Below is a press release from Worcester Polytechnic Institute via Merit:
WORCESTER, MA — Almost 1,200 undergraduate students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) completed a senior capstone thesis that is required of all graduating seniors as part of the university’s distinctive project-based educational experience. Known as Major Qualifying Projects (MQP), these are professional-level research experiences in the students’ fields of study that challenge students to solve the kind of problem they would typically encounter in their professional discipline.
“It’s inspiring to see the creativity and skills that our students bring to these hands-on projects, as well as the professionalism with which they present their research,” says Arne Gericke, interim dean of undergraduate studies and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. “Their experience managing a major project like this-including identifying a problem and researching all of the implications and possible solutions while also managing team dynamics over an extended period of several months-sets them up well for success not only in their first jobs after graduation but throughout their careers.”
WPI’s innovative undergraduate education is centered around project-based learning, a hands-on approach that requires students to apply their scientific and technical knowledge to real-world, open-ended problems. During their time at WPI, all students complete two significant research projects that produce tangible results and often affect the quality of people’s lives. These projects change both the student and their world.
MQPs are usually team-based and often focus on specific issues or needs of an organization that has partnered with the university to sponsor the students’ work. In addition to providing practical work experience that proves valuable to future employers, MQPs often lead to publications in peer-reviewed journals, presentations at regional and national conferences, patents, and entrepreneurial ventures. Others become useful innovations and products for their corporate sponsors.
The following Wilmington students completed an MQP:
- Ryan Forcina, majoring in Biomedical Engineering, class of 2025, completed a project titled “A wound healing patch incorporating tissue derived ECM
- Justin Healey, majoring in Computer Science, class of 2025, completed a project titled “Mapping Global China: Visualization Design and Development
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute
WPI is a top-tier STEM-focused research university and a recognized pioneer and global leader in project-based learning. Founded in 1865 on the principle that students learn most effectively by applying the theory learned in the classroom to the practice of solving real-world problems, WPI’s continued mission is to transform lives, turn knowledge into action to confront global challenges, and revolutionize STEM through distinctive and inclusive education, projects, and research. WPI’s project-based curriculum engages undergraduates in solving important scientific, technological, and societal problems throughout their education and at more than 50 project centers around the world. Today WPI offers more than 70 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs across 18 academic departments in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts. To help address ongoing challenges, improve lives, and help create a more sustainable world, WPI faculty and students pursue groundbreaking research in such areas as the life sciences, smart technologies, materials and manufacturing, and global initiatives.
Like Wilmington Apple on Facebook. Follow Wilmington Apple on Twitter. Follow Wilmington Apple on Instagram. Subscribe to Wilmington Apple’s daily email newsletter HERE. Got a comment, question, photo, press release, or news tip? Email wilmingtonapple@gmail.com.
Wilmington Apple 