Major Highlight: Environmental Focused Disciplines

Students at WPI continuously balance engineering and scientific challenges to meet societal needs. With growing attention to sustainability, safe water supply, and “green” initiatives across business and government, two disciplines at WPI are increasingly relevant: Environmental Engineering and Environmental and Sustainability Studies. Students within these disciplines place a strong value on being an agent of change and improving the health of our natural surroundings. Both programs focus on the interrelationships between human activities and the potential damage to essential resources. Civil & Environmental Engineer graduate student, Marco Kaltofen, was recently interviewed by NPR’s Bruce Gellerman on the effects of dispersants used in the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The process and results of Kaltofen’s research on “BTEX” compounds is a true reflection of WPI’s motto “Lehr und Kunst” – Theory and Practice- in action. The Environmental and Sustainability Studies program offers students exposure to environmental issues with a blend of scientific and humanistic analysis. Through projects such as “Valuing Urban Trees: A case study of the Asian Longhorn Beetle infestation and tree loss in Massachusetts,” students research the environmental and societal impact and government response. If your company is committed to making sustainability a priority and improving the environment, then consider exploring students in these programs. Visit the WPI Environmental and Sustainability Studies as well as the Environmental Engineering pages for more information. Ask us how you can recruit these talented individuals to work for your organization.