Engineering

WPI Engineering

Atwater Kent Laboratories, 100 Institute Road, Suite 128A, Worcester, MA 01609-2280

Phone: +1-508-831-4694 Fax: +1-508-831-4693

engineering@wpi.edu

This January marks a year for me at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and it’s been a year full of discovery.

From the students to the faculty and staff to the alumni, there has not been a single constituency that has not amazed and impressed me with their innovation and drive to better the world. And what better time to reflect on the change we’ve accomplished, than the start of a new year.

WPI Engineering has been recognized by the New York Times in a recent article pointing out that 74 percent of WPI’s students graduate within four years, whereas nationwide, 40 percent of students who plan to major in an engineering or science field end up failing or switching to another major. President Obama named WPI’s Camp Reach as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, as one of 17 individuals and organizations around the country to receive this prestigious award.

Terri Camesano’s groundbreaking research on the effects of the cranberry on a class of infectious diseases will help further treatments in the medical field. Diran Apelian and Gretar Tryggvason’s recently published book Shaping Our World, which contains several chapters contributed by WPI’s distinguished faculty, including President Dennis Berkey, has offered a new paradigm for educating future engineers. And the work of our students at our project center in Namibia, Africa, is a shining example of the profound impact our young leaders are already making on the world.

At WPI Engineering, we encourage possibilities. We urge people to follow their passions, we teach them how to be world-class problem solvers and support them in reaching their full potential. Our students, faculty and alumni have the opportunity to engineer their own success.

Wishing you a year filled with joy and success.

Selçuk Güçeri,
Bernard Gordon Dean of Engineering

Worcester Polytechnic Institute welcomed 16 new educators and researchers to its full-time faculty ranks this fall, continuing a historic investment in talent that has brought nearly 80 new full-time faculty members to campus over the last five years.

"With their diverse expertise—everything from computer and network security, to neural tissue engineering, to sustainable development—these talented men and women will energize our vibrant graduate research enterprise and help continue WPI's nearly 150-year heritage of turning theory into practice to meet some of the world's most pressing needs," said WPI Provost Eric Overstrom. "They'll also play a critical role in helping meet an unprecedented demand for WPI's undergraduate and graduate programs in engineering, the life and natural sciences, the humanities and arts, business, and the social sciences."

Anjana Jain, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, joins WPI after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Institute of Technology. In her research, she develops nanotechnology-based techniques that could be used to repair injuries to the central nervous system. In addition to her fellowship in Georgia, she has held an NIH Training Fellowship in the Program in CNS Injury and Repair at the University of Miami and a GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) Training Grant Fellowship for Neural Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. She holds a BS in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, an MS in biomedical engineering from Case Western, and a PhD in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech.

The National Engineers Week Foundation has selected Danielle Antonellis as American Society of Civil Engineers’ winner for College Edition. Danielle is a senior civil engineering student. Antonellis helped raise $11,000 to benefit the Katrina-stricken Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, while president of her university’s Habitat for Humanity chapter.

From ASCE, “Antonellis was one of ASCE’s first 10 collegiate New Faces of Civil Engineering, and among three finalists for the Engineers Week honor, joined by Gretchen Heberling of the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo., and Steven Wong of Columbia University, New York. Gretchen focused on small business development, and green building design and sustainability. Alongside civil engineering, Gretchen developed quite a following playing her violin for tips in Washington, D.C., subway stations, eventually forming her own violin business. She plans to one day create beautiful buildings that make the most of our scarce natural resources. Steven is studying to be a structural engineer. Last summer he worked on a hotel development in Bahrain, analyzing its structural components, and even helped to design glass panels in several countries. Steven also teaches the civil engineering portion for an introductory course to engineering, which introduces students to a wide range of basic engineering concepts at Columbia University.” As ASCE President Andrew Herrmann said,” these students are an inspiration to future generations of students seeking a career in which they can make a difference.”