WPI Experts

The Winter Olympics are capturing the hearts, attention, and competitive spirit of people everywhere. Worcester Polytechnic Institute can help you tell these stories in a unique way by exploring and demonstrating some of the science and engineering behind the sports on display and providing interesting perspectives. For example:

• Our physics department can demonstrate and discuss the similarities between a fast-spinning ice skater and the varying speeds of planets.
• How skiing puts force on athletes’ legs and why ski racing has seen a lot of knee injuries. Former All-American ski racer and mechanical & materials engineering professor Christopher Brown is working with students to design athletic equipment to reduce loads that can lead to ACL injuries in sports.
• Ski mountaineering makes its debut as an Olympic sport this year. History professor and mountaineering expert Peter Hansen can speak about the historical roots of this new sport.
• How brands tap into Olympic nostalgia with merchandise, storytelling and more. Business School Professor Purvi Shah can explain.

The new undergraduate degree builds on the success of WPI’s Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and capitalizes on existing strengths in courses and faculty expertise in AI at WPI while providing a focused, flexible curriculum centered on core AI topics such as machine learning, deep learning, generative AI, agentic AI, and AI ethics—preparing students to integrate AI into both technical and societal contexts.