Wake up and grab breakfast at the dining hall.
Matthew L.
Major/Minor
Junior, BS in Mechanical Engineering; BS in Physics
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
Matthew's team, made up of six students with majors ranging from mechanical engineering to interactive media and game development, worked together to assess the feasibility of Bar Harbor becoming an International Dark Sky Community (IDSC). He and his team compared the ordinances of the town to the mandatory requirements for an IDSC, created a map of businesses that were dark-sky friendly, and gathered information on the current status of the night sky, allowing future teams to help work with the town to continue the process of making Bar Harbor an IDSC.
Reflection
For Matthew, the most valuable part of his IQP experience was having the opportunity to present the information he and his team gathered in a way that made it imperative for the town of Bar Harbor to act. Thinking through and determining answers for the different reactions they could have received made the experience eye-opening and invaluable.
Hometown
Colchester, CT
Major/Minor
BS in Mechanical Engineering, BS in Physics
Project Advisor(s)
Project Sponsor
Achievements
- Improving grades as a result of hard work in writing classes.
- Playing rugby during my sophomore year.
Aspirations
- Spending a few years working for a reputable company while also completing some personal projects.
- Creating a patent portfolio before selling the patents and working full-time as an inventor.
- Opening my own company, automating it, and living off the royalties of my inventions.
Weekday Timeline
Weekend Timeline
The team assessing the light pollution from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park
Enjoying a game of frisbee on the common area at the College of the Atlantic where the students lived
Traveling with a team member by ferry to Schoodic Institute on Schoodic Point to conduct project fieldwork
Taking a break from project activities to enjoy a game of spike ball on the campus of the College of the Atlantic
Measuring the night sky quality on Cadillac Mountain at night
Jumping off the peer into the cold ocean waters near the College of the Atlantic where the students lived
Enjoying some down time playing a game of chess with fellow WPI students
Analyzing the sky glow during an evening of fieldwork on Cadillac Mountain
Talking to a staff worker on the ferry ride to Schoodic Institute where fieldwork was conducted