Engineering the Future: Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Celebrates Young Innovators at WPI
July 2025, by Victoria Yakes '27 The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) joined Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) this July to celebrate the accomplishment of students graduating from MeDHigh, a four-week biomedical engineering training program offered through the MLSC’s High School Apprenticeship Challenge. Established in 2007, the MLSC launches funding programs, builds partnerships, and secures investments aimed at supporting opportunities across the Commonwealth. The MLSC has delegated over $1 billion dollars in support of local devotions to research and development, innovation, and scientific advancements, creating thousands of jobs and opportunities benefiting Massachusetts and beyond. MLSC President and CEO Kirk Taylor, MD, and members of the MLSC team, toured WPI’s state-of-the-art, MLSC-funded labs and had the opportunity to engage with students participating in MedHigh. The MedHigh program is designed to expose high school students to biomedical engineering, a multidisciplinary field at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and biology. Over the course of four weeks, students gained hands-on learning experience, benefiting from careful mentorship while developing their technical skill sets and gaining exposure to public speaking, scientific writing, and professional development. This year’s focus was on medical devices, with students encouraged to explore device improvements and their impacts on global health, particularly in under-resourced communities. During graduation, students shared their real-world prototypes with faculty and directors, showcasing the products of their hard work and innovative thinking. “We’re cultivating the next generation of problem-solvers who will drive breakthroughs in medicine, engineering, and global health,” said Solomon Mensah, MedHigh Director and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at WPI. MedHigh offers an opportunity for students to break into a competitive and innovative field which values early experience and technical skills. Since 2024, MedHigh has celebrated 27 graduates from the program, and will continue to use over $140,000 in investments to promote STEM education for underrepresented communities in Massachusetts. The program hopes to bridge the gap between the technical field of engineering and its accessibility to local communities, bringing a new class of budding scientists and engineers to the forefront of innovation.
July 2025, by Victoria Yakes '27
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) joined Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) this July to celebrate the accomplishment of students graduating from MeDHigh, a four-week biomedical engineering training program offered through the MLSC’s High School Apprenticeship Challenge.
Established in 2007, the MLSC launches funding programs, builds partnerships, and secures investments aimed at supporting opportunities across the Commonwealth. The MLSC has delegated over $1 billion dollars in support of local devotions to research and development, innovation, and scientific advancements, creating thousands of jobs and opportunities benefiting Massachusetts and beyond.
MLSC President and CEO Kirk Taylor, MD, and members of the MLSC team, toured WPI’s state-of-the-art, MLSC-funded labs and had the opportunity to engage with students participating in MedHigh. The MedHigh program is designed to expose high school students to biomedical engineering, a multidisciplinary field at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and biology.
Over the course of four weeks, students gained hands-on learning experience, benefiting from careful mentorship while developing their technical skill sets and gaining exposure to public speaking, scientific writing, and professional development. This year’s focus was on medical devices, with students encouraged to explore device improvements and their impacts on global health, particularly in under-resourced communities. During graduation, students shared their real-world prototypes with faculty and directors, showcasing the products of their hard work and innovative thinking.
“We’re cultivating the next generation of problem-solvers who will drive breakthroughs in medicine, engineering, and global health,” said Solomon Mensah, MedHigh Director and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at WPI.
MedHigh offers an opportunity for students to break into a competitive and innovative field which values early experience and technical skills. Since 2024, MedHigh has celebrated 27 graduates from the program, and will continue to use over $140,000 in investments to promote STEM education for underrepresented communities in Massachusetts. The program hopes to bridge the gap between the technical field of engineering and its accessibility to local communities, bringing a new class of budding scientists and engineers to the forefront of innovation.
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