In the News

Note: Some media outlets require users to log-in. The Gordon Library offers the WPI community free access to a number of newspapers. Visit newspaper database for details.  

Preview News Image

Wildfire research at WPI

The devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area exemplify the dangers of wind-driven fires in inhabited areas. WPI’s Department of Fire Protection Engineering is leading research designed to understand how fires spread with the goal of contributing to measures that can better protect communities and firefighters. 

WPI’s experts in this field include those who are part of the National Science Foundation’s Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center, a collaboration with San Jose State University, to study new fire detection methods, first responder safety, and wildfire suppression systems.

WPI’s research, which involves faculty and ongoing experiments conducted by students in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel on campus, was featured by several media outlets including The Boston Globe, WCVB, Spectrum News 1, NECN, and NBC 10 Boston, The NBC 10 Boston story was re-aired by more than a dozen television news stations in cities around the country including Washington, DC, Minneapolis, Dallas, Albuquerque, Spokane, Yakima, WA, Fresno, CA, Albany, NY, Topeka, KS, Greenville, SC, Abilene, TX, and Elmira, NY

For its coverage of the L.A. fires, The New York Times interviewed Albert Simeoni, professor and head of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, about how the wildland fires in Southern California transformed into urban fires, leading to extensive loss of life and destruction of property. Simeoni also provided analysis for the fact-checking website Full Fact for an article addressing online claims about the wildfires.

The Associated Press also interviewed James Urban, an assistant professor of fire protection engineering, for an article that helps explain how firebrands, or flying embers, contribute to the spread of wildfires. The AP also interviewed Urban and visited campus to observe fire laboratory experiments for its coverage explaining how fire whirls, or fire tornadoes, can develop in large fires like those occurring in the Los Angeles area. Their experiments were photographed and featured in an AP article, "Fire tornadoes pose a threat in California. A fire lab shows how they work"  and in an AP video. The video was also featured in an on-air report by WHDH-TV in Boston.

Professor Urban also spoke with WPTF, a news radio station in Raleigh, NC, about how wind and drought factored into the California fires, and about wildfire prevention.

Online Engineering Programs

The website Online Engineering Programs interviewed Edvina Uzunovic, associate director of power systems engineering and assistant teaching professor, for an article that explores the future of power systems engineering, the field's importance, and offers advice to prospective students considering online programs in the field, including WPI's master's in Power Systems Engineering online, master's in Power Systems Management online, and the online graduate certificate in power systems.

Recycling International

Recycling International reported on research published in Nature Reviews Clean Technology by researchers in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. The paper explores the need for more efficient recycling processes for lithium-ion batteries, the opportunities presented by a closed-loop recycling strategy, and the challenges to implementing new processes. Authors on the research paper include Yan Wang, the William B. Smith Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and PhD student Zifei Meng.

Also featured in: The Engineer
Boston Globe

Elke Rundensteiner, founding head of WPI's data science and artificial intelligence programs, was quoted in the a Boston Globe article about the local implications of the rise of new, cheaper AI models like DeepSeek.

The Mozilla Blog

Erica Brozovsky, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Humanities & Arts, authored a piece for The Mozilla Blog which helps tell the history of internet memes. In the piece, Brozovsky outlines how memes represent shared online experiences and human connection.

NPR

For its coverage of a new book detailing a historic New England murder trial, NPR spoke with Kristin Boudreau, professor in the Department of Humanities & Arts. In the NPR story, Boudreau speaks about the parallels between the case outlined in the new book and the story detailed in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Boudreau has written on the subject in an academic paper entitled 'The Scarlet Letter' and the 1833 Murder Trial of the Reverend Ephraim Avery."

Also featured in: CrimeReads
The Wall Street Journal

“Since lithium-ion batteries are a high energy density fuel, there is a possibility of an explosion hazard,” Ali Rangwala, a professor of fire protection engineering and director of WPI’s first-in-the-nation explosion protection engineering master’s program, provided analysis for a Wall Street Journal article on the risks associated with a fire at one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities. Lithium-ion battery fire and explosion dangers are among the topics being studied by WPI students in the explosion protection engineering program. 

Also featured in: Business Insider
Inside Higher ED

The Sustainable Career Mentorship Program allows students of all majors to connect with professionals working in green and sustainable jobs and industries for one-on-one meetings to discuss job search advice, internships, resume assistance and more. The program is a partnership across the university including The Global School, the Technology, Policy, and Sustainability Program, the Office of Sustainability, and the Career Development Center. 

Business Insider

Ali Rangwala, director of WPI's first-in-the-nation Master of Science in Explosion Protection Engineering program and professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, provided expert analysis to Business Insider for an article, republished by Yahoo! News, about a New Year's Day truck explosion in Las Vegas. 

WalletHub

Alexander Smith, assistant professor of economics in the Department of Social Science & Policy Studies, was interviewed by WalletHub for an article that explains the driver's license "points" system used by many states to address moving violations and manage license suspensions.

MHA Online

Reeta Rao, professor and department head of biology and biotechnology, talked with MHA Online about online master's degrees in biotechnology with MHA Online. 

Yahoo! Finance

What are some of the thoughts and behaviors that drive our gift giving decisions? Farnoush Reshadi, assistant professor of marketing in The Business School, does research on gift giving and consumer behavior. In this Yahoo! Finance article, she explains some of her research, including how the wealth of the gift recipient affects how much a gift giver spends, and how people think about an item's price and benefits differently if they're purchasing the item as a gift rather than for themselves.

 

 

USA Today

Many know the story of Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. Authors are also exploring the story of his former business partner Jacob Marley by writing Marley-focused books. Dickens scholar Joel Brattin, a professor in the Department of Humanities & Arts, helps explain the interest in Marley in an article in USA Today

Food Technology

Faced with increasing competition, long-running food brands embrace various strategies to stay fresh. Purvi Shah, associate professor of marketing, spoke with Food Technology, a magazine from the Institute of Food Technologists, about these strategies, including limited time offers

Poets&Quants

WPI's online Master of Business Administration program was the biggest climber in a ranking of best online MBA programs. Poets&Quants, an online site that reports on graduate business education, ranked the program offered by The Business School at number 24 in the U.S., an increase of 17 positions in one year.

 

Payments Dive

Kwamie Dunbar, associate professor of finance and director of WPI's FinTech programs, provided analysis for an article in Payments Dive that explains stablecoins, a virtual currency, and their potential practical applications.

O Globo

The Brazilian newspaper O Globo interviewed Albert Simeoni, professor, and head of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, about the Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris, upon the building’s restoration and reopening to the public. "The confusion over the approximate area of the fire and the time it took to reach the roof from the stairs resulted in a significant loss of time, which allowed the flames to grow beyond the firefighters' ability to control," Simeoni said.

Boston Globe

Elke Rundensteiner, professor of computer science and head of the data science program, provided analysis for a Boston Globe article on Liquid AI. The startup's technology is inspired by the brain structure of a tiny roundworm, and the company seeks to build more efficient AI systems that require the use of less energy than current AI technology.

Broadway World

A weekend celebration in March 2025 paying tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach will include a concert including singers from WPI choirs, led by Joshua Rohde, director of choral activities.

The Cool Down

The climate-focused site, The Cool Down, reported on research led by Xiaowei Teng, the James H. Manning Professor in Chemical Engineering, to make batteries more efficient by using silicate, with an eye towards potential energy storage. 

 

Boston 25

Boston 25 News reported on the accomplishments of WPI students Antonio Marzoratti and Ivan Zou whose company developed a device to transform a manual wheelchair into one powered by a portable battery. The report also featured comments from Rosanna Garcia, the Beswick Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, who spoke about how the student innovators received support including mentorship and pitch competition experience from WPI’s i3 Lab. The students' company won the 2024 Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization Global Pitch Competition.