NSF Awards $2 Million to WPI for Student Scholarships and STEM Programs

The team will seek applicants who are studying in four fields: robotics engineering; mechanical and materials engineering; civil, environmental, and architectural engineering; and interactive media and game development. Scholarships will be available for undergraduates who are recipients of Pell Grants, a form of federal financial aid, and graduate students who can demonstrate financial need. 

“Pell-eligible students have lower retention and graduation rates than other four-year undergraduates,” said Smith. “Scholarships will help lift a financial burden for these students, while supporting them in pursuing exciting, interdisciplinary opportunities in design that open doors for a wide variety of internships and future career pathways.”

To recruit transfer students, the team will seek applicants at Quinsigamond, Mount Wachusett, Berkshire, Holyoke, and MassBay community colleges in Massachusetts, as well as Northern Essex and Manchester community colleges in New Hampshire. WPI already has transfer partnership agreements with some of the colleges to ease students’ transfer to WPI. 

In addition to awarding scholarships, the team will develop and offer students programs that build on WPI’s strength as a leader in project-based learning, including the Great Problems Seminar. Faculty members will mentor students as they complete interdisciplinary projects at different levels. Participants will have access to WPI’s summer educational programs, and the faculty team will partner with companies and nonprofit organizations to provide internship opportunities for students.

“All students at WPI must complete research projects focused on real-world problems to graduate, and our programs will enable students to shape those required projects into multiyear, interdisciplinary collaborations that can help pave the way for their future careers,” said Calli. “We place great importance on empowering students to make a positive impact in their communities, and this program will provide many such opportunities, from assistive robotics in healthcare to solutions in waste management.”

WPI has previously received funding from NSF for similar initiatives aimed at supporting low-income students and building the STEM workforce. The university was awarded $2.5 million in 2023 for scholarships and programs that are still under way for computer science undergraduates. Earlier initiatives focused on students in renewable energy fields and on undergraduates who were the first in their families to attend college.

The new program will examine how a coordinated set of interventions can help talented students from low-income backgrounds succeed at WPI. Telliel said the insights will be especially important in the rapidly changing fields of robotics, smart infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing.

“Technological change requires us to broaden our understanding of the capabilities essential to STEM,” Telliel said. “Students who can link technical design with human experience and social impact will shape the future workforce in technology and engineering. By cultivating those capabilities throughout the undergraduate education, this project will identify effective ways to help more students thrive while generating insights that can be shared with universities across the country.”