In this episode of Time To StartUp, we sit down with Professor Rosanna Garcia for a powerful conversation on what it truly means to innovate with purpose. From launching her own companies to working within the industry, Professor Garcia shares the journey that led her back into academia and ultimately to pursuing a PhD. We explore how she has navigated both worlds, business and academia, and how each has shaped her perspective on innovation. She reflects on the lessons learned from building ventures, working in corporate environments, and translating research into real-world impact. At the heart of the conversation is what drives her today: mentoring startups. Professor Garcia shares why supporting early-stage founders brings her the most fulfillment, and how guiding others has become a central part of her mission. This episode is for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, research, and finding meaningful ways to create impact across different paths.

Innovation often begins with one bold experiment.On March 16, 1926, Robert H. Goddard ’08 launched the first successful liquid-fueled rocket—an achievement that changed the future of space exploration.This National Goddard Day, we honor the visionary engineer and Worcester Polytechnic Institute alumnus whose work helped launch the modern space age. 🚀

Happy Pi Day!Today we’re celebrating the most famous number in mathematics: π ≈ 3.14159… and counting. Whether it’s engineering, data science, or physics, the possibilities are as infinite as pi. ♾️

In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we celebrate 100 years since the “Father of Modern Rocketry,” Robert Goddard (Class of 1908), conducted the first successful launch of a liquid-fueled rocket, a development that opened the door to space exploration.  Nikolaos Gatsonis, professor and head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, and John Blandino, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, explain why Goddard’s 1926 launch in Auburn, Mass., was so groundbreaking. They discuss how Goddard also laid the groundwork for the future development of another form of propulsion, electric propulsion for spacecraft.  Gatsonis and Blandino describe how electric propulsion is used widely by vehicles in space today and how WPI faculty and students are conducting research and working on projects that seek to further advance electric propulsion technology, which is one way Goddard’s legacy lives on at WPI.  Related Links: WPI Digital Exhibit: Where the Space Age Began: Robert H. Goddard's WPI Student Days Department of Aerospace Engineering NASA Dawn Mission NASA EO-1 (Earth Observing-1 Mission) NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative

WPI researchers have used a form of artificial intelligence to analyze anatomical changes in the brain and predict Alzheimer’s disease with nearly 93% accuracy. Their research, published in the journal Neuroscience, also revealed that the anatomical changes, involving loss of brain volume, differ by age and sex. “Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult because symptoms can be mistaken for normal aging,” says Benjamin Nephew, assistant research professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology. “We found that machine-learning technologies, however, can analyze large amounts of data from scans to identify subtle changes and accurately predict Alzheimer’s disease and related cognitive states. This advance has informed Alzheimer’s disease research and may lead to methods that could allow doctors to diagnose and treat the disease earlier and more effectively.” Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that impairs mental functions and ultimately leads to death. An estimated 6.9 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Healthy brains contain billions of neurons, the cells that process and transmit signals needed for thought, movement, and other bodily functions. Alzheimer’s disease injures neurons, leading to cell death and loss of brain tissue and associated cognitive functions. Nephew, PhD student Senbao Lu, and Bhaavin Jogeshwar, who received a master's degree from WPI in 2024, conducted their research with MRI scans of brains from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, a multicenter project that built a library of brain scans from people age 69 to 84. The scans depict the brains of people with normal mental functioning, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease. Analyzing data-rich MRI images can require substantial computing power and time. To focus their investigation, the WPI researchers first used machine learning to analyze 815 MRI scans for volume measurements in 95 brain regions. Then they deployed an algorithm to make predictions based upon differences in the measurements between healthy individuals and those with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. Results showed that the method was 92.87% accurate in detecting Alzheimer’s disease among normal brains and brains of people with mild cognitive impairment. Volume loss in the hippocampus, amygdala, and entorhinal cortex were top predictors of Alzheimer’s disease across age and sex categories. The hippocampus is a small seahorse-shaped structure deep in the brain that is responsible for memory and learning. The amygdala, which is made up of two almond-shaped structures, controls emotions. The entorhinal cortex is a hub for memory, navigation, and perception, and it is among the first parts of the brain to be impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Both males and females age 69 to 76, the youngest age group studied, showed loss of brain volume in the right hippocampus. The researchers say that suggests the right hippocampus may be important in early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. “The critical challenge in this research is to build a generalizable machine-learning model that captures the difference between healthy brains and brains from people with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease,” Nephew says. “A generalizable model means that the biomarkers we found are not unique to this dataset but could be universal to all patients with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s.” Differences in male and female brains also emerged. The researchers discovered that volume loss in females occurred in the left middle temporal cortex, which is involved in language, memory, and visual perception. In males, volume loss was notable in the right entorhinal cortex. The degree of these differences was surprising, Nephew says, and may be related to interactions between the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and changes in sex hormones. Some researchers have connected the risk of Alzheimer’s disease to the loss of estrogen in women and testosterone in men as they age. Nephew and WPI students are following up on their Neuroscience publication by evaluating the use of deep leaning models and examining other factors that may impact the brain and Alzheimer’s disease, such as diabetes. The research has attracted WPI students from disciplines ranging from biology and biotechnology to neuroscience, psychology, computer science, and bioinformatics. “This research exemplifies the strength of neuroscience at WPI, which is interdisciplinary and computational,” Nephew says. “The brain is an extremely complicated organ, and we need to think broadly about how to better understand, predict, and treat the diseases that afflict the brain.”

Step inside engineering education in action with Dean on the Scene, featuring Daniel Linzell, the Bernard M. Gordon Dean of Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Instead of a traditional studio interview, this episode takes listeners on a walking tour across campus—through labs, collaborative spaces, and student project environments—offering a firsthand look at how ideas become real-world solutions. Along the way, Dean Linzell shares his journey from nationally recognized structural engineer and National Science Foundation leader to his new role at WPI, reflecting on innovation, experiential learning, and the future of engineering education.  

What does one of the nation’s best returns on investment look like in action? Like this 👇Our recent career fair was buzzing with students connecting directly with top employers. This isn’t just an event. It’s a critical part of the WPI experience that leads to incredible outcomes, like an average starting salary of over $80K and a 40-year ROI valued at $3.4M—higher than Harvard’s or Yale’s.We’re proud to provide the resources that launch such successful careers.

Sometimes, cybersecurity isn’t about passwords or computer chips or networks. Instead, it may be about what’s on your wrist. New research led by WPI faculty members and students shows that electromagnetic signals from smartwatches that connect to cellular networks can be collected and used to make inferences about a wearer’s behavior, activities, and even health. The research is in its early stages, and the team noted that a system they developed to collect signals worked accurately only when smartwatches were within about 5 inches of collection devices. Yet the demonstration revealed a potential security vulnerability that has received little attention, says Xiaoyan (Sherry) Sun, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and an author of the research. “People use smartwatches to monitor their heart rates, send text messages and emails, stream music, and so much more,” Sun says. “It is possible to track that activity to build a profile of a wearer, perhaps for targeted advertising or even criminal activities.” The researchers reported that they developed a system, called MagWatch, to probe smartwatches for “side-channel” weaknesses. Side-channel analysis involves collecting information, such as power use, that is inadvertently leaked by a computer system to gain access to secrets. MagWatch includes a small sensor device to capture and process electromagnetic signals from smartwatch hardware, an algorithm to enhance the signals, and artificial intelligence tools to analyze the data. The research did not include Bluetooth-only smartwatches, which emit less electromagnetic information than smartwatches that are continuously connected to cellular networks. The team experimented by placing a collection device under a desk and capturing signals from nearby Android and Apple smartwatches. Tests showed that the system could match signals emitted by smartwatches to apps for music, video, social media, navigation, health, and banking services. In addition, the signals could be matched to activities taking place within apps, such as recording a voice message or texting, says Jun Dai, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science. “In cybersecurity, we talk about social engineering, which involves learning about a person and gaining their trust so they give up sensitive information,” says Dai. “A side-channel attack on a smartwatch could enable a bad actor to collect a lot of behavioral information that could be used to profile and target that person.” In addition to Sun and Dai, the research team consisted of Haowen Xu, a PhD student in Sun’s lab, and PhD student Tianya Zhao and Assistant Professor Xuyu Wang, both of Florida International University. Sun and Dai are cybersecurity researchers whose work has been supported by the National Science Foundation. At WPI, they lead the DRiving Automotive Industry WorkForce Transformation (DRIFT) program, a $2.5 million five-institution initiative funded by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, led jointly with Oakland University, and focused on developing workforce training to strengthen cybersecurity in the auto industry. Sun says the next step in smartwatch research may involve examining how a wearer’s movement or environmental electromagnetic signals impact the effectiveness of side-channel attacks. Protective measures might include new regulations on data collection, adding shielding to smartwatches, or deploying technologies that jam signal collectors. “As researchers, we know that cyber threats exist, and that convenient technologies can also be vulnerable to hackers,” Sun says. “We want to raise awareness about how much information is available on people’s everyday devices and that there are ways that cyberattacks can gather information about us. That’s why we study this field and focus our research on cybersecurity.”

Wondering what a chemical engineering student learns in the classroom? Watch Professor Steve Kmiotek guide students through distillation column operations—transforming waste vegetation into vehicle fuel.From theory as sophomores to hands-on practice as seniors. Real-world applications, real impact.#ChemicalEngineering #STEMEducation #HigherEd #SustainableEnergy

A newly unified support system and online community for WPI entrepreneurs is aiming to connect student and faculty inventors to outside advisors who can help turn discoveries into commercial success stories. ACIS—which stands for Advising, Connecting, Innovating, and Supporting—brings together WPI offices that support entrepreneurism among students and faculty members. The initiative also revives the university’s use of StartupTree, an online platform that makes it possible for WPI inventors to connect with alumni, mentors, and potential industry partners. “WPI has a history of supporting entrepreneurs and innovators through multiple offices and programs, and ACIS brings all of that support together under one banner,” says Terry Adams, director of the Office of Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “ACIS is not a new program,” says Ardian Preci, director of innovation and entrepreneurship programs for The Business School. “It’s marshalling WPI’s existing resources to help entrepreneurs, whether they are faculty members or students, launch their business ideas.” Innovation and entrepreneurship at WPI flows from the university’s standing as an R1 institution and a leading science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) university with an emphasis on solving real-world problems. Undergraduates conduct independent research, often in interdisciplinary teams, as a requirement for graduation. Students also have access to entrepreneurial education through The Business School, which bridges business and technology to prepare future leaders of the tech economy. Faculty-led startups emerge from multiyear research projects supported by corporate, state, federal, and philanthropic funders. During the academic year that ended June 30, 2025, WPI expenditures on research totaled $79.2 million, including university seed grants awarded to faculty members. Student and faculty ideas have led to diverse startups focused on everything from recycling to artificial intelligence (AI). Ascend Elements, a lithium-ion battery materials company, traces its roots to a startup co-founded in 2015 by Yan Wang, the William B. Smith Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Cyvl, a data company powered by artificial intelligence, was founded in 2021 to map public infrastructure after Daniel Pelaez ’20 discovered during a summer job that towns had no good digital technology to map problems such as potholes and broken signs. “Startups launched with technology that traces back to WPI currently employ more than 500 employees and have raised more than $1.7 billion in capital,” Adams says. During an event to launch ACIS in November at WPI’s Innovation Studio, representatives from the newest wave of student and faculty startups briefly pitched their ideas to WPI faculty, students, staff, alumni, and outside advisers. Student startup ideas ranged from Braille language instruction technology to online business tools for contractors. Faculty members pitched startups focused on advanced materials and energy, sustainable construction, and precision manufacturing. The next ACIS event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 11, 2026, at the Innovation Studio. To build the ACIS network of advisors and mentors, organizers are seeking individuals with industry or startup experience, alumni interested in mentoring, experts in STEM fields, and people from the investment industry who are interested in getting an early look at startup opportunities. Those who volunteer will have a chance to give back to WPI, network, and shape new ventures. Preci says the next step for ACIS, as it builds out its network, will be to bring startup advisors and business mentors together with students and faculty members on StartupTree. “The important thing is to connect our student and faculty entrepreneurs with people outside of WPI who can provide expert feedback on ideas and connect our community to the resources that will launch innovations into the marketplace,” Preci says.