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LATEST WPI NEWS
- WPI’s Yan Wang Named Fellow of the National Academy of InventorsWorcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Professor Yan Wang, the William B. Smith Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, has been elected a 2025 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI)—the highest professional distinction awarded exclusively to academic inventors. Wang is among 185 exceptional inventors selected for the 2025 class, which includes 169 U.S. Fellows and 16 international Fellows. Collectively, this year’s cohort holds more than 5,300 U.S. patents and includes Nobel laureates, National Medal recipients, and members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. A global leader in battery recycling and sustainable manufacturing, Wang is widely recognized for pioneering a hydrometallurgical process that recycles lithium-ion batteries at industrial scale. His innovations have produced 12 U.S. patents and have led directly to the creation of two companies, including the industry-leading Ascend Elements and AM Batteries. His work has received numerous national accolades, including the inaugural Bayh-Dole “Faces of American Innovation” award. He was also named to the NAI Class of Senior Fellows in 2022.
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- 3D-Printed Scaffolds for New Blood VesselsYonghui Ding holds a 3D-printed scaffold The tiny opaque tube that Yonghui Ding holds up to the light in his laboratory looks like a bit of debris from a dismantled ball point pen. Just 1 centimeter long and about 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter, the biodegradable tube is too small for the grooves and channels on its surfaces to be easily visible. Yet those microscopic textures represent an advance that Ding, an assistant professor in WPI’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, thinks may someday lead to big improvements in heart bypass surgeries. In a new paper in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials, Ding and research collaborators from Northwestern University reported that they developed a rapid 3D-printing process using biodegradable “ink” and light to produce tubular implantable scaffolds with grooves and channels. The textures created pathways for cells to migrate across the implant’s surfaces and line up with each other, a critical step in regenerating blood vessels to the heart. “The goal of this research is to regenerate arteries, not just replace them,” says Ding. “To achieve that goal, it will be important to develop grafts that temporarily provide the structure for tissue growth and enable new cells to grow into healthy and functional blood vessels.” The research aims to improve surgical treatment for one of the nation’s leading public health challenges—heart disease. The leading cause of heart attacks is blockage in the vessels supplying blood to the heart. A common surgical treatment is coronary artery bypass grafting, which involves attaching a vein or synthetic tube to reroute circulation around a blockage to restore healthy blood flow to the heart.
LATEST ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Craig Wills Named Interim Dean of Arts and SciencesSenior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Andrew Sears announced today that Craig Wills, professor of computer science, has agreed to serve as interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, effective Jan. 1, as the university conducts a search for a permanent dean. Jean King, Peterson Family Dean of Arts and Sciences, is stepping down from the role at the end of this month. A member of the WPI community since 1990, Wills has served in many campus roles, including as head of the Department of Computer Science for more than 11 years. Under his guidance, the department experienced tremendous growth and transformation, becoming the largest department on campus; its research enterprise quadrupled in expenditures and PhDs produced. Wills oversaw a 50% increase in full-time faculty and was an advocate for the development of new interdisciplinary programs in data science, cybersecurity, and neuroscience. His work to position computer science as a hub of collaboration across campus has fostered a collegial community of high-quality faculty, talented students, and dedicated staff. Wills earned his BS in computer science from the University of Nebraska and his MS and PhD in computer science from Purdue University. His research interests include internet application performance and measurement; security and privacy; distributed systems; networking; operating systems; human-computer interaction; computer science education and workforce; and the data-driven analysis of higher education, geography, and sports. He has published extensively and advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students throughout his career. He is a member of the IEEE Computer Society and the Association for Computing Machinery. WPI extends its thanks to Craig for his willingness to serve and Jean for more than eight years of dedicated service to the School of Arts and Sciences, to WPI, and to higher education as a whole.
- IMGD Graduate Student’s Game Receives Award for Excellence in DesignBashar Alqassar Bashar Alqassar, a graduate student in the Department of Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD), was awarded the Boston Festival of Indie Games (BostonFIG) award for Excellence in Digital Design on December 7, 2025, for his game, A Color Theory. BostonFIG is an annual event where dozens of locally developed independent games are showcased, and a select few are recognized with awards for excellence in 14 different aspects of the medium. Hundreds of games apply annually to be nominated. The Excellence in Digital Design award recognizes games that excel in the aspect of game design, mechanics, and innovation. Alqassar began working on A Color Theory one year ago in an experimental course that explored designing experiences around the concept of generative AI taught by Gillian Smith, director of the IMGD program. He developed the prototype for the game as his final project, linking themes related to generative AI embedded in the project, while keeping the game free of AI-generated content. A Color Theory is a puzzle game where colors determine what an object does in the game world. Instead of navigating a character to a flag in each level, you are guiding any blue object to any yellow object, no matter the shape of the object or what it is. Spikes sometimes don’t hurt you, sometimes you are the spikes, sometimes the spikes are the goal of the level. “The game is all about playing with your expectations of established game tropes and obscuring puzzle solutions in abstraction.” Bashar says. “I did not expect this game to go as far as it did, and I am extremely thankful for all the support and feedback I have received along the way.” You can find a free demo for the game on Steam
- WPI 2026 Digital Desktop CalendarWPI's Office of Lifetime Engagement is wishing you a healthy and happy new year! Enjoy this 2026 digital desktop calendar. Simply right click on each image to save, then set it as your desktop background and be reminded of your alma mater all year long!