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Tech Power Players 50: Yan Wang
Yan Wang, the William B. Smith Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, was named to the Boston Globe’s Tech Power Players 50 list. Wang was recognized for his pioneering work to recycle lithium-ion batteries and to build cleaner li-ion batteries with improved performance.
WPI will launch a new initiative to increase access to off-campus project-based learning experiences through the Global Projects Program, with funding from a State Department IDEAS grant. The effort will focus on students with disabilities. The project, led by the Global Experience Office in collaboration with the Office of Accessibility Services, is highlighted in this UPI news report.
How might nuclear energy fit into Massachusetts’ climate goals? Professor Derren Rosbach of The Global School shared analysis on the topic with the Telegram & Gazette and discussed his research with Professor David Medich on next generation nuclear microreactors.
To celebrate 40 years since the origination of Tetris, WPI is hosting a retro Tetris display featuring the classic Nintendo Entertainment System version. People are invited to play the game, which is featured in the Gordon Library's exhibit “Video Game Console Wars 1976-2001,” which showcases the work and interests of WPI’s Interactive Media Archive and Interactive Media & Game Development Department.
ISS Source wrote about Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Shahin Tajik, who just received a CAREER Award of $594,081 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to look at ways to protect computer hardware from attacks.
WPI is working with partners on a project to allow for the 3D printing of the Experiential Robotics Platform (XRP), a kit that makes it possible for novice engineers to build and program a simple, powerful, and affordable robot. A goal of this partnership is to expand exposure to robotics in classrooms across New England.
TechCodex wrote about the National Science Foundation grant that Shahin Tajik, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received to expand his research into hardware security, a field that focuses on physical threats to computing systems that attackers can hijack by tampering with chips, motherboards, and other electronic components traveling through global supply chains.
Farnoush Reshadi, assistant professor of marketing in The Business School, helps explain non-owner car insurance in this WalletHub article. Non-owner car insurance is coverage for drivers who don’t own a car but drive regularly using rental cars, car sharing services, or borrowed vehicles.
Pamela Weathers, professor of biology and biotechnology, and Pratap Rao, associate professor of mechanical and materials engineering, were interviewed by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette about the impact of algal blooms on local bodies of water. Rao and a team of graduate and undergraduate students received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to create 3D-printed floating structures designed to mimic natural objects that serve as photocatalysts, which have been shown to break down cyanobacteria and associated toxins.
In The Academic Minute podcast, Lindsey Davis, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Humanities and Arts, describes a WPI alumni survey which found women attributed significantly greater gains in self-efficacy to their project work at WPI than men did. The findings suggest project-based learning as a method to recruit and retain women in STEM.
In The Academic Minute podcast, Sarah Stanlick, assistant professor in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies and director of the Great Problems Seminar, explains how a WPI alumni survey demonstrates that a negative project experience still provides learning benefits to students. The findings shed light on the differences between satisfaction and learning and demonstrate that even projects that do not seem useful to students at the time can have lasting positive benefits.
Megan DeSanty '24 was interviewed by Worcester Magazine for a story on college students who give back to their communities. DeSanty began volunteering at the Wachusett Food Pantry in Holden when she was in high school. Eventually, she focused on systemic issues involving food insecurity, and as a freshman at WPI, she joined the Food Recovery Network, a national organization that has about 200 member schools.
Arthur Carlson, university archivist and assistant director for special collections, Gillian McCuistion, access and outreach archivist, and Madelyn Veccia, an Interactive Media & Game Development student, spoke with Spectrum News 1 about the joys of Tetris as the George C. Gordon Library vintage video game exhibit highlighted the iconic game's 40th anniversary. The story aired on Spectrum TV stations in Worcester, Rochester, NY, Syracuse, NY, Albany, NY, Buffalo, NY, Raleigh, NC, and Greensboro, NC.
Andrew Sears comes to WPI with more than 30 years of experience in higher education. He will serve as chief academic officer, supervising all facets of academic affairs, manage associated curricular, human, financial, and physical resources, head recruitment initiatives, and foster a positive academic experience for students.
In this episode of The Academic Minute podcast, Ryan Madan, associate professor of teaching in the Department of Humanities and Arts, discusses the results of a WPI alumni survey which suggest WPI's project-based humanities and arts curriculum helps students explore themselves, the human experience, and equips them with tools and perspectives that deepen their learning in STEM fields.
The Academic Minute podcast featured WPI's Benefits of Project-Based Learning Week. In this episode, Kimberly LeChasseur, senior researcher and evaluation associate with the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center and the Center for Project-Based Learning at WPI, discusses a WPI alumni survey that shows when students are exposed to more project-based learning experiences, they increasingly develop valuable skills in a variety of areas.
The Academic Minute podcast explores the results of a WPI alumni survey. It finds that WPI's project-based curriculum provides strong preparation for students' lives and careers. Kris Wobbe, director of WPI's Center for Project-Based Learning, discusses how stacking high-impact practices over time can uniquely benefit students.
Shahin Tajik, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will develop new technologies to monitor and protect computer chips and other hardware from malicious attacks.
Bakersfield.com reported on the work of Joel J. Brattin, professor of Humanities & Arts and resident Charles Dickens expert, who recently co-edited a scholarly edition of Dickens's third novel, "Nicholas Nickleby."
“Our analysis finds polystyrene to be an ideal candidate for a chemical recycling process.” – Professor Michael Timko on the study he authored with colleagues from the Department of Chemical Engineering and the University of Bath. The analysis found a simple and scalable technology could increase the viability of recycling products like food packaging and packing peanuts. WPI authors include Professor Nikolaos Kazantzis and PhD students Elizabeth Belden (’24) and Madison Reed. This analysis was also reported on in Plastics Today, Recycling Today, and The Business Magazine.
Analysis from researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering and at the University of Bath suggests a new approach could dramatically increase the amount of polystyrene recycled. Their paper in the Chemical Engineering Journal finds a simple process combining pyrolysis and distillation has the potential to be a scalable, cost- and energy-efficient method of transforming old into new when it comes to polystyrene. WPI researchers include professors Michael Timko and Nikolaos Kazantzis and PhD students Elizabeth Belden (’24) and Madison Reed.
