This virtual event provides us all with the opportunity to share and celebrate the hard work and many ways in which the WPI community is contributing to envision a sustainable future.
WPI students have submitted sustainability-themed projects in one of three categories: first-year, undergraduate, and graduate. These sustainability-themed projects each address a present societal need without compromising our ability to meet the needs of future generations. Projects address environmental, social, and/or economic themes that relate to sustainability. The judges for this year’s competition include WPI staff and faculty as well as regional sustainability experts. We are especially thankful for their support.
Congratulations and thanks to all of our participants, and a congratulations to this year’s winning projects.
Special thanks also go to Dianne Begreen, Lori Ostapowicz-Critz, and Anna Gold, and for their technical assistance, dedication, and support for sustainability in coordinating the event and website.
The projects in the three areas are as follows:
| First Year Projects |  |
| Undergraduate Projects |  |
3. Algae Potential For Carbon Dioxide Reduction and Removal
4. Analysis of a Novel, Sustainable Magnesium Production Process
5. An Evaluation of Influential Variables on the Energy Efficiency of Hydrothermal Liquefaction
6. Bioinspired Design of Novel Reinforced Concrete Elements
7. Cooperative GIS Mapping for Massachusetts Communities and the MassDOT
8. Designing an Algal Co-Culture System for Increased Sustainability in Cellular Agriculture
9. Developing a Net-Zero Framework for the WPI Campus
10. Evaluation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Eilat
11. Exploring Iterative Applications of Machine Learning on Pyrolysis of Plastics
12. Feasibility Study of Food Waste to Energy System: Hydrothermal Liquefaction
14. Locating and Valuing Available Wood Sources in Princeton, MA
15. Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater
16. Preparing for the Rise: A Study of Boston’s Sea Level & Designs for Coastal Resiliency
18. The Path of the American Eel
| Graduate Projects |  |
19. Enhancement of Drying Rate of Moist Porous Media with Electric Field
20. Enzymatic Self-Healing Materials
21. Experimental Study of Drying of Paper with Ultrasound Mechanism
22. Hydrometallurgical Processing of Bauxite Residue for Recovery of Value-added Products
23. Mobile Data Collections for Mental Illness Screening
24. Optimized Metals Separation for Remanufacturing of Product-Centric Recycled and Reclaimed Scrap
25. Reducing Carbon Footprint of Energy-Intensive Industrial Drying by Smart Dryers
26. Simulations for Transportation Policy Modeling
For more WPI sustainability projects, also see the 12th Annual Sustainability Project Competition site!
For more information on WPI’s programs, please feel free to visit the following sites: