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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.
President Leshin speaks with CBS Boston’s Paula Ebben hours after William Shatner’s historic trip to space, saying there has been new excitement around aerospace studies and WPI growing numbers in this field of study is proof.
The Boston Globe quoted President Leshin in the front-page article. “The Delta variant is the wild card all of higher ed is watching now,” Leshin, who leads the Massachusetts Higher Education Working Group, told The Globe. “University COVID response teams across the state are actively tracking and planning for a variety of scenarios.”
President Leshin was featured in the Pasadena Now article. The award noted Leshin (MS ‘89, PhD ‘95) “‘for her barrier-breaking leadership at universities such as Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which has been recognized for both teaching and research excellence and essential strides in diversity, equity, and inclusion under her guidance as the first woman to serve as president; and for her accomplishments as a distinguished geochemist and space scientist.’”
The Telegram & Gazette covered WPI’s Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony for the School of Arts & Sciences and the Foisie Business School, “Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Lt. Gov. Polito honor WPI grads via video during commencement ceremony Thursday.” Congratulatory messages from Tyson and Polito were delivered via video. President Leshin, meanwhile, told students during the ceremony how impressed she was by their endurance. “We have come through a once-in-a-century event together, this global pandemic. We will be forever bonded not only because of what we came through together, but how we came through it,” she said. “It’s sort of like we completed the largest and most complex IQP ever, and I know that when I reflect back on this unprecedented time in our lives I will always think of you, the great class of 2021 and what you all did individually and collectively to keep WPI safe and to make it to today."
President Laurie Leshin was named to The Worcester Business Journal’s “2021 Power 50.” “Worcester Polytechnic Institute tends to nearly always be at the center when people talk about where Worcester colleges shine: drawing more students, spurring startups, and a forward-thinking mentality toward equal opportunities,” the article stated. “Laurie Leshin, WPI’s president since 2014 and its first female leader, has led this change.”
Numerous media outlets reported on the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDigi), the award-winning center for academic cooperation, entrepreneurship, and economic development across the Massachusetts video games ecosystem, moving to WPI this summer.
Numerous media outlets reported on the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDigi), the award-winning center for academic cooperation, entrepreneurship, and economic development across the Massachusetts video games ecosystem, moving to WPI this summer.
Numerous media outlets reported on the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDigi), the award-winning center for academic cooperation, entrepreneurship, and economic development across the Massachusetts video games ecosystem, moving to WPI this summer.
Numerous media outlets reported on the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDigi), the award-winning center for academic cooperation, entrepreneurship, and economic development across the Massachusetts video games ecosystem, moving to WPI this summer.
WBZ-CBS Boston interviewed President Leshin for its report. “A total Wright brothers moment on the red planet” is how she referred to recent events involving the NASA Mars helicopter Ingenuity, a project to demonstrate that controlled flight, like an airplane or a helicopter, is feasible on Mars. “The technology that we invent to do things like fly a helicopter on Mars will have direct impact to improve life on earth."
The Telegram & Gazette noted WPI in an article on Becker College’s decision to close at the end of this academic year. WPI is one of the colleges and universities that announced it has developed a pathway plan for the Becker college community, including acceptance into our Interactive Media and Game Development program.
A story on WPI’s move to no longer consider SAT or ACT scores in its admission process was included in The Telegram & Gazette. The change to fully “test-blind” admissions will begin with the Fall 2021 application cycle and supports WPI’s mission of expanding access to a high-quality STEM education to all students.
WBZ-CBS Boston reported on WPI’s move to no longer consider SAT or ACT scores in its admission process. The change to fully “test-blind” admissions will begin with the Fall 2021 application cycle and supports WPI’s mission of expanding access to a high-quality STEM education to all students. WBZ quoted President Leshin in its report appearing on the station’s website. “I’m proud that WPI is one of the very first STEM universities to fully eliminate the test score barrier,” Leshin said. “WPI’s immersive project-based approach to STEM education engages students in solving real problems around the world, and our most successful students are those with drive, curiosity, and passion—factors that no standardized test can measure. We know that a WPI education can change a person’s lifelong career trajectory, and is a highly effective engine of social mobility.
President Laurie Leshin was interviewed by NECN about the successful landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars. As a former NASA administrator, Leshin discussed the importance of this mission for the future of space exploration.
President Leshin was quoted in the WGBH report, “As Students Return, New England Colleges Are Seen As Models Of Testing And COVID Control.” “Here in Massachusetts, I think we’re actually lighting the way on how to live and learn in the age of COVID,” Leshin told the station. “I really sincerely hope that other parts of the country look to our successful model and set up a way that they can do the same because we’ve shown that it’s possible to stay open and keep operating with relatively low case numbers.”
President Leshin was quoted in The Boston Globe article, “Regular testing across the whole campus community is really essential to success,” Leshin told The Globe, which also noted her role in leading the state’s task force on college reopening. “The testing was really critical…It’s not a secret formula.”
WPI and President Leshin were named to The Boston Globe Magazine’s “The 2020 Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts” WPI was ranked at 42. The list, a joint project of The Commonwealth Institute and The Globe’s magazine, includes leaders of health care companies, retail giants, financial institutions, and nonprofits.
The Boston Business Journal reported that Richard J. Doherty, who has led the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AICUM) since 2005, plans to step down May 31. WPI President Laurie Leshin commented on the announcement: “The respect for Rich at the Massachusetts State House and with our Congressional delegation undoubtedly begins with Rich’s integrity and earnest concern for the students and families who attend our colleges and universities. His role this past year in assisting our colleges and universities to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic has been invaluable.”
President Leshin was interviewed by NBC Boston for the segment, “Containing Covid at WPI” (6:35 mark). The report cited President Leshin saying that students are following the university’s masking and social distance guidelines.
