Frontiers Course Offerings

The advent of the twenty-first century introduced two extreme worlds of physics: the physics of miniscule particles – electrons – and the physics of supergiants – black holes. Both worlds are extremely fascinating and have been very impactful in our lives. The world of small, i.e., the atomic and subatomic particles, is addressed by quantum physics whereas to understand the marvel of the world of giants and supergiants, i.e., neutron stars and black holes, we need relativistic physics.

In this fun, two-week long course, we will go over various topics on quantum physics including lasers, quantum computing, quantum teleportation, and quantum information as well as topics on the birth, evolution and death of stars, Hawking radiation, and the models of the Universe. Each topic will start with very basic concepts, and they will be explained with the help of relevant demonstrations, multimedia, and mathematical tools. The students will also get an opportunity to visit WPI physics research labs.

* Students who are selecting Advanced Modern Physics should understand pre-calculus at a minimum.

By covering basic concepts in aerodynamics, the Aerospace Engineering program explores the science of flight. Topics such as drag, streamlining, airfoil stall and aircraft design will be studied. Participants learn how wings and aircraft create lift to fly. Wind- and water-tunnel experiments are conducted to visualize the airflow over aircraft, and computer simulations are run for different airfoil shapes. Participants will design and build a simple model aircraft using what they have learned.

In this summer design studio, students explore how architecture shapes human experience, from the comfort of everyday living to the emotional and psychological impact of designed spaces. Through hands-on learning, students develop the concept for a future building or building complex while engaging with core architectural engineering principles.

Students begin by learning the fundamentals of planning, construction budgeting, and design feasibility. They will visit local sites to understand how context, location, landscape, and environmental conditions inform architectural decisions. We will introduce urban planning frameworks and building regulations, enabling students to derive essential design constraints and building codes for their projects.

Using SketchUp and parametric modeling techniques, students will develop digital building models that express their ideas through geometry, function, and form. They will learn how to communicate their vision through drawings, models, and structured design narratives that articulate purpose, aesthetics, sustainability, and user experience.

The course also includes guest speakers from various focus areas, who will share insights into architectural engineering practice, career paths, and innovative research at WPI. By the end of the program, students will not only have a developed design concept, but also a foundational understanding of the interdisciplinary world of architecture, planning, engineering, and design presentation.

At the crossroads of engineering, biology, and medicine lies an exciting scientific field making historic breakthroughs that are extending lives and vastly improving the quality of life. This field is biomedical engineering, and WPI is at the forefront of research that is leading to many of these breathtaking developments. This program will enable the students to start looking at the world with the eyes of a biomedical engineer and open doors for amazing possibilities in this field as they pursue new directions.

In this program, participants will perform hands-on lab activities to understand and learn the fundamentals of biomedical engineering and its sub-branches including bio-instrumentation, biomedical signal measurement, and biomedical signal and data processing. The participants will specifically learn how biomedical devices play a part in improving the lives of people and improving society.

This course introduces the broad and vital discipline of chemical engineering including conventional and developing chemical technologies. An introduction is provided to the first principles of chemical engineering, as well as environmental, health, safety and ethical issues in chemical engineering practice. An overview is provided of the chemical engineering profession, career choices, the course of study, and a survey of the chemical industry, e.g., polymer, pharmaceutical, food processing, microelectronic, electrochemical, biotechnology, process control, energy, and petroleum refining. Course activities will engage you in a three-story pilot plant facility where you will be operating chemical engineering equipment, collecting data and performing various calculations. As this is a lab-intensive course, safety measures are very important, and you should prepare accordingly. 

In the Civil and Environmental Engineering Frontiers program you will learn firsthand from our professors what you can do to prepare our built world for the future, protect public health and the environment, and how structural engineers ensure that buildings and bridges are strong.  The built environment touches all of us more than other engineered aspects of our lives; we spend 93% of our time in buildings or vehicles, and only 7% outdoors! Each day in the program will be hands-on, interactive, and high energy. You will be in several laboratories on campus, work in teams to solve problems, and get creative with solutions. This is how civil and environmental engineers work day-to-day in one of the oldest and most diverse disciplines, focused on designing and constructing the infrastructure that supports daily life. We coordinate projects, manage people, and are essential for improving the quality of life in society and protecting the environment. We are excited to teach you how to do these things too!

Embark on a two-week, self-paced journey into programming, internet technologies, and AI innovation. Guided by a WPI professor, you’ll explore the foundations of web development—building interactive web pages, understanding network communication, and integrating multimedia elements—while gaining an introduction to Generative AI concepts and tools. Through hands-on activities, you’ll learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and experiment with AI-driven features such as simple machine learning models and intelligent interfaces. Whether you’re new to coding or eager to expand your skills, this program offers personalized guidance and collaborative opportunities to help you create projects that combine web technologies and AI. No prior experience required—just curiosity and creativity!

Move beyond pie charts and bar graphs to tell a story with your data. Join us to explore the ever-growing world of data science! You will learn about data collection, statistical analysis, and data visualization techniques using the state-of-the-art software tool, Tableau. We will work through some hands-on practical exercises to gain technical knowledge, as well as to learn presentation skills, in a storytelling manner, to deliver significant findings.

** Participants in this course are strongly encouraged to bring a "Windows-based" laptop from home! Students should be familiar with the Windows operating system and application software.

Frontiers I: 

This course is designed to help you explore Electrical & Computer Engineering topics at your own pace. We plan to cover several topics including understanding different components of embedded systems and designing, building, and programming your own Arduino. You will also complete a project of your choosing that will be presented at the end of the program. Ultimately, our goal is to give you a little flavor of the project-oriented nature of WPI.

Frontiers II: 

This course is an introduction to Electrical & Computer Engineering. It will cover the fundamentals of electronic circuit design and embedded systems design and programming. Each topic will be accompanied by hands-on lab activities as well as options to complete projects of your own choosing. This format allows you to explore at your own pace and tailor the experience to your own interests.  Student projects will be presented at the end of the program. Ultimately, our goal is to give you a little flavor of the project-oriented nature of WPI.

Students in this course will learn how fire engineers protect people, property, and infrastructure from the threat of fire using devices like smoke detectors, sprinklers, etc. Students will also learn how engineers study the physics of fire through laboratory experiments. Finally, you will learn how Fire Protection Engineers apply their scientific knowledge to mitigate future fire risks. 

Explore the interdisciplinary world of game development. In this program, you will combine technology with art to create an interactive experience. Assume the role of a programmer or artist, and work on a team to bring a game to life. You will develop your own story, environment, characters and sound effects. Throughout the program, you will break down ideas into simple rules, write algorithms, use powerful scripting languages, and play/test games.

In this course, you'll explore essential concepts such as engineering mechanics, mechanical design, vehicle and tire dynamics, and autonomous control. Through engaging, hands-on laboratory exercises, you'll not only learn the theory behind these topics but also apply your knowledge in practical, real-world projects. In this course, we will:

• Simulate and Control: Model vehicle motion and develop controllers to manage speed, giving you insight into the dynamics of vehicle systems.
• Explore Sensors & Microcontrollers: Dive into the realm of modern electronics by working with sensors and microcontrollers to understand how they power today's smart machines.
• Design with Industry Tools: Gain experience in engineering design using SolidWorks, where you'll create and analyze real vehicle subsystems and mechanical components.

The brain is our most complex organ and directs our physiology and behavior. Neuroscience research on how the brain works is crucial to advancements in a range of topics, including psychiatry (depression, anxiety), cognition, social behavior, neurological disorders (Alzheimer’s, epilepsy), as well as the effects of covid on the brain. You will learn about the basic structure and function of the brain and how researchers study the brains of various animals. We will also utilize a popular model C. elegans to allow you to investigate your own research questions. We will explore the processes crucial to how the brain works and what happens to these processes in both health and various disease states. You will leave with a valuable introduction to the mysteries of the brain which may provide a launch pad for an eventual career in neuroscience.

Time travel, black holes, and how human eyes work — what do they have in common? They’re all governed by rules of modern physics and optics.
Get ready to dive deep into some of the coolest corners of science: 

• How NASA sends spacecraft across the solar system to land on Mars
• The hidden fingerprints of atoms revealed through spectroscopy
• The forgotten tech behind old TVs (cathode-ray tubes)
• Black holes: where gravity wins, light vanishes, and spacetime itself collapses
• The incredible physics of human vision 

This is not a sit-and-listen course. You’ll experience: 

• Visualizations and demonstrations
• Hands-on experiments
• Tours of active research labs at WPI
• An introduction to programming with VPython—no prior experience needed

By the end of the course, every student (yes, even total beginners) will design, code, and present their own interactive physics simulation. Are you ready to look at reality in a whole new way?

Participants immerse themselves in robotics engineering and discover the science and technology behind robot design and operations. They will learn about force, torque, and stress analysis, material properties, processing, and selection, power requirements, micro controllers, sensor operations, programming, pneumatics, and use this information to solve a challenging robotics problem. Each subgroup in the session will brainstorm, design, build, and test its own creation using VEX software. The robots meet for an end-of-session tournament so all subgroups can present their creations. This session is particularly useful in preparing participants for entry or leadership within their high school's robotics team.

Are you interested in mastering how to harness the power of ChatGPT API and Python programming to build conversational AI applications? In this course, you will discover how to integrate ChatGPT's language model with Python's versatility to create intelligent and engaging chatbots, content generators, and more. From signing up for a ChatGPT API key to parsing responses and integrating generated text, you will gain hands-on experience in developing conversational AI applications. Take your AI development skills to the next level and unlock the potential of conversational AI applications with this comprehensive course. 

* Participants in this course are strongly encouraged to bring a "Windows-based" laptop from home! Students should be familiar with the Windows operating system and application software. 

** Basic-level Python programming is highly recommended, including functional, object-oriented, and event-driven programming paradigm. Immediate- or Advanced-level Python programming is highly preferred, if applicable. Students should have set up the "Python" development environment already in their own "Windows-based" laptops.