School of Engineering

Theory. Practice. Impact.

At WPI, students are involved in engineering projects and research from the very beginning. Our pioneering project-based learning approach means our undergraduate and graduate students learn in the classroom and then can immediately apply their skills to solve real-world problems.

Students work alongside our world-renowned faculty, many of whom bring invaluable industry experience to their work. WPI graduates become proficient and agile engineers able to adapt to a constantly changing global environment. They’re prepared to collaborate with peers across disciplines—from engineering to the arts and sciences to business—to develop innovative and effective solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

This groundbreaking approach establishes a foundation for career success and life satisfaction.

Education

The School of Engineering gives students opportunities to solve real-world problems through team-based projects, immersive research experiences, rigorous independent study, and close student/faculty mentorship.

Engineering Departments and Programs WPI Plan Grand Challenges Scholars Program Network of Global Project Centers Got Potholes? This Student Team Has a Solution

Research

Our well-funded research projects showcase the breadth and depth of the engineering advances at WPI. A research-with-purpose mindset across the university applies many perspectives and collaborations to meet the biggest challenges we face.

Interdisciplinary Groups Metal Processing Institute PracticePoint Center for Wireless Information Network Studies Center for Advanced Research in Drying

Alumni & Students

With a devotion to lifelong learning and a commitment to make the planet better, WPI’s students and alumni produce boundary-pushing results with the widest impact. They approach their work with a careful balance of improving technology and humanity.

Jessica Rosewitz '07 (BS), '16 (MS), '20 (PhD) [Civil Engineering] Stephen Rusckowski ’79 [Mechanical Engineering] Yatao Liu ’08, PhD [Chemical Engineering] Leila Carvajal Erker ’96 [Chemical Engineering]

Researchers Expanding Development of Oxygen Sensor for Babies to also Monitor COVID-19 Patients

An interdisciplinary group of researchers at WPI is expanding its previous work to develop a small wireless mobile sensor that will measure a baby’s blood oxygen levels to also create a similar sensor that can act as early detection device for COVID-19 infections.

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Researcher Leads $2.4 Million Project to Manufacture Low-Cost, Fast-Charging Lithium Ion Car Batteries

WPI will lead a team of industry and university researchers in a $2.4 million project to manufacture cheaper, faster-charging lithium ion car batteries. The researchers will reduce the cost and charging time of lithium ion car batteries by building on previous research to manufacture battery electrodes with a solvent-free approach.

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Chemical Engineers: “Why Not Make Waste Work for Us?”

Two WPI chemical engineering research projects investigating sustainability and waste reduction received nearly $540,000 stemming from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) 2026 Idea Machine competition. The work will explore finding applications for nitrogen-rich waste products and converting marine plastics into ship fuel.

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Gabriel Espinosa ‘24

BS in Mechanical Engineering

Gabriel works to pursue his passion for sustainability and engineering through WPI’s clubs and hands-on learning experiences. [...]

Tessa Lytle '23

BS/MS Mechanical Engineering

Tessa’s college career, both on and off the skating rink, has provided her many opportunities to get involved and make an impact. [...]

Jeremy Trilling '22

BS, Robotics Engineering

Jeremy came to WPI because he knew he’d have opportunities to explore, create, and discover in areas that interested him—especially things like flying cars and electric vehicles[...]

Jordan Jones

PhD, Biomedical Engineering

Jordan's work with value creation in his biomedical engineering research taught him to apply his scientific breakthroughs in a way that makes a positive impact on humanity. [...]

Reisya Ichwani

MS, Materials Science and Engineering

Learning about other cultures has only enhanced Reisya’s experience as a Fulbright Scholar studying materials science and engineering at WPI[...]

Scenes from the ASEE-NE Conference

This fall welcomed engineering educators and students from 28 different schools to WPI’s campus as host of the American Society for Engineering Education – Northeast Section (ASEE-NE) regional conference. Over three days, nearly 140 college faculty, staff, and student participants from around the region joined workshops, poster presentations, research paper sessions, and lightning talks. Keynote speakers were Dr. Pamela McCauley from NCSU, who spoke on the role of faculty as mentors and allies to foster success for students from underrepresented groups, and singer-songwriter and Berklee College of Music professor Livingston Taylor, who reflected on the similarity between a performer connecting with, and caring for, an audience--and an educator connecting with, and caring for, their students.

In his keynote address, Livingston Taylor describes how a performer connecting with audience members is similar to a professor connecting with students.

A student team from UMass Dartmouth presents “Relational Justice & Collaborative Self-Determination in Engineering Education.”

WPI student Anna Eng describes her work on a smartphone app to teach free body diagram concepts.

Attendees gathered at WPI’s historic Higgins House for a welcome reception on the opening night of the conference.

Dean of Engineering John McNeill introduces keynote speaker Livingston Taylor.

Singer/songwriter Livingston Taylor describes how he constructs a song—and since all design involves compromise, how creators need to advocate for their compromises.

WPI ECE alum Sam Francois's paper describes a novel mentoring program at his company, CommScope.

Project-based learning was a common theme for posters and papers from WPI and from other institutions at ASEE NE.

The opening welcome reception was held at WPI’s historic Higgins House on Thursday, October 21.

“Delivering and Teaching Hybrid/Remote Chemical Engineering Labs” panel discussion was featured at ASEE NE on October 21.

Presenters at the ASEE NE student poster session

Conference attendees enjoy interactive workshop discussions in WPI’s Innovation Studio’s active learning classrooms.

WPI’s Kathy Chen and Martha Cyr led a workshop on “What Engineering Looks Like in PreK-12 STEM and How Higher Education Can Support."

Student poster session at ASEE NE

WPI’s first in-person conference in 18 months welcomed over 100 participants from 28 institutions across the northeastern United States.

WPI Journal Stories from the School of Engineering

Student Impact

Martin Thulani Milanzi '24

Milanzi Brings STEM to Refugees in Zambia

Sensing the Living Breath

Electrical engineer Ulkuhan Guler has an ambitious goal: creating a small, smart, skin patch that collects critical measures of respiration.

Field Work in Sustainability

Don Seville ’92 uses systems thinking to improve farming and food.

Spotlight on Engineering

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Patrick Schaumont, professor of electrical and computer engineering, is an expert in hardware security. As part of the Vernam Lab, where several key experts are working on various perspectives of secure system design, he aims to develop designs and prototypes and methods and tools. Partnering with WPI experts in this field can help industry collaborators transfer their own ideas into viable products.

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Discover how Yihao Zheng, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is using applied science, engineering, and technology to advance manufacturing in the healthcare industry.

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James Urban, assistant professor in fire protection engineering, researches advances in wildland fire, visual-based fire protection, and fundamental fire phenomenon. His team is especially skilled at finding low-cost ways to measure fire and provide collaborators access to state-of-the-art fire labs, easily allowing for multi-scale experiments.

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Research scientist Christopher Nycz and the team at PracticePoint uncovered a need in the market for a space where engineers could better access clinical spaces. Corporate partners are welcome to integrate their industry know-how and WPI’s academic expertise to create new products—and accelerate those products to market.

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Theory. Practice. Impact.