Leveling up the college look: new WPI quarter zip, fresh LinkedIn profile pic, and a matcha to seal the deal. #WPI #FitCheck

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (W.P.I.) has launched a new Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program to prepare students to design, analyze, and secure modern computing systems across industries. The new degree builds upon W.P.I.’s nationally recognized strengths in computer science (CS), electrical and computer engineering (ECE), and cybersecurity research. Its unique integration of C.S. and E.C.E. prepares students to understand and secure systems from the hardware circuits to the software that runs on them.Designated by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research, W.P.I. has been contributing to this vital field for nearly three decades, conducting cutting-edge research and training professionals who have shaped secure computing. Today, W.P.I. continues to advance cybersecurity research and education in hardware and software security, cryptography, analysis of security policies and protocols, network and embedded systems security, and online privacy.“With cyber threats evolving faster than most organizations can respond and targeting both software and hardware vulnerabilities, preparing a workforce of creative, ethical, and highly skilled cybersecurity professionals is essential,” said Grace Wang, President of W.P.I. “Through this new degree, W.P.I. continues to strengthen its leadership in cybersecurity education and research—advancing our mission to use science, engineering, and technology for the greater good.”According to a report cited by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, there were more than 514,000 open cybersecurity positions in the U.S. in 2023, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 35% job growth in the field—much faster than the national average. Globally today’s cybersecurity talent shortage is estimated at more than four million professionals.“The shortage of security experts is not merely an issue of headcount; it’s a critical mismatch in skills,” said Craig Shue, professor and head of the Department of Computer Science. “Organizations report significant gaps in the expertise needed to manage increasingly sophisticated threats, leaving businesses, governments, and institutions more vulnerable to data breaches, financial fraud, and other cyberattacks. This is detail-oriented work where security experts have to get everything right to successfully protect people.”The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity will prepare students for a range of professional roles, including security analysts, penetration testers, security architects, incident responders, malware analysts, cyber-risk analysts, and data privacy officers.The program integrates coursework from computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and mathematical sciences. Students will gain experience in both software and hardware security, network and cryptographic systems, organizational and societal security, and human factors in technology design.“Cybersecurity today demands architects, not just defenders. Our students will learn to design secure systems from first principles, anticipate emerging threats, and communicate complex ideas clearly,” said Robert Walls, associate professor of computer science and director of W.P.I.’s cybersecurity program. “These are essential skills for safeguarding the digital infrastructure our society depends on.”The new bachelor’s degree also builds on W.P.I.’s leading role in national workforce development initiatives to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity and AI capacity. The university is one of a select group of academic institutions spearheading the DRiving Automotive Industry WorkForce Transformation (DRIFT) program, supported by a $2.5 million grant from the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (N.C.A.E.-C). DRIFT focuses on upskilling professionals to secure connected vehicle systems and strengthen the cybersecurity and AI infrastructure of the U.S. automotive industry.In addition, W.P.I. is part of a coalition of universities, colleges, and cybersecurity organizations offering education through the Strengthen Workforce Education for Excellence in Programming Securely (SWEEPS) program—also funded by a $2.5 million N.C.A.E.-C grant—to train software developers nationwide in secure coding practices through online courses, bootcamps, and certificates.Further bolstering its leadership, W.P.I. is home to one of only two academics research microscopes in the U.S. dedicated to semiconductor cybersecurity—and the only one of its kind in New England. This specialized equipment, funded by the National Science Foundation, supports research into hardware-level vulnerabilities and defenses that are critical to national technology security.The Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity will begin enrolling students in fall 2026.

Winter came early on campus ❄️ #FirstSnow

Brittany Frederick became WPI’s new director of multicultural education and community engagement last winter, just as many colleges and universities were eliminating their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Her appointment reflects WPI’s ongoing commitment to fostering a kind and caring community. Frederick holds a PhD in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she focused on the intersection of race and gender in higher education through U.S. history. That context and perspective help Frederick take the long view when approaching her work with WPI’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME). As a self-described nerd who loves gaming and watching Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, she says she feels right at home at WPI. Keep reading to learn more about the Bronx, N.Y., native. Q: What drew you to this ODIME director position at WPI? A: It started while I was working on my PhD. I was always looking for educational opportunities outside of the classroom, which led me to take a graduate assistantship in the Office of Inclusion and Engagement at UMass Amherst. And I realized I really liked this type of work. It’s student affairs work, but outside of residential life, which is where I’d worked all through my undergraduate and graduate career. When I went to Penn State to complete my postdoctoral fellowship, there was an opening in the Fox Graduate School doing similar diversity-related work with students. I took that job but knew I could make more of an impact at a mid-size institution like WPI than I could at a huge school like Penn State. I wanted to be a person with a face. I wanted to lead and to make change. And once I understood more about WPI, I realized it would be a really good fit for me because you can be your own quirky person here. Q: Now that you’ve been here for a while, what are you most excited about in your role? A: ODIME is in an interesting place. It’s a difficult place, but it’s also a big, big area of opportunity because we have to re-envision what inclusion and belonging look like moving forward. We need to continue to make sure that our students know that this office is here for them. Q: Why is having an office like ODIME important for students? A: At the turn of the 19th century, and with the establishment of land grant institutions, you may have gone to your math class, your agriculture class, your Latin class, and then home. But then students felt as if they needed something else, some sort of enrichment adjacent to the academic experience but still educational. This is where we see the beginning of fraternal societies—and then social clubs more generally. What we now know as “student affairs” began because students and universities saw a benefit in programs that foster the growth of the whole student as a person, not just as an academic pupil. Without the work that student affairs does outside of the classroom, students do not thrive in the classroom. If students don’t have ways to express themselves, to process the things that they’re going through, to make friends and build community, they cannot succeed in the classroom. At first I thought I would not fit in at a STEM school like WPI. But I am not here to help anyone solve a math equation. Students come to me to talk about their study habits. They come to me about fitting in and making friends, about identity issues and who they are. These are all things that I can help with. And once students can address those concerns that they have outside of the classroom, they can thrive in the classroom. Q: Part of what ODIME has done historically is to help vulnerable members of our campus community feel seen and valued. How are you doing that while also complying with federal mandates to ensure that spaces and programs are open to everyone? A: We’re keeping the spirit of our programs and being much clearer that they are open to all. For example, the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) supported students underrepresented in STEM with career, mentorship, and peer-advising programs. The NSF ended that program, but we’re still providing those supports, and we’re ensuring all students have access. The Connections Pre-Orientation Program—which helps first-year students transition to college life—is another example of a program that has always been open to all, but we now say more explicitly that it is open for everybody. This didn’t change any of the programming that we did this summer during the week of Connections. We offered the same opportunities to build community, learn campus resources, and engage with faculty and staff. I don’t think our purpose and our function has changed, but we’ve had to be more clear in our language about what we offer and who we offer it to. Students, faculty, and staff may interpret that as some sort of capitulation, but we either remain in compliance with federal mandates or close the off...

Worcester Polytechnic Institute researcher Jeffrey Bourgeois has been awarded a $542,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to identify genetic factors that influence inflammation in humans who have been infected with the tick-borne bacterium that causes Lyme disease. The goal is to enable better prediction, prevention, and treatment of Lyme disease, which can lead to serious inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis, and long-term illness. “Some patients have mild inflammatory responses to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, while others suffer severe symptoms, even well after treatment,” said Bourgeois, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Biotechnology. “It’s not clear why patients have such different experiences. We need a better understanding of how small differences in human genes across individuals may be driving inflammation.” Over three years, Bourgeois will build a library of human blood samples and develop a laboratory process to screen macrophages, a type of white blood cell, for genes that have been activated after exposure to B. burgdorferi. He will identify small changes in the DNA code within genes that are associated with the immune system’s response to infection, including disruptions in immune “memory” that leave some patients struggling with persistent symptoms. In addition, he will examine associations between differences in DNA sequences in blood samples collected from patients with longer-term symptoms. The grant is part of a military initiative to accelerate research that could lead to advances in preventing and treating Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in military members, veterans, their families, and the public. Lyme disease was first identified in 1975 in Lyme, Conn., by researchers investigating a cluster of children with juvenile arthritis. An estimated 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease every year in the United States, and most cases occur in the Northeast and Midwest. The disease moves from animals to humans through black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks. The ticks feed on infected mice and birds, and the ticks then transmit the spiral-shaped bacteria to humans through a bite. One sign of infection is a telltale circular rash at the site of a tick bite. If treated with antibiotics soon after infection, Lyme disease patients typically recover rapidly and completely. However, some patients never develop a rash and may not know that they have been bitten until the illness has progressed to more severe symptoms. Bourgeois joined the WPI faculty in 2025 after earning his PhD at Duke University and completing post-doctoral research at Tufts University. A Rhode Island native, he earned his bachelor’s degree at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. For Bourgeois, focusing his research on B. burgdorferi is a chance to solve a puzzle and a personal matter. “B. burgdorferi is challenging,” Bourgeois said. “In nature, it exists only in ticks and vertebrates like mice. In labs, it is difficult to culture and study. Yet it causes so many health problems for humans. I grew up in New England, where Lyme disease was first recognized, and I have friends who’ve had Lyme disease, so I understand the impact this disease can have on people.” This work will be supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs through the Tick-Borne Disease Research Program, endorsed by the Department of Defense under Award number HT9425-25-1-0547. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.

In this episode of The WPI Podcast, we explore how a group of Worcester Polytechnic Institute students are making a global impact and connections with a community in Ecuador. As part of a multiple-year project, WPI’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders USA spent a week in May 2025 working with residents in Shungubug Grande to upgrade their aging water system and address water quality challenges.  Sophia Gross writes about the experience for an article in WPI Journal, the university’s magazine. Gross and Sarah Gardner, both members of the student organization, join the podcast to reflect on their time in South America, the extracurricular project that allowed them to exercise their engineering and problem-solving skills for the enhancement of society, the lasting memories they made with community members, and what it was like to document the trip for the magazine in writing and photos.  Also, Kris O’Reilly, editor of WPI Journal, shares a preview of other stories you’ll find in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of the magazine.   Related links: WPI Student Chapter, Engineers Without Borders USA Instagram: WPI Student Chapter, Engineers Without Borders USA WPI Journal, “Engineering a Cultural Connection,” by Sophia Gross  WPI Journal Fall/Winter 2025 issue  The Global Lab

Among the many things that can make the heart pound—a new love, a scary movie, a vigorous workout—an irregular heartbeat known as ventricular tachycardia is particularly dangerous. Errant electrical signals make the heart race, sometimes too fast to pump blood. Patients may faint, and prolonged arrhythmias can even cause death. All too often, ablation procedures that aim to scar small sections of heart tissue contributing to the arrhythmia simply fail to work. WPI researcher Shijie Zhou is working to change that by using large sets of data from noninvasive clinical tests, computational methods, and artificial intelligence to reconstruct cardiac events such as arrhythmias in digital models. His goal is to make ablation procedures safer and more accurate. With funding from the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health, Zhou is developing technologies that can precisely map electrical circuits in the heart, pinpoint problem spots, and identify the best sites for treatment. “It is very challenging to treat ventricular tachycardia,” says Zhou, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. “After ablation, ventricular tachycardia recurs about 30% to 70% of the time. However, with algorithms and data gathered from many patients, we can build tools that will enable clinicians to work toward better outcomes for patients.” Ventricular tachycardia originates in the lower chambers, or ventricles, of the heart and is often caused by heart disease. Treatments include drugs such as beta-blockers, implanted pacemakers, catheter ablation, and radiation. A minimally invasive procedure, catheter ablation involves inserting a long flexible tube into a blood vessel, guiding a probe to a specific spot in the heart, and then using radiofrequency energy or extreme cold to scar the tissue and block irregular signals. Zhou, who joined the WPI faculty in 2024, was a master’s student in computer engineering when a business executive encouraged him to develop a smartphone app for people with arrhythmias. As he learned about the challenges involved in treating ventricular tachycardia, Zhou pivoted into a PhD and biomedical engineering program at Dalhousie University in Canada that included two years of medical school courses. “My background includes both medical and engineering training, and my goal is to advance research from the laboratory to the clinic within a few years,” Zhou says. “Translational research is fascinating to conduct, but it’s also important for patients.” Now Zhou’s research builds on information collected about the heart through noninvasive methods, including sensors placed on the body to record electrical signals and computer tomography that stitches together two-dimensional scans to create three-dimensional images. Zhou received a Career Development Award from the AHA in March 2025 to develop software that uses scans and data to build a 3D computer model, or “digital twin,” of a patient’s heart. The three-year $231,000 project aims to build a system that can spot the exact location where an arrhythmia starts. Zhou and a collaborator will test the software in a pilot study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The AHA awarded Zhou a separate two-year $199,999 grant in June 2025 to develop an AI tool that automatically analyzes raw electrocardiogram signals. ECGs use electrodes placed on the skin to measure the electrical activity of the heart. Zhou’s project will develop a tool that can objectively and precisely predict optimal sites in a patient’s heart for ablation, potentially making procedures shorter and more accurate. More recently, the NIH awarded a $232,500 grant to Zhou in September 2025 for a two-year project to create a technology that will identify targets for cardiac stereotactic body radiotherapy. Also known as cSBRT, the noninvasive procedure uses highly focused beams of radiation to ablate abnormal tissue in the heart. Zhou will use a large clinical dataset, with personal details removed and accurate information from catheter ablations, to validate a noninvasive functional and structural localization approach to identifying targets for radiation. In his laboratory, Zhou projects colorful digital images of hearts on his computer screen, complete with depictions of muscle fiber and the electrical points where irregular signals are firing. The technology builds on work he launched during his PhD training at Dalhousie University, a clinical cardiac electrophysiology research fellowship with the Nova Scotia Health Authority, and postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University, where he developed and patented several related inventions. “Some arrhythmia patients undergo ablation more than once because the procedure so often fails,” Zhou says. “At a certain point, patients can no longer receive ablation. It is important to improve this procedure and get real solutions into the hands of doctors.”

After hearing what our students, faculty, and staff had to say, we couldn't wait to share their heartfelt responses. Sometimes the classics are classics for a reason. 🧡 From all of us, we wish you and your families a happy holiday break filled with gratitude, warmth, and good company.

“How’s school going?” is the question every family asks at the dinner table.Watch our students give the real answer—breaking down what they’re actually learning and working on.#StudentLife #College #StudentProjects #WPI #Education

Episode 4 of the Time To Startup podcast, titled “Know How to Listen: How to Be a Mentor & Mentee?”, features guest Rob Sarnie in conversation with host Ardian Preci. In this episode, the discussion focuses on the importance of mentorship in entrepreneurial and professional development, exploring what makes an effective mentor, how individuals can become strong mentees, and why active listening is a core skill for both roles. Rob draws from his own leadership and industry experience to provide practical advice, real examples, and valuable insights that listeners can apply directly to their own growth, whether they are guiding others or navigating their own journey.