Save the Date: Aug. 9 Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Poster Symposium on UN SDGs

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A cohort of 11 middle and high school teachers in the local area will be presenting their summer research work in WPI faculty labs at the RET poster session on Friday, August 9, 10:30-11:30am in Higgins House. The research projects address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and serve as the inspiration for integrated STEM lesson plans to be used in K-12 classrooms.

All are welcome to attend this event, which will include coffee break beverages and treats!

11 RET participants in front of Unity Hall

Four WPI undergraduates in the Teacher Preparation Program are part of the RET teacher cohort and have received extra mentoring from the in-service teachers. Faculty mentors include Erin Solovey, Ulkuhan Guler, Pratap M. Rao, Jagan Srinivasan, Yihao Zheng, Ron Grimm, Scarlet Shell, and Andrew Teixeira. In addition to the research experience, the RET teachers participated in weekly professional development sessions led by the STEM Education Center.

poster symposium invitation card

2024 RET RESEARCH PROJECTS WPI faculty/staff leading RET

UN Sustainable Development Goal

Research Project

Faculty Mentor

Pre-Service Teacher Participant

In-Service Teacher Participant

#3 – Good Health & Well-Being

Engineering Bench-Top Testing of Interventional Devices for Cardiovascular Diseases

Yihao Zheng
(Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering / MME, RBE & BME)

Sam Simmons
(WPI Management Information Systems / MS Math)

Jayne Kerner
(F.A. Day MS / Newton MS Science)

#11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Bioinspired Harvesting Calcium from Water for Cement and Concrete

Ron Grimm
(Chemistry & Biochemistry / CBC)

Allison Morin
(WPI Chemistry / HS Chemistry)

Stephanie Korunow
(South HS / Worcester HS Chemistry)

#3 – Good Health & Well-Being

Genetically Engineering a Plasmid to Develop a Live-Dead Reporter System in Mycolicibacterium smegmatis

Scarlet Shell
(Biology & Biotechnology / BBT)

Abigail Prisby
(Groton-Dunstable HS / HS Biology )

#3 – Good Health & Well-Being

Using Microscopic Worms to Understand Health-Associated Issues

Jagan Srinivasan
(Biology & Biotechnology / BBT)

Rebecca Cooke
(Douglas HS / HS Biology)

#12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

Waste-to-Energy: Engineering Feedstocks for a Circular Economy

Andrew Teixeira
(Chemical Engineering / CHE)

Demetrios Kennedy
(WPI Chemistry / HS Chemistry)

Jay Turner
(South HS / Worcester HS Chemistry)

#3 – Good Health & Well-Being

Development of Miniaturized Noninvasive Blood Gas Monitors

Ulkuhan Guler
(Electrical & Computer Engineering / ECE)

Genesis Bernabel
(WPI Electrical Engineering / HS Physics)

James Sheehan
(Leominster HS / HS Physics)

#7 – Affordable & Clean Energy

Photocatalysts for Clean Energy and Environment

Pratap M. Rao
(Mechanical & Materials Engineering / MME)

Meredith Leighton
(Raynham MS / MS Science)

People

Erin Solovey

Associate Professor, Computer Science

My research is in human-computer interaction and human-AI interaction, exploring how people and intelligent systems can work together in both high-stakes and everyday environments in ways that are natural, empowering, and aligned with human goals and values. One focus of my res [...]

Yihao Zheng

Associate Professor, Mechanical & Materials Engineering

My research focuses on medical and manufacturing innovation. I apply manufacturing science and technology to enhance healthcare. I contribute fundamental knowledge of tissue mechanics and imaging properties, provide novel computational modeling methodologies to simulate and under [...]

Ronald Grimm

Associate Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry

What makes a particular material efficient at converting sunlight to electrical or chemical energy? Conversely, what makes a material a poor energy converter? The Grimmgroup is motivated by quantifying and controlling the bulk and surface properties of solar energy conversion mat [...]

Scarlet Shell

Associate Professor, Biology & Biotechnology

I have a passion for understanding how living systems work, as well as for sharing my love of biology and research with the next generation of scientists and informed citizens. The central goal of my lab is to understand the regulatory mechanisms that underlie mycobacterial stres [...]

Jagan Srinivasan

Professor & Program Director for Neuroscience, Biology & Biotechnology

It has been my lifelong dream to become a professor in the field of Biology. Being a faculty member provides a great opportunity to teach and interact with students. Students by nature are highly inquisitive and motivated, and as teachers, we have the responsibility to guide our [...]

Andrew Teixeira

Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering

Andrew is a classically trained chemical engineer with with specialties in the fields of chemical reaction engineering and materials science. He received his B.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2009, and continued to pursue his Ph.D. with Professor Dauenhauer at the Univ [...]

Ulkuhan Guler

Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering

My research interests lie in the broad area of circuits and systems, and my primary area of interest is analog/mixed signal integrated circuits. More specifically, I am interested in the circuit design of sensing interfaces and energy harvesting and wireless power transmission sy [...]

Pratap Rao

Professor, Mechanical & Materials Engineering

My research seeks to understand, design, and develop advanced materials, manufacturing methods, processes, and devices for a range of important applications. Current areas of focus include photocatalytic nanomaterials for solar-driven water purification; printed soft stretchable [...]

Kathy Chen

Exec Director, STEM Education, STEM Education Center

Kathy Chen joined The STEM Education Center at WPI after 15+ years as a professor in Materials Engineering at California Polytechnic (Cal Poly) State University, San Luis Obispo where she served as Department Chair and lead many K-12 and community STEM outreach activities. In her [...]

Donna Taylor

Associate Director, Academic Services, STEM Education Center

Donna Taylor Associate Director, Academic Services Email: dltaylor@wpi.edu Phone +1 (508) 8316278 Department : STEM Education Center [...]