The Month in Photos: April 2022

You didn’t need a microscope to see how much fun attendees had exploring all things STEM at the return of an in-person TouchTomorrow—this time at Polar Park.

Celebrating the talents, ideas, and themes prevalent in WPI’s School of Arts & Sciences at one of this year’s two Arts & Sciences Weeks was music to our ears.

Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Philip Clay and Emergency Management Director Ron Bashista were honored with Presidential Medals for their tireless efforts and leadership throughout WPI’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Huzzah! April saw the Society of Medieval Arts & Sciences host its first renaissance fair on Higgins Lawn, with several other club special guests.

The Brazilian Student Association took over the Odeum for its annual Carnaval celebration, a party that earned four out of four flags from attendees.

The Odeum was clearly the place to be this month: many Asian cultural clubs on campus came together to host the Pan-Asian Festival with performances, food, art, and more.

Graduation festivities for the Class of 2022 kicked off with the aptly titled GradFest, complete with food, photo ops, and the chance to pick up graduation regalia.

Records were made to be broken, and Ben Steeves ’22 knows that all too well—the Hollis, Maine, native broke a 45-year-old track & field program record at the UMass Amherst Minuteman Invitational.

Calling all Warhols, Picassos, and Kahlos—the Art & Design Club held an art fair in the Innovation Studio, where student artists got a chance to sell their work, and attendees had the opportunity to take home some WPI student originals.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs hosted the annual Lavender Commencement Ceremony to recognize and celebrate LGBTQIAP+ students and their achievements and contributions to WPI.

After years of work, Noelle Morgan ’22 succeeded in bringing Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. to WPI: “After all the work and the desire to build this community, it’s finally here. We’re excited to get things rolling for next term and to be a presence at WPI.”

Frank Almeida ’24, left, was named as a marrow donor match shortly after the WPI football team’s 2021 drive; he, head coach Chris Robertson, and other members of the team hosted this year’s drive earlier this month.

Don’t forget to silence your cell phones: we got an inside look at Lens and Lights’ home away from home—the projection booth in Fuller Labs—in celebration of the student organization’s 60th anniversary and a special screening of Quentin Tarantino’s Hateful Eight.

Raise your hand if you love math! WPI’s chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics hosted a Sonia Kovalevsky Day outreach event for local middle school girls who, you guessed it, love math.

Row, row, row your boat, gently down Quinsig—for the first time in program history, the WPI Women’s Rowing team defended and retained the Barbara Donahue Cup with a win over Williams College.

Transporting your Lunabotics semi-autonomous lunar mining robot across campus: just another (Project Presentation) day at WPI.

The Alliance hosted WPI’s first-ever drag show in Alden Memorial and featured not only WPI community members, but local Worcester drag queens as well.

Volunteers from the Black Student Union recently spent some time tutoring at the Black Excellence Academy program in Worcester.

The Student Recognition Awards gave us the chance to celebrate several students who have made significant impacts on campus life. Congratulations to all the winners; we wouldn’t be WPI without you!

It’s said time and again: what makes WPI special is the people, a few of whom were honored with awards that recognize their achievements and service to the university and its students.

Teamwork makes the dream work, just ask the Office of Sustainability, The Global School, and Gordon Library—they worked together to organize the Climate Action Fair, where several student organizations offered climate discussion, activities, and snacks.

WPI’s music ensembles took over Mechanics Hall for their final concerts of the year. The day featured not only back-to-back performances from jazz ensembles, choral ensembles, Philharmonic Orchestra, Brass Ensemble, and Concert Band, but guest soloists and a world premiere to honor Doug Weeks on his retirement.

In a dramatic play at the plate, WPI’s softball team earned a walk-off win versus Wheaton College.

There’s nothing better than a night at the theatre—five student plays were written and performed (not to mention directed, designed, managed, and built) by WPI students as part of New Voices 39, WPI’s annual festival of new plays.

Inspired by healthcare needs during the pandemic, Assistant Professor of Robotics Engineering Jane Li is leading a team of researchers on a project to develop advanced remote-controlled humanoid nursing robots that can help medical workers care for patients in quarantine or isolation.

Congratulations go to the STEM Education Center for celebrating its 10th anniversary at the end of the month—if we had any Great Job! stickers, they’d get them all.