In the News

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WPI researcher provides expertise and context in The New York Times on AT&T data breach

“When you move your IT infrastructure to the cloud, suddenly you’re in a place that is shared with a bunch of other people, and it becomes much trickier… There are many more ways in which potential attacks can be done.”  Professor Patrick Schaumont in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering provided analysis for The New York Times on the AT&T breach involving the data of more than 100 million phone customers. He discussed the potential risks of shared IT infrastructure in the cloud. The article also appeared on MSN. He was also quoted on the national security concerns raised by the data breach in an article on CBS News that was posted on yahoo! News and AOL.

Read the report in The New York Times
The Worcester Guardian
NSF taps WPI's fire protection program for its research center

New announcement will allow WPI to build upon its longstanding expertise in fire protection to study new fire detection methods, robotics solutions to enhance first responder safety, and fire suppression systems for wildfires.

WBUR 90.9
National Science Foundation taps WPI to contribute to wildfire research

WBUR reports on the addition of WPI to a federal Wildlife Interdisciplinary Research Center. The work will focus on fire detection models, first responder safety, and wildfire suppression systems.

Reuters
Fact Check - In wake of Maui fires, here's why some trees survive damage

Fire protection engineering professors Albert Simeoni and James Urban were quoted in a Reuters Fact Check article on the dynamics of the devastating fires in Hawaii. They explain how wildfires spread and why some things in a burned area avoid damage when so much else is destroyed.

Los Angeles Times
How a perfect storm of climate and weather led to catastrophic Maui fire

Drought and high winds were major factors in the devastating Maui fire. In this Los Angeles Times article, fire protection engineering professor James Urban explains the dangerous combination and how flying embers can spread. The article was republished by more than 40 newspapers and digital outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer, Houston Chronicle, Miami Herald, and Yahoo!

ISS U.S. National Laboratory
Wildfires and Microgravity: NSF-Funded Research Team Will Use the ISS to Better Understand Fire Spread

ISS360 reports fire protection engineering professor James Urban is working on cutting edge research to better predict the spread of massive, deadly wildfires by studying flames on the International Space Station.