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.
This Master’s in AI Program Is a Cross-University Collaboration. Here’s How Students Will Learn.
Elke Rundensteiner, the William Smith Dean's Professor of Computer Science and founding head of the WPI data science program, spoke with BestColleges about the university's new master's degree in artificial intelligence.
Jennifer Wilcox, the James H. Manning Chaired Professor, was interviewed for this Audubon article. (scroll down to 13th graph). The article noted her being coauthor of a report issued last year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that calculated the negative emissions needed to avoid the most serious impacts of CO2-driven warming by 2100. “Wilcox says-working to grow forests, revamp agriculture, innovate technologies, and deploy every tool we have. As she puts it, “We need to do it all,’” the article stated.
ASEE First Bell included research conducted by Nikhil Karanjgaokar, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, in this article. He is aiming—in part—to create a bulletproof vest in which the materials inside the vest could instantly change properties, providing greater shock protection at the exact point of impact. The work is being funded by a five-year, $500,000 Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation.
RUV the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, interviewed WPI undergraduate students Kyle France, Veronica Melican, Sam Moran, and Suverino Frith from the university’s Iceland Project Center about their recommendations to improve bus service (6:47 mark).
Boston 25 news broadcasted a segment on WPI students, under the guidance of Craig Putnam, senior instructor, computer science, developing an autonomous rover and payload-deploying drone that work together to search for and detonate landmines.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education noted Tiffiny A. Butler, teaching professor of biomedical engineering at WPI, being named director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs here at WPI.
The Telegram & Gazette interviewed Charles Morse, associate dean and director of counseling, for this article. The director of the University of Pennsylvania’s psychological and counseling services department jumped to his death last month. “This is personal for a lot of us, as well as professional,” Morse told the T&G.
Inside Higher Ed published this opinion piece by Andrew Palumbo, assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions and financial aid. “I share WPI’s path to eliminating test scores from our merit-based scholarships with the hopes of encouraging my colleagues at other schools that either have test-optional admission policies or are in the process of considering such a policy to keep this next frontier of the test-optional movement in mind,” he wrote.
Boston 25 included an interview with Suzanne LePage, an instructor of civil engineering, in its segment, "Would You Pay Extra in an express lane if it meant avoiding traffic?" LePage worries that this would still create a traffic hierarchy based on who can pay. “Anytime you introduce a cost to things, you have to think about equity and justice and is that now restricting access to some people in our population.”
In a front-page article, The Boston Globe profiled WPI student Jack Duffy-Protentis. “The sky’s the limit for Jack,’’ his mother told The Globe. “He’s innovative. He’s all personality. The experience at WPI made me realize that it’s not a disability for Jack. He’s differently abled, that’s all.’’
Jing Xiao, director, robotics engineering, was interviewed for this The Boston Globe article. “Its entertainment value is already very obvious,” she said. “But because it’s so versatile in going over all kinds of terrain, it can be very useful for applications such as search and rescue.”
The Associated Press quoted WPI Provost ad interim Winston Soboyejo in its article about the Worcester Red Sox partnering with a California tech startup to open what’s billed as the first autonomous checkout store in a pro sports and entertainment venue. The team made the announcement about the new facility for the future Polar Park on campus yesterday. “WPI is dedicated to creating the workforce of the future, which will include cutting-edge fields like AI, machine learning, and data and computer science,” Soboyejo said. WPI is the academic technology advisor for the team.
In WPI research news, Worcester Business Journal is the latest to report on the university receiving a $25 million award from the Army Research Lab to be used by Danielle Cote, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and Kyle Tsaknopoulos, a postdoctoral fellow at WPI. They’ll use the funding to advance a cold spray 3D printing technique that could be used to repair military vehicles and equipment.
Worcester News Tonight aired a story about a new mural at WPI created by internationally renowned graffiti artist Panmela Castro. Castro’s painting, which was done on a wall in Salisbury Labs, features Abby Kelley Foster, a 19th century women’s rights activist from Worcester. The work was done in celebration of Arts and Sciences week at WPI.
Thrive Global (UK) quoted Assistant Professor Sarah Stanlick, IGSD, in this article. “Nuance can be difficult to understand and honest representations and discussions of mental health in media can help our society to transform to a place where we understand those nuances,” Stanlick told Thrive.
WPI was featured in the Chronicle of Higher Ed's Teaching Newsletter. Beth McMurtrie, the Chronicle writer, attended a presentation by Geoffrey Pfeifer, associate teaching professor of philosophy and international and global studies, and Derren Rosbach, associate teaching professor of environmental studies, as part of WPI’s 2019 Institute for Project-Based Learning. She wrote about designing project-centered courses for first-year students.
Boston 25 interviewed Suzanne LePage instructor, civil engineering, for its segment on how telecommuting could help ease Boston traffic. “If we’re going to work within the capacity that we have then that seems to me a logical solution,” she said.
Craig Shue, associate professor of computer science and cybersecurity, contributed his thoughts in a Wall Street Journal point-counterpoint opinion piece, “Should Cities Ever Pay Ransom to Hackers?” Shue’s position: “YES: Sometimes, the Benefits of Paying a Ransom Outweigh the Costs."
WPI mechanical engineering professor Greg Fischer, the director of WPI’s Automation and Interventional Medicine Lab, is noted in a story about medical robotics and his research on MRI-compatible robots for cancer therapy.
Danielle Cote, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, and Kyle Tsaknopoulos, a postdoctoral fellow at WPI, discuss their $25 million award to advance a cold spray 3D printing technique that could be used to repair military vehicles and equipment. Cote noted that they alter the chemical composition of spray powders, where “a small adjustment in composition can make a big difference.”
