When Bella Perry visited WPI as a high school senior, her student tour guide talked about the cancer cell research she was working on. Perry was hooked. “I thought it would be so cool if I could do some meaningful research when I’m an undergrad. I didn’t really know that was a possibility,” says Perry ’28, a biology and biotechnology major who is now doing genetics research in Assistant Professor Karl-Frédéric Vieux’s lab. Her work examines how the expression of specific proteins involved in modifying RNA affects the embryonic development of tiny worms called C. elegans. The goal, Perry says, is that “whatever we find in this research can be applied to human women one day.” Because she’s long been interested in women’s health, Perry is thrilled to be contributing to research that could eventually benefit women. Now starting her junior year at WPI, she’s in awe when she looks back on the opportunities she’s had to develop her technical skills—and confidence—since A-Term of her first year. That’s when Perry was accepted into an extracurricular program originally called U-RISE@WPI, where she could learn about biomedical research as a career and get help finding research opportunities at WPI. She was over the moon to begin volunteering in Vieux’s lab. As someone who learns best by doing, she says, “I knew that if I wanted to make the stuff I was learning in lecture click with me, I needed to do hands-on work. Then I could make that connection in my brain and see the bio actually happening in real life.”Number crunching U-RISE@WPI was funded by a $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2024. Perry and 24 other first-year students made up the program’s second cohort, and in spring 2025 she was one of three students selected to continue on and receive additional mentoring, a stipend for summer and academic year research, and tuition assistance for the next three years. Later that spring, though, the federal government canceled the entire U-RISE program, leaving colleges and universities around the country without funds to cover established undergraduate research training projects, including for Perry and five other WPI student participants chosen to work in biomedical labs. “But we believed in our program so much that we said, ‘We’re just going to keep doing this.’ And we actually expanded,” says Kristen Billiar, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and co-principal investigator (PI) on the original U-RISE grant. Another co-PI, Carissa Olsen, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, says, “We were basically in problem-solving mode: What are the most critical parts of this program, and how can we make them work knowing that we’re losing the financial support?” Billiar, Olsen, and their third co-PI, Elizabeth Ryder (a professor, now retired, in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology), decided the core of the program was mentoring. So they figured out how to continue that without the federal dollars, paring down their planned programming and focusing on facilitating career and research mentoring connections between faculty and students. WPI’s Office of Undergraduate Studies chipped in some administrative staff support, and the program’s faculty leadership provided funds to help make up for the summer research stipends that Perry’s cohort had been promised. Billiar, Olsen, and Amity Manning—an associate professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology who stepped into the co-PI role after Ryder’s retirement—also agreed to lead the program without the salary support they would have received from the grant. And over 45 faculty members in supporting roles agreed to volunteer their time. But funding for the biggest-ticket item in the original grant, annual tuition support for selected students for each of their last three years at WPI, was not replaced. Still, students already involved in U-RISE wanted to continue working with their faculty mentors, even without any financial support. And in fall 2025, the program—renamed CLIMB@WPI (for Coaching for Leadership, Innovation, and Mentoring in Biomedical Research)—received more applicants than ever before, so faculty agreed to accept larger cohorts going forward.Team building The mentoring program is best described through an extended sports analogy. It now accepts 30 first-year students into a “draft year,” which features resume workshops, research seminars, and “scouting lunches” with faculty members looking for undergraduate lab assistants. Participants are also assembled in groups of five with a faculty “coach” who leads informal group discussions and other enrichment activities. At the end of the academic year, draft year participants can apply to continue in the program as a “trainee”—four are selected annually. Trainees meet regularly with a dedicated faculty coach who serves as their advocate until they graduate. “I love using the term ‘coach.’ The idea is that somebody c...

We’re unpacking everything about campus living — from move-in day tips to handling roommate situations to building lasting friendships. Whether you’re a planner or a last-minute packer, this episode is full of insider advice and real stories for families preparing for the transition to college life.Listen now: https://bit.ly/4m5XS7E

In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we explore how a memorable interactive experience during a visit to Walt Disney World as a child led industrial engineer Reagan Hajjar to chase a dream of creating magical moments in theme parks. Hajjar, a 2023 Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate, discusses her journey to working in the industrial engineering and business analytics division at Universal Destinations & Experiences in Orlando, Fla. She talks about how the role of industrial engineer combines data and forecasting and helps ensure that park guests have a seamless experience. She also shares what it’s like to work in the shadows of a roller coaster and just a short walk away from attractions that draw crowds from around the world. Hajjar reflects on how her experiences at WPI, where she was a student in The Business School and earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s degree in management, helped her realize her dream of working in themed entertainment. You can read more about Hajjar’s journey and her work at Universal in the WPI Journal summer 2026 issue.Related links: WPI Journal, “Where Engineering Meets Magic” https://wp.wpi.edu/journal/articles/where-engineering-meets-magic/The Business School https://www.wpi.edu/academics/businessHeebner Career Development Center https://cdc.wpi.edu/Industrial Engineering at WPI https://www.wpi.edu/academics/departments/industrial-engineering

Worcester Polytechnic Institute researcher Catherine Whittington is launching a new project to develop laboratory models for the study of uterine fibroids, and before work had even begun, WPI students had already played a critical role. The three-year project is built upon research that students, including one who was still in high school at the time, previously completed in Whittington’s lab. Now, with funding from a National Institutes of Health program that focuses on extending research opportunities to undergraduates, Whittington is expanding on the students’ findings to create models that could help researchers better understand and develop treatments for a disease that impacts millions of women. “The framework for this project was established by students who conducted studies, replicated their results, and did statistical analysis, all of which goes into rigorous scientific research,” said Whittington, an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “We have an opportunity to advance and expand their pioneering work.” Whittington will use a $555,371 grant from the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to develop two laboratory models. Both will create tiny microenvironments for fibroid cells so that researchers can examine how cellular signals moving through stiff and inflamed tissue may affect the course of disease. Uterine fibroids are common benign tumors that grow within the muscular walls of the uterus. An estimated 70% to 80% of women develop uterine fibroids by the age of 50. For some, symptoms can be painful, and the disease can impact fertility. The only cure for uterine fibroids is hysterectomy. For researchers, fibroids are a ripe ground for study. The tumors respond to fluctuations in hormones and also are associated with obesity and inflammation. Some research has suggested that stiffening of tissues around fibroids may thwart important cellular signals, including signals from drug treatments. “There is much we do not know about fibroids,” Whittington said. “We don’t know why they form. We don’t know why they recur after treatment. Models could help by giving researchers a rapid way to study fibroids and tissues under many different scenarios.” Whittington’s lab will develop one model that will embed a single tiny fibroid sphere into a small amount of gel that has been designed to mimic the stiffness and architecture of the uterine environment. Each fibroid-encased gel will sit in a small well on a lab plate. The researchers will then test how molecules of different sizes travel through the samples, especially larger molecules that compare in size to therapeutic drugs. This model will build on a 2024–25 undergraduate capstone project. A second model will create small rings of uterine muscle tissue in wells on a lab plate and seed the rings with tiny fibroid spheroids. The researchers will then expose the rings to hormones, molecules from fat-derived cells, and therapeutic molecules. The model is based on a two-year project conducted by Isabella Palit, who graduated from the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI in 2024, and by a team of undergraduates who completed a capstone project in 2025. Kiran Tremblay, a PhD student, has worked on the project since 2025. Whittington expects to sponsor more undergraduate teams for capstone projects focused on the models. She also will hire undergraduate and graduate students to assist with model development over three years. The project will add to Whittington’s development of three-dimensional, tissue-engineered biomaterials for the study of diseases that involve fibrosis, a scarring and thickening of tissue. She received a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation in 2025 to develop models for the study of fibrosis in pancreas, skin, and uterine fibroids. Her work has also been sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Genentech, and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “This new project addresses a significant health problem, but it also highlights the importance of integrating undergraduate and graduate students into research at WPI,” Whittington said. “None of the research in my lab, including this project, could happen without the work and contributions of student researchers.”

In the hunt for ways to reduce led poisoning, researchers in Natalie Farny's Worcester Polytechnic Institute lab are turning to some tiny worms with a taste for bacteria. Farny, an associate professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology, has been awarded a $400,753 grant from the National Institutes of Health for early-stage research that will examine whether harmless bacteria could be put to work in the gastrointestinal tract of C. elegans nematodes to block the absorption of led. The two-year project will focus on bacteria in a probiotic supplement that is used outside the United States. “Most led exposure occurs when humans ingest contaminated water, food, dust, or paint particles,” Farny said. “There is evidence that bacteria are good at sensing and responding to metals, so our idea is that a potential solution for people in high-risk environments, especially children, might be to consume a probiotic to protect against led poisoning.” Researchers led by Farny will focus their work on E. coli Nissle, a harmless bacteria used in probiotics that are sold outside the United States to treat gastrointestinal ailments such as diarrhea. They will test their ideas in C. elegans, a soil-dwelling worm that feeds on bacteria, measures about 1 millimeter in length, and is often used in genetic and neurological research as a model for more complex organisms. The project will involve inserting code into the genes of E. coli Nissle so that the bacteria produce aptamers, which are strands of nucleic acids. The researchers will then feed the bacteria and led to worms to determine if, in the worms’ guts, the bacteria will make aptamers that trap the led for excretion. At the same time, Dmitry Korkin, the Harold L. Jurist ’61 and Heather E. Jurist Dean’s Professor of Computer Science, will use artificial intelligence methods to identify existing genetic code in E. coli Nissle that could be rearranged to bind with led. The aim is to adapt E. coli Nissle without adding new genetic code to the bacterium. “AI can be trained to sort through large amounts of genetic data to find patterns and use them as informational anchors in designing efficient biomolecules,” Korkin said. “The AI predictions can then be tested in laboratory experiments, and this iterative discovery loop can be repeated multiple time until the most efficient biomolecule is found.” Led represents a significant public health hazard for children and can leach into water supplies from old pipes. Chelation therapy, which uses agents that bind with led in the body for excretion, is typically reserved for patients with dangerous levels of metal poisoning. Yet when consumed, even small amounts of led can cause permanent neurological damage. Farny’s project is built upon years of research in her lab, including multiple student projects, that was supported by early-stage funding from civil engineer Robert F. Ferrari, a WPI alumnus and president of Northeast Water Solutions Inc., a Rhode Island water systems engineering company. “It has been a pleasure to observe and support basic science research in the Farny lab,” Ferrari said. “Natalie Farny shares my interest in public health, and the work that she and her students are doing is expanding understanding about significant problems.” Farny is a synthetic biologist whose research has focused on environmental challenges. She received a prestigious CAREER Award in 2024 from the National Science Foundation to determine how a biological process regulates genes in a soil bacteria that is used in industrial and environmental engineering, and she is a co-inventor on four patent applications concerning aptamers. “The goal in pursuing this new research is to find a way to intervene in a public health emergency,” Farny said. “When communities are facing a led crisis, they can try to determine the source and remove it. But that can take time, and it may not be possible to completely avoid led if the source is environmental. For families that are worried about their children, a probiotic may represent a helpful solution.”

In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we explore student research opportunities in university settings. Yuxiang (Shawn) Liu, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, shares his perspectives on the definition of research and the personal and professional growth students can experience by engaging in research with a faculty member. He also discusses the skills, mindset, and time commitment he expects from student researchers in his laboratory. This episode can help you determine if student research is right for you and shares advice on how to find research opportunities on any campus.  Related links: https://www.wpi.edu/research/studenthttps://www.wpi.edu/academics/undergraduate/undergraduate-research/special-research-programs-fundinghttps://www.wpi.edu/academics/departments/biomedical-engineering/resources/climbhttps://www.wpi.edu/people/faculty/yliu11

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has been awarded $1.5 million in federal funding to advance a promising technology that destroys harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals.” The funding will step up research aimed at providing communities with a scalable solution for eliminating PFAS from contaminated soils, while producing renewable fuels as a valuable by-product. The award builds on WPI’s leadership in PFAS remediation and environmental engineering, advancing innovative technologies to detect, remove, and destroy forever chemicals. Widely used in industrial and consumer products for their resistance to heat, water, and oil, PFAS persist in the environment for decades and have been linked to serious health conditions. This project moves one of WPI’s most promising PFAS destruction technologies closer to real-world deployment, helping address contamination from sources such as polluted soils and firefighting foams in Central Massachusetts and beyond. “WPI researchers are making major strides toward their goal of providing communities with a tool to help solve a problem that some have said is impossible to solve,” said Grace Wang, president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. “With this federal support, we are advancing a technology that not only eliminates so-called forever chemicals but also converts contaminated biomass into sustainable fuels, demonstrating how innovation can protect public health, restore contaminated landscapes, and create a more sustainable future.” The funding was secured in the fiscal year 2026 federal appropriations process through Community Project Funding—a joint congressionally directed spending award—led in the House of Representatives by Rep. James McGovern and in the Senate by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey. McGovern announced the award during a visit to WPI today. “Folks in Massachusetts and across the country deserve to know that their food and water is free from toxic PFAS chemicals,” said McGovern. “I’m proud that WPI is on the cutting edge of research to get these substances out of our soil for good. Because of the new funding we are announcing today, our commonwealth will remain at the forefront of the fight to get rid of forever chemicals once and for all. I’m grateful to President Wang, all the incredibly hard-working researchers at WPI, and Senators Warren and Markey for partnering to deliver this major new investment that will make a PFAS-free future one step closer to reality.” “Massachusetts families shouldn’t have to wonder whether their water is clean and safe to drink,” said Warren. “I fought hard to secure funding for the cutting-edge research WPI is leading to clean up these chemicals and protect communities across the commonwealth.” “As residents, businesses, and municipalities across Massachusetts continue to face the consequences of PFAS contamination, we are proud to partner with Worcester Polytechnic Institute to move forward essential research in the development of new technologies to remove these dangerous forever chemicals and protect our drinking water, farmlands, and environment,” said Markey. “Thanks to the hard work of the scholars at WPI, Massachusetts will be a leader in the next generation of PFAS remediation.” The WPI-led project centers on a novel process known as Radical-Initiated Hydrothermal Liquefaction (RI-HTL). The technology uses heat, pressure, and nontoxic chemicals to destroy PFAS by breaking the strong carbon-fluorine bonds that make the compounds so persistent. Early laboratory testing has demonstrated that RI-HTL can destroy more than 99% of PFAS across multiple forms of contamination, including firefighting foams. One of the greatest challenges in PFAS remediation is removing the chemicals from contaminated soil. WPI researchers will investigate the use of plants that naturally absorb PFAS as they grow. Once harvested, the contaminated biomass will be processed using RI-HTL, offering a promising new strategy for removing and permanently destroying PFAS from the environment. Beyond environmental cleanup, the technology offers an additional sustainability benefit. The RI-HTL process converts contaminated biomass into bio-oil that can serve as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel and fuels for heavy-duty transportation, creating value from material that would otherwise be considered waste. The project will advance two parallel areas of research: • Enhance WPI’s PFAS analytical laboratory with advanced instrumentation to strengthen the university’s ability to detect, measure, and analyze PFAS compounds • Apply RI-HTL technology to PFAS-contaminated biomass to establish the scientific foundation for destroying PFAS in plant material The funding will support research activities and investment in laboratory equipment that will expand WPI’s PFAS testing and analysis capabilities. “This investment will allow us to establish an advanced analytical laboratory and generat...

Whether you’re sending an email, making a phone call, or using the navigation in your car, you’re benefiting from the out-of-this-world advancements in space-based communications—which is pretty much any data exchanged via satellite. This year, we’re celebrating WPI alum Robert Goddard’s innovations in rocketry. One hundred years and over 26,000 satellite launches after Goddard’s first launch, the way we live and communicate has been transformed by space-based communications—which is part of a global network made up of terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity. During the episode, we’ll go to space and back with Alexander Wyglinski, associate dean of graduate studies and professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, as we discuss broadband deserts, the future of cellular (what might 6G bring?), trash and weather in space, and much more—including cybersecurity implications. We’ll also discuss WPI’s continued leadership in non-terrestrial communications and some of the exciting related projects we’ve led. So, tighten your seat belts and enjoy the show! It’s all made possible by space-based communications.

Jump to Section: 00:00 - A Few Reasons Why WPI Could Be Your Place 01:14 - Project-Based Learning & Hands-on Experiences 02:13 - Immerse Yourself in 7-Week Terms 02:54 - The Global Project Projects Program 05:37 - 230+ Clubs & Organizations on Campus 06:15 - Community & Resources 07:33 - Greek Life 07:46 - Club Sports, Fitness Classes & Athletics 08:47 - Dining Options On-Campus & Beyond 09:21 - Career Services & Return on Investment 10:51 - Student Reflections

Worcester Polytechnic Institute researchers Jun Dai and Xiaoyan “Sherry” Sun are launching a three-year project, funded with a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, that will train high school teachers across the country to teach quantum information science and cybersecurity to their students. The goal of the project is to inspire and prepare young people to pursue education and careers in emerging science and technology fields. “We want to expose high school students to these important, but sometimes challenging, topics as soon as possible,” said Dai, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and principal investigator on the grant. “The most effective way to do that is to provide teachers with instruction and research experiences that will prepare them to take their knowledge back to classrooms.” Dai and Sun, also an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, will create a program that will operate entirely online and enroll 10 high school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers per year. Over three years, Dai and Sun expect to train 30 teachers from across the United States. Each year, participants will study independently before beginning a six-week summer session that will include instruction, an introduction to research concepts, project planning, and development of curriculum that can be implemented in schools. The teachers will participate in research exploring how artificial intelligence tools and gamification, a way of using game concepts to create learning experiences, can effectively teach students about quantum computing and cybersecurity. Dai and Sun will invite teachers who complete the program to remain connected to subsequent classes of teachers to build a community of instructors. “We have found that training teachers is an efficient and effective way to bring knowledge, inspiration, and information to high school students,” said Sun. “When we train teachers, they convert their knowledge about highly technical topics into curriculum and lesson plans that high school students can understand and absorb. Teachers have also shown that they can do research with us, publish findings, and spread their knowledge about cybersecurity instruction to other teachers.” The project builds on Dai and Sun’s previous work promoting cybersecurity education, workforce development, and collaboration with government, industry, and academia. They have hosted GenCyber camps, a federally funded cybersecurity teacher-training initiative, and co-implemented the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy, which offers graduate-certificate education to high school teachers. Dai and Sun have also collaborated on national initiatives known as DRIFT, which aims to prepare cybersecurity workers for U.S. automotive innovation on integrating cybersecurity and AI, and SWEEPS, a collaboration among institutions training software developers about secure programming issues. Dai and Sun received their PhDs at Pennsylvania State University and joined the WPI faculty in 2023.