Public and private sectors involved in healthcare produce a tremendous amount of data each day. An estimated 80% of all healthcare data was considered unstructured before the COVID-19 outbreak. At the start of the pandemic, stakeholders ranging from public health officials to medical supply manufacturers needed data scientists to make sense of this data to manage the…Continue Reading The Role of Data in a World Reshaped by COVID-19
COVID-19 shelter-at-home rules have increased our reliance on the internet, and cyber criminals have taken notice! Utilities have databases full of personally identifiable information and are operators of critical infrastructure—attractive targets for hacker thieves and potentially hostile nations. With remote work likely to continue even after the world overcomes the novel coronavirus, this is a…Continue Reading Power Industry + Pandemic = Cybersecurity Concerns
With over 6.15 M confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide as of June 1, 20201, scientists in pharma, biotech, start-ups, research institutes, and universities around the world are racing to develop tests, treatments, and vaccines2 to combat COVID-19. Today in the U.S. there are ~110 FDA-approved test kit manufacturers and commercial laboratories,3 and more than…Continue Reading Vaccines: The COVID-19 Solution?
One of our Systems Engineering experts (and his pupper pal, Logan) took over Reddit with his very own “AMA,” or Ask Me Anything…and we do mean anything. There are currently over 100 comments on his thread, and counting! Dr. Don Gelosh has worked at the Pentagon and for the Space Shuttle Program, so questions for…Continue Reading Moon Rocks & UFO’s: Ask an Engineer
One of WPI’s resident Power Systems experts has been busy lately! Michael Ahern recently sat down with power systems publication Energy Central as part of their Getting To Know The Experts interview series. Ahern talked about his path into power systems, the evolving training needs for power professionals, and a lot more. Read Energy Central’s interview…Continue Reading New Interview: WPI’s Mike Ahern & Energy Central
“I had never seen [my father] feel out of control before…that is probably the memory that stands out to me the most from the day of the fire.” Matthew Foley, a WPI alumnus and Research Associate for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), recently sat down to discuss his personal connection to the Worcester…Continue Reading WPI Alum Discusses Impact of Worcester Cold Storage Fire
One of WPI’s resident experts in renewable energy and power systems will join a brand-new, statewide environmental task force in Massachusetts. The goal: reduce greenhouse emissions drastically by 2050 to combat climate change. According to a WPI release, Michael Ahern, Director of WPI’s Power Systems programs, “has accepted the invitation of state Secretary of Energy…Continue Reading Fighting Climate Change: Massachusetts Task Force Enlists WPI CPE Expert
Distributed Energy Resources, or DER, are renewable power sources and storage: wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries. These innovations are in demand today, and often subsidized by the government because of their limited environmental impact compared to fossil fuels. But with this new frontier of power comes a wave of new complexities to tackle,…Continue Reading ARTICLE: “Impact of Distributed Energy Resources on HR and Recruiting”
Electric power delivery is an ever-changing science, and there’s no sign of that changing. As demand grows worldwide for the use of electricity, the technical complexity and security of power grids become more and more important. How can we modernize the grid to ensure it keeps pace with the evolving needs and challenges that…Continue Reading ARTICLE: “Top 7 Issues Facing Power Grid Modernization”
Michael Ahern has been in high demand lately. Last week, when gas explosions devastated over 70 homes across Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, Massachusetts, one question was on everyone’s mind: How did this happen? As WPI Corporate & Professional Education’s resident power systems engineer, Ahern had the answers. And over the past several days, he has…Continue Reading WPI’s Michael Ahern on the Merrimack Valley Explosions