Elizabeth Q.

Major/Minor

Junior, BS in Biomedical Engineering
Completed Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) at the Bar Harbor, Maine Project Center.
An IQP is often called life-changing by WPI students, requiring teams to delve into a problem that matters to real people.
Project

Elizabeth and her IQP team worked together to explore the feasibility of a reservation system for Cadillac Mountain. By gathering data on fee compliance and visitor time on the mountain, and conducting visitor surveys to understand the effect a gate would have on traffic flow and visitor experience, she and her team were able to help create solutions to a problem with which the park had been struggling.

Reflection

To Elizabeth, learning to work with different group dynamics while utilizing the different strengths of her teammates to complete tasks was the most valuable part of her experience. She also appreciated the opportunity to make a positive impact on a real problem faced by Acadia National Park.

Elizabeth Q.
Hometown

Brookfield, MA

Major/Minor

BS in Biomedical Engineering

Project Advisor(s)

Frederick Bianchi

Project Sponsor

Acadia National Park

Achievements
  • Overloading once per term beginning in my freshman year to gain valuable time management skills.
  • Completing service projects as part of Alpha Phi Omega.
Aspirations
  • Entering into the medical field.
  • Possibly attending medical school or taking an engineering position in a medical-related field.
More about Elizabeth’s Project
More About the Bar Harbor Immersion

Weekday Timeline

7:15 AM

Wake up and head to the dining hall for breakfast, where I usually grab veggie sausages, a banana, and a muffin.

10:00 AM

Meet up with the group to prepare for our meeting with our advisor.

11:00 AM

Meet with our advisor to go over our work and ask questions.

12:00 PM

Break for lunch.

1:00 PM

If we’re not working on our paper, go out to Cadillac Mountain to gather fee compliance data.

4:00 PM

Go for a run, usually along the 3-mile Shore Path.

5:30 PM

Dinner at the dining hall.

7:30 PM

Head up to Cadillac Mountain to get ready to watch the sunset.

10:00 PM

Go to bed.

Weekend Timeline

9:00 AM

Wake up and get ready for the day.

10:00 AM

Grab some breakfast.

11:20 AM

Take the Island Explorer bus into town or around the island for some sightseeing and shopping.

3:00 PM

Make a grocery store run (and accidentally buy ice cream yet again).

6:00 PM

Go for a run, usually 5-8 miles around the Witch Hole Pond loop.

8:00 PM

Order some mushroom pizza for dinner.

9:00 PM

Get ready for bed and relax with a movie or some YouTube videos.

11:00 PM

Go to bed.

Elizabeth Q Photo 1.jpg

Elizabeth Q.
Conducting a survey with tourists regarding the implementation of a reservation system on Cadillac Mountain

Elizabeth Q Photo 2.jpg

Elizabeth Q.
Meeting with local sponsor, John Kelly, on the steps of the student residence on the College of the Atlantic

Elizabeth Q Photo 3.jpg

Elizabeth Q.
Enjoying the magnificent view from trails on Cadillac Mountain, the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard

Elizabeth Q Photo 4.jpg

Elizabeth Q.
Taking a bike ride around the College of the Atlantic campus where the students live and dine during their stay in Bar Harbor
I have learned to look critically at problems I don’t necessarily have an answer to. I’ve also gotten better at communicating my ideas through both writing and speaking.