has made significant investments in its on-campus network and external internetworking, including the creation of the Internet2 Goddard GigaPop," notes Thomas J. Lynch, vice president for information technology. "In addition, we've adopted the Blackboard CourseInfo course management software. About 100 of our instructors are making heavy use of the Web, and a number are researching assessment of technology-mediated learning. We've also equipped all student project teams and faculty advisors who travel off campus with laptop computers. All of this is helping us maintain a leading-edge program."

To learn more, visit the Yahoo! Internet Life Web site.

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Last modified: February 13, 2008 09:36:00