Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The WPI logo
Motto Lehr und Kunst
(theory and practice)
Established 1865
Type Private
Endowment $369 million USD
President Dennis D. Berkey
Faculty 364
Undergraduates 2,825
Postgraduates 949
Location Worcester, MA, USA
Campus Residential, 80 acres
Athletics 18 varsity teams
Colors Crimson & Gray
Nickname Engineers
Mascot The Goat
Website www.wpi.edu
Logo is © Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.

Contents


[edit] History

Worcester Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1865 as the Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science by John Boynton and Ichabod Washburn, two prominent Worcester industrialists. Stephen Salisbury II, Emory Washburn, George Frisbee Hoar, Phillip Moen, Seth Sweetser, David Whitcomb, and Charles O. Thompson were also instrumental in the founding of the school. The collaboration between Boynton, who wanted to teach science, and Washburn, who wanted to teach vocational skills, led to the university's philosophy of "theory and practice." Funding and land grants for the university were given by Stephen Salisbury II, who was an influential merchant and later served as the first president of the Institute's board of directors.[1] Though Boynton died before the first class entered in 1868, and Washburn died shortly afterwards, their contributions to WPI in its infancy are memorialized by Boynton Hall and Washburn Shops, the first two buildings on the campus.[2][3]

Boynton Hall, WPI's main administrative building.
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Boynton Hall, WPI's main administrative building.

WPI was led in its early years by president and professor of chemistry Charles O. Thompson.[4] Early graduates of WPI went on to become mechanical and civil engineers, as well as artisans, bankers, and enter other prominent occupations. WPI continuously expanded its campus and programs throughout the early twentieth century, eventually including graduate studies and a program in electrical engineering. During World War II, WPI offered defense engineering courses and was selected as one of the colleges to direct the V-12 Navy College Training Program.[5]

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During this time, WPI had a very restrictive, stifling environment and curriculum, with little emphasis on faculty governance and student freedom in academics. Furthermore, the lack of a unified library system, well-maintained buildings, and national recognition for the school inhibited any chance for WPI's transcendence beyond a school only recognized regionally. This changed under the leadership of president Harry P. Storke from 1962 to 1969. Storke brought significant change to the school in what would be known as the WPI Plan. The Plan called for the creation of three projects, which are described below, and drastically redesigned the curriculum to address how a student learns. The Storke administration also launched a capital campaign that resulted in the creation of the George C. Gordon Library, added residence halls, an auditorium, and a modern chemistry building. Furthermore, women were first allowed to enter WPI in February of 1968.[6] The WPI Plan is the guiding principle behind undergraduate education at the Institute even today, and is arguably the most unique and most significant contribution WPI has made towards science and engineering education.

Today, WPI is primarily an undergraduate focused institution, though expansion of graduate and research programs are a long-term goal. The WPI Bioengineering Institute is currrently a significant contributor to Worcester's growing biotechnology industry. Significant research in other fields such as metallurgy, untethered health care, fuel cells, applied mathematics and fire protection currently help establish WPI as an important, specialized research university.

[edit] Campus

Earle Bridge.
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Earle Bridge.

WPI is an urban school with what some have called "a suburban feel." The main campus is not gated, but it is entirely WPI owned and no public roads cross this part of the school. WPI sits on Boynton Hill, which sets it apart from the surrounding neighborhood. Situated only one block away from "the Hill" (as it is often referred to) is a stretch of restaurants and stores on Highland Street. A Subway sandwich shop, Tech Pizza, Boomer's Pizza, the Bean Counter (coffee shop), the Sole Proprietor (an upscale seafood restaurant), a consignment shop, Tortilla Sams (a Mexican restaurant), and the Boynton (a bar and grill) are all located there.

You can find a listing of things to do in Worcester (and at WPI) on the SocialWeb. The SocialWeb was created by a former WPI staff member and powers many calendars in the Worcester area including Assumption College and Worcester State College.

[edit] Academics

WPI offers a variety of majors in engineering, science, management, liberal arts, and social science at the undergraduate and graduate level. For a complete list, click here for undergraduate concentrations and here for graduate programs. Unlike many peer universities, WPI currently does not combine related departments into colleges or schools.

WPI's schedule is also unique among most universities. Instead of a normal semester, WPI uses 7-week terms, labeled A-D, with an optional E term in the summer. A term typically begins on the second to last Thursday in August, while D term is usually scheduled to end on the first Tuesday of May. Each term is claimed to be roughly equivalent to a third of a year at another university. Thus, students are able to complete a year's worth of Chemistry, Physics, and Math in only a semester and a half. This faster pace allows for more in-depth study (by a student's senior year, they have already completed a normal four-year course track, essentially giving them an "extra" year), but also is a source of stress among the student body and faculty. The graduate student calendar follows a conventional two semester schedule.

[edit] Project System

WPI's project-based curriculum makes it unique by requiring undergraduate students to complete a Sufficiency in the Liberal Arts, an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) to study the social effects of technology with students from other disciplines, and a Major Qualifying Project (MQP) within their own discipline. These projects are based on WPI's founding principle of theory alongside practice, though were introduced in the last 40 years. Usually, the Sufficiency, IQP, and MQP are completed in the sophomore, junior, and senior years, respectively. The MQP is similar to other schools' "senior thesis," while the IQP is a bit more unusual and sometimes difficult to explain on resumes.

[edit] Global Perspective Program

At WPI, the opportunity to complete significant project work off campus is an integral element of an academic program that emphasizes the practical application of knowledge to meaningful technical and societal problems. Through the Global Perspective Program, over 60% of WPI students complete at least one of their required projects at an off-campus Project Center. Typically, students work under faculty guidance in small teams at Project Cnters to address problems posed by external agencies and organizations.

Through the Global Perspective Program, WPI sends more engineering students abroad than any US college or university. As of the 2006-2007 academic year, the program included established Project Centers for society-technology projects (IQPs) in Worcester; Boston; Washington, DC; San Juan, Puerto Rico; San Jose, Costa Rica; Copenhagen, Denmark; London, England; Venice, Italy; Windhoek, Namibia; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong, PRC; and Melbourne, Australia. Project Centers for senior design or research projects (MQPs) included MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Wall Street, New York; Silicon Valley; Gallo Wineries, California; Limerick, Ireland; Nancy, France; Budapest, Hungary; and Wuhan, PRC. Between 1974, when the first WPI Project Center was established in Washington, DC, and 2006, over 7000 students had completed over 2000 projects in locations around the globe.

The Global Perspective Program was cited by the Association of American Colleges and Universities in 2000, when it named WPI one of 16 Greater Expectations Leadership Institutions to serve as models for the future of undergraduate education in the United States.

[edit] Humanities Project

The Humanities Project, also known as a Sufficiency, is designed to assess well-roundedness in areas outside of technological knowledge. The project consists of five thematically-related courses in the humanities and arts (such as Western literature, musical composition, etc.), and culminates with a course-long independent project. This can be a variety of different things; recent Sufficiency projects include research into contemporary music history, a student giving a flute recital,original screenplays, and critiques of philosophy. Students interested in foreign languages often skip the project and take an additional course, though there are opportunities to do a project. Students who are majoring in a humanities and arts related field do a similar Sufficiency project in a science or engineering discipline.

For more information regarding the Sufficiency, including a list of award-winning projects, visit this page.

The Fountain at WPI was designed as part of a student's IQP. An anemometer adjusts the height of the water based on the wind velocity.
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The Fountain at WPI was designed as part of a student's IQP. An anemometer adjusts the height of the water based on the wind velocity.

[edit] Interactive Qualifying Project

The Interactive Qualifying Project, or IQP, is described as a "project which relates technology and science to society or human needs."[7] This project is very broad in scope, encompassing a wide variety of topics and actions. Generally, IQPs are designed to solve a societal problem using technology. This can range from improving high school science education to redesigning an irrigation system in Thailand. This project is often done off-campus through WPI's Global Perspective Program. From an educational perspective, the IQP serves to emphasize team-based work and introduces a real-world responsibility absent from courses. Many IQPs have made a significant impact on the community in which it is done.

[edit] Major Qualifying Project

The Major Qualifying Project, or MQP, assesses knowledge in a student's field of study. As mentioned above, this project is similar to a senior thesis, with students doing independent research or design. MQPs are often funded by either WPI or external corporations. Topics of MQPs done in the 05-06 academic year include a study of the effects of stress and nicotine on ADHD, the design of a research rocket, experimental research of liquid crystals using atomic force microscopy, and the design of polymers for medicine delivery. [8]

[edit] Rankings and reputation

In 2006, WPI's undergraduate program ranked #64 out of all doctoral universities according to US News and World Report. [9] WPI's innovative undergraduate program also enjoys a strong reputation among education officials; the New England Association of Schools and Colleges favorably commented on the Institute's dedication and unique approach to science and engineering education.[10] Furthermore, WPI's emphasis on international education through the Global Perspective Program has received much acclaim, including awards such as the 2003 TIAA-CREF Theodore Hesburgh Certificate and inclusion in NAFSA: Association of International Educators's list of fifteen universities to be used as models for internationalization.[11]

However, as evidenced by the low peer assessment score given by US News (2.8/5.0), WPI's reputation among other universities is rather modest. This has been attributed to the Institute's research and graduate programs, which are generally weak when compared to peer universities such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Syracuse University. It is due in part to the fact that the Institute does not adhere to a conventional grading, GPA, or class ranking system. Moreover, because of the fast-paced, term based curriculum, professors are strongly urged to focus on their undergraduate students, which leaves them with less time to focus on professional research. The 1994 United States National Research Council report gave poor scores when it came to most of WPI's PhD programs. Although much has changed in WPI's graduate program since 1994, improving graduate education and research is currently one of WPI's most imminent challenges.

[edit] Student life

The Campus Center, where students, faculty, and staff can relax, socialize, and dine.
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The Campus Center, where students, faculty, and staff can relax, socialize, and dine.

WPI's student body stages a number of regular weekly events that students can enjoy. Some of them are listed below.

  • Coffee House - SocComm's Coffee House committee brings local, regional, and national folk artists to Riley Commons every Tuesday night. While listening students can also enjoy hot drinks, snacks, table-top crayon drawing, board games and of course the weekly contest.
  • Friday Night Gaming - An event sponsored by WPI's Science Fiction Society (SFS). The SFS has a stock of various board games in a library at the basement of Riley Hall. Every Friday (even during term breaks and summer vacation), these games will be brought to the Wedge (the space between Morgan and Daniels Hall) so that students can play. It usually starts at 5-6 p.m. and can last to 2 or 3 a.m.
  • Sunday Movies - Hosted by SocComm's Film division. Every Sunday, a new film is shown on the WPI campus. WPI is one of the few universities capable of showing 70 mm movies.

In addition to regularly scheduled campus activities, WPI is host to a number of annual events. These events usually only attract students, though some events, such as Anime Fest and QuadFest, are large enough to draw in off-campus visitors. Some are listed below in order of occurrence.

  • Gaming Weekend - A bi-annual three-day event hosted by the SFS that revolves around games of all sorts: board games, RPGs, video games, and even "Duck, Duck, Goose." It is the first major campus event of the year, usually taking place around Labor Day weekend. It is also held the first weekend of D term.
  • Homecoming - sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations, this fall event brings numerous alumni back to campus to celebrate the past, present, and future of the University.
  • Greek Week - An annual week-long event that begins the week prior to homecoming. Each of the Greek houses compete in several events that include but are not limited to: Capture the flag, water balloon toss, talent show competition, and a float parade on the morning of homecoming.
  • Penny Wars - An annual fundraiser where clubs and Greek organizations on campus compete to raise money for charity. The goal is to collect the most pennies, however, any money other than pennies counts against your score. Most of the money raised is from competing clubs offsetting the competition with dollars or larger denomonations, since it all goes to charity.
  • Anime Fest - An annual showing of Japanese animation hosted by the SFS that usually occurs in December.
  • Winter Carnival - Another event hosted by WPI's Social Committee (SocComm), this event is a week long grouping of smaller events, ending in a major event (such as a concert or a well known preformer).
  • Service Auction - Alpha Phi Omega asks the students, faculty, and staff to donate services such as baking a pie, hoseback riding, or building a sandcastle and then auctions them off to the student body and sourrounding communtiy. The person who donated the highest bid item then selects a charity where all of the raised funds are donated.
  • Dragon Night - An annual celebration, generally meant to tie into Chinese New Year, hosted by WPI's Chinese Student Association (CSA). Dragon Night usually features Chinese food, lion dancing, and other elements of Chinese culture.
  • National Day of Silence - Every year, BiLaGa and other organizations lead an effort on campus for students to observe the National Day of Silence, an event created to raise awareness about those oppressed by various ideologies, such as bigotry and political correctness.
  • QuadFest - The largest event held on campus by the WPI Social Committee (SocComm). It takes place during the final week of the WPI school year. Events include musical acts, movies, and special booths created by WPI clubs and organizations. Information about past QuadFest events can be found in the QuadFest Archives.

[edit] Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI

WPI participates in a collaborative effort with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the high schools of Massachusetts to support a school called the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI.

Mass Academy is an 11th and 12th grade public high school for 100 academically accelerated youths. Juniors receive advanced high school classes at the academy building, with seniors taking the WPI freshman curriculum at the university.

The program emphasizes math and science within a comprehensive, interactive program and is the only public school in Massachusetts whose students attend a university full time as seniors in high school.

[edit] Notable alumni

For more information on notable alumni, please see: the WPI Library's Online Exhibition of Distinguished Alumni or http://www.wpi.edu/News/Conf/Roundtable/Barcelona/alumni.html.

[edit] Notable faculty

WPI has employed several professors whose achievements have made them notable across the nation and the world.

  • In 1995, Biology professor David Adams was the first to create a mouse who suffered from Alzheimers.
  • Former History of Science and Technology professor Michael Sokal is currently serving as the President of the History of Science Society.
  • Kaveh Pahlavan, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering who, during the 90's, helped developed the 802.11 wireless protocols.

[edit] Trivia

  • As a superstition, it is said that stepping foot on the seal in the center of the quadrangle will prevent a student from graduating in four years. In the graduation ceremony, students walk around the seal to get to their seats, but walk over the seal as they leave. Since the seal is relatively new, this rumor may have been deliberately circulated to potential freshmen to help reduce wear.
  • WPI boasts one of 35 civilian research nuclear reactors licensed to operate in the United States. It is the only nuclear reactor in North America to be in a wood-framed building. The Nuclear Engineering program at WPI has been discontinued, and the reactor is not presently in use in any research.
  • WPI has a student organization known as the Skull. Details on the group are scarce due to their tradition of being secretive. Publicly available information includes who their members are. When a person is considered for membership, they are considered "tapped," a word used in official Skull related press releases. Their stated purpose is to preserve the traditions of WPI and act as a sounding board for new ideas from the campus community. They are not associated with the Skull and Bones organization at Yale University. Many WPI faculty have also been inducted into Skull over the years.
  • Once a laboratory for electromagnetic research, the "Skull tomb" was built entirely without ferrous metals. Several years after its construction, electrified trolley tracks were built in Worcester which led to the building's disuse. It served for a time as a site for Robert Goddard's rocket fuel research as the building is relatively isolated from other buildings on campus and Dr. Goddard's research had previously led to explosions on campus. Subsequent to the building earning its present nickname, "Skull" inherrited the building.
  • 'Wedgerat' refers to the students on campus who spend considerable time in the Wedge, located between Daniels and Morgan, or in the Class of 1946 Lounge of the Campus Center (also known as the Octowedge). Wedgerats are usually involved with the Science Fiction Society (SFS) or the Society for Medieval Arts and Sciences (SMAS).
  • The term "gweep," meaning one who hacks on a computer at night, originated at WPI.
  • Usenet flaming is said to have originated at WPI in arguments over computer time. WPI currently maintains wpi.flame.
  • Many of the members of the fanfiction-writing group Eyrie Productions are or were students at WPI, and much of their writing is littered with WPI references. This group was noted for such major work as Undocumented Features, considered by in the anime community as one of the most significant and influential pieces of fan-fiction of the 1990s.
  • In 2003, the door to the (by then abandoned) Gompei's pizzeria was stolen. Administrators were displeased with the act, though several students hailed it as a prank similar to those of WPI's history. Who stole it was never determined, though the most likely suspect (due to photos of the door resting behind his couch) was Jonathan Pesch, '03. After the door was "mysteriously" returned, administrators scraped the painted Gompei's logo off the glass, destroying the last remaining artifact of the original Gompei's.
  • The second debate in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial race between Mitt Romney and Shannon O'Brien was held at WPI's Campus Center. Pictures of the event were limited to certain media outlets; however, Tech News was also able to get exclusive shots of the event. These pictures were later reprinted in the 2003 yearbook.
  • Its newspaper, Tech News, changed its name to Newspeak in the 1970s, then changed its name back to Tech News in 2000.
  • Since 1982 WPI has offered a summer-program for high school science & engineering students named Frontiers.
  • Since 1997, WPI has offered a summer outreach program for girls entering the sixth grade, Camp REACH, to promote women in math & science.
  • Many rooms on the WPI campus have acquired alternate names based on who uses them and how they appear. The Campus Center's Hagglund Room is popularly referred to as "The War Room." The Class of 1946 Lounge (also in the Campus Center) is referred to as the "OctoWedge." At one point, the Odeum in the Campus Center was called "The Big O," though the nickname has fallen into disuse.
  • The 'Two Towers' shown in old WPI logos show the clock tower of Boynton Hall and the arm and hammer weathervane of the Washburn Shops. Boynton and Washburn were the university's first buildings, housing the classrooms and laboratories, respectively. The Two Towers symbolize Theory and Practice, which are the foundation of the university and still the approach used today. [1][2]
  • If a student gets all NRs in a term, it means he/she's failed all his/her classes. The result is that no grades are entered onto his transcript from the term. This is known as a "snowflake," because historically, WPI paper transcripts would show a single asterisk next to each course in place of a grade. It is also meant as a metaphor, because the official transcript will have nothing on it if a student has earned only NRs, making it "as clean as the newly driven snow."
  • The original goat mascot was a live goat, kept by a student, Gompei Kuwada (Class of 1893), in 1891. The Goat was later given to WPI as a gift of the class of 1893. When the goat died, his head was bronzed and mounted. The bronzed goat's head was stolen and shown as a trophy by various groups. In 1928, a caricature model of the goat was created in place of the aging goats head. The Goat's Head Rivalry has been going on and off since then and still takes place today. The former campus pub was named after Gompei. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ WPI's Founding Fathers: Stephen Salisbury II URL accessed on July 23, 2006
  2. ^ WPI's Founding Fathers: John Boynton URL accessed on July 23, 2006
  3. ^ WPI's Founding Fathers: Ichabod Washburn URL accessed on July 23, 2006
  4. ^ Two Towers: The Story of Worcester Tech 1865-1965 URL accessed on July 23, 2006
  5. ^ Two Towers: The Story of Worcester Tech 1865-1965 URL accessed on July 23, 2006
  6. ^ The Miracle at Worcester: The Story of the WPI Plan URL accessed on July 23, 2006
  7. ^ WPI Projects Program URL accessed on July 28, 2006
  8. ^ WPI Project Presentation Day 2006, URL accessed on July 28, 2006.
  9. ^ US News and World Report, URL accessed on July 23, 2006.
  10. ^ NEASC Report on Worcester Polytechnic Institute URL accessed on July 23, 2006
  11. ^ Recognition for WPI URL accessed on July 23, 2006

[edit] External links

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