Alumnus

Ludwig Boltzmann was unsatisfied with fluid theory (Navier-Stokes Eq., etc.) as it lacked a microscopic theory that could explain the irreversibility at the core of thermodynamics. He committed himself to show how the disbelieved notion of atoms could unravel fluid dynamics into a stochastic particle theory. This talk is about my research program to similarly find a microscopic and ballistic theory of “particles” that generates quantum mechanics, while staying within the guard rails of Einstein’s notion of “realism”. We will visit several less traveled areas of quantum theory and mathematics while following a path to this goal and end with a demonstration of a computational demonstration.David Cyganski Professor Emeritus, Electrical and Computer Engineering, RBE - WPIAll Faculty and students are welcome and encouraged to join us! Physics Department Room 218

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Celebrating 50+ years of WPI 's Chemical Engineering Department. This event will showcase the late Professor Ed Ma’s contributions, as told by current faculty touched by his work. Current faculty will also be recognized for their many achievements in the department and the new department head will be introduced. Advanced registration is requested for this event.Rubin Campus Center, Odeum · $25

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Grab your classmates and head to one of our campus dining halls to dine alongside our students! Morgan Dining Hall and the Rubin Campus Center food court are both great options. Morgan Dining Hall: All-you-can-eat buffet; $13.50 per personRubin Campus Center Food Court: À la carte pricing on all items

REGISTER WHO'S COMING TO HOMECOMING?Need an afternoon pick-me-up? Stop by our Community Coffee for coffee, tea, and a light snack when you arrive on campus. Alumni affinity group leaders, leaders of student organizations, faculty and staff members will be on-hand to welcome you to campus and chat with you about what's happening at WPI today. Advanced registration is requested for this event.The Alumni Center at Higgins House · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING TO HOMECOMING?Members of the 50th Reunion Class of 1975 will kick off their golden anniversary weekend with a private cocktail reception in Higgins House. Reunion celebrants will be inducted in the Fifty-Year Associates. Open to members of the Class of 1975 and their guests. Advanced registration is requested for this event.Innovation Studio · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING TO HOMECOMING?The Computer Science department is holding this event during Homecoming Weekend to give CS alumni an opportunity to network with each other and CS faculty members. Light refreshments will be available. Advanced registration is requested for this event.Unity Hall · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?The WPI Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1983 to honor the best that WPI Athletics has to offer. It was conceived and founded on the basis that many individuals have bestowed honor and recognition upon both themselves and WPI as a result of their involvement in WPI athletics.Join us on Friday, September 26 to honor the newest members of the Athletic Hall of Fame:Jeffrey Baker ’11, Track & FieldGabriela Hoops ’19, Women’s SoccerMatthew Mercer ’94, FootballVeroniki Nikolaki '16, Swim & DiveLiz Pellegrini '16, Track & FieldNick Triantafell '86, Wrestling In addition, Brian Daly ’91 will be presented with the Frank C. Harrington (1898) Award in recognition of his distinguished and significant contributions to the WPI Athletics Program.Also, the Poly Club Executive Committee is reviving a tradition of celebrating special teams in our athletics history and the following will be recognized: '83-'84 Women's Basketball'84-'85 Men's Basketball'84-'85 WrestlingThis event is open to all members of the WPI community. Doors open at 5:00; dinner and programming to commence at 6:00. Includes dinner and cash bar service. Advanced registration is required for this event.Rubin Campus Center, Odeum · $55 per person

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Grab your classmates and head to one of our campus dining halls to dine alongside our students! Morgan Dining Hall and the Rubin Campus Center food court are both great options. Morgan Dining Hall: All-you-can-eat buffet; $15.00 per personRubin Campus Center Food Court: À la carte pricing on all itemsSpecial gathering spaces and opportunities will be available for reunion classes in Morgan Dining Hall during dinner hours on Friday and Saturday.

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) alumni are invited to gather in our exclusive GOLD Lounge to kick off Homecoming Weekend. Snacks and bar service will be provided. Advanced registration is requested for this event.Sports & Recreation Center · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING TO HOMECOMING?Start your day with coffee and a light breakfast with friends. Alumni affinity group leaders, leaders of student organizations, faculty and staff members will be on-hand to welcome you to campus and chat with you about what's happening at WPI today. Plus, you will hear directly from President Grace Wang about the state of WPI today, recent achievements, and all the latest news and highlights. Advanced registration is requested for this event.Alden Memorial · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Sponsored in part by the Alumni Association. Join your herd on the Quad for food, games, music, giveaways, trivia, arts and crafts, and our famous "Stuff-a-Goat" activity. Access to the Quad is open to all; however, registration and the purchase of a wristband is required to access various activities and food vendors. Food and beverage products and some activities available while supplies last. Special gathering spaces and opportunities will be available for reunion classes. Advanced registration is requested and encouraged for this event. More information to come.Trivia! Challenges! Prizes!Do you remember your WPI history? Think you could still solve a Calc 1 problem? Or sing the alma mater? We're putting you to the test during "The Herd Comes Home" Gathering on the Quad. As you answer trivia questions or solve challenges at the stations on the Quad, you'll collect stamps and prizes along the way and earn an entry into our raffle drawing! More information available on campus during Homecoming.Quad · $20 Attendees Age 11 Years or Older, $15 Attendees Age 10 Years or Younger, $5 Current WPI Students

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Get to know the WPI of today with a campus tour! Tour guides will show you around and share information on recent renovations, sustainability efforts, and about how philanthropy supports life on campus. More information to come.Location TBD · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Grab your classmates and head to one of our campus dining halls to dine alongside our students! Morgan Dining Hall and the Rubin Campus Center food court are both great options. Morgan Dining Hall: All-you-can-eat buffet; $13.50 per personRubin Campus Center Food Court: À la carte pricing on all items

REGISTER WHO'S COMING TO HOMECOMING?WPI Football takes on Coast Guard Academy in this NEWMAC Conference showdown!Plus, don't miss the halftime show, which will include a performance by WPI's Marching and Pep Band, recognition of Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees, a rousing rendition of the alma mater performed by the Student Alumni Society and the Skull, and the presentation of the First-Year Student of the Year Award.Tickets must be purchased to attend the game. To purchase tickets, click here.Alumni Stadium · Ticket Purchase Required

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Get to know the WPI of today with a campus tour! Tour guides will show you around and share information on recent renovations, sustainability efforts, and about how philanthropy supports life on campus. More information to come.Location TBD · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?The Homecoming Parade is back! And this time, we're inviting our alumni to be part of it. After the football game, members of reunion classes ending in 0 and 5, award recipients, and others will take part in a special Alumni Bridge Crossing before embarking on our traditional march around the Quad. Advanced registration is requested for this event.Quad · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?The Alumni Association will present awards for professional achievement and service to WPI. Honorees will be announced soon.In addition, reunion classes will present their reunion gifts and members of the 50th reunion class of 1975 who have not already been inducted into the Fifty-Year Associates this weekend will be inducted. The program will be followed by a reception where attendees can meet and get to know our honorees. Includes light appetizers and cash bar service. Advanced registration is requested for this event.Alden Memorial · FREE 2025 Alumni Association Award RecipientsRobert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement David R. Doherty ‘85Maneesh Goyal ‘95Dr. Lothar W. Kleiner ‘70David A. Ross ‘90Ichabod Washburn Young Alumni Award for Professional Achievement ​Marta K. Asack ‘05Dr. Laura E. Holberger ‘05Kate Olguin ‘20Adam Panzica ’10, MS’13 Herbert F. Taylor Alumni Award for Distinguished Service to WPI ​John F. Gabranski ‘75Michael E. Aspinwall ’75William R. Grogan Award for Support of the Mission of WPI Paula M. (Fragassi) Delaney ’75Goat’s Head Award for Lifetime Commitment to WPIPatrick T. Moran ‘65

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?WPI Field Hockey takes on Springfield College in this NEWMAC Conference showdown!Tickets are not required to attend this game.Alumni Stadium · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Grab your classmates and head to one of our campus dining halls to dine alongside our students! Morgan Dining Hall and the Rubin Campus Center food court are both great options. Morgan Dining Hall: All-you-can-eat buffet; $15.00 per personRubin Campus Center Food Court: À la carte pricing on all itemsSpecial gathering spaces and opportunities will be available for reunion classes in Morgan Dining Hall during dinner hours on Friday and Saturday.

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) alumni are invited to gather in our exclusive GOLD Lounge. Snacks and bar service will be provided. Advanced registration is requested for this event.Sports & Recreation Center · FREE

REGISTER WHO'S COMING TO HOMECOMING?Open to members of the 50th reunion class of 1975 and their guests. Reunion celebrants who have not already been inducted into the Fifty-Year Associates this weekend will be inducted. Registration for this event includes dinner, tableside wine service, and cash bar service, plus registration for the Decades Dance! Advanced registration is requested for this event.Rubin Campus Center, Odeum · Early Bird Price: $50; Standard Price: $75Much gratitude to Judy Nitsch ’75, Hon.'15 for her generous support of WPI’s Homecoming and the Class of 1975 50th Reunion Dinner Banquet, helping to reduce the early registration cost to $50. Early bird registration pricing for this event is available through September 1.

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?Open to the classes of 1974 and prior. The classes of 1970, 1965, 1960, 1955, and 1950 will have their reunions recognized during this special dinner event. Registration for this event includes dinner, tableside wine service, and cash bar service, plus admission to the Decades Dance! Advanced registration is requested for this event.Rubin Campus Center, Odeum · $75

REGISTER WHO'S COMING?It's a blast from the past! Every era has its signature clothing styles, music, and dance moves. Dress up in fashion from your class's decade and close out your Saturday by showing off your decade-appropriate moves at our Decades Dance. Open to all alumni. Cockail hour 7 to 8 with cash bar service and light appetizers; bar service will be remain open throughout the event. Prizes will be awarded for best decades fashions!Alden Memorial · $15

REGISTER BY SEPTEMBER 30WHO'S COMING First-of-Its-Kind in Explosion Protection EngineeringThe Explosion Protection Engineering Program at WPI is the first in the United States to take a unified approach to explosion protection that encompasses all applications and industries. Dedicated to advancing the science and practice of explosion protection, WPI’s comprehensive program is designed to equip professionals with theoretical knowledge and practical skills, preparing students for the complexities and challenges of explosion hazards everywhere including some types of batteries, chemicals, and even food dust. Meet the PresentersAli Rangwala, Ph.D is a professor in Fire Protection Engineering. His research interests include problems related to industrial fire and explosion problems. His courses include Explosion Dynamics, Explosion Protection, Industrial Fire Protection, Fire Dynamics, Combustion, and Heat and Mass Transfer.Stephen Kmiotek '80 MS'82, Ph.D '86 is a professor of practice in chemical engineering whose focus is to bring his 30 years of experience in the chemical and environmental industries to the undergraduate classes. Steve's focus has been on Chemical Process Safety, Environmental, Health and Safety, and, Air Pollution Engineering.Jagannath Jayachandran, Ph.D., is associate professor for Aerospace Engineering. His research is aimed toward understanding fundamental aspects of reacting flows at thermodynamic conditions of relevance to aircraft, rocket, and automobile propulsion.Hannah Murray '21, MS'22 and current Ph.D. student states "This program will be incredibly valuable in building working professionals who can help rationalize, solve, and justify solutions to complex industry problems. There are problems that we don't have all the answers for. I am looking forward to taking courses with experienced professors and conducting research in the advanced facilities available at WPI.”Andrew Goetz is a current student in the Masters of Explosion Protection Engineering Program. Wednesday, October 1, 2025The Alumni Center at Higgins House10:00 Guest Social10:30 Welcome Remarks10:45 Featured Presentation11:30 Presentation ConcludesSalisbury Labs, 21411:45 FPE Combustion Lab Tour12:30 Program Concludes This program is hosted by WPI Voyagers. Members of the WPI community, age 55+ and having a keen interest in continued engagement with WPI, are invited to join us for this program.Parking passes are required and provided via registration confirmation email.Please register by September 30 to receive/print your parking pass.More about the Explosion Protection Engineering ProgramDesigned amid growing concerns about fire and explosion risk posed by manufacturing facilities and advancing technologies like electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells, the new program builds on WPI’s esteemed legacy in Fire Protection Engineering, which has been at the forefront of fire safety education and research since its inception in 1978. Explosions, whether related to battery and energy production and storage, accidental industrial incidents, unintended combustion of manufacturing materials, or intentional bombings, have led to catastrophic consequences. Notable examples include the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion (2010), the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in Massachusetts (2016), and the Surprise, Arizona energy storage system explosion (2019). These events have resulted in deaths, countless injuries, and billions of dollars in damages.

Fire Protection Engineering DepartmentFPE SEMINAR SERIESFriday, October 3, 202511:00 am – Noon50 Prescott Street, Gateway II, Room 1226https://wpi.zoom.us/j/320855113Analysis of Leak and Explosion from an Underground Pipeline in Kaohsiung, Taiwan ABSTRACTOn 11:57 PM, July 31 of 2014, a destructive explosion occurred in downtown Kaohsiung which resulted in 32 fatalities and more than 300 injuries. The explosion was caused by a leak and ignition of propylene vapor from an underground pipeline. The background of the pipeline, cause of leak, spread of the vapor, response of the leak, identification of a possible ignition source, extent of the damage were analyzed in detail. Measures that were taken to prevent future any incident were also summarized.BIOGRAPHYJenq-Renn Chen is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST), Taiwan. Previously, he has held the position as Chairman of the Department, Dean of College of Engineering, and the Vice President in National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology (NKFUST). NKFUST was merged into NKUST from February 2018. He is also in charge of the Taiwan EPA Southern Emergency Response Team, which provided emergency response of chemical incidents to southern Taiwan. He received MSc and PhD from Imperial College, London, UK, both in Chemical Engineering. He has 2 US patents, 6 Taiwan patents, and authored more than 60 refereed papers in international journals, all in the broad range of chemical process safety. He also participated in more than 200 hazardous chemical and gas emergency responses and incident investigations in Taiwan, including the catastrophic Kaohsiung explosion in 2014. His current research interests are gas explosion, ignition mechanism, and fundamental aspects of chemical releases.

Theatre Fall production-The Importance of Being EarnestBy Oscar WildeDirected by Dr. Kate MoncriefWPI Little Theatre (in Riley Hall)Thurs, Nov 20 at 7:30pmFri, Nov 21 at 7:30pm (with a talk-back after the performance)Sat, Nov 22 at 2pm Tickets will be available here (starting in late Oct / early Nov):

All residential halls and houses will be closing on Saturday, December 13th at 5pm. Students are encouraged to leave within 24 hours of their last final.Before you leave campus, please be sure to: Close/lock window(s) Open shades/drapesPull items away from heat sources Empty garbage/ remove perishables. Completely clean out refrigerators. Turn off lights/lock door Return rental textbooks Take home all essential personal belongings as you will not have access to your space. (Medication, Passports, Etc.)Take your WPI room key and WPI ID card with you. Store them in a safe place and bring back with you when you return to campus!