Thoughts of a Bright Future

Dear WPI Community,

With pride and great joy, WPI will send the Class of 2025 over Earle Bridge. This class of undergraduate and graduate students has persevered through a global pandemic and geopolitical uncertainty. Their determination, resourcefulness, and care for one another made WPI a better and more compassionate institution. Thank you, Class of 2025, for teaching and shaping us even as we taught you.

Their prospects for success are bright. This year, WPI ranks 18th on the U.S. News & World Report list of “Colleges with the Best Return on Investment” among ranked four-year universities and colleges. As our alumni understand so well, WPI graduates excel in professional life because as students they learned to excel at critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork, leading to a lifetime of changemaking and leadership.

Commencement inevitably brings thoughts of the future and hope for a better world to come. I believe this: The future belongs to those who have the capability and motivation to push boundaries, to explore, to discover, to create value that truly matters to our society—and to lead. 

This year, WPI earned the coveted R1 designation from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation. This places WPI in the highest category of research institutions. Behind that designation are a host of projects and people whose work is vital to ensuring WPI’s high value to students and the world for years to come.

In this moment, multiple scientific and technological advances are unfolding at once—in artificial intelligence, data science, computing, life sciences, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. This is truly a polytechnic era.

WPI is powering some of the leading researchers and scholars who are shaping these fields. They bring the discovery of knowledge and innovative thinking to their classrooms, project centers, and research labs. They motivate students to think critically and creatively, opening their horizons and paving exciting career pathways. They collaborate with corporate partners. They build startup companies. 

Together, we are building a dynamic research and innovation ecosystem. 

Associate Professor of Robotics Engineering Haichong (Kai) Zhang and his students are developing an innovative robotic system to help enhance kidney transplant screening.

Inspired by origami, Associate Professor of Robotics Engineering Cagdas Onal, Associate Professor of Robotics Engineering Berk Calli, and Assistant Professor of Robotics Engineering Loris Fichera are developing a lightweight, flexible robotic arm that will enable a wheelchair user to safely grasp, lift, and carry objects that would otherwise be out of reach.

Professor Michael Timko in the Department of Chemical Engineering and his students are developing a process for wastewater treatment plants that shows promise in removing PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.”

Assistant Professor Sarah Stanlick of the Department of Integrative and Global Studies has begun exposing first-year students to AI tools to explore how they work, to think critically about those tools’ potential benefits and risks to individuals and communities, and to consider ethical questions involving the emerging technology. 

Associate Professor Tian Guo of the Department of Computer Science will leverage her research on quantum networks, computers, and simulators to develop computer science techniques and tools, course modules and hands-on activities, that will prepare our students for careers in the emerging field of quantum cloud computing.

Like each of these professors and our newly minted Class of 2025, we have our eyes on shaping the future even as higher education as a sector is facing significant challenges. We are focused on our core mission: education, research, and the student experience as we navigate through a shifting industry landscape and changing policies.

This is the surest path toward the bright future we envision for our students and for WPI.

Sincerely,

Grace