Energy Sustainabilty Project Center
Director, Professor Paul Mathisen, Kaven Hall 209E
This center supports and helps to coordinate project work (both MQPs and IQPs) in all aspects of energy and across all areas of academic inquiry at WPI. A goal is to promote the use of innovative technologies and approaches to meet on-campus, regional, and global energy challenges. The principles of sustainability, with consideration to economics, the environment, and social justice, are emphasized in all of the Center’s activities. The Center’s objectives are to
support and to facilitate the organization of project teams and advisors to address problems involving sustainability and energy. Areas of interest range from traditional and renewable forms of energy to the use of systems approaches to address the relationships between energy and societal needs such as buildings, transportation, food and water. Center activities include the following: communication of WPI’s activities in the energy area both internally and externally; establishment of a clearinghouse for project topics and the formation of project teams; organization of a forum for discussion of major energy-related topics, highlighting excellent energy-related projects; and identifying externally-sponsored projects. For more information contact Prof. Paul Mathisen (mathisen@wpi.edu).
STEM Education Project Center
Director, Kathy Chen
The heart of the STEM Education Project Center is captured in the quote by Leila Janah, “Talent is equally distributed but opportunity is not.” Projects associated with this Center focuses on transforming PreK-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education to be high-quality, equitable, and culturally relevant. With the goal of improving PreK-12 STEM education opportunities for all children, our objectives include: 1) providing engaging and inclusive STEM activities to diverse audiences, 2) examining the educational opportunity gaps in different contexts, and 3) supporting informal and formal educators in STEM. Some projects may be to design, develop, and test hands-on, standards-aligned, PreK-12 STEM; to examine STEM education in a global context; and to develop sustainable relationships between WPI and local non-profits around STEM opportunities. In addition, the teaching practicum requirement in the Teacher Preparation Program is typically done as an IQP during A&B or C&D terms. These projects (MQPs and IQPs) are in partnership with the STEM Education Center at WPI and PreK-12 schools, afterschool programs, non-profits, and educators. Faculty are invited to bring projects under the STEM Education Project Center. For more information, please contact Kathy Chen (kcchen@wpi.edu) and go to https://www.wpi.edu/+stem.
Sustaining WPI Project Center
Co-Directors, Suzanne LePage and Derren Rosbach
There is a great deal of interest in enhancing the sustainability of WPI – both as an institution and as a campus. The Sustaining WPI Project Center was developed to support and coordinate project work (primarily IQPs) developed around these interests. Project topics are proposed by the project teams based on their sustainability interests and in coordination with faculty advisors and the WPI Office of Sustainability. The intent is to address all aspects of sustainability as outlined in the WPI Sustainability Plan: campus facilities, the educational curriculum, research and scholarship, as well as civic engagement. The Center sponsors IQPs in D-term each year with student preparations beginning in C-term. For more information contact Suzanne LePage (slepage@wpi.edu).