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.
The Telegram and Gazette reported in its College Town section on WPI eliminating its undergraduate application fee, supporting its mission of expanding access to a high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.
The Guardian (UK) quoted WPI Associate Research Engineer Marco Kaltofen in their article (15th graph). “We shouldn’t ask how airborne radioactive risk from fracking compares to the waterborne risk. We should ask if it’s a good idea to add radioactive particulates to either air or water. This study suggests that the answer is no,” he said.
U.S. News & World Report included WPI in its piece highlighting colleges and universities whose early acceptance rate was nearly 50 percentage points higher on average than the regular acceptance rate.
The Worcester Business Journal was the latest to report on WPI eliminating its undergraduate application fee, supporting its mission of expanding access to a high-quality Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.
Times Higher Education reported on how some colleges and universities are facing criticism about resuming in-person education at the start of the new academic year. The article included a quote from President Leshin on how it is too early to judge whether or not colleges or universities made the right decision: “It’s way too soon for anybody to gloat; it’s way too soon for any of us to declare success, and way too soon to point fingers,” she said.
Wired interviewed Professor Emmanuel Agu, computer science, for their article. (scroll down to interview beginning in 7th paragraph). “He and his coworkers also used smartphones to measure intoxicated sway, and even built an inebriation-detecting app called AlcoGait,” Wired wrote. “Gait-sensed impairment is quite accurate, which is why the police have used the field sobriety test for decades,” Agu added.
Bio-Medicine reported that a team of scientists from Johns Hopkins, the University of Arkansas, WPI, and elsewhere developed a faster and more objective way to examine the surfaces of fossilized teeth, a practice used to figure out the diets of our early ancestors.
The Boston Herald reported on the effort that is under way to prevent Massachusetts colleges from turning into coronavirus hot zones as students return to campus. President Laurie Leshin, who also served on Gov. Charlie Baker’s Reopening Advisory Board and as chair of the Massachusetts Higher Education Working Group, described how critical testing is to protecting the health and safety of students, faculty, staff members, and people in the communities that surround college campuses.
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service explained how researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory collaborate with academic partners at WPI and other institutions in the Northeast. Bogdan Vernescu, WPI's vice provost for research, is quoted in the piece talking about each of the universities collaborating to meet the Army’s needs.
Alex Wyglinski, professor of electrical and computer engineering, appeared in a story and webcast discussing his research in 5G wireless communications. In the interview, Wyglinski, director of WPI’s Wireless Innovation Laboratory, noted how Internet of Things devices and vehicles will connect to 5G networks.
Worcester Magazine reported on WPI alum and Board of Trustees member Robert Hart ’79. Hart, CEO and president of Los Angeles-based TruAmerica Multifamily, and a founding partner in Benedict Canyon Equities of Los Angeles, has plans for the 24-story Skymark Tower apartment building in downtown Worcester that Benedict Canyon Equities purchased last year. Hart outlines renovations and building improvements that are under way.
The Telegram and Gazette covered the crossing of Earle Bridge by the Class of 2024, which took place Aug. 30. One of WPI’s most sacred annual traditions to welcome each new class, this year’s bridge crossing (socially distanced) was coordinated by the Student Alumni Society.
President Leshin was interviewed about WPI’s fall reopening on NBC 10 Boston Facebook Live.“We’ve got to figure out how we can live and learn with COVID,” she said. “We’re going to learn from all of this.”
WPI student Manjusha Chava '22 was featured in the Wall Street Journal article. Chava talked about how she was able to pivot her internship role at the industrial automation company Alert Innovation to a remote setup when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and still have a successful experience.
Jeanine Skorinko, professor of psychology, was mentioned in The New York Times article. Skorinko said people's behavior in the new, COVID-19 normal will reflect what they perceive others to be doing. "If your group keeps social-distancing rules, talks quietly, and avoids sharing drinks, you’re likely to follow suit," for example.
NBC 10 Boston reported on the checklist WPI is recommending for students to follow in order to safely return to campus in the fall. “This is all about helping ensure that the experience students have is as low-risk and as seamless as possible,” Emily Perlow, assistant dean of students, told NBC Boston. (Clips begins at the 00:23 mark).
WPI’s new TechFlex was noted in the MassLive report. TechFlex is WPI’s reworking of teaching and learning for the upcoming academic year, grounded in all that is distinctive about the WPI experience, and designed to support students in person and remotely.
More than 150 media outlets, including The Oklahoman and The Pittsburg Post-Gazette, reported on Eric Young, Leonard P. Kinnicutt Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at WPI, who received four separate grants totaling more than $2 million to support his research into using yeast and fungi to take on significant genetic engineering challenges. Through his research in synthetic biology, Young aims to engineer organisms to make it easier to develop numerous products, like medicines, biofuels, and plastics, and increase security by developing a new method to detect hidden underground explosives.
The Boston Globe quoted President Leshin in their article. “Every single one of the presidents is taking this work incredibly seriously,” Leshin told The Globe. “They see these decisions as being the most important of their professional careers."
The Worcester Business Journal featured WPI university research in their article. Yan Wang, William Smith Dean’s Professor of Mechanical Engineering, is principal investigator of the three-year project.
