The Need for Dynamic Collaborations
Grace Wang writes about how WPI continues to catalyze innovation-based economic growth in Worcester.
Read StoryFrom the Editor: Bravo, Congratulations, and an Update
Ted Hein ’88 has some stories to tell. As you’ll read from the feature starting on page 36, he’s traveled extensively to fulfill a personal passion to use technology to help some of the world’s most impoverished people keep their culture alive. His nonprofit organization, Repurpose-IT, works with vulnerable groups in remote areas of Colombia, introducing them to technology with the goal of preserving their language and traditions.
Choosing from the many photos he sent to accompany the story was no easy feat. When I asked him to send information about the ones that were ultimately selected, he provided more background than I could possibly fit in each caption. Of particular note was the one at right, where he is showing a laptop to some children in front of a tree.
“This photo occurred on a day when the principal ‘turned the school over’ to our team, meaning the teachers went elsewhere for the day and we were 100% responsible for teaching for the day, with only a day’s advanced notice. I am sitting on the stone ‘chair’ that [tribe elder] Mamo Jwiwa sits at when he visits the Mulkwakungui school to teach,” he wrote.
He notes that while our geography centers on cities and political boundaries, the tribe’s geography is “based in Mother Earth; all landmarks are natural features and how they are interconnected by invisible black lines.”
Ted also notes that Repurpose-IT is like an ongoing Interactive Qualifying Project, a perfect example of how this distinctive part of a WPI education can translate to real-life solutions. Bravo, Ted.
Just in Time
Congratulations go out to another one of this issue’s feature subjects, Celena Dopart. You probably can’t tell from the stunning photos taken by Paige Ray on Playa Del Rey Beach in Los Angeles, but Celena was almost nine months pregnant at the time. In fact, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Stellan, just five days after the photo shoot.
We were a bit under the gun to get the photo taken before she embarked on this life-changing event. Thankfully, Stellan gave us just enough time before making his appearance. Best wishes to the Dopart/Kelly family.
An Update
I was carefully following the America’s Cup challenger race in Barcelona in September (getting updates through Instagram because I don’t have ESPN+) due to the involvement of team engineer Liam Shanahan ’18, who was featured on the cover of the Spring 2024 WPI Journal. The American Magic, representing the New York Yacht Club, made it to the semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Cup (the competition to determine which team would challenge the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, the current America’s Cup holder). Unfortunately, the U.S. team lost to the team from Italy over two days of racing—a valiant effort that I’m sure produced memories to last a lifetime.
Your Feedback Needed
We’re conducting a reader survey of the WPI Journal and your feedback is needed. If you have five minutes to spare, click on the survey link and let us know what you think of this magazine. You may also offer suggestions on who or what we should be writing about. If you take the survey before Dec. 15 and provide your email, you will be entered into a raffle to win a $100 gift card from the WPI bookstore. And as always, let your fellow alumni know what’s up in your life by sending an update to classnotes@wpi.edu.
—Kristen O’Reilly, Editor
