Sponsor a Student Project

Sponsor a WPI student project to acquire the knowledge, skill, and fresh perspective of some of the world’s brightest young STEM minds. WPI’s distinct project-based education focuses on a rigorous course curriculum, interdisciplinary collaboration, and state-of-the-art research enterprise - ensuring your project team is positioned to yield a high return on your investment.  

CONTACT

David Ortendahl and

Lisa Drexhage.

Why sponsor a student project at WPI?

  • A student/faculty team is committed to working on your organization’s specific problem 
  • Teams employ cutting edge research, techniques, and theories 
  • Projects maintain close sponsor-faculty collaboration 
  • Return on investments often exceed initial costs  
  • Sponsoring projects provides a valuable opportunity to screen for future talent  
Sponsored Projects Overview (PDF)

Important Information about Projects at WPI

Who are WPI Project Sponsors

WPI is positioned at the convergence of design thinking and innovation, and as we enjoy the 50th anniversary of our distinct theory and practice academic model, we celebrate the many corporate partners who have invested in our intelligent, action oriented, problem solving students. 
 
Join the ranks of these excellent sponsors! A small sample of our recent sponsors is below:
Abbvie 
AmazonRobotics 
BAE Systems
Bank of America 
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital 
Boston Scientific 
CCDC – Soldier Center  
Dell EMC 
DraftKings 
iRobot 
Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries 
National Grid 
Otis Elevator
Pfizer 
The Hanover Insurance Group 
The MITRE Corporation 
UMass Medical 

General Guidelines for Project Sponsorship

The projects program at WPI is the university’s signature approach to undergraduate education, combining theoretical study with practical problem solving. This philosophy has grown into graduate level projects, in Data Sciences, as well. WPI project teams bring knowledge, skill, and problem solving abilities to develop tangible solutions to your organization’s most pressing challenges.  
Guidelines: 

  • A project cannot be “mission critical” or on the “critical path” to the business. The best types of projects forecast new ideas, and/or enhance current activities. 
  • There are many options for sponsored projects across the curriculum of WPI, including:  
    • Major Qualifying Projects (MQP’s) 
    • Graduate Qualifying Projects (GQP’s) 
    • Independent Study Projects (ISP’s) 
    • Course Sponsorship  
  • Our most common sponsored project is the Major Qualifying Project (MQP). MQP teams consist of 2-4 undergraduate seniors and a faculty advisor, although in some cases—depending upon the scope of the project and the disciplines of the student team—there may be additional advisors. Each student completes the equivalent of 3 full time courses in order to meet the standards of this rigorous graduation requirement.  
WPI Projects and Project Presentation Day

Known as The WPI Plan, the university’s distinct project-based approach to STEM education, is instrumental in preparing and inspiring students to face the world's most pressing societal challenges.  
 
Through a project-based education, students discover the value of learning by doing. They take the hypothetical and make it real, applying skills and concepts from the classroom to real problems, leading to real-world experience and impact. Each journey is distinctive, but regardless of the paths students follow, these hands-on learning experiences help them build confidence as well as leadership, collaborative, and critical thinking skills.  
 
Projects are thoroughly documented in written reports and accompanied by comprehensive student team presentations. 
 
A Project Based Education page  

For more information on how your organization can benefit from an intelligent, skilled team of students focused on your organization's challenges, contact the Corporate Relations Office at cro@wpi.edu. 

Here's what Project Sponsor organizations think of WPI students

What is allocation of credit? Why does it matter?

“I think some of the rationale why other organizations should partner with WPI is straightforward. There's a talent pipeline, there’s research collaboration, but I also think all companies want an advantage and usually innovation can lead to that advantage. We see great promise in partnering with WPI to speed our innovation process and when Boston Scientific speeds its innovation process, patients gain.” 

Edward Mackey ‘85 
EVP of Global Operations for Boston Scientific 

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“WPI students are very, very special. They really do take a different approach to their studies. This I think reflects the entire philosophy of WPI where in fact there's really a focus on solving real world problems and making a difference in society. They're certainly very bright. But unlike many other academic institutions, they're trained to take that fundamental science and convert it into a more applied research project.” 

Charlene Mello 
Chief Scientist, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center (NSRDEC) 

“The reason WPI students differ from other engineering schools is because not only are they technically competent, but they also come out with people skills and leadership skills. They come out understanding how to work with a team, how to communicate, how to execute a technical writing, and how to be effective employees in a work force.” 

Mary Schubert ’05 ‘10