Faculty Perspective

Helping them succeed
Seeing students achieve things they didn’t think possible is most meaningful for Frederick Bianchi, Bar Harbor Project Center director and advisor. He shares information on his role as a faculty advisor, his view of the student experience, and the power of WPI’s project-based approach.
What is the key component of the student experience at every WPI project center?
Frederick Bianchi
Project Center Director and Advisor
Bar Harbor, Maine
WPI has many project centers around the world—what's common among all the project centers is the immersive, transformative experience that often changes the students’ lives. For the Bar Harbor Project Center, the students are drawn to the same immersive and transformative experience they would have at any other center in the world—and to many of the students, the national park is unknown to them.
The Student Experience Over the Life of an Interactive Qualifying Project
What preparatory work do the students do for their project prior to traveling to Bar Harbor?
How does WPI help the students prepare for their travel?
Is it fine if a project evolves or changes in scope over time?
What's the biggest challenge you see the students facing in Bar Harbor?
What exactly makes the off-campus IQP experience distinctive for the student?
How do you see the students change over the entirety of the Bar Harbor project experience?
How do you define success for the students at the completion of an IQP in Bar Harbor?
Do you personally think that students continue to reflect on their IQP experience down the road?
How often do former students contact you to reflect on their experience?
Student Interaction with Faculty and Sponsors at a Project Center
How do you interact with the students while at the Bar Harbor project center?
How different is working with students at a project center vs. in the traditional classroom setting?
Do the students work directly with the sponsor or through the Bar Harbor faculty?
At what point do the students start to interact with their sponsor?
About the Bar Harbor, Maine Project Center
What is the history of the project center and the sponsor relationship with Acadia National Park?
Why is Bar Harbor a good project center location?
About WPI’s Project-Based Approach and the Distinctive Role of the Project Advisor
What do you see as the most beneficial aspect of WPI's project-based learning approach to education?
What is the role of faculty advisor at a project center?
What do you personally get out of the experience of a project advisor?

Enjoying a coastal walk along the beach edge in Bar Harbor

Meeting with WPI students from the sound analysis team to review the progress of their project on the College of the Atlantic

Meeting with Abraham Miller-Rushing, the Science and Education Coordinator for Acadia National Park

Conducting a project review meeting with the WPI students from the intelligent transportation system project

Relaxing along the rocky shores of the ocean in Bar Harbor