Letter from the Editor

Water plays an important role in several features in this issue. Both Jack Duffy-Protentis ’20 and Caitlin Swalec ’16 cite formative childhood memories of playing in and around water when talking about why they chose their environmentally influenced careers.

Duffy-Protentis recognized that one of the activities he enjoyed the most—zooming around Lake Winnipesaukee on a Jet Ski—was actually helping to destroy his cherished playground. Thanks to project work at WPI, he uncovered a way to savor the adrenaline rush without feeling guilty about adding toxic chemicals into the water.

Swalec swims in the ocean off Santa Barbara, Calif., both to clear her head of the day’s stresses and to reminder herself why she’s working to help decarbonize industries with some of the worst greenhouse gas emissions. She says her strategy for tackling long-distance ocean swims is similar to making progress on sustaining a livable planet: one small stroke at a time.

Clean water is also at the center of an ongoing project that members of WPI’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders have been working on for several years. Read about their recent trip to Shungubug Grande, Ecuador, a small village perched high in the Andes Mountains, to help residents improve their water system.

An extended version of a journal written by Sophia Gross ’26, complete with extra photos of their trip, is posted as part of the digital Journal. You also can hear Gross and her teammate Sarah Gardner ’27 talk about the trip on The WPI Podcast in an episode hosted by my colleague Jonathan Cain. Their description of eating guinea pig, a local Ecuadorian staple, is not to be missed.

Speaking of The WPI Podcast, be sure to check out other episodes featuring insightful conversations that dive into the latest ideas, innovations, and stories shaping our world.

For instance, you can learn why rest matters for learning, creativity, focus, and long-term well-being from Assistant Professor Stacy Shaw of the Department of Social Science and Policy Studies. Assistant Professor James Urban and Professor and Department Head Albert Simeoni, both from the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, talk about how wildfires start, spread, and impact communities. And Associate Professor Danielle Cote from the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering talks about how WPI’s industrial legacy is fueling the future of advanced manufacturing. Those are just a few of the many diverse subjects covered, and new episodes are posted twice a month. Visit www.wpi.edu/listen or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Podcasts.

I was happy I was available when the production crew from This Old House came to Washburn Shops in August to film a segment with one of our students, Max Sivert ’26. Read about how a little bit of WPI expertise will be represented on a mug holder hanging in the wardroom of the USS Massachusetts.

I enjoyed meeting general contractor Tom Silva and can attest he is as nice in person as he seems to be on the show. I also spent time talking to Dinis Pimentel ’92, who volunteers as chair of the committee planning next year’s commissioning ceremony for the U.S. Navy’s newest sub. Pimental’s enthusiasm for the role is infectious. He enjoys working on projects that bring the spirit of the commonwealth into the boat named for it—for instance, a table made of wood from the parquet floor of the old Boston Garden and other items made from material from the USS Constitution.

He connected This Old House producers with WPI because he recalled his time in Washburn Shops as a student and knew they could find both the equipment and expertise necessary to finish off the project. No word yet on when the show will air.