Former varsity football coach Ed Zaloom returned to WPI as featured performer in the Summer Breeze lunch concert series.

Ed Zaloom, who spent 11 years working the sidelines as head coach of WPI’s varsity football program, took center stage on July 11 as the featured performer in the Summer Breeze Lunch Concert Series, held in the Goat’s Head restaurant. Zaloom, who retired from WPI in June 2010, plays acoustic roots and country music on guitar and harmonica.

Listen to one of Ed’s tunes here.

The Summer Breeze Lunch Hour Concert Series features music and free ice cream each Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. The remaining concerts are listed below.

 July 18 – Worcester Brass Consort, on the Higgins House Lawn.

July 25 – Dave Binder, in the Goat’s Head Restaurant.

Aug. 1 – Phillip Young, in the Goat’s Head Restaurant.

Aug. 8 – Coos Canyon, on the Campus Center patio.

Some 30 students from grades 4 through 6 are exploring science and engineering in a hands-on program through WPI’s Junior Robotics Challenge.

WPI’s Junior Robotics Challenge began Monday (July 9), where 30 excited students from grades 4 through 6 are exploring science and engineering in an inventive and hands-on program. 

Led by Ken Stafford, Director of the WPI Robotics Resource Center, this week-long summer session is geared towards kids with no robotic experience. “At the end of five days, these students will be able to design, build, and program a LEGO-based robot that will do fairly complicated tasks—and do them autonomously,” Stafford said.

Split into groups of three, the kids will engineer and program their own robots.  “They’re learning about motors and programming,” said Stafford, “but also about team dynamics and how to get the best out of their group, which is a challenge when you’re 8, 9, and 10 years old.” On the last day of the session, the students and their robots will face-off in a friendly competition to exercise what was learned during the week.

- Cooper Wolken, student intern

The campers who usually dine in Morgan Hall will now eat in the Campus Center Lower Level Food Court.

In place of Morgan Hall, Dining Services will open the Goat’s Head Restaurant, the Library Café, and Higgins House for faculty and staff. These establishments will be run by Chartwells, and be available from July 9 through Aug.  9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The ongoing renovations at Morgan will reconfigure the dining space and add 50 more seats, for a total of 530, said Janet Richardson, vice president of student affairs and campus life. “It will be more user friendly,” she said. “It used to have larger tables, for six to eight students, and it was not very inviting for students going in to eat alone. Now, they have the option of sitting at stools with high counters. Someone can come in and have lunch at a counter and watch TV, and not feel like they’re on display. There will also be more tables for four.”

Diners will still be able to enjoy the Summer Breeze Concert Series, as performers will be visiting the Goat’s Head Restaurant and Higgins House lawn.

Bon appétit!

-          Miriam El Korchi, student intern

WPI professor Joe Zhu of the School of Business (center, yellow shirt and tie) is flanked by Wang Li (left), deputy director of Southeast University and Shuan-Hong Wang of Southeast’s Office of Academic Affairs. All told, 26 faculty members from Southeast University are attending workshops in July at WPI.

Call it a role reversal.

For four weeks in July, more than two dozen faculty members and administrators from Southeast University in Nanjing, China, will become students at WPI.

Their mission: Soak up as much information about WPI’s teaching methods and processes as they can in order to integrate them at SEU, a public university of about 28,000 students in China’s Jiangsu province, located an hour from Shanghai. Specifically, the faculty members are learning the tenets of the WPI Plan, a 40-year-old project-based undergraduate education model widely viewed as one of the premier programs in higher education. The model places a focus on a relationship among science, technology and human kind while incorporating courses, projects and real-life experiences.

Throughout the month, Southeast University faculty will gain a greater understanding of the WPI Plan, which covers first-year Great Problems Seminars, the second-year Humanities and Arts Requirement, the third-year Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), and the fourth-year Major Qualifying Project (MQP). Opening ceremonies were held in Higgins Laboratories on July 2 and daily workshops continue on campus through July 27.

On Thursday, July 5, WPI professor Joe Zhu of the School of Business held court in Stafford Hall, where he presented the “students”  with an IQP report on “Stock Market Simulation.” The sample IQP, completed by WPI students in 2007, included a number of chapters, including the history of the stock market, previous IQP review and literature review and methodology. The goal was to provide faculty members with a deeper understanding of WPI’s IQP approach.

Wang Li, deputy director of Southeast University, said she has already gained a lot of insight into the WPI Plan. She noted that the faculty has two specific short-term goals.

“In the short term, we want to learn new teaching methods that we can use to teach our own students,” said Li. “We also want to explore local culture and history.”

Longer term, Li noted, she would like to see broader cooperation between WPI and Southeast University that will allow for faculty and student exchange programs. Li said she likes that WPI weaves in a lot of real-world experiences into its curriculum, an approach that will serve SEU very well.

Southeast’s visit was organized by Professor Dalin Tang of the Mathematical Sciences department. Future workshop classes include “Teaching the IQP,” hands-on problem solving skills and further MQP studies. SEU’s visit comes just three months after Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam cited WPI’s project-based, experiential approach to learning as a model for his own country to follow in expanding its university system.

The Southeast contingent, while immersed in learning, has also enjoyed some shopping and sightseeing. They visited the Wrentham Outlets earlier in the week and have excursions planned to Rockport, Plymouth and greater Worcester.

A contingent from WPI greeted the Fox 25 TV morning news team at Elm Park on Friday morning. Shown in the back row are WPI Assistant Professor Alex Wyglinski and student Elizabeth Dufresne; in the front row are graduate student Tanek Zhang and undergraduates Paige Westlake and Tracy Sinkewicz (right).

A lively group of WPI students and faculty members turned out at Elm Park in Worcester Friday, June 29, to greet the Fox 25 TV morning news team that was hosting its newscast live from the grounds.

Led by WPI pennant-waving assistant professor Alex Wyglinski, who teaches in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, the WPI contingent showed its spirit and personality amid intermittent rain. Joining Wyglinski were students from the class of ’14, including Elizabeth Dufresne, an aerospace engineering major; Paige Westlake, who is studying management engineering; and Tracy Sinkewicz, a bio-biotech major.

The Fox crew makes “Zip Trips” to a different New England community every Friday to showcase that community’s offerings. The WPI crowd, clad in WPI hats, windbreakers and T-shirts, appeared on the TV segment several times throughout the morning.

“I’m here to represent all that WPI has to offer,” said Westlake. “For me that means showing our spirit, Greek life and overall support of the city.”

The young women were particularly keen on pointing out that WPI is known for more than just being an engineering hub. “I want people to know that we’re enthusiastic about coming to school here in Worcester and that WPI isn’t just about engineering,” said Sinkewicz.

Dufresne had another message to share as well. “I want to prove that there are a lot of girls at WPI,’’ she said.

Without missing a beat, Tanek Zhang, a graduate student in WPI’s ECE department, said “And cute girls, too.”

As a show of goodwill, WPI presented Fox 25 commentator Doug “VB” Goudie with a WPI polo shirt and other souvenirs.

Every Friday morning Fox visits a city or town across New England to promote the given community through interviews, special guests and other features. This is an ideal opportunity for the WPI community to show its colors. The Fox team will be on the Russell Street side of the park. The best time to show up is 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

Fox 25 will conduct live interviews and hold special features at Elm Park. The Fox 25 News team encourages Worcester residents, leaders and institutions to visit Elm Park and show their Worcester spirit. This is an ideal opportunity for the WPI community to appear at Elm Park to showcase WPI’s personality. You are encouraged to wear WPI shirts, hats and hold banners, and be a part of the live newscast.

 The first of its kind in the Northeast, the BETC’s use of space and choice of equipment has been influenced by experts in the field in order to meet real-world needs. The facility will provide training for glassware preparation and sterilization. Students will learn to make sterile solutions and media for processing, as well as master a septic technique and thaw cell bank files. The center’s training will be delivered by working industry professionals.

With a 200-liter scale pilot plant, the BETC will be a fully functional biomanufacturing plant where students will get hands-on experience with bioreactors, centrifuges, depth filtration, chromatography, and ultra filtration. The small-scale lab has the same operations as the large-scale production lab, with analytical capability to provide training to perform protein analysis and process monitoring.

The 10,000-square-foot facility is under construction at WPI’s Gateway Park, and is expected to open this fall. See a video on the BETC that was shown at the BIO 2012 conference in Boston.

This “green” residence hall was designed by Boston-based ADD Inc. to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification standards, and will be built by Daniel O'Connell’s Sons of Holyoke, Mass. The $38 million project is slated for completion in July 2013.

The groundbreaking for WPI’s new residence hall will take place at on Monday, June 25 at 2 p.m. at 75 Grove St. The $38 million project will include 258 beds over an area of 89,000 square feet, with four-person apartments featuring full kitchens, living rooms, compartmentalized bathrooms, air conditioning, recreation facilities, technology suites, and full wireless access.  The building will house both upper-class undergraduate and graduate students, and along with meeting the students’ needs, the environmentally friendly new residence hall will meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards.

WPI has made great strides in developing its energy-efficiency.  The school’s East Hall, opened in 2008, featured Worcester’s first “living green” roof and is LEED Gold-certified.  WPI’s Bartlett Center, constructed in 2007, was the first university building in Worcester to attain LEED certification.  Other WPI plans for “green” buildings-to-come include the new Sports and Recreation Center which, upon opening in August, expects a LEED-Silver designation, and a new 527-car garage with rooftop athletic fields, combining two purposes under one footprint.  The new hall, a celebration of British scientist Michael Faraday, will be WPI’s fourth LEED-certified building.  It will maximize energy- and water-use efficiency, will include a large number of windows to boost natural light (reducing electrical consumption), and will be built using local and recycled materials.

Expected to open in July 2013 with an address of 10 Faraday Street, the residence hall will be near WPI’s Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park, making it an attractive place to live for students focused on life sciences.  The new residence hall is a key part of the university’s plans to develop a vibrant lower campus that links the main campus with the downtown area and to Gateway Park. 

This “green” building was designed by Boston-based ADD Inc., and will be built by Daniel O’Connell’s Sons of Holyoke, Mass. WPI President Dennis Berkey will deliver some remarks, and the event will be attended by WPI Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Solomon, the Board of Trustees, city officials and business leaders.

- Cooper Wolken, student intern

President Berkey, who created a vision for the evening with high expectations and that kept the focus on the importance of the campaign effort to support our faculty, students, and a campus that is truly the home of discovery and achievement. Joining Dr. Berkey, our outstanding speakers, who framed the evening so perfectly: Steve Rubin ’74, Chairman of the Board; Trustee Dorothea Wong ’92; Cindy Lin ’13; and National Campaign Chair Mike Dolan ’75.

Dana Harmon, director of Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics, and her staff, who were ever flexible in rearranging their moving plans to accommodate the event and served as ambassadors for the new Center and WPI during the event.

Jeff Solomon, our executive vice president, Mike Andrews of Cardinal Construction, and Neil Benner of Gilbane Construction, who answered all of our questions about construction status, handled permitting issues, and gave us whatever access to the site we needed along the way.

Amy Morton and her staff in the Marketing & Communications Office, whose work on our invitation materials helped generate such strong attendance and who provided much support and assistance throughout the planning phase. (A special thank you for introducing the new WPI Goat Pin to all the attendees!)

Jacleen Becker, Sophie Burke, and Dave Taranto of the Academic Technology Center, who captured the content and spirit of the event on film.

Fred DiMauro, Terry Pellerin, and Bill Spratt, of WPI’s Facilities Department, who coordinated moving schedules and made sure the building was clean and ready for the event—including enlisting an army of students to help dust and mop all day Thursday.

Bill Battelle, Sharon Jerome, and the entire Chartwells catering team for the splendid array of food and beverages, and their excellent service throughout the evening. And of course, the students, faculty, and alumni who shared their research, projects, and talents with our guests all evening long.

In calling out individuals, there is always a danger that someone will be forgotten, and regrets to anyone who was missed. However, I also feel strongly that the efforts these individuals and teams put forward on WPI’s behalf warranted special recognition.

Allow me to also thank the committee and subcommittee members from across the university who began meeting last year to help plan such a memorable evening. Their names are below.

With gratitude and aspirations for our successful campaign,

William McAvoy

Vice President, University Advancement

Campaign Launch Planning Committee Members

Jo-Ann Alessandrini, Campaign Director, University Advancement

Mike Andrews, Cardinal Construction

Jon Bartelson, Information Technology

Kris Boudreau, Humanities & Arts

Eileen Brangan Mell, Marketing & Communications

Jodi Briggs, University Advancement

Ginger Conti, University Advancement

Maureen Deiana, Marketing & Communications

Bill Denneen, Marketing & Communications

Fred DiMauro, Facilities

Mike Dorsey, Marketing & Communications

Stephen Flavin, Academic & Corporate Development

Scott Hadley, University Advancement

Dana Harmon, Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics

Steve Hemming, Academic Technology Center

Judith Jaeger, University Advancement

Nikolaos Kazantzis, Chemical Engineering

Audrey Klein-Leach, University Advancement

David Leach, University Advancement

Lisa Maizite, University Advancement

Amy Morton, Marketing & Communications

Stephanie Pasha, Office of the President

Leigh Persico, University Advancement

Emily Perlow, Student Activities

George Pins, Biomedical Engineering

Reeta Prusty Rao, Biology and Biotechnology

Charles Rich, Computer Science

Janet Begin Richardson, Student Affairs & Campus Life

Juliana Rose ’12

Jennifer Rudolph, Humanities & Arts

Dave Taranto, Academic Technology Center

Peter Thomas, University Advancement

Kristin Tichenor, Enrollment Management

Dianne Vanacore, Marketing & Communications

Jim Wolken, Marketing & Communications

A rocket blows out a jet of water as it blasts off the launch pad toward the target.

The lawn behind the Campus Center served as a test range for students’ pressurized water fueled rockets, as WPI held the 5th Annual Goddard Cup competition on June 13. Seven teams from around Central Massachusetts competed under a rainy sky, with the team from Wachusett Regional High School scoring highest, with a near-direct hit of the target.

Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid fueled rocket on March 16, 1926. Whereas Dr. Goddard used a combustible fuel, for safety purposes we choose non-combustible water. WPI’s Physics Department held annual Goddard Cup Competition to honor Dr. Goddard, the “Father of Modern Rocketry,” who graduated from WPI in 1908. This annual competition began in 2008 when WPI held a year-long observance of the centennial of his graduation.

Worcester-area K-12-aged children and local college students are invited to participate. Teams compete for prizes by launching three water rockets at a target from a specific distance. The closest rocket wins a trophy for the school, medals for the team members, and their names are to be engraved on a plaque that hangs in the Physics Department lounge.

Wachusett Regional High School won, with very good accuracy in their launches. View their best launch here, where the rocket missed the target by only a meter.

Stephan Koehler, assistant professor of  physics said the turnout was typical for the event, and didn’t think the rain kept competitors away. “I think this was the best organized meet we’ve had,” he said. “In terms of the shooting, this was not the best shooting meet. In the past we’ve had teams actually hit the target. We are are sorely missing South High. In the past South High showed up and had and excellent setup. They are the ones that have hit the target.”

Mass Academy Director Michael Barney greets alumni during the Academy's 20th anniversary reception.

The Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science at WPI celebrated its 20th anniversary with a reception attended by about 200 on May 23, featuring congratulations and remarks by Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, and reflections by Academy graduates Melissa Tata and Brian Foley.

Former state senator Arthur Chase, who was instrumental in the legislation that established the Academy, recalled how he wanted to model a public school on one he had seen in North Carolina, but was faced with a state budget hindered by a $1 billion shortfall. But with the help then-state senator Matthew Amorello of Grafton and former state representatives Vincent Pedone and Kevin O’Sullivan of Worcester, support in the state Legislature grew until funding could be secured to launch the Academy, he said.

WPI President Dennis Berkey congratulated the alumni, faculty and staff, and thanked Chase for his vision and leadership.

“WPI is proud of its partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to operate this public school, the only public school in Massachusetts in which the seniors are enrolled full time in a university. I’m so proud and pleased to have the Mass Academy students  as members of our freshman class program,” Berkey said to the audience, which filled the Campus Center Odeum.

“This is just the type of education that is required to solve much of the problems and the struggles that the nation and world face. Young people who understand the power of science and technology, who also have the skills of collaboration and innovation, and the willingness to put their personal objectives aside for the greater good, solving the hard and important problems that they set their sights on. That’s what the WPI learning community is all about, and that’s what the Mass Academy is all about, and it’s a source of great pride for us.

 “… I thank you, Senator Chase, for having had the brilliant, innovative idea 20 years ago of what could be created, what could be accomplished.  And I know how proud you are of the 800 students that have already passed through the Mass Academy, their record of 100 percent  enrollment in college, and the very important partnership you helped form between WPI and the Commonwealth.”

Melissa Tata, president of the Society of Women Engineers and director of the Engineering and Supply Chain at Dell, herself a graduate of Mass Academy’s first class, recalled that there were not many female engineering students when she enrolled in Mass Academy, and that it was important to her to help change that classroom demographic.

“We are very lucky to take part in this program,” she said. “Many students don’t know that there is a future for them in math and science. I encourage you to use your experience and knowledge that you get here to give back, and encourage others.”

Brian Foley, a graduate of the Academy and WPI, is now enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Virginia. He said he was impressed by the way he and his Mass Academy classmates used their new-found knowledge to solve real-world problems.  One such project led to the installation of a wind turbine at Holy Name High School on Vernon Hill.

“Our relationship with our teachers was a real benefit,” he said. “They’re not just lecturing to you, there’s real give and take. They really try to make you into a better person.”

WPI President Dennis Berkey will join the festivities and welcome educators and alumni. Mass Academy Director Michael Barney will also share his thoughts.

Among those offering congratulations will be Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester. Former state senator Arthur Chase, who was instrumental in the legislation that established the Academy, will offer some historical perspective. In addition, Melissa Tata, president of the Society of Women Engineers and director of the Engineering and Supply Chain at Dell, herself a graduate of Mass Academy’s first class, will deliver alumni reflections, along with Brian Foley, a graduate of the Academy and WPI.

Mass Academy has received praise for its curriculum and faculty from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, whose Visiting Committee in 2009 cited the partnership between the Academy and WPI for making a wide variety of services and resources available for students.

“From the moment one walks through the door, one knows this is a place where teaching is brought to very high levels, and learning is personal and authentic,” the NEASC report says in part. “At the Academy, students regularly demonstrate their abilities to think creatively, to present with exemplary skill, to use technology to support their learning, and to be problem-solvers. Indeed, at the Academy, the mission statement and expectations for student learning are real, observable, and alive.”

Mass Academy is a public, co-educational school of excellence program that enrolls about 100 academically accelerated 11th and 12th graders. Math and science are emphasized within a comprehensive, interactive academic program. The rigor of the junior year classes exceeds high school honors and AP, emphasizing depth over breadth, engaging students in project-based learning and more than 1,200 hours of instruction. Seniors complete a full year of college, enrolling in classes at WPI, a nationally-ranked university, thus making the Academy the only public school in Massachusetts whose students attend a private university full time as seniors in high school. The Academy is a collaborative effort among the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the high schools of Massachusetts.

The event will run from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. in Alden Memorial.

Remarks will be offered by Congressman James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, and Worcester City Manager Michael V. O’Brien.

The keynote address will be delivered by Jean Sawyer, deputy director of the Small Business Administration of Massachusetts.  Michelle R. Lemoi Fignar, president of Lemoi Erectors Inc., of Sturbridge, Mass., will relate her success story.

The event is sponsored by WPI, The College of the Holy Cross, FDIC and United Bank. Registration is required by emailing wbra1@verizon.net.

Junior Scouts apply principles of buoyancy to build and test a watercraft.

WPI’s Camp Reach program was invited to participate in “The Big Event” celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts in Central and Western Massachusetts, held on Saturday, May 5 at the UMass Amherst Mullins Center.

Sue Sontgerath (Admissions), Chrys Demetry (ME/Morgan Center) and Molly Eldredge (’14) greeted more than 300 junior Scouts at the WPI tables, where the girls were challenged to apply principles of buoyancy to build and test a watercraft that would float while holding the weight of 25 pennies. Using cups, straws, plastic wrap, and masking tape, they produced many creative designs, and in some cases, were so engaged that they went through several cycles of redesign and additional testing. This activity reflects the greater emphasis that the Girls Scouts organization is placing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in its programming.