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.
Professor Jennifer deWinter spoke with the restaurant industry trade magazine Nation’s Restaurant News about how restaurants – from fast food to fine dining – might adapt metaverse technologies to creatively interact with customers.
Worcester Magazine profiled Maggie Gunville, Class of 2022, in an article about local college students who have made an impact in the Worcester community. Maggie had leadership roles in the Food Recovery Network, a student-run organization that recovers unserved food from Morgan Dining Hall and delivers it to Friendly House. During the height of the pandemic, Maggie was instrumental in pivoting to help the homeless community, and in restarting food delivery operations in fall 2021.
NPR’s Marketplace spoke with Gillian Smith, Associate Professor and Director of IMGD, about the unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard – the video game company behind titles including Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and World of Warcraft. It’s the first time a union has been formed at a major video game studio. Smith talked about what she has heard about the working conditions at some similar companies. The story was featured on NPR’s national broadcast, as well as approximately 50 local stations around the country.
The Boston Globe dove into the unique lithium-ion battery recycling process developed by Prof. Yan Wang. They also covered the company he founded with former PhD student Eric Gratz, Ascend Elements, and its plans for expansion.
The Worcester Business Journal reported on The Business School’s new Executive PhD program, which is designed to help senior leaders influence their industries, give back to younger generations, and contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The Boston Globe and the Worcester Telegram covered WPI’s 153rd Undergraduate Commencement ceremony. Keynote speaker Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the CDC, praised the Class of 2022 for their resilience and told them to “embrace the gray” and uncertainty in their lives, as they work to “find their rainbow.”
Worcester Magazine covered a financial technology boot camp held by The Business School at WPI in partnership with Mass Fintech Hub. Attendees learned how cryptocurrency and mobile stock-trading have become available to more diverse groups of people and how they themselves could benefit from them.
WBZ News Radio was in the audience for the practicum performance of the class Music & Science, and spoke with Adjunct Teaching Professor David Ibbett about (at the 13:35:57 mark) the class and the student projects featured in the concert. The musical pieces blended scientific research, data, music, and the student experience in an interactive show that brought new perspectives to the topic
BBC Earth featured the self-healing concrete developed by Associate Professor Nima Rahbar and Professor Suzanne Scarlata in an episode about climate-friendly ways to heat residential homes. The self-healing concrete uses an enzyme found in red blood cells to heal itself, thereby filling cracks before they cause larger structural issues.
Robotics Engineering Assistant Professor Jane Li spoke with WBZ News Radio (at the 00:17:24 mark) about the nursing robots she’s constructing. The robots are designed to help nurses care for patients who are in quarantine or isolation, and to help with other tasks, such as retrieving supplies and equipment.
The Chronicle of Higher Education spoke with Vice President of Enrollment Management Andrew Palumbo about the university’s admissions process since making the decision to go test blind.
TheStreet spoke to Business School Assistant Professor Kenny Ching about the Security and Exchange Commission ruling that Meta (the company formerly known as Facebook) must give investors the opportunity to vote on the company’s move to focus on the metaverse. Prof. Ching said the case “will be a test for how society will eventually come to accept - or reject – the metaverse.”
NBC Boston and Spectrum News 1 covered the football team’s annual bone marrow donation drive. They spoke to Frank Almeida, ’24, who found out he was a match in 2021, and donated his bone marrow, likely saving the recipient’s life.
The Christian Science Monitor spoke with Business School Associate Professor Renata Konrad about how she and her colleagues at WPI to help people affected by the war in Ukraine. Prof. Konrad also talked about she and other faculty members are remotely advising students in Ukraine.
Chemical Engineering Professor Mike Timko and Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ali Salifu about their research that found bamboo can be converted into biofuel (at the 3:10 mark).
Financial news website TheStreet spoke with Assistant Professor Kenny Ching about how casinos will operate in the metaverse, including the main attractions and pitfalls of so-called crypto gambling.
Worcester Magazine wrote a feature article about Kyle Mikolajczyk, vice president of WPI's Model Train Club. The story not only highlights the creative and inclusive activity culture at WPI, but mentions what brought him to the university four years ago.
NBC News spoke with Vice President of Enrollment Management Andrew Palumbo about WPI’s decision to go test-blind in the admissions process, after MIT announced it would once again require standardized tests.
The Washington Post spoke with Vice President of Enrollment Management Andrew Palumbo about WPI’s test-blind policy, after MIT announced its decision to start accepting standardized test scores again.
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette spoke with Fulbright scholars Yuliia Kleban and Roman Mykhailyshyn, about the war in Ukraine and their efforts to help people affected by the conflict. Both Kleban and Mykhailyshyn are from Ukraine and completed their Fulbright scholarships at WPI, just weeks before the war began.