WORCESTER, Mass. — Spencer Harding, a resident of Westfield and a member of the Class of 2025 majoring in Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), was part of a student team that recently completed an intensive research project titled Designing a Greywater Biofiltration System in Panama.
At WPI, all undergraduates are required to complete a researchdriven, professional-level project which applies science and technology that addresses an important societal need or issue. About twothirds of students complete a project at one of the university’s 50-plus off-campus project centers, which are located around the world.
A signature element of the innovative undergraduate experience at WPI, the project-based curriculum offers students the opportunity to apply their scientific and technical knowledge to develop thoughtful solutions to real problems that affect the quality of people’s lives — and make a difference before they graduate.
“ The WPI project- based curriculum’s focus on global studies brings students out of the classroom and their comfort zones and into the global community to apply their knowledge and to solve problems,” said Professor Kent Rissmiller, professor of Integrative & Global Studies and associate dean of The Global School. “Students are immersed in all aspects of a different culture, from the way people live and work to the values they hold to the foods they eat — all valuable perspectives for surviving and thriving in today’s global marketplace. They also learn the meaning and magic of teamwork; make a real and meaningful difference in their host community; and gain a competitive edge for any résumé, or graduate- or professional-school application.”
WPI is a top-tier technological university 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.
The university’s pioneering, 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.
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. For full information about the university, visit www.wpi.edu.
