In the News

Michael Ahern, director of corporate and professional education, spoke to Worcester News Tonight about protecting online data, amid recent ransomware attacks.

Calling it “a remarkable year at WPI,” this Telegram & Gazette editorial highlighted the university’s inventions and other accomplishments. The T&G referred to “an expanding focus on innovation and entrepreneurship that has been part of the college’s DNA going back to its founding but which is reaching a new level under President Laurie Leshin.” Todd Keiller, director of WPI’s Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation, told the newspaper that Leshin supports “a cycle of innovation and entrepreneurship,” benefiting both WPI and the community.

WBZ-TV​ profiled research in which a team of researchers from WPI and Stanford University developed a sperm sorting device that could improve IVF Success. The device uses an “obstacle course” to sort and select faster and healthier sperm cells. 

Inside Higher Ed highlighted WPI in its look at test-optional admissions policies at universities across the country, noting, “Another institution that has studied the impact of test optional is Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which attracted attention for its shift in admissions policy because WPI is an engineering and science institution.” 

Jamal Yagoobi, head of the Mechanical Engineering department, is featured in a segment discussing research on a cooling system that will be placed on the International Space Station.

The French daily newspaper Le Monde published a lengthy feature on the use of Artemisia annua to treat malaria, focusing in large part on work by Pamela Weathers, associate professor of biology and biotechnology, who has been studying Artemisia for more than 25 years. (Note: the article is in French; right click on the page to translate.)

The New York Times quoted computer science professor Craig Shue about cybersecurity concerns related to Internet-enabled devices, as its Right At Home column asks, “Is My Not-So-Smart House Watching Me?”

The Telegram & Gazette published an opinion piece by Craig Wills, department head and professor of computer science. “I have identified the need to limit at least one of three conditions to increase privacy protection: the leakage of information, its linkage with other information sources and the lifetime of its existence,” Wills advised.

The Telegram & Gazette profiled research by Jamal Yagoobi, department head and professor of mechanical engineering. “When you try to do something in space, the design aspect is so critical,” Yagoobi said. This new method to cool spacecraft on long missions may one day play a crucial role in NASA’s quest to send astronauts to Mars and other deep-space destinations.

Patricia Stapleton, assistant professor of social sciences & policy studies, along with a colleague from Plymouth State University, published an article about their work on a new teaching modules that helps educators address disaster reduction challenges.

Jean King, the Peterson Family Dean of Arts & Sciences, was quoted in this article, following her panel presentation at the U.S. News & World Report STEM Solutions 2018 Conference.“There is a difference between awareness and action,” King said. “It was to take real effort” to bring women into STEM." In addition, Stephen Flavin, Vice President and Dean of Academic and Corporate Engagement, moderated a panel on 'Spurring Collaboration Between Industry and Higher Ed'.

The Telegram & Gazette featured Craig Shue, associate professor computer science, and a $507,600 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation. Shue will use the grant to create a system that outsources security to experts in the cloud.

WPI’s Pavement Research Lab is featured in WCVB’s Cutting Edge Segment. Reporter Mike Wankum, takes a look at what researchers are doing to find a better, stronger mix of pavement materials to stand up to the environment and heavy truck loads.

Considered one of the world’s foremost academic authorities on Jimi Hendrix, humanities professor Joel Brattin was featured in this Telegram & Gazette article. “All told, Brattin finds the album to be something of a treasure trove and a good reminder as to why Hendrix’s work is still so popular and influential today,” the T&G stated.

Stating that President Laurie Leshin has raised the profile of WPI “significantly,” the WBJ  published this story in its Business Leader of the Year section.  “Under Leshin, WPI has made an aggressive push into Boston's hotbed of tech companies, innovation and young talent,” the WBJ reported. “It is WPI, not Harvard University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that has a classroom and collaboration space in the Seaport.”

The Worcester Business Journal reported on work funded by a $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a new smartphone app to monitor chronic wounds. The work is led by Emmanuel Agu, associate professor of computer science and coordinator of WPI’s Mobile Graphics Research Group, with co-principal investigators professor Diane Strong and associate professor Bengisu Tulu, both of the Foisie Business School, and Peder Pedersen, a retired professor of electrical and computer engineering.

The Telegram & Gazette profiled Gillian Smith, assistant professor of computer science, in this College Town article. 

Andrew Palumbo, dean of admissions and financial aid, was interviewed for this article. How much one should borrow “is an inherently personal decision that is best made after conducting thoughtful research,” Palumbo said.

Craig Shue, associate professor of computer science, was interviewed about his research into cloud-based security for home networks. The work is supported by a $507,600 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation.

Scott Barton, assistant professor of humanities and arts and an expert on how sound is perceived, was interviewed for an article about the Windsor Hum, a “persistent noise of unknown origin, sometimes compared to a truck idling or distant thunder,” that has been affecting residents of Windsor, Ontario, for years.